Parallel Destiny

My guest today is Simon Rose, author of many novels and nonfiction books for children and young adults. His latest novel, Parallel Destiny, has just been released.

 




So tell us about the new book 

Parallel Destiny is the third part of the paranormal Flashback trilogy. The first installment, entitled Flashback, was published in 2015 and the second, Twisted Fate, was published in 2017.

The trilogy features ghosts, psychics, alternate timelines, parallel universes, and Project Mindstorm, a secret operation involving deadly mind control experiments, as Max and Julia investigate events concealed for over twenty years. 

Parallel Destiny takes place immediately after the events depicted in Twisted Fate. Project Mindstorm no longer exists and Kane and his associates no longer represent a danger. However, Max and Julia now have to contend with the sinister Alastair Hammond and his experiments into the existence of parallel universes and alternate realities. Marooned within a bewildering series of multiple universes, Max and Julia are forced to fight for their own survival and to save the very fabric of reality from Hammond’s deadly scheme.

Will there be any more books in the series?

I’m not sure. Right now I’m not planning on any more since the story has reached a logical conclusion. However, Flashback was originally going to be a single novel and I didn't consider sequels until later, so you never know. I think there’s certainly some potential to write something else in this genre featuring the two main characters, but I guess time will tell.

You don’t seem to have any shortage of ideas. Where do you get them all from?

Ideas come from anywhere and everywhere really. Books, movies, TV, online research, out walking the dog, dreams, an overheard conversation, friends and family, history, mythology, and so many other sources. I have a few ideas that may never come to anything, but I still keep them anyway. It’s always a good plan to save them because you never know if, or when, an idea might fit into a story. My first four novels were all very early story ideas and were the first books to be published. However, more recently published novels, such as The Sphere of Septimus and the Flashback series, were also very early ideas. They just took longer to develop. Flashback was also one of my earliest ideas but again it took a while for me to develop the initial story, and consequently the rest of the series. Even if the ideas don’t work right away, they might in the future and you just never know when you’ll get another piece of the puzzle.

What other novels have you written?

I’ve written fifteen novels so far, since the first one came out in 2003. 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 The Time Camera about a mysterious device that captures images of different historical periods, and The Clone Conspiracy features secret experiments into human cloning. The Shadowzone series featuring Shadowzone, Into The Web, and Black Dawn, was published last year. The series involves the discovery of a grim dystopian version of Earth that’s ruled by a totalitarian dictatorship, the threat of a deadly virus, and a race against time to save the lives of millions. 
 

I've also written seven nonfiction guides for writers, including The Children’s Writer's Guide, The Time Traveler’s Guide, and The Working Writer's Guide. 

Are these your favourite genres in which to write?

Yes, there are certain genres that I like. When I first read the Harry Potter books, I knew that they were written for the age range, style, and had the level of danger and excitement for young readers that I was aiming for with the many story ideas that I had at the time.

However, as much as I enjoyed all the Harry Potter books, I wasn’t interested in writing my own story ideas on themes like folklore, mythology, magic wands, witches and wizards, or mythological creatures and monsters. Instead, I wanted my stories to be about the sort of things that I enjoyed reading about. These included time travel, fantasy, history, science fiction, lost cities, superheroes, other worlds, parallel universes, and the paranormal, and those are the types of stories I’ve been writing ever since.

So is it true that authors should write what they know?

In some ways yes, although this might sound a little odd because no one actually knows how to travel in time, attend a wizard school, visit other dimensions, have super powers, or go to the edge of the universe, at least as far as we know anyway. But what this term actually means is that it’s much easier to write about what you know or about what you’re interested in. You’ll have far more ideas about your own favorite topics and you’ll also decide exactly what you want to write about and not just try to do the same as everyone else or follow a hot new trend, whether it’s teenage wizards, vampires, zombies, or something else. If you write about unfamiliar topics, you’ll have to do more research for a story or perhaps plan out the story a lot more, rather than letting the ideas from your imagination flow into the computer or onto the paper as the story keeps coming to you. Writing about things that you’re not passionate about will seem much more like work, when writing is supposed to be fun. Write about what you know and love and it’s going to be a much more enjoyable experience.

