Eifion Wyn Williams

I am a 60-year-old Welshman, brought-up in Snowdonia by a family of teachers, historians and poets. My father, one of 11 children, was the headmaster of my infant and junior school. This was Llanllechid Primary in Rachub, a tiny stone and slate village situated high in the cold foothills of Snowdon, above the small town of Bethesda. With so many Uncles and Aunts (Four of whom were teachers) and countless cousins, I was lucky enough to receive a proper Welsh education and imbued from infancy, with a deep and abiding love for our ancient and glorious history.

My blind Taid (Grandfather) was an orator and story-teller of note and I recall vividly our huge family squashed into the front parlour, in Nain and Taid’s terraced house on Madoc Street, Porthmadoc. The whole family would be there listening to one of his historical tales, told with an elder-teacher’s love of his language, in his deep and musical baritone, inspired to verbosity perhaps by his blindness but you could see he enjoyed it. I can still smell the coal fire and the whisky, the sherry and the fragrant smoke that curled from his long pipe, as he spun wondrous images before our eyes, firing our already vivid imaginations, with tales of dark Druids and magic, glimmering warriors like Lludd Llaw Ereint (silver hand) and Lleu Llaw Gyffes (swift handed), both who feature in this story.

Always dressed in a pin-stripe three-piece suit, Taid would stand by the mantelpiece, puff his pipe and talk for hours, whilst my brother and I would be on the floor in one corner, completely entranced. He spoke of God-like ancient warriors like Beli Mawr, even great Arthwr Fawr and a huge terrifying giant called Yspaddaden Pencawr, who actually ate naughty children!

This then, was the foundation to my historical and cultural education, which is of course, a never-ending process. Thus armed, I decided to start writing for pleasure and I am yet to stop. I have been writing creatively for over forty years and the writing of this truly ancient, largely untold story, has been simmering inside me for as long as I can remember.

I am hoping my new e-book and historical novel; Iron Blood & Sacrifice (The Sons of Beli Mawr) will appeal to a broad readership and not just those who are interested in history, as it is a novel of adventure, love and bloody conquest at the end of the day.