"Pure in Heart"
The Legend of the Great Dragon "El Shebeba"
by
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Episode I is entitled "Balance of Dedication and Devotion". In reference back to my daughter, Sheena, she had to be dedicated and devoted in order to be what she wants to. The young girl in the story was taught to be dedicated and devoted in order to succeed, to live in this world and deal with the people of this world. She listened and watched intently as the old man teaches her about responsibility and commitment.
Episode II is entitled "Masters Degree in Deception". In this episode, the character has to find a way to conceal rather than reveal who she is as the dragon and what she stands for. She has to find ways to manipulate the process in an effort to keep secret what needed to be kept secret while continuing to protect the people of LaGundaa.
Episode III entitled "The Day of The Dragon" is an episode in which El Shebeba expresses true friendship and stands for justice while she protects the people of LaGundaa against their long-time enemy -the Emperor and his armies. She also learns how to become "one" with the dragon as she matures into adulthood. As the old man ventures into his past, she learns about his personal life and how he got to be where he is and who he is.
Episode IV entitled "Beware of the Heart of Compassion" was written in dedication to my mother, Ms. Josephine Smith Taylor and my late maternal grandmother, Mrs. Daisy G. Smith. The one thing that I have learned over the years is that you will never know when, where or why someone will have a heart of compassion, and yet the most important thing is to know when it is real and sincere. In this particular episode, the very person that has no reason to show any compassion may do so for personal gain or revenge, but true compassion comes from the heart.
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About the Book
The setting of the story takes place in a small Providence of Japan called "LaGundaa". I initially went to the public library and checked out all the books I could locate in the county about Japan, Japanese culture, history, fife style, and etc. I also went on the Internet to obtain any available information there. My focus was to make a special effort not to offend the people of Japan.
"Pure in Heart" is a story about a 13 year-old Japanese girl who with the help of an aging sorcerer apprentice protects a small providence in Japan called LaGundaa. This book tells about this young girl’s adventures as she utilizes a crystal ball, which was passed on to her from generations past to transform herself into a legendary dragon in an effort to save her hometown. This 85 year-old Spainard had lived a special life and his "legacy" per se, was to be passed on to someone who was worthy of such an honor -someone that was "pure in heart". She had to be taught how to preserve this special honor that was to be bestowed upon her and the old man was the perfect one to teach her. They developed a relationship like no other filled with dedication, devotion, compassion, strength and even a slight bit of deception in an all out effort to protect her homeland.
About the Author
This story was motivated when I began a new job as a security officer in December 1997. My 16 year-old daughter approached my "soon to be" supervisor inquiring as to if he had any vacant positions available and if he would consider hiring her father. She ventured to tell him she believed that it would be beneficial to all involved if he would. About a month later, I was hired.
The story really came together when a co-worker at this new job asked me to draw her a picture of a dragon in which she would use as a tattoo. She didn’t want just any dragon; she wanted one that was totally different. I proceeded to investigate different types of dragons - eight in fact - to come up with a perfect picture for her. Upon completion of the picture, she then asked me to put a crystal ball in the dragon’s hands in which I did. After all that, I ended up keeping the picture, and now it is a part of my first manuscript "Pure in Heart".
When my daughter graduated from high school in June, 2000, she introduced me to a fellow graduate friend of hers who had made a habit of calling her "Shebeba" instead of her real name, "Sheena". Hence, the name of my dragon - "Dragon El Shebeba" of LaGundaa.
From there, I knew that would be my story. I knew what the story line was, what the purpose of the story was. My daughter was preparing to go to college and I knew in order for her to succeed, she had to remain pure in heart.
As you can imagine, this series has served as an enlightenment in my life as well as my family’s life. My entire family shared in the thoughts and ideas as I ventured into this arena. I have learned a lot about a culture and country in which at one time, I knew very little about. Personal life experiences also played a part in the development of this series. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing these books and hope others will enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.