Star Life Keepers: Dragon and Dinosaur Chronicles
Written by Rick Williams Sr. and Brady Williams
Illustrated by Prayan Animation Studio
Ages: 10–14 | 388 Pages
Publisher: Legacy KidLit Press (2024) | ISBN-13: 9798987420010
Publisher's Book Summary: With dragons and elves as allies, three cousins must save two worlds before time runs out. Join cousins Jason, Amanda, and Elisa as their desperate wish to undo family tragedy launches them into the war-torn, mythical realm of Belacamber. Guided by the legendary Star Life Keepers—an extraordinary alliance of elves, shapeshifting dragons, and prehistoric predators—the trio faces relentless foes, including terrifying flying T. rexes and vicious ptero-raptors, while battling to protect their own family back home. A thrilling middle-grade epic blending fantasy with time travel, dinosaurs, and dragon-filled skies.
Available on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble.
Orion Fire Storm
Written by Rick Williams Sr. with Caleb Williams
Illustrated by Prayan Animation Studio
Ages: 10+ | 417 Pages
Publisher: Legacy KidLit Press (2026) | ISBN: 979-8-9874200-7-2
Publisher's Book Summary: During this time of renewed interest in space travel, Orion Fire Storm follows Jason, Amanda, and Elisa—modern-day teens who travel among the stars and into the past—as they join forces with elves and shapeshifting dragons to save their nations. Continuing the adventures that began in Star Life Keepers, they face even deadlier trials in a medieval world of gryphon-riding wolf guards, roaming dire wolves, and flying raptors. Messengers from Orion's Belt equip the cousins with magical gems to unlock the power beyond the universe. Features original illustrations, detailed maps, and an Encyclopedia of Creatures.
Available on Amazon.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rick Williams Sr. is a former biotech executive who writes the Dragon & Dinosaur Chronicles series with his grandchildren and other Story Apprentices. Inspired by a visit to Chapel Hill's Morehead Planetarium—where Apollo astronauts trained—the series features a Star Globe that transports young cousins into a parallel universe where they heroically use astronomy magic to save their nations.
His debut, Star Life Keepers, became a top Amazon children's eBook in Space Exploration and Time Travel. The adventure continues in Orion Fire Storm and the upcoming Young Dragonriders. Companion short fiction—including the Orion Dragons' Holiday Tale and Dragons & Betrayals—explores story origins and expanding worlds in the series.
Through the Creative Writing Lab at thestorymakinghub.com—featuring the Story Writing workbook—Rick provides roadmaps and free materials to equip a growing community of young creators who want to share their own voices.
To learn more, visit the author's website, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and X.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Prayan Animation Studio is a creative animation studio with an expert team of creators, artists, and designers specializing in custom artwork, mapmaking, and videos.
To learn more, visit www.prayananimation.com.
Written by Rick Williams Sr. with Caleb Williams
Illustrated by Prayan Animation Studio
Ages: 10+ | 417 Pages
Publisher: Legacy KidLit Press (2026) | ISBN: 979-8-9874200-7-2
Publisher's Book Summary: During this time of renewed interest in space travel, Orion Fire Storm follows Jason, Amanda, and Elisa—modern-day teens who travel among the stars and into the past—as they join forces with elves and shapeshifting dragons to save their nations. Continuing the adventures that began in Star Life Keepers, they face even deadlier trials in a medieval world of gryphon-riding wolf guards, roaming dire wolves, and flying raptors. Messengers from Orion's Belt equip the cousins with magical gems to unlock the power beyond the universe. Features original illustrations, detailed maps, and an Encyclopedia of Creatures.
Available on Amazon.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rick Williams Sr. is a former biotech executive who writes the Dragon & Dinosaur Chronicles series with his grandchildren and other Story Apprentices. Inspired by a visit to Chapel Hill's Morehead Planetarium—where Apollo astronauts trained—the series features a Star Globe that transports young cousins into a parallel universe where they heroically use astronomy magic to save their nations.
His debut, Star Life Keepers, became a top Amazon children's eBook in Space Exploration and Time Travel. The adventure continues in Orion Fire Storm and the upcoming Young Dragonriders. Companion short fiction—including the Orion Dragons' Holiday Tale and Dragons & Betrayals—explores story origins and expanding worlds in the series.
Through the Creative Writing Lab at thestorymakinghub.com—featuring the Story Writing workbook—Rick provides roadmaps and free materials to equip a growing community of young creators who want to share their own voices.
To learn more, visit the author's website, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and X.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Prayan Animation Studio is a creative animation studio with an expert team of creators, artists, and designers specializing in custom artwork, mapmaking, and videos.
To learn more, visit www.prayananimation.com.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Life is What It's Called: What will children like most about this series?