Have you worked with lots of other authors?

Yes quite a lot over the last few years, in many different genres. This has involved both substantive and copy editing of completed novels, but I also work as a coach for writers with works in progress. Some of the projects I’ve worked on that have subsequently been published are here on my website. You can also see some of the references and recommendations from other clients that I’ve worked with.

What are you currently working on?

I’m always working on something but currently I’m writing a number of nonfiction books and doing quite a lot of editing and coaching work with other authors, helping them with their novels, short stories, or works in progress. I’m also working on a historical fiction novel set in the turbulent era of the English Civil War in the 1640s and I hope to be able to focus on that a little more in the coming months.

Where can a reader purchase your latest book? 

Parallel Destiny is available in paperback and as an ebook worldwide on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and Indigo Chapters in Canada, and at many other locations online. Your local bookstore should also be able to order a copy.

You can learn more about Simon and his work on his website at www.simon-rose.com or online at the following social media sites:

·      Facebook

·      Twitter

·      LinkedIn

·      YouTube

·      Google +

·      Pinterest

Shadowzone

My guest today is Calgary author Simon Rose, who has published fourteen novels for children and young adults, seven guides for writers, almost 100 nonfiction books, and many articles on a wide variety of topics. Earlier this year he released Twisted Fate, the second installment of the paranormal Flashback series. Today, we’re looking at his latest release, the Shadowzone series.

So what’s the Shadowzone series all about?

The series involves the discovery of a grim dystopian version of Earth that’s ruled by a totalitarian dictatorship, the threat of a deadly virus, and a race against time to save the lives of millions. Without giving too much away, here’s a synopsis for each of the novels.

Shadowzone 

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. 

   

Into The Web 

On a doomed version of Earth, the sinister schemes of the Ministry are moving ever closer to completion, with dire consequences for the inhabitants of two worlds. For Ben and Charlie, an unlikely alliance, unexpected reunions, and the mysterious prophecy of the Chosen One offer a glimmer of hope, with the ever-present prospect of betrayal, as they embark on an unpredictable journey into the unknown. 

Black Dawn 

In a dark parallel world, following attacks by its most determined opponents, the Ministry has been forced to change its plans. Yet the ruthless Director-General is prepared to sacrifice anyone to achieve an entirely new beginning, no matter what the cost. In a deadly race against time, as events spiral out of control, Ben and Charlie must risk their lives in a desperate attempt to save two worlds from destruction. 

What inspired you to write these three books? What’s the story behind the story?

The original idea was about someone capturing mysterious images on a video camera of a person that no one else could see. It was around the time that a local hospital was about to be demolished. I imagined that my character was filming the event and captured the image of the person stepping seemingly unharmed from the rubble as the building came down. The idea of capturing unexplained images on film was something that I’ve continued working on and it also inspired me to write The Time Camera, which was published in 2011.

For a while, that’s all I had and it was one of those ideas that I was never sure would come to anything. It was early in my writing career and I put it aside and worked on other stories, but I’d periodically add another element to the story about the camera and the mysterious individual. At one point, I decided that the person that the boy caught on film wasn’t a ghost but from another dimension or perhaps a parallel universe and they were attempting to contact him for some reason. I then began to add details of this other Earth and the reasons for the connection to our world, and it went from there. An initial concept involving kidnappings from hospitals didn’t quite work, so instead I developed the idea of a deadly virus, which was a good fit with the type of government running the other Earth. Once that was all in place, I was able to get to work.

Was it always going to be a series?

Shadowzone was originally only one novel, but once I’d finished it I immediately realized that the story wasn’t over and that I need to write more. The final installment was written very quickly and in the process I knew that I needed to expand the earlier sections too, so in the end I had a trilogy.

 So of course, people need to read all three :)

You could certainly just read Shadowzone, but there’s a cliffhanger ending and hopefully most people will feel utterly compelled to be read on and learn what happens next. Into The Web and Black Dawn also don’t make sense if you haven’t read the first book in the series. Taken together, it’s an exciting, fast paced adventure that I hope everyone will really enjoy.

