This week I interviewed children's book author, Simon Rose. Read on to find out about this interesting author.
- A bit about yourself.
My first novel for middle grade
readers, The Alchemist’s Portrait, was published in 2003 followed by The
Sorcerer’s Letterbox in 2004, The Clone Conspiracy in 2005, The Emerald Curse
in 2006, The Heretic’s Tomb in 2007, The Doomsday Mask in 2009 and The Time
Camera in 2011. I’m also a contributing author to The Complete Guide to Writing
Science Fiction Volume One, have written many non-fiction books for younger
readers with Weigl Educational Publishers and Capstone and work as a writer
for Dark Roasted Blend magazine.
I offer a wide variety of
presentations, workshops and author in residence programs for schools, covering
such topics as the writing process, editing and revision, where ideas come from
and how writers turn them into stories, character development, historical
fiction and historical research, story structure, the publishing world and
more. I also offer virtual author visits by video using Skype.
I work as a creative writing instructor
for students throughout the year and at summer camps each July and August, am
an instructor for adults with the University of Calgary and
Mount Royal University and offer a variety of online
workshops for both children and adults.
I’m a regular presenter at conferences and
festivals, and served as a juror for the Governor General’s Award for
Children’s Literature, the Saskatchewan Book Awards, the Parsec Awards and the
Sunburst Award. I’m the founder of Children’s Authors and Illustrators on
Facebook and served as the Assistant Regional Advisor for SCBWI Western Canada.
I offer a number of services for
writers, including manuscript evaluation, editing, writing workshops and
coaching, plus copywriting services for the business community. Full details
can be found at www.simon-rose.com. You may also visit my blog at
simon-rose.blogspot.com, my channel on YouTube, follow me on Twitter or become a
fan on Facebook.
- Published Works.
The Alchemist’s Portrait ISBN 1896580297
Published by Tradewind Books, Vancouver BC, May 2003
Novel Children/YA
The Sorcerer’s Letterbox ISBN 1896580521
Published by Tradewind Books, Vancouver BC, April 2004
Novel Children/YA
The Clone Conspiracy ISBN
1896580807
Published by Tradewind Books, Vancouver BC, June 2005
Novel
Children/YA
The Emerald Curse ISBN
1896580904
Published by Tradewind Books, Vancouver BC, April 2006
Novel Children/YA
The Heretic’s Tomb
ISBN 1896580920
Published by Tradewind Books, Vancouver BC, October 2007
Novel Children/YA
The Complete Guide to
Writing Science Fiction Part One (Contributor)
ISBN 1896944396
Published by Dragon Moon Press, Calgary, Alberta, September 2007
Fiction Anthology Adult
The Doomsday Mask ISBN 1896580197
Published by Tradewind Books, Vancouver BC,
June 2009
Novel Children/YA
The Time Camera ISBN
1896580098
Published by Tradewind Books, Vancouver BC, 2011
Novel Children/YA
Amazing Animals – Belugas
ISBN 9781553886747
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2010
Children Non-fiction
Canadian Icons – Loonies
ISBN 9781770715790
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2010
Children Non-fiction
Remarkable People – Nelson
Mandela ISBN 9781616901721
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2010
Children Non-fiction
Canadian Icons – Canada’s
Olympic Torch ISBN 9781770715806
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2010
Children Non-fiction
Remarkable People – Aung San Suu Kyi ISBN 978-1616908331
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2011
Children Non-fiction
Meteors ISBN
978-1616906344
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2011
Children Non-fiction
Sources of Light ISBN
978-1616908362
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2011
Children Non-fiction
What is Light? ISBN 978-1616908386
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2011
Children Non-fiction
Sea Urchins ISBN
978-1616906917
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2011
Children Non-fiction
Colosseum ISBN 978-1619132498
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2012
Children Non-fiction
Army ISBN 978-1619132917
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2012
Children Non-fiction
Navy ISBN 978-1619132931
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2012
Children Non-fiction
Air Force ISBN 978-1619132924
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2012
Children Non-fiction
Marine Corps ISBN 978-1619132948
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2012
Children Non-fiction
Coast Guard ISBN 978-1619136304
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2012
Children Non-fiction
CN Tower ISBN 978-1770714830
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2012
Children Non-fiction
Parliament Hill ISBN 978-1770714823
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2012
Children Non-fiction
Confederation Bridge ISBN 978-1770714847
Published by Weigl Educational Publishers, Calgary AB,
2012
Children Non-fiction
The Split History of World War II: A Perspectives
Flip Book
ISBN 978-0756545697
Published by Compass
Point Books, 2012
Children Non-fiction
- Latest Project.
As of the fall of 2012, I’m working on a number of
non-fiction projects, doing quite a lot of teaching and workshops, but also
completing a fantasy novel for middle grade readers that will be published in
2013.
- This business has so many ups and downs. Why pursue it?
I enjoy writing and, so far at least, have had no shortage of new
ideas for stories. I also like connecting with readers who’ve enjoyed the books
and with other authors. As a professional writer, you have to expand your
horizons, write in a number of different fields and engage in marketing and
promotion. I write a lot of non-fiction books, do a lot of coaching, online
workshops, classes for children and adults, as well as visit schools and summer
camps. I also offer writing services for a wide range of industries and market
segments and offer a variety of copywriting services including website content,
blogs and newsletters, social media including Facebook and Twitter, brochures,
direct mail, sales letters, press releases, newspaper and magazine advertising.
It certainly does have ups and downs, but in many ways so does everyday life.
- Why do you write for children?
The best thing about writing for children is that it allows me to
write about the kinds of things that used to fascinate me when I was young. I
often think I write for the boy I was aged about nine or ten years old. For
most of us, it’s a lost, magical time before we grew up. Even if we have
children of our own, it’s difficult to remember just how things felt when we
were young. And of course, the stories can be very imaginative if they’re for
children, which makes writing them so much fun.
- Most difficult project to date? What made it so difficult?
I’m not sure really, but the first novel was a challenge,
perhaps only because it was the first one. There was a lot of editing and
revision, as you’d expect, but it was all worth it in the end. Some of the
non-fiction books involved a lot of research too, but you do learn a lot
writing them, especially about topics that you’re initially unfamiliar with.
However, they’re still a lot of fun to write.
- What authors have inspired you?
I can’t think of any in particular, although I’ve always
enjoyed the science fiction and fantasy genre. I’ve usually liked books for the
story rather than the author, the same way that I like a movie for the story
rather than the actors. As we all know, even your favourite actors don’t always
appear in quality movies, perhaps as a result of a poor script or an inadequate
supporting cast. For me, it’s the same with books. I may have enjoyed a novel,
but then have been disappointed with something else by the same author. I was
also initially inspired by authors who did more than just write books and
conducted extensive marketing and promotion, offered workshops for schools,
services to writers and so on.
- Advice for less seasoned writers.
Writing is in some ways the easy part. It
can be a very long process not only to write a book, but also to get it
published. A book is a marathon measured in years rather than weeks or months.
Don’t be afraid to revise and revise over and over again. Most authors go
through many revisions before their work reaches its final format. Remember too
that your book will never be to everyone’s taste, so don’t be discouraged. A
firm belief in your own success is often what’s necessary. After all, if you
don’t believe in your book, how can you expect other people to?
Read as much as you can and write as
often as you can. Keep an ideas file, even if it’s only a name, title, sentence
or an entire outline for a novel. You never know when you might get another
piece of the puzzle, perhaps years later. You also mustn’t forget the
marketing. You may produce the greatest book ever written. However, no one else
is going to see it if your book doesn’t become known to potential readers. Be
visible as an author. Do as many readings, signings and personal appearances as
you can. Get your name out there and hopefully the rest will follow. Especially
for newly published authors, books don’t sell themselves and need a lot of
help.
- Anything that you’d like to add.
In addition to all the books, I offer services
for writers including coaching, manuscript editing and evaluation, plus
online workshops for children
and for adults.
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. In my program, you decide what you want to work on during a
personalized, one on one relationship. I can be your coach for just one month
or we can establish a month-to-month arrangement.
The online workshops are designed to help you progress as a
writer. Through a series of email assignments, we explore where ideas come from
and how to turn them into stories, basic story structure, plot development,
creating characters, developing dialogue and more to help develop writing
ability.
- How can readers and writers contact you?
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