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'When Kids Could Play Outside' - An Interview With Welsh Author Paul Mansell
Americymru spoke to Welsh author Paul Mansell about his first book, When Kids Could Play Outside. The book is set in the Cynon valley in the 1970's and offers a colorful picture of teenage life in the valleys in that decade. The book ( in electronic form ) can be purchased from the Americymru bookstorehere:- 'When Kids Could Play Outside'
Americymru: Hi Paul and many thanks for agreeing to speak to Americymru. Care to introduce your book 'When Kids Could Play Outside' for our readers?
Paul: Hi Ceri firstly many thanks for the opportunity and I hope you enjoyed the book.
When Tom, a 43-year-old man, goes on a quiet bicycle ride in the Cotswold, little does he expect that his life will soon be changed forever. Suddenly, he has a terrible accident and lies dying in a damp, cold forest, but when he takes his final breath, instead of passing over to the other side, he is reborn in the 1970s.
He gets a second chance and lives his life all over again as a 8-year-old boy. What ensues is a fast and furious account of growing up in the 70s, in a time with very little rules or restrictions, and when playing outside was an education in its own right.
Playing hard was a test of true character and survival where nothing was off-limits.
Tom relives an era full of danger and competitiveness, when pranks were the order of the day, and children experienced freedom and fun that the modern generation has been deprived of.
When Kids Could Play Outside will transport readers back to a time when computer games and the internet were still in their infancy, and childrens idea of fun was a simple outdoor adventure. This is a must read for those lucky enough to have grown up in the 70s, those who had to discover who they were the hard way.
Paul: The Cynon Valley and the beautiful countryside which surrounds it is nestled between The Merthyr and Rhondda Valleys, The Cynon Valley is situated within easy reach of the cities of Cardiff and Swansea and very close to the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Renowned for it's coal mining history, hospitality and beautiful scenery, the small village which I wrote about in the book Penycynon (name change) is only a stone throw from Pontypridd (the land of the voice) Tom Jones,
Americymru; In what way are conditions different for kids growing up in the 21st century? Are they missing out on something? If so, what?
Paul: For me the children of today have been deprived of so much fun and freedom due to ridiculous health and safety laws, hundreds of TV channels, Mobile phones, PC and internet.
If you recorded the top 40 off the radio, made a den, used jumpers for goal posts, got grounded if you were late, vandalised your school desk with a compass, climbed trees, made bows and arrows, rode a chopper bicycle, bought a 10 sweets mix for 10p, only had 4 TV channels, you must have been a Seventies kid !
Americymru: Where can people find your book online?
Paul: When kids could play outside can be found on Amazon - When Kids Could Play Outside
Americymru: 'When Kids Could Play Outside' is your first book. What's next for Paul Mansell? Any new works in the pipeline?
Paul: Well believe it or not I have just completed another chapter for 'Kids' named "Billy the Kid" which is about CB radio's, scrumping apples, sliding down grass embankments on cardboard sheets and entering the Miners show room to get my father.
I have started my second book, which is another true story about my father starting work in the South Wales coal mines at the age of fifteen but progress has been slow and it could take a few years to complete.
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the members and readers of AmeriCymru?
Paul: After last weeks brilliant performance against the English, you realise that no amount of time away from Wales can make you forget where you're coming from ! So be proud to be Welsh! You can take the boy out of the valley but you'll never take the valley out of the boy!
Diolch for a great book and a great interview brawd
Many thanks Ceri on a great job which really is appreciated