Simon Rose's Blog, page 5

The Children’s Writer’s Guide

The Children’s Writer’s Guide examines how you can get started as a writer, create time and space to pursue your craft and deal with lack of motivation and writers block. Topics covered include where ideas come from and how writers turn them into stories, choosing names for characters that are appropriate to the story, the importance of historical research if your novel is set in a different era, writing science fiction and fantasy, and the use of magic in stories for children.

The guide examines the role of editing and revision and how to deal with what is often the inevitable process of rejection, at least until good fortune comes your way. I also recount some of my experiences with marketing and promotion, such as book launches and in-store signings, websites, blogs, and social media, and discusses presentations, workshops and author-in-residence programs at schools and libraries.

You can also learn more about writing for children and young adults in The Children’s Writer’s Guide 2.

The post The Children’s Writer’s Guide 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.

What’s it all about? An excerpt from Where Do Ideas Come From?

“The idea of creating a learning guide for young people’s books is truly inspired.”

 

Introduction

Many of my novels can be used as the basis for workshops and projects in the classroom. The Alchemist’s Portrait, The Sorcerer’s Letterbox, and The Heretic’s Tomb are all time travel stories and can be used as the basis for workshops in which students create time machines and stories set in a different era. All three novels are also ideal for studying the different historical periods depicted in the stories.

The Alchemist’s Portrait can be the starting point for workshops using pictures for inspiration, creating stories based on artifacts found in museums, or for creating unique characters. The Sorcerer’s Letterbox might inspire children to learn more about the Tower of London or other medieval castles, as well as study the mystery of the Princes in the Tower, the Wars of the Roses, and medieval life.

The Heretic’s Tomb can be used to learn about the Black Death, medieval society, the beginnings of healthcare, or the role of the medieval church. There are also strong female characters in the story and this can lead to students learning more about the very important women that lived in the Middle Ages. Teachers can use The Clone Conspiracy as a starting point for projects about the development of technology or what students might except to see in the world of the future. The Emerald Curse is an excellent novel for projects in which the students create their own superheroes and comic books.

The Doomsday Mask can be used to study ancient civilizations, ruined cities, and the extinctions of animals that took place at the end of the Ice Age. The Time Camera lends itself to wonderful projects related to the history of photography, writing speculative stories about alternate history, and finding inspiration from old photographs. The Sphere of Septimus has a wealth of potential for projects in which students create their own fantasy kingdoms, along with the people and animals that inhabit their imaginary world.

Where Do Ideas Come From? provides suggestions and recommendations for teachers developing classroom projects based on all the novels but might also serve as inspiration for aspiring writers of all ages.

 

The post What’s it all about? An excerpt from Where Do Ideas Come From? 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

The post Readings at Granary Road appeared first on Simon Rose.

The Doomsday Mask

The Doomsday Mask

The legendary crystal ceremonial mask of Kulkaan, high priest of Atlantis, was believed to have been endowed with incredible powers. In the ancient civilization’s destruction, the mask was thought to have been shattered and irretrievably lost, eventually being forgotten. Long considered to be a mere myth, the mask’s crystal fragments have now been found and the mask of Kulkaan reassembled, with deadly consequences for all mankind. In a desperate race against time, Josh and Erica must prevent the mask from falling intact into the hands of the shadowy Crystalline Order to save the world from catastrophe.

“Rose takes the reader on a fast-paced adventure through time and legend.  Among other issues, the story confronts the battle of good versus evil and exposes the danger of a hunger for power that threatens to consume everything in its path.”

“Danger lurks everywhere as does the course of history and even prehistory. Juvenile readers from 10-14 will be spellbound by The Doomsday Mask, and they will learn a bit of interesting world history and paleontology along the way. Although The Doomsday Mask may be considered to be science fiction fantasy/adventure, it is solidly grounded in facts of known prehistorical events and speculates from these logically.”

The post The Doomsday Mask appeared first on Simon Rose.

“The Emerald Curse is a very well written and appealing adventure book. Highly recommended.”

The Emerald Curse

Charles Kelly was the world’s greatest comic book artist, until he disappeared without a trace. Two years later, his grandson Sam discovers a mysterious pen in Kelly’s attic studio. Sam is soon propelled into a bizarre dimension, where super villains are all powerful and disturbingly real, and finds himself in a deadly confrontation with an evil entity, imprisoned inside a mystical gemstone since the dawn of time.

“I bought your book The Emerald Curse and it is brilliant and I can’t wait for your next one to come out.”

“You make me get a picture in my head like what’s happening in the story.”

“I like your book very much especially your writing style because its exciting, funny and most of all GREAT!”

“You make me want to read more of your books and write my own books just like yours!”

“There is a lot of action and excitement in your books you also make me want to recommend your book to everyone I know.”

“Thank you for writing this book Simon Rose”

Learn more about The Emerald Curse and read more reviews here on my website.

The post “The Emerald Curse is a very well written and appealing adventure book. Highly recommended.” appeared first on Simon Rose.

Konn Lavery – Worship of Mammon

Today, I’m pleased to welcome Konn Lavery, who’s just finished his meta cosmic horror novel, Worship of Mammon.

What started as a 10k word short story in 2022 morphed into a first draft novel in the spring of 2023. From there, this deep-sea salvaging story about human greed twisted and mutated. Fast forward to September 2025 and this 77k word novel has broken the fourth wall, time, and space.

So, what is it about? Check out the video below.

https://konnlavery.com/whats-going-on-with-konn-newsletter-video/

The post Konn Lavery – Worship of Mammon 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.

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.

An Untimely Death

An Untimely Death is an exciting science fiction and fantasy adventure for young adults.When Peter’s great-grandfather, Ted, passes away, Peter is looking through his belongings in the attic. Peter knows about Ted’s experiences with the Canadian Army in World War II and absentmindedly flips a coin. To his astonishment, Peter finds himself in the heat of battle in 1944, where he embarks on a highly dangerous mission to ensure that history is placed back on track.Learn more at https://simon-rose.com/books/an-untimely-death/

The post An Untimely Death appeared first on Simon Rose.