Simon Rose's Blog, page 20

What’s it all about? An excerpt from The Time Traveler’s Guide

“The Time Traveler’s Guide is a great resource for any writer wanting to improve their craft.”

 

Chapter One: What is time travel?

Time travel is defined as taking place when there is movement between specific points in time. This is achieved in the same way that objects and living things move through space. In fiction, this kind of travel is made possible by the use of a time machine, device, or method. While nothing is carved in stone, I tend to think that time travel involving machinery or some kind of technology should be defined as science fiction while time travel that makes use of magic or similar methods is probably best classified as fantasy. However, these genres frequently overlap, particularly with time travel stories.

Over the years, novels, movies, and TV shows featuring time travel have included methods involving highly sophisticated machinery, scientific laboratories, various items of jewelry, wearable technology, vehicles, ancient artifacts, books, portals and doorways, dreaming, food and drink, and so many more. Time travel stories have featured journeys to the past, the future, and to alternative timelines created when previous events were changed so that they occurred differently, thus affecting what happened next in various different ways. Time travel has long been a theme in books, short stories, TV shows, and movies and shows no signs of declining in popularity anytime soon, although of course only time will tell.

A common theme in time travel tales involves someone being sent into the past by accident. When they arrive at an earlier point in history, the device or machine is somehow broken, fails to operate properly, runs out of power, is misplaced, or is stolen by the story’s villain. The reader is thus left in suspense, wondering if the heroes will be able to return safely to their own time. Of course, the reader most likely believes that the heroes will eventually escape from danger. However, the plot still has to imply that the lead characters might be marooned in the past permanently or that their lives are in jeopardy. In my time travel novels, the main characters always face serious challenges from the moment that they appear to be trapped in a dangerous historical era.

Some time travel stories simply feature an adventure in a different period in order for the characters to experience what life was like. Perhaps the character discovers an old piece of jewelry that sends them back in time when they wear it or adjust it some way. The characters then witness historical events or meet famous people. Many time travel stories concern the consequences of traveling either backward or forward through time. The idea of changing the past, either intentionally or by accident, is a common theme in science fiction and fantasy. When events that have already taken place are altered in some way, what the time traveler knew as the present day has changed when they return home. This might lead to a further adventure to restore things to what’s perceived as normal, depending on the nature of the alterations to the timeline. As you’re probably thinking already, time travel can sometimes be very complicated but the creators of these kinds of stories are aware of the potential issues at the outset and work hard to make their story entertaining, plausible, and realistic. Some stories in the genre concentrate on the paradoxes involved in time travel, such as the well-known grandfather paradox. This is when the time traveler is responsible for the death of his or her own grandfather, meaning that the traveler was never born. If this is the case then how could they have gone back in time to cause their grandfather’s death in the first place? Time travel has lots of issues like this, some of which I examine in Chapter Nine.

Time travel stories involving journeys into the past overlap with the genre of historical fiction. This kind of fiction involves stories that are set in the past. There are no firm rules, but the setting is usually at least fifty years earlier than when the story is written. The setting is a particular period in history and often includes real historical personalities. The story’s main characters are usually fictional, although the social and other conditions of the time are presented accurately. Historical fiction stories usually take place during a significant period in history. In some stories the characters are part of the events taking place but in others the events merely serve as the background to the story. In The Sorcerer’s Letterbox, the story takes place in 1483 and features the aftermath of the Wars of the Roses and the mystery of Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, known as the Princes in the Tower. The princes appear in the story, as does their uncle, King Richard III, along with some other historical characters. In The Heretic’s Tomb, the story takes place during the period of the Black Death in England in the mid fourteenth century. The novel features imaginary characters but also refers to the effects of the Black Death on society, medieval medicine, and living conditions, and to some of the personalities and events of the era. In The Alchemist’s Portrait, Matthew’s time travel adventures take him to Amsterdam in 1666, the French Revolution in 1792, the American Civil War in 1865, and the Russian Revolution in 1917, all of which needed to be portrayed accurately. The Doomsday Mask has scenes that take place in Berlin in May 1945 and the characters needed to fit into that world. In Flashback, Max finds himself in the mid 1990s, not too long ago perhaps, but he still needed to inhabit an environment that’s correctly portrayed. Next, we’ll look at some of the many time travel stories that have appeared in printed form and on screen over the years.

