What genre do you write and why?
My novels are all in the science fiction and fantasy genre. The Sorcerer’s Letterbox and The Heretic’s Tomb are historical
fiction adventures set in medieval England, The
Alchemist’s Portrait is a time travel story, The Emerald Curse is all about superheroes and comic books, The Doomsday Mask is all about the
legend of Atlantis, and The Sphere of
Septimus involves the characters traveling into another world and is in the
same vein as the Harry Potter series,
The Chronicles of Narnia, or Lord of the Rings. Future Imperfect is a technology-driven story featuring mysterious
messages from the future and Flashback
and Twisted Fate are in the
paranormal genre. The Shadowzone
series, published last fall, is a science fiction adventure set in a dark
parallel version Earth.
As writers, we tend to gravitate
toward what interests us. That’s what ‘writing what you know’ really means. I’ve
always been interested in these genres and tend to write the types of stories
that I’d like to read. The novels are also the types of stories that I would
like to have read as a young adult. As writers, we all have our own sources of
inspiration but it’s a lot more fun to write about a topic that interests you.
I also write a lot of nonfiction on a wide range of topics for younger readers,
as well as books featuring tips and advice for aspiring adult writers.
Tell us about your latest book.
The Children’s Writer’s Guide 2 is ideal for writers
not just of books for children and young adults, but also features information
that’s applicable to writers in all genres. The first installment of The Children’s Writer’s Guide has a
wealth of tips and advice, including suggestions regarding how to get started
as a writer, dealing with writer's block, conducting research, choosing
appropriate names for your characters, the editing and revision process, as
well as the world of marketing and promotion.
This second book further explores the writing
process, examining topics such as developing memorable characters, creating
effective dialogue, the importance of book covers, the value of blogging, age
levels and appropriate content for books for children and young adults,
networking, and the process of submitting your work to publishing
houses. In combination with The
Children’s Writer’s Guide, this second book provides invaluable advice and
support for both established and aspiring authors of books for children and
young adults.
What
inspired you to write this book?
The first instalment of the book
came out a few years ago and at the time I had some material left over that
didn’t quite fit. I considered writing a second part to the guide, but didn’t
have anything else to add at the time and as with many other writers, other
projects took priority. However, I did add sections when I had time and finally
late last year I had enough to produce the second book.
Have you
written and published other guides for writers?
Yes, in total I’ve written and
published eight of these types of books. In addition to the two guides for
children’s authors, there’s The Time
Traveler’s Guide, which examines the writing of time travel stories and
historical fiction, The Working Writer’s
Guide, that explores the many ways that people can try to make a living as
a writer, and The Social Media Writer’s
Guide, which features tips and advice about writing online content for
websites and social media. Where Do Ideas
Come From? is all about creating workshops and presentations based on your
books. Exploring the Fantasy Realm
and School and Library Visits for Authors
and Illustrators are very small books and the material also appears in the
first part of The Children’s Writer’s
Guide.
What’s the
most useful tip or piece of advice for writers in this book?
That’s hard to say since there’s
such a wealth of information, but perhaps the sections that examine age levels
for different categories of children’s books and the use of age appropriate material.
Questions about these topics arise quite often during classes and courses when
I’m teaching.
Is it
important for aspiring authors to read books like this?
Yes, I think so. You obviously need
an idea before you can start writing any book, whether it’s fiction or
nonfiction and are largely on your own during the writing process. However,
it’s always good to conduct research and seek out information that might help
you along your journey and both parts of The
Children’s Writer’s Guide are very helpful for writers, and not just those
writing for children and young adults. Much of the information in both books is
very much applicable to writers in all genres, whether for younger readers or
for adults.
What
marketing methods are you using to promote your book?
I’m running some online
advertising, getting on as many book promotion sites as I can, doing blog
tours, promoting the book on social media and featuring it on my website. And
of course, I’m also very grateful to be able to do this interview here on Writers
and Authors.
Did
you learn anything from writing your book that was unexpected?
I don’t think so, except
perhaps realizing just how much work I’ve put in over the years to promote
myself and my work, whether related to the novels, nonfiction books, articles,
or the many services I provide to other authors and the business community. I
was also pleased to discover just how much experience I’ve gained in the
writing and publishing world in the years since I first became an author
Where can a reader purchase your book?
The
Children’s Writer’s Guide 2 available as a paperback on Amazon and as an ebook on
Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. The ebooks are
available in ePub, Kindle, and pdf formats.
Ebook Amazon Kobo Smashwords Barnes and Noble iBooks
Paperback Amazon Barnes and Noble
The Children’s
Writer’s Guide is
also available in all formats at these locations.
Where can people find
out more about you and your writing?
You can learn more on my website at www.simon-rose.com or online at
the following social media sites:
·
Facebook
·
Twitter
·
LinkedIn
·
YouTube
·
Google +
author interview
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Interview
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Jo Linsdell
Simon Rose
The Children’s Writer’s Guide
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1 Comments
Thanks Jo, much appreciated :)
ReplyDeleteI love to hear from you. So feel free to comment, but keep in mind the basics of blog etiquette — no spam, no profanity, no slander, etc.
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