Guest Post by Melissa A. Petresock, author of FIRE OF STARS AND DRAGONS

By: Meradeth Houston on 3:00 AM

I love guest posts! Be sure to give Melissa a big shout-out and check out her amazing title, FIRE OR STARS AND DRAGONS!! Doesn't it sound awesome?? I can't wait to read it!

Guest Post: When Fantasy Meets Reality – The World of FOSAD

The question of what inspired FIRE OF STARS AND DRAGONS may possibly be the most common question I receive. It’s a difficult subject since people usually expect it to be some other books I’ve read. Finding out Meradeth wanted me to write a guest post on the world of FOSAD; well, world-building versus story concepts are entirely different lines of questioning.

Many people know I used to live in Massachusetts, various places in the years I was there, but I worked in Boston for quite a while. When my husband I started dating, he was living in Watertown, and we moved north of Boston to Reading when we married. To me, there was always something magical about a city in which you could spend the day and walk from such historic sites as the Old North Church and Faneuil Hall right over to the modern day attractions of The Shops at Prudential Center or the Museum of Science.

And so the concept our world could be fantastically magical came from a very real place in my mind—a love affair with Boston, Massachusetts. I suppose no one should be at all surprised that in the 22nd century setting of my Stars and Souls Trilogy world, Boston has become the capital city of United Sovereign America.

With Boston as my “center”, I built the world out and put my own twists on things I’ve seen before. One reviewer said she doesn’t know how to categorize FIRE OF STARS OF DRAGONS, and there’s a good reason for this. Its world is futuristic, medieval, dystopian, contemporary, fantastical, paranormal, mythological, mysterious, romantic, and dramatic. At times, it’s even bloody.

To create the world, I chose which supernatural creatures I wanted involved in my story and started making notes regarding the specifics of their cultures. These beings existed long before humans knew they did, but were aware of each other. They needed their own social norms and inter-species relationships. There would be certain ones who didn’t get along, ones with “axes to grind”, some cultures who might not have agreed with integrating into human society so much, and others who sought power. Every culture would have their influences on the others and certain influences on humanity, even if we never knew it.

These were all critical to developing a realistic world in which the story plays out. If the characters didn’t come from the long histories that they do with the influences of their cultures and those surrounding them and the rules of the supernatural world that existed in the shadows of the human world for so long, none of the story’s events would take place as they do.

In FIRE OF STARS AND DRAGONS, you will find a vampire king and his family controlling the political atmosphere; shapeshifting dragons as soul readers, passing judgment and either guarding or destroying; and deities influencing our world in both obvious and subtle ways, yet often avoiding the Earthen Realm. There are elves conspiring with those in power with an eye toward settling old debts and Fae remaining as a secluded, peaceful society with a greater impact on the history of the world than anyone ever realized.

It is a complicated world intricately woven into the story so as not to bog down the reader with heavy world-building and front-loaded backstory. It is a world inspired by the very real magic found in the history and modern world woven in the streets of Boston, Massachusetts.

Following the death of her uncle, twenty-one-year-old CAITRIONA HAYDEN finds herself in the midst of a trio of quintessential alpha male suitors in 22nd century sovereign America where human females should be seen and not heard.

Theo Pendragon claims her as his ward, ordained to guard her through to a long-awaited destiny unbeknownst to Cait, but finds more than he expected when passion ignites within the dragon for the first time. Always drawn to the pursuit of knowledge rather than the heat of desire, powerful demigod Dante cannot deny everything his future holds in Caitriona. America's monarch, ancient vampire Corrin, has no interest in the frivolity of love, yet marrying Cait could be the answer to his continued survival.Soon, Cait goes from studying for college exams to choosing a husband knowing the consequences are eternal, the love undying, and the bond timeless. (Goodreads)

More about Melissa:
As the author of New Adult Fantasy Romance novel FIRE OF STARS AND DRAGONS, Melissa brings together shapeshifting dragons, deities, vampires, and a sassy chick who holds her own. With a unique mythology and the intricate weaving of nuanced characters in a plot far more complicated than meets the eye, spectacularly visual writing draws readers into a fantastical world so real they can reach out and touch it.

FIRE OF STARS AND DRAGONS is available in ebook first by Swoon Romance and is the first in the Stars & Souls Trilogy. The second book, BLOOD OF STARS AND GODS is planned for a late 2014 release.

Melissa A. Petreshock is a full-time writer and member of the Romance Writers of America with past experience in the medical and educational fields, though she has primarily devoted her adult life to raising a family. Born and raised in Kentucky, Melissa spent a number of years in Massachusetts, living outside Boston and in Springfield before returning to her home state where she now resides on a small farm. She enjoys quiet married life and the silliness of her three children, indulging hobbies of music, Zumba, and a minor television addiction in what little free time she finds. Melissa’s interests include causes demanding social change such as mental health awareness and teen suicide prevention. FIRE OF STARS AND DRAGONS is her debut NA Fantasy Romance novel.

Follow Melissa on Twitter (@macpetreshock) or like her official Facebook Pagefacebook.com/macpetreshock for the most interaction.

You can also follow the official fan Twitter (@TeamDracopraesi) run by members of her All-Stars beta team.