The Secret of Avenfore: William the Kingfisher by Santiago Ros

Santiago Ros writes for young readers. He comes from a family of writers, journalists, teachers and translators. His father, who was a journalist, would write articles on his old typewriter. Santiago grew up with the nostalgic sound of the banging of the keys and from a very young age he knew he wanted to be a writer. As a student, he got a summer job at the Franciscan Brothers’ printing house. It was the friars who taught him the craft of a printing press. Then, as an adult and with the acquired knowledge, he continued to work in different printing houses. Undoubtedly, the world of paper, ink and glue with their characteristic smell, also marked his desire to write. His years in the local cathedral choir were also crucial to his education. Mattheu, who inspired one of the characters in his book, was the master organist and taught them both Latin and music. It could be said that those happy years in the choir were an important and influential part at the time of writing. “We had the cathedral to ourselves; we ran through the long, lonely aisles lit only by the rays coming through the beautiful, colourful stained-glass windows. It was as if the saints from their pedestals looked down on us as we passed, while forgiving us for our mischief with their immense kindness.” History and art also inspired him and after finishing his studies he lived in different countries. However, Ireland was the country with which he most identified and ever since he met his Irish wife, he regularly travels to Ireland. Over the years, while discovering beautiful Ireland, he developed a deep interest in Irish folklore and its ancient traditions. He spent a lot of time exploring places of interest, old castles and ruins to learn about their history and legends. Whenever he had the opportunity, he also visited fairs and antique shops. He is fascinated by antiques and they have been his greatest source of inspiration for his writing. Each ancient object has a story behind it. He has written dozens of short stories from all the notes that he has collected over the years. These stories are about druids, knights, castles and forests. All those exciting stories came in handy when his daughter was born. For many years, at bedtime he would relate a different one. Writing this adventure book has been an incredibly satisfying experience for him. From beginning to end, the characters took on a life of their own, the writer in this case was just a mere narrator.