#FridayBookShare – Lord of the Silver Bow by David Gemmell #fantasy

Posted on August 12, 2016 by Suzanne Rogerson Author

Set up by Shelly on her blog. Anyone can have a go – all you need to do is answer the following questions based on a book you enjoyed reading and use the hashtag #FridayBookShare. Be sure to like, comment, and share other participants posts.

First line of the book.

Recruit fans by adding the book blurb.

Introduce the main character using only three words.

Delightful design (add the cover image of the book).

Audience appeal (who would enjoy reading this book?)

Your favourite line/scene.

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FIRST LINE – To sleep is to die.

RECRUIT FANS (BLURB) – Three lives will change the destiny of nations.

Helikaon, the young prince of Dardania, haunted by a scarred and traumatic childhood. The priestess Andromache, whose fiery spirit and fierce independence threatens the might of kings. And the legendary warrior Argurios, cloaked in loneliness and driven only by thoughts of revenge.

In Troy they find a city torn apart by destructive rivalries – a maelstrom of jealousy, deceit and murderous treachery. And beyond its fabled walls blood-hungry enemies eye its riches and plot its downfall.

It is a time of bravery and betrayal; a time of bloodshed and fear. A time for heroes.

INTRODUCE THE MAIN CHARACTER – Helikaon; brave, heroic, legendary

DELIGHTFUL DESIGN –

AUDIENCE APPEAL – Anyone and everyone who likes fantasy. There is the historical element as well, and the myths of Troy etc. I would say the Troy trilogy is some of Gemmell’s best work.

YOUR FAVOURITE LINE – Utterly impossible to choose. I think I love every line in this book! Each sentence means something, and hints at events to come. I’ll go with this…

‘What is wrong, Odysseus?’ she asked him. ‘Is it the coming battle? Do you fear for your friend?’

Odysseus shivered suddenly. ‘I am filled with fear, but not for his safety. Helikaon is a fighter, but there are depths to the man which should never be plumbed.’

20 pages later we find out what Odysseus feared…

Buy it now at Amazon UK or Amazon US

#Thursdaydoors – Malta / Gozo

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Suzanne Rogerson Author

I’ve seen others posting their #thursdaydoors and thought it was time to join in.

During a day trip to Gozo last week, I spotted several doors with these wonderful door handles. I would’ve loved to have stopped and taken some close ups, but this is the best I could do through a coach window.

#WWWBlogs How publishing taught me to be more self-reliant #indiepub #indieauthor

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Suzanne Rogerson Author

I just wanted to share a link to my guest post over the Writing & Wellness blog run by Colleen M Story.

To view the article click here . While you’re there, have a look around. There are plenty of great articles to read.

#Audiobook #bookreview – Try not to breathe by Holly Seddon #thriller #suspense

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Suzanne Rogerson Author

Try Not To Breathe by Holly Seddon

Audio book

Blurb

Alex is sinking. Slowly but surely, she’s cut herself off from everything but her one true love – drink. Until she’s forced to write a piece about a coma ward, where she meets Amy.

Amy is lost. When she was fifteen, she was attacked and left for dead in a park. Her attacker was never found. Since then, she has drifted in a lonely, timeless place. She’s as good as dead, but not even her doctors are sure how much she understands.

Alex and Amy grew up in the same suburbs, played the same music, flirted with the same boys. And as Alex begins to investigate the attack, she opens the door to the same danger that has left Amy in a coma…

My review

I really enjoyed this thriller of a book. The format reminded me very much of Girl on a Train, which I have also recently listened to. Each chapter switches between Alex, Jacob/Jake and Amy’s view-point. There are occasional chapters from other VP’s (Jacob’s mum) but it’s these three that are the main focus.

I quickly became sucked in by the story and found myself snatching every moment I could to listen to another chapter. I found the characters believable and really wanted Alex to get justice for Amy.

The narration was great.

This book lives up to the hype around it and left me guessing (wrongly) at Amy’s attacker most of the way through. I certainly wasn’t expecting the big reveal at the end, and I’m usually good at working out the clues before that point.

I recommend Try not to Breathe to those who enjoy a great thriller / suspense novel. I can’t wait to read more of Holly Seddon’s work.

My rating 4 stars.

#Tuesdaybookblog – Visions of Zarua is available via #KindleUnlimited #fantasy

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Suzanne Rogerson Author

When I first published Visions of Zarua I wanted to reach as many book markets as possible. So I published with Kindle and Smashwords (which covers markets like Kobo, iTunes, Nook).

However in the months since publication I’ve only sold half a dozen copies through these platforms via Smashwords. Even running various sales, and a half price sale throughout July has not helped. Kindle has produced much better results so I decided to unpublish with Smashwords and try out KDP Select.

