Simon Rose's Blog

The Emerald Curse

Charles Kelly was the world’s greatest comic book artist, until he disappeared without a trace. Two years later, his grandson Sam discovers a mysterious pen in Kelly’s attic studio. Sam is soon propelled into a bizarre dimension, where super villains are all powerful and disturbingly real, and finds himself in a deadly confrontation with an evil entity, imprisoned inside a mystical gemstone since the dawn of time.

“I bought your book The Emerald Curse and it is brilliant and I can’t wait for your next one to come out.”

“You make me get a picture in my head like what’s happening in the story.”

“I like your book very much especially your writing style because its exciting, funny and most of all GREAT!”

“You make me want to read more of your books and write my own books just like yours!”

“There is a lot of action and excitement in your books you also make me want to recommend your book to everyone I know.”

“Thank you for writing this book Simon Rose”

Learn more about The Emerald Curse and read more reviews here on my website.

The post “The Emerald Curse is a very well written and appealing adventure book. Highly recommended.” appeared first on Simon Rose.

My guest today is Canadian science fiction and fantasy author R D Rivers, who’s here to tell us about her latest novel, The Sun and the Moon.

So, tell us what the latest novel’s all about?
The Sun & The Moon is set in the same universe as my previous title, Blood Ties, but is a standalone that takes place in a different county. It has two protagonists, Sorin and Elaine. Elaine is a dhampir, her mother is a vampire her father is human, she does contract work for the country’s government as a sort of liaison between the vampires and humans. Sorin is human who works in a small bookkeeping firm. Through a series of events they meet and Elaine discovers, unbeknownst to Sorin, that he is as the sun is to vampires. Deadly. The head of one of the vampire corporations has decided to become Prime Minister so they team up to stop her.

So, was the inspiration for the books?
I don’t know if I have an inspiration as such. I’m an avid reader, gamer, and watch a lot of tv and movies so I’m sure there’s some ideas from there, but I couldn’t say for sure for this title. For the previous book, there was a bit of influence from some of the games I was playing. I write more as a hobby. When I retired, a lot of people would ask, “What are you going to do?” Writing seemed a natural thing since I worked in the publishing industry for a number of years and was big into the convention scene.

Are there other novels in the series?

I don’t really consider them a series, but all my stories take place in the same universe and have the same MacGuffin. I call the main protagonists ‘Blips’. They come from a different world through various means and end up trying to fit into this one. They all have something small that makes them other. For example, in The Sun & The Moon, Sorin is the sun to vampires. In Blood Ties, there was someone who plunked at the piano in her own world, but wasn’t very good, but became a world class musician in this one. That kind of stuff. Small enough to not be useful to most people but still pretty cool. All my stories have that as the main premise.

Are you active in the local writing community?
No. I used to be big into the Sci fi and Fantasy convention scene. I worked behind the scenes in a number of local ones, including Westercon and World Fantasy when they came to Calgary. I was also one of the founding committee members of When Words Collide but have long since backed away from that.

When do you write?
I’m a morning person. I work best first thing in the morning. I’m usually at my desk at 6:30 a.m. By lunch, I’m ready to move on to non-writing stuff like gaming and reading and other such stuff.

What are you working on now?
I have two titles on the go right now. Again, both are in the same universe as the other two. They are different enough I can work or them concurrently and not mix the stories up. I’m not going to say too much about them just yet as they are still in pretty early stages. I’m still a little bit in the headspace of The Sun & The Moon as it’s only just coming out November 26.

How can people see what you’re up to?
You can follow me on Instagram @rdriverswriter. Ninety percent of my posts are of my cat, although, right now, I’m mostly promoting my new book.

Starting December 1st there will be a Goodreads giveaway of The Sun & The Moon. Unfortunately, with the way Goodreads works, it will be for US readers only.

The Sun & The Moon releases November 26, 2025 in both print and ebook. It’s available pretty much wherever you purchase books (Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble etc) and you can even ask your local bookstore to order you a copy).

The post The Sun and the Moon – The new novel by R D Rivers appeared first on Simon Rose.

Time travel, alternate worlds, and societal sub-cultures are blended into a great plot, and a gripping and relevant read. The environmental stewardship aspect of this story echoes our current day challenges, as do the almost prescient references to a dangerous virus. Characters were well drawn and the reader is cheering for their success. The three books in the series flow smoothly together. A great read for middle school ages and up, to both engage interest and build vocabulary. Highly recommend this series!”

