Non-Fiction Titles - Olympic Torch

Olympic Torch is part of the Weigl Educational Publishers Canadian Icons series and is suitable for grades 1 to 3. 

Along with the famous colourful Olympic Rings, the Olympic Flame and torch are the greatest symbol of the Olympics. The burning flame represents peace, hope and equality for the whole world. So far, the Olympic Games have been held in Canada three times, in 1976, 1988 and 2010.

The Canadian Icons series explores the various symbols that have shaped the nation's identity. This book looks at the history of the Olympic Torch and its role in Canada. 

Non-Fiction Titles - Loonie

Loonie is part of the Weigl Educational Publishers Canadian Icons series and is suitable for grades 1 to 3. 

The Canadian one-dollar coin was first introduced in Canada on June 30, 1987. It replaced the one dollar bill, which was taken out of circulation completely in 1989. The coin is called a Loonie because it features a picture of a common loon, a well-known Canadian bird on the opposite side to the picture of the Queen. 

The series explores the various symbols that have shaped the nation's identity. This book explores how the Loonie came to be developed and how it still plays a role in the life of Canadian today. 

Non-Fiction Titles - Belugas

Belugas is part of the Weigl Educational Publishers Canadian Animals series and is suitable for grades 2 to 4. 

Canadian Animals offers early readers a compelling look at the animal world. Every book explores the life span, habitat, and family life of an animal in the wild. Colourful and captivating, each volume reveals fascinating facts about the animal’s development and behaviour, delves into folklore, and touches on conservation efforts. Website links connect readers to relevant, child-friendly Internet content. 

Non-Fiction Titles - Remarkable People: Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela is part of the Remarkable People series from Weigl Educational Publishers. 

Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa on May 10, 1994, after spending twenty-seven years in prison for his political activism. Even in prison, he was a powerful symbol of the anti-apartheid movement to both the black population of South Africa and within the international community. Over the years, Mandela was offered his freedom several times, providing that he renounced the use of violence, but he always refused, famously stating, “only free men can negotiate. Prisoners cannot enter into contracts.”

Non-Fiction Titles - Remarkable People: Aung San Suu Kyi

Part of the Remarkable People Series from Weigl Educational Publishers. Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the leading figures in the popular movement for democracy in Myanmar, the South East Asian country formerly known as Burma. She is inspired by the teachings of Mohandas Ghandi and Martin Luther King and is a devout Buddhist, believing that non-violent resistance will one day bring peace and democracy to her country.

Naming Your Characters - Stereotypes

Try your best to avoid stereotypes when creating the names of people in your stories, although admittedly this depends on the story and what you are trying to portray. A scatterbrained scientist might have a quirky name if he is being used for comic relief, for example. However, it can be tough for the reader to take him seriously if at some stage in the story he has a role in saving the day or has to deliver some important dialogue. And don’t forget names that tend to fit certain genres. Texas Pete and Wild-eyed Jack might be very well suited to a Western, but totally out of place in a romance novel, where names like Dexter T Barrington or Elektra Delicious are more likely to appear. Okay, Elektra Delicious is a little ridiculous, but you get the idea. And finally, avoid the temptation to invent really different sounding names for aliens or people from the far future or even those that inhabit fantasy kingdoms. T’paldrhyl or Xydridalt might sound just great as the names of the wise counselor of your magical realm or the commander in chief of the alien fleet approaching earth, but if the reader is struggling with the pronunciation every time the character makes an appearance or utters a sentence, this is definitely going to detract from your telling of a good story.

As a final note on the subject of creating names for your stories, even though you’ve spent hours days, weeks or even months coming up with just the right ones, don’t be offended if one of your readers tells you that although they loved the story, they hated the names of the characters. Everyone has different life experiences and consequently have memories, both good and bad, of someone who has the same name as your hero or heroine. You’re never going to please everyone, so focus on choosing names that you feel are a perfect for your characters. After all, it’s your story. 

Naming Your Characters - Reality Check

When selecting names for your characters, you can of course borrow and adapt names from famous people, especially if those particular names will be a good fit for the person in your story. However, you’d be unwise to use a name that will be too familiar to people and make them immediately think of a particular historical person, who may or may not have anything in common with this fictional person you’ve created. Even if Roosevelt or Churchill are heroes of yours, unless the narrative is related to them, it might be best to avoid these names and use something else. It could be similar sounding, but don’t go for an exact copy. Also, even an adapted name could spell trouble if you decided to use the name Bradley Pitt or Thomas Cruise for your hero, since they are clearly identified with real people.

