Recently, I interviewed author Simon Rose, who has published nineteen novels for children and young adults, eight guides for writers, more than a hundred nonfiction books, and many articles on a wide variety of topics.
In the interview, we’re looking at his latest novel for young adults, An Untimely Death.
Suzanne Lieurance: So, Simon, what’s this new book all about?
Sinon Rose: Well, An Untimely Death is an exciting science fiction and historical fantasy adventure for young adults.
When Peter’s great-grandfather, Ted, passes away, Peter is looking through his belongings in the attic.
Peter knows about Ted’s experiences with the Canadian Army in World War II and absentmindedly flips a coin.
To his astonishment, Peter finds himself in the heat of battle in 1944, where he embarks on a highly dangerous mission to ensure that history is placed back on track.
SL: And what’s the story behind the story?
SR: In the present day, Peter is fourteen and lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
He’s long known about the stories concerning the experiences of his great-grandfather during World War II.
Peter knows that Ted participated in the invasion of Normandy in 1944, then in the Allied advance across Europe and into the Netherlands and Germany following D-Day.
When Ted passes away, Peter is looking through his great-grandfather’s belongings.
Peter looks at some of Ted’s campaign medals, although Ted’s friend, Frank, had received the Military Medal, after saving the life of a young Dutch girl.
The medal was awarded posthumously since Frank had been killed in action shortly after his heroic act.
Peter also examines an old coin, which he knows Ted had found in a ruined house during the fighting in the Netherlands.
The coin depicts the head of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, and Peter is aware that Princess Juliana, who later became the Queen, lived in Ottawa during the war, establishing strong links between Canada and the Netherlands.
When Peter flips the coin, the attic around him vanishes.
To his astonishment, Peter finds himself in the Battle of the Scheldt in the Southern Netherlands in 1944.
He encounters the younger versions of Ted and Frank, as well as the Dutch girl, but Peter’s presence in the past has disastrous consequences for the world he knows when he returns to his own era.
Suspecting that he may have very limited opportunities to make a difference, Peter embarks on a highly dangerous mission to ensure that history is placed back on track, before it’s too late.
SL: Wow! You must have done quite a lot of historical research for this novel.
SR: Yes, the story, main characters, and some of the settings in this novel are fictional but are based on true events that took place in World War II.
I did lots of research into the latter stages of the conflict, the Canadian soldiers and their battles to liberate the Netherlands, the connections between the Dutch Royal Family and Canada, the beginnings of the Canadian Tulip Festival after the war, and the links between Canada and the Netherlands that still exist today.
Following the story, the glossary has links to online sources where readers can learn more about the historical events, military campaigns, settings, and leading characters from World War II that are featured in the story.
On my website, there’s a page dedicated to the book, along with links to separate pages featuring information regarding the book’s historical background and links to many online sources.
SL: I can’t wait to read the book. But now that it’s finished, what are you currently working on?
SR: I always have a few current projects and right now I’m working on another historical fantasy novel series, this time set in the early years of World War II.
I’m also working on more books in the same genre as my previously published paranormal Flashback series, a fantasy series, and a historical fiction novel.
I also continue to work on the adaptations of my Shadowzone series into screenplays for movies and TV shows, some other scripts, as well as teaching writing courses at the University of Calgary.
Anyone interested in keeping up to date with the projects that I’m working on is always welcome to subscribe to my monthly newsletter, which you can do at www.simon-rose.com.
SL: You work with other authors, and you work on a variety of projects related to writing and publishing, don’t you?
SR: Yes, I offer coaching, editing, consulting, and mentoring services for writers of novels, short stories, fiction, nonfiction, biographies, and in many other genres, plus do work with writers of scripts and screenplays.
I’m also a writing instructor and mentor at the University of Calgary and served as the Writer-in-Residence with the Canadian Authors Association.
You can find details of some of the projects I’ve worked on with other authors, along with some references and recommendations, at www.simon-rose.com.
SL: So where can people buy An Untimely Death?
SR: The book can be purchased at most of the usual places, as follows:
Ebook: Amazon Canada, Amazon USA, Kobo, iBooks, Barnes and Noble, Scribd, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon France, Amazon Japan, Smashwords
Paperback: Amazon Canada, Amazon USA, Amazon UK
SL: Thanks Simon, for being my guest here today and the very best of luck with the An Untimely Death. I hope the book sells thousands and thousands of copies in the coming months.
You can learn more about Simon and his work on his website at www.simon-rose.com, where you can also link to him on social media and at other locations online.