Rick Williams Sr.: Young readers have loved the combination of adventure and discovery…and the power of family and close friends.
They feel like they’ve been star-traveling to a world of medieval archers & knights and dragons & dinosaurs. Since readers follow the story from three points of view—Jason, his sister Amanda, and their older cousin Elisa—they get to experience the heroic arcs and coming-of-age challenges from the perspectives of different middle school students.
I collaborated with my grandsons to create the Dragon & Dinosaur Chronicles. With their imagination unlocked, they created dragons, crossbreed dinosaurs, and humanized hybrids that appeal to mid-grade readers. I also drew on lessons from my American military history books to add more realism to the Tolkien-like battles between good and evil. Student Advisors have noted that our books are an “amazing read” with “enchanting storylines” and “striking characters and gorgeous art.”
But underneath all of that, there’s something deeper: young readers feel like they are part of family-oriented stories that can give them hope and new possibilities.
Life is What It's Called - What will children learn from this series?
Rick Williams Sr.: The series is built around the idea that stories can inspire learning. Children are exposed to:
- Astronomy and the stars; other scientific concepts
- Geography
- History and ancient civilizations
- Fantasy adventures with a heart
- Collaboration between multiple diverse cultures: humans, elves, and shapeshifting dragons
- Courage in the face of uncertainty
- The importance of family and trusted friends
- Learning to make decisions when there isn’t a clear answer
- Overcoming adversity, e.g., Jason deals with having hidden hearing aids in a medieval world
- Self-reliance, problem-solving, and resilience
Life is What It's Called - What was the best part about writing this series?
Rick Williams Sr.: I developed Dragon & Dinosaur Chronicles with my family. Two of my grandsons were integral to the story concepts and character development. Two other grandchildren shared their ideas and served as early readers. The parents served as “champions” who supported our storymaking adventures.
The best part of creating a new sci-fi/fantasy series has been working hands-on with my grandchildren and student advisors to exchange imagineering thoughts as we create engaging stories. We develop ideas together and transform them into new worlds and plots—and then we watch the characters come to life in ways we didn’t fully expect.
Life is What It's Called - How does this series stand apart from others on the market?
Rick Williams Sr.: I’ve read and studied more than 100 mid-grade science fiction and fantasy books during this storymaking adventure—but ours appear to be different in a few key ways:
- The Dragon & Dinosaur Chronicles “ecosystem” includes sci-fi/fantasy novels, short stories, and workbooks that feature a family of star travelers who receive special gifts via the Orion Constellation.
- We’ve integrated stories from the past (medieval European, American, biblical, and ancient Chinese history) + natural STEM integration (e.g., astronomy, paleontology, and biology) + custom-made illustrations and maps.
- Our family’s storymaking philosophy focuses on providing engaging books for kids to enjoy while inspiring and preparing them to develop stories.
- “Read Our Stories… Create Your Own”
- Storymaking with Rick Williams will include blogs, a YouTube Channel, and the new Creative Writing Lab.
Rick Williams Sr.: Our family’s storymaking process has caused me to reflect more on my 50 years as an entrepreneur in cutting-edge scientific and medical fields. It is now even clearer that deep reading and training in creative writing as a child/young adult helped me to become a more effective innovator and business executive as an adult.
Being a lifelong learner has better equipped me to capitalize on fast-changing technological advances and to build relevant new skills.
Life is What It's Called - What role do you think families play in childhood learning?
Rick Williams Sr.: When raising my kids, I incorporated creative stories in our family playtime. While working on a nonfiction project 20 years ago, I was fortunate to be able to spend time with the Jim Henson’s family and learned how his grandmother taught him to read classic books and be involved with her artwork. He used that training to create The Muppets, Sesame Street, family movies, etc. I followed those same principles to establish a kidlit library and arts & crafts room in my house to collaborate with my 7 grandkids. For storymaking, I also taught them fun things like archery and sword fighting with a wooden replica broadsword from medieval Europe.
Jim Henson’s grandmother showed us that some of the best ideas, stories, and conversations happen when parents, grandparents, and kids explore life together.
Life is What It's Called - What writing project are you working on next?
Rick Williams Sr.: To foster childhood reading, I’m continuing the series with Young Dragon Riders (Book 3), which expands the Dragon & Dinosaur Chronicles world and introduces new challenges and characters.
GIVEAWAY
Readers who follow along on this virtual book tour will have the chance to win an out-of-this-world prize pack! Three winners will each receive signed hardcover copies of Star Life Keepers, Orion Fire Storm, and Story Writing: A Workbook of Creative Writing Prompts for Kids 8–12. One grand prize winner will receive all of the above plus an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids—perfect for diving into even more adventures.
This post is sponsored by Legacy KidLit Press. The review and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal views.
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