Name That Dragon! Round 16 FINAL ROUND!

Here it is, the final dragon!

This dragon is made entirely of ectoplasmic goo. It's a see-through, inter-dimensional dragon. Name That Dragon!

Yesterday's communique from Judge Jessica:

And he shall be called: Gronkaloth! Though he cannot fly, he moves with surprising nimbleness across the ground, and once he grabs hold of you, his bite cannot be broken!

(Chris is the namer.)

Congratulations Chris! You have named this dragon! One more chance to win, make it good!

This Thursday is the annual King's English holiday party. I'll be there, with many other Utah authors, signing TWELVE BOTS and DINOSAURS' NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS's. It's from 5-7. If you live in or around SLC, come on by!

Dragon Pending...

It's the final day of the Name That Dragon Day! But where is the dragon? The final dragon is running a few hours behind, but he'll be out by lunchtime. Watch this space! Today will be your last chance to win the name game!

Name That Dragon! Round 15

And we're back! I hope you all enjoyed the Thanksgiving weekend, I know I did. I got a ladder on Black Friday for $20! A sweet $20 ladder. Oh yeah!

Back to business, we have two more days of Name That Dragon with special guest judge Jessica Day George. So...

Thank you to everyone who showed up at the Orem Barnes and Noble signing. I did some pretty epic custom robot drawings. I'll be doing more 12 BOTS signings throughout the month, I'll make sure to post the dates.

Be sure to be back for the final dragon tomorrow!

Twelve Bots in-store Event Saturday!!

Oh great! Here's what I get for taking a two-day break from posting. I forgot to announce this:

Saturday, November 27th I'm doing an in-store visit at Barnes and Noble in Orem, Utah. 1-4. I'll be drawing a custom robot in each and every BOTS book bought. Come out and see me!

The holiday season is now upon us, and I'll have several more in-store dates to announce. Sorry for getting this info out at the last second.

Name That Dragon! Bonus THANKSGIVING Round

Take a break everyone, it's your weekend off. There is no dragon naming on Turkey Day (or Black Friday.) See you next week!

Yesterday's dragon name was judged, and here's what Jessica had to say:

The dragon will be named . . . PERCY! A short yet noble name for this peerless adventurer!

Congratulations Sarah C. you are now tied with Debbie with two names! Congrats! And Happy Thanksgiving Weekend! We'll be back Monday for the final two dragons!

Name That Dragon! Round 14

This peppy little dragon is positive he's the hero of any story he is in. Name That Dragon!

Once again, when judging at this high level, guest Judge Jessica is poring carefully over yesterday's names. There are some great ones in there. Who will she pick? What could that scary dragon possibly be named? Wait and see....

Judging is complete! Judge Jessica has come up with a winner:

Raigoth- by Debbie Barr

Moving silently on his velvet bat wings, Raigoth lives in darkness, hunts in darkness, kills in . . . DARKNESS!

That's TWO wins for Debbie (well, one and a half...) she's the one to beat! Incidentally, my new heavy metal band now is called "Raigoth" and this is our album cover.

Name That Dragon! Round 14

Dragon #14 is not something you'd like to meet in a dark alley. Name That Dragon!

Our guest celebrity judge, Jessica Day George, is scrupulously examining the entries, collating data, and thinking deeply about each of yesterday's names. We'll have the results out later today. Cross those fingers!

This just in from Judge Jessica:

And the name of this dragon is: Treeaxis, Keeper of the Wood. This magnificent creature can sleep for long centuries beneath a blanket of moss and trees, waking in a terrible fury when his forest is threatened.

Congratulations Jason!

Name That Dragon! Round 13

Today's dragon is a really, really big dragon. Name That Dragon!

Friday's winning name was "The Abominable Snow Ram" named by Ryan, in Buttercup's comment. Congratulations! It sure looks like an Abominable Snow Ram to me.

We're entering the final week of Name That Dragon. And to finish with style, we are having another celebrity judge. She'll be judging the rest of the dragon entries, including this one. Who is it? It's world famous dragon expert Jessica Day George! Author of Dragon Slippers, Dragon Flight and Dragon Spear! That's a lot of books with "Dragon" in the title. If anyone knows dragon names, it's Jessica, so bring your "A" game.

