My Little Pet Dragon (Fun!) Read online

  My Little Pet Dragon

  By Scott Gordon

  Illustrations by Julien Tromeur,

  Lorleyn Medina and Dimitar Marinov

  Children's Books by Scott Gordon

  A Little Book About You

  My Crazy Pet Frog

  A Pocketful of Dinosaurs

  Taming Your Pet Monster: An Operational Guide

  Ninja Robot Repairmen

  Pigtastic

  Eggtastic

  If I Were A Robot

  My Daddy's Cool Car Collection

  The Most Beautiful Flower

  The Penguin Way

  Aveline

  Copyright © 2011 Scott Gordon. All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form (electronic, mechanical or otherwise) without the express written consent of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locations or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  E-book formatting and design by Scott Gordon.

  Images licensed by DepositPhotos.com and © Julien Tromeur, Lorleyn Medina (#7734732, #7734734) and Dimitar Marinov (#4273503).

  Second Edition

  Originally published on November 24, 2011

  Last updated on April 29, 2014

  ISBN-10: 0-9836489-2-1

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9836489-2-5

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Acknowlegments

  Dedication

  My Little Pet Dragon

  Bonus Puzzle

  Author's Note

  Coming Soon

  More Books

  Thank You!

  Acknowlegments

  I would like to thank everyone for helping make this book a success, specifically:

  My mom and dad who took time out of their busy schedules to review the book and give me feedback,

  Utah Sweet Savings who helped promote the book multiple times over the years,

  and The Daily Bookworm who generously volunteered their time to help me find new readers.

  This book is dedicated to

  Alyssa Mowery.

  Author's Note

  The week before Thanksgiving I was depressed. Although my son Aidyn had initially been diagnosed with Development Delay, it was looking more and more likely that he had a mild case of autism. He rarely spoke (which apparently isn't uncommon for children born with the umbilical cord wrapped around their neck), and his vocabulary was limited. Would he ever be "normal" like other kids his age?

  Just a few weeks before, I had published a couple of short works. This was significant because I'd been writing for years and never published anything. It was around this time that I came across a thread on Reddit by a guy who called himself throwaway_writer who claimed to be making $1,000/day.

  Needless to say, I was shocked. I couldn't imagine making $100/day off my writing, let alone $1,000. Although the talk of money impressed me at first, it was his writing advice that intrigued me the most. Take chances, build your craft (and library) by writing shorter works, identify underserved markets, and experiment, experiment, experiment! Also buried in this marvelous thread was the mention of writing children's books.

  Hmm…children's books…

  I’d never considered the idea…

  Again my thoughts drifted towards monetary concerns. Was there any real money in children's books? (J.K. Rowling isn't doing too shabby...) And what would happen if I started making more money from my children's books than my more serious works? Would I find the work as fulfilling?

  By chance, I stumbled across a portfolio of artwork that really impressed me. All concerns about money vanished, and I realized what I must do. I needed to do this for my little one, regardless of whether or not I made a single penny. This would help Aidyn, and at very least, teach him a few new words. So I set out with a modest goal in mind: to teach my son to say the word "dragon" through the aid of a picture book. Everything else would be icing on the cake.

  After acquiring all of the assets that I needed, I put together the humorous, little picture book and showed it to my mother, who is a traditionally published historical romance author writing under the pen name Kathleen Kirkwood. She loved it, but didn't offer much in the way of feedback.

  Whenever someone says that they like something I wrote, I'm instantly suspicious. (I have a notoriously hard time accepting praise.) "Oh, she's just saying that because I'm her son," I thought. What if she really hated it and didn't have the heart to tell me? So I looked and looked for something that needed improvement or a typo that I had overlooked, but everything appeared to be in order. It had also come together quickly, which sent my mind spinning.

  While looking it over one last time, I realized that something was indeed missing: a dedication. Of all things, I'd forgotten to dedicate it to my son Aidyn, though in my heart, I'd done this a thousand times.

  But something bothered me about doing this. It felt selfish to include his name, especially when there was someone else who needed it more.

  In late October 2011, Amelia "Mia" Decker and sisters Alyssa and Rain Mowery were crossing the street when a car ran a red light and struck all three of them. Sadly, Mia did not make it. The two sisters were hospitalized, and young Alyssa was fighting for her life. Her mother Christin was an acquaintance of mine through Facebook, and seeing the heart-wrenching pictures of Alyssa’s struggles was hard to bear.

  Without hesitation, I dedicated My Little Pet Dragon to Alyssa Mowery and submitted it to Amazon. I also vowed to write more children's books and eventually dedicated multiple titles to my little guy, Aidyn.

