2024 marks the Lunar Year of the Dragon (Wood Dragon, to be exact) and this means a year marked by growth, vitality, and wisdom. I'm a Tiger girl, but first-born of a Dragon mom, and I can already attest to the incredible opportunities that this year is presenting!

There have been many changes since I blogged last. In the spirit of downsizing, my husband and I bought a 1950's bunglaow in '22, that took a good 8 months to renovate (and by renovate, I mean gut.) It's sweet and charming, but tbh, I've missed the bush that surrounded our old home. I missed the white-throated sparrow and the deer, the woodpeckers and the foxes. So, after many nights and many discussions, we've decided we're moving back. Tigers in Dragon Years experience turmoil, change and growth, so I can't say I'm surprised. Dragons, like life, are funny that way.

Since my last blog, my agent has left their former agency and landed (very nicely!) on their feet at Looking Glass Literary & Media. Naturally, I went along for the ride, and am utterly impressed with this new agency, and the new approach to the author/agent community. I feel supported and included by the entire team (including founder and owner Natalie Lakosil) and I'm proud to be repped by this group of trailblazing people.

I've also written 3 new books (Dragon of Sand & Storm, Ship of Spells and Cold Stone & Ivy 3: The Seventh House). Dragon 2 had big claws to fill, but she's doing admirably, thank you. CSI3 is in revisions right now, and I do hope to have that book out this summer. Wrapping up at least one of the 2 series will feel good! Ship of Spells didn't find a home in the first round of submissions, but moving agencies seems to have opened new doors, and I look forward to sharing some important news on that front very soon!

So, thanks for your patience, dear Fantastical Peeps, and I look forward to what the Dragon will bring for this Tiger in 2024!

Well, it’s time to let the tiger out of the bag. I’ve signed with the fantastical Desiree Wilson of The Bent Agency to represent me in my literary career, starting with SHIP OF SPELLS! You likely know that, as a ‘confirmed indie’, I was skeptical of traditional publishing, having been let down on that path once before. But seeing the relationship between my friend, Jean E. Pendziwol, and her agent, Jenny Bent, I knew that if I ever dared dip a toe in those waters again, The Bent Agency would be the only one I would consider.
 
Enter Desiree Wilson! Desiree joined TBA this summer, and Jean immediately notified me of their addition to the team. They come from a strong comic book/graphic novel background, having worked as staff editor at Oni Press. I queried them for SHIP OF SPELLS in August, and they requested the full just a few weeks later. Naturally, I wasn’t getting my hopes up. Indie, all the way. That’s me, right? So while Desiree read, I finished the cover for SHIP, formatted the book for Kindle and print, got proofs and started a few beta readers on it for a last run-through. Imagine my surprise when I got an email last week, saying how much they loved the book, offering me representation and asking if I had time for a zoom chat.
 
Desiree and I clicked immediately, our conversation swinging all over the map from editorial process to sailing ships, from cultural appropriation to favourite comic books. At the end, it was clear that we shared the same vision for SHIP OF SPELLS, and I knew this was one agent who not only understood my quirks but was almost as geeky as me. Given the fact that The Bent Agency also represents my favourite author of life, Guy Gavriel Kay, and knowing that same team would be available for me, well, it was an easy sell.
 
So, what does this mean for you, dear reader and most fantastical peep? Unfortunately, more waiting. I’m not turning my back on Kirin, Kerris, Fallon and the rest of the Upper Kingdom and am quietly plotting, making notes, story arcs, for the rest of the series. Interestingly, Desiree wonders if their stories might make good graphic novels. I say yes, since that was the original plan! Next up is still COLD STONE & IVY 3: The Seventh House. But DRAGON OF SAND & STORM might wait until we have a few good editing passes. Who knows what this development will bring for my existing catalogue? But it’s a solid, important step for me, and I want you along for the ride. You’ve been with me from the beginning, and I owe you a huge debt of gratitude. Take this journey with me, with lions and tigers, ghosts and dragons. I don’t know where it will lead, but I’m sure the adventure will be fantastical.