The Time Traveler’s Guide is available as an ebook and as a paperback on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Smashwords and many other locations.

The post What’s it all about? An excerpt from The Time Traveler’s Guide appeared first on Simon Rose.

Scenic Acres Craft Market

Looking for the perfect gift?

This Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm I’ll be signing copies of all my books at the Scenic Acres Craft Market. The event is being held at Scenic Acres Community Association, 8825 Scurfield Dr NW, in Calgary.

Learn all about my many novels, including the new novel, An Untimely Death, as well as about my coaching and editing services for writers and authors.

Hope to see you there.

The post Scenic Acres Craft Market 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.

“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.

Interview with Canadian Author and Editor Nina Munteanu on the upcoming release of the new anthology

 

On December 31, Through the Portal: Tales from a Hopeful Dystopia, an exciting new eco-fiction anthology (edited by Lynn Hutchinson Lee and Nina Munteanu), launches. I interviewed one of the two editors, Nina Munteanu, on the process of creating and getting out the anthology.

Simon: In Through the Portal, you and Lynn Hutchinson Lee present a collection of over 30 stories that explore strange new terrains and startling social constructs, quiet morphing landscapes, dark and terrifying warnings, lush newly-told folk and fairy tales. The title says Tales from a Hopeful Dystopia. How does one achieve that? Tell us about the process.

Nina: I guess it’s all in how you define hopeful and dystopia. What Lynn and I wanted to see was a story that took you through the darkness of ecological disaster and potential despair into the light of hope, learning and enlightenment; it was something I think we can all use these days. The idea for this apparent oxymoron came when Lynn and I had our short stories published in Exile Edition’s CLI-FI: Tales of Climate Change, edited by Bruce Meyer. Lynn and I got to discussing the possibility of collaborating on something. We both liked the idea of something hopeful and Exile’s publisher agreed on the lure of something optimistic. We pitched the concept and Portal was born. I think Lynn came up with the title, which suggested a ‘doorway’ through transcendence into a different reality of one’s own making. Lynn also came up with a way to organize the stories based on that transcendence. I think it was brilliant and works really well for the reader.

Simon: What was the experience of collaborating and story acquisition like?

Nina: Working with Lynn was great. We seemed to be on the same page throughout the process. And where we didn’t agree, this always helped make it better. Writers, mostly Canadian, but also from the United States and around the world, submitted to us. We whittled down some 245 submissions to thirty-five stellar short stories, flash fiction, and poetry, that reflected the theme of the anthology: hope in the face of ecological adversity. It was a lot of reading and creating short lists and discussing back and forth. We went through several levels of conditional acquisition and editing with the authors, who were all wonderful to work with and very professional. The whole affair was a labour of love, grounded in optimism and hope: to create a collection of optimistic dystopian short stories that celebrate the spirit of humanity in a changing world. As one reader said, “We definitely need more optimism and hope to offset the bombardment of negativity that is running rampant these days.”

Simon: I’m thinking that this project came naturally to you, given that you write mostly eco-fiction these days. Tell me a little about that.

Nina: Well, I trained as an ecologist and limnologist (someone who studies freshwater systems). Since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by the natural world, always near the ground, picking up slugs and peering into holes in trees or making potions from moss, loam and pond water. For me, writing and publishing eco-fiction is a mission and I’m an activist. If this anthology project and all others I’ve been involved in can make a difference, even with just one person, then I’m vindicated.

Simon: Are you working on a writing project now?

Nina: Yes, a dark eco-fiction novel about how Nature echoes our own angsts, misconducts and deceptions; a kind of karma-Zen exploration that edges into eco-horror. It’s actually told as an eco-thriller with an unsolved murder and teenagers who get lost. I’m having fun writing it.

Simon: Where can readers find you?

Nina: On social media, I’m on Bluesky, X, and LinkedIn. Readers can also read my articles on writing, publishing and ecology on various sites on the internet including my own The Meaning of Water and my writing/coaching site Nina Munteanu.me. Most of my books can be found on Amazon. My short stories have been translated into over a dozen languages and located all over the planet, but several of them can be read on Metastellar.

Simon: Any last words about the anthology?

Nina: The anthology features the stellar writing of Agata Antonow, Sarah Christina Brown, Mary Burns, K.R.Byggdin, Petra Chambers, Katie Conrad, M.L.D. Curelas, Matthew Freeman, R. Haven, Liam Hogan, Cornelia Hoogland, Vanessa Hua, Jerri Jerreat, Zilla Jones, Katherine Koller, Erin MacNair, Melanie Marttila, Bruce Meyer, Isabella Mori, E. Martin Nolan, Avery Parkinson, Ursula Pflug, Marisca Pichette, Shana Ross, Lynne Sargent, Karen Schauber, Holly Schofield, Anneliese Schultz, Gin Sexsmith, Sara C. Walker, Jade Wallace, and Melissa Yuan-Innes. You can order pre-release copies at 15% discount on the Exile Editions Portal sales page.

Simon: Thanks, Nina!

Nina: My pleasure, Simon!

The post Interview with Canadian Author and Editor Nina Munteanu on the upcoming release of the new anthology appeared first on Simon Rose.

Haysboro Winter Market

Looking for the perfect gift?

This Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm I’ll be signing copies of all my books at the Haysboro Winter Market. The event is being held at Haysboro Community Association, 1204 89 Ave SW in Calgary.

Learn all about my many novels, including the new novel, An Untimely Death, as well as about my coaching and editing services for writers and authors.

Hope to see you there.

The post Haysboro Winter Market appeared first on Simon Rose.

Learn how to write effective and compelling historical fiction

Historical fiction combines the events of the past with characters and stories from the writer’s imagination.

This course examines the art of writing historical fiction and the need to fully immerse yourself in a particular time period to make your storytelling more believable. Learn how to write effective, authentic and appealing historical fiction and how to turn your ideas into compelling stories. Understand what defines historical fiction and different historical time periods, create believable settings and plausible characters and learn how research plays a crucial role in the creation of your novel.The course involves assignments and writing exercises, and also deals with aspects of the writing process. The course also examines ways to research publishing houses where you can submit your work, cover letters, synopses and sample chapters. Learn more here on my website.

The post Learn how to write effective and compelling historical fiction appeared first on Simon Rose.

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.

Shadowzone – “a great read … Highly recommend this series!”

“Time travel, alternate worlds, and societal sub-cultures are blended into a great plot, and a gripping and relevant read. The environmental stewardship aspect of this story echoes our current day challenges, as do the almost prescient references to a dangerous virus. Characters were well drawn and the reader is cheering for their success. The three books in the series flow smoothly together. A great read for middle school ages and up, to both engage interest and build vocabulary. Highly recommend this series!”

While watching intense flashes of lightning during a violent storm, Ben experiences mysterious and disturbing visions of another world, one very different from his own. In the chain of events that follow, Ben encounters Charlie, a girl from a dark version of Earth, a planet doomed by the effects of environmental catastrophe, where the leaders will stop at nothing to complete their deadly mission.

Shadowzone, along with the other novels in the series, Into The Web and Black Dawn, is available as a paperback and ebook. Learn more here on my website.

The post Shadowzone – “a great read … Highly recommend this series!” appeared first on Simon Rose.

How to Write Dynamic Dialogue

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.

My latest post entitled How to Write Dynamic Dialogue is an excerpt from my book, The Children’s Writer’s Guide, which you can learn more about here.

The post How to Write Dynamic Dialogue appeared first on Simon Rose.