  That was over 100 books ago.

  And although I've written about crazy frogs and ninja robot repairmen, My Little Pet Dragon remains my most popular title. It seems odd that I never followed it up, considering the enjoyment that it gave me. In addition, readers often comment that they'd like to see a chapter book based on this particular title.

  Well, you're in luck.

  Work on My Little Pet Dragon Ness (the novelization of the picture book) is currently underway. A sequel is also planned, titled My Little Pet Dragon Neka. I'm also kicking around the idea of doing a serial called My Little Pet Dragons: Ness & Neka, but first I've got to get another story out of my head. The sequel to My Crazy Pet Frog (also dedicated to the Mowery family) is deep in development. It's appropriately titled Secret Agent Disco Dancer and promises to be the craziest adventure yet! (Soon, I promise…)

  In the end, my son did learn how to say the word "dragon" (along with many other words, including "sequel"), and is interacting with children his age more and more. He's proud of his ability to read books all on his own—authored by me or anyone else—and it’s gratifying to watch his confidence soar and become more involved and self-sufficient.

  These last two and a half years have been quite a journey, and I have no intention of slowing down anytime soon.

  If you have an idea, run with it. Take a chance on yourself. There's a reason why you see it working in your head. Put all of your heart into it.

  And if not for monetary gain, consider how your work positively affects others. You may not make a million dollars, but you might capture the imagination of one very important fan.

  All of us have stories to share.

  Don't let anyone stand in the way of telling yours, least of all, you.

  Scott Gordon

  Children's Book Author

  P.S. If you have a question for Ness, Neka or any of my other crazy characters, please e-mail me at: [email protected].
/>   Chapter 1: Propaganda

  The morning broadcast crackled throughout the room. “Greetings, citizens of earth.” A wiry frog with mad eyes materialized on the screen. “I am Frogwart Fisk, amphibian genius and ruler of this world. Now that I have your attention, there’s an important matter that I need to discuss with you.” He looked into the camera.

  “Your government has been lying to you. All of this talk about saving the earth and interplanetary defense is all propaganda. Elements within the government have built a secret weapon to purge the planet of its populace. They no longer wish to share this world and will do whatever it takes to get rid of you. Fortunately, I have the power to thwart their evil plans before the bomb reaches earth.”

  “Oh my! Did I say a bomb? That’s right, one is already on its way,” the tree frog cackled. “The bomb is disguised as a comet and is on a collision course with earth. Its warheads can splinter off into multiple clusters, striking various regions of the world’s oceans for maximum effect.

  “In fact, I was one of the brilliant minds that helped create it. Clever we were in its design. To keep our secrets out of the public eye, it was assembled in space. As with any doomsday device, a failsafe was put in place in case we had a change of heart. Is it possible that I, a mere frog, am the only one to come to his senses and realize the monster that we’ve created?

  “Together we can avoid this disaster and usher in a new age of mankind, devoid of the petty tax known as government. But first, a few demands...” Frogwart grinned.

  “First, you must declare me as your one and only supreme leader. Do what I say and you will be spared, and eventually, rewarded.

  “Second, since the government seeks our destruction, it would be pointless to negotiate their surrender. That is why you must take matters into your own hands. Overthrow them, without haste. Don’t let a single one of those spineless politicians worm their way out of this one. They are responsible for this! Bring them to justice. Swiftly.

  “If you do not do what I ask, then the ruling elite has already won and will return this world into the swampland that it once was. Three days are all that remains, or else...”

  Suddenly the broadcast cut over to a view of the earth. A trail of white light streaked down, piercing the atmosphere and striking the surface.

  “Ha, ha, ha!” Frogwart Fisk cackled one last time as the earth exploded in a great ball of fire.

  Chapter 2: Bacon

  Suddenly the gold TV came to life. “Oh no, it’s the end of the world!” Autonomous System #2 ran in circles and screamed. It tripped over a jar of mints, and fell off the table.

  “Great horny toads, that evil frog wants to destroy the earth! What shall we do?” said Special Agent Halfwitz, a tall Andalusian horse with a large snout and marshmallow-shaped eyes.

  “There isn’t much we can do if our government seeks to destroy itself. But I don’t buy his cockamamie story for one second,” said a shadow from across the room.

  “What’s on your mind, Earnest?” said Halfwitz.

  A pink potbelly pig named Earnest Bacon took off his hat, and sat down at the table. “This is a classic case of information warfare, designed to elicit a hysterical response from the general public. His goal is to create civil unrest, and ultimately, anarchy. Although Fisk complained about propaganda, he used his own masterfully to strike discord.”

