Monthly Archives: June 2018

Book release day 2 for The Sentinel’s Reign #fantasy #yafantasy

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It’s day 2 for the book release of The Sentinel’s Reign. I have a few more links to share with a book review, guest post and an excerpt.

I’ve had lots of fun the last few days retweeting and replying to comments. Please keep them coming.

I will say that I’m enjoying the hot weather, but releasing a book during a heat wave and in the midst of the world cup was not the best of timing. You can help me by sharing my posts and the posts of the wonderful bloggers who’ve agreed to feature The Sentinel’s Reign.

So here are today’s links…

Jennifer posted a wonderful review yesterday on her blog Alinefromabook. She gave Book 2 a brilliant 4.5 stars.

I wrote a guest post and shared my 11 tips for creating great characters, so please visit Danny site at Dansbookblog.

Teri shared an excerpt from The Sentinel’s Reign on her blog Books and Such.

 

Here is a quick recap of the blurb, just in case you missed it…

The new Sentinel’s reign is doomed to failure unless Tei can prevent the Kalayan people from plunging into war.

With the new Sentinel initiated and the magic restored on Kalaya, life is flourishing for Tei and the exiles. But Rathnor’s plans for war soon escalate and thwart any chance of peace.

Brogan’s position on the Assembly is uncertain as rumours circulate that he is an exile spy.

After an attempt on his life, Farrell is more determined than ever to build a home for his people on Stone Haven. But the council have their sights set on Kalaya and Farrell struggles to steer them from war.

As trouble brews within and outside forces gather against them, can the exiles keep their hold on the magic, or will this spell the end of Kalaya and its people?

This is the second book in the Silent Sea Chronicles trilogy and follows on from The Lost Sentinel.

The Sentinel’s Reign 99p for 1 week only

The Sentinel’s Reign – Publication day reviews, updates and links #newrelease

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The publication day has been busy with two wonderful 4 star reviews coming in already. Several bloggers have also shared excerpt and book spotlight posts.

Here is a round up of the links so far…

The first review is from Pooled Ink Reviews

The Sentinel’s Reign breathes life into an island of magic as well as enemies thirsting for its power. Adventurous and unique this fantasy only gets more captivating with every turn.

The second review of the day comes from Mim Inklings.

‘The plot is thoroughly rooted in the lovely world which Suzanne Rogerson has created. The world-building in The Sentinel’s Reign is every bit as dramatic, complex, and exquisite as in the first book. …I loved every second of The Sentinel’s Reign. It was hard to put down…’ 

Please check their reviews, they are brilliant. And both reviewers have also reviewed Book 1 – The Lost Sentinel on their blogs, with links in the above posts.

 

There are book spotlight posts on The Writing Process and Another World Book Blog

And two short excerpts to read on Boundtowriting and Jaye and Anita’s blog.

 

I am heading off to open a beautiful bottle of champagne. But please keep commenting and I will reply as quickly as I can.

publicity ebook and paperback

The Sentinel’s Reign – Out now! #NewRelease #epicfantasy

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Just a quick post this morning to celebrate the release day of The Sentinel’s Reign. It’s now live on Amazon and available to read for free to Kindle Unlimited customers.

Hopefully through the course of the day there will be a few release day posts and excerpts, plus a few reviews and guest posts are due in over the coming days. I will be checking out your comments, so please get in touch.

My book babies!

 

The Lost Sentinel – Book 1

The Sentinel’s Reign – Book 2 

The Sentinel’s Reign – 1 day to go! http://mybook.to/sentinelreign

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That’s it, the time is almost here. In just a few hours, The Sentinel’s Reign will be downloaded to the kindles of all those who’ve pre-ordered it.

ebook pic

As promised over the coming days I will be sharing the links to all the blogs that are helping to spread the news about my new release.

Today Karen at My Train of Thoughts shared a preview of the first chapter of The Sentinel’s Reign. Check out her post here.

Danny at Dansbooksblog shared a Book Spotlight on The Sentinel’s Reign and will feature me again on Saturday for a special guest post all about characters. Today’s post is here.

There is not much more to say, except thank you for following, sharing and liking the posts. I hope you all enjoy the second instalment of the Silent Sea Chronicles.

 

The new Sentinel’s reign is doomed to failure unless Tei can prevent the Kalayan people from plunging into war.

publicity ebook and paperback

Amazon

Goodreads

Only 2 days to go! The Sentinel’s Reign out 29th June 2018 http://mybook.to/sentinelreign

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On 29th June, The Sentinel’s Reign will be released into the world and I hope you will all help me celebrate the second book in the Silent Sea Chronicles.

publicity ebook and paperback

I made the decision not to run a proper blog tour this time around. Last year it exhausted me and took the shine off the publication of The Lost Sentinel.

I do have a few guest posts, interviews and mini excerpts lined up over the coming weeks and hopefully a few reviews will be going up very soon as well. I hope to write an update post each day with links to the bloggers who’ve agreed to help promote my new release.

