The Old Dragon’s Head by Justin Newland | Video Book Excerpt ~ Guest Post & Interview with Author ~ Giveaway (3 Winners)
A book blog tour from iRead Book Tours.
Thank you to the author, publisher, & Lauren at iRead for providing me with the information for this tour. 
Book Details
The Old Dragon’s Head by Justin Newland
Published by Matador on 10/08/2018
Genres: Adult Fiction 18+, Historical Fantasy, Myths & Legends
Format: eBook
Pages: 293
Constructed of stone and packed earth, the Great Wall of 10,000 li protects China’s northern borders from the threat of Mongol incursion. The wall is also home to a supernatural beast: the Old Dragon. The Old Dragon’s Head is the most easterly point of the wall, where it finally meets the sea.
In every era, a Dragon Master is born. Endowed with the powers of Heaven, only he can summon the Old Dragon so long as he possess the dragon pearl.
It’s the year 1400, and neither the Old Dragon, the dragon pearl, nor the Dragon Master, has been seen for twenty years. Bolin, a young man working on the Old Dragon’s Head, suffers visions of ghosts. Folk believe he has yin-yang eyes and other paranormal gifts.
When Bolin’s fief lord, the Prince of Yan, rebels against his nephew, the Jianwen Emperor, a bitter war of succession ensues in which the Mongols hold the balance of power. While the victor might win the battle on earth, China’s Dragon Throne can only be earned with a Mandate from Heaven – and the support of the Old Dragon.
Bolin embarks on a journey of self-discovery, mirroring Old China’s endeavour to come of age. When Bolin accepts his destiny as the Dragon Master, Heaven sends a third coming of age – for humanity itself. But are any of them ready for what is rising in the east?
Content Rating: PG-13 +M. Mild sex and cruelty. Mature themes.
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Book Trailer
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Purchase Links for The Old Dragon’s Head
Amazon-OneLink for all countries
Waterstones ~ Chapters ~ Kobo ~ BookBub
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About Justin Newland
JUSTIN NEWLAND’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism. His stories explore the themes of war and religion, and speculate on the human’s spiritual place in the universe.
Undeterred by the award of a Doctorate in Mathematics from Imperial College, London, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies.
The historical thriller, The Old Dragon’s Head (Matador, 2018), is set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall.
The Coronation (Matador, 2019) was another historical adventure and speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution.
The Abdication (Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.
The Mark of the Salamander (Book Guild, 2023) is the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels. Set in the Elizabethan era, it’s an epic tale of England’s coming of age.
His work in progress is the second in the series, The Midnight of Eights, the charting of the uncanny coincidences that led to the repulse of the Spanish Armada.
Author, speaker and broadcaster, Justin appears on LitFest panels, gives talks to historical associations and libraries and enjoys giving radio interviews and making podcasts. Born three days before the end of 1953, he lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.
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Authors on iTours Video Interview
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Guest Post
The setting of the novel, The Old Dragon’s Head.
The Old Dragon’s Head is a real place at the far eastern end of the Great Wall, or the Great Wall of 10,0000 li as the Chinese call it. You can imagine the Great Wall going up hill and down dale, suggesting an overall serpentine nature. This gave rise to the idea that it’s occupied by a numinous or supernatural serpent or dragon. A wise folk lore people, the Chinese knew that attack always comes from the north, so defended their northern borders from the marauding nomadic tribes of the Mongolian steppes.
In Chinese, the old dragon is the Laolong, and the head of the old dragon is the Laolongtou,
which is where the Great Wall meets the sea for the only time (see picture).
So, you’d better not disturb the Laolong while he’s having a drink of water!
The legend was that the Laolong would rise up and defend the land of China from
barbarian invasion. Of course, in 1215 the Laolong failed to do so, because the
Mongol leader Genghis Khan invaded China. But in 1368, the Hongwu Emperor
expelled the Mongols and founded the Ming Dynasty. At the time, the Mongol
invasion sparked a lot of deep soul-searching amongst the Chinese, who, as
adherents of the principle of karma, believed that as they had been invaded by the
Mongols, they must have been living in the wrong way to invite the invasion. The
Ming Dynasty sought to find a new way of living, and so in a sense was a renaissance.
To strengthen China’s northern defenses against another Mongol invasion, the
Hongwu Emperor commissioned the extension of the wall from the Yanshan
Mountains to the sea, closing a six-mile open land corridor.
The stylized map of the area shows the extent of the fortifications. The
mountains are in the top of the picture, and the Laolongtou is near the bottom
where the wall juts out into the Bohai Sea.
And don’t think that the positioning of the fortress in the landscape was in anyway arbitrary. No, not at all.
Its location was specifically designed against Feng Shui principles. Feng Shui, which literally means wind-water, is a kind of traditional Chinese geomancy which aims to use natural energy forces to harmonize individuals with
their surrounding environment.
The four main principles of Feng Shui are:
1. Shielding mountains to north and west.
2. Sea to the east and south.
3. River in the south-flowing west to east.
4. Main outlook is over a navigable river (to the west) and fertile plains (to the
east).
The fortress of Shanhaiguan has them all. That’s what I aimed to do in my novel, The Old Dragon’s Head, harmonize the plot, settings, and characters with the natural forces therein.
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Easy Amazon Links
Amazon-OneLink for all countries
If the above link does not take you to your country, here are a few more:
Please send me a note if your country isn’t listed and you would like to purchase using my links. Using my link does not change the price you pay. Amazon pays me a minimal amount out of their share.
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Giveaway!
Win a signed copy of THE OLD DRAGON HEAD by Justin Newland (one winner) (ends June 6)
Please visit more stops on the tour for extra chances to win!
Official Tour Page for The Old Dragon’s Head
Full Tour Schedule:
May 10 – Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / giveaway
May 11 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book spotlight/ guest post / giveaway
May 12 – My Reading Getaway – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
May 12 – FUONLYKNEW – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
May 17 – Liese’s Blog – book spotlight
May 18 – Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / giveaway
May 19 – Kim’s Book Reviews and Writing Aha’s – book review / giveaway
May 22 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
May 23 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book review / giveaway
May 24 – Authors on iTours: Let’s Talk Books – book review
May 25 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
May 26 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review / giveaway
May 29 – Celticlady’s Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
May 29 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
May 30 – The Book Countess – book review
May 30 – Diane’s Book Journal – book review / giveaway
May 30 – Splashes of Joy – book review / giveaway
THE OLD DRAGON HEAD Book Tour Giveaway
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Book Title: The Old Dragon’s Head by Justin Newland
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 257 pages
Genre: Historical Fantasy, Supernatural Thriller
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd.
Release date: November 2018
Tour dates: May 10 to May 30, 2023
Content Rating: PG-13 +M. Mild sex and cruelty. Mature themes.
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Hey Gina, thanks for hosting this stop on the blog tour of my novel, The Old Dragon’s Head.