 Even with secondary characters, avoid names that are too similar or even just start with the same letter. For example, if you had a liking for J names, calling your characters Joanna, Justin, James, Josephine and Julia will serve to confuse the reader. These are all good strong names and valid for any story, but not in the same novel. Even steer away from having heroes and villains with similar names, especially when there are so many names in the world to choose from. If your hero is called John, why called the villain Johnson? And many writing tipsters will tell you to avoid transgender names for the key characters in the same story. If your heroine is Samantha or Patricia, don’t call the hero Patrick or Samuel, since these names are all abbreviated in the same way. Even if the heroine is Jamie and the hero Chris, this can cause the reader to become confused, lost or just disinterested and put the book down, which is the last thing you want to happen.

Nice Review of The Time Camera in CM Magazine, January, 2012

Here's a nice review of The Time Camera in CM Magazine published the Manitoba Library Association



excerpt:

“It’s a camera,” Lydia said.

“It’s not a type I’m familiar with,” Jake said.

Like any digital camera, it had a screen on the back, but there were more buttons than usual. The controls were unfamiliar to Jake. “I can’t even tell which of these buttons is supposed to turn it on.

But as Jake tried pressing different buttons, the screen suddenly activated. “Okay,” he said, “let’s see if it works.”

Lydia stood in front of the desk. Jake aimed the camera at her and took a picture. However, when he pressed what looked like the display button, a different image appeared on the screen. It was not Lydia. Eleanor was standing where Lydia should have been, working at her desk.

“That’s weird,” he murmured

Lydia Chamberlain’s mom was a scientist who died while trying to conceal a secret from her research partner. The explosion that took her life consumed her confidential paperwork, but her laptop and camera were protected. They were in a safe place. When Lydia and her friend Jake find these items years later, they discover the danger behind her research in time photography involved someone they trusted. The pair try to conceal their discovery from ‘Uncle’ Magnus, but it’s impossible to hide a secret from someone when that person can also manipulate time.
      With a turn of a camera knob, Albertan author Simon Rose (The Alchemist’s Portrait, The Doomsday Mask) takes readers back to the past and into the future. When Jake and Lydia have the camera in their possession, they see the impossible; Paris in the eighteenth century; a crime before it’s about to happen, and someone who’s already dead. There are no illustrations in this book, but the chapters containing excerpts from Eleanor Chamberlain’s research highlight the suspenseful moments. This story will have children thinking about the good, and bad things, that could happen in a world where time travel is possible.


Recommended.
Tanya Boudreau is a librarian at the Cold Lake Public Library in Cold Lake, AB.

Naming Your Characters - Past Popularity

Selecting the right name for a historical era is just as important even if setting your story in more recent times. Baby name books and websites can give you an insight into names from the Middle Ages, but they can also give you an idea of names that were popular with parents in the early part of the twentieth century. If you have a story which takes place in the Second World War and are unsure of the names that were prevalent then, a quick check of the baby names popular between 1910 and 1920 would give you an idea of the names borne by adults in their twenties and thirties during the war. Writers often make the mistake of giving their characters names that are popular today, but would not have been used years ago. If your story is set in the present day and you make use of a name that is currently abundant in elementary and high schools, although your character is supposed to be thirty five, it’s going to seem a little out of place, to say the least. You need to check the baby name lists of thirty years ago to obtain the best fit. A story set in the sixties needs to take into account names that were given to babies born during World War Two as well.

Even among the exotic and unusual names we see very often today, some names for children never seem to go out of fashion, such as Michael, Matthew, Christopher, Emily, Sarah or Samantha. Others come back after a long absence, such as William, Henry or Harry, although others from the same era seem to be stuck in the past, such as George or Albert. However, it’s important to remember that with certain names for both male and female characters, we immediately picture someone of a certain age. For example, Brian, Keith, Gary, Christine, Sharon, Carol and Linda are now firmly in the realm of people over forty-five or fifty. These names may make a comeback of course, as other names have in the past, but for now, these are the names of parents or grandparents, depending on the age of your main protagonists. 

