Rick Williams Kidlit
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“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free”
Frederick Douglass
Dragons & Dinosaurs Chronicles
Star Life Keepers
Please click on BUILDING FANTASY WORLDS WITH KIDS to learn more about There & Back Again Lessons derived from Dragon & Dinosaur Chronicles. You can also go to the STORYMAKING HUB to receive free activity and project materials.
Star Life Keepers is the lead book and covers the time-traveling adventures of Jason, Amanda, and Elisa in Bukania, a medieval country in the Belacamber parallel universe. There, humans, elves, and shapeshifting dragons work together to stop dinosaurs invading West Bukania from Jurassica. The book is commercially available via Amazon and other retail outlets. We are currently working on a prequel (Orion Fire Storm) and sequel (Save the Next Queen), which we hope to release in 2024.
Authors & Worldbuilding
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Dragon & Dinosaur Chronicles is our family’s series for middle school readers of fantasy books that combine the spirituality of the C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia with the epic battles between good and evil in J. R .R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Additionally, our “fantasies with a heart” address issues like teamwork among kids from different races/cultures (humans, shapeshifting dragons, and forest elves); special needs; and emotional challenges such as fear and anxiety.
We created a mash-up of dragons, dinosaurs, and videogame hybrids, along with the King Arthur medieval era
Brandon Sanderson’s illustration strategy for Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians inspired us
In honor of my Chinese friends and grandchildren, I added a subplot tied to Gavin Menzies’ 1421: The Year China Discovered America.
Books Written With Kids For Kids
We asked six middle school students, led by Luke Waldstein, to critique the first draft that Brady and I had developed. Luke later read the final manuscript while in high school and once again gave us positive feedback.
“I’m very proud to have worked on this book. The concoction of dinosaurs, dragons, and knights, among other things, portray an epic and adventurous story that I have enjoyed.” Luke Waldstein
A Time-traveling Boy with Special Needs
Jason Blakeslee, our protagonist, must accomplish his quests in a medieval parallel universe while wearing two hidden hearing aids and dealing with anger management. Worse yet, Jason has a deadline: he needs to return to the modern world within two months or his hearing aid batteries will lose power.
I used my background in hearing problems and childhood diseases to address Jason’s medical condition—and had him channel his anger in order to fight against dinosaur hybrids. Quintessence by Jess Redman greatly helped me. And her being a former therapist, she wrote her midgrade novel about children dealing with psychological difficulties.
Meet the Stars
Humans from Bukania
Amanda
Jason
Elisa
Kayta
Shapeshifting dragon
Dragon Girl
Bryn
Forest Elf from the Evergreen Nation
Orion Fire Storm
Orion Fire Storm, our first prequel, is a short novel focusing on the parents of Jason, Amanda, and Elisa thirteen years before Star Life Keepers takes place. Readers will learn how Dhyanna became the Warrior Queen and Mykael the supreme commander of the Bukanian army. A younger Bo Shan (Jason’s Chinese sword trainer) and Connie Armstrong (Queen Dhyanna’s chief diplomat) from Star Life Keepers are the primary characters of the book. Below is a short summary of Orion Fire Storm.
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orion summary
Stories for Elementary School Readers
The Guardian Fairies
Global Fairy Academy Series
My granddaughter, Mia Pei Ni Johnson, and I are finishing The Guardian Fairies, our illustrated short novel for children in fourth through sixth grade who love adventure stories. We hope to make this first book in our Global Fairy Academy series available in early 2024.
Girls and boys from all over the world travel to the Global Fairy Academy to learn how to become Guardian Fairies. They train at the secret Dragonfly Island—a magical location in the Pacific Ocean—to receive their fairy wings and sword-wands. They also learn how to use Invisie Dust, which makes their wings disappear so they can go unnoticed among humans as they seek to stop the troublemaking Storm Fairies.
Ride the Sky
Flying Horse Island Series
In the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of North Carolina, there’s another secret island—except this one has special horses that train to get their flying wings. The original wild horses on Flying Horse Island, however, don’t have wings and cause problems for the visiting horses.
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Readers of chapter books will learn about Ride the Sky Ranch; horses from around the world; and how to save rare horse breeds.
Fun Stuff
Please consider signing up for our newsletter. Write with Your Kids Activities contains “mini stories” where Story Developers create their own projects using Ride the Sky characters that fly to the Philippine Islands on a mission to rescue people and wildlife in trouble.
You can also receive other complimentary offers including a free Star Life Keepers flying-raptor chapter and a downloadable PDF (Star Life Keepers Discussion Guide).