  “Wait...so a comet isn’t expected to pass by the earth in the coming days?” Agent Halfwitz asked.

  “Yes, but that’s a natural phenomenon that occurs every 75 years. There’s no way that Frogwart Fisk modified Halley’s Comet to deliver a payload.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “I’d bet my bacon on it!”

  Halfwitz scratched his chin. “Still it would be wise to take this threat seriously.”

  “The bomb that Fisk is referring to is a regenerative device used in terraforming. Terraforming is the process of transforming dead moons or planets into sustainable worlds. Up until recently, it was science fiction, until the population exploded and the government got involved.

  “For the past 40 years, every government in the world has been contributing to the Earth 2 project. The goal is to terraform Mars in the next decade, Venus by the end of the century. Since Mars is relatively close to earth, we cannot afford mistakes. That’s why we’ve conducted pilot programs on the moons of Titan and Ganymede. Most likely, Fisk acquired one of the prototypes and intends to use it on earth.” Bacon cracked his knuckles.

  “We’re all doomed!” Autonomous System #2 ran by.

  “I don’t get it. Why blame us? We’re trying to save mankind, not exterminate it.” The horse shook his head.

  “Don’t you get it?” Agent Bacon jumped across the table and grabbed Halfwitz. “He accidentally let his true intentions slip. He wants to turn this place into a giant swamp, like Jurassic Park, but only with super sized frogs.”

  “Great Scott!” Halfwitz looked around. “So what’s preventing him from doing it?”

  “That’s the trillion dollar question. Perhaps we’re closing in on him. By using us as a scapegoat he can buy more time to carry out his devious plans.”

  “What should do we do? What can we do?” Special Agent Halfwitz cried.

  Earnest Bacon tightened his grip and looked him square in the eyes. “Call in an even crazier frog.”

  “Who?”

  Earnest hesitated for a moment, and then released Halfwitz and returned to his chair. “Secret Agent Disco Dancer.”

  “Secret Agent what?” said Halfwitz.

  “Trust me, he’s the best of the best, but obtaining his services won’t be easy. Most likely, he’s in the middle of an ultra top secret mission right now.”

  Chapter 3: Bulge

  “Cripes! I’m ten ounces overweight!” Secret Agent Disco Dancer cried. “It must have been that giant bowl of flyball soup I ate last night. Or perhaps it was that triple-decker Forbidden Fudge Brownie Sundae! Hmm...let’s see here...” He leaned on one foot. “Eek! Two more ounces? How can I be a secret agent with this big belly of mine? They’ll take away my License to Croak...kick me out of the Frogternity...I’ve got to lose the lard fast! This is my greatest challenge of all time: The Battle of the Bulge!” He hopped off the scale.

  “You’re not pretending to be a secret agent again, are you dad?” said his son Laike. Laike was still a wee frogling, with dark blue skin and his father’s beady eyes.

  “But I am a secret agent, son.” Secret Agent Disco Dancer grabbed a pair of dumbbells and began exercising.

  “Yeah, right!” Laike sneered. “If you’re really a secret agent, aren’t you supposed to...you know...keep it a secret?”

  “I don’t expect you to understand, son.” The father strained with the weights. After a few sets, he finally relented.

  “Well I’m not going to let you run off again. The last time you did, you were gone for six months. Eventually I found you in some kid’s house, trying to convince them that you were Super Frog.”

  “But I am Super Frog, see?” Secret Agent Disco Dancer grabbed a bar full of weights and lifted it over his head.

  “Sure you are...”

  Suddenly Secret Agent Disco Dancer’s cell phone rang.

  “Great Scott! A distress call!!!” He tossed the weights aside.

  “Careful, dad!” Laike ducked as the weights crashed through the floor, sending splinters of wood flying through the air.

  Secret Agent Disco Dancer shrugged and answered the phone. “Yes, Mr. President...I see, Mr. President. What?! The world is in danger? Great horny toads! Evil must be working overtime these days.” His red eyes flared. “What am I doing today? Well, I was planning on attending the annual Twinkle festival in Downtown Disney. But when duty calls, everyone must make sacrifices, even the most fearless of frogs.”

  He paced the floor, growing more and more concerned. “Frogwart Fisk, again, hmm? Why am I not surprised? Fear not, Mr. President. Pot belly or no pot belly, I’ll put a cork i
n that stinky tree frog once and for all!”

  Secret Agent Disco Dancer tucked the cell phone in his coat pocket and ran for the door. “Time to go to work. Take care of momma frog while I’m gone, ok?” He waved and exited the gym.

  “Here we go again.” Laike rolled his eyes.

  To be continued...

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