December - Artist of the Month – Colin R Parsons
Our December ‘Artist of the Month’ is author Colin R Parsons.
About Colin R Parsons
Colin, is a Welsh author from the Rhondda Valley in South Wales. He’s consumed by fantasy fiction and needed to write about fantastical worlds and exciting adventures. He’s written fourteen children’s novels and counting, in the sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural and steampunk genres. Colin’s best-selling “Wizards’ Kingdom” trilogy set him on the path to hundreds of book-signings over a ten-year period at bookshops events all over the UK.
Colin was the first children’s author to be signed to the Welsh publisher Black Bee Books Ltd in 2021 with his YA short story collection “The Man with the Black Shoebox and other Strange Stories”. Under lockdown he also signed a book deal with Crystal Peake Publisher for “The Gamer”.
Over the years he’s been invited to do talks at Literature Festivals, Comic Cons, Anime Cons and even once a prison (which fell through at the last minute, phew!).
He’s the organizer of The Rhondda Book Fair where twenty-five authors meet and greet eager readers of all ages, for free. And this year 2022 was asked to arrange the RCT Bookfest for another organization.
When not writing he loves spending time walking with his wife Jan to keep fit and explore new places.
What a visit from Colin entails
Colin can deliver an entertaining and inspiring assembly/presentation to all primary school aged children. His visits are fun-filled and exciting.
With his workshops Colin works with Key Stages 2 and 3, Years 3 – 8.
A typical author visit is an hour presentation in an assembly hall or theatre. He can address the whole school, depending on the room available, or run individual presentations to different year groups.
The main presentation can be to an audience of anything up to 1000 primary school children. He begins by talking about himself and how he started on the road to his writing career.
He also integrates his short stories and other books into the session.
Colin does comedy sketches on stage, such as – ‘An FBI agent chasing an ice cube’ and his famous ‘Biscuit’ routine.
There is also a Q&A at the end where students can ask anything they like about his writing career.
Workshops for an author visit can be tailored to the individual school. Colin can discuss the day in either a phone call before hand, or an email, where both author and teacher can work out the event.
Details can be found on his author page.
Interview with Colin R Parsons
Most of your books are science-fiction or fantasy. How much planning goes into creating a new world or our world with different possibilities?
I’m an unorthodox author because I don’t plan my work. I write off-the-cuff and feel my way to the end. It’s not what most writers do, but it works for me in my children’s and adult fiction books.
Where do you get your ideas and inspiration from?
I’m asked this by pupils all the time. It can be a word in a conversation at a coffee shop. An unusual incident that happens when I’m somewhere walking. It’s something that triggers a weird reaction inside me that I have to write about. I can’t really put my finger on it, but a spark will start a fire.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
This is a tricky one. I didn’t start seriously until late in my life (late thirties early forties), but saying that, for example… when I was a kid, if an Aunty had a birthday – I would write in her card; Happy Birthday and Best Wishes at the bottom, but with a few lines of a short story to finish.
What type of books do you enjoy reading?
I love fast-paced adventures that hit-the-ground running, mostly children’s but adult fiction too. Kenneth Oppel being one of my favourites with his Airbourne series.
What is the key message you want to portray to young people who attend your writing workshops?
I want them to not be afraid of mistakes and sit there in silence worrying… like I did at school. I want them to enjoy every aspect of my workshops from the terrible jokes to the fun worlds they create. If there’s a pupil stuck on something, not to be nervous but to put up their hand and say, ‘Colin, can you help me please?’ and with fun and giggles we write something wonderful.
What is your favourite thing about visiting schools?
The strange and funny things young people come out with. Once I asked, ‘What’s the link between Roald Dahl and Colin R Parsons?’ The answer was supposed to be – you are both Welsh children’s authors who write fantasy. What I got was… one of you is dead! Which I thought was hilarious.
What has been your most memorable visit so far from a school visit?
I have fond memories of visiting a wonderful school that were so welcoming. It was like being JK Rowling for the day.
What made you branch out to writing a picture book and how did you approach this differently to your other novels?
Basically, my granddaughter Amaya. I wanted something to welcome my first grandchild into the world, so I found a publisher for a traditional contract. It was a weird experience to write it, it took me back to those little stories I wrote as a child. A couple of sentences that portray a whole story like a comic.
What is your method for writing, do you treat it as a job with set hours or work on new things when inspiration hits?
