Johnston started writing fan fiction in 2002 , and wrote her first manuscript in 2009 . Her first book , '' The Story of Owen : Dragon Slayer of Trondheim , '' was published in 2014 , and is set in an alternate present-day Ontario where dragons are both real and a menace . The review in '' The New York Times '' called the book " a clever first step in the career of a novelist who ... has many more songs to sing " , it was nominated for the William C. Morris Award in 2015 . A sequel , '' Prairie Fire '' , followed in 2015
William C. Morris Award
William C. Morris Award
E. K. Johnston