Chaos in the Cosmos is a children’s fantasy book that illustrates climate’s impact on Earth how we should respect nature. What were some sources that informed this book’s development?

Our greatest power, gifted to us all, is that of respect, not only to each other but also respect to the very precious globe we call Earth … the very ground we tread on daily throughout our lives.

So many adults around our world have not, seemingly, learned this concept of respect, preferring to remain on the side of inattention and inaction, and possibly of ignorance, wishing to demonstrate their power in a different way.

If, we as adults, fail to develop an awareness, how are the young minds of our children to be given the opportunity to fully understand worldly problems?

How are they going to take a grip on some of the more complex problematic world events, and even fully concern themselves with what certain threats will bring in the future years ahead?

How can young children be shown the best path forward to serve our planet and each other with the much-desired respect required?

If we take literature as a tool of learning, how best do children enjoy their learning?

I believe that for generations, children’s literature has formed memorable concepts in children’s minds, and has not always succeeded in the form of serious literature, but sometimes concepts can emerge from reading Fantasy stories of a light-hearted nature with a ring of desired fun to them.

In fact, that is precisely the effect I aimed for within the pages of ‘Chaos in the Cosmos.’ A light fast-paced story form, a story to giggle over and have fun with. A tale to hopefully bring together how the abuse of power, when used with inconsideration, can even rapidly destroy our world as we know it.

So, behind the lighter read is a thought process.

How do we answer our problems on Planet Earth?

Can the planet really suffer from something called Global Warming?

What is it? Why? How? When? So, what must each of us learn to do to play our part?

Here we are in 2021, in the middle of a Global Pandemic, which has scared kids and adults, kept children isolated indoors, not allowed them peer play. They have endured loss…possibly of close family members, grandparents, siblings, and even parents maybe. The cultural riches we all took for granted have been denied us… no parties, services, and so on. And so in the middle of this world’s ill health, there emerges chaos. Thus these are the days we are living through.

Plus we have a further world event crisis of Global Warming evolving on a daily basis.

Another real feature to our present-day is our discovery and probing of the Red Planet, Mars.

The section of the Mars visit is part of the adventure to learning, and it can be a matter of trend and future development within the classroom, as in the same way Global Warming can become a topic in its own right. I advise anyone who is searching for more suggestions for group discussions to enter Magic Islands via my web address at
https://cgofwales.co.uk for worksheet and pointers.

I have listed many ideas class teachers and parents can discuss with children. The discussions will bring out serious and fun issues in relation to the second book, Chaos in the Cosmos, from rights, wrongs and values, facts and fiction, questions and answers, tolerance and intolerance, the use of power, the funny, ridiculous, dangerous, imaginary. The need to separate fantasy from truths. The story can be used as a foothold …a matchlight to ignite the burning issues surrounding environmental and personal awareness. So if required it can become a tool from which laughter and mainstream learning can evolve.

This seemed like it was a very fun book to write. What was your favorite scene to write for?

One could say ‘Chaos in the Cosmos’ chose its time to be born, but, yes, it emerged during a time of grief and sadness, and therefore needed to sparkle in a comic way to lift the mood of the day.

In contrast to ‘Magic Islands, Book One’ where the magical powers of the Purple Wizards demonstrated an evil in them, a fearsome greed, whereby they wanted to achieve everything for themselves without respect for anyone or anything thing else. In Book Two, ‘Chaos in the Cosmos,’ I have tried to illustrate the other side of the Purple Wizards characters. I needed the story to show they were stupid, foolish, ignorant, lacking understanding or knowledge, and no better than a bunch of fools. If one gives power to foolishness, even if it is based on magical power, are fools ever really going to use their given powers with any respect?

The fun is found in words and deeds. These characters are now seen as the ‘Goons’ or ‘Mindless’ who follow and mimic their crazy leader, Izzy Odorous.

Perhaps, the Wizards’ depiction is both overwhelming and annoying. Characters with such silly behavioral patterns would be, I agree. It may be said that only a fool would deliberately be proactive towards leading the planet towards the extinction of its species.

So, now we understand a little more about the spectrum of the personalities of the Purple Wizards
Moving from the Purple Wizards, I enjoyed writing about the Baby Hook-Eyed Monster, Scratchit, who, as you say, becomes Stefan’s secret and whose lack of magical knowledge leads both Stefan and Megan on a terrifying journey to the Magic Islands. It is, in fact, Scratchit who raises the alarm of the heating seas, when he reports to the children that Global Warming is destroying the sea creatures and all marine life. I reckon children will love baby Scratchit.
I enjoyed writing this fun book for children, mainly because I knew there was a gap in the market, and a lack of light reading material on the subject for 7/8-11 years.

This book explores climate and nature in an interesting and engaging way. Why do you think this is important for children to learn?

Our world is changing rapidly. Young children are moving forward into a new era. It is important that they become aware of what their future will bring. If children are to grow and live in a future clean environment during their lifetime, the work towards that awareness must start now…Today.

Will you continue your Magic Islands stories in a third book?

The third book ‘The Kingdom of Now and Then’ continues with an invitation into a world of extinction where we will meet the once extinct and imaginary beasts as they jump off the pages of storybooks, legends, and the time of ‘Then.’ The Purple Wizards and the children are still involved in the magic of it all. In this book, there are more sides to the personality spectrum of the wizards as they try to adapt to a different vision. #amwriting.

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