While watching intense flashes of lightning during a violent storm, Ben experiences mysterious and disturbing visions of another world, one very different from his own. In the chain of events that follow, Ben encounters Charlie, a girl from a dark version of Earth, a planet doomed by the effects of environmental catastrophe, where the leaders will stop at nothing to complete their deadly mission.

Shadowzone, along with the other novels in the series, Into The Web and Black Dawn, is available as a paperback and ebook. Learn more here on my website.

The post Shadowzone – “a great read … Highly recommend this series!” appeared first on Simon Rose.

Chapter One: What is time travel?

Time travel is defined as taking place when there is movement between specific points in time. This is achieved in the same way that objects and living things move through space. In fiction, this kind of travel is made possible by the use of a time machine, device, or method. While nothing is carved in stone, I tend to think that time travel involving machinery or some kind of technology should be defined as science fiction while time travel that makes use of magic or similar methods is probably best classified as fantasy. However, these genres frequently overlap, particularly with time travel stories.

Over the years, novels, movies, and TV shows featuring time travel have included methods involving highly sophisticated machinery, scientific laboratories, various items of jewelry, wearable technology, vehicles, ancient artifacts, books, portals and doorways, dreaming, food and drink, and so many more. Time travel stories have featured journeys to the past, the future, and to alternative timelines created when previous events were changed so that they occurred differently, thus affecting what happened next in various different ways. Time travel has long been a theme in books, short stories, TV shows, and movies and shows no signs of declining in popularity anytime soon, although of course only time will tell.

A common theme in time travel tales involves someone being sent into the past by accident. When they arrive at an earlier point in history, the device or machine is somehow broken, fails to operate properly, runs out of power, is misplaced, or is stolen by the story’s villain. The reader is thus left in suspense, wondering if the heroes will be able to return safely to their own time. Of course, the reader most likely believes that the heroes will eventually escape from danger. However, the plot still has to imply that the lead characters might be marooned in the past permanently or that their lives are in jeopardy. In my time travel novels, the main characters always face serious challenges from the moment that they appear to be trapped in a dangerous historical era.

Some time travel stories simply feature an adventure in a different period in order for the characters to experience what life was like. Perhaps the character discovers an old piece of jewelry that sends them back in time when they wear it or adjust it some way. The characters then witness historical events or meet famous people. Many time travel stories concern the consequences of traveling either backward or forward through time. The idea of changing the past, either intentionally or by accident, is a common theme in science fiction and fantasy. When events that have already taken place are altered in some way, what the time traveler knew as the present day has changed when they return home. This might lead to a further adventure to restore things to what’s perceived as normal, depending on the nature of the alterations to the timeline. As you’re probably thinking already, time travel can sometimes be very complicated but the creators of these kinds of stories are aware of the potential issues at the outset and work hard to make their story entertaining, plausible, and realistic. Some stories in the genre concentrate on the paradoxes involved in time travel, such as the well-known grandfather paradox. This is when the time traveler is responsible for the death of his or her own grandfather, meaning that the traveler was never born. If this is the case then how could they have gone back in time to cause their grandfather’s death in the first place? Time travel has lots of issues like this, some of which I examine in Chapter Nine.

Time travel stories involving journeys into the past overlap with the genre of historical fiction. This kind of fiction involves stories that are set in the past. There are no firm rules, but the setting is usually at least fifty years earlier than when the story is written. The setting is a particular period in history and often includes real historical personalities. The story’s main characters are usually fictional, although the social and other conditions of the time are presented accurately. Historical fiction stories usually take place during a significant period in history. In some stories the characters are part of the events taking place but in others the events merely serve as the background to the story. In The Sorcerer’s Letterbox, the story takes place in 1483 and features the aftermath of the Wars of the Roses and the mystery of Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, known as the Princes in the Tower. The princes appear in the story, as does their uncle, King Richard III, along with some other historical characters. In The Heretic’s Tomb, the story takes place during the period of the Black Death in England in the mid fourteenth century. The novel features imaginary characters but also refers to the effects of the Black Death on society, medieval medicine, and living conditions, and to some of the personalities and events of the era. In The Alchemist’s Portrait, Matthew’s time travel adventures take him to Amsterdam in 1666, the French Revolution in 1792, the American Civil War in 1865, and the Russian Revolution in 1917, all of which needed to be portrayed accurately. The Doomsday Mask has scenes that take place in Berlin in May 1945 and the characters needed to fit into that world. In Flashback, Max finds himself in the mid 1990s, not too long ago perhaps, but he still needed to inhabit an environment that’s correctly portrayed. Next, we’ll look at some of the many time travel stories that have appeared in printed form and on screen over the years.

