Rain & Fire (15 page)

M
ost authors have a Web site these days; Chris is no exception. In fact, he actually has two. The main site is
www.scholastic.com/LastDragonChronicles
and it has all kinds of information about the books. There are tons of facts about the series and characters along with games and activities. You can find out more about Chris here. Chris also has his own Web site,
www.icefire.co.uk
, that was created by Marshall Pinsent at
www.pinsentdesign.com
, virtually (ha!) from scratch. Chris gave him all the info, of course, but the rest was entirely Marsh's brainchild.

On this site, you can find out lots about Chris and his books, as well as a link to dragon-maker extraordinaire Valerie Chivers. Chris's Web site is also home to
Gadzooks's own literary output, a blog called Zookie's Notepad. You can find it on the Web at
http://zookiesnotepad.blogspot.com
. Zookie updates this each Sunday, and it usually contains tales of delight or of woe regarding the doings and failings of Chris himself, whom Zookie calls “the author.” He occasionally puts paw to pencil to mention “Mrs. Author,” too, usually representing me in a rather better light than Chris, for some reason.

He thinks Chris is a bit too slow on the uptake sometimes, often ignores what he has written on his pad, and even misses the fact that it is
his
genius that makes the books what they are. He's also a bit miffed that Snigger the squirrel got a handsome royalty of ten percent (paid in nuts) when
The Fire Within
came out, yet he, Zookie, has seen nary a bean for all his efforts. Maybe that's why he was so delighted when I told him he was to have his picture published.

Gadzooks in superstar mode; pad and pencil aside, for once

Along with hints and tips for budding writers, the Icefire Web site also houses Chris's contact details. Fans are welcome to write to him here, and anyone looking
to book an event with Chris can also approach him via this site. Don't forget, though, that he lives in England, which is rather a long way from America for a single school or library visit! You'll also find a list of frequently asked questions — and some of Chris's songs that relate to the books, more about those in chapter 11.

Chris receives between one hundred and two hundred e-mails a week from fans all over the world. He does his very best to answer each one individually,
though this is occasionally difficult to do when he is away traveling or deep in the homestretch of book-writing. Very rarely he'll send a generic response letter, but he dislikes doing so quite intensely. He believes that if a fan has taken the trouble to write to him, then he should do them the honor of replying personally. Ages of fans range from eight to eighty-eight (to our definite knowledge) and the messages cover a whole spectrum from a simple “I think your dragon books are the best!” to great missives that are almost books in their own right. All are gratefully received. As Chris says, it is only by this kind of feedback that you know you're doing a good job — or not.

Although the majority of e-mails are from young people, a growing number are from adults, often thanking Chris for his books from a parent's point of view. These are the ones where a child with severe dyslexia, for instance, has improved because they couldn't wait for their mom or dad to read them the next installment of the story, so have picked it up themselves and persisted through their difficulties, as they just
had
to
know what happened next. It is life-changing for Chris, as well as the child concerned, when he reads messages like these. The satisfaction is enormous, both on a creative level, and simply as a human being.

Some of the e-mails are incredibly funny, whether intentionally or not. Like the young lad who wrote to Chris thanking him for coming to talk at his school, saying how much he'd enjoyed the visit, and how Chris had “expired” him. We assume he meant “inspired,” as we have had no visits from the local police force regarding “death by reading
Icefire
.”

Another lamented the fact that he could not see and converse with dragons; his school did not have a language class in dragontongue….

Chris once put a picture of his breakfast bowl up on his site; no particular reason — the camera was just handy when he was having his cereal, so he thought,
Why not?
You would not believe the amount of e-mail traffic that caused. Everyone and his sister wanted to know what was in the bowl. Even teachers were writing in, saying they had been taking bets on it being this
cereal or that one. Just what is all that about? And no, I'm not telling you what brand it was. We might just be inundated.

Chris recalled reading about a famous pop star in the 1960s being quoted in an interview as liking Jelly Babies (a type of British candy). The star had sackloads sent to him by adoring fans over the next five years. Every time the interview appeared in a different paper or magazine, another batch would arrive. Although Chris doesn't go so far as to imagine he has even one
adoring
fan, he quite enjoys the idea of mentioning that he likes licorice, and fruit and nut chocolate — just in case.

And while we're on the subject of the 1960s, one bright spark asked Chris if he liked the Beatles. Thinking that he had acquired some strange sort of telepathic link with said child, he replied, “Why yes, how clever of you to realize. Indeed I do.” Immediately came back the response, “Thought so. All
old
people like the Beatles….” Oops. That didn't go down too well in d'Lacey-world.

We had one message from a boy who told Chris endless information about himself; where he lived, who he lived with, what their names, habits, and hobbies were; what his ambitions were; on and on. It was actually quite interesting. But right at the end of page four or thereabouts, he finished up with a final sentence:

“What was your favorite swimming stroke at school?”

It had absolutely nothing to do with the bulk of the e-mail, and left us both mystified, speechless, and then hysterical with laughter, in that order.

Chris does have some quite “normal” fan mail, in case you think he just attracts the rather strange kind. “Were you good at writing when you were at school?” is a common question. The answer is yes — and no. Take a look at Chris's school report, pictured. The real one actually read, “Chris's grammar is outstanding, but sadly this boy
does not have a creative thought in his head
.” Chris was dropped down a flight of stairs when he was a baby; it obviously took thirty years for the concussion to wear off! Either that, or his creative ideas were in his socks all the time. You will also note that
he was terrible at Geography, too. That is precisely why he made David a Geography student. Just as well he did, because it was a very useful and believable way to get our hero to the Arctic — on a field trip for college.

See me afterward, boy!

The “short and sweet” questions are great fun. Often an e-mail will come in with no mention of the books, and with only a dozen or so words in the message: “Describe yourself in three words” (
tall, daft, and handsome
); “Why should I get my mom to buy me a Pennykettle dragon?” (
They warm the place up, make
toast in a flash — albeit a bit blackened — and reheat a cup of tea quicker than any microwave.
) “Who would you give your last Rolo to?” (
Gadzooks
); “What was your first job?” (
Screwing the handles onto coffins —
Chris's granddad was an undertaker —
then later working in a toilet paper factory — as a tester
… of the perforations, of course. What did you think he meant?); “If David is based on you, do you say
tee-hee-hee
and
crikey
, like David does?' (
Yes, I do
— I can vouch for this; he also snores just like David is described as doing); “What is your perfect sandwich?” (
Lancashire cheese with loads of brown sauce — but as a child: peaches, French fries, sugar, and licorice torpedos —
it is unclear whether Chris meant separately, or as one almighty mélange. And I honestly haven't had the courage to ask him.
Far
too much information.)

There was one question, however, that begged to be answered in more detail, which was “What are your top ten favorite sentences or moments that you have written in the books?” This had Chris scratching his head for a while, but here is how he responded:

1. I've always liked the tension between Bergstrom and David. It first begins in
   Icefire
   when David asks Bergstrom, “Who are you? Really?” and Bergstrom rather spookily replies, “Your destiny.” That set the tone between them for the whole series, which is carried right through to the final chapter of
   The Fire Ascending
   .
   
2. Gretel is one of my favorite dragons. It's not always the things she says that make me laugh, but the things she does. I like the way she constantly teases those around her and dismisses the other Pennykettle dragons as useless or stupid. The one incidence of her behavior that always makes me smile is when she tries to blow smoke rings through Bonnington's ears to see if they'll come out on the other side. Poor Bonners. He never did quite get the upper paw.
   
3. As fans will know, a lot of scenes in the early books are set in the Arctic. I've never been to the Arctic so I have to rely on images I've seen on TV or in books
   to describe it. It's always very satisfying when you come up with a line that seems to encapsulate the beauty of the place or the wildness of it. In this example from
   Fire Star
   , David is quoting Anders Bergstrom's description of the tundra — that hard sheet of barren permafrost that edges much of the Canadian High Arctic. Zanna and David are driving across it in a truck when David says: