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What’s it all about? An excerpt from The Children’s Writer’s Guide
“This is by far the best book I have picked up to help me kick start my writing!” Chapter Four: Where Do Ideas Come From One of the most common questions asked of authors, whether from children during school visits or in interviews, is “Where do you get your ideas?” In so many ways, ideas are all around us – in newspapers, magazines, pictures, photographs, other books whether fiction or non-fiction, television, movies, even video games. History can be a constant source of inspiration for writers, but so are personal...
read more“This is a great book for kids who like both fantasy and history.”
The Sorcerer’s Letterbox In a hidden drawer in the base of an old wooden box, Jack discovers a letter from a boy calling himself Edward. Penning a reply, Jack is astonished to be corresponding through time with the boy king Edward V, one of the famous Princes in the Tower, murdered by King Richard III. Travelling back in time, Jack attempts to rescue Edward V and his brother from their fate, but is soon fighting for his life in the terrifying London of 1483. The Sorcerer’s Letterbox received great reviews when it was first published...
read moreWhat’s it all about? An excerpt from The Working Writer’s Guide
“A great resource for beginning and established writers.” Introduction Misconceptions are common regarding published authors. People think either that all authors earn millions or that it’s impossible to make a living as a writer. While some writers are financially successful with their e-books, success stories are rare, at least for now, and only a handful of authors make serious money from e-books. Misconceptions also abound regarding authors who write for children. Books for younger readers are often mistakenly considered...
read more“I absolutely loved this book!”
The Alchemist’s Portrait A school trip to the art gallery at the city museum leads Matthew into an eerie meeting with Peter Glimmer, imprisoned inside his own portrait by his villainous uncle in 1666. Entrusted by Peter with recovering the one object that can save the world, Matthew is sent hurtling over 300 years into the past. Encountering magic, mayhem and murder, Matthew also has to contend with Peter’s uncle, the ruthless and seemingly immortal Nicolaas van der Leyden, at every turn, in a desperate race through time to save the...
read more“The Doomsday Mask is a thrilling page-gripper of a mystery.”
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...
read moreEditing Projects
I’ve provided substantive and copy editing services for many other writers over the years. The editing projects have included novels, short stories, fiction, nonfiction, biographies, inspirational books, and many other genres. The editing projects have involved a comprehensive content assessment, including comments and suggestions regarding characterization, setting, dialogue, believability, structure, plot, and language, in addition to corrections to grammar, spelling, punctuation and many other details that writers are sometimes...
read more“Rose has done a magnificent job with this fast paced medical science mystery.”
The Clone Conspiracy At the dawn of the twenty-first century, nervous governments around the world reacted quickly to pass legislation banning human cloning. Panicked as technology rapidly advanced, they didn’t realize that the genetic genie had already escaped from the bottle. When Luke’s best friend Patrick vanishes and the police quickly close the case, Luke is determined to uncover the truth. Tantalizing clues lead Luke and Patrick’s sister Emma to LennoxGen, where they stumble across a shocking international conspiracy with...
read moreLearn How to Write Great Stories for Children and Young Adults
The Writing for Children and Young Adults course focuses on writing for children aged 8 to 14 years. However some of the material also covers older and younger age groups. Learn how to write effective, authentic, and appealing fiction for children and young adults and how to turn your ideas into compelling stories. The course explores the writing process from initial concept to finished work including story structure, developing plausible characters and dialogue, the creation of outlines and the importance of research, editing and...
read more“The Emerald Curse is a very well written and appealing adventure book. Highly recommended.”
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. The Emerald Curse received great reviews when it was first published and remains a favourite with young...
read moreThe Brutal Death of Richard III
Richard III of course appears in The Sorcerer’s Letterbox, based on the well-known mystery of the Princes in the Tower. A forensic study on the bones of the monarch reveals that he died a brutal death at the hands of his enemies. Everyone knows that medieval warfare was a very violent and vicious business, but the report is still very enlightening. It also fits in with contemporary stories of the king’s death. To some degree it also fits with Shakespeare’s play. Although the playwright’s account of the king and his...
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