Katie and Kevin Tsang

About Author

Authors Katie and Kevin Tsang introduce their new Dragon Force adventure, Devourer's Attack, in this special ReadingZone feature.

Katie grew up in California, and also writes YA as Katherine Webber. Kevin was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, but grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. They met while studying in Hong Kong. Since then they have lived on three different continents and travelled to over 40 countries together, and co-written the Dragon Realm and Dragon Force series, as well as Sam Wu Is Not Afraid and Space Blasters.

They now live in London with their two daughters and spend their days making up stories and thinking about what they want for dinner.

Interview

Dragon Force: Devourer's Attack (Simon & Schuster)

March 2024

Read a chapter from Infinity's Secret (Dragon Force, book 1) and Devourer's Attack (Dragon Force, book 2)

For fans of Dragon Realm and all those who love dragon-filled adventures comes Dragon Force, the new series by authors Katherine and Kevin Tsang, which returns us to the world of Dragon Realm but can be read as stand-alone adventures. In this latest adventure, humans and dragons must unite against a common enemy.

We asked authors Kevin and Katie Tsang to tell us about their love of dragons, how they write their books together, and what they have planned next for Dragon Force! You can also find out all about the books in this short video by the authors:

Q&A with Katie and Kevin Tsang, introducing Dragon Force: Devourer's Attack!

"We wanted to give our readers that 'What if' moment. What if they discovered dragons hidden in a mountain? Or what if they lived in a world where dragons were seen every day?"

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself, what you love doing most, things you avoid doing, and what gets you out of bed in the mornings?

We have two young daughters, so right now our life really revolves around writing our books and spending time with our family. We love to go for walks in the woods as a family or to travel to new places. When we have time to ourselves we enjoy going to the theatre or trying new restaurants.

2. How did you become writers, and how did you start writing together? How does it work when you're writing a book together - who does what?

Katie was an author first, her YA debut was published in 2017. And she had the initial idea of co-writing a young fiction series with Kevin, and the result was Sam Wu, our first book together.

We always outline and plan everything together, and then we do a chapter breakdown and divide it up that way. And we review and edit each other's work too, for example Kevin is stronger at world building and Katie loves dialogue so we try to play to our strengths.

3. There are a lot of dragons in your books - when did you come to love dragons so much, and do you remember any favourite dragon stories from your own childhoods?

So many dragons! We love writing about dragons! We've always been big dragon fans, but we love them even more now. Dragons play a big part in Chinese mythology and legends, so that influence and inspiration was always there for Kevin. The first dragon book that Katie read and loved was 'My Father's Dragon' and she is also a big fan of the dragon movie Dragonheart.

4. If you could bring any of your dragons to life, which would you choose - or would your own dragons be very different from the ones in your books?

Katie would choose Spark, from the Dragon Realm series, and Infinity from the Dragon Force series, and Kevin would choose Xing from Dragon Realm series and Jaws from Dragon Realm series. The fun thing about writing dragons is you can write your dream dragon!

5. Can you tell us a little about your Dragon Realm series, and how your Dragon Force books link to the earlier series?

The Dragon Realm series is about four children discovering dragons trapped in a mountain that leads to a hidden Dragon Realm. The dragons need the children to help them save both the human and dragon world.

In Dragon Force, the Dragon Realm has collapsed into the Human Realm, so it is about a world where humans and dragons need to learn to live side-by-side and unite against a common enemy.

For both series, we wanted to give our readers that 'What if' moment. What if they discovered dragons hidden in a mountain? Or what if they lived in a world where dragons were seen every day? The two series are basically two sides of the same coin.

We wrote Dragon Force so it can be read by anyone, even people who haven't read our first series, Dragon Realm, but if you have read Dragon Realm, you'll recognise a few familiar faces- human and dragon!

6. What adventures do your characters have in Dragon Force, and what happens in the latest book, Devourer's Attack? What gave you the idea for a 'dragon school'?

Dragon Force is about a world where children and dragons work together to protect their shared world. Imagine Kid Avengers but with dragons! In the first book, our hero Lance Lo is desperate for an invitation to Camp Claw, where lucky human children are invited to find their heartbonded dragon, and awaken a secret power within themselves. So that first book, Infinity's Secret, is about that discovery process.

In Devourer's Attack, Lance is still learning what it means to have a heartbonded dragon, and he has to figure it out fast because the leaders of Dragon Force have been taken, and it is up to Lance, his friends, and their dragons to not only save the Dragon Force, but the entire world.

7. Who are the main dragon riders, and their dragons, in these stories, and what special skills do they have? How well do you feel you know these characters now?

We love an ensemble cast and the dynamics of four characters coming together. We had four heroes in the first series, and we loved coming up with a new group for Dragon Force. The four key characters are:

Lance Lo and his dragon, Infinity. Lance's power is linked to his music skill, he has a magic erhu that he can use as a powerful weapon (like Thor's hammer!) and also to play song spells. Infinity's power is more mysterious - one both she and Lance are still learning about in the book.

Zoe Lo and her dragon Violet. Zoe is Lance's little sister, and she's a bit of a prodigy as one of the youngest ever humans to heartbond with a dragon. Her skill is replication - she can create and control replicas of herself. Violet is an enchanter dragon, she can confuse and charm people (and dragons!) and also heal them.

Bea Garcia and her dragon, Neon. Bea has an affinity for molecule magic, which is science-based and inspired, and she can rearrange actual molecules in items to create new things. Her dragon Neon also is very skilled at molecule magic, and is known as a creator dragon, since he can create energy and electricity.

Arthur Royden and his dragon Jaws. Arthur is a path finder - meaning he has a gift for finding his way and knowing where things are. Jaws is a warrior dragon, famous for his mega bite!

8. What was your favourite moment to write about in Devourer's Attack?

There are two REALLY big twists - we loved writing those! We also explore more of Camp Claw and Dracordia, which was really fun.

9. What else do you have planned for Dragon Force? Do you have other series planned?

We are currently working on the third book in the Dragon Force series, and then we'll see what happens next! Katie also is working on her YA books, and then after Dragon Force we hope to write another MG book together.

10. When you're not writing, what kinds of things inspire you and what do you do to relax?

When we aren't writing or wrangling our small children, we are usually trying to catch up on sleep! And we love to travel when we can - exploring new places always gives us writing inspiration! When we want to relax at home we love to watch cooking shows after our kids have gone to sleep.

About Author

Interview

Author's Titles