Best-selling author Chris d'Lacey brings us a magical story about mysterious, handcrafted clay dragons who have unusual powers.
When David moves in with Liz and Lucy, he discovers a collection of handcrafted clay dragons that come to life and have magical powers. David's personalized dragon, Gadzooks, can forecast the future and inspires him to write a story that reveals the truth behind an unsolved mystery close to home. The story has an unhappy ending, and when David realizes the consequences of it he is angry. Then David finds Gadzooks crying and near death, and he discovers that these special dragons die when they are not loved. Soon, David is forced to save his friend and unlock the fire within.
From the Author
Dear readers, people are sometimes confused about the nature of this book. They see a dragon cover; they expect high dragon fantasy - they find a squirrel rescue drama & strange clay figurines (of dragons) instead. If you think that's not for you (try reading the reviews), please jump to the next book, ICEFIRE, or the third in the series, FIRE STAR, where you'll get all the dragon myth you want. This book is called THE FIRE WITHIN for a very specific reason: it's about the joy of writing stories and the power of discovering your creativity, which I believe is important to every child who reads a book. It attempts to answer the question: where does inspiration come from? It uses a dragon as a means to an end. It's gentle, slightly twee in places, and not everyone's 'cup of tea' as we'd say in the UK. But it kicked this writer off on an intuitive journey of exploration which has evolved into a major fantasy series, and I would like to think that young people who read it might be similarly inspired. So thank you to all the hundreds of people who have written and told me how much they love it: read on & have fun! Adults and avid fantasy buffs: please read it for what it is, not for what you hope it will be. Chris d'Lacey 1.7.2005
About the Author
Best-selling author CHRIS D'LACEY was born in Malta. He has published twenty-two books, including nine novels. His books have been widely translated, and his first children's novel, Fly, Cherokee, Fly, was highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. Other titles include The Salt Pirates of Skegness, A Break in the Chain, and From E to You.
Writing was not d'Lacey's first career choice. "I never had plans to be a writer," he says. "When I was in my teenage years, my dream was to be a famous songwriter. It wasn't until my early thirties that I tried my hand at any sort of fiction. I kicked off with a gentle 'Christmassy' story that grew, alarmingly, into a 250,000-word adult saga about polar bears. I realized then I had the writing bug." After he wrote his first story, he waited seven years to write another. "Then a friend told me about a competition to write a story for young children," states d'Lacey. "I wasn't going to have a go at first - until I found out the first prize was £2000. So I started scribbling, fast!" The story, entitled A Hole at the Pole, didn't win the award, but he sent the story to a publisher, and they accepted it.
The Fire Within is a magical story about mysterious, hand-crafted clay dragons with unusual powers. D'Lacey was inspired by a craft shop that sold clay dragons. He fell in love with the dragons, but he didn't have enough money to buy one, so the owner pointed him to a section of the store reserved for dragons that had been chipped. "They were a bit cheaper than the other dragons but no less beautiful," says d'Lacey. "And it was there that I saw the most appealing creature in the whole shop. He had a slight chink out of one foot and his 'topknot' was missing (a 'topknot' is on the top of a dragon's head and looks a bit like a shark's fin) but I bought him in an instant." d'Lacey felt that he needed a magical name, so he called him Gadzooks. Chris alternates writing with full-time employment at Leicester University. He lives in Leicester with his wife, Jay.
