Dewi and the Seeds of Doom

Dewi and the Seeds of Doom

by Maggie Lyons

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Release: October 2012

Editor: Nancy Bell

Line Editor: Nan Swanson

Cover Designer: Suzannah Safi

Words: 11048

Pages: 44

Price: $2.50

ISBN: 978-1-77127-182-0

Back Cover:

When Dewi is clobbered by a falling rat, the nosy Welsh dragon snoops his way into a challenging predicament. Helped by a toad with a passion for chemical wart cures, Dewi discovers that a megalomaniac baron is secretly breeding mutant corn at an unfriendly castle. To thwart the genetically modified-corn baron’s sickening plan, he must use moxie and firepower in a series of catastrophe-skirting capers.

Excerpt:

Dewi rummaged through the papers on the writing desk. If the baron had written a plan, the mystery could be solved. His search was interrupted by the sound of boots clonking on the stone floor of the entrance hall. The boots and whoever was wearing them were coming toward the library. Dewi looked around the room. There was no place to hide. There were no handy cabinets to sneak behind, and the writing desk was open on the sides. If the dragon crouched under it, he’d be as easy to spot as a cherry in a white bowl. If he hid behind the drapes, they’d bulge in all directions like a sack full of monkeys. The young symbol of Welsh pride wished a big hole would suck him up, but the library floor was solid stone, and he didn’t have a jackhammer.

The boots were now thudding right outside the library door. Heavens! Dewi looked up. The ceiling had no handy hole in it, but it was supported by rows of strong rafters. In a flash he flew up to a dark corner and rooted himself on one of them. Down below, the boots entered the room. The fellow attached to them looked like the person in the portraits on the walls. He thud-thudded his way to the writing desk, tossed some papers around, and yelled, “Peegor, get in here. Peegor…Where is that pea-brained good-for-nothing? He’s never around when I need him. PEEGOR.”

The door to the rat room opened and Peegor dragged himself out. “You called, master?”

“Yes, you useless, snot-nosed bag of rat pellets, I can’t find copies of the contract. Did you finish making them?”

Peegor’s bulging eyes didn’t blink as he answered very slowly, “Most gracious baron, your humble servant licks your spurs, but...”

“What’s the matter, Peegor? Is your dungeon too warm and your straw mattress too comfy for you to get up until half the day has gone?” A very nasty laugh crawled through the gap in the baron’s rotten teeth.

“With all respect, Your Magnificent Doomliness, I spent the last half hour trying to catch a large toad that was loose in the castle. Before that I had to feed the rats and water the greenhouse. Before that I groomed your horse, cleaned your boots, and cooked your breakfast. Before that—”

“That’s enough, Peegor. And what was that story about a toad?”

“It’s true, master. There’s a whopping big toad hopping around this castle.”

“That sounds like a whopping big fib, Peegor.” The baron boxed Peegor’s ear and knocked him over.

About the Author:

Maggie Lyons, world traveler, astronaut, secret agent, concert pianist, trapeze artist…

Just kidding!

Born in Wales, brought up in England, and emigrated to the USA, I’ve zigzagged through a motley range of professions from playing unofficial British spy—yes, really!—while keeping a troupe of touring ballet dancers happy—oxymoron?—to editing a course on everything you wanted to know about astronomy. I’ve herded cats—oops!—I mean I’ve worked my passage in orchestral management, and I’ve taught piano and music theory—amazing how many people ain’t got rhythm. Every step in this career maze was fun—well, sometimes only in retrospect—and full of opportunities to write on a wild range of topics from business law to Beethoven.

After my curiosity was piqued by the streets paved with gold in the USA—that’s what they tell foreigners they’ll find over here—I gravitated to Virginia where I threw myself—not literally of course—into editing and writing nonfiction, mostly for adults.

I discovered the magic of writing for children a few years ago. Some of my articles were published in Stories for Children Magazine and the very generous knowonder! magazine published my chapter book, Dewi, the Red Dragon in its entirety.

Children’s books cast their spell on me as a child and I’ve been bewitched ever since. When my son was small, I enjoyed reading him stories at bedtime as much as I had enjoyed listening to my parents reading stories to me in my childhood. I’m enchanted by the wonderful mix of innocence, escapism, imagination, and humor that bubbles out of children’s stories, and it’s no secret that children who read and listen to stories develop a strong foundation for their emotional well-being as well as for the intellectual and social skills they’ll need as they grow up.

Did I say “grow up”? I’m not sure I have because I still find the world of children’s stories absolutely fascinating. I hope you do too, especially if you’re an adult, because it’s pretty boring being nothing but a stuffy old grown-up.

Customer Reviews:

I was pleasantly surprised when I opened this very charming and witty book to read on the skytrain. But I have to say it was kind of embarrassing. I couldn't stop giggling out loud at Maggie Lyon's humour. People kept looking at me, and I tried my hardest to hold in the laughter, but it was impossible. What a delightful story! What child wouldn't love this. It's a story for 6-10 year olds. It's a great book to read to your children when they're young or by themselves when they're older. If your child likes Geronimo Stilton, they'll fall in love with Dewie the little dragon and his friend Jones the toad. I hope Maggie Lyons will turn this into a series.

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