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Dragon Tales - 'The Stories of Rhys', an Interview With Author Christopher R. Williams
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AmeriCymru spoke to author Christopher R. Williams about his new mystery and adventure series for children - The Stories of Rhys . Set in North Wales and based on real locations these stories have delighted local school children and been featured in the North Wales press. ( see pics below ) We talked to Christopher about the series and about his future writing plans.
AmeriCymru: You're the author and illustrator of The Stories of Rhys a juvenile fiction series set in North Wales, can you tell us a bit about this series and how did it come about?
Christopher: The Stories of Rhys isa mystery adventure series of sevenbooksabout a young Welsh dragon called Rhys thatis set in North Wales and based on real locations. Rhys is special but doesn't know why, yet. The first book is littered with clues and the subsequent books expand the the epic storyas it moves to Snowdonia. It is centered on the slate mines of Llanberis andthe operating principles of Dinorwig Power station. These combine and build intoa thrilling adventure that sees Rhys discover who he really is. Only he can save Snowdonia and free the dragon slaves. There are eight colour illustrationsper book too,and yes I am the authorbut alas not the illustrator. I commissioned the illustrations based on my designs. I'd draft out a rough sketch of what I wanted and how they should look and then a localartist worked themup making corrections and adjustments as I directed until they cameto life.After years of writing down notes and ideas I eventually sat down and wrote the books in 2006. It took me three years to write all seven. It's an incredible story but even in the last bookwhen the reader knows everything about The Stories of Rhys, they find out in the very last chapter that the story was actually about something else, they just didn't know it.
Book 1 The Great Orme
Book 3 Rhys makes fire!
Book 4 The battle for Snowdonia
Book 7 The end and the beginning
INTRODUCTION
" Born in the very heart of Snowdonia on a terrible stormy night, a special baby dragon is taken away to safety leaving behind the body of his father who had died to save him. Fleeing from their blazing home which lit the night sky, his mother carried him far away to a cave on a rocky headland at the edge of the sea. There she must hide him until he is an adult dragon who can fly and protect himself with fire. For in Snowdonia, in the damp darkness of the slate mines, a black dragon rules with a terrifying and merciless cruelty. The firetooth of each of his victims hangs around his neck as a warning to anyone who dares to challenge him. His face is horribly burnt and the very existence of the baby dragon threatens him. He has sworn to kill him so that he can never use his special dragon breath, but the baby dragon grows up to learn of the injustice and hatred that his life is founded on, and that only he can save Snowdonia and free the dragon slaves.
The special dragon is Rhys, and this is his story, The Stories of Rhys."
AmeriCymru: What inspired the story and your main character Rhys the red dragon?
Christopher: The Stories of Rhys were born out of my love of North Wales and particularly Llandudno and the rocky headland there The Great Orme. I first visited Llandudno as a boywhen I was eight years old and it left a great impression on me.The Great Orme is a very uplifting, inspiring, and emotional place thatcaninvoke the feeling of 'hiraeth' in anyone. From the topyou can see the mountainous regionof Snowdonia and it seems to call to you. When I was older and had a son of my own It was from these beginnings that the story developed in my mind. I started to make notes as ideas came to me and eventually I had so much material that it was obvious that I had to make a start on writing the stories. That'ssomething I never thought I was capable of as I am dyslexic, but with the aid of a computer I found that I could.I imagined alittle red dragon with a destiny that he knew nothing about and that Snowdonia was calling to him, but he didn't know why.I chose the name Rhys as it was so obviously Welsh and it's origin and meaning is a clue to the story and the plot.
AmeriCymru: How have children reacted to Rhys and his story so far?
Christopher: The books have been used in six schools now and without exception the reaction has been incredible. To see the wonder and excitement in their eyes as they discover the story is very rewarding as a writer and all I could ever have hoped for. Curiously,the parts they were most interested in varied from school to school which showed me that I had unconsciously given the books avaried appeal. In one school they were very excited about playing dragon pebbles and visiting the rocking stone on The Great Orme. In another school it was the relationship between Rhys and his mother and the dangerthat Rhys was inthat seemed of greatest concern. Whatever the appeal though they all loved the character of Rhys and wanted to knowwhat happened to him. They all saw something in Rhys that they liked and they took him to their hearts.The Stories of Rhys is about life and growing up.
AmeriCymru: You've taken Rhys' story to several school classes, what can you tell us about that? Do you have a program that you run with classes?
Christopher: I wouldn't call it a program as such, but I give a talk about the books andhow to go about writing a book which childrenfind fascinating, and I also show them the illustrations for the remaining books to give them clues as to how the story develops. That always invokes 'wows','oooooh's', and 'ah's' which is very pleasing. They ask so many questions though that it's quite a challengenot to give any of the story away. There is usually a writing or drawing competition too which I judge and give a prize for. Book one is used as part of the English curriculum in a class setting and that is a great complement in itself. The school trips to The Great Orme were wonderful. We visited the locations in the book likeRhys' cave, the rocking stone, the cromlech, and of course we went down the Copper Mine where Rhys first meets with his nemesis the evil black dragon from Snowdonia, Ieuan.We also played dragon pebbles on the beach and one girl in particular excelled at the game and beat everyone including me! Icreated a character for her and she is includedin the last book and identifiedinthe form of an anagram.
Ysgol Gwynedd AmeriCymru: The series is self published and the first book, "The Great Orme," is available as an eBook from Amazon Kindle Store worldwide. Is it also available in hard copy and, if not, do you have any plans in the future to do hard copy or will you stick with eBooks? Are the other titles in the series available yet?
Christopher: There are no printed versions of the book and never have been. I published them myself as CD eBooks to sell from my website and this is what was used in schools and sold around the world prior to the Kindle launch. Ebooks are environmentally friendly of course. I don't want to be responsible for the chopping down of acres of Amazonian rain forest. I've no plans to publish the books in print but it is really down to my readers and what they would like. I think I would prefer it though if they remained as eBooks. They are the future of reading and the technology is getting better all the time. Printed books may become obsolete in the future just as vinyl records have become to the music industry. EBook sales overtook printed book sales for the first time this year on Amazon so the future is clear. That is the main reason I have published them as Kindle eBooks. T he remaining six books will be released in due course if the first book is successful and there is sufficientdemand. The Stories of Rhys book 2 'Ieuan and the slate mines of Snowdonia' has a provisional launch date of 1st November and there is a preview of the cover at the end of book one.
AmeriCymru: What was the process of publishing the book like? Did you go through a service or do it yourself? Any advice for other authors considering self publishing or doing an eBook?
Christopher: I did it myself. It is a difficult and exacting process that requires a lot of patience and persistence. It took me a week to get it absolutely perfect. My advice to anyone else is to print off the instructions and follow them very carefully, be patient, and take your time.The reward is a published book available worldwide that is exactly how you wrote it. A publisher would edit your manuscript and make changes that you probably wouldn't always agree with. Self publishing makes an author independent and it frees you from the strangle hold of the Publisher/Literary Agentsystem that defeats so many unknown first time authors. I have tried for years to get published in print without success. Submissions were ignore and flicked through at best.I rarely recieved a reply and no one would take me seriously. Now, no one can deny me.
AmeriCymru: What is your background as an artist and writer? What had you done before starting this series?
Christopher: Prior to writing I worked in the Motor Trade here in the UK. In my last position I was the manger of a Truck and Trailer Contact hire and rental depot which was part of an International company. I've always had a creative and imaginative mind and written poetry and lyrics to songs in a small way, I even tookphotography up at one point which I enjoyed very much, but it was in writing that I found true expression and creativity. I have other writing projects planned and I have even started a James Bond novel, but at the moment my priority isThe Stories of Rhys.
AmeriCymru: Anything you'd like to tell future readers of these stories or parents looking for books for their children or teachers for their students?
Christopher: Well I'd say have a good look on my website and discover what the books are all about and then have a look at the eBookpreview on Amazon. The books are ideal for children 7-11 years and even adults. Younger readers will need help and it's a good way of spending time with your children and making a bond with them, particularly when you end up playing dragon pebbles with them. Remember though that thebooks arenot just for Welsh people or Welsh communities. They have a strong Welsh theme but they are for everyone and anyone.They are educational and will help a child's development in a classroom setting as they are an excellent cross curricularresource that include the key skills of ICT and PSHE in the English curriculum.
Interview by Gaabriel Becket
Thanks Ceri. It has provoked a lot of interest on Facebook.
Diolch for a great interview Christopher. AmeriCymru wishes you all the success in the world with your 'Stories of Rhys' series