Interview with Nicole DragonBeck
Welcome, Nicole DragonBeck, author of multiple series!
Nicole was born in California one snowy summer long ago, the illegitimate offspring of an elf and a troll. At a young age her powers exploded and she was banished to the wilderness of South Africa because her spells kept going inexplicably awry. There she was raised by a tribe of pygmy Dragons and had tremendous adventures, including defeating a terrible Fire-Demon that had been tormenting a sect of Dwarf priests. In gratitude they taught her the arcane magic of writing and the rest is horribly misinterpreted history. She reads as much as she writes, is obsessed with dragons and Italians, enjoys cooking, listening to music and can often be heard fiddling on a keyboard or guitar.
Q: What would you would like listeners/viewers/readers to know about you and your writing:
ND: Guardians of the Path is my main epic fantasy series.
- Main character(s): I have a large cast, that grows throughout the series (currently working on book 8). The first book starts with 5: Ria is the Girl from the Other World, who finds her way to a world of magyc, and discovers she may have more of a connection to it than she first thought. The Guardians of the Path are musical-instrument-wielding protectors of the force for good, and each one has a chapter: Cedar, Jaeyd, Luca, and Timo. Book 7 has 28 chapter viewpoints, including witches, an assassin, a Maker of Marks, and Death Himself.
- Setting of the series: Demona, a land where music is magyc and the force of life called the Path.
- Protagonist(s): this fits into one of the main themes – everyone has an influence on the world, for better or for worse. An ensemble cast works to save and revive a dying world, and the influence of their choices reaches beyond their awareness, to many others.
- Conflict(s): The main conflict is how to do the right thing even though the consequences won’t be easy or pleasant.
- Themes: friendship, how our choices shape our destiny, and the central theme that every person has a part to play in the fate of the world.
Q: What inspired the book(s)?
ND: I was walking through a friend’s apartment building, and I could hear music coming from one of the doors I walked past. I wondered where it could be coming from…
Q: What other books are available or planned?
ND: I write an Urban Fantasy Paranormal Mystery series called ‘Dragon and Gargoyle’ set in modern-day Ireland – book 5 A Dragon, a Gargoyle and a Faery Live by the Sword is being released on June 11th [2026].
Q: Now that we’ve had an introduction, that is a fun way of writing a biography. I get the impression that you’ve loved dragons or at least fantasy since you were young. What kicked that off?
ND: Thanks! I like to mix things up and keep them interesting with some fun. My mom taught me to read when I was 6 years old, and when I had completed the course, she got me The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton, and I read that aloud to her. This ignited my love of fantasy and the possibility of discovering new magical worlds, and the discovery of dragons came later, with the Halfblood Chronicles by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey.
Q: What is it about music that inspired you?
ND: I love the idea of music as a creative force (like Tolkien’s Great Theme of Ilúvatar, though it would be many, many years until I read the Silmarillion) or a healing power (listening to Classical Music reduces cortisol, lowers blood pressure).
Q: Is there any particular style of music that you find most inspirational to your books?
ND: Epic instrumental. Movie soundtracks are an incredible source of inspiration. Some of my favorites are the Ender’s Game soundtrack by Steve Jablonski, Kingdom of Heaven soundtrack by Harry Gregson-Williams, and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword by Daniel Pemberton.
Q: What inspirations does music provide to your writing? (characters, scenes, etc.)
ND: Strangely, I don’t often get specific scenes or character inspiration from listening to music. Usually it goes the other way for me: I’ll be listening to a song and it will fit or remind me of an event or theme of the series (a good example is The Voice by the Celtic Women).
Q: What is your favorite writing music? (Can we get a hint of your playlist or lists for different books?)
ND: Again, epic instrumental is my go-to. I love a good mix playlist like this one: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1tbqktGSrqfkOzbvWC2Hdc
Q: Do you create soundtracks for your books?
ND: Of course! I have a playlist where I put the songs that best represent the heart of the Guardians of the Path series: Songs to transport you to another world ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭♪ ♫ ♬ 𝄞
And we have character playlists for the Dragon and Gargoyle, here’s the one for my character: A dragon’s playlist, best for making complicated recipes and doing paperwork (pairs well with an Irish coffee).
Q: What inspirations besides the music set in motion your other series?
ND: It’s my rebellion against the Chosen One and Single Savior tropes. I truly believe that it is up to all people to shape the fate of the world, and that all people have the power to affect the outcome, not just the “heroes”. I wanted to write a story where it wasn’t up to one person to save everything (even if that is what some of the characters think is going to happen).
Q: How do you keep track of large ensemble casts in your books?
ND: A combination of a good memory, pen-and-paper notes, and spreadsheets. I have the entire rest of the series plotted on a large piece of Kraft Paper, with each character’s actions along a separate line. Their stories intersect, but a lot of it is parallel.
Q: Why did you spell magyc the way you did?
ND: I wanted to give a feel of something older and less common than magic, which everyone in this world is familiar with. Also, I love a good ‘y’ replacement: Vampyr, Wyrd, Grymoire…you get the idea.
Q: Why did you pick modern-day Ireland for Dragon and Gargoyle?
