Writing update – Today I was supposed to publish! #fantasyauthor #indieauthor #amwriting

Posted on June 30, 2020 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

At the beginning of 2020 I planned to publish a prequel novella today – 30th June 2020.

I’m not and I have no idea when it will be ready. I know there is no point rushing and bringing out a book that isn’t the best I can make it, but I still feel disappointed.

Positive thinking…

I’ve realised that I need to relax and stop pressurising myself. Nothing terrible will happen if I don’t meet my own deadlines. That is the beauty of self publishing and being your own boss.

At the start of lock down I had hopes of publishing 3 books in a year! A prequel novella, the main book and then the sequel novella. Looking back now I see my crazy plan was unattainable. Hell, I haven’t even reached beyond a brief plan of the sequel and still have the last quarter of the main book to write. Now a beta reader suggests that the prequel novella should be novel size, so I no longer know where I am.

Future plans…

I would still like to get the first book out by the end of the year but I need to keep in mind that plans can change and that is just the way life is.

I also have ideas to publish a book of short stories and I’ve been working on a romance novella that could be a contender for publication later this year.

I have plenty to keep me busy and lots to look forward to in the future. I also want to work on getting more exposure for my 4 published books. Here they are, I still love looking at them.

A dose of reality….

My husband is very supportive of my dreams but we did have an honest chat about finances the other day. What he said has stayed with me and shown me that I need to get my act together. He said

‘Your books are our pension… so it looks like we’re going to starve.’

Puts things into perspective, doesn’t it!

Staying positive…

I need to focus everything I have on these next few books and making them the best I can before setting any publication dates.

I hope having a bigger back catalogue of books will start working for me financially and if not, there perhaps at that point I’ll pull my head out of the clouds and get that proper job he’s always joked about. But not until I’ve given this my best shot.

I got a Czech publishing deal out of nowhere, so who knows if another great opportunity is just around the corner.

Stay safe and positive everyone.

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

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The Sentinel’s Reign book birthday #fantasy #epicfantasy #trilogy

Posted on June 29, 2020 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

This post is to celebrate the 2nd birthday of book 2 in my Silence Sea Chronicles – The Sentinel’s Reign.

With lockdown and epidemics still going on, I think it’s good to look back and celebrate successes. By now I should be preparing to publish my next book but everything has been set back, so at least today I can feel proud of a past achievement rather than focus on the delays to my plans.

On 29th June 2018 I released this beauty into the world…

I remember feeling nervous that it wouldn’t match the quality of book, but reviewers soon put my mind at ease. It’s great to look back and share a few of their comments…

‘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.’

‘After reading The Lost Sentinel, I was invested in these character’s lives and as before beware of heartbreak. There were times that I was in mourning and then as I was continuing the story, I wanted to fist pump the air. This story will flip your emotions and as the story intensifies with the pending danger, I could not put this book down.’

What I love about The Sentinel’s Reign is that it doesn’t struggle from “middle book syndrome.” The plot is great, the characters are developing, and this doesn’t feel like just a bridge from book one to book three!

‘What a fantastic continuation from book one… Overall, this book was action packed and had me glued to it’s pages just as its predecessor did, even as I was just processing what happened in one chapter, I was desperate to speed through the next to see what happened! I cannot wait to get my hands on book three and see where the adventure takes Tei and her friends next.‘

‘As soon as I read Book One, I bought the next two in the series and all three books were fabulous! Suzanne has created a wonderful new world full of characters you will mostly love and a few to hate but they are all superb.’

Check out The Sentinel’s Reign on Goodreads

Reading all the lovely reviews of this book has made me feel very emotional. I’m so happy that I’ve been able to share this story with the world and that readers have loved Silent Sea Chronicles as much as me. Sometimes with all that’s happening it’s good to be reminded of what we have achieved.

My only regret about self publishing is not being able to reach readers on a wider scale. I believe in these books and I wish I could wave a magic wand to help people find them.

Unfortunately, I don’t own a magic wand but the next best thing is happening – soon all three books will be brought to life in audio format! Until then, I’ll try to keep positive; who knows what’s around the corner.

