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AmeriCymru: Your latest work A Court in Splendour is a fictional account of the first Eisteddfod in Cardigan in 1176. Care to tell us something about the book?

Liz: The title of the book comes from the description in the Chronicle of the Princes (the Brut y Twysigion) the earliest history of Wales written by monks, who told of the events at Cardigan Castle when the Lord Rhys invited a contest of 'bards and musicians'. Very few people outside of Cardigan had ever heard about it so in 2010 when Cardigan town hit its 900th birthday, as a way of celebrating I thought it would be good to recall its one really important moment in history. Lord Rhys was a mighty figure and has often been sidelined by historians in favour of later Princes of Wales like Glendower and Llewellyn the Great. I wanted to bring him back full focus and accord him the honour he deserved for being the inspiration behind the Eisteddfod as we know it today. Most people with a little knowledge of Welsh history know it has not been going continuously since the 12th century but the link is strong enough to claim that the celebration at Christmas 1176 at Cardigan Castle was the first Eisteddfod.

AmeriCymru: You tell the story from four different perspectives - Walter Map, Rhygyfarch, Rhys's son and wife. In my opinion this works remarkably well. What factors influenced you to construct the book in this way?

Liz: When I began to do the research for the story it became clear to me that there were many varying accounts of the events in the early 12th century. That particular period is called the 'dark ages' for a very good reason! No two accounts are ever quite the same and ultimately in confusion I began to think it would not be possible to write it in the third person with a definite viewpoint about what happened in that period. For instance, when Rhys took Cardigan, some historians accept that he allowed the conquered Normans to leave peacefully with half of their goods. Others however write that Cardigan was treated to a blood bath courtesy of a barbarian Rhys who killed all, Norman and Welsh alike. That is no small difference, is it?. And there were many more instances. Then I thought of the Canterbury Tales, and the clever construction of Chaucer's most famous book. It appealed to me to give several peoples view of what went on. All that was left once this decision was made, was to decide who my storytellers would be. I didn't want the Lord Rhys speaking for himself, how could he? Its obvious in literature generally that it is others who describe the hero, never the hero himself. He cannot boast of his achievements, nor acknowledge his temper and failings. So his family and his priest seemed more appropriate to give us a view of the man himself. It also meant we saw the action from ways which we might not have reached through a single voice. Gwenllians family history is of strong women and she appears in history books as one of them, equal to handling, yet respecting and nurturing, this great warrior Prince she marries. My own sense from the history books is that it was a political as well as a love match. Hwyel Sais too, is the son who stands out from all of Rhyss other sons, because of his Anglicisation. Both of them struck me as interesting characters to develop. Rhygyfarch is in all the history books for opening the gates of Cardigan to the Lord Rhys himself so I wanted to include him. But who would they be telling their stories to? Walter Map was a stroke of inspiration when I came across him in the process of researching Rhys. Here was a court gossip, a king's clerk and envoy, who was also a learned man of the church. Also known for an acid tongue on occasion, his one book 'De Nugis Currialum' translates as Courtiers Trifles and is full of trivial tales.Useless from a historical perspective but his character emerges clearly through the style and content. So I used him as the receiver of the tales. History doesn't actually say he was there at the first Eisteddfod, but I like to think he may have been. So it was a bit cheeky as a device, but hey, I think it works!

AmeriCymru: How difficult was it to find sources when you researched the historical background for the book? Are there any historical works that you would recommend?

Liz: I was lent a copy of the Chronicle of the Princes,(very expensive to buy!) which then led me to the University of Wales book A History of Wales Book II. struggled a bit to find much specific. Then I got hold of Roger Turvey's documentary book 'The Lord Rhys' which is brilliant, he really gets a hold on the man. The other books that I used are listed at the back of A Court in Splendour but actually that list is only a small summation. I tend to read very widely to get going. The big advantage of the internet too is that once you have a clue what you want to find out, it has an immense amount of information there for free. There was a huge amount of material for instance about Henry II and his relationship with Becket and the church. I didnt use a great deal of it but it coloured the way that Rhygyfarch the priest, saw the monarch.