Amazon UK Kindle Unlimited

It’s just gone live this morning, so I’ll give a progress report in a few months on how this is working. I’m really hoping it will boost sales and that having access to extra marketing opportunities will allow me to step back from my own efforts and finish my next book – I’m miles behind schedule for publishing this year!

I’m also looking at the option of an audiobook. It would be a very expensive audiobook to buy, but not for readers who are monthly subscribers to audible etc. I’ll update on this as I go along.

Maybe these new platforms will lead to bigger and better things. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

In other news;

Visions of Zarua is still in the running for Mark Lawrence’s #SPFBO 2 (self published fantasy blog off). Some of the reviewers have already whittled down their list to a few, so I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in my group of 30 authors.

As September draws closer, I’m eagerly awaiting the results of the Creative National Writing competition. Visions of Zarua has been shortlisted and several prizes will be awarded. I have everything crossed hoping it gets placed amongst the winners.

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I think I have just about exhausted all the marketing opportunities for indie authors – goodreads giveaways, blog tours etc. As much as I want to let go and focus on other projects, it’s hard to see Visions of Zarua disappear amongst the millions of other books available. Does anyone out there have any other marketing suggestions? Are there any avenues I’ve missed?

Weekend wanderings around Malta & Gozo #photo #travel

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Suzanne Rogerson Author

For a long time, I’ve been too scared to fly. But when my parents offered to take us on a family holiday I put aside my fear and went for it. I chose a destination that interests me, Malta.

The worse part for me was take off, but then I was surprisingly relaxed and even enjoyed the view.

Views from our hotel -DB Seabanks.

The hotel was clean and cool, and the all inclusive food was excellent with plenty of opportunities to be more adventurous with food choices. The staff were friendly, and it was a great location for the beach / sea just across the road.

Trip to the Blue Grotto

This cool looking rock shelter

A look at the Maltese wildlife and fauna

Bee in a cactus flower

Lovely lizard

Biggest cricket I’ve ever seen

I didn’t spot much in the way of wildlife or fauna. Malta is a very hot and dry country. We were told it hadn’t rain for a while and even some of the cacti looked in need of a drink. Along the roads there were lots of beautiful shrubs / trees with vivid pink flowers, but I didn’t get to find out what they were.

A day trip to Gozo

We enjoyed a boat trip around the Azure window (apparently it’s been made famous by the Game of Thrones series, which gives me the perfect excuse to re-watch it for a glimpse of the amazing natural phenomena.) I wish there had been more time to get some shots from land as well.

Gozo was gearing up for its Fiesta celebrations

The Cittadel and the view from the highest point in Gozo

A view of the island of Camino and the Blue Lagoon.

The main reason I chose Malta / Gozo was its history and the architecture.

From the small, every day buildings…

To the magnificent churches like Ta-Pinu.

I’ll finish with some shots of other buildings seen from afar.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my brief tour of Malta and Gozo. There is so much more to see, maybe I’ll be lucky enough to go back one day.

Note – Photos taken on my Sony Xperia camera phone and faithful old Lumix (some picture quality is poor due to being taken through coach windows).

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I’d like to dedicate this post to my parents and take the opportunity to thank them for taking us away with them. They’ve helped me get over my fear of flying, and now I know there is a whole world out there waiting to be explored.

#Bookreview – The Wedding Proposal Sue Moorcroft #Romance

Posted on August 6, 2016 by Suzanne Rogerson Author

The Wedding Proposal by Sue Moorcroft.

Genre: Romance

Blurb

Elle Jamieson is a private person, in relationships as well as at work – and for good reason. But then she’s made redundant and with no ties to hold her, Elle heads off to sunny Malta.

Lucas Rose hates secrets – he prides himself on his ability to lay his cards on the table and he expects nothing less in return. He’s furious when his summer working as a divemaster is interrupted by the arrival of Elle, his ex, all thanks to his Uncle Simon’s misguided attempts at matchmaking.

Forced to live in close proximity, it’s hard to ignore what they had shared before Lucas’s wedding proposal scared Elle away. But then a phone call from England allows Lucas a rare glimpse of the true Elle. Can he deal with Elle’s closely guarded past when it finally comes to light?

My Review – in brief

I was first attracted to this book because of the location. I’m very interested in Malta and have just returned from a holiday there – my first trip abroad in over 15 years. I originally read this book hoping it would help me get excited about the country as I was very nervous about flying.

I’m happy to say that not only did this book do the country and friendly people justice, it really gave a feel for the island and the culture as well as the heat. There were lots of little details that added to the reading experience and brought Malta alive for me.

The characters were believable and the conflict between them was plausible. I really enjoyed this story and will definitely read more of Sue Moorcroft’s work.

I recommend to those who enjoy romance with a touch of steaminess, and that’s not just the Maltese temperature!

4 out of 5 stars.