The Time Traveler’s Guide is available as an ebook and as a paperback on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Smashwords and many other locations.

The post What’s it all about? An excerpt from The Time Traveler’s Guide appeared first on Simon Rose.

Looking for the perfect gift?

This Saturday, from 10 am to 4 pm I’ll be signing copies of all my books at Granary Road, just south of Calgary.

Please stop by and and visit to learn more about me and all my books. You can even get your very own signed copy, including the brand new The Order of Excalibur novels.

You can find Granary Road at 226066, 112 Street West, Foothills County, T1S 5S5.

Hope to see you there.

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The Stone of the Seer is an exciting historical fantasy series of adventure novels for young adults, primarily set in the turbulent era of the English Civil War.

“Magic and Historical Fiction Collide – This book combines historical fiction with a world of magic. It is set in the period of the English Civil War and incorporates magic, mystery and witch hunting. This book engages the reader with action and interesting characters. It is the first in a series and will leave the reader looking for book 2.”

“Royal Blood: Book two in the Stone of the Seer is even more exciting than the first story. This historical fantasy book has adventure, action and suspense. Lady Elizabeth Usborne, Kate and Tom are now in London during King Charles trial in 1649. They are still being hunted down by Daniel Tombes, the witch hunter. Their adventures continue with glimpses of the future to guide them. The reader will be left wanting more as each part of the action unfolds. I look forward to the third book, and more magical action.”

“The best finish – The final instalment in the trilogy is the best. New characters, or are they old characters? Time will tell. This story has all the elements of the previous historical fiction novels, but a new timeline. It is still loaded with mystery and intrigue. Action, adventure and mystery all rolled into one. Make sure you read these books in order and finish here with the ultimate revenge.”

The post The Stone of the Seer – Where Magic and Historical Fiction Collide appeared first on Simon Rose.

In your children’s science fiction or fantasy novel, even if the setting is in a different time period, in outer space, or in a world completely unlike our own, it’s imperative that the young characters in the story overcome their adversaries through their own efforts and find solutions to the problems and obstacles that they encounter.

Adult characters can certainly appear in the book, and even assume very large roles in the story, but the main character or characters have to succeed by using their own abilities, even if they’re young children.

Check out some tips and advice in the latest post at Write by the Sea.

The post Children as Heroes in Your Children’s Fiction appeared first on Simon Rose.

The Doomsday Mask

The legendary crystal ceremonial mask of Kulkaan, high priest of Atlantis, was believed to have been endowed with incredible powers. In the ancient civilization’s destruction, the mask was thought to have been shattered and irretrievably lost, eventually being forgotten. Long considered to be a mere myth, the mask’s crystal fragments have now been found and the mask of Kulkaan reassembled, with deadly consequences for all mankind. In a desperate race against time, Josh and Erica must prevent the mask from falling intact into the hands of the shadowy Crystalline Order to save the world from catastrophe.

“Rose takes the reader on a fast-paced adventure through time and legend.  Among other issues, the story confronts the battle of good versus evil and exposes the danger of a hunger for power that threatens to consume everything in its path.”

“Danger lurks everywhere as does the course of history and even prehistory. Juvenile readers from 10-14 will be spellbound by The Doomsday Mask, and they will learn a bit of interesting world history and paleontology along the way. Although The Doomsday Mask may be considered to be science fiction fantasy/adventure, it is solidly grounded in facts of known prehistorical events and speculates from these logically.”

The post The Doomsday Mask appeared first on Simon Rose.

Looking for the perfect gift?

This weekend on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm I’ll be signing copies of all my books at the Lake Bonavista Christmas Craft Fair. The event is being held at Lake Bonavista Community Association, 1401 Acadia Dr SE in Calgary.

Learn all about my many books, including the new The Order of Excalibur novels, as well as about my coaching and editing services for writers and authors.

Hope to see you there.

The post Lake Bonavista Christmas Craft Fair appeared first on Simon Rose.

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.

The post The Children’s Writer’s Guide 2 appeared first on Simon Rose.