Naming Your Characters - Historical Eras

Another important consideration when creating names for your characters in a story set in the medieval period is that there were a limited number of Christian names in use in the Middle Ages. Men would have been known as Henry, Thomas, William, John, Richard, Robert, Roger, Edward and a few others that are familiar, in addition to names that are not as common today, such as Walter or Hugh. For women, names appear to be even more limited, with many ladies being called Elizabeth, Mary, Anne, Margaret and some that are now uncommon, such as Joan or Matilda. Consequently, it’s vital to choose the right name for the right time period. Obviously, you won’t use a very modern name for your medieval character, but you also don’t want your story that is set in 1300 to be littered with names that weren’t used widely until the mid-fifteen century. The same applies to stories set in the late eighteen century and Napoleonic era, when names like Charlotte, Cassandra, Louisa, Charles, James and others, which are less popular today, were very much in favour. An examination of the names used in novels of the period, such the works of Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, is a good starting point for this, but websites are again an excellent source for this era. 

Writing Classes for Children in North Calgary March/April

Time Travel Tales - Classes with Northern Hills Community Association in Panorama Hills and at Cardel Place - March 3 to April 7, 10.00 am to 11.30 am

In these classes, children create their own short time travel stories, complete with a time machine, method or device. We will discuss their time travel methods, the time period chosen, the story premise and see how much attention they have paid to accurate historical research to make their story more authentic and to crafting a plausible means of traveling in time. They will then create a title for their story and a concise, attention-grabbing back cover for their potential book. We also explore how to write gripping fiction, in terms of attention grabbing back covers, page turning beginnings and cliffhanger endings.

Classes run from March 3 to April 7 from 10.00 am to 11.30 am. Classes are held on March 3, 10, 17 and 24 at Panorama Hills E-community Center, 88 Panamount Hill NW, Calgary AB and on March 31 and April 7 at Cardel Place, 11950 Country Village Link NE, Calgary AB.

Call 403 226 6422 to register over the phone. Costs are $50 for Northern Hills Community Association and $75 for non members. Payment is due at the time of registration.

The Future of the Writing Profession?

Here's an interesting story about the future of at least some aspects of the writing profession. 

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/forbes-among-30-clients-using-computer-generated-stories-instead-of-writers_b47243#more-47243

Some companies are using computer-generated stories instead of employing writers, with technology that creates 'rich narrative content from data'. No word yet on if the computer will be composing a best selling novel, but sports stories, financial reports, real estate analyses, local community content, polling and elections content, advertising campaign summaries, sales and operations reports and market research are just some of the types of writing that could easily be composed electronically.

School Programs - Author Visits, Workshops and Presentations

An author visit to a school can be highly inspirational, inviting children to unlock their own creative potential, whatever form that may take, and encouraging them in their own writing. Younger students especially are almost always thrilled to meet a published author, particularly if they have read their books.

I offer a wide variety of presentations for grades three to eight, but can work with grades one and two as well. I cover such topics as where ideas come from, story structure, editing and revision, character development, time travel stories, history and research, plus many other aspects of the writing and publishing world. I will present to around one hundred students at a time, although the smaller the audience the more participation from children, as a rule. We can also look at workshops with smaller groups or individual classes. I am very flexible and able to modify material in consultation with teachers and librarians. 

For my Author in Residence program, I can be at your school for a week or longer. This allows me to cover certain topics in much more depth than would be possible during a regular author visit. I have also worked on playwriting with the Calgary Arts Summer School. Each of my novels can provide teachers with a wide variety of ways to explore projects in the classroom with their students and you may find some suggestions on the Study Guides and Classroom Resources page and class sets of books are also always available from my online store.

For a list of available presentations, visit the Presentations and Workshops page. However, please note that this list is by no means exhaustive and I am very adaptable. I am always pleased to work with teachers and librarians to build a group of sessions best suited to your students. Contact me directly for details of fees and availability for school and library presentations at info@simon-rose.com.

Naming Your Characters - Time and Place

As well as personifying a set of personality traits, or conjuring up images of a famous person, names can also be related to class or social status and also to the person’s ethnicity. If you’re setting a story in a particular country and you’re not familiar with that part of the world and its first and last names, do your research. There is no shortage of websites these days on surnames popular in Ireland, Germany, France or most other countries. After all, if your book is set in Ireland, or even in the Irish community in a North American city, how many readers are going to take it seriously if the hero is called Carlos Fernandez and the heroine is Heidi Bergmann?

The era of your story is also of crucial importance, whether this is set in the distant past or in relatively recent times. Names that are popular today were not in such abundance in earlier eras and in some cases may not even have existed at all. In medieval England, for example, surnames were not used until well into the twelfth century. When they did come into everyday use, they were often at first based on a person’s occupation such as Carpenter, Smith, Cooper, Cartwright and so on. Some surnames were related to the aristocratic estate where the person worked. Other names were derived from geographic features, such as wood, brook or hill and of course the word ‘son’ began to appear at the end of names, which is where we get surnames such as Johnson, Jackson, Williamson and so many others. There seems to have been a lack of standardization until sometime in the seventeenth century, by which time surnames were well established.

Writers Help and Advice: Coaching Program for Writers

Writing is by nature a solitary occupation and can be a lonely business, without the benefit of hordes of cheering fans on the sidelines. A professional writing coach is someone with whom you can consult, ask questions, send your work to and receive constructive feedback, a guide to help you with your writing as you try to build your career as a professional writer. A writing coach can help you conquer a stumbling block, help you to regain momentum and get back to your writing or make a start on a new project. 

My coaching program is designed to help you progress as a writer. You decide what you want to work on during a personalized, one on one relationship. For example, I can be your coach for just one month or we can establish a month-to-month arrangement, depending on your schedule and expectations. Just a few examples of topics we can cover during the coaching period are point of view, creating characters, developing dialogue, story structure, editing and revision, marketing and promotion and submissions to publishers. However, I am very flexible and happy to discuss your own unique requirements and areas where you feel that you may need the most help. 

In addition to coaching, on my website you can learn more about my other services for writers, such as online workshops for adults, manuscript evaluation and online workshops for children and young adults.

Online Writing Workshops for Children and Young Adults

With my Online Workshops for Children and Young Adults, through a series of e mail assignments, details of which are available here, 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. A set of workshops can be started at any time. Following registration, all assignments are sent by e mail and are completed at your own pace, to be sent to me by return e mail. There is no time limit and participants may take as long as they wish to complete their full set of workshops.

Check out Online Workshops for Children and Young Adults today.

Naming Your Characters - Getting it Right

Often the longer a person’s name, the more we think they might be educated, confident, accomplished or possess many other desirable qualities in a hero or heroine. For example, if you want a strong male character in your novel, will you go with Alexander Wainwright or Tom Smith? If your female character is a sophisticated, well educated, statuesque beauty, will she be known as Elizabeth Castlewood or Susan Jones?

J K Rowling also had these things in mind, when creating the names for both the heroes and villains that inhabit the Harry Potter universe. Professor Severus Snape, for example, is a perfect name for the man who symbolizes Slytherin house. It also seems highly appropriate for a serpentine, snake in the grass kind of person that you will never truly trust, no matter how much faith Dumbledore seems to have in him. Malfoy, according the Rowing, means bad faith in old French. However, this is relatively unimportant, since just the sound of this name is enough to personify an evil or at least highly unlikable character. Names are very important and you only get one chance to make a first impression, so make sure you make the right choice.

School Programs - Author in Residence

For my Author in Residence program, I can be at your school for a week or longer. This allows me to cover certain topics in much more depth than would be possible during a regular author visit. We can also look at working with the students on a specific project.

A week in residence can be designed however you would like, to best meet the needs of the students. Here's what a week could look like, based on a school where I spent five days working with students from grade one through seven. However, this is just an example and I am very flexible and happy to discuss your schools unique requirements with you.

K/1/2 Story Creation

This highly interactive presentation explores story structure relating to the creation of a well-defined beginning, middle and end. Using a series of seemingly unrelated objects, students participate in creating a story in what is always a lively and fun filled session. Although this exercise is done as a group, afterwards students are so enthusiastic that they want to create their own illustrations to go with the story and expand on the narrative that we have created together. In the weeks after my visit, some schools have added the children’s pictures to the story, as they create their own books and design covers for them. These have often been displayed in the classroom or sent home to parents.

Grade 3 Fantasy Realms and Creatures

In two sessions, we discuss the elements of fantasy and the many creatures and characters that inhabit the fantasy realm. In The Emerald Curse, the main villain has created monsters in his laboratory, combining some of the most fearsome creatures on earth. Most students are very familiar with monsters and strange creatures from mythology, books and movies and really enjoy the workshop where they get to invent their own unique mythological creature along with its powers, enemies, diet, habitat and the fantasy kingdom where it lives.

Grade 4 Superheroes

The Emerald Curse involves a young boy who is propelled into a strange comic book dimension, to save his grandfather, the world's greatest comic book artist and writer. The novel was influenced by the comic books and superhero adventure stories I read whilst growing up. In two sessions, we explore the superhero genre, before students create their own superhero, complete with costumes, powers, secret identity, headquarters, friends, family and one or more archenemies. They are also encouraged to draw their creation and some may even write a short story.