And here they are;

Rainne over at Rainne’s Ramblings has posted an exclusive look at the prologue of The Sentinel’s Reign.

And Ari Meghlen interviewed me on her blog today. It’s always fun answering questions about my writing journey. Please check out both these lovely ladies blogs.

That’s about it for today’s update.

I would love to get a few more pre-orders in and see The Sentinel’s Reign hit the kindle charts hard on release day, will you help me? You can pick it up at the bargain price of 99p, just follow the link here.

Thank you for your support.

 

 

#Tuesdaybookblog #bookreview How to write a fantasy book description by Jesper Schmidt @SchmidtJesper

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My review of ‘How to write a fantasy book description’ will follow, but first take a look at the blurb.

Blurb

Do you find it difficult to write the blurb for your book? Do you hate writing book descriptions? 

If your synopsis always comes out bland and boring, with no chance of leading to more book sales, then this guidebook is for you.

How to Write a Fantasy Book Description is a step-by-step approach. It lays out everything you need to know in five simple and effective steps.

Learn how to hook readers by:

  • Writing incredible taglines that grabs attention
  • Escalating the tension throughout your blurb and captivate readers
  • Using spellbinding words to dazzle customers
  • Learning how to avoid meandering into subplots and instead make your blurb a joy to read
  • Understanding how long your blurb needs to be and how to use cliffhangers effectively
  • Discovering easy methods to format your blurb before uploading to online retailers like Amazon

In addition, you will find bonus chapters on how to write book descriptions for series, box sets and non-fiction.

If you like easy to follow instructions, sprinkled with helpful examples, then How to Write a Fantasy Book Description is for you.

Jesper Schmidt is a fantasy author. He is the creator of several how-to books, like the bestselling Fantasy Map Making and Twitter for Authors.

write a fantasy desc book

 

My Review

I follow Jesper Schmidt’s newsletter and when he asked for people to join his launch team for this book I jumped at the chance of an ARC. I have read both his other How to books and found them very helpful. Here’s my review of Twitter for Authors.

Fantasy Map making is a book I plan to use in the future and I will review it once I have created the world maps for my Silent Sea Chronicles trilogy.

I find writing book descriptions very difficult and with the publication of my second book looming, the timing of this how to guide was perfect. Mr Schmidt starts with how important book descriptions are and gives 5 common mistakes authors make.

He then talks us through 5 steps to creating a great blurb including tag lines and character introductions. He uses examples of current blurbs on Amazon to showcase his points and there are task lists at the end of each chapter to help you keep focused.

What I found really helpful was the author using his own fantasy book blurb and walking us through the process of how he came up with his killer blurb, including his mistakes.

After helping you draft your blurb, the book focuses on the editing stage and gives you areas to check like repetition and boring middles.

There are a couple of extras which are handy – blurbs for box sets and series, formatting and an appendix of words relevant to fantasy.

The whole process of writing a book description feels much less daunting when following these steps. I highly recommend this book to all fantasy authors out there.

Amazon link

On a personal note – I  used the knowledge from this book to update my blurb for The Lost Sentinel before I ran a kindle countdown deal on Amazon. I’m glad to say that I sold more copies than I had with previous promotions!

Check this how-to guide for yourself on Goodreads

 

#Tuesdaybookblog The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave #bookreview #children’s

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My mini review of a beautiful and touching children’s book – The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

First let’s start with the cover, isn’t it beautiful.

the island at the end

Blurb

Ami lives on Culion, an island for people who have leprosy. Her mother is infected. She loves her home – but then islanders untouched by sickness are forced to leave. Ami’s desperate to return before her mother’s death. She finds a strange and fragile hope in a colony of butterflies. Can they lead her home before it’s too late?

 

Mini Review

My daughter recommended this to me and I’m so glad she did. The book is very different to my expectations of a children’s book. It deals with some very serious issues and has a message that people are just people, despite illness or deformity.

Ami is a really likeable main character and you feel for her as she is taken away from her home and put in an orphanage. You follow her struggle with this new life and her determination to get back to her mother.

You really have a sense of the two islands the story is set on and the writing draws you in from the start. I felt every moment of Ami’s story. Towards the end I had to stop reading for a while as I knew the tragedy that was about to happen. When I came back to the story the next day, I found the scene touching and emotional. The author handled the inevitable situation beautifully.

This is a sad story but it is also one of love, hope and endurance.

I highly recommend this story and rate it 5 stars.

 

 

#Tuesdaybookblog The Sentinel’s Reign – 10 days to go! #bookbloggers and #reviewers wanted

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I can’t believe there are only 10 days to go before Book 2 in the Silent Sea Chronicles is published!

The Sentinel’s Reign is out on 29th June 2018 but you can pre-order it now for only 99p / 99c. The price will go up soon after publication, so why not ensure you get your copy for the bargain price. Order here.

publicity ebook and paperback

Blurb

The new Sentinel’s reign is doomed to failure unless Tei can prevent the Kalayan people from plunging into war.

With the new Sentinel initiated and the magic restored on Kalaya, life is flourishing for Tei and the exiles. But Rathnor’s plans for war soon escalate and thwart any chance of peace.

Brogan’s position on the Assembly is uncertain as rumours circulate that he is an exile spy.

After an attempt on his life, Farrell is more determined than ever to build a home for his people on Stone Haven. But the council have their sights set on Kalaya and Farrell struggles to steer them from war.

As trouble brews within and outside forces gather against them, can the exiles keep their hold on the magic, or will this spell the end of Kalaya and its people?

The Sentinel’s Reign is a heroic fantasy. If you like character-driven adventures then you will love The Sentinel’s Reign.

This is the second book in the Silent Sea Chronicles trilogy and follows on from The Lost Sentinel.

The Sentinel’s Reign universal book link

At the moment I haven’t planned a blog tour, but if you are willing to post about The Sentinel’s Reign around the publication date, I would be very grateful. Please get in touch in the comments or on my contact form, or just re-blog and share. Thank you!

I am also looking for book bloggers who maybe interested in reviewing books 1 and 2 in the series. Again, please get in touch.

The Lost Sentinel is One today! #fantasy #epicfantasy

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Happy Birthday to The Lost Sentinel – a year old today!

It has received some wonderful reviews on Goodreads and Amazon so I thought today would be a great day to share a few quotes.

 

Praise for The Lost Sentinel…

‘Wow, after reading this book I am emotionally drained… but in a good way.’ MPB – My Peacock Books

‘Surrounded by some wonderful characters who get under your skin almost from the start Tei sets out on a harrowing journey which is heartwarming, moving, and terrifying all at once.
…this story bowled me over, it was an absolutely outstanding epic fantasy and the kind of writing fantasy authors should be aspiring to.’ Claire – Brizzle Lass Books

‘The Lost Sentinel contains plenty of action, intrigue, and challenges throughout, making this a thrilling fantasy adventure indeed. It’s the sort of book I enjoyed reading while reclining in a comfy chair on the sunny front porch of my house. It didn’t overwhelm me with information, itty bitty details, or dull monologues, but rather it whisked me away to someplace magical, alluring, and dangerous.’ Angela – Pooled Ink Reviews

‘This is the second book of Suzanne Rogerson’s that I have read so I felt that I had some sort of idea of her writing style but wow has she raised the bar. What makes it even more exciting is that this is the first book in a trilogy so I know it is going to be one hell of an epic journey for both the characters and readers alike.’ Susan Hampson – Books from Dusk till Dawn 

‘The world building is incredible, it’s my favorite aspect of the book and I think it’s the best achieved. The descriptions are exceptional, without doubts.’ Sofia – A Book. A Thought. 

‘I love the characters in this story. From Tei, the reluctant seeker, to Garrick, the hunky hero, you get a broad range of personalities. One of my favorite things about this author is her ability to develop her characters in a way that feels natural and flows well within the story. In the same way she develops her fantasy world. There is no heavy world drawing passages but you get your knowledge of the way things work as a natural part of the story. And then you have the story itself which is full of surprising plot twists, moves at a really great pace, and draws the reader in from beginning to end. As with the author’s first book, I cannot say enough good things about this book.’ Jennifer – A line from a book.

‘Great beginning to a fantasy series, can’t wait to read the rest.’ Jaye Dawes – jenanita01

 

Why don’t you help me celebrate The Lost Sentinel’s birthday by checking the book out for yourself. You can download a free sample and read it for free if you are a Kindle Unlimited member.

Blurb

The magical island of Kalaya is dying, along with its Sentinel. With the Kalayan people turning their back on magic, can Tei help the exiles find their new Sentinel before it’s too late?

The Assembly controls Kalaya. Originally set up to govern, they now persecute those with magic and exile them to the Turrak Mountains.
Tei, a tailor’s daughter, has always hidden her magic. When her father’s old friend visits and warns them to flee to the mountains she must leave her old life behind.

On the journey, an attack leaves her father mortally wounded. He entrusts her into the care of two exiles, Rike and Garrick, and on his deathbed makes a shocking confession.

Struggling with self-doubt, Tei joins the exiles in the search for their lost Sentinel. But mysterious Masked Riders want the Sentinel too, and time, as well as hope, is running out.

How can Tei help the Kalayan people reunite and save the magic when their ignorance threatens to destroy them all?

Follow Tei’s journey through the magical land of Kalaya and the Astral Plane.

If you love character-based fantasy, then you’ll love The Lost Sentinel – Book 1 in the Silent Sea Chronicles trilogy.

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If you like what you’ve read so far, click the Universal Amazon link

And of course if you have read The Lost Sentinel, please consider leaving a review to help other readers discover my work.

Thank you in advance, and enjoy the rest of your weekend.