ND: I write the series with a very good friend of mine, Lisa Barry. She loves Ireland, and has been to visit several times. Ever since I read The Princes of Ireland when I was 14, I’ve been intrigued by Irish history and mythology.
Q: Is it a hidden world (such as Harry Potter) or is it an incorporated world where the fantasy is part of the real world?
ND: The supernatural world is very much hidden from the Outside, though of course people catch wind of it. The Keepers of the Peace and Order of Chroniclers (K.P.O.C.) is the organization the main characters—both detectives—work for (in the Department of Investigation), and a large part of the series is how the world is kept hidden (by the Department of Containment).
Q: What can you tell us about the Dragon and Gargoyle series?
ND: The series revolves around two detectives, a dragon and a gargoyle, who have been working together for about 300 years, and have been best friends for most of that time (dragons and gargoyles had a falling out a long time ago, so don’t generally get along). They solve magical crimes, protect the human world from nefarious supernatural villains, and try to make it home in time for dinner.
Q: How many books do you have planned in that series?
ND: A hundred! Not actually planned, you understand, but it’s an ongoing series, and we always have more ideas than we know what to do with (actually, we do know what to do with them, the struggle is where to find the time to do the things).
Q: Are each of the books focused on the same main characters or different characters?
Same characters! But as we meet new people as the story progresses, we have a wider cast of supporting characters that make appearances every now and again).
Q: How are each of the books plotted? What is their focus and how do they tie together? (Are they separate stories or each part of a larger series arc? If part of a series, are they each complete stories alone? Should readers read them in order?)
ND: That’s a complicated answer. I am a plotter 100%, Lisa is a pantser (or as she likes to say she “writes into the dark”). We swap writing chapters back and forth (one from the dragon viewpoint, and the next from the gargoyle), and keep track of the events in a spreadsheet. As we get near the end, we start plotting out the climax and conclusion in more detail.
Each book centers around a stand-alone mystery the characters have to solve, and there’s an overarching theme. The first four books are the “Dark Vampire” theme, and the next four center around the “Four Treasures” (of the Tuatha Dé Danann). I’d definitely recommend reading them in order though. We drop fun references to previous events that wouldn’t be as funny or interesting if you didn’t have the backstory.
Q: What kinds of situations and/or characters do your dragon and gargoyle encounter?
ND: All sorts of wacky adventures. A human child gets past the wards at Headquarters and they have to find out why and return her to her parents; a confused ghost hires them to solve his sudden appearance; a woman gets spelled to repel magic which causes some extra chaos for the dragon and gargoyle (and the rest of the supernatural law enforcement); Aiden, the dragon, is accused of a crime at the coronation of the Gargoyle Queen; even an unplanned trip to visit Donn, the god of the dead ruler of the Otherworld; and there’s always the Internal Affairs Inspector Lester McGuinness to make their lives a little miserable.
Q: How did you and Lisa meet and decide to work together? It’s obviously going well to continue. Do you have plans or have you considered working together on any other projects?
ND: She used to work with my brother, and on a break, he overheard her talking about this writers group she was putting together (the Ink Slingers Guild, still going strong 15 years later: The Ink Slingers Guild presents…) and he said I should join them. I was what you’d call an extreme introvert, but I showed up at Tony’s Pizza downtown, and met up with Lisa and a few other writers, and the rest is history. We do the annual Ink Slingers Guild anthology (this year is Gaslamp, The Weight of Every Wish, and is releasing at the end of the year). At the moment, Dragon and Gargoyle is all we have time for (we both write other books/series by ourselves), but never say never!
Q: What should readers expect with the newest installment (Book 5)?
ND: I think the word that sums up Live by the Sword is ‘more’ – more action, more detectives (the whole department is on this case), more revelations about the friendships and relationships of the characters.
Q: Would you like to share something more specific about the next book? Any particular characters or events that stand out (and that won’t spoil it)?
ND: Ooo, that’s a bit hard, but let me see what I can do… there’s a cute reunion with a character from the prequel (Make a Wish), and a glimpse at a fun new character that I hope will make more appearances (he’s half-vampire, half witch). One of my favorite parts is the detectives unexpectedly meet up with someone from Aiden’s distant past. And I can share the blurb:
Losing a legendary magical weapon, especially one that could level half of Ireland, was not in the daily battle plan.
Detectives Aiden Moss and Loch Doyle are back, and things are about to explode. When a mythical blade is swiped from right under their noses, the Keepers of the Peace and Order of Chroniclers goes full Code Red.
The dragon and gargoyle must navigate ancient rivalries, modern magical bureaucracy, and a series of riddles – which were definitely not meant to be cracked by law enforcement – to retrieve the sword before chaos is unleashed.
With a vampire security whiz, a witch with a green thumb, and a faery who’s as much trouble as he is sparkles, Aiden and Loch are in a race to catch the thief before the sword turns a city into a crater, and their careers into toast (and that’s not the delicious kind with eggs and sausage).
Thank you, Nicole, for taking the time to answer all these questions!
If readers enjoyed this interview, be sure to check out A Dragon, A Gargoyle and a Faery Walk into a Pub, First Magyc, and Glimpes of Great Tales.
You can learn more about Nicole and her writing by following him at the following links:
