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About The Author
Cortney is a fifteen-year-old high
school sophomore and is the youngest of six children. She loves to
write and illustrate about animals (including dragons). She has a
special love and concern for people who are oppressed and
underprivileged (like Rodney). She has learned much about art and
expanded her talents under the schooling of Lena DiGangi's Gallery
in Totowa, NJ.
Regarding her first book "Rodney, The
Ice Dragon", Cortney writes: "Dragons have filled my imagination for
years. I enjoy drawing these beautiful, powerful creatures soaring
through the air and breathing fire. One day, in eighth grade, I drew
a picture of a young dragon watching a butterfly (which is now the
cover of this book). I brought it to school and showed my science
teacher. She was amazed and even suggested that I create a
children's book. Inspired, I immediately began to write a storyline.
Just the idea of publishing a children's book was enough to get me
started. I decided to make my little dragon unique.
The easiest way to do this was to make
him a different color from all of the other dragons that would be in
the story. I figured that blue would be a good color, and I also
thought that it would be a neat idea to have him breathe ice. On the
other hand, the fire breathing dragons would be red. I thought of a
name for him. The first name to pop into my head was Lightning Rod,
but it didn't work for a blue dragon. I took the 'Rod' part of it.
That's how I came up with the name 'Rodney'. The names 'Nockquan'
and 'Draug Roloc', which appear in the story, have a special meaning
to me, but that is a secret."
For background and additional
information on Rodney the Ice Dragon and author and illustrator,
Cortney Wisbauer, go to
rodneytheicedragon.com. |
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