Click HERE to view all the other lucky authors at The Bent Agency. Well, starting with me...

So most of you know, I’ve had the next Upper Kingdom book, Snow in the Year of the Dragon, almost finished for half a year now. I was originally hoping for it to be out by Christmas 2016. Then spring 2017, with Cold Stone & Ivy 2: The Crown Prince releasing in summer 2017. But now it’s March, The Crown Prince is ready to go and Snow is still growing on my laptop. I feel like George R. R. Martin, and my readers are getting antsy…
 
It’s a tricky thing, being a writer. As you know, this is still my ‘side’ job (I work full time with my husband in our professional photography studio - I’m the Photoshop gal) so any writing is stolen usually late at night when my body is tired but my brain is soaring. Ivy 2 was already written by spring 2016 when Ivy 1 was launched by a small publisher. As soon as it was released, I knew I had made a mistake and I spent the better part of the summer regretting my decision. In my angst, I put aside Snow (then called Bones in the Year of the Dragon), and wrote Dragon of Ash & Stars, an ode to bad decisions and life's habitual despair.
 
By August I'd released Dragon and I was in a better mood, eager and ready to pick Snow back up where I had left it. I had also decided to call it Snow instead of Bones because the Snow figure prominently in the story, and the Bones are just coming into it by the end. I was very excited and had started work on an amazing cover that featured Ursa this time. Then in September, I got my rights back to Ivy and everything changed.
 
Dragon was rocketing up the charts, I was approached by Podium Publishing regarding an audiobook, and Ivy was taking off under my own direction and marketing. I became the media director for ThunderCon (a local fan convention) and began travelling to speaking engagements and running seminars and writing workshops in the region. And yes, I still had my day job.
 
It’s not easy juggling all of this and I’ve realized that I can’t just whip off the ending for Snow, because, like GRRM, I’m not just writing one book. I’m also simultaneously plotting out the end game, outlining the next 2 novels so that readers don’t end up with a Hunger Games/Divergent finale of ‘Whaaa? That was lame…’ I need to give myself the time to write it well and deeply, and to set up the next books in the series for my readers, for the characters and for the story. Ivy 2 is written and ready to go, complete with cover, so why sit on it while I wait for Snow? I would always be divided and not do either of them justice. It doesn’t make sense so I think that’s my decision. Ivy 2 should hit the shelves sometime in late April/early May.
 
Once that’s done, my plate is cleared and my brain is free to finish up Snow without interruption but also, like GRRM, I can’t give a date. Jumping into and out of the worlds I have created is an all-consuming process – it demands most of my brainspace so one world at a time is I think all I can handle. Ivy’s world will dominate for a little while in my media posts and promotions, but rest assured, the work will still be going in the Upper Kingdom as all the Empires prepare themselves for war.
 
And perhaps, for a short span of time, my poor brain will find some peace. ​So, without further ado, I present the cover for Cold Stone & Ivy 2: The Crown Prince! Ta Dah!
​

