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.
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.
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.
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
Into The Web
Paperback:
Black Dawn
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:
