THE STORIES OF RHYS are a series of eight children’s books set in North Wales about a young Welsh dragon called Rhys. The first book tells of his early years there living in a cave on The Great Orme. Rhys is no ordinary dragon though, and was brought to The Great Orme when he was just a baby dragon. The books develop into an exciting and mysterious adventure story about courage, honour, and justice that leads to other parts of North Wales as Rhys learns who he is and follows his destiny. The book captivates and thrills as well as being emotional, moving, and a little frightening in places too. The first book is set on The Great Orme, Llandudno and is based on real locations that can be visited. It is written in English with some Welsh names, words, and phrases. There is a pronunciation key in the book to help readers with them, but there are only a few. The book also contains eight full colour illustrations by a professional artist and there is one in every chapter that helps to bring the scenes and characters to life. It has eight chapters and is over 300 pages long.

The books are suitable for children aged five to six years up to about twelve years old but can be enjoyed by adults and older children too. It can be read by children themselves or with mums and dads, aunts and uncles, grandmas and granddads.

The book is only available as an e-book download from the author’s website www.thestoriesofrhys.com via a secure Pay-Pal link. It is compiled on the latest professional publishing software, and once downloaded to your computer or laptop, it opens to look like a real book with a double page view and an interactive contents page. Pages turn with the click of your mouse, and there is a drop down menu to change viewing settings. It’s very easy to use and well set out.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Williams first came to Llandudno when he was eight years old on a family holiday and has been enchanted with it ever since. He is a frequent visitor and regularly attends local events, particularly The Victorian Extravaganza. His love of Llandudno and North Wales inspired The Stories of Rhys and the idea lay dormant for several years. Towards the end of last year, Chris decided it was time to put his story into words and has now produced this serious piece of children’s literature. This was his first real venture into writing and his aim was to produce a traditional children’s story book with illustrations that will inspire readers and fire their imaginations, as well as promoting Wales, Welsh history and the Welsh language.

“The Great Orme and Llandudno are an ideal seaside resort for families and children to enjoy. It’s also a good base to explore Snowdonia and Anglesey from. There is so much to do and see, and it’s rich in history and culture. The Victorian Extravaganza is a must for families, and accommodation is very reasonable” says Chris.

Being a first time author without a publishing deal, Chris decided to go it alone and sell the book direct from his website as an e-book.

“These days, virtually every family has a computer and children are taught ICT as part of the national curriculum. It is quite natural for them to read books in this way, and through the internet I can reach the whole world. My site has had interest from America, Canada, Australia, and Japan and all over Europe” Chris explained. He has also sent a copy to Aled Jones and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the hope that they will endorse the books, and he is working hard at promoting the new book through the media.

The website isn’t just to buy the book from either. There is also news, recipes, photos, a guestbook, and a links page to help readers discover more about Wales and local events. Chris also has plans to produce Rhys merchandise including Rhys mugs and T-shirts, even the game from the first book, dragon pebbles.

“The first book has been well received by trial readers prior to launch. I think I can safely say that no one will be disappointed with it. I’m amazed that I’ve been able make people feel so emotional through my writing. Book two will be out later this year”.

Chris also has a design idea for a separate e-book reader the size of a normal book, but one that can load and display an e-book CD using two LCD screens. He needs an electronics company to help him develop it. “I think e-books are the future, particularly if there was a separate e-book reader like the one I have designed. I’m prepared to share 50% of the copyright with any electronics company that will help me develop it and get it to market”. If there is an electronics company in Wales or anywhere else that is interested, they can contact Chris through his website.