Meet Robert Gainey, author of Dragon(e) Baby Gone with #Giveaway

Dragon(e) Baby Gone is the first book in the Reports from the Department of Intangible Assets series by Robert Gainey. Today you’ll get to check out an excerpt from the book, plus get a look inside the writer’s life. Be sure to ask him more questions in the comments section. And then follow the tour for even more. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Diane Morris is part of the thin line separating a happy, mundane world from all of the horrors of the anomalous. Her federal agency is underfunded, understaffed, and misunderstood, and she’d rather transfer to the boring safety of Logistics than remain a field agent. When a troupe of international thieves make off with a pair of dragon eggs, Diane has no choice but to ally with a demon against the forces looking to leave her city a smoldering crater. Facing down rogue wizards, fiery elementals, and crazed gunmen, it’s a race against time to get the precious cargo back before the dragon wakes up and unleashes hell.

Read an excerpt:

When you think about how the FBI gets around by helicopter, you probably think of Black Hawks or at least heavy, coal-colored aircraft bristling with instruments and/or weapons. Something very spy movie, or at least crime drama. Hell, it’s what I imagine and, actually, what I was used to. So when we landed at a small airstrip a couple miles south of Las Vegas and the only helicopter in sight had a large yellow smiley face painted onto the side with a logo for “Big Bob’s Canyon Tours,” I figured I was in for a wait until my actual transport arrived. The stewardess thanked me for flying and closed up behind me as Tomas and I staggered down the stairs. I was rubbing sleep out of my eyes as two large men in khakis and flowered shirts came over from the chopper.

Now these were some violent men. The way they walked, the way they held themselves, and the way they carried very large pistols under those loose clothes made me immediately think they were professional, but still violent. I paused where I was, and they stood, arms clasped in front of them, easy expressions on their faces and an almost lazy posture. We all waited until the private jet taxied away toward the little fuel shack at the other end of the runway.

“What’s your name?” Oh boy, that’s not a polite first question.

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Have you ever had an imaginary friend?

Not as such, no. I had a pretty active imagination as far as I can recall, but no specific imaginary friends come to mind. I spent more time constructing scenarios, imagining places that never were or could be. At a certain point this stopped being something I could just keep juggling in my head so I started writing it down. Characters came after, people to fill worlds and stories to keep them occupied. 

Do you have any phobias?

I have an uncontrollable revulsion at the thought of ice coming into contact with my teeth. It may not qualify as a phobia, but even just imagining teeth on ice is enough to curl my lips back, stop me in my tracks, and give me goosebumps. Hell, even just typing this up has me uncomfortable, so thanks for bringing it up. 

Do you listen to music when you’re writing?

Absolutely. I listen to music while doing pretty much anything, but writing is number one on the list. It’s probably a little cliché to say I listen to classical music, but there’s a lot of that on my Spotify. It’s mixed in with such a wide net of musical genres it would be quicker to list which kinds of music I don’t listen to…although none spring to mind. I think my playlist for writing/editing is…hold on, let me check…27 hours, 40 minutes long. 

Thanks, shuffle option.

Do you ever read your stories out loud?

I did one reading of a short story I had published in college and I haven’t read my work aloud since. I made the mistake of watching a recording of myself doing it and the sound of my own voice grated my patience to a finely shredded pile of embarrassment. I’ve read sentences or paragraphs aloud, alone, to see if they make any sense, but otherwise I rely on the words on the page, not the words in my mouth.

Tell us about your main character and who inspired him/her.

Diane Morris isn’t based off any individual, though there are probably a few people out there who may wonder why she has some of their qualities. Basically, Diane is what happens when a dangerous, unappreciated job grinds someone down until only the hard, virtuous core is left. She’s past the point of experience that allows mistakes, but rather than turn into a jaded, bitter employee determined to half-ass her assignments, she channels her frustration into snark and sarcasm while upholding her personal ideals. As the first line of defense against paranormal, anomalous threats, Diane will succeed or die trying. That is, until she can wrangle herself a transfer to a more sedate assignment.

Robert Gainey is a born and raised Floridian, despite his best efforts. While enrolled at Florida State University and studying English (a language spoken on a small island near Europe), Robert began volunteering for the campus medical response team, opening up a great new passion in his life. Following graduation, he pursued further training through paramedic and firefighting programs, going on to become a full time professional firefighter in the State of Florida. He currently lives and works in Northeast Florida with his wife and dogs, who make sure he gets walked regularly. Robert writes near-fetched fantasy novels inspired by the madness and courage found in everyday events.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RNGainey

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertngainey/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.gainey

Blog: https://robertgainey.blogspot.com/

Website: robertgainey.com

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