Photo Content from Kacy Ritter
Kacy Ritter is a fantasy geek who has lived all across the Lone Star State. She holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Texas, and currently resides in Houston with her partner and their daughter. She daylights as a healthcare professional, and loves writing at the intersection of fantasy and Texas Americana.
Greatest thing you learned at school.
The greatest thing I learned at school is that sometimes what you think you want to be isn’t what you’re destined to be. I have a BFA and an MS in Counseling. Today, I’m neither a performance artist or a counselor. But those degrees helped me figure out who I am, and they gave me skills that I use to this day. Counseling, in particular, helped me understand people, and it even influenced the development of the characters in "The Great Texas Dragon Race!" So, to kids of ALL ages… I say go for it! Try your hand at everything. Fail. Try again. In the end, you’ll only regret what you didn’t take a chance on.
Beyond your own work (of course), what is your all-time favorite book and why? And what is your favorite book outside of your genre?
When I was a kid, my mom gave me a copy of "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH". Today, it bears all the signs of a well-loved book—dog-eared pages, coffee stains, water damage, and a cover that's just one read away from falling off. It's a high-concept blend of science fiction and fantasy that I can't help but return to for comfort time and time again.
While most of my favorite books fall under the genres of fantasy or science fiction, as an author, I find solace in Stephen King's "On Writing". When the dreaded writer's block strikes, it truly helps me shake off the cobwebs.
What was the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?
I thought the initial stages of writing were the hardest, but boy, oh boy, was I wrong! When my final draft was due, I was very pregnant and sick as a dog. I had to power through the edits as quickly as I could, while battling nausea and a rare pregnancy-induced liver condition, so that I could pass them to my editor before my daughter arrived. <insert crazy melting smiley face emoji here>
Can you tell us when you started THE GREAT TEXAS DRAGON RACE, how that came about?
The first pages of The Great Texas Dragon Race were written in July, 2019 after attempting to write a medieval-ish high fantasy novel (which turned out to be AWFUL and will never see the light of day) After that experience, I realized I wanted to create a grounded fantasy in a uniquely American setting. As a Texan, it seemed so possible that Texas could be filled with dragons—and I betted other Texans would care for, ride, and train dragons just like horses. (Because really, who doesn’t want to have their own dragon companion?!)
What were your inspirations for the character development?
Originally, I envisioned a young girl—Cassidy Drake—in red cowboy boots riding on the back of her bestie dragon across Lone Star skies. From day one, I knew all she cared about was dragons: racing them, caring for them, and protecting them, no matter the cost. (Down with the trope of a damsel needing to be saved from a terrible dragon! Sometimes the girl needs to save the dragon, not be saved from one!)
As I wrote a character study, it became apparent that Cassidy needed to embody all the grit and courage that we normally associate with the classic “cowboy” image. During her development, Cassidy became a stubborn, small-town, fiercely independent cowgirl on dragonback. But the independent cowboy image isn’t always healthy. Sometimes, you can’t just “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” That became her character arc.
The greatest thing I learned at school is that sometimes what you think you want to be isn’t what you’re destined to be. I have a BFA and an MS in Counseling. Today, I’m neither a performance artist or a counselor. But those degrees helped me figure out who I am, and they gave me skills that I use to this day. Counseling, in particular, helped me understand people, and it even influenced the development of the characters in "The Great Texas Dragon Race!" So, to kids of ALL ages… I say go for it! Try your hand at everything. Fail. Try again. In the end, you’ll only regret what you didn’t take a chance on.
Beyond your own work (of course), what is your all-time favorite book and why? And what is your favorite book outside of your genre?
When I was a kid, my mom gave me a copy of "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH". Today, it bears all the signs of a well-loved book—dog-eared pages, coffee stains, water damage, and a cover that's just one read away from falling off. It's a high-concept blend of science fiction and fantasy that I can't help but return to for comfort time and time again.
While most of my favorite books fall under the genres of fantasy or science fiction, as an author, I find solace in Stephen King's "On Writing". When the dreaded writer's block strikes, it truly helps me shake off the cobwebs.
What was the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?
I thought the initial stages of writing were the hardest, but boy, oh boy, was I wrong! When my final draft was due, I was very pregnant and sick as a dog. I had to power through the edits as quickly as I could, while battling nausea and a rare pregnancy-induced liver condition, so that I could pass them to my editor before my daughter arrived. <insert crazy melting smiley face emoji here>
Can you tell us when you started THE GREAT TEXAS DRAGON RACE, how that came about?
The first pages of The Great Texas Dragon Race were written in July, 2019 after attempting to write a medieval-ish high fantasy novel (which turned out to be AWFUL and will never see the light of day) After that experience, I realized I wanted to create a grounded fantasy in a uniquely American setting. As a Texan, it seemed so possible that Texas could be filled with dragons—and I betted other Texans would care for, ride, and train dragons just like horses. (Because really, who doesn’t want to have their own dragon companion?!)
What were your inspirations for the character development?