So it’s a good idea for authors to write a series of books?

It can be, but only if you have enough material for multiple books. If readers are sufficiently interested in the story and the characters after completing the first installment, they’d usually like to read more. However, the story or theme has to be strong enough to warrant more adventures. It’s important to remember that the reader won’t appreciate any novel that’s overloaded with filler, just for the sake of creating a series, and might easily avoid any books by the same author in the future.

So where can people buy all three books in the Shadowzone series?

The books can be purchased at most of the usual places, as follows:

Shadowzone

Ebook: Amazon Canada, Amazon USA, Kobo, iBooks, and Smashwords

Paperback: Amazon, Createspace

Into The Web

Ebook: Amazon Canada, Amazon USA, Kobo, iBooks, and Smashwords

Paperback:

Amazon, Createspace

Black Dawn

Ebook: Amazon Canada, Amazon USA, Kobo, iBooks, and Smashwords
Paperback: Amazon, Createspace

You published these yourself, whereas most of your earlier work was traditionally published, correct?

The first eight novels were published by Tradewind Books, while Flashback, Future Imperfect, and Twisted Fate were published by Tyche Books, but my seven books featuring tips and advice for writers were self-published as paperbacks and as ebooks.  I hadn’t self-published fiction before and thought it was time that I did. The Shadowzone books were finished and I believed that they were as good, if not better, than my other work. I also asked some people read them to confirm this and then decided to go ahead with publication. A lot of traditionally published authors also self publish as well now, so it’s quite common practice these days. 

Will you self publish again in the future?

Yes, I think so. The third part of the Flashback series will be published by Tyche Books next spring, but I do have several other projects that I’ll most likely publish myself as well soon. 

What are you currently working on?

I always have a current project or two and right now I’m working on a historical fiction novel for young adults set in the turbulent era of the English Civil War in the 1640s. The novel’s about half finished, but I still have a lot of work to do. I’m also working on sequels to Future Imperfect and The Sphere of Septimus.

Are your other books in this similar dystopian genre?

No, although 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. I’ve also written nonfiction guides for writers, including The Children’s Writer's Guide and The Time Traveler’s Guide.

You also work with other authors, don’t you?

Yes, I do quite a lot of that these days. I’ve edited books in all kinds of genres for a wide range of writers in the last few years, offering both substantive and copy editing. I also work as a writing coach and consultant for people with works in progress or those that are struggling with writer’s block. You can learn more about some of the projects I’ve worked on that have subsequently been published are here on my website. I also offer online courses for adults and workshops on a variety of themes for aspiring young writers.

Thanks Simon, for being my guest here today and the very best of luck with the Shadowzone series. I hope the books sell thousands of copies in the coming weeks and months.

You can learn more about Simon and his work on his website at www.simon-rose.com or online at the following social media sites:

·      Facebook

·      Twitter

·      LinkedIn

·      YouTube

·      Google +

·      Pinterest

The Adventurers Troll Creek -- Book Trailer

The Jason Galka Show: Mackenzie Reide

Interview with Author Richard Herr

Invasion From Fred!

I'm thrilled to share with you a very funny new book by my author-friend, Richard Herr!

Invasion from Fred is a humorous sci-fi story of a young boy and his friends who encounter an alien in the forest disguised as a fire hydrant. Hilarity ensues as they try to help the alien find its new look and stop an invasion to boot.

Richard and I met through a writing group called The Write Group in Montclair, NJ. We have shared many an adventure with critique groups and workshops along the way.

Richard, can you tell us about yourself?

I like walking on the beach in the moonlight...No, I’m sorry! Wrong frame of reference! Where have I been on my travel through life? I’ve had a number of jobs along the way: actor, musician, stage manager, AV technician, business owner. I’ve got two daughters and four grandchildren. ...and OK, I do like walking on the beach in the moonlight. 

Sounds like you have had lots of experiences to draw from. So tell us, what is Invasion from Fred about?

