The Stories of Steel

"The Stories of Steel" tells the adventures of an adolescent dragon named Steel who lives on Emerald Island. His father, Inferno, is the beloved ruler of the island and his mother gives birth to his sister, Magenta, who has an amazing gift. Steel is just finishing his high school years and has become a major player in a game called "Fireball". He has made life long friends throughout this time. His best friend, Wolf and his girlfriend, Oda, have become major characters in his life and their bond strengthens when they take a trip to Castle Island where their first adventures begin. On a nearby island lives an evil dragon named Zor. Zor has been a nemesis of Steel's father for years. Zor is intent on gaining control of Emerald Island and will stop at nothing to do so. Steel never suspected he would be drawn into this political battle, yet one day during a Fireball game his world was turned upside down and he and his friends were in the fight of their lives and it wasn't on the Fireball field. Steel could not have anticipated what he would learn that day about his sister, himself and his family history.

When Ramsey was 7 1/2 years old he purchased a journal with his own money and gave it to his grandmother, Barbara Coy, and asked her to help him write his first book. He told her he wanted to be an author and a pro-football player some day. Ramsey struggled with school and at the time was reading a year behind his grade level but he was one determined boy. He traded turns with his grandma writing this story in longhand in the journal. They rarely got to see each other so the book was written over a two year period in the car on the way to school, ball games, family events, and even dentist appointments. Ramsey was persistent and never gave up, in fact when they were close to the end of the story he was determined to finish the book that afternoon. He stayed focused for over three hours and completed a long hard project. Ramsey had many ideas for the story and his main character but he needed help developing them. Often he didn't agree with his grandmother or she didn't agree with him about which way the story was going to go. They always came to a compromise but it was after a heated debate. Ramsey is a very physical boy. He loves any type of sports and is often found outside playing. He isn't a bookworm, scholar, or an avid reader so for this young man to finish this book without coaxing is truly amazing.Barbara Coy never had a desire to be an author, but she always wanted to be a grandmother. When her seven year old grandson, Ramsey, wanted to write a book with her she didn't think twice about saying yes. She admits that when they started this project she never thought they would see it to the end; Well, seriously how long is the attention span of a 7 year old? She knew it would be hard to get a book published and told Ramsey they would be happy just to get a rejection letter. He didn't think that was such a great thing but she told him it would be a big deal because it meant they finished a book and someone actually read it and decided to reject it. Barbara said that this process has been a great learning experience for her. She was so proud of her grandson for finishing the book. She was grateful Ramsey asked for a computer for Christmas because they are now working on the next book through document sharing which is so much easier than writing a book in longhand.Hope, a freelance illustrator, just recently graduated from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota with a Bachelor of fine arts degree.