“If you had five magical stones that you could use to change people, who would you give them to and why?”
That’s the question that set teacher/ author/World Vision volunteer Donna White on a journey of her own.
“Years ago, my sister and I were on a road trip in Canada,” says White and she grins. “You do weird things to pass the time when you’re driving, don’t you? So I asked the question, just off the top of my head. We mentioned Hitler and Stalin as people we would give these mysterious stones to, but then I said Joseph Kony. “Kony?” said my sister. “Who’s Joseph Kony?” I think that’s when my story started.”
White has always loved children. A teacher by profession, she spent many years volunteering with World Vision as a fundraiser and speaker on behalf of WV’s child sponsorship programs. When this idea of five magical stones popped into her head however, it took hold of her imagination and would not let go. She knew she needed to write a book.
“I kept thinking to myself, ‘this is stupid,” says White. “You’ve never written a book before. You have never been to Africa. How can you write a book like this?’ But before I knew it, I called up World Vision and just asked if they were planning any trips.” She grins again. “I think it was a miracle.”
World Vision was only planning 3 project trips that year and on the day of her phone call, they had just put the finishing touches on one to Uganda to assist in restoring internally displaced people to their villages after the end of the civil war. It was fate, so in 2008, White made her very first trip to Soroti, Uganda where she met Charlie, a young boy recently rescued from the clutches of Joseph Kony and the LRA.
“At the end of the interview, I asked him what he would say if he were to see Mr. Kony now,” says White. “And he said, ‘I would ask Mr. Kony to come out of the bush and out of hiding because I forgive him.’”
Immediately, White knew she had her story but she also had her challenge. She would not be writing about child soldiers, she would be writing from the perspective of one. Enter the magical stones.
“It’s a young adult novel,” says White. “Not non-fiction, not a documentary, but in the new genre of magical realism. It’s about kids, for kids. The whole idea is to get young readers to come out of their comfort zone and see the reality of what’s happening in other countries. The magic stones transport two North American boys to Uganda where they meet Charlie and become involved in the situation. The stones are magic – they have the power to change things. Just like stories.”
Once home, it took her years to finish the novel. Life, work, children, volunteering all demanded her time and attention, but she never abandoned the project. A second trip to Africa convinced her that the story needed to be a trilogy and she approached Patrick Reed, director of the Romeo Dallaire documentary, Fight Like Soldiers, Die Like Children, for his thoughts. She also sent a copy to former child soldier and international speaker, Michel Chikwanine, and both raved over her unique and hope-filled handling of a difficult subject.
But while White is a teacher and natural storyteller, the world of publishing is a daunting one. Multiple edits, agent queries, publishing contracts, more edits. The journey to publication is often even more overwhelming than finishing a novel, and it was at this stage that White first thought of giving up.
“I definitely struggled with quitting at this point,” says White. “About forgetting about it and putting it away but it wasn’t my story. It was Charlie’s and it needed to be heard.”
Fortunately, White has a network of local friends who are also writers, and with their encouragement, advice and skills in cover design and formatting, she was able to bring the book to light. Bullets, Blood & Stones: the journey of a child soldier launched on Amazon Dec 4, 2016 at December Dreams Craft Show. It immediately sold out.
“I had to do a second run and even that sold out,” White laughs. “It’s on its third printing now!”
As a teacher, White knew how valuable the book would be in the classroom so she included a teaching guide on her website. Now, the book is in both the public and separate school boards as classes are being introduced to
Charlie and his journey from soldier to freedom.
“This book is so intriguing because it raises awareness to a terrible thing that still happens today,” says one Grade 8 student. “An emotional roller coaster,” says another. Teachers are praising the absorbing power of the book and some classes have begun fundraising/ awareness activities to bring Charlie’s message of hope home.
And for Charlie, it’s only the beginning. Bullets, Blood & Stones: the journey of a child soldier is heading across Canada with readings, signings and presentations scheduled from Atikokan through Winnipeg all the way to Salmon Arm, BC. As she does so, White will be introducing the magical stones to readers,teachers and students all across the country.
Changing lives one stone, and one story, at a time.
You can find out more about Donna and Charlie’s story at www.donnawhitebooks.com.

This was a hard one to answer, honestly. I literally wracked my brain for days and in the process of doing so, I came across some very interesting brain threads. They answer the question (sort of) but provide a few deeper answers that I had never really stopped to think about. Let me explain…
 
Now when I first read this question, I naturally assumed it was asking about a favourite ‘romantic’ literary couple. This is likely why I was so stumped. I am not a ‘girly girl’, never read romance or romantic fiction and while I love Jane Austen and the Brontes, it was less for the romance than for the complicated period pieces that they wove. With Austen, the manners, the wit, the banter, the plucky heroine overcoming and winning the day. With a Bronte, it was the mystery, the intrigue, the melancholy and the despair. Gothic angst at it’s finest, whether Heathcliff and Cathy or Jane and Rochester. But as satisfying as say, Lizzie and Darcy are as a couple, none of these would I consider my favourites. I couldn’t just pick one and be done.
 
No, I’m much more cerebral than that. Friendship was always what fascinated me, or more appropriately, partnership. Phileas Fogg and Passepartout or Aubrey and Maturin – those are the relationships that intrigued me to no end, so naturally, my very first instinct was Holmes and Watson. Funny, I know. I’m not a shipper (which is very popular these days), but I have always loved their relationship. Theirs is a friendship that goes beyond a good cup of tea and a mystery. There’s a mutual dependence that Doyle only touched on, but ultimately carried through his entire series. Not really an arc, it was just there in every story. Holmes, with his brilliant mind and Bohemian lifestyle, needed Watson to ground him, decipher him, humanize him (and not just for the reader. I believe for the character.) Same for Watson, a sharp and capable man in his own right, drawn to the brilliance just a star or two above him, needing to understand, to know, to reach, to grow. They have always been, and likely will always be, my favourite literary couple, and I will never tire of their stories.
 
That said, if I sat and tried to think about the question as indeed a romantic couple, who would they be??? I have such a lifetime of reading that to single them out would be tricky and I spent a great deal of time pondering the notion. I liked D’Artagnan and Constance. I liked Peter Pan and Wendy. I disliked Hermione and Ron, disliked Lancelot and Guinevere, disliked Gatsby and Daisy. Really, I think I must have deliberately avoided books with romantic plotlines like the plague because I disliked most of the pairings. I never thought too deeply about why.
 
As I have always said, Guy Gavriel Kay’s The Lions of al-Rassan is probably my favourite novel and the relationship of characters Jehane and Ammar captivated me. Upon taking this deeper, Jehane and Ammar may well have been prototypes for Fallon and Kerris, and suddenly, things began to twig for me. I had stumbled upon a theme.
 
Fallon and Kerris, Ivy and Sebastien, even at a stretch, Aryss and Stormfall. The same relational dynamic was displayed. Why, I asked myself. Where did this theme start?
 
Then it hit me. Tarzan and Jane.
 
I was a big Burroughs buff in my youth (along with Wells, Verne, et al) and being a zoologist, the notion of a man not only living but thriving in the wild thrilled me. He was raw, natural and elemental, understanding things that were beyond the experience of civilized society. Now add Jane, a product of her environment but better, with an open mind, a thirst for knowledge and a desire for more than what society had set out for her. Just like Fallon, just like Ivy. The wild man of the elements? Kerris and Sebastien.  Intellect drawn to instinct, and vice versa like the yin-yang symbol I so love.
 
It’s always there if I keep digging. Phileas Fogg wants more, Passepartout makes it happen. Holmes is the lighthouse, Watson the sandbar he is built upon. Cathy is the aristocracy, Heathcliff the anarchy. Stormfall at war in his life with the sticks. And so it goes. Whether it’s romantic, filial, or philosophical, my favourite couple is the coupling of opposites and how they ultimately bring harmony to a story and sometimes a happy ending.
 
Whew. That was tough! I should have just said Black Beauty and Ginger over a cup of tea. But I thank the person who asked this question. It really helped me put a spotlight on some of my own personal themes and tropes and I’m sure I’ll be thinking about this for weeks to come.
 
So I challenge you to think about who your favourite literary couples are, and why? Drop me a note once you’ve thought it through!

One of the great things about Goodreads is their Q&A feature, where readers can ask questions of their favourite authors. I’d like to share one that I got yesterday. It opens a crack into the brilliant and multifaceted world of the Upper Kingdom.
 
Q: If the Upper Kingdom had a music theme what would it be?
 
A: Oh I was hoping someone would ask me that question! I actually have a series of soundtracks that I listen to while writing the Upper Kingdom series, including Tan Dun's 'Hero' and 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and Ramin Djawadi's 'Game of Thrones', but if I were to pick a theme, I'd have to say either 'Marco Polo' or 'Night Ride Across the Caucasus' from Loreena McKennitt's wonderful CD Book of Secrets. That entire album is very evocative of the haunting Celtic and Asian blend that continues to inspire the Upper Kingdom. 

