Author: lazaruscarpenterauthor

Earlier this year I posted a copy of ‘Crach Ffinnant – The Prophecy’ to young Prince George for his birthday. In my innocence and generosity, I felt this was actually appropriate for a young man of his age as it is a novel speaking to the magic of an ancient prophecy. Well, three months down the line, I have not received either an acknowledgment or thanks from the Royal Household. I am aware it is a matter of protocol for all gifts to at the very least, receive a note of thanks from a secretary to the Prince. It is only the fact the Coronation of his Grandfather King Charles III is next week, that made me remember.

Perhaps, it was thought that such a story should be kept from the young eyes of a future Prince of Wales, and King. I know not and merely beg the question. But as I ponder, I am reminded of his Grandfather’s investiture as Prince of Wales on 1 July 1969 and his father, Prince William who was made so on 9 September 2022, with no plans for a formal investiture but a stated intent on “deepening the trust and respect of the people of Wales.” Quite rightly it has long been considered that the last true Prince of Wales was indeed, Owain Glyndwr, and has long been a bone of contention as indeed King Charles III experienced in 1969. Of course, Caernarfon Castle was built by King Edward 1 in 1283 at the end of the Edwardian Conquest of Wales which began in 1277. This was a pivotal time in the history of Wales as it greatly reduced the territory of Llwelyn ap Gruffydd (Llwelyn the Last) followed by the rest of Wales. Owain shared ancestry with the Gwynedd Royal House of Llwelyn the Great, and the Princes of Deheubarth on his mother’s side in addition to being a direct descendant of the Princes of Powys on his father’s.

For over 123 years under the rule of the English monarchy Wales, experienced terrible atrocities leading to the Rebellion of 1400 led by Owain Glyndwr, who as we know disappeared from history never captured by Henry IV or his son Henry V. Much water has gone under the bridge with yet more atrocities through the centuries far too numerous to write about here, but never to be forgotten. I believe the monarchy would like to cast back into the mists of time such a history, not wishing young Prince George, to be truly educated. Frankly, I think it is just bad manners his gift was not acknowledged.

I can’t help feeling as a Yorkshire man with a love for all things Welsh, the guardians of the young Prince are being just a little overprotective. Of course, in 1400 my head would have been on a spike on London Bridge. Furthermore, as there are moves currently for the monarchy to acknowledge their links with slavery, perhaps it should start with Wales, enslaved by the English for centuries.

Storytelling originated with visual stories, such as cave drawings, and then shifted to oral traditions, in which stories were passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. There was then a shift to words formed into narratives, including written, printed, and typed stories. This book is dedicated to all storytellers who have walked the earth from the beginning of time, and into our future.

It has been an absolute pleasure and honor to facilitate the Creative Writing Group every week. Over the months, membership has increased bringing yet more talented folk with their individual unique imaginations. No two stories are the same, yet all are imagined from one image in each chapter. Their short stories are printed in this collected work.

          Creating a story limited to five hundred words is no easy task but there are sound reasons behind the weekly exercises. Storytelling is a skill that if honed, and directed can result in stunning portrayals with words, and images leaping from a page like a mini film. Each week the group shared an image then in their own time, wrote a story to reflect their ideas about how the picture spoke to them.

          The completed stories though limited to five hundred words, excludes the word count of a title. Many writers have issues keeping a story on track as ideas keep coming to mind during the creative process, and blurring an intended storyline. Initially, this exercise assisted members of the group to stay on track with their stories, moreover, to spark an intuitive drive.

          In the beginning, I was not overly concerned about spelling, punctuation, or the finery of presentation, these things can be learned easily, but good storytelling cannot. So directing the writers to limit their word count for a story encouraged them to be careful around structure whilst maintaining an emphasis on an intuitive theme. My only guidelines were to study the image, leave it alone for a few minutes perhaps whilst having a coffee, then revisit it, close one’s eyes, and then write everything coming to mind stimulated through intuitive thought.

          When folk were happy with their story it would be emailed to me for viewing, formatting, and editing. In the early days, there was a lot of editing offered, and there would be learning points to share with the writers. At the next meeting of the group, members read their stories out loud in order to encourage feedback which in turn slowly increased their confidence in storytelling.

          The publication of these collected works is intended to increase their confidence as writers even further. Nothing is finer for a storyteller than to see their tale and name in a book. Our writers have achieved this, and it is with pleasure and bated breath I await more stories and possibly even novels from them.

          I hope you as a reader enjoy the tales as much as I enjoyed witnessing their growth as storytellers.

Lazarus Carpenter

April 2023

Crach Ffinnant, Justice Prevails, is Volume IV, and the penultimate novel in my series about a man who was a dwarf a prophet, and seer to Owain Glyndwr, the last true Prince of Wales. The war twixt Wales and England is at a fever pitch as Crach, continues on his quest to serve an ancient prophecy. Meanwhile, bloodlust amongst the dragons creates mayhem as Lord Edmund attempts to prove their existence to Henry IV. The official launch of Volume IV will be on 29 April, at Swansea Book Festival to be hosted by Holly Morgan in the Elysium Gallery.