From Dragon Egg to Manuscript: My Unexpected Journey into Fantasy World Building
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The Day a 3D-Printed Egg Changed Everything
The day my husband lugged home a crimson egg the size of a small dog—his latest 3D printing experiment—something clicked. It wasn't just an interesting decoration or another of his creative projects. For me, it was an unexpected spark of inspiration.
Within months, I'd filled two manuscripts with scales and fire: one for teens, one decidedly not. The stories seemed to emerge from some hidden part of myself I hadn't fully recognized before, as though that crimson egg had somehow hatched inside my imagination.
When Words Flow But Publishing Stalls
The stories flow easily enough. Characters take shape, plots unfold, and dragon worlds build themselves almost effortlessly in my mind and on the page.
It's the business side that leaves me fumbling in the dark.
Query letters. Submission guidelines. The labyrinth of publishing houses and literary agents. Each represents a different kind of challenge that has nothing to do with storytelling and everything to do with selling yourself and your work.
My dragons may breathe fire, but I'm the one getting burned, trying to navigate this industry without a map.
The Query Letter Purgatory
My young adult novel "Tupi and the Red Dragon Egg" sits in query-letter purgatory, bouncing between literary agents and publishing houses like a dragon hatchling nobody wants to adopt.
Each submission feels like sending a piece of my heart into the void, hoping someone will recognize its value. The silence or rejection that often follows can be deafening.
I've submitted exactly one synopsis so far. The process is emotionally draining, requiring a kind of courage different from the creative bravery needed to write the story in the first place.
Casting a Flare into the Darkness
Still, I'm posting another version here—partly as backup, partly as a flare signal to whatever readers might someday find me through this strange, winding path to publication.
Perhaps by sharing my journey, I'll connect with others navigating similar terrain. Maybe someone who's further along can offer guidance, or someone just beginning might find comfort knowing they're not alone in their struggles.
After all, isn't that what stories are about? Connection. Understanding. Finding our way through unfamiliar worlds together.
And who knows? Perhaps the path to publishing my dragon stories will prove to be the most unexpected adventure of all.
Tupi and the Red Dragon Egg
Dragon Academy Book 1
Synopsis
On her fifth birthday, Tupi visits the hatchery to bond with a dragon egg. She chooses a desert egg that warms to her touch, but a mysterious red egg also calls to her. Known to only choose royalty, the red egg insists she steal it and take it home. Confused but intrigued, Tupi decides to plan a way to steal the red egg. The desert egg encourages her to go through with it, so she takes it home and begins plotting her heist. Meanwhile, Odin learns from the Norns that Tupi's actions are part of a prophecy crucial to the survival of both worlds. They instruct him to secretly help Tupi steal the red egg and then return in ten years to transport her to Earth.
Tupi manages to break into the hatchery and escape with the red egg. She hides it at home, even after her desert dragon Cula hatches and they start school together. Tupi frequently talks with the still-unhatched red egg, which reveals its name is Beatrice and that it’s waiting for its own girl. Beatrice enjoys hearing about Tupi's adventures, which help her feel less lonely during the long wait.
The real adventure begins when Cula gets her wings, and Odin reappears. He takes Tupi, Cula, and Beatrice to Earth, causing a rift with her parents when she returns after an extended absence. Odin believes he can take Tupi wherever he wants; she visits Asgard and other realms before finishing school. The Norns constantly remind Tupi of her role in a prophecy that will save both Earth and Draignatur. She must keep it all secret except from Odin, who only knows his involvement is necessary for lifting a curse he placed on his brothers.
At fifteen, Tupi receives another visit from the Norns, informing her that Odin is coming again. She knows he trades with their world but doesn’t understand why she must trust him so completely. However, she remembers saving Beatrice from a disaster at the hatchery by removing the egg early. Beatrice assures her that the Norns know what they’re doing, so when they insist, she goes with Odin quietly, Tupi complies despite knowing little about what awaits them.
Odin arrives unprepared for dealing with a teenager and her equally rebellious dragon. As they travel through various realms, tensions rise as both Tupi and Cula challenge Odin’s authority. Despite this friction, Tupi begins piecing together more about the prophecy: she was chosen because of her unique ability to communicate with dragons before they hatch and because of Beatrice's importance in maintaining the flow across worlds.
The group faces numerous challenges as they race against time to fulfill their roles in the prophecy. They narrowly escape danger multiple times due to Tupi’s quick thinking and refusal to blindly follow orders. Through these trials, even Odin acknowledges Tupi’s growing strength and independence.
As events unfold, Beatrice remains unhatched, destined to spend 3000 years on Earth waiting for her destined girl. This ensures that everything aligns according to the Norns’ plan: by trusting their guidance without fully understanding it herself, Tupi ensures that both worlds align exactly as needed for their survival.
In the end, Tupi returns home more assertive and more confident than ever before. Her relationship with her parents mends as they realize how pivotal she has been in saving not just one world but two. The prophecy fulfilled, both Draignatur and Earth face bright futures thanks to the girl who dared steal a royal egg against all odds—and who, through this act, changed everything forever.
Tupi goes on more adventures, while Beatrice's story unfolds in a different series.