Oddly enough, while I was writing TO WALK IN THE WAY OF LIONS, I went through a huge Lord of the Dance phase, and when I listen to it now, my kids will often say "Oh that's Kerris' theme!" ('Breakout') or "Oh, there's Sherah!" ('Gypsy') You can hear the singing of Ursa’s swords in 'Warriors', Ling’s slippered feet as she glides through Pol’Lhasa in "Celtic Dream", Sireth’s sad history in 'Lament.’ And you can hear Fallon’s heart and wistful soul in ‘Suil a Ruin’ and ‘Our Wedding Day’. These songs were and still are a huge part of the characters identities for me.
 
It's kind of funny - I can listen to that CD and pick out the subtle shaping of scenes in Book 2. When you listen to ‘Nightmare’ you can easily imagine the powerful scene where the Alchemists converge on Sireth in the Turakhish tent. Same goes for ‘Gypsy’ – you can literally see Sherah dancing for Kerris in Lahore, ending up on a floor of cushions to steal another wisp of his soul. I can say the same for McKennitt’s Book of Secrets. My heart breaks every time I hear ‘Dante’s Prayer’ - I see Kerris on the boat and Kirin on the shore, brothers torn apart by a pride, a Broken Tao wheel and now Dharma. The emotion in the music allowed me to channel the emotion in that scene. Music is good that way. (Yes, I still cry when I read that scene.)

Now Kirin. Noble, strong, wrong and brave Kirin. He doesn’t have a theme from any of those pieces of music. He would be Tan Dun’s Hero. He would be the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Or for a unique twist, he would be the “Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn” - powerful and majestic and a little sad. Perhaps I haven't found a theme for Kirin yet. He's growing and changing with each book. It remains to be seen what music will ultimately shape his journey."

Take a listen to these selections on iTunes and see what you think. Do you have a piece of music that you listen to when you're reading the Upper Kingdom books? 
 
You can ask questions too – just pop on over to Goodreads and ask! See you in the chatroom!

​

West Coast Book Reviews is my Go-To site for honest reviews on speculative fiction books, so when they take the time to read and review one of my books, I'm not only honoured, but holding my breath. I don't want to disappoint! I don't ever want my writing to be 'Yeah, could've been better.' So when I see THIS in my inbox, I just want to bask awhile in writerly bliss.

"A brilliant, insightful and spiritual tale.

To be honest, even if I'd never heard of H. Leighton Dickson I would have bought this book for the cover alone. I also want the poster, cell phone case, stationery, queen sized bedding and a black toothbrush covered in gold stars. She is on my auto-buy list and reading her work is always an absolute pleasure.

Dragon gives a unique approach to the telling of a fantastic tale. It is the autobiography of Stormfall the black dragon told in his own words.

As an autobiography, the telling is of course slanted to show the teller in whatever light he wants to be seen. For a dragon who is every inch arrogant, proud and self-centred, giving him the opportunity to tell his own tale grants this story an impact that grows as the pages progress and the dragon portrays himself as he sees himself.

Big.

Also present in generous amounts is Dickson's ability to take advantage humour in sharing any type of scene. Regardless of whether the moment is light or dark, one can sense her hand there not in telling the jokes but in allowing her characters the freedom to share those absurd thoughts we all have at even the most difficult of moments. Her images are both pristine and deep and each chapter is engaging.

The story itself is deeply satisfying. (Yes, she had me in tears again with wonderful and agonizing feels.) This is not a story that leaves you looking for book two. It is a complete tale I found epitomizes the idea of a standalone. I reached the end thinking "don't change a thing." I feel like I knew the dragon and will adore him for who he was, treasuring him for the way he saw himself and grateful he shared both his victories and triumphs.

Highly recommended."

Now, it is I who has the feels. Gonna go curl up and squee for a long sweet while. 

Check out their other reviews here:
http://westcoastbookreviews.blogspot.ca/2016/08/review-dragon-of-ash-stars-by-h.html

Dragons have always been a thing for me. I mean, who could NOT love them - large, powerful, reptilian and mythical. So ask a zoologist NOT to love dragons, and you might be surprised at what you hear.
 
