Simon Rose's Blog, page 4

Nina Munteanu: Revisiting “Through the Portal Anthology”

An Interview with Nina Munteanu: Revisiting “Through the Portal Anthology”

Ten months ago, on my Dec 2, 2024 post, I interviewed Nina Munteanu on the anthology she and co-editor Lynn Hutchinson Lee worked on with a release date with Exile Editions of December 31, 2024. Through the Portal: Tales from a Hopeful Dystopia is an eco-fiction anthology of over 30 stories that explore strange new terrains and startling social constructs, quiet morphing landscapes, dark and terrifying warnings, and lush newly-told folk and fairy tales.

Simon: So, Nina, tell me what’s new with it. Has it made the New York Times Bestseller List?

Nina: No! Not New York. But it has made it on a bestseller list in Edmonton. It also picked up a few awards and has been featured in several bookstores and events. The whole concept of hopeful dystopia, particularly in eco-fiction, is catching on and generating some dialogue. Reviews and praise for the anthology have been wonderful.

Comments by judges of the BC Writer’s Award, which Portal won, include: “Every story here is a delicious short gem.” “An ambitious project with an unusual slant of positivity in the face of a dystopian future has turned into a solid piece of work, incorporating a good range of stories, some very literary and abstract, others simple tales of destruction and regrowth or the hope of regrowth.”

The Seaboard Review says: “Many of the stories explore the power of connection, and the potential ways we might heal the land and ourselves…By showing us what we stand to lose, these stories offer a reason to increase our actions to preserve the planet… Will ingenuity, love, and respect for the earth help us work through whatever changes might lie ahead? Through the Portal offers hope that these qualities, if not enough in and of themselves, will help us find our way.”

Dragonfly.eco called Portal, “a stunning collection of short stories and poetry that address our most existential concerns.”

One Goodreads reader, who appreciated being introduced to the term “solastalgia” by the anthology, said that “this book will make you think, cry, and also laugh.”

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Climate Fiction Writers League also interviewed Lynn and I on the process of curating a collection like this with such a strongly defined narrative that for some might appear contradictory: hopeful dystopia.

Simon: On that note, how does one reconcile that apparent contradiction? Isn’t a dystopia all doom and gloom? Where’s the hope?

Nina: I suppose you’re right, Simon; many dystopian narratives take place in some awful doomy kind of place or situation or some apocalyptic world filled with wretched creatures. Catastrophic disasters. Insidious corruption and ruin. Totalitarian government ‘utopias’. A broken biosphere. Pretty gloomy stuff. The hope comes with moving through it, how that scenario is treated by characters and what characters (or readers) learn from it. Hopeful dystopias tap into the human spirit of ingenuity, compassion and healing. Here’s what the book jacket says: Hopeful dystopias are so much more than an apparent oxymoron: they are in some fundamental way the spearhead of the future—and ironically often a celebration of human spirit by shining a light through the darkness of disaster.

Simon: This isn’t the first anthology you’ve edited, is it?

Nina: You’re right, Simon. I also edited a small collection of short stories for Reality Skimming Press called Water. I’m rather proud of that little book, given its theme and the incredible writers who contributed.

Simon: Now that you’ve had a few anthologies under your belt, what advice would you give to potential anthology editors?

Nina: I would suggest reading Lisa Timpf’s recent article on JaneFriedman.com. The article provides advice and insights on anthology editing gleaned from interviews with me and several other anthology editors; it has a lot of great advice including what the job entails, required skills, and the payoffs. My take home advice for potential anthology editors is: find a theme that you feel strongly about, remain flexible and ready to compromise with submissions but keep true to the theme and meaning of the anthology. Don’t waver, or you and the anthology will suffer for it. Like a good novel with meaning, every anthology tells a story too.

Simon: Are you working on a writing or editing project now?

Nina: Yes, it’s the same one I was working on last year—I’m not nearly as prolific as you, Simon! The book I’m writing is a dark eco-fiction novel about how Nature echoes our own misconducts and deceptions, a kind of karma-Zen exploration that edges into eco-horror. I’m happy to say that it is almost finished and I expect to pitch it to my publisher by end of the year.

I’m also still coaching writers to publication. I have several clients I’m working with now and thoroughly enjoying the various projects they’re sharing with me. Anyone interested can look me up at NinaMunteanu.me, where they can find information on my coaching as well as weekly articles on writing.

Simon: Where can readers find you and your work otherwise?

Nina: On social media, I’m on Bluesky and LinkedIn. Readers can also find my articles on writing, publishing and ecology on various sites, including my own sites TheMeaningOfWater.com and NinaMunteanu.me. Most of my books can be found on Amazon. You can find several of my short stories on Metastellar. The anthology Through the Portal: Tales from a Hopeful Dystopia is available at a number of booksellers, including Amazon, and through the publisher site Exile Editions.

