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Interview With Simon Rose, Author of Science Fiction Fantasy For Children
Interview by Carma Dutra

Carma: I thoroughly enjoyed The Heretic's Tomb and I liked the way you got Annie into the past and out of the walled up room at the abbey. What was your source of inspiration for The Heretic's Tomb?

Simon:I'm pleased you enjoyed the book. It was inspired by my own love of history and I have always enjoyed time travel stories. Many novels have medieval settings, but to me some historical periods, such as the era of the Black Death or the mystery of the Princes in the Tower depicted in The Sorcerer's Letter Box, for example, are the most fascinating and the most suitable settings for a good adventure story.

Carma: What are your writing habits? Do you work on an outline before starting the actual story?

Simon: Yes I do. I always work extensively on an outline, determining all the twists and turns of the plot, before beginning the actual novel. This outline is usually at least one paragraph for every chapter and can be up to 5000 words.

Carma: What goes on inside the mind of the fantasy writer?

Simon: All kinds of things - ancient mysteries, the unexplained, the paranormal, science fiction themes, time travel ideas, parallel universes, alternate realities, weird and wonderful characters and a whole lot of 'what if' scenarios.

Carma: What advice would you give to aspiring writers who are trying to break into the fantasy genre?

Simon: Try to be as original as possible and not copy something else, even if it has been popular. Write about what interests you in this particular genre rather than jumping on any bandwagon.

Carma: Who is Simon Rose? Describe an ordinary day in your life.

Simon: I'm not sure there is an ordinary day. If I'm not traveling or at a local school or library, I do spend much of the day working on the current book project, as well as on marketing, correspondence and so on, but also have children to take care of, pets to feed, household chores to do and so on.

Carma: What type of books did you read as a child?

Simon: I became immersed in science fiction as a boy and read a lot of science fiction novels and collections of short stories, as well C S Lewis, Tolkien and other fantasy writers. At high school, I studied a great deal of history and have retained my interest in the subject up to the present day. I also read a tremendous number of comic books as a child. Pure escapism perhaps, but comic books were great for the imagination. On TV, the original Star Trek series springs readily to mind, along with many other influences.

Carma: How do you set about promoting your novel? How many hours a week do you spend on book promotion?

Simon: I do some form of promotion every day, whether for the books or for myself, usually online though the website, blog or via e mail correspondence regarding author visits, summer camps, writing services, festivals and other events.

Carma: How was your experience in looking for a publisher? What words of advice would you offer those novice authors who are in search of one?

Carma: There are lots on resources on line and elsewhere with regards to publishers, but a good thing to do is to research which houses are publishing the same type of m

If you’re visiting the National Writing for Children Center for the first time, be sure to read the information about this week’s Book Giveaway. It’s in the right sidebar of the homepage. The book we’re giving away to one lucky winner this week is Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach by Dianne de Las Casas. This book comes with a poster, bookmark, and postcard. This cute book is bound to be treasured by any child who is lucky enough to receive it.

We also have a new Book Bundle Giveaway for educators only. Find out more about this great Giveaway in the right sidebar of the homepage, too.

Later this week, we’ll also be giving the details for our new NWFCC Adopt-a-School Program.

Be sure to read the new article from Simon Rose today in the “Simon Says” column. And there is another great new teaching tips article from contributing editor Amy O”Quinn in the “Tips for Teachers and Parents” section.

Be sure the watch the fun and interesting book trailers in the right sidebar of the homepage, too, to get a better feel for some of the many wonderful books showcased here this month.

And, if you’ve read Good Night, Little Sea Otter by Janet Halfmann, please leave a comment at the “Let’s Talk about the Book” page. Then, listen to Book Bites for Kids, tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon at 2:00 Central time, when Janet will talk about this book and her other new picture book, Fur and Feathers.

Oh, and if you’re a children’s book author yourself, listen to the replay of the Book Bites for Kids episode hosted by Donna McDine to find out about all the great promotional activities offered to each of the authors showcased here each month. The player for this chat is right here:

Have a super day reading, writing, and talking about what you read!

Suzanne Lieurance
Founder, Director
The National Writing for Children Center

Whether it’s been a few days since you’ve visited the National Writing for Children Center or this is your very first visit, we want to be sure you don’t miss a thing here.

Today, a new article for the Simon Says column from Simon Rose can be found if you click here.

There’s a new teaching tips article about Teaching Math Through Literature that you can read by clicking here.