Name That Dragon! Round 12

This hairy dragon smells like a wet dog. Name that Dragon!

Yesterday's winner was the very first entry, "Gorgey (the Dragon)" from commenter Nathan. Now I'm not 100% sure of how to pronounce "Gorgey," wether it is "Gor--jee" or "Gor--ghee." The judges were very happy with both. Congratulations!

This is a Friday dragon, so you have all weekend to figure out just the right name for it! Have a good weekend.

Today's Post Delayed Due to...

...Harry Potter. Sorry folks, I went to a very late show of the latest Harry Potter movie last night, in a town an hour away from my house. So the Friday dragon and yesterday's winning name will be coming to you later today. Check back around lunchtime. Blame Harry Potter, it's his fault.

Name That Dragon! Round 11

This dragon will feed itself until it can't move, better not get too close! Name That Dragon!

Yesterday's winning dragon name was, appropriately "Corpsebreath," named by Sierra. What a cold and smelly name. And the day before that (remember, the judges fell asleep) was Sarah C's "Cyana, Duchess of Death." Great names! Way to go Sierra and Sarah C!

Name That Dragon! Round 10

Today's dragon is a carrion-eating, graveyard dragon. Name it!

We had a judging mishap last night. The judges fell asleep before we could do the name-judging process. I could have just picked one on my own--but that would be breaking the rules. I'll get the judges' choice tomorrow. That means you get an extra day to name yesterday's dragon! Good luck!

Name That Dragon! Round 9

Today's dragon is a wise, ancient female--Rhinotaur's mom. Name That Dragon!

Yesterday's winner was :paula, with her name, "Pyropterix." I really liked this name, enough that I was going to veto the judges if they didn't choose it. But it turns out, "Pyropterix" was their pick too! :paula happens to run a really great book blog, click on her name and check it out!

Name That Dragon! Round 8

Today we have a smoke-breathing, lava dragon. Name it!

From Shannon and Dean:

Shannon is currently feeding our twin wyrmlings, so I am scribe of our thoughts.

After much fretting and wringing of hands, we finally settled on the winner as Alysa's Tendon Tearer and Clavicle Cruncher. This was my early favorite, as I love the juxtaposition of cute little beasties with that one-of-a-kind "dismemberment" feeling. They were all awesome (you know, except for that *one*), but we did want to give shout-outs to some of our other runners-up:
Camille and Tauna Neerings with their nerd fervor that must be commended,
Chris's long-short combo drew a giggle,
and Mike (c/o Laura), whose offering felt domestic enough that he might actually have named them after members of his own family...

So there you have it! Congratulations Alysa! You win this round of Celebrity Judged Name That Dragon! And thank you S and D for picking some killer names! We have some more guest judges in the coming days, so keep those names coming!

Name That Dragon! Round 7 SPECIAL CELEBRITY JUDGE EDITION!

Today's dragons are twins! Baby girl dragon twins. Name Those Dragons!



And remember, judging this entry will be Shannon and Dean Hale! They know their way around baby twin girls--and dragons too! You have all weekend, name on!

Yesterday's winner was "Epannou" an icy name submitted by Aredhel. "Epannou." Brrrr. Sounds cold! Congratulations Aredhel! I've got a banner coming soon (but it won't be up today.)

Name That Dragon! Round 7

Here's a tricky one, an ice-dwelling, caterpillar dragon. Name That Dragon!

Yesterday's winner was John Ferguson's name, "Rhinotar." A big, burly name for a big, burly dragon.

Tomorrow (next dragon) we'll be having some celebrity judges; Rapunzel authors Shannon and Dean Hale! That's right, Friday's dragon name will be chosen by Shannon and Dean Hale. They are experts on this specific type of dragon; Twin dragons. Have those double-names ready! You'll have all weekend to enter.

Name That Dragon! Round 6

Dragon #6 is a big, bad, burly male. Name That Dragon!

Yesterday's winning name was "Fionix Princess of Thunder" named by Rob, who named it through commenter John Ferguson, who's comment backstories have been really spectacular. Make sure to check those out. My daughter took the judging lead on this one, she REALLY liked this name, and I agree--it's a great one! Honorary mentions go to commenters Enna Isilee for predicting an 'x' in the name, and to jw for "Drakkar Noir" that one made me laugh out loud. Well played, jw!

