Simon Rose's Blog, page 11

The Stone of the Seer – Where Magic and Historical Fiction Collide

The Stone of the Seer is an exciting historical fantasy series of adventure novels for young adults, primarily set in the turbulent era of the English Civil War.

“Magic and Historical Fiction Collide – This book combines historical fiction with a world of magic. It is set in the period of the English Civil War and incorporates magic, mystery and witch hunting. This book engages the reader with action and interesting characters. It is the first in a series and will leave the reader looking for book 2.”

“Royal Blood: Book two in the Stone of the Seer is even more exciting than the first story. This historical fantasy book has adventure, action and suspense. Lady Elizabeth Usborne, Kate and Tom are now in London during King Charles trial in 1649. They are still being hunted down by Daniel Tombes, the witch hunter. Their adventures continue with glimpses of the future to guide them. The reader will be left wanting more as each part of the action unfolds. I look forward to the third book, and more magical action.”

“The best finish – The final instalment in the trilogy is the best. New characters, or are they old characters? Time will tell. This story has all the elements of the previous historical fiction novels, but a new timeline. It is still loaded with mystery and intrigue. Action, adventure and mystery all rolled into one. Make sure you read these books in order and finish here with the ultimate revenge.”

 

The post The Stone of the Seer – Where Magic and Historical Fiction Collide appeared first on Simon Rose.

Create Characters Readers Want to Read About

I’m honoured to now be a Contributing Editor at Write By The Sea, where you’ll find all sorts of helpful resources for writers with new materials added to the library regularly.

The latest post is all about creating characters that readers want to read about. This is also an excerpt from my book The Children’s Writer’s Guide 2, and you can learn more about the post here.

The post Create Characters Readers Want to Read About appeared first on Simon Rose.

Copywriting for Business

I offer a number of writer services for business. The way in which you communicate with your customers is a vital component of your business and well written content can be the difference between success and failure.

I have extensive experience in writing for a wide range of industries and market segments. I offer a variety of copywriting services including website content, blogs and newsletters, social media including Facebook and X, brochures, direct mail, sales letters, press releases, newspaper and magazine advertising and more.

Learn more about my range of writing services here.

The post Copywriting for Business appeared first on Simon Rose.

Writing Fiction for Children and Youth – University of Calgary

My online course Writing Fiction for Children and Youth will be running online in May and June at the University of Calgary.

Writing for children and youth is a rich and vibrant global market. The focus is on writing fiction for readers aged 8 to 12 years. Students examine the writing process from initial concept to finished work including turning ideas into stories, story structure, developing characters, creating outlines, and the importance of editing and revision.

Registration is available here at the University of Calgary.

The post Writing Fiction for Children and Youth – University of Calgary appeared first on Simon Rose.

The Benefits of a Writing Coach

A professional writing coach is someone with whom you can consult, ask questions and receive constructive feedback. They act as a guide as you build your career as a professional writer. A coach can help you conquer a stumbling block, regain momentum or make a start on a new project.

My program helps you progress as a writer. You decide what you want to work on during a personalized, one on one relationship. I can be your coach and mentor for just one month or we can establish a month-to-month arrangement, depending on your schedule and expectations.

I’m very flexible regarding your own unique requirements in areas where you feel that you need the most help, but examples of topics that can be covered include character development, dialogue and format, editing and revision, story structure and plot, pacing your story, realistic settings, dramatic beginnings,  and cliffhanger endings. We can also examine submitting work, the publishing world,  and marketing and promotion.

You can also learn more about the writing and publishing process, including where ideas come from and how writers turn them into stories, choosing names for characters, the importance of historical research if your novel is set in a different era, the role of editing and revision, marketing and promotion, and more, in The Children’s Writer’s Guide, The Working Writer’s Guide, The Children’s Writer’s Guide 2, and School & Library Visits for Authors & Illustrators.

The writing of time travel stories and historical fiction is covered in The Time Traveler’s Guide, and fantasy and magic in Exploring the Fantasy Realm. The study guides for my novels are featured in Where do Ideas Come From?

The post The Benefits of a Writing Coach appeared first on Simon Rose.

Writing Fiction for Children and Youth – University of Calgary

My online course Writing Fiction for Children and Youth will be running online in May and June at the University of Calgary.

Writing for children and youth is a rich and vibrant global market. The focus is on writing fiction for readers aged 8 to 12 years. Students examine the writing process from initial concept to finished work including turning ideas into stories, story structure, developing characters, creating outlines, and the importance of editing and revision.

Registration is available here at the University of Calgary.

The post Writing Fiction for Children and Youth – University of Calgary appeared first on Simon Rose.

Writing Descriptions

I’m honoured to now be a Contributing Editor at Write By The Sea, where you’ll find all sorts of helpful resources for writers with new materials added to the library regularly.

 

The latest post is all about writing descriptions. This is also an excerpt from my book The Children’s Writer’s Guide 2, and you can learn more about the post here.

The post Writing Descriptions appeared first on Simon Rose.

Foothills Young Authors Conference

This weekend, I’ll be a presenter at the Foothills Young Authors Conference, being held at the Holy Trinity Academy in Okotoks, just south of Calgary. I’ve been a presenter at this event before and it’ll be great to be back.

I was a regular presenter at several different events over the years, as well as a regular visitor to schools across Canada for presentations, workshops, and Author in Residence programs. This kind of thing stopped happening during the pandemic, but there’s been renewed interest recently at events whenever I’ve met teachers or parents that are on schools committees helping to organize events. You can learn more about my programs for schools here on my website. In addition, Where Do Ideas Come From explores how some of my books can be used to create workshops and creative writing exercises.

The post Foothills Young Authors Conference appeared first on Simon Rose.

“An imaginary friend, a mystery, and time travel? How could I resist?”

“An imaginary friend, a mystery, and time travel? How could I resist?”

“Flashback is a fascinating Young Adult book that pushes the boundaries of imagination: the Grail for every science fiction and fantasy reader.”

“Right from the very first sentence I was engaged, and I could not wait to find out what happened next. The book was thrilling and it kept me on the edge of my seat.”

“Flashback is an action-packed adventure perfect for middle grade readers.  Young readers will enjoy the plot-driven story rife with the supernatural, bad guys, evil experimentation, and time slip.”

“Seems I’ll be picking up a few of your other books quite soon! Thanks for the ride!”

“Flashback was a great book. Max and Deanna were very well developed, they made me feel like I knew them. I read this book five times, I liked it so much.”

Check out more reviews of Flashback here on my website

The post “An imaginary friend, a mystery, and time travel? How could I resist?” appeared first on Simon Rose.

Writing Fiction for Children and Youth – University of Calgary

My online course Writing Fiction for Children and Youth will be running online in May and June at the University of Calgary.

Writing for children and youth is a rich and vibrant global market. The focus is on writing fiction for readers aged 8 to 12 years. Students examine the writing process from initial concept to finished work including turning ideas into stories, story structure, developing characters, creating outlines, and the importance of editing and revision.

Registration is available here at the University of Calgary.

The post Writing Fiction for Children and Youth – University of Calgary appeared first on Simon Rose.