If you are tempted to try out the series here are the universal links for Book 1 The Lost Sentinel or Silent Sea Chronicles trilogy box set for only £6.99 / $6.99.

Have a great day everyone.

***

Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

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#Tuesdaybookblog #Bookreview Fallible Justice by Laura Laakso #urbanfantasy #paranormalcrime @LLaaksoWriter

Posted on June 23, 2020 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

I really enjoyed my first visit to Old London and meeting with so many interesting characters.

Blurb

In Old London, where paranormal races co-exist with ordinary humans, criminal verdicts delivered by the all-seeing Heralds of Justice are infallible. After a man is declared guilty of murder and sentenced to death, his daughter turns to private investigator Yannia Wilde to do the impossible and prove the Heralds wrong.
Yannia has escaped a restrictive life in the Wild Folk conclave where she was raised, but her origins mark her as an outsider in the city. Those origins lend her the sensory abilities of all of nature. Yet Yannia is lonely and struggling to adapt to life in the city. The case could be the break she needs. She enlists the help of her only friend, a Bird Shaman named Karrion, and together they accept the challenge of proving a guilty man innocent.
So begins a breathless race against time and against all conceivable odds. Can Yannia and Karrion save a man who has been judged infallibly guilty?

Firstly I’d just like to admire the cover, it’s so well designed and even though its dark it really stands out and draws the eye.

This book has some of my favourite elements, magic and mystery, in a modern day setting with a difference. There is so much depth to the character, her past, and the magic system in this world that it draws you in. I love the peppering of details that help you understand Yannia and her past, and I can’t wait to discover more about in the books to come.

I loved the magic in this book, in particular how Yannia can call up the senses of other animals and use them to see the world around her. There is also her daily struggle to live away from the natural magic, her pain is very well portrayed and makes you care for the character even more. There are lots of colourful yet mysterious characters that help Yannia along the way and I hope they will feature more in future books.

The crime itself is an interesting one. P.I’s are a personal favourite of mine and I just loved investigating this impossible crime with Yannia. The whodunit moment was great and the realisation of how the crime was committed completely surprised me.

It’s a great first book of what I’m sure will be an entertaining series with characters and a magic system I can’t wait to discover more about. So far there are 3 books in the series but I believe there are more to come.

I noticed it’s currently only 99p on Amazon. I recommend picking up a copy now. Let me know what you think.

Check out Fallible Justice on ; Amazon and Goodreads.

***

Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

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1k blog followers! #indieauthor #blogger

Posted on June 21, 2020 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

I’ve just reached a huge milestone, one I would never have imagined possible when I joined WordPress and started blogging 5 years ago. It all came about when I decided to self publish my debut novel, Visions of Zarua, back in Nov 2015.

I had no clue what I was doing or what to blog about but I had a lot of fun experimenting. I’ve blogged 573 posts, had 24k views and 14k visitor across the world.

I’ve conversed with lots of wonderful readers and writers over the years and greatly enjoyed being a part of the blogging community.

1,000 Follows! — **A huge milestone for Suzanne Rogerson Fantasy Author blog**

This has actually come at a time where I’ve just started getting back into blogging, so I’m really happy to be able to celebrate 1000 followers today.

Thanks for being there and I hope you’re still with me in another five years.

***

Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

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#Bookreview Children of Sinai by Shelley Clarke @Shelley62628484

Posted on June 19, 2020 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

A compelling mystery I highly recommend.

Blurb

How would you feel if you got caught up in a secret so vast it threatened everything the world had come to believe?

That’s what happened to John Milburn, computer science lecturer, orphan, husband and father, who lived an ordinary life in Haverhill, Suffolk, England.

That is, until the dreams started…

From the idyllic calm of Cambridge, John Milburn is drawn to the dust and the heat of Jericho. Thrown into danger and intrigue, he discovers more than he’d bargained for.

‘A wowser of a tale that is exciting and thought-provoking with a cast of characters you’ll fall in love with. Inspired by Biblical events, historical finds, theories and the author’s own strange imagination.’