Quick Note With Advertisement!

Hey everyone, just a quick post here. First of all, how are you enjoying the Name That Dragon Game? How many more dragons do you want to name? I could go ALL month if you want, I'm having fun! (Plus I don't have to stress about story-writing!) One more week, two more weeks, the rest of the month? Let me know. We may be having some CELEBRITY JUDGES in the coming days. Dragon experts who will be judging the name entries. More on that soon...

Also, THE TWELVE BOTS OF CHRISTMAS has just reached this auspicious place on Amazon: #66 in Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Boys & Men. That's right, it's the #66 in Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Boys & Men. Boys and Men I tell you! That may sound like a lot of subdivisions to go through to define your place on Amazon, but I'll take what I can get. I want to hit the top 10 in that "Boys and Men" category. So if you haven't bought a copy yet, order that puppy from Amazon today! It's only $10! And, of course, review it if you haven't yet.

Advertisement over.

Name That Dragon! Round 5

Dragon #5 is a nocturnal, feathered, female. Name That Dragon!



Yesterday's choice was tough. The judges had me read off the names a couple of times in order to pick just the right one. They picked the first name entered, "Swumpmunger," submitted by 'Q.' Congratulations Q! That dragon certainly looks like a Swumpmunger to me!

I've noticed there are fewer players each day, I can only assume you are overwhelmed by the awesome responsibility of naming these dragons. It's a tough job, but I appreciate those of you brave enough to enter. Keep those names coming!

Name That Dragon! Round 4

Dragon #4 is a creeping swamp dweller. Name that Dragon!

Last Friday's dragon was given a rare DOUBLE name. When I read the list of names out to the judges, they heard the two entires, "Trixie," and "Meku" as one name. They really liked "Trixie-Meku." The judges have spoken! Congratulations to Greg and Leigh and Debbie Barr!

Name That Dragon! Round 3

[UPDATE] You can name this lil' fella' until Sunday at 8pm. I'm back to my five-day-a-week schedule. In case the seven-day-a-week Frankenstein schedule threw you. See you Monday!

Dragon #3:

Dragon #3 is a small, fast, mischievous male. Name That Dragon!

And congratulations to commenter Platypus for naming yesterday's sea-serpent, "Pelagius" was the name the judges chose. It was tough, there were so many good names, but Pelagius was the winner.

Name That Dragon! Round 2

Here is dragon #2




This is a female, warm-blooded sea-serpent. Name that dragon!

Yesterday's winner can be found by scrolling down to yesterday's post. See how it works? The winner's dragon name gets added to the artwork--with their commenter name, in this case, "Anonymous." The judges were adamant, "O Mighty and Great Keeper of the Honored Rocks" was their clear choice. I thought all of the names were great--they each add so much drama and personality to the dragon. Keep them coming, this is fun!

Oh, by the way, cutoff for entries is 8 PM Mountain Time (after that the judges go to bed.) We got some good ones late last night, but had already chosen the day's name.

And congratulations, Anonymous commenter.

Name That Dragon! Round 1

Name That Dragon!

A few weeks ago, a writer I know, Janette Rallison, put up a funny request on Facebook. She had a dragon character in a book she was writing, but she didn't know what to name it, so she was asking for suggestions. She got TONS of them. My suggestion for the dragon's name was "Steve." I don't really know what she ended up with, but I thought I'd steal her request and turn it into a game here.

So here's how to play: Each day I'll post a drawing of a dragon, and you get to name it--or try to name it. My team of crack judges will choose the winning dragon name each day. I'm too biased to choose the winners, so I will not be a judge. The judges will be my two kids, Uly and Lucy. Ages 9 and 5. They won't know anything about the commenters, just the name suggestions. Lucy has named her toy dragon (a rare LEGO one she stole from me) "Sellipino," so she knows a cool sounding dragon name when she hears one.

The winning name gets to...well...be the winning name. There aren't any real prizes, just the satisfaction of knowing that you named that dragon. And, since the judges won't know who you are, there is the possibility of winning multiple times.

Tomorrow I'll post the first dragon drawing. Get your naming caps on! This should be...interesting.