My friend and thriller writer extraordinaire Eric Gates has tagged me in a little game called

Meet My Main Character
Blog Tour

The Rules are simple…
…the taggee must write a post answering the same seven questions about their Main Character… then the taggee becomes the tagger and chooses five other authors… sort of like a chain letter with all the potential to become a global virus.

1. Tell us a bit about your main character? Is he fictional or a historic person?
Events in my book revolve around the fictional main character called Peter Bentwhistle. In part, his personality and many of his traits are based on me, and although he spends a fair amount of his time posing as a human, he is in fact a dragon, something, I can assure you, I’m not. (Although at times, I deeply wish I was.)
The name Bentwhistle comes from the fact that when in his dragon form, he has the markings of a ‘bent whistle’ splashed across his scales. He cares deeply for his friends and always tries to do the right thing in any circumstance but often fails because he’s afraid to stand up for himself. He is more than a little naive, maybe because of his dragon nature and the fact that only a few years have passed since he completed his education in the nursery ring, (fifty years in a dragon school) and was then, like most dragons, thrust out into the human world above ground to help guide the course of humanity.
His gentle nature and love for his friends are traits that I find endearing in him, but which have a tendency to endanger those around him. Recently introduced to the team sport of hockey (field hockey), by one of his best friends, he’s fascinated to the point of addiction by the intricacies of the game, the feeling of being part of a team, and the love, freedom and excitement that flow through him when he plays, provoking feelings similar to that of flying and using mantras when in his dragon form. The typical reluctant hero, with a heart of gold, willing to die for his friends, seemingly enjoying the human world more than the dragon one (something that would be more than frowned upon by the dragon hierarchy), with a love of hockey, who would like nothing better than an easy life. Unfortunately for him…….NOT GONNA HAPPEN!

2. When and where are the stories set?
They are set in the present, where dragons and humans live smack bang alongside one another, without of course the human population knowing. The dragons are committed to fulfilling an ancient prophecy from ages past which sees them protecting, nurturing and guiding the human race because the futures of both races are so inextricably intertwined. The first book introduces the secretive underground dragon domain, visiting the stunning Purbeck Peninsula enclave, situated directly below a beautiful part of southern England. Dragon London features, deep beneath the real thing, as well as the intricate and slightly outdated enclave of Salisbridge. Above ground, Salisbridge once again features, the beautiful seaside town of Swanage, as well as a brief visit to a very chilly, and very deadly Antarctica.
The second book covers much more of the world, both above and below ground. Opening in Egypt, the focus once again remains on events in Salisbridge, but with action covering as far and wide as Antarctica, Perth, Australia, London, New York, Montreal, Chicago and New Zealand, and many other places in between.

3. What should we know about him?
A dragon in a human shaped body, Peter works at Cropptech’s head office in the fictional city of Salisbridge. Peter’s introduction sees him as part of the security team, but at different points in the story, he ends up as head of security, as well at some point, as losing his job entirely. The importance of him working at Cropptech is that they extract and procure rare minerals, in particular a rare metal the dragon community below ground value because of its unusual properties (something the humans aren’t aware of) ….laminium. His position there is more for the good of the dragon community, than that of the humans, but ultimately combines both roles to good effect.
Peter and I share a love of team sports, in particular hockey, appreciating its ability to help people bond with others, the sheer thrill of helping and/or being helped by a team mate and the fast paced action that you find yourself caught up in. When the moment catches up with Peter, he certainly has the potential to step up and be the dragon other dragons are. But with a lack of self confidence, and an all encompassing fear……….can he?

4. What is the main conflict? What messes up his life?
Suspicious changes above his position at Cropptech start to make his life, and the lives of those around him, intolerable. This leads to a deadly chase for the truth, with the valuable laminium at stake. A mysterious stranger, that only he can see as something other than he appears, cause rifts between friends, and set off a catastrophic chain of events that could not only affect him, but in fact the entire planet. As he struggles to put the pieces of the puzzle together, with and without his friends, he finds new allies in the strangest of places. A master mantra maker long forgotten, and more eccentric than the maddest of professors, provides invaluable help along the way, and more than a few laughs, along with an unknown dragon **SPOILERS** if I tell you anymore about him. From a desperate race to save the laminium in the first book, to a growing global threat from something long in the past, in the second.
Blackmail, intrigue, forbidden love interests, a near fatal mantra gone wrong, a highly charged rugby match in which Tank (one of Peter’s best friends) takes a beating, combined with enough laminium ball action to please dragons the world over, stretch the bonds of the dragons’ friendship like never before. New friends and ancient enemies clash as the planet braces itself for one of the most outrageous attacks it has ever seen. Lost secrets and untold lore come to light, while sinister forces attempt to steal much coveted magic.
Explosive exploits, interspersed with a chilly backdrop and unexpected danger at every turn, make for an action-packed, electrifying adventure.

5. What is his personal goal?
Peter’s personal goals are about being happy, fitting in, doing his job to the best of his abilities, and really just having an easy life. His recent introduction to hockey (field hockey) is almost an addiction to him…..that’s how happy it makes him to play and stand alongside his teammates and fight as one, not just on the pitch, but off it as well. From a social point of view the hockey has been a revelation to him, particularly given that both his best friends play different sports (lacrosse and rugby) at the same sports club, enabling him to hook up with them more often, and learn more about their sports and the effect it has on them, as well as making new human friends within the hockey team.
He’s known Richie, (one of his best friends, the other being Tank) ever since his first year in the nursery ring (dragon school) and deep down has harboured strong feelings for her ever since. But Richie’s wild, never one to play by the rules, and has had many dalliances with humans (something strictly forbidden) and something Peter just can’t understand her obsession with. Will he get together with her? Does she even want to? What about dragon and human relationships? Everything changes as the story progresses, with the three friends almost becoming addicted to everything it means to be human, despite their dragon DNA.

6. What are the titles of your novels, and can we read more about them?
Currently ‘Bentwhistle the Dragon in A Threat From The Past’ can be found at Smashwords, in all formats, or can be purchased in either paperback or kindle version from Amazon.

The second book in the series can also be found on Smashwords or on Amazon.

My books can be found at Barnes and Noble here
The Goodreads page for my books can be found here
My facebook page can be found here
I can be found on Google+ here
I can be found on Pinterest here
I can be found on twitter @paul_cude

I have my own website to support the book www.bentwhistlethedragon.co.uk as wells as this blog www.thesoberhockeyplayer.co.uk that provides an insight into me and also offers author the chance to be interviewed.

7. When can we expect the next book to be published?
Hopefully ‘Bentwhistle the Dragon in A Twisted Prophecy’ will be available early next year.

And now, for the next victims…

1.Independent writer, and one of the hardest working people on the planet I know:
Christoph Fischer http://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/

2.Talented Young Adult and New Adult writer:
Amalie Jahn http://www.theclaylion.com/

3. Award winning:
Dianne Harman http://www.dianneharman.com/

4. Blogger and awesome author:
Ian Hutson http://runningduck.com/

5. Vampire and horror expert and author:
Shane KP O’Neill http://www.draculachronicles.co.uk/category/blog/

…….and thanks to chief ‘stitcher upper’….OOPs! I mean all round wonderful human being and author Eric Gates for getting me on board with all of this. Check out his wonderful blog http://my-thrillers.blogspot.co.uk/