My Review

This was a really gripping and interesting book that challenges beliefs. It’s also one that I’ve found hard to categorise. Mystery, thriller, action adventure, apocalyptic…

The first half of the book is filled with questions as the mystery drags you in and then the action steps up as the pieces start to fall into place. I really liked the characters and quickly became invested in their story. I was fascinated by the idea of twins being at the heart of something so big.

The story takes an unexpected turn that I hadn’t seen coming. I was especially surprised when the novel came scarily close to the current worldwide crisis going on in 2020.

I loved how the past was interwoven with the present and how dreams play such a big part in the story. There was only one part when the characters are forced to set up a new community with others that have been singled out that I felt might have been a little rushed. It didn’t spoil my pleasure of the story nor my need to keep reading to find out the fate of humankind. And plenty happens as others seek to thwart their attempts to follow their destiny.

I can’t wait to read about what happens to civilisation after the shocking events at the end of book 1. I highly recommend this book.

You can buy Children of Sinai from Amazon.

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

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Free paperback offer – The Lost Sentinel bk 1 Silent Sea Chronicles #fantasy #epicfantasy #yafantasy

Posted on June 16, 2020 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

As it’s the third birthday of The Lost Sentinel, I’ve decided to offer someone a free paperback. This worldwide offer is open until 20th June 2020.

To enter you can follow my blog, comment on and share this post, you can also share and follow me across any of the social media platforms below for extra entries into the draw. I’ll pick a winner over the weekend.

Good luck!

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Blurb

The magical island of Kalaya is dying, along with its Sentinel.

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 but 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 the exiles and on his deathbed makes a shocking confession.
Struggling with self doubt, Tei joins the exiles search for the new Sentinel who is the only person capable of restoring the fading magic. But mysterious Masked Riders are hunting the Sentinel too, and time, as well as hope, is running out.

Against mounting odds it will take friendship, heartache and sacrifice for the exiles to succeed in their quest, but is Tei willing to risk everything to save the island magic?

Follow Tei’s journey through the magical land of Kalaya and the Astral Plane in The Lost Sentinel – Book 1 in the Silent Sea Chronicles.

The Lost Sentinel 3 years old today! 99p sale. Plus #audiobook news #fantasy

Posted on June 16, 2020 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

On 16th June 2017 I published The Lost Sentinel, book 1 in Silent Sea Chronicles.

Amazon reviews of The Lost Sentinel

‘Epic fantasy at its best.’

‘The start of an adventure that will hook you in’

‘An alluring and dangerous quest of fate’

It was so exciting to release book 1 into the world and even better to see books 2 and 3 follow; The Sentinel’s Reign in 2018 and The Sentinel’s Alliance in 2019.

Amazon 5 star review of The Sentinel’s Reign – ‘After reading The Lost Sentinel, I was invested in these character’s lives and as before beware of heartbreak. There were times that I was in mourning and then as I was continuing the story, I wanted to fist pump the air. This story will flip your emotions and as the story intensifies with the pending danger, I could not put this book down. As I finished this story I felt physically drained as if I had been there following them all.’

Goodreads 5 star review The Sentinel’s Alliance. – ‘This has been a fantastic finale to the trilogy, it’s had everything that made the first two books to good and then some. All of Suzannes brilliant world building skills are still shining through…’

The best moment, apart from receiving such brilliant reviews of course, was seeing the whole trilogy come together last year in the box set; Tei’s journey was complete. There can be no better feeling than seeing all your years of hard work released into the world like this!

Amazon 5 star Review ‘What an epic journey this trilogy has been, such a huge pleasure to read all three books…’

Amazon 5 star review ‘Phewee, just finished Book Three, I read all three books one after the other and now I’m at a loss. I hope Suzanne writes more about this world and its characters, it’s well written and utterly magical!’

Now I’m ready to announce the next stage in The Lost Sentinel’s life. There’s going to be an audiobook!!!

I’m so excited that production is underway by talented narrator George Ellington. He’s already produced a number of audiobooks for various authors so it’s great to be working with him on The Lost Sentinel. I think the trilogy audiobook is going to be epic!