Grade 5/6/7 Time Travel, Historical Fiction and Writing Strategies

The Heretic's Tomb, The Sorcerer's Letterbox and The Alchemist's Portrait are time travel stories. These sessions look at where ideas come from and how writers turn them into stories. We examine how history has served as inspiration for authors and filmmakers and learn about the importance of historical research. Students will then invent their own time machine or device, paying attention to detail and to the need for authentic historical settings. We also explore how to write gripping fiction and cliffhanger endings.

Grade 8 The Shape of Things to Come

The events described in The Clone Conspiracy may be science fiction, but cloning has become very much science fact in recent years. These sessions examine how much technology has developed in the last one hundred years, how the pace of change has rapidly accelerated in recent decades and challenges students to contemplate what types of technology we may expect to see in the century to come.

Grade 9 People Plotting: Creating Memorable Characters

Without people there is no plot and characters are at the heart of any story. In these workshops, we explore where writers get ideas for the people in their stories, the many methods of creating strong characters and how to use descriptive language to build them. Students invent their own unique characters and also learn how to write effective and engaging dialogue for their creations.

The the above scenario is merely a guideline as to what a week in residence could look like and I am very happy to discuss your school’s unique requirements with you. Contact me directly for details of fees and availability for Author in Residence at info@simon-rose.com.

Fascinating Matchbook Art - The latest article at Dark Roasted Blend

Check out the latest article at Dark Roasted Blend, entitled Fascinating Matchbook Art.

Matches have been part of our lives for well over a hundred years. Everyone is familiar with matchbooks, where the match must be torn away to strike it and the matchbox, where the matches are loosely packed in a cardboard tray. The outer covers of both of these can be decorated with the manufacturers logo or with advertising. Matchbooks were at their peak in the 1940’s and 50’s, when they were popular souvenir items, but they have made something of a comeback recently due to the public interest in retro advertising. 

Fascinating Matchbook Art is now published at Dark Roasted Blend, among the finest locations online to find the weird, the wonderful and the fantastic, crammed with great articles, stunning photography, plus fabulous new content which appears daily.

Naming Your Characters - First Impressions

Thinking of names for the characters in your stories can be very easy for some writers, with the names just popping into your head, while for other it can be a torturous and painstaking experience. Sometimes it may not even be that crucial to get the name just right, but there are a few things to remember when choosing names for the people you invent.

Names very often typify characters and conjure up certain images in the minds of the reader. If you need to know what impression a particular name can give, check out the better baby name books. Many of these types of publications inform you in detail how names mean strength or wisdom or beautiful and so on, but some baby name books refer to famous, and even infamous, people who may have had that name or remind you of characters in movies. Hollywood, of course, has been doing this kind of thing for decades. The given names of Archibald Leach, Marion Morrison, Betty Joan Perske, Norma Jean Baker, Maurice Micklewhite and Gladys Smith were all deemed to be surplus to requirements. To conjure up the right image in the minds of moviegoers, these actors respectively became Cary Grant, John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Caine and Mary Pickford.  

Writing Classes for Children in North Calgary March/April

Time Travel Tales - Classes with Northern Hills Community Association in Panorama Hills and at Cardel Place - March 3 to April 7, 10.00 am to 11.30 am

In these classes, children create their own short time travel stories, complete with a time machine, method or device. We will discuss their time travel methods, the time period chosen, the story premise and see how much attention they have paid to accurate historical research to make their story more authentic and to crafting a plausible means of traveling in time. They will then create a title for their story and a concise, attention-grabbing back cover for their potential book. We also explore how to write gripping fiction, in terms of attention grabbing back covers, page turning beginnings and cliffhanger endings.

Classes run from March 3 to April 7 from 10.00 am to 11.30 am. Classes are held on March 3, 10, 17 and 24 at Panorama Hills E-community Center, 88 Panamount Hill NW, Calgary AB and on March 31 and April 7 at Cardel Place, 11950 Country Village Link NE, Calgary AB.

Call 403 226 6422 to register over the phone. Costs are $50 for Northern Hills Community Association and $75 for non members. Payment is due at the time of registration.

Author Readings at simon-rose.com

People are always interested in hearing an author read from their own work. Children in particular, especially those who have read and enjoyed the novels, are usually captivated when an author reads from their own book during a personal appearance at a school, library, literary festival or other event. 

Here on my website, you can listen to interviews and readings from The Alchemist's Portrait, The Clone Conspiracy, The Emerald Curse and The Heretic's Tomb, recorded on Calgary's CKUA radio network, plus a reading from The Sorcerer's Letterbox, recorded during my appearance at the Winnipeg International Writers Festival.