AmeriCymru: The book was officially launched at Cardigan Castle on September 12 2009. Care to describe the occasion for us?

Liz: For a start it was a glorious autumn day, with sunshine and warmth. Entirely unexpected after a week of rain. During the weeks before I had meetings with several local people from town, most of whom are known as 'drama' enthusiasts, to rehearse, and we ran through the pieces chosen for them to read aloud. We managed to raid the wardrobe at Theatr Mwldan our local theatre, and put together some of my storytelling outfits to make them all look convincingly medieval. They looked great, and they were so good with the readings it was like seeing my characters coming back to life! What made it more extraordinary was that we were all conscious of actually being on the castle site itself where the whole thing had happened all those years ago. The castle is currently the subject of efforts to see a massive restoration programme carried out, and bids are in for funding. It is not generally yet used for public events so you can imagine what an honour it was for the Trustees of the Castle to invite me to have the launch there. We had the readings, and book signings, then some friends talked in Welsh on camera about their memories as children of the National and we had medieval music played by a friend and local dignitaries giving the people an update on the castle. My three sons and friends all helped in putting up marquees and serving trays of food. We had a scrumptious afternoon tea served from a marquee far too small for the crowds to sit down in, so we ended up with hundreds of people strolling and sitting all round the grounds with platefuls of pastries and cream buns and muffins. It was a great afternoon, so its no wonder it was a popular event is it?

AmeriCymru: Which of the major contemporary Eisteddfodau (Llangollen or the National) do you think the first Eisteddfod was closer to in spirit?

Liz: Ah! This is a point in dispute. Personally I lean toward the idea of the International being closer to The Lord Rhys's original intention which was to bring in other countries to compete. He invited Ireland, England, Scotland and France and perhaps he thought that by getting together to hear great music and poetry and to network (though I'm sure he would not have called it that) it would heal pisions and create a bit of harmony. However, I am locally in a minority in this reading of it. Cardigan is in Ceredigion, one of the heartlands of the Welsh language, and the feeling amongst some is that the Lord Rhys was an early member of Plaid Cymru and his idea was to display the gifts of the Welsh bards as a kind of one upmanship. Seriously though the singular link is the Chair, which is still the high accolade afforded at the National to the best of the bards. A local artist, Aneurin Jones has produced a painting of the First Eisteddfod, and it is in essence, the National. So was my depiction in the book, with the white robes and so on. The idea of the International was a twentieth century idea which grew out of the National. It came out of the British Council after the Second World War as a way of promoting Peace through the Arts. So although I certainly think the Lord Rhys would have approved of it, I don't think it's worth falling out about. I have had compliments about the book from people who have read it and stand on both sides of the argument. I have also attended the International at Llangollen to read from the book this year, a huge honour and I love the idea of being connected with it, however loosely.

AmeriCymru: You are also the author of several volumes of children's fiction in particular The Dreamstealers Trilogy. Would you say that it is more challenging, or less, to write for a younger audience?

Liz: Life experience has a lot to do with it. I began my career as a teacher, then I set up and ran junior Youth Theatres in Wales and in England. The age group I knew best through these experiences were the seven to twelve year olds. When I wrote Dreamstealers, this was the age group it was intended for, and I found it quite easy to write for them because I knew how I talked to them (same thing in the end) and how they talked to each other. But I do know it varies from one person to another and if you haven't spent time with children I imagine it is difficult. I actually preferred writing for an adult audience but the trilogy came to me because of my love of standing stones, and burial chambers etc and how I saw them as portals to another world. Well you can't really write magical/fantasy for adults without getting twee or sentimental, or gorily surrealist maybe. The stories are about inter-dimensional travel, based very generally in the Mabinogion, so I wrote it for children and thoroughly enjoyed it.

AmeriCymru: Dreamstealers Trilogy was described as the 'Welsh Harry Potter' by the Western Mail. How do you feel about the comparison/description.