Simon: Thanks, Nina!

Nina. My pleasure, Simon.

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“This book has everything children and this adult love to read about. I could not put the book down.”

Future Imperfect

Andrew Mitchell was one of the leading experts in highly advanced technology in Silicon Valley, until he vanished following a car accident, which also injured his son, Alex.

When a mysterious app later appears on Alex’s phone, he and his friend Stephanie embark on a terrifying journey involving secret technology, corporate espionage, kidnapping, and murder in a desperate bid to save the future from the sinister Veronica Castlewood.

“Often stories that involve cross overs from the future are confusing and lacking in believability. Future Imperfect has none of that. It is well written and will keep the reader engaged.”

“This book has everything children and this adult love to read about. I could not put the book down until I had finished it, as the story kept me engaged until the end.  Another great story written by Simon Rose, I look forward to reading his next book.”

Learn more about Future Imperfect here on my website.

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How Old Should Your Characters Be?

In novels for young readers, children generally prefer not to follow the adventures of lead characters that are younger than them and in some cases even the same age.

If your story is aimed at readers aged eight to twelve years old, for example, your main protagonists should usually be depicted as being around twelve or thirteen, but generally no older than that.

Learn more in the latest blog post at Write by the Sea.

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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.

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Readings at Granary Road

[image error]This weekend, I’ll be at Granary Road, just south of Calgary, on Saturday and Sunday doing readings from my books.

You can find Granary Road at 226066, 112 Street West, Foothills County, T1S 5S5.

Please stop by and and visit to learn more about me and all my books. You can even get your very own signed copy, including the brand new Order of Excalibur novels.An Untimely Death – The Stone of the Seer – Royal Blood – Revenge of the Witchfinder – Shadowzone – Into The Web – Black Dawn – Parallel Destiny – Twisted Fate – Future Imperfect – Flashback – The Sphere of Septimus – The Time Camera – The Doomsday Mask – The Heretic’s Tomb – The Emerald Curse – The Clone Conspiracy – The Sorcerer’s Letterbox – The Alchemist’s Portrait

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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.

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The Order of Excalibur interview

My latest interview about The Order of Excalibur novels has now been published. Check out the interview in BrandEducation magazine. You can also learn more about the books and their historical background, as well as read an excerpt for each of my novels, here on my website.

You’ll also find the interview here on Konn Lavery’s blog. Check both interviews out today.

 

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The Children’s Writer’s Guide 2

The Children’s Writer’s Guide 2 is ideal for writers not just of books for children and young adults, but also features information that’s applicable to writers in all genres. The first installment of The Children’s Writer’s Guide has a wealth of tips and advice, including suggestions regarding how to get started as a writer, dealing with writer’s block, conducting research, choosing appropriate names for your characters, the editing and revision process, as well as the world of marketing and promotion.

This second book further explores the writing process, examining topics such as developing memorable characters, creating effective dialogue, the importance of book covers, the value of blogging, age levels and appropriate content for books for children and young adults, networking, and the process of submitting your work to publishing houses.

In combination with The Children’s Writer’s Guide, this second book provides invaluable advice and support for both established and aspiring authors of books for children and young adults.

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10 Questions Writers Can Ask to Break Free from Limiting Beliefs

As writers, we often don’t realize how much our limiting beliefs shape the way we approach the page.

They keep us stuck in self-doubt, afraid to share our work, and convinced that success is for “other people.”

But once you spot those beliefs for what they are, you can challenge them and change them.

These limiting beliefs for writers—like “I’m not good enough,” “no one will read this,” or “I’ll never get published”—can quietly hold us back for years.

Here you’ll find ten questions to help you uncover-and move past-your limiting beliefs as a writer.

The post 10 Questions Writers Can Ask to Break Free from Limiting Beliefs appeared first on Simon Rose.

Readings at Granary Road

[image error]This weekend, I’ll be at Granary Road, just south of Calgary, on Saturday and Sunday doing readings from my books.

You can find Granary Road at 226066, 112 Street West, Foothills County, T1S 5S5.

Please stop by and and visit to learn more about me and all my books. You can even get your very own signed copy, including the brand new Order of Exalibur novels.An Untimely Death – The Stone of the Seer – Royal Blood – Revenge of the Witchfinder – Shadowzone – Into The Web – Black Dawn – Parallel Destiny – Twisted Fate – Future Imperfect – Flashback – The Sphere of Septimus – The Time Camera – The Doomsday Mask – The Heretic’s Tomb – The Emerald Curse – The Clone Conspiracy – The Sorcerer’s Letterbox – The Alchemist’s Portrait

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