Droids & Dragon Author, Carol Dresser

Carol Dresser

Pub 518 welcomes Carol Dresser to the 518 team. Carol lives in upstate NY with her husband and two daughters. "I've been writing since the second grade. I made a book by folding sheets of 8.5 X 11 paper together; it was a ghost story! I couldn't tell you what inspired me, but stories and the telling of them have always been important to me."

This is Carol's maiden voyage as a published author and it's wonderful that she submitted to our call for submissions. "This is my first publication! I'm honored and so excited!"

We asked Carol who influences her writing the most and she said, Alice Hoffman, the American novelist. "I like Alice Hoffman's moody, atmospheric storytelling, but I usually write far more dialogue! I was a theatre major in college and took a class on playwriting which definitely influenced my talkative characters."

Carol's story in Droids & Dragons is 'The Dragon's Dirge'. "My uncle Tom died in November, and this piece was my grieving process. That sounds dark, but it truly was therapeutic and I hope he'd be proud of my work."

The Dragon's Dirge is a compelling quick read, and the below standout snippet will make you want to turn the page.

"The word for 'sorry' in Dragon's language was long and lamenting. Ellbee sang it to Dragon with gentle humility. 

The word for 'forgiveness' was a bit more complicated. Ellbee didn't have the linguistic experience to understand all the shades and tones used. She felt Dragon's forgiveness of their situation, but she didn't catch the shifting of the word when Dragon forgave himself."

When we asked Carol what's her favorite book, she said 'The Thief of Always' by Clive Barker.

Like I mentioned before, all writers have superpowers and with Carol, she has a super-superpower. "My writing superpower is that I write a very good first draft! My writing kryptonite is that my brain is too fast for my typing, words get dropped out of sentences. I've also never spelled broccoli correctly on the first try."

If you are looking for a captivating read, then check out Carol's story, 'The Dragon's Dirge'. Droids & Dragons. is available on Amazon and drops 9/25/2026.