When not doing schools, I get up in the morning and write from about nine-thirty for a few hours. Sometimes a thousand words, or six hundred or two to three thousand, it depends on the day and how I’m feeling. I then go for a walk with my Wil.I.am buttons plugged into my ears and listen to an audio book whilst on a power-walk.
You recently branched out into creating podcasts. What inspired this and how are you finding the process?
The podcast thing came about like everyone else, during lockdown. I used to read aloud with my books live on Facebook at 3pm every afternoon (there was nothing else to do). And I thought, try out a podcast on YouTube. It’s very time consuming and I dabble from time to time these days.
You also deliver many of our A.I.M. High Writing days for us, what do you enjoy about these and how do they differ from your author visits?
The thing I love about workshops for Authors Abroad in general, is the fact that you put a plethora of schools together in one group. It’s not just the one school. This gives me the opportunity to see how differently the schools work, and the various levels of creativity the pupils produce. An author visit is so much different. As an author, you’re not just in a classroom. When you step on stage in an assembly hall or theatre, you have to be an entertainer, comedian and presenter. You are there to inform and inspire and NOT a boring lecturer. The audience smell nervous fear a mile off and you’re doomed if you walk out there meekly.
What has been your proudest writing achievement so far?
I love all my books but… GHOSTED is my proudest piece of work. Way back when, I wrote my very first Wizards’ Kingdom book. I was asked to write it because my youngest son Ryan was falling behind in his English. His grades were dropping because he was playing video games and sports like rugby and football. In a nutshell he wasn’t reading. His English teacher, who is now the head of the new school used to proof-read and edit my short stories. We had a parent/teacher meeting one day and she said that if Ryan continued as he was – he’d fail his English exam. She told me she loved editing my short stories and why didn’t I write a fantasy children’s book for my son to read. I did with Wizards’ Kingdom. And many years later when Ryan became a Graphic Designer in London, he produced the cover for GHOSTED for my publisher. And it was working together on a supernatural story based in the Rhondda Valley where I still live, that was so special to me. I helped him to read more and in turn helped me. The cover is very evocative too and can be seen in two ways. Either as a background with many layers of the welsh countryside, or as a skull.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’ve literally just signed a new traditional contract for a new book called The Lost Airship (hopefully, coming out in 2023). I’m actually writing a manuscript called The Tunnel. Recently in 2022 we changed to the A.I.M. High Days and I produced a new workshop, which the kids love, called The Tunnel. So, I thought I’d write my own version and see where it would take me.
How will you be celebrating Christmas?
This year is going to be very unusual and special a Christmas for the Parsons family. We’re expecting a new addition to the family in the shape of a baby boy, from my oldest son Kris and his wife Sam. Myles is supposed to enter this world on Boxing Day, but like the world we live in at the moment, things are very unpredictable and he could come along at any time. So, a very special time for us.
Will you be making any New Year’s Resolutions?
No New Year’s Resolutions. I want to dust twenty-twenty two off my shoes as it was a tough year. I’m looking forward to starting anew with my family, and hopefully two healthy grandchildren. And of course, do what I love to do, writing and visit schools.
Quick Fire
Favourite Joke suitable for a Christmas cracker?
Don’t eat liquorice before you go to bed! Why? You’ll dream of allsorts.
Would you prefer to be able to travel through time or teleport?
Teleport definitely. You can teleport and time travel if you tweak the runes on your Banderzak Ring, but it must be placed on your index finger.
Would you rather visit another planet or explore the ocean?
Another planet has worlds within worlds and that’s where I’d want to go.
Starter or dessert?
Dessert
Which cartoon mouse is your favourite: Mickey, Jerry (Tom and) or Danger Mouse?
Danger Mouse. You can’t go far wrong with the original David Jason as your mouth piece.
If you were Prime Minister for the day, what law would you introduce?
That whoever was in charge (at the time lol) must help the less fortunate, whether they are working people, struggling to pay everyday bills, or the very vulnerable who need all the care and attention they can get.
Arrange for Colin Parsons to visit your school
To make an enquiry about Colin, or any of the other authors, poets & illustrators listed on this website, please get in touch. Our office number is +44 (0) 1535 656015,
UK visits
Email: UKbookings@caboodlebooks.co.uk
Or contact Head of UK Visits, Yvonne - 01535 279850
Overseas Visits
Email:Overseasvisits@caboodlebooks.co.ukooks.co.uk
Or contact Overseas Manager, Robin - +44(0) 1535 279853