Liz: Oh at the time I just thought how lazy the press are. I personally have worked in the newspaper business for years on and off so I speak from personal experience too! It's easier to relate back to a known name or title than think up something original. Look at the tabloids, their headlines are almost always puns on well-known names of phrases. However I have been told that using the Harry Potter reference persuaded more people to buy the books. How disappointed they must have been to find that it did not resemble Harry Potter at all! One bitter reviewer said the first thing that was wrong with it was that there were only two adventurers, not three, and therefore it couldn't work! Ha Ha...he also thought there were lots of other things wrong with it, but the review by the Welsh Books Council and the Cambrian News were very flattering so one just has to take the knocks!

AmeriCymru: Where can our readers obtain copies of 'A Court in Splendour' and the 'Dreamstealers Trilogy'?

Liz: All of them are available online, through Amazon, but specifically from the Welsh Books Council on www.gwales.com ; and A Court in Splendour direct from the publishers at www.llanerchpress.co.uk ; and the Dreamstealers comes separately as The Fizzing Stone, Shapeshifters at Cilgerran, and Manawl's Treasure, all available from www.ylolfa.co.uk

AmeriCymru: What's next for Liz Whittaker?

Liz: My new book is on the way though it's growing slowly as there is an enormous amount of research, and Im not in a hurry because I do love this stage of the process. Outside right now here in Wales it is dark and cold and rain is arriving in the wind. This is the best time of year for closing the curtains against the miserable late afternoon, putting another log on the fire and getting out the books and notes. This next novel is written in two time-lines and it centres on St Davids in West Wales and Glastonbury England. (Yes, the home of the nearby famous festival,) For my purposes it is the Abbey and its strong connection with Welsh history, particularly St Caradog, that fascinates me and is informing the story.

Also I am performing from A Court in Splendour at a big Eisteddfod event for the town at the end of December for the grand finale of 2010 and our 900th celebrations. This will be my last stand-up. I have been a storyteller for years and anyone can see me doing it all over Youtube if they really want to. But there are so many good up and coming young storytellers and I find I prefer to be in the audience to watch them, rather than on the stage these days!

AmeriCymru: Any final message for the members and readers of Americymru?

Liz: I can only say that I am genuinely pleased to have been invited to contribute to the website - thank you! Americymru is a fantastic way of bringing people together, and this experience of answering questions has been very enjoyable, taking me back to my motives and ideas. I would also like to mention Jacob, my son, who is also on Americymru. He does all my book cover illustrations and the one for A Court in Splendour, which is very special, was an idea taken from an original of a page from Rhygyfarchs psalter, which Jacob developed specially for the project. He also made the video of the launch. Check out his website at jacobwhittaker.co.uk and mine at lizwhittaker.co.uk

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AmeriCymru: Your latest novel - Uncharted has been described as:- "a tale of Tango, unfathomable mysteries, and two ancient lovers who will not be parted". How would you describe it for an intending reader.

Jon: A friend said that it "mythologizes an Argentine woman's journey around the world" and that pretty much sums it up. The woman, Flavia, is in a sort of purgatory, neither alive nor dead. Her story becomes a myth which becomes a religion, a case of global Chinese whispers.

I tried to write about a character much as Dickens' writes about Little Nell, and wanted people to be moved by her death. To make me care a lot about her I modelled the central character, Flavia on my wife Sarah but when I came to killing her off I couldn't because it seemed too much like wishing my wife harm, so I kept her alive. Or seemingly alive!

AmeriCymru: The story is set partly in Buenos Aries, partly in Oakland and partly in Cardiff ( including a wonderful description of Caroline St, the hub of Cardiff's sophisticated nightlife ). What made you choose these locations?

Jon: I've been lucky enough to travel a lot in Latin America but hadn't visited Buenos Aires. When I did I fell completely in love with the place and came back to Wales on fire with a need to write about it. The competition for the prose medal at the Eisteddfod the following year required an urban theme, so I found myself writing about B.A and after some 10,000 words thought where else can I go? I decided to write about other ports I knew well, so plumped for Oakland, California, my wife's home town and as the Eisteddfod was in Cardiff I thought I'd write a judge-pleasing ending and set it in my own home. So it's a tale of three cities.