Listen to the replay of yesterday’s interview with children’s author Dianne de Las Casas on Book Bites for Kids by clicking here.

Plus, don’t forget to enter this week’s Book Giveaway simply by leaving a comment here today.

Have a great day!

Suzanne Lieurance
Founder, Director
The National Writing for Children Center

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

Many authors who conduct school visits on a long-term basis have a well thought out set of presentations, workshops and other material. These might be related to their own books, but also to topics such as editing and revision, for example. Authors might talk about where they get their inspiration, character development or just how a book comes together, and whenever possible they leave time for questions from the children.

In addition to the subject matter of my own books, I cover such topics as where ideas come from, story structure, editing and revision, character development, time travel stories, the superhero genre, history and research and more. I will present to up to a hundred students at a time, although the smaller the audience the more participation from children, as a rule. I also consider workshops with smaller groups or individual classes. A list of some of the presentations I offer can be found here, but I am always happy to discuss matters with teachers to design sessions to best serve the needs of their students.

An important thing to consider when deciding to host an author visit is what type of presentation you’re looking for. There are usually numerous types to choose from and all authors are different in this regard. Are you looking for an author who will just read to the children or only be there to answer questions from the students, either about their book or about writing in general? Perhaps there’s part of the school curriculum that you would like to emphasize and the author’s books are related to it in some way? Is there a project the students have been involved in to which the author can contribute, either by assisting them in getting started or in bringing it to a satisfactory conclusion? Are you looking for workshops, in which you want the children to actually do some writing or would you like them just to listen to a presentation? Are there particular general topics on writing, rather than those related to the subject matter of the books, that you want the author to focus on? Do you want small groups in classrooms or the library or a hundred or more children in the school gym? How long do you want the sessions to be, to fit in with the normal schedule of the school day? Do you want the author to actually teach the children something or simple appear almost as a celebrity guest to inspire them? These are all important things to consider when planning an author visit and ensuring that it all goes smoothly.

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

If a publisher rejects your work, they will not be publishing it, pure and simple. However, it also means that you are at least getting your writing out there. I’ve lost count of the number of people I speak to who have written a novel and still not sent it out. Yes, you have to feel its ready and in some ways it never will be, but some people are so fearful of rejection that they never submit anything at all. As I’ve already mentioned, rejections can often come with constructive criticism and suggestions for additions or improvements. Rejections also show that you’ve got the courage to actually send your work out and move toward becoming a professional writer. And once you have a rejection, you can of course now send it out to the next publisher on your list, preferably on the same day. Always have something out there doing the rounds, in my opinion. After all, some publishers can take six months or longer to reply. The more you submit, the more rejections you may receive, but the more chances you have of being accepted too. Someone once informed me that they never bought lottery tickets because they never won anything. Well, you’ll certainly never attract the attention of an editor or publisher if you don’t send anything out, so start submitting.

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

All writers are rejected at some time or another, even the most famous or successful ones, so you are in good company. Even if you’ve mastered the art of not taking it personally, rejection will still hurt, even if only a little, so it’s best to wait a while before jumping straight back into any writing projects. Writers spend so much time at their desks anyway, engrossed in their projects and it’s always a good idea to take a break and recharge the batteries once in a while.

The same applies when dealing with a recent rejection, especially since you shouldn’t probably be writing anything while still feeling hurt anyway, wondering what’s wrong with your writing, considering yourself inadequate and second-guessing every paragraph, sentence, line or word that you write. Simply walk away for a while and engage in some non-writing activities. Run some errands, walk the dog, do laundry or other housework, read some magazines, watch movies or TV, even do some yard work. And if you don’t belong to a critique group or some other writer’s organization, meet up with friends for coffee or dinner, to chat about something unrelated to writing. The change of scene will do you the world of good and help you to eventually get writing again, most likely with some fresh ideas on how to improve an existing piece or to start work on a completely new one.

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

The best rejection letter is usually a personal one addressed to you, including the name of your story and specific comments about the plot, including what the editor liked and where he thinks it could be improved. Is the editor rejecting your work in this example? Absolutely, but this time, you now have a lead to follow up on.

Perhaps the editor thinks you need a faster pace, less or more description, longer chapters, a more exciting beginning or that one character in particular could be more fully developed and even give you a few ideas. He might tell you he’d be happy to look at your manuscript again if you make the changes he suggests, so obviously in those circumstances, you should resubmit to the same person. Alternatively, the editor might just suggest changes without a commitment to look at the piece again. However, its still worth a try to send it back with a cover letter referring to the editor’s original comments. If he then shows no interest, you can simply consider this as free professional advice on how you might improve your story, which you are now free to send somewhere else. And of course, you also still have the original version that you submitted in the first place, which might still be more to a different editor’s taste anyway.

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

As painful as rejection is, especially for the beginning writer, it must be stressed that it is nothing personal on the part of the publisher or editor. Writers who take rejection personally have to change their way of thinking if they hope to have a career in the business. Writing can be a solitary and lonely profession and writers tend to live very much inside their own imaginations for long stretches of time, as the plot comes together and the characters form. As a result, they can’t help but be deeply attached to the project. Consequently, it’s a little like sending your children off to their first day of school when you mail that manuscript out to the publisher. This is your baby, one that you’ve nurtured until its perfect. How could anyone not like it, right? However, a writer must remember that the rejection by the editor or publishing house is a rejection of the writing, not of the person. If you can accept that, then perhaps you can look at ways to improve the work you sent out, or even abandon it altogether, if you so desire. But if you convince yourself that there is something dreadfully wrong with you as a human being, you might never write again or at least never have the courage to submit anything else, forever fearful of being rejected.

Those reviewing your work at a professional publishing house are doing so in an unbiased manner. Your novel has already been read perhaps by friends, relatives, work colleagues and lots of people who know you. Yet you are never going to get a truly honest opinion until you send your work to someone who isn’t acquainted with you personally. Since the editor has no idea who you are, how can they be judging your work on anything but its own merits? There are lots of reasons why a submission might be rejected, which we will examine next week.

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

When creating content for your website, biographical details are a must, but don’t be tempted to go overboard. Your website may be your home in cyberspace, but it’s a marketing tool too.

Pictures of you with your family or pets certainly present a good, wholesome image, but don’t overdo it. Photographs from your professional life are far more beneficial. If you have a picture of you shaking hands with a celebrity at a black tie function, by all means put it on the site. If you have photographs taken at your presentations and workshops in schools or libraries, use those pictures as well.

Try to display the cover art of all your books and show people where they are available and the price. This applies not just to your home country, but other countries too, if your books are distributed elsewhere.

My own site connects directly to each novel’s pages at Amazon worldwide, as shown in this example. I also post links to the professional organizations I belong to, plus the major online bookstores, my publisher, arts organizations and so on. There are pages devoted to the historical background behind four of my books, such as this one, with all these pages containing links to websites with a wealth of information for my readers.

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

It’s been said that everyone can have fifteen minutes of fame. With the advent of the Internet, the amount of time we can all spend in the public eye changed somewhat. Today anyone can have a website, providing them with visibility all over the world. Maybe you’re just starting out as a writer. Perhaps you’re self-published, or an established author with three or four books to your name. You could be with a small publisher or a big one.

Today, websites play crucial role in the way the world does business. Companies lacking an online presence might as well be invisible. Authors are no different. You may have written the world’s greatest book, but if no one knows about it, then it might as well not exist. You need to get yourself online if you want to get noticed.

So what sort of material should you think about putting on your web pages? Since you are a writer, we should assume that both readers and potential readers are generally interested in you and your work, so you can include all kinds of things on a website. However, search engines look for certain words, so the most appropriate ones need to be carefully incorporated into the text on the top 25% of your home page. If author, books, writer, story, literature, Canada, USA and just about anything even remotely related to what you do are part of the web page copy, your site will usually be ranked higher in directory queries.

Here is a great group on facebook called Children's Authors and Illustrators on Facebook. Take a peek and join if you would like. Tell Simon Rose, our wonderful administrator, Kit sent you.

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

Many people are adversely affected each year by the winter blues, and writers are no exception. There are many ways to combat SAD, including antidepressants and other medications, but bright artificial light treatments are common as a means to give the body more exposure to the light that is lacking once winter approaches. For SAD sufferers, shorter days and long nights can initiate depression, excessive fatigue and other issues. Not simply the ‘winter blues’, seasonal affective disorder is recognized as a form of depression, which can have serious consequences.

However, you don’t have to mourn the passing of summer by looking ahead with a sense of impending doom and there are many ways to cope with feelings of lethargy and mood shifts in fall and winter.

Make your home or writing workplace brighter by opening blinds, perhaps even adding extra windows and trim tree branches or bushes close to the house that block sunlight.

If a trip to warmer latitudes isn’t in your budget, get outside as much as you can, taking advantage of the sunshine even on cold winter days. Regular physical exercise can also help with stress relief and prevent the onset of SAD. Feeling more fit makes you feel better about yourself overall and generally improves your mood.

Giving in to those winter blues can also be stressful and lead to overeating, overindulgence in alcohol or other unhealthy pursuits, so you need to take care of your body, watch your diet and get enough sleep.

Make time to relax and get away from your writing once in a while, especially if you work at home. And even if you do suffer from cabin fever, make sure you invite people into that cabin for a tea or coffee on occasion during the winter or at least go to visit theirs. Writing is a solitary and often lonely profession and staying connected with your friends and acquaintances, and not just on-line, is vital if you are to get through the winter.

SAD may be a fact of life for many people out there, but it doesn’t have to be a sad part of your life during the darker winter months, so keep writing and get that book finished. After all, there may be someone in a sunnier place beating you to it.

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

There are undoubtedly many writers who may suffer from SAD and who are as a result less motivated to write in the winter months. And yet, when we think of our ancestors who had no access to artificial light to illuminate the gloom of winter, they still managed to write and their work is no less impressive.

Early Man may have created his cave paintings in the daytime when ferocious wild beasts were less likely to be around. Yet the caves themselves would certainly have been very dark and the pictures painted by the light of a flaming torch.

Fast forward to the classical world of Greece and Rome and the great works of Plato, Aristotle, Virgil and so many others may have been composed at night, with very little illumination.

Monks in the Middle Ages would also have worked all year round and such works as Beowulf or the Anglo Saxon chronicle would never have been written if everyone in the scriptorium had SAD.

But did Shakespeare only write in the spring and summer? Candlelight was his only option if he chose to write his plays and sonnets after the sun had set. The same applied to Samuel Pepys, who we can assume wrote at least a portion of his diary entries in the evening as he recorded his reflections on the day. And Pepys didn’t just write about his experiences in the spring and summer, but throughout the year. And of course Charles Dickens was a prolific writer for twelve months of each year, with only candlelight, oil or gas lamps to enable him to write in all four seasons.

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

The effects of the changing of the season on a person’s mood and energy level, even those people in apparent good health, are well documented and it is common for people living at high latitudes to experience lower energy levels in the winter months, both north and south of the equator.

So how does this affect those engaged in the business of writing?

Are those writers in Canada, the northern USA, Alaska and Scandinavia less prolific in their output in the winter months?

Does the cloud cover in Seattle or Vancouver or the rainy climate in Britain and Ireland reduce the amount of literary work originating in those areas?

Do American writers in Florida create more prose between October and April than their counterparts in Minnesota or the Dakotas?

Is a writer in Australia or South Africa more likely to produce a larger body of work because he or she has the advantage of more sunlight?

Many of us may prefer to escape to the sunnier environment of Mexico or the Caribbean each winter, but would it be to our advantage to live there permanently, in order to become more proficient at our chosen craft?

Is a writer deprived of winter sunshine less likely to write that best selling novel in the colder months than his colleague elsewhere who may have the advantage of more hours of sunshine per year?

If you write for children and/or teenagers – or you yearn to write for them – I’m sure you’ve noticed that paranormal stories AND movies are really, really HOT right now!

Children’s author Simon Rose is a master at creating stories that include all sorts of paranormal elements, and he’s presenting a teleclass this week called Magic and Stories for Children: Part 1 – Fairy Tales and Familar Faces.

Find out more about this exciting LIVE teleclass and how you can register for it here now!

Listen to this Interview with children’s author, and instructor for the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club, Simon Rose on Robin Falls Kids:

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

While its very important to do your own homework in terms of discussing schedules with the teachers, organizing your presentations, planning your topics to fill a week or more as an author in residence, selecting subject matter appropriate to each audience, ensuring that all financial matters are in order and so on, before embarking on a school visit, the experience is usually very rewarding for children’s authors. School visits allow you to talk about your own work, your inspiration, your future projects, answer questions, sell some autographed copies of your books, and present yourself to a entirely new audience or geographic area. Writing in any discipline can be a solitary, even lonely profession, but children’s authors do have the opportunity to visit to schools and libraries, allowing you to connect with your readers on a personal level. Children are also thrilled to meet an author, especially if they are familiar with your work, and if they are not, you will most likely gain a whole new set of readers as a result of your visit to the school.

An author visit can also be very beneficial to the school, inspiring the students and encouraging them in their own writing or just getting them excited about books and reading. You may also help them to explore their own artistic creativity, whether this involves writing, illustration, painting, poetry, sculpture, photography, film or another discipline altogether and ultimately, you may even make a real difference in the lives of some of your readers.

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

Children are almost always inspired when they meet a real life author or illustrator, but it may not always be possible to have an author visit your school. However, why not put technology to work for you? Now you can arrange a virtual author visit via video using Skype. These can be conducted with large groups in a library or gym or with individual classes. You can get an idea of what a virtual visit looks like by viewing my videos in which I talk about my books, my workshops for adults and schools, plus my various services for writers.

Ideally, in preparation for a virtual author visit, students should have read at least one of my books prior to the visit, but can also familiarize themselves with my work by undertaking the Super Scavenger Search. Teachers may also wish to download the word search puzzles related to each novel. Study guides are also available for all my novels and each book can provide teachers with a wide variety of ways to explore projects with their students and class sets of books are available.

To host a virtual author visit, it is necessary to download Skype, which is available for both Windows and Macintosh, and have a webcam. Mac users may also be able to set up a virtual author visit using iChat. Schools also need a projection screen and speakers in the library or gym or wherever the virtual visit takes place. For individual classes, it is possible to connect via laptop computers. You may contact me directly at [email protected] for details on technical requirements and all about exactly how a virtual author visit works. A technical run through a few days prior is also advisable, to ensure that everything runs smoothly on the day of the visit.

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

In addition to school vists in your own city or geographic area, it is also possible to arrange tours to schools in other parts of the country. This can involve a working week in an area, with either full days at five different schools, ten half-day visits or a combination of this.

Such tours can be a challenge to organize, considering the bookings themselves and all the arrangements which will vary from school to school, plus travel, accommodation, meals and so on. However, in the best case scenario, one teacher may make all the arrangements for you, contacting his or her colleagues at other nearby schools, setting up an itinerary, arranging for transportation between venues and even organizing accommodation in someone’s home. At the other end of the scale, you have to set up everything yourself and if hotels and car rental are involved, in addition to air fare, it will be your decision to determine if the trip will be financially viable.

Although the experience is usually exhausting, it can be very worthwhile, with high volumes of book sales at the schools, an increase in your visibility with the children and parents, and very often the local media will take an interest, further raising your profile as an author.

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

If you plan on doing school and library vists, you do, of course, have to let people know that. A website is a must these days and without one, you might as well not exist professionally. The section of your website by which you intend to to secure school visits needs to be enticing and filled with details if you are hoping to get teachers and librarians interested enough to contact you. Details of my school visits are HERE and I also have pages including comments on my appeances at schools from children and teachers, as mentioned last week.

My website has a LIST of all the schools I have ever visted, as well as some libraries, festivals and young writer’s conferences, since many of these also have websites, where a visit that took place several years ago will be archived, which all increases your visibility on the web.

I have information on the books on my website, including the background and influences behind the stories. This can be a good selling point when you are trying get the teachers interested in a visit. The Emerald Curse, for example, is all about the comic book genre and teachers are often very fond of this topic, considered a good way to reach reluctant boy readers. I also have pages devoted to the historical background of The Sorcerer’s Letterbox and The Heretic’s Tomb, since the medieval period is also often of interest to teachers. The Doomsday Mask background page deals with the end of the Second World War, the city of Atlantis, ancient mysteries, crystal skulls and so on. The more interesting you can make your material, the better your chances of attracting someone’s attention. My website has study guides to all my books, as well as puzzles about each novel and an online scavenger search.

I do post articles about my school vists on my own blog periodically to draw people to my website and also regularly post on Facebook, Twitter and other places online about my school and library programs. I also have flyers about all my services, as well as business cards, on my table at any book signing events I do in the run up to Christmas. You never know who might be listening.

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

Sometimes a being bestowing power on the hero of the story may be anything but benevolent, when a verse carved on an ancient tablet can be recited to summon a demon, which will then grant a mortal some kind of magical powers. In this type of story however, the acquisition of powers usually carries a dreadful price, such as the possession of one’s soul, the death of a loved one or something equally drastic, which the demon will return and claim as his fee.

More often, magic is an innate talent that requires training. In the Harry Potter series, Harry’s schooling forms the central part of the series, although wizard education also features in Le Guin’s Earthsea novels. At the onset of the series, Harry Potter casts spells both accidentally and badly before he learns how to perform magic properly, honing his talents at Hogwarts.

Sometimes wizards have their talent from birth, but do not realize it until they hit their teens, with or without special schooling. Even an accident or other event can trigger the powers, although the person needs to be taught how to use their powers correctly by an older mentor, who may have been quietly observing them for years, wondering when their ability would first manifest itself.

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

Magical objects abound in fantasy stories and take a wide variety of forms. They are usually endowed with fabulous powers which can affect memory, cast illusions, disguise people or objects by transforming them into something else, stop or turn back time and so on.

The origin of the object is often shrouded in mystery and, if the creator is actually known, he or she is rarely mentioned. It is also naturally important that the creator of the artifact is not the only person able to use the object, otherwise it would be a largely pointless addition to the story.

Sometimes the object is extremely powerful and highly dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands. Perhaps it is the only object capable of defeating the hero or rendering him defenseless. It may be the means by which the chief villain will be able to conquer the entire world, thus triggering a quest to either obtain the object or destroy it as happens with the ring of power in Lord of the Rings, but has also been a very common theme in many stories since then and continues to be used heavily in fantasy tales in one form or another.

In my fifth novel, The Heretic’s Tomb, Lady Isabella Devereaux comes into the possession of a mysterious amulet that has the power to restore life to the recently deceased. Living at the time of the Black Death in 1349, the noble and virtuous Lady Isabella intends to use the mysterious artifact to cure the relentless disease. However, the villain of the piece, Sir Roger de Walsingham, is also determined to secure the amulet for himself, in order to raise an army of the dead in order to seize the kingdom and make himself King of England.

Tolkien’s tale also features other magical objects such the sword wielded by Frodo which can detect the oncoming presence of orcs, while fans of Harry Potter are familiar with Harry’s invisibility cloak and his marauder’s map, by which he can observe the movements of others in the corridors of Hogwarts.

Wands are wielded by all the leading characters in the Harry Potter series and Gandalf in Lord of the Rings has his trusty staff. Other fantasy tales are imbued with objects of a similar nature. Although the lead character in a fantasy tale may be endowed with magical abilities or have the power to cast spells and enchantments, the fact that a wand, staff or other means is used to help cast the spell also helps the story be more believable. The use of an object to help them, an aid to magic if you like, makes opposition to the magical character, whether good or bad, much more feasible. If the staff or wand is lost or damaged, the wizard is either helpless or at least less powerful, making the story more interesting by adding conflict.

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

Another common theme in stories involving magic features an overwhelmingly powerful spell, which may cause untold damage or destruction if it is miscast. It may be the sole means of salvation for the heroes, but will destroy the entire world if it is used improperly.

We also occasionally learn how magic may incur sacrifices, which could be something simple, such as an adversary’s prized possession or perhaps a sample of hair. Or it could be something far more difficult to obtain, such as a sample of someone’s blood, the claw of a ferocious beast or the tooth of a dragon. The most dramatic examples involve the taking of a life, which also shows up as a recurring theme in magical stories.

Despite the incredible powers wielded by wizards, the ability to conquer death is rarely present. The inevitability of death is crucial to make the story more exciting. If the hero can be killed, only to be resurrected at the slightest opportunity like the characters in a video game, the story loses all credibility. The hero has to be in significant danger of destruction or the reader will not be sufficiently interested to turn the page in order to learn what may happen to their hero in the next chapter.

A weekly column from children’s author Simon Rose

Magical stories can feature beings that are able to access the mind of their adversary to determine their deepest fears to learn what really scares them and thus immobilize them at a crucial moment. This may not necessarily immobilize physically, but mentally render someone incapable of any resistance. Sometimes this is only for a limited time, giving the hero precious time to escape and replenish his energy or allowing the villain the chance to slip away to fight another day.

Another common weakness exists in magical powers that are ineffective against a particular thing or in a particular situation. This can be something simple or commonplace, such as water, fire, certain colours and so on.

Another device commonly used in stories is magical books, from which the hero or villain derive their powers. In this case, the power actually come from the spells in the book rather than from within the person’s body, so power can be restricted, if only temporarily, by denying the person access to the books. Of course they may have studied hard to memorize the enchantments, but a story of this type is usually a classic quest tale where the plot revolves around the plan to steal the book or destroy it to finally vanquish the villain.

My guest today is Canadian children's author Simon Rose. His novels include The Doomsday Mask, The Heretic's Tomb, The Emerald Curse, The Clone Conspiracy, The Sorcerer's Letterbox, and The Alchemist's Portrait. He's also a contributing author to The Complete Guide to Writing Science Fiction: Volume One and founded the almost legendary networking group Children's Authors and Illustrators on Facebook. Here's what Simon has to say about his work.



CA: Welcome, Simon. Let's begin by learning a little about your books.

SR: My books are in the science fiction and fantasy genre for middle grades, around ages eight to twelve. You can see full details of each of them, including excerpts and synopses (and you can even listen to recording of my readings) at the Books page at simon-rose.com.

The Alchemist's Portrait is a time-travel story, in which Matthew journeys through the centuries using magical paintings which act as doorways into the past, in order to save the world from the clutches of an evil alchemist. The Sorcerer's Letterbox, another time-travel tale, is based on the famous mystery of the Princes in the Tower about Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York, who were supposedly murdered on the orders of Richard III in 1483. The Clone Conspiracy is a science fiction thriller involving clandestine laboratories and secret experiments, while The Emerald Curse, based on my own reading of comic books while growing up, concerns Sam's adventures in a bizarre, and at times deadly, superhero universe. The Heretic's Tomb is set in the medieval period once again, this time during the Black Death in 1349.
My latest novel, The Doomsday Mask, was published in the spring. It's once again for ages 8–12 and in the science fiction and fantasy genre. It's a fast-paced adventure about ancient civilizations, mysterious artifacts, and shadowy secret societies.


CA: How long have you been writing books for children?

SR: One of the best things about writing for kids is that I can write about the kinds of things that fascinated me when I was young. Stories can be very imaginative if they are for children, which makes writing them so much fun. And, of course, in science fiction or fantasy, more or less anything you can imagine is possible, as you craft stories involving ancient mysteries, the unexplained, the paranormal, science fiction, time travel, parallel universes, alternate realities, weird and wonderful characters, and a multitude of "what if" scenarios.
Once I had children of my own, I came into contact with children's books again for the first time in many years. Picture books initially, of course, but then early chapter books and novels. When I decided to try my hand at writing novels and stories, I found myself drawn to the types of things I used to read as a child. I read lots of science fiction, as well fantasy writers and ghost stories while growing up. I also read a tremendous number of comic books, in which the stories took me across the universe, into strange dimensions, into the land of the Norse gods or had me swinging from the New York rooftops. At high school, I studied a lot of history and have retained my interest in the subject up to the present day. I also read voraciously on ancient civilizations, mysteries, the supernatural, and the unexplained.

CA: Do you offer school and library visits?

SR: Yes, I offer a wide range of presentations, workshops, and author-in-residence programs for schools and libraries. I cover such topics as where ideas come from, story structure, editing and revision, character development, time-travel stories, history, and research. You can learn more about them here and I offer study guides for all the books.
I also conduct virtual author visits via video using the Skype network, and you can get some idea of how it works from my videos on YouTube.

I also offer workshops for adults, both in person and online, as well as online workshops for children, which are proving very popular. I did a lot of work in summer camps this year, some of which you can learn about here. In addition, here in Calgary I work as a writing instructor with home school children, the local school board's continuing education program, the University. I am also an instructor with the National Writing for Children Centre and will be presenting at schools libraries in the UK as part of the Off the Shelf Festival of Writing and Reading this fall.

CA: What are you working on now?

SR: I have another completed novel on a paranormal theme which I am seeking a home for, if there are any interested editors and publishers reading this. I'm working on a number of editing projects for other writers, have numerous projects of my own for future novels, and I am collaborating on several picture books with a local illustrator. In addition to novel writing, I offer copywriting services for business, such as editorial content for websites. I have a few of those types of projects, as well as upcoming articles for magazines and online publications on a wide variety of topics, such as the articles written for Dark Roasted Blend on a bewildering variety of incredible and fantastic topics You can search or my articles on the Dark Roasted Blend home page.
I'm also involved in a large local event set for the fall called the Calgary Children's Book Fair and Conference.

CA: Any advice for aspiring children’s writers?