Simon Rose's Blog, page 237

The 2010 Children's Fiction Writing Award

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The Calgary Children's Book Fair and Conference, set to take place in November 2010, is proud to present the Children's Fiction Writing Award. Children in the following age categories, eight/nine, ten/eleven, twelve/thirteen and fourteen/fifteen, will unleash their own incredible imaginations to create a truly unique story, which will then be published in an anthology.The winning entries for the fiction writing award will be announced at the Calgary Children's Book Fair and Conference on...

The Heretic's Tomb - Reviews, Interviews, Readings, Puzzles and Study Guides

"The book is a sweeping historical drama involving witchcraft, religious zealotry, life and death ... a fast-paced tale of intrigue, sorcery and adventure."

The Calgary Herald"A well-written combo of science fiction/fantasy with the historical novel. This novel explores the lifestyles of the Middle Ages, specially during the time of the Black Plague. The easy to read style and diction make this an excellent choice for ages 7-10 as well as someone who might be looking to explore a new genre."
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The Heretic's Tomb and The Black Death - Medieval Medicine Part Five

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Despite their skills and knowledge, for diseases and ailments beyond their abilities, medieval doctors fell back on solutions which seem bizarre to the modern reader. Ringworm was treated by washing the patient's hair in a boy's urine. Gout could be relieved by a plaster of goat dung mixed with rosemary and honey. Blood letting was also popular as a cure for just about everything, with many different parts of the body used. For example, the two veins in the neck were to be tapped for...

The Heretic's Tomb and The Black Death - Medieval Medicine Part Four

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Surgery was practiced in the Middle Ages, although it was seen as a last resort. It is known to have been successful in the treatment of breast cancer, gangrene, hemorrhoids, and other conditions. There are illustrations showing medieval surgery, but naturally they give no sign of the pain suffered by the person on the operating table.
Anesthetics were used, but many of the concoctions used to relieve pain or induce sleep were also potentially fatal. 'Dwale', for example, consisted of gall...

Creative Writing for Home Schoolers at Cardel Place, North Central Calgary - May and June, 2010

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Join me for classes in creative writing, especially for home school children from the northern part of the city of Calgary and in the surrounding area, at Cardel Place. The next set of classes take place every Thursday, from May 6 to June 24, with registration commencing on March 29.




Ages 11 to 16 - Time Travel Tales
In these sessions, children create their own time travel stories, complete with a time machine, method or device. We will discuss their time travel methods, the time period...

The Heretic's Tomb and The Black Death - Medieval Medicine Part Three

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As far as medicines were concerned, many medieval concoctions were little more than witch's brews. One of the best known medicinal drugs of the Middle Ages was 'treacle' or theriac, a blend of sixty four different drugs in honey. Sold as a cure all, it was claimed to cure fevers, prevent internal swellings, clear skin blemishes, help heart trouble, dropsy, epilepsy, palsy, help you sleep, aid digestion, strengthen limbs, heal wounds and of course, cure plague. Doctors at the time did make...

The Heretic's Tomb and The Black Death - Medieval Medicine Part Two

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The Middle Ages are often seen as a shadowy period of limited medical knowledge and great superstition. But many ideas from the classical medicine of the ancient Greeks and Romans survived into the medieval period relatively intact. Medical knowledge also arrived in Europe from the Arab world over the centuries, and doctors were familiar with the medicinal properties of some plants. However, treatments and cures were often as much to do with magic and superstition as they were to do with...

Magic in Stories for Children Part Two – The Roots of Magic and Mystical Powers - This month's teleclass at the Children's Writers' Coaching Club, Wednesday, March 31

[image error] Join me on March 31 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 and Mystical Powers, 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 and examine the incredible complexity of the...

The Heretic's Tomb and The Black Death - Medieval Medicine Part One

[image error] Creating The Heretic's Tomb and establishing an authentic setting in 1349 meant learning about the types of medicine practiced in Europe during the Middle Ages. Again, online sources played a part, but I also read books on topics such as the medieval way of life, diet and nutrition, living conditions, doctors and their treatments, the large role played by superstition and the position of the church to get a feel for how Lady Isabella might have gone about her work as a healer and medical...

The Heretic's Tomb and The Black Death - History as Inspiration

The story of The Heretic's Tomb takes place in the mid fourteenth century, when England and the rest of Europe was in the grip of the deadly plague known as the Black Death.
The first cases of the Black Death in England occurred during the reign of Edward III in the summer of 1348, and the disease spread quickly. By autumn, the plague had reached London, killing nearly half of the city's 70,000 inhabitants. Over the next two years, between thirty and forty percent of the English population...