1 Author, 7 Questions: Mari Mancusi
There’s nothing I love more than a dystopian novel, and when you throw in dragons?! I couldn’t be happier. New Dragon City is the first book in this dragon apocalypse middle grade series, and (lucky us!) we get the prequel Dawn of the Dragons AND the sequel War of the Wings! We had the chance to sit down with Mari Mancusi, author of the New Dragon City books, and hear all about her inspiration, world-building process, and what we can expect from her soon!
War of the Wings is your latest book in the New Dragon City series. What was your initial inspiration for this epic kids’ book series? Did you always know you wanted this world to extend over multiple books, with adventures both before and after that first novel?
I had the idea to write a book set in a near future apocalypse. But what kind of apocalypse would it be? Zombies had been done to death. So had robots, asteroids and plagues. I wanted an apocalyptic scenario that would feel fresh, original, and dangerous.
Then it hit me. Dragons. Not one expected the dragon apocalypse. And so the core of the idea was born.
I liked the idea of it being dragons. Because unlike zombies, dragons aren’t inherently evil. Sure, they can cause a lot of destruction and seem like monsters to humans. But if you stop and look at the situation from the dragons’ perspective, you realize they’re only trying to survive—just like we are. And to them? We are the monsters of the story.
I liked this idea of playing with both sides of a conflict. To explore why we are so quick to judge others and how if we open our minds and hearts instead, we might realize we have a lot more in common than we think. It’s a lesson that’s not only relevant in a fantasy novel about dragons, but also our present-day world.
I had initially designed New Dragon City as a standalone novel. But when I went out and started talking about it to schools, the kids all wanted more. Specifically, they wanted to know where the dragons came from and how the dragon/human war started. So instead of a sequel, I went and wrote Dawn of the Dragons as a prequel to take them back to the early days of the apocalypse. But even then, they still demanded more and so I wrote War of the Wings and Fall of the Flame (coming Fall ’27) as sequels to the original. Turned out, I had a lot more to say than I’d realized and I’m so grateful readers are following along with the continued adventures.
Can you describe your writing process? Do you usually plot the books out ahead of time, or do you let the plot come to you as you write?
I do a little of each. I have an overall synopsis which points me in the direction I want to go, but I’m not afraid of diverging from it as the story and writing unfolds. I discover a lot in that first draft and the end story is always much more layered and complex than my original idea.
Your New Dragon City series is set amidst a dragon apocalypse. Can you share a bit on what your worldbuilding process was like?
I’m a huge fan of apocalypse stories. I love imagining what the world would look like after society breaks down and how the things we take for granted now are no longer a given. How would we eat? Where would we live? How would we interact with others? I asked myself a lot of these questions and I did a lot of research online. (My social media feed is filled with doomsday prepper ads at this point!) I also watch a lot of movies and play videogames (such as the Fallout series and The Last of Us) that have the apocalyptic aesthetic I like so I can visualize it in my mind and then describe it in my books.
It’s so great to see Noah, Asha, Lucas, and Maya work together in War of the Wings. What was it like balancing the different relationships between humans and dragons?
It was a challenge to have multiple points of view of both humans and dragons. But I loved piecing the story together this way. Just like in real life, everyone comes into a situation with their own preconceived ideas and may feel differently than others about the very same scenario. I think this, if anything, is the core of the New Dragon City series. We need to take time to consider other peoples’ (and dragons!) views, even if they are different than our own. It’s a lot easier to get along if we try to understand one another first.
You put together an awesome quiz where readers can find out which dragon they are! Do you see yourself in any of the dragons in the New Dragon City series?
I hope I am most like Asha. She tries to be brave, even when it’s hard and can sometimes feel insecure, especially when she’s asked to lead. But she has a good heart and cares about her friends and family more than anything and will do whatever she can to help them.
That said, I’m a bit like Flare when it comes to food!
What are some books you’ve been reading or loving recently?
I’m a big fan of middle grade science-fiction and dystopia and I don’t feel like it’s published often enough! I recently read Erin Estrada Kelly’s The Second Life of Snap which is a super cute and poignant story about a forgotten robot in a dystopian world that gets a second chance, thanks to some brave and ambitious kids.
For adult sci-fi, I recently reread the classic cyberpunk novel Neuromancer by William Gibson in preparation for the upcoming Amazon Prime show. It’s one of my favorite novels of all times and has the best opening line ever. (Look it up if you don’t know it!) And I recently read Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins as I’m a big Hunger Games fan.
What are you working on now? Do you have any exciting ideas you can share?
I am currently working on the fourth book and final book in the New Dragon City series! It’s called Fall of the Flame and will be another sequel, taking place the same summer as War of the Wings. (It’s an action-packed summer!) The dragons begin to come down with a mysterious and deadly illness and it’s up to Noah and Asha, along with Noah’s parents (yes, even his dragon reluctant dad!) to go on a road trip to Texas to find a way to save them. I love how this story brings New Dragon City full circle and I can’t wait to share it with readers!
The dragons are coming … are you prepared? This thrilling, dystopian prequel to New Dragon City is perfect for fans of Wings of Fire, The Last Dragon on Mars, and How to Train Your Dragon.
Lucas isn’t having the best summer. While normally he’d be away at camp, this year he’s stuck home, watching over his younger neighbor Noah and mourning the death of his beloved cat. Even going outside is dangerous, thanks to mysterious fires making the air unsafe to breathe. Fires that Noah claims are caused by real life dragons. At first Lucas laughs it off—Noah’s dad has always been fond of conspiracy theories. But when the family suddenly flees town and strange rumors start spreading online, Lucas realizes he needs to find out for sure.
Meanwhile, young Cinder and her dragon herd are just trying to survive in a strange new world. They’ve found a haven high in the mountains and hope to finally live in peace. But when Cinder suffers a terrible fall, she’s not sure she’ll live long enough to see it.
Searching for dragons, Lucas finds Cinder, and he can’t help but feel sorry for this tiny creature and together they begin to form an unlikely friendship. But a simple misunderstanding between scales and skin is all it takes to spark a worldwide inferno. As the dragon apocalypse looms, can Lucas and Cinder find a way to help keep their families safe?
Read the whole series!
Dawn of the Dragons (prequel)
New Dragon City
War of the Wings
Set off on a high-stakes, action-packed adventure in this story about friendship, survival, and fighting for ones you love…perfect for fans of Wings of Fire, The Last Dragon on Mars, and How to Train Your Dragon.
No one predicted the dragon apocalypse. The dragons came suddenly and decimated the world as we knew it, including New York City. Now, three years later, Noah, his hardcore survivalist father, and a ragtag group of survivors are barely scraping by in this new reality. Kids scavenge not only for materials in abandoned homes, but also for leftover books at the library. Adults spend their time establishing a makeshift society and defending their shelter… with any means available. At least for the few months the dragons are hibernating, until it’s no longer safe aboveground.
Noah has seen the damage these creatures can do firsthand. When it comes to dragons: It’s kill or be killed. But a chance encounter between Noah and a young dragon causes him to question everything he thought he knew. With rumors spreading that there’s a group of survivors living in harmony with dragons instead of hiding underground, Noah teams up with his fire-breathing ally to find out if peace between humans and dragons is really possible. But the division runs deeper than scales versus skin because trying to follow his heart might just cost Noah his family too. If Noah and his father can’t see eye to eye, can he really get humans and dragons to?
Read the whole series!
Dawn of the Dragons (prequel)
New Dragon City
War of the Wings
In this riveting sequel to New Dragon City, a perfect society soars into view, but all is not what it seems—perfect for fans of Wings of Fire, The Last Dragon on Mars, and How to Train Your Dragon.
It’s been five long months since Noah has seen his dragon, Asha, and he can’t wait to be reunited with her when she wakes from hibernation. His best friend, Maya, however, isn’t so sure. She still remembers what dragons did to their world and isn’t ready to forgive and forget. She’s also not ready to let Noah out of her sight again, after what happened the last time. So when Noah and his old friend Lucas join forces to aid a dragon who might be in trouble, she insists on coming along for the ride, even if that means on dragonback.
Together the three of them head to Boston, now known as the City of Scales. Championed as a new world order where dragons and humans have partnered to build a paradise of movie theaters, restaurants, libraries and even pro baseball games. To Noah, it’s a dream come true. A return to a world he thought he’d never see again. But Asha remains suspicious, believing something is rotten under this city’s shiny skin. And if she can’t convince Noah to believe her in time, it may cost her and her dragons their lives.
Read the whole series!
Dawn of the Dragons (prequel)
New Dragon City
War of the Wings