The first thing that drew me to this book was the title, Wild Ruins. I’ve always loved ruins and this book has over 300 of them to discover. Then there is the amazing cover, which drew me in, not least because it’s just like an image I have in my head for my current WIP – Search for the Sentinel.
This is a very easy to use reference book with chapters focusing on counties i.e. Cornwall, Hampshire and Isle of Wight.
A nice touch are the pages at the beginning where the author suggests the best ruins for things like foraging (a favourite pastime of mine), picnics, beautiful walks, the weirdest and strangest ruins and the best for children and families. The book has lots of inspiring pictures, maps, ordnance survey grid references and post codes for sat nav.
It’s a good size to fit in a ruck sack, and I certainly can’t wait to take it on family holidays and outings to discover these Wild Ruins for myself.
From a writers perspective this is a book of pure inspiration, a must for all our bookshelves.
I’ve rated it 4 out of 5 stars. I suppose my only complaint would be the lack of glossy pictures inside, just to make it more visually pleasing.
Check out Wild Ruins on Amazon.
Suzanne Rogerson Fantasy Author 
Thanks for sharing. I love ruins. I feel drawn to them. And they make great places for fantasy characters to hang out. But I’m in Canada, and though I might dream of these fantastic ruins, it will be a long time before I actually get to visit any of them. The oldest structure is here is less than 400 years old.
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Canada is a place I would love to visit when the kids are a bit older and I’ve got over my nerves of flying.
Those of us who are lucky enough to live so close to these beautiful ruins really should make more effort to visit them. I’m hoping to visit at least a few of them in 2016. I’ll have to do some follow up blogs with pictures.
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I’m in the same boat: when the kids get older, I want to visit the UK, visit those ruins and castles and hunt down a few ancestors from Scotland.
A follow up with pictures as you visit them would be great.
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Now I’ve said it, it gives me an extra incentive to stick to my word!
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Front cover pictures are so important to a book aren’t they? I’ve got to agree that picture just draws you in :). Your book’s cover is really good too. I’m currently reading it and really enjoying it :).
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Thank you very much, I’m glad you’re enjoying it.
Until I started researching self publishing and book covers last year, I never really thought too much about the covers. I suppose I always assumed it would be the publishers decision – I never dreamt I’d have the courage to do it all myself. I love the cover of Visions of Zarua and I’m so happy I made the decision to self publish.
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Well, rest assured the cover really fits and has that appeal which would make somebody pick it up :).
Do you think you’ll always self publish, or perhaps try a publisher in the future? I’ve never been through that process myself but I can imagine it can be really daunting either way.
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Thanks. I have enjoyed being in control of the whole publishing process, but if a publisher came along with a great offer… who knows!
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Well, I’m not an advert for them but after my blog entry (see my latest post) Austin macauley publisher’s asked me if I could let authors know that they are open to submissions. I was going to blog about it at the weekend :). It would mean more books for me to review, lol :)!
I do agree with you though on being in control, it’s nice to have the whole say on book cover and have your own choice of editor etc. I’m still amazed that self published books today look so professional. I remember coming across one in a library when I was a kid which looked like it had been published using a type writer.
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I will check out your post, thanks.
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Thank you! I’m so excited, I’ve never had any writing of any kind (apart from my reviews) published anywhere. I’ve always had confidence issues too so it is so exciting to have this happen for me. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but it is to me :).
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