Portland had a ghost problem. Now it has a dragon problem. Claire didn’t even know dragons existed until one falls into her lap. She has to figure out the dragon thing, the Spirit Knight thing, the adopted daughter thing, and the fighting thing all at the same time. Meanwhile, Justin has things to do, places to be, and problems to cause.

It’ll be fun. Except when it’s not.

Excerpt:

They faced an open archway into a small, dark, empty stone room.

Justin walked in and beckoned her to follow. “Have a seat.”

She stepped inside and sat where he pointed, her back against the wall. “I thought we’d be banging on metal with a hammer or something.”

“Nope. That would be too simple.” He grinned and waved a hand from the top of the arch to the floor. As he did, the stone filled in the arch, and the room went pitch black. “To start, see if you can make light for the room. Think about what light looks like and demand the Palace create it for you.”

“Um, sure. Palace, gimme some light.”

“In your mind, Claire. You can say it out loud, but the important stuff will all happen inside your head. Picture the color of light you want, then apply your demand as thoughts directed at the walls, the floor, the air, or whatever else works for you. When I first started, I felt stupid thinking at the wall. But it works.”

Claire could see how Justin felt stupid doing this. She felt stupid too.

Backyard Dragons, the sequel to Lee’s young adult urban fantasy Girls Can’t Be Knights, releases on March 11. It’s also available on Kobo, iTunes, and Barnes & Noble.