Visions of Zarua is 4 today! #fantasy #epicfantasy #bookbirthday

Posted on November 16, 2019 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

Four years – I can hardly believe my debut book has been out that long! Happy birthday to Visions of Zarua.

I hope you can forgive a bit of a promo post today as I’m so proud of this book and all I have achieved in the last 4 years. Thinking back I really can’t believe I actually had the guts to do it. Releasing my debut novel was a scary undertaking, but thanks to the wonderful reviewers and book bloggers I’ve met along the way I’ve never regretted it. In fact, self publishing is addictive and I can’t wait to get my fifth book out there!

Here’s Poppy, she’s so proud of her human.

2019 has been a massive year for Visions of Zarua with the audiobook coming out in July and the Czech translation in October. I loved visiting the bookshops in Prague and seeing it in real life.

The audiobook has been brought to life by Guy Barnes and I can never miss an opportunity to share a clip with you.

You can buy all editions of Visions of Zarua from Amazon here.

You can also buy the audiobook on iTunes or audible where it’s free to listen to with your monthly credit. If you don’t have a audible account, you can follow these links to set up an account and receive a free months trial.

UK readers – Audible link

US readers – Audible link

French readers – Audible link

German readers – Audible link

(Note – If you use this link, order Visions and decide to keep your membership I will get a referral bonus from audible.)

Visions of Zarua has received some wonderful reviews on Amazon and Goodreads in the last few years. I love to read them and I thought I’d share a couple of new ones today.

Shelley Clarke – ‘The author created such believable, magical worlds with wonderful characters that I didn’t want it to end. There’s everything in this story, good v evil, romance, crime, mystery, passion & fabulous magic, all put together in a wonderful writing style.’

Jenn – ‘It perfectly mixes past and present timelines into one unique story that will have you enjoying each moment. And who doesn’t like some magic and magical beasts? Guy Barnes does a great job narrating this book.’

Rebecca – I found this book to be fresh and unique because the author combines my favorite elements of fantasy with an engaging and suspenseful mystery. I was on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t stop listening…’

Tiffany T – ‘I absolutely loved Visions of Zarua. It was very interesting to go back and forth in time to the two different stories and then see how they intertwined at the end. I almost felt like I got two stories for the price of one!’

If you have read Visions of Zarua would you consider adding your review to Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub or where ever you can think of? These reviews show other readers my book is worth a try, and if I can get enough reviews I might have a chance of getting accepted for that elusive BookBub Ad where I have a chance of reaching 1000’s of readers in one day.

Thanks for being there with me on this incredible journey. Long may it continue.

If you want to pick up your copy from Amazon, here’s that universal link again for Visions of Zarua.

I’ll leave you with the blurb just in case you haven’t seen it enough in the last four years…

Blurb

Two wizards, 350 years apart. Can they save the realm of Paltria from Zarua’s dark past?

An ancient darkness haunts the realm of Paltria.

Apprentice wizard Paddren is plagued by visions of a city on the brink of annihilation. When his master dies in mysterious circumstances, the Royal Order of Wizards refuses to investigate.

Helped by his childhood friend, the skilled tracker Varnia, and her lover Leyoch, Paddren vows to find the killer.

The investigation leads Paddren down a sinister path of assassins, secret sects and creatures conjured by blood magic. But he is guided by a connection with a wizard from centuries ago – a wizard whose history holds the key to the horror at the heart of the abandoned city of Zarua. Can Paddren decipher his visions and save the Paltrian people before the dark menace of Zarua’s past is unleashed?

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

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A writer’s life – Prague highlights #indieauthor #fantasyauthor #Tuesdaybookblog

Posted on November 12, 2019 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

I recently spent a wonderful few days in Prague enjoying the sights, the food and the drink. But the real highlights of the trip was seeing my translated book – Zarua Ztracene Mesto (Visions of Zarua) in the bookstores and visiting my publisher, Albatros Media. I signed some books for competition prizes while I was there and found out the story behind how they discovered my book too!

The holiday to Prague was months in planning and ran into its fair share of problems. I was supposed to go with my daughter and husband, but we didn’t have anyone to leave the puppy with so I transferred the flights to my parents and they came with me instead. We had various issues doing the transfer and I experienced a lot of frustration trying to get hold of the airline on the phone, but I finally got everything sorted a few days before we were due to fly.

The morning of the flight didn’t get off to a good start either when my alarm didn’t go off! My phone had decided to switch off and I woke up at 4.25am with only 5 minutes to get dressed and brush my teeth before the taxi arrived. We got to the airport on time, but my phone refused to switch back on and was heating up. It’s a closed unit so I had not option of removing the battery and I feared it wouldn’t be allowed on the plane. Thankfully a lovely man at the Dixon store showed me how to get it to switch on and it started to cool down almost instantly. The phone had hardly any charge left, but the pressure was off and I could finally relax and enjoy the start of my holiday. So much stress and it was still only 6.30am!

We arrived at our grand hotel and spent four days exploring the sights, having first got to grips with the transport system, which I must say is cheap and very simple to use once you understand it. The weather was beautiful and warm on the first day and we only needed a cardigan as we started our first adventure into Prague.

The remaining days the temperature dropped and we needed coats, scarves and gloves! We decided to take a bus tour through Prague, which included a walking tour of Prague Castle, a traditional lunch and a boat trip under Charles Bridge. The guide was very knowledgeable and we had a lot of fun despite the cold.

I would love to share some more pictures but I will save them for another post. I’ll end by saying that Prague is a great place to spend a few days exploring on foot or jumping on and off the many trams that run through the city. There are beautiful buildings everywhere you look, and don’t forget to look up or you’ll miss some great architecture. The eagle-eyed might also spot a few of these cute little guys in the River Vltava (Coypu).

Until next time…

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

You can follow me on

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New Release: Before the End by G J Stevens #zombie #thriller #horror

Posted on November 8, 2019 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

I am really happy to be sharing news of a new release from my author friend G J Stevens. Before the End is out today!

Blurb

Digging up this once-in-a-lifetime story could have lethal consequences…

Jess Carmichael longs to break a news feature that will change the world. But the TV reporter never expects a mysterious telephone call from her ex to be the source. Rushing to a shady government facility, Jess struggles to believe the outrageous reports…

With her loyal camera crew by her side, the intrepid journalist arrives in Cornwall at her partner’s last known location. But when Jess pushes for access, she gets more than she bargained for. Still kept in the dark, she’s about to play a starring role in a twisted and grisly exclusive…

Can Jess expose a sinister cover up before millions fall prey to a zombie outbreak?

Before The End is the second and standalone book in the thrilling post-apocalyptic series In The End. If you like dark horror, fast-paced action, and bloodthirsty zombies, then you’ll love GJ Stevens’ high-stakes tale.

Links: https://books2read.com/u/b5QvP6

About the author

GJ Stevens started writing fiction at the age of thirty. Even as an engineer with a large family and a full time career with plenty of adult responsibilities, he has always had a creative side. After years of self-suppression, the flood gates opened and his novel In The End is the culmination of many years of finding time from nowhere to learn the craft.

Whilst working to independently publish and make a success of his novels, Gareth lays bare his publishing journey through his blog, drawing together advice and knowledge from those already in the industry.

As a lover of the outdoors, every year he spends weekends out in the desolate countryside of the UK hiking and camping with his long-time friends which he uses as inspiration for both his creative fiction works and the subject of many a blog post. GJ Stevens is on the beginning of his publishing journey and wants to share the highs and lows with anyone who will listen.

BOOK ONE

I read book 1 earlier this year and highly recommend In the End. It was a real page turner and I loved the fact a zombie thriller was set in England, especially as Cornwall was a childhood holiday destination of mine. Thankfully we never had to deal with any zombies!

My mini review of In The End from Goodreads – 5 stars ‘This is the first zombie book I’ve read and I’m so glad I took a chance on a different genre.
I loved the fast pace and short chapters which kept me turning the pages. For the poor characters thrust into this nightmarish situation there is no let up. Even when you think they’re safe to lie down and rest, just for a moment, another shocking twist is waiting around the corner.
Be warned, it ends with a cliff hanger and I can’t wait to see what happens next!’

Check out Gareth’s books on Goodreads and Amazon.

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