It's true. I've had a love/hate relationship with fictional dragons (the only kind of dragons) because of our tendency to anthropomorphize them. We either make them partners, psychic soul-mates who willingly allow humans on their backs for the greater good (Draco, Sapphira, Falkor, all the dragons of Pern,  etc), or monsters, uncontrollable agents of destruction and chaos (Smaug, the Jabberwock, all dragons before 1980, etc).  We ascribe human motives and characteristics to these mythical beasts, likely in order to understand ourselves better, but is it really the most honest way to portray them? As a zoologist, I wanted to explore a better way.

I was originally inspired by the model of Anna Sewell's Black Beauty. Horses are very similar to dragons in the human psyche. We delight in the pegasus and the unicorn. We fear the thestral and the kelpie. Through the ages, well-trained horses have been ascribed nobility, kindness, bravery, heroism - a wide variety of human attributes that likely no horse truly has ever possessed and we ascribe it based on its willingness and ability to obey our commands. In reality, a horse is simply a horse, and they are glorious because of it.

It's the same with dragons.

What if a dragon was simply a dragon? A large, predatory animal with unique fire-breathing capabilities, that merely lived to survive, to hunt, to eat, to breed, to fly. Animals who were caught and tamed to serve, just like horses have been for thousands of years? What would a dragon, once wild now captive, think of us?

That's the premise behind DRAGON OF ASH & STARS. 

Over the next few weeks, I'd like to do a series on the Zoology of Dragons (at least, MY dragons!) How do they breathe fire, why do they wear the 'silver band', why did I choose four limbs over the more traditional and heroic six, etc? Join me as we take a quick course in Fantastical Zoology. Who knows, I may even touch on the genetic theories behind cat people, or why a Mad Lord has six dogs...

Feel free to leave some science questions in the comments and I'll try to answer them over the next few weeks. Chat soon, peeps. ​

I've gotten to know author Simon Rose over the past few months, ever since we did an interview for his podcast show, Fantasy Fiction Focus. He's doing a blog tour for his upcoming novel, Future Imperfect, and naturally, I was honoured to turn the tables on him and interview the interviewer! Grab a cuppa and sit down for a chat with fantasy author, Simon Rose!
 
Simon, you have an impressive number of titles under your belt! Which book was your first, and what prompted you to write it?
 
The Alchemist's Portrait was the first novel, published in 2003. When I began my career as a writer a few years earlier I was influenced by the earlier books in the Harry Potter series. However, I didn’t want to write about wizards, dragons, or magic, but rather about the things that I was interested in, such as time travel, the paranormal, superheroes, ancient mysteries, or history. I was also influenced by Phillip Pullman’s The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, along with some other excellent fantasy and science fiction works.    
 
Your novel, Flashback, did very well and garnered great reviews. Is there a sequel or two in the future?
 
Yes, there are two sequels coming out next year, one in the spring and the other in late summer. I hadn't initially considered sequels but the popularity of the book made me wonder if there was scope for further adventures for Max and the other characters. Once I began thinking about the ideas started flowing and I formatted the outlines for the next two books last summer then wrote parts two and three at the same time. It'll be interesting to see how Flashback performs as a trilogy but readers certainly seem to like the first instalment.
 
Your latest novel, Future Imperfect, has just released and features an exciting mix of science fiction, espionage and modern technology. How would you describe it to a curious reader?
 
Future Imperfect is an exciting technology-driven adventure featuring teenage geniuses, corporate espionage, and mysterious messages. The story will appeal to all young readers for whom technology plays such a large role in their lives, whether it’s cell phones, laptops, tablets, gaming, or the online world, but it’s also a very compelling adventure story, with lots of cliffhangers, twists, and turns. It was a lot of fun to write and I'm considering further instalments for Alex and Stephanie, possibly writing the two sequels later this year.
 
You love playing with time in your novels. How do you wrap your mind around time-travel, ie do you think it’s possible or is it just a wonderful forum for the imagination?
 