Originally, I envisioned a young girl—Cassidy Drake—in red cowboy boots riding on the back of her bestie dragon across Lone Star skies. From day one, I knew all she cared about was dragons: racing them, caring for them, and protecting them, no matter the cost. (Down with the trope of a damsel needing to be saved from a terrible dragon! Sometimes the girl needs to save the dragon, not be saved from one!)
As I wrote a character study, it became apparent that Cassidy needed to embody all the grit and courage that we normally associate with the classic “cowboy” image. During her development, Cassidy became a stubborn, small-town, fiercely independent cowgirl on dragonback. But the independent cowboy image isn’t always healthy. Sometimes, you can’t just “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” That became her character arc.
TEN RANDOM FACTS ABOUT THE GREAT TEXAS DRAGON RACE
- ⦁ There is NO MAGIC in this fantasy—only dragons.
- ⦁ The dragons can’t talk and they don’t have powers. They are, however, very expressive.
- ⦁ I originally wrote the book as YA, and aged it down at my agent’s suggestion. Fab call, Adriann!
- ⦁ I binged a ton of Amazing Race as I worked out the game mechanics for story.
- ⦁ The story is basically a classic horse race… but with dragons.
- ⦁ The racers visit over a dozen unique locations across Texas.
- ⦁ All of the Texas locations are real!
- ⦁ I marked my chapters with precise coordinates for each location.
- ⦁ I calculated how long it might take dragon-riders to race from location to location, and used a Google Calendar and Google Maps to work out the timeline.
- ⦁ My Latinx friends, as well as several diversity readers, helped me develop the profile for Cassidy’s fellow racer, Laura Torres.
What was your favorite subject when you were in school and why?
English, of course! I always had amazing, literature-obsessed teachers who wouldn’t let me settle for less than my best. (Ms. Berner—wherever you are—I’m looking in your direction!)
What is the weirdest thing you have seen in someone else’s home?
My parent’s have a firepit surrounded by a pet mausoleum. Does that count?
English, of course! I always had amazing, literature-obsessed teachers who wouldn’t let me settle for less than my best. (Ms. Berner—wherever you are—I’m looking in your direction!)
What is the weirdest thing you have seen in someone else’s home?
My parent’s have a firepit surrounded by a pet mausoleum. Does that count?
What is one unique thing are you afraid of?
Butterflies. Yes, the “pretty, wondrous creatures” who love flowers and blue skies. Eww. No, really… They terrify me. Give me all the snakes, lizards, rats and bats you have, but keep the butterflies away. They are unpredictable and covered in bug fuzz. No. Thank. You.
Butterflies. Yes, the “pretty, wondrous creatures” who love flowers and blue skies. Eww. No, really… They terrify me. Give me all the snakes, lizards, rats and bats you have, but keep the butterflies away. They are unpredictable and covered in bug fuzz. No. Thank. You.
What event in your life would make a good movie?
I’m a person with mental health disorders who’s been sober for over 14 years. If anyone ever wants to make a dark comedy about a young gothic artrock girl navigating early recovery, I’m in!
Wings of Fire meets The Hunger Games in this debut contemporary middle grade fantasy stand-alone about thirteen-year-old Cassidy Drake, who enters the dangerous Great Texas Dragon Race to save her family’s dragon sanctuary.
Thirteen-year-old Cassidy Drake wants nothing more than to race with her best dragon, Ranga, in the annual Great Texas Dragon Race. Her mother was a racing legacy, and growing up on her family's dragon sanctuary ranch, Cassidy lives and breathes dragons. She knows she could win against the exploitative FireCorp team that cares more about corporate greed than caring for the dragons.
Cassidy is so determined to race that she sneaks out of her house against her father's wishes and enters the competition. Soon, Cassidy takes to the skies with Ranga across her glorious Lone Star State. But with five grueling tasks ahead of her, dangerous dragon challenges waiting at each one, and more enemies than allies on the course, Cassidy will need to know more than just dragons to survive.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I’m a person with mental health disorders who’s been sober for over 14 years. If anyone ever wants to make a dark comedy about a young gothic artrock girl navigating early recovery, I’m in!
Thirteen-year-old Cassidy Drake wants nothing more than to race with her best dragon, Ranga, in the annual Great Texas Dragon Race. Her mother was a racing legacy, and growing up on her family's dragon sanctuary ranch, Cassidy lives and breathes dragons. She knows she could win against the exploitative FireCorp team that cares more about corporate greed than caring for the dragons.
Cassidy is so determined to race that she sneaks out of her house against her father's wishes and enters the competition. Soon, Cassidy takes to the skies with Ranga across her glorious Lone Star State. But with five grueling tasks ahead of her, dangerous dragon challenges waiting at each one, and more enemies than allies on the course, Cassidy will need to know more than just dragons to survive.
You can purchase The Great Texas Dragon Race at the following Retailers:
And now, The Giveaways.
Thank you KACY RITTER for making this giveaway possible.
1 Winner will receive a Copy of The Great Texas Dragon Race by Kacy Ritter.
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