AmeriCymru: The book is adapted from Dalar Llanw ( Catching The Tide ) which is the first book you have written in the Welsh language. Is writing in a second language ( or perhaps i should say first ) a problematic or an enriching experience?

Jon: I usually try to write prose that has a melody and found writing the English translation difficult at first as I was trying to impose the Welsh "music" on the English version, that is until I decided to go with the English music. Adapting the book also gave me a chance to winnow out some weaknesses, and to alter the ending. The current archdruid James Jones said he didn't like the ending of Dala'r Llanw and I agreed with him, so I tacked on a new conclusion, which is less Hollywood ending and much more lyrical.

AmeriCymru: This is not the first time that your writing has featured an American location. In An Island Called Smith you presented an account of your stay on Smith Island in Chesapeake Bay. Care to tell us a little more about that experience and about the book?

Jon: I was intrigued to read a tiny little newspaper article about the Welsh and Cornish settlers of Smith Island and kept the piece of paper. Years later I was lucky enough to win the John Morgan travel writing prize which funded two trips to Smith Island, a disappearing island because of sea level rise. Here crab fishing is the mainstay of the economy and it was a rare opportunity for me, as a naturalist, to spend time with people who understand the richness and complexity of the natural world in an instinctive way. It's also a Methodist island, and gave me a glimpse of what parts of Wales were like when it was one of the most religious countries on earth.

AmeriCymru: You have also written short stories, some of which are anthologised in a collection titled Big Fish Care to tell us more about this volume?

Jon: I see myself as a short story writer above all else, although it's a form that doesn't sell. I still find this surprising when you consider reduced attention span, the pace of life, etc: it should be conducive to people's lives nowadays. 'Big Fish' mashes up Welsh themes with my take on American style, reflecting the fact I've always read a lot of American fiction, especially John Updike, Annie Proulx and Alice Hoffman. People found the stories zany, and I like that.

AmeriCymru: What is your working routine?

Jon: I have two daughters, Onwy who is twenty months old and Elena, who is five and a half years old I have to write around them, so it's a case of trying to get up before them to write, or doing so after they've gone to bed. Luckily, owing to years of news journalism I can write quickly in the time available. Though they often hear me getting up early and see it as a cue to get up themselves. Anyway 1000 words a day assuages enough guilt to allow me to enjoy the rest of life, and them. They're great kids.

AmeriCymru: Where do you get your ideas?

Jon: If I'm really stuck I deal a card from the Oblique Strategies website. The musician and record producer Brian Eno used to write post it notes in the studio with tips he and his engineer Peter Schmidt culled from their working day. They turned into a physical pack of cards and now you can generate one at random on the website. Even though they're about music they can usually get you out of a corner, or spark something off.

AmeriCymru: How did you become a writer?

Jon: I've always enjoyed writing, but writing books is an offshoot of earning a living as a journalist and trading words in that way. Gradually I've moved away from non fiction to fiction and like the freedoms of lyricism and imaginative flight.

AmeriCymru: Which of your own books do you like the best?

Jon: I'm genuinely proud of 'Uncharted' and like the fact that many people who've read it have enjoyed doing so. Not that it'll be everyone's cup of tea, of course.

AmeriCymru: Where can people order copies of 'Uncharted' and your other works online?

Jon: In the U.S you can get it through the Big Beast, Amazon.com. You have to hunt for some of the others, but Powells is a good place to start.

AmeriCymru: What's next for Jon Gower?

Jon: There's a new Welsh language novel out next year, when I finish it! It draws heavily on my own life and I spend a lot of time trying to protect the innocent! That will be followed by collections of stories in both Welsh and English ('Too Cold for Snow') in 2012 and then, in 2013 or 2014, I'm hoping that my "deep map" of Y Wladfa, the Welsh settlement in Patagonia will see the light of day, ahead of the 150th anniversary of its establishment in 2015. It's inspired by William Least Heat-Moon's wonderful book about Chase County in Kansas.

AmeriCymru: Any final message for the members and readers of AmeriCymru?

