The Heretic's Tomb gains another fan

Here's a link to a great online interview by another of my fellow authors, who recently enjoyed my fifth novel, The Heretic's Tomb. http://carmaswindow.blogspot.com/2008/05/author-interview-simon-rose.html Carma writes for children, young adults and aspiring writers and regualrly interviews childrens authors and reviews childrens books on her excellent blog. Thank you Carma and my very best wishes for your future wrting success.

Manchester United - Champions of Europe

Fifty years after the tragedy of the Munich air disaster in 1958 which claimed many of its gifted players, Manchester United won the European Champions League trophy on May 21, 2008, beating fellow English Premier League club Chelsea, after a dramatic penalty shootout in Moscow. 

Manchester United were last crowned European champions in 1999, but first won the trophy in 1968, ten years after the plane crash in Munich that claimed the lives of 23 people, including eight players. The average age of the team was only 23 and after becoming champions of England in 1956 and 1957, United seemed destined to dominate the soccer world for years. Hopes were high in the 1957/58 season for an unprecedented treble of the English League, FA Cup and European Cup, but it was not to be. 

A series of articles and photographs about Manchester United and the tragedy the club experienced at Munich can be found at 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/7226510.stm

Superhero Summer Camp at Calgary Learning Centre

This summer, I am proud to work with Calgary Learning Centre in an exciting series of half day workshops in which camp participants will explore the superhero genre, before creating their very own hero, complete with costumes, powers, origin tale, secret identity, headquarters, friends, family and one or more archenemies. Children will craft a character synopsis, write a short story in the style of a newspaper article describing an action packed incident involving their hero and his deadliest adversary and create their own unique comic book. Calgary Learning Centre provides programs and specialized services for learning disabilities, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) and literacy issues. You may learn more about my camp at Calgary Learning Centre by visiting 

http://www.calgarylearningcentre.com/pdf/uploaded/Superhero%20Camp%20Registration.pdf

The Sorcerer's Letterbox continues to weave magic

I was delighted to recently read a wonderful review of my second novel, The Sorcerer's Letterbox, by my fellow writer Kim Wheedleton of Pennsylvania, who describes herself as a writer, mom, wife, daughter, sister, volunteer and proud Penn Stater. You can read the full review at Kim's blog at http://bugsandbunnies.blogspot.com/2008/05/book-review-sorcerers-letterbox-by.html. Thank you Kim and my very best wishes for your success on the path to publication.

Young Writers Conference - Red Deer, Alberta

May 10, 2008 saw the twentieth anniversary of the Young Writers Conference held at Ecole Oriole Park School in Red Deer, Alberta. I was once again pleased to be part of the conference, hosting sessions with nine and ten year old students from a number of schools in the Red Deer area. My workshops this year covered such topics as time travel, character creation and the superhero genre with three groups of enthusiastic and talented young authors.

Calgary Arts Binder - A resource for educators

Calgary's Arts Education Action Committee is a volunteer committee of educators, artists and arts organizations dedicated to ensuring that students are able to access the many rich and diverse arts opportunities that are on offer in Calgary and the surrounding area. The AEAC website allows teachers to investigate the wide variety of art experiences available for their students. To learn more about the AEAC visit http://www.artsbinder.com/user/48

Interior Author's Group in Kamloops BC

During my recent visit to Kamloops BC, I was delighted to meet with members of the Interior Author's Group and enjoyed a wonderful evening of unbridled literary discussion with President Brenda Grate and Vice President Ted Joslin. The Interior Author's Group is an informal group of authors, illustrators and those merely curious about getting their work into print, and all are welcome, from beginners to well established and published writers. Monthly meetings take place at the Kamloops Art Gallery and often include guest speakers and presentations by group members and industry professionals. You can learn more about the Interior Author's Group at http://www.interiorauthorsgroup.com/