The main thing that it’s about is the three generations of characters. A grandmother who is a former Flower Power pacifist; a father who’s an investment banker; and a 12-year-old boy trying to figure out what he’s going to do with his life. He’s mirrored by an alien who’s visiting Earth, trying to figure out what to do as an adult. Boy, that all sounds very heavy. This is actually a funny book. 

It is a funny book! And I loved the interaction between the alien and the kids. And the relationship the boy has with his grandmother. What inspired you to write Invasion from Fred?

I wanted to write to young people in a simple, direct way, not preach to them. I wanted to use everyday language. That is, if you include ‘Who’s-On-First-style’ dialogue as everyday talk. 

Have you ever met any aliens? 

Better than that. I’ve been an alien. I’ve also been a mother, a father, several cats, and every character I’ve ever written about. As a writer, you’ve got to know how all of them think. If you’re writing a scene where two people have an argument, you’ve got to argue both sides for them. 

Now that makes for very interesting points of view! Can you describe the genre you write in?

This is a science fiction book. After all, we are getting invaded from a planet called Fred. Its main genre is humor. The sci-fi and the fantasy genres are very good for humor writing. You can have things be totally outlandish and simply explain that’s how things are on that planet.

In the sci-fi genre you have created a whole new world. How did you accomplish that?

You start out asking the question, “What if?” Everything follows from there. What if the planet these aliens in your book came from was a gas giant? I guess they’d have to be made out of gas themselves. What if there were elves, and trolls, and wizards, and humans, and unicorns? I guess there’d be some inter-species arrangements for co-existence. What if an alien came to this planet to decide what to do as an adult? I guess you’d wind up with an invasion from Fred. 

Can you tell us about your writing process? 

There are many writers who carefully outline their books, using 3 x 5 cards, and flow charts, and probably have a form of the outline that’s a PowerPoint presentation. That isn’t me. I usually come up with some overall idea, figure out how things start, then sit down at the computer and start writing. The exciting thing about working that way is that characters will suddenly take the story in a brand new, exciting direction I couldn’t have thought about. 

How long have you been writing?

I started out about a dozen years ago. I was staring at a blank computer screen and decided to fill it with words. 

What about writing do you enjoy most?

I’m enjoying doing something entirely different. Prior to writing, I was a technician. Now that’s changed. It was like washing my brain. 

You have two other adult books as well. Can you describe them?

My second book is the first book in a new series called Dog & Pony. This is Volume I, and it’s called “Aloha.” The Dog & Pony part has to do with the setting for the book. The protagonist has a company that produces corporate presentations, otherwise known as Dog & Pony shows. But the story really involves schemes to take over the worlds, two of them: our own, and the one of the Fair Folk. Harry, the narrator, is a reluctant hero who gets dragged into all sorts of adventures, protesting every step of the way.


And your third book is also a sci-fi humor story. Can you tell us about that?

Yes, Tales from the Starboard Café encourages you to belly up to a bar next to a Spacer in most any location in the galaxy, and you can expect to be plunged into a brawl, or worse. However, you might also find yourself the involuntary audience to a story. The Café holds a yearly storytelling contest, and Spacers love to tell stories. The individual tales in the contest might reveal that strange happenings are stirring the galaxy-wide civilization. These problems might involve that recently-uplifted, disruptive breed known as the Humans; or the vanished Wistrani, the highly advanced founders of the Amalgam? Whatever the stories are about, they promise to be most prankish!

Now that promises to be prankish indeed! Who are your favorite books and authors?

Terry Pratchett, Christopher Moore, Douglas Adams, Jasper Fforde, Tom Holt, Dave Barry, Carl Hiaasen, and Janet Evanovich. 

I think Invasion From Fred is a great addition to the science fiction and humor genres for young readers. Can you offer any advice for aspiring authors? And what advice helped you the most?

Follow your heart--but keep your head in the conversation. 

Wise words. Richard, thanks so much for doing the interview and telling us about your book and writing process.

Richard and his grandchildren reading an Invasion from Fred

You can visit Richard's website here

Invasion From Fred available Amazon and Barnes and Noble