WELCOME Go there!

SUBSCRIPTIONS Go there!

... how to subscribe and unsubscribe

FROM THE DRAGON'S MOUTH Go there!

... where this newsletter comes from

CONTENT IS KING Go there!

... what you get in this newsletter

A BRIEF HISTORY OF DRAGON'S BREATH Go there!

... why we're dedicated to bringing you this newsletter

ON THE OTHER END OF THE KEYBOARD Go there!

... who brings this newsletter to you every week

GOODBYE, BLUE MONDAY Go there!

... when to expect e-mail from us

A NOTE ON FORMATTING Go there!

... if this is hard to read, skip ahead to the end!

Welcome to DRAGON'S BREATH, the official e-mail newsletter of Heroes and Dragons (www.heroesanddragons.com)!

Subscription to this mailing list is 100% free, and I solemnly pledge to guard your privacy with my life. (Well, maybe not with my life -- but I'm not going to sell your e-mail address to advertisers or give out any personal information whatsoever.) Read on to find out more about the DRAGON'S BREATH and its many features!

To subscribe to DRAGON'S BREATH, just send an e-mail message to [email protected] with the word "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject line. You can also subscribe via our website, at www.heroesanddragons.com/EMailNewsletter.

If you haven't signed up via any of those methods (or by using the sign-up sheet at conventions or in the Mega-Store), then you may have recently bought something from us. As a courtesy, I automatically add all our Internet customers to the mailing list.

If you don't want to receive the DRAGON'S BREATH, dropping your subscription is as easy as signing up -- just send an e-mail to [email protected] with the word "UNSUBSCRIBE" in the subject line.

If you change your mind and want to resubscribe, just send another "SUBSCRIBE" e-mail! I'll be glad to reinstate you.

Forward the DRAGON'S BREATH along to your friends, co-workers, or anyone you think would be interested. Just be sure to tell them that they have to subscribe if they want to take advantage of the special deals and promotions we sometimes offer!

The DRAGON'S BREATH is a weekly newsletter pertaining to Heroes and Dragons in all its forms. H&D (as the trendy folk call it) is a three-headed beast:

1. You can find our Mega-Store at 1563-B Broad River Road in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.A.
2. You can find us online at www.heroesanddragons.com. (Although the trendy folk call it "H&D.com," you have to type the full address to get there.)
3. You can find us at conventions by looking for the big "Heroes and Dragons" banner.

The DRAGON'S BREATH is your source for information about all three of our operations -- in one handy newsletter.

As an official newsletter, DRAGON'S BREATH covers all facets of Heroes and Dragons, including:

• Notices on updates to the web site
• Announcements about sales and special promotions going on in our Columbia, South Carolina Mega-Store
• Up-to-the-minute information on store hour changes, policy changes, and general goings-on that might affect our customers
• Dates and show times for conventions we will be attending
• Special offers and web-exclusive promotions

Among our regular features are:

• Site of the Week, where we bring you the best of the World Wide Web
• Letter of the Week, where we share what our readers have to say
• Sale of the Week, where we offer DRAGON'S BREATH readers an exclusive sale -- just for you!
• Personnel Dept., where we give you a peek into the personal lives of our lovable staff

And don't be surprised if we slip a news nugget or funny anecdote in there from time to time!

The DRAGON'S BREATH began its life as a printed newsletter -- more accurately, a flyer -- that was distributed in the Heroes & Dragons chain of comic book stores in Columbia, South Carolina, in the early 1990s. Over the years, DRAGON'S BREATH grew with each editor's ambitions, and soon it was a bonafide 8- to 10-page newsletter. Although it was only distributed through the stores (and not in the mail), the DRAGON'S BREATH proved popular enough with our customers to warrant publishing it semi-regularly -- i.e., whenever someone on staff could find the time to do one!

DRAGON'S BREATH went through 4 volumes as a print newsletter between 1993 and 1998 -- each one marked by a new # 1. (You can tell how the comics industry has influenced our numbering system, can't you?) The final version featured exclusive interviews that tied in with our then-brand-new web site, www.heroesanddragons.com, and was edited by yours truly -- who left the company for a while but eventually returned as web planner and mail-order director.

When I returned to the fold in late 1999, we launched a new electronic version of the DRAGON'S BREATH -- an idea that had been pioneered in late ' 98, but couldn't be sustained because there was no one on staff with the time to write all the content and administer a full-blown mailing list. We updated the volume number to match the computer-centered format, and DRAGON'S BREATH v5.0 was born!

Within a couple weeks of sending out DRAGON'S BREATH v5.1, our mailing list grew from around 30 initial subscribers to over 100 -- and from there it was a short step to 200, then 500! The tremendous response meant that we had to beef up our mailing software, but it's been worth it. Given the current size of our mailing list, I can guarantee the DRAGON'S BREATH will be coming to you (almost) every week for as long as I'm involved!

If you want to reply to the DRAGON'S BREATH or send a comment for inclusion in our "Letter of the Week" section, all you have to do is click "reply." All replies to the DRAGON'S BREATH come directly to my e-mailbox.

In case you haven't peeked ahead at my signature file (found at the bottom of every issue of DRAGON'S BREATH), the "I" in question is Scott Simmons -- web planner for heroesanddragons.com. I also write a lot of the material on the web site, handle submissions (both solicited and unsolicited), and compose the DRAGON'S BREATH every week.

If there's an error, grammatical or factual, I'm the guy with whom the buck stops! So please send those suggestions and corrections -- for DRAGON'S BREATH or heroesanddragons.com -- to me at [email protected]. I love giving credit to error-spotters in the DRAGON'S BREATH!

The DRAGON'S BREATH arrives in your e-mailbox every Monday!

Except for Mondays when I've been out of town for a convention.

Or on vacation. Or sick. Or I've been really busy.

All right, so it's a liberal interpretation of "every Monday" -- but more Mondays than not you'll see DRAGON'S BREATH materialize in your e-mailbox. From time to time, I'll even surprise you with a special issue in the middle of the week!

The DRAGON'S BREATH comes in two flavors -- HTML-Rich Format and Plain-Text Format.

The HTML-Rich Format contains hidden code that generates a background image, enables boldface and italics, and displays the headings in larger sizes and different colors than the main text. If your e-mail program is set to accept HTML-Rich messages, you should see all these effects in this e-mail -- including red headings for the sections. If your e-mail program is not set to accept HTML-Rich messages, you may see odd-looking HTML "tags" like <a href> and <i> instead of the actual formatting. If that's the case, please let me know -- I'll be glad to start sending you the other flavor of DRAGON'S BREATH.

The Plain-Text Format is exactly what it sounds like -- all the text in one size, with no boldface or italics and no background image. If your e-mail looks strange, requesting a plain-text version should solve your problems!

America OnLine (AOL) users automatically receive the Plain-Text version of DRAGON'S BREATH, because their e-mail program is not very HTML-friendly. If you know of other e-mail systems that prefer plain-text, or if you'd like to switch the format of your DRAGON'S BREATH mailings -- just let me know.

Remember: I'm only one "reply" click away!

The DRAGON'S BREATH is written and administered by
Scott Simmons, web planner for heroesanddragons.com

Send inquiries, corrections, suggestions, or comments to
[email protected]

Heroes and Dragons
1563-B Broad River Road
Columbia, SC� 29210� USA

DRAGON'S BREATH