Jon: Do check out the books on the long list for next year's Wales Book of the Year, due out in March. I'm one of the judges and even though we've yet to reach year's end it strikes me that there will be some wonderful books on the list, a very strong year seemingly and hopefully a good snapshot of the variety and confidence of Welsh writing at the moment.

Jon Gower on Amazon

Uncharted by Jon Gower	Big Fish by Jon Gower	An Island Called Smith by Jon Gower

Interview by Ceri Shaw Email

Carmarthen-based accountants Clay Shaw Butler have recruited an expert to help local business owners fight the recession.

Nigel Roberts, the former head of HSBCs commercial banking arm in West Wales, has joined Clay Shaw Butler in the role of finance and bankingspecialist.

Mr Roberts, who has more than 34 years of banking and funding experience, will be based at Clay Shaw Butlers offices in Carmarthen.

His role will see him providing banking and commercial advice to local businesses. He can act as a business adviser for those thatwould like their own Dragons Den type mentor.

Mr Roberts will be able to help local businesses source and get access to funding to help them grow.

In addition to the consultancy service, Mr Roberts will be working with Clay Shaw Butlers dynamic and energetic team of qualifiedaccountants to provide business plans, cashflow forecasts and managementaccounts.

David Butler, Managing Director at Clay Shaw Butler, said: Nigel will help the practice to continue to expand and provide specialist banking advice and support to ourclients. He is also happy to work with non-Clay Shaw Butler clients who dontwant to move from their existing advisor, but are unable to source ad-hocspecialist advice.

Nigel is a great addition to our enthusiastic qualified team, and working with themhe will enable us to further develop our reputation of proactively meeting thedemanding needs of todays businesses.

Mr Roberts is a well-known figure in Carmarthen sporting circles.

He was a keen cricketer. He is currently the secretary to the Carmarthen Wanderers Cricket Club. He is a former secretary to theCarmarthen Athletic Rugby Football Club.

Mr Roberts and the team at Clay Shaw Butler can be contacted on 01267 228500 or through the website at www.clayshawbutler.com

Some people move to the seaside to put their feet up and relax. Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants Clay Shaw Butler havemoved to Porthcawl for very different reasons.

Porthcawl is a magical place with plenty of businesses eager to show it is a vibrant place to live and work 365 days of the year,said Clay Shaw Butler director David Butler.

Porthcawl is a place full of enterprise and get-up-and-go businesspeople. We want to be a part of that enthusiastic atmosphere.

With that in mind, Clay Shaw Butler (already firmly established as one of the leading accountancy and consultancy businesses inWest Wales) opened a new office at The Dunes Business Centre, Porthcawl, in October.

Mr Butler said: We have felt for some time that businesses in Porthcawl were not receiving the proactive and supportive service theydeserve. Hopefully, our new office will enable them to receive the advice andhelp they need to progress and succeed.

The key player in representing Clay Shaw Butler in Porthcawl is Ann Thomas, the leading Consultant at Clay Shaw Butler.

Miss Thomas said: We aim to fill a gap in Porthcawl as we believe our clients accountancy needs are best serviced by a local, personaland professional team.

She added: We are also planning to have something of an open evening at our new Porthcawl office. Getting to know our clients (old andnew) is of great importance to us here at Clay Shaw Butler.

Miss Thomas has been with the firm since November 2001, when she joined as small business supervisor.

She qualified as a Certified Accountant in 2003, gaining her Chartered Accountant status in 2008. While at Clay Shaw Butler, she has beenpromoted through the ranks, achieving the leading Consultant role at the end of2009.

She manages a sizeable portfolio of clients thanks to the excellent support of a team of qualified Relationship Accountants. Her clientsare assured of a dynamic, proactive and efficient service.

She has vast experience in many fields of accountancy, audit, taxation and management consultancy, but the areas she enjoys most arethe provision of Sage services and training and business development.

Our Porthcawl office is a really exciting proposition, said Miss Thomas.

You can contact the Porthcawl office on 01656 783674. Address: The Dunes Business Centre, 267 New Road, Porthcawl, CF36 5BG

The Claw Shaw Butler website is at - http://www.clayshawbutler.com