Simon Rose's Blog, page 236

Magic in Stories for Children Part Two – Creatures and Features of the Fantasy Realm - This month's teleclass at the Children's Writers' Coaching Club, Wednesday, April 28.

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Join me on April 28 at 7 pm, Mountain Standard Time,
at the Children's Writers' Coaching Club at the National Writing for Children Center. In this month's class, entitled Magic in Stories for Children Part Two – The Roots of Magic, Mystical Powers and Creatures and Features of the Fantasy Realm, we explore the roots of magic from history and folklore, the prevalence of magic in different cultures from around the world, mystical powers usually associated with magic and those who practice it...

Where's My Jetpack? - The latest article at Dark Roasted Blend

Check out my latest article at Dark Roasted Blend, entitled Where's My Jetpack?  
The jetpack, the rocket belt or rocket pack are names given to a number of different devices worn on the back that use jets of escaping gas to allow a single person to fly. Such technology has featured in movies, TV, novels, short stories and comic books for a very long time. However, despite advances in the technology, jetpacks have not turned out, so far at least, to be very practical as a mode of personal...

The Sorcerer's Letterbox and the Mystery of the Princes in the Tower - Part Three

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The entire episode of the Princes in the Tower is still shrouded in mystery. The Duke of Gloucester had Edward V and his younger brother, Richard, Duke of York, imprisoned in the Tower of London, declared them illegitimate and named himself rightful heir to the crown, becoming King Richard III. Edward and his brother were occasionally glimpsed in the grounds of the Tower in the summer months, but after the beginning of September they were never seen again. The two young boys were apparently...

The Sorcerer's Letterbox and the Mystery of the Princes in the Tower - Part Two

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Edward V was born in 1470, the eldest son of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. He ascended the throne at the age of twelve upon his father's death in April 1483, but reigned only two months before being deposed by his uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. England experienced very turbulent times in the second half of the fifteenth century, when the conflicts popularly known as the Wars of the Roses took place between the houses of Lancaster and York.

The red and white roses are not thought to...

Online Creative Writing Workshops for Children and Young Adults

Give your aspiring young authors the unique opportunity to work with a published author by employing an online writer in residence, right in your own home with my Online Workshops for Children and Young Adults. Many children are interested in writing, but often they need help to channel their ability in a particular direction and give them the encouragement they need to move forward. Having access to professional advice can encourage a child in their creativity, whatever form that may take.

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Words4TheWebwise – Copywriting and Website Design and Development

Taxes, Thursdays and Twitter.  [image error] Some things are here to stay, whether you like them or not. Twitter is something of an anomaly to many, but with the company's future plans, it looks like it's on the rise. Far from being a bandwagon that the forward thinking avant-garde purveyor of chic should avoid, Twitter is a great way to use your power of words to spread the news of your ventures to the world. First of all, forget about all you've heard about people using Twitter to broadcast minutiae and...

The Sorcerer's Letterbox and the Mystery of the Princes in the Tower - Part One

[image error] The Sorcerer's Letterbox features the famous story of the Princes in the Tower, the disappearance of Edward V and his brother, Richard, Duke of York, in the Tower of London in 1483, which perhaps remains the greatest unsolved murder mystery of all time.

'In a hidden drawer in the base of an old wooden box, Jack discovers a letter from a boy calling himself Edward. Penning a reply, Jack is astonished to be corresponding through time with the boy king Edward V, one of the famous Princes in the...

The Calgary Young Writers Conference - Saturday, April 17

This weekend, I am once again proud to be a presenter at the Calgary Young Writers Conference, where elementary and junior high school students have the opportunity to meet published authors and illustrators and learn more about the creative process. The Calgary Young Writers Conference, now in its twenty seventh year, has consistently made a significant contribution to literacy and inspired countless aspiring writers over the years. The event is expertly managed by a team of dedicated...

Naming My Characters - The Sorcerer's Letterbox

In The Sorcerer's Letterbox, Jack is the name of the hero, since I needed a name that could also be used today for a boy of around twelve, but which was also in keeping with the Middle Ages. Other characters in the novel, such as Richard III, Edward V and Tyrell, are of course real historical people, leading players in the mystery of the Princes in the Tower. Meg, who becomes Jack's accomplice in 1483, is a fictional character but Meg, a variant of Margaret or even Mary, was a common female...

Cover for The Insistence of Memory - Coming Spring 2011

The Insistence of Memory

'Lots of kids have an imaginary friend. Max certainly did. He was a little boy who liked all the things Max did, enjoyed the same games, and who even looked a little like him. Then one day, Max's friend said something that scared him. Max never saw his friend again. 


Until years later, Max's childhood friend returns, older, wiser and disturbingly real. He tells Max of events hidden for a quarter century, events that someone will go to deadly lengths to keep that...