Perhaps because I've always been intrigued by time travel I find it easy to wrap my thoughts around the complexities it involves when crafting a novel with a time travel theme. I run workshops on creating time travel methods and developing stories in that genre on a regular basis. I emphasize not only the need for adequate research when writing about the past but also paying attention to the issues involving time travel and the need to make your story not only exciting but plausible. As a fan of history I have my own favourite time periods and would love to travel back to some of those eras, if only to see what it was like. Is it possible? I honestly have no idea, but like many of the things that inspire me and influence my work, time travel provides a endless source of ideas for stories.
 
In fact, you seem to love combining time travel, history and fantasy (in various measures). Is there a common thread there? What would you say was responsible for this recurring fascination in your works?
 
It's just something that's always fascinated me and I was influenced by the books and comics I read and the movies and TV shows I watched while growing up. I've always loved history too. I studied it at school and got a degree in history with the intention of perhaps becoming a teacher but life intervened, as it often does. Now of course I work as a teacher and instructor quite often and I even offer an online course for those that are interested in writing historical fiction.
 
You’ve also written an impressive number of non-fiction books. Can you tell us a little about how those books came about?
 
The nonfiction titles were written for educational publishers and encompass a wide range of topics, from history, wildlife, technology, government systems, science, the human body, astronomy, architecture, business, the environment, world cultures, and so on. All of these books were very interesting to write and of course involved a tremendous amount of research.  
 
You did a recent book tour in Montreal for Children’s Book Week – congratulations on that! Can you share a little bit about how that came about, any highlights along the way?
 
TD Children's Book Week is organized by the Canadian Children's Book Centre every May. Authors from across Canada visit schools, libraries, bookstores and other locations all over the country. I did this once before when I visited Toronto and Southern Ontario in 2004. This time my tour took me to the Montreal area, but I also spent one day in Quebec City. It was a wonderful experience, with the students at all the schools really appreciating my visits, presentations, and workshops since they'd also been reading many of my titles. Most of the audiences were grades 3 to 6 but I also met older students at The Learning Exchange in Laval and at a high school. The schools were in various locations in the Montreal area and I spent a full day visiting three schools in Kahnawake.
 
You are an accomplished speaker, teacher and interviewer as well as the author of several writing guides. Would you care to tell us a little about what motivates your enthusiasm for sharing your knowledge with others?

I've always been willing to share my knowledge and experience with other writers, and of course with children during school visits, workshops, and other events. I leant a lot from some writers when I was starting out but also encountered a few that didn't want to share anything and more or less told me I'd have to figure it out for myself. I knew that I'd never act that way with other writers and have always been happy to answer questions and offer tips and advice. I was able to translate that into working as an instructor with the two universities in Calgary as well as with the local school board and occasionally with writers organizations. And as you point out I've also put some of this material into The Children's Writer's Guide, The Working Writer's Guide, and The Social Media Writer's Guide.
 
What would be the one piece of advice you’d give to aspiring writers?
 
Writing is in some ways the easy part. It can be a very long process not only to write a book, but also to get it published. A book is a marathon measured in years rather than weeks or months. Don’t be afraid to revise and revise over and over again. Most authors go through many revisions before their work reaches its final format. Remember too that your book will never be to everyone’s taste, so don’t be discouraged. A firm belief in your own success is often what’s necessary. After all, if you don’t believe in your book, how can you expect other people to?
 
Read as much as you can and write as often as you can. Keep an ideas file, even if it’s only a name, title, sentence or an entire outline for a novel. You never know when you might get another piece of the puzzle, perhaps years later. You also mustn’t forget the marketing. You may produce the greatest book ever written. However, no one else is going to see it if your book doesn’t become known to potential readers. Be visible as an author. Do as many readings, signings and personal appearances as you can. Get your name out there and hopefully the rest will follow. Especially for newly published authors, books don’t sell themselves and need a lot of help.
 
Many thanks to Simon Rose for taking the time to share his experience (and his amazing books) with us! You can find out more about Simon's work at his website, or on Facebook!