In previous years I’ve had blog tours and reviews to help me celebrate each annual milestone, so today feels a little weird that it’s just me and this little post. You can help me spread the love by sharing and tweeting about this. Thank you.

I’m putting the The Lost Sentinel on sale for 99p for a few days only. If you haven’t started the trilogy yet, now would be a great time to try it.

Trilogy blurb

Tei has magic in a world where people like her are persecuted and forced into exile. Whilst fleeing their home, her father is attacked and his deathbed confession reveals a dangerous secret that will change her life forever.

Tei’s homeland, the magical island of Kalaya, is dying and without a Sentinel to restore the magic, it’s only a matter of time before all life is wiped out.

She must join the exiles in the search for the lost Sentinel, but they are not the only ones after the missing guardian. Sinister Masked Riders are on their trail and time is running out.

Tei must risk everything she loves to save Kalaya, but is she ready to make that sacrifice?

Universal to buy link

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Don’t forget you can buy book 1 on Amazon for only 99p today.

Thanks for reading and helping me celebrate this special day.

#Bookreview Operation Dawn Wolf by GJ Stevens #thriller @stevens_gj

Posted on June 15, 2020 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

A very unique and clever thriller introducing you to agent Carrie Harris.

The Blurb

Book 1 of the Agent Carrie Harris Series

Formed of audio transcripts of covert recordings and team member journal entries, this file documents OPERATION DAWN WOLF, an EYES-ONLY covert operation to identify and terminate the perpetrators of ongoing [redacted] of the highly secret Special Operations candidate selection process.

The transcripts document the progression of covertly recruited 2Lt [redacted] (now known as Carrie Harris, aka Candidate Corra Hughes) through the agency’s Special Operations selection process, [redacted].

The files contain numerous redactions to protect the identities of current and past operations and operational agents, lowering the security status of the information from EYES ONLY to SECRET.

No details have been changed or edited, however the final report by [redacted] cannot be downgraded to SECRET and is therefore omitted.

This book is written in a very different way to anything I’ve read before. I wasn’t sure how it would work using transcripts to tell the story. Any fears I had that it might be boring or I’d fail to relate to the character were blown away within the first few pages. I was hooked on finding out the story of agent Harris’s past and the harrowing events of the recruitment she is going through. It’s not a job for the faint hearted that’s for sure and Carrie Harris is a badass.

With 40% left to read I thought I’d pick it up and read a few pages while I ate lunch. The next thing I knew an hour had past and I’d finished the book.

The end was satisfying and I hadn’t seen it coming at all. This is an intriguing story and I’m really looking forward to book 2 to see how Carrie takes on her new role.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys spy thrillers, or who would like to try something a little bit different. This is definitely worth a read.

4.5 stars

Check out Gareth’s site for links to all his books here.

At the moment you can get this book for free by signing up to GJ Stevens’ newsletter. That’s how I got my copy. Operation Dawn Wolf- Book 1

Lesson Learned – Book 2 has just come out on 5th June 2020.

June Book haul and books I’m currently reading #amreading

Posted on June 12, 2020 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

I’ve been on a bit of a buying spree so I wanted to share some of the books I’ve picked up recently.

Jo Thomas – Escape to the French Farmhouse

Jo Thomas writes great fiction for escaping. Here’s my reviews of her previous books The Olive Branch and Late Summer in the Vineyard.

Luanne G Smith – The Vine Witch.

This is an impulse buy as I love the cover and the title.

Emma Miles – Hall of Pillars and Hall of the Night.

I loved Emma’s Fire Walker books so thought I’d give this series a go. Review of Fire Walker Series.

Charles Dickens – A Christmas Carol

My son is studying this in English so I thought I would have a go at reading it with him (already beginning to wish I didn’t bother!).

Neal Shusterman – Thunderhead (book 2).

I read Scythe book 1 last year and loved it so I’ve been looking forward to catching up with the rest of the trilogy. Here’s my mini review of Scythe.

Patrick Moore Astronomy for Beginners

This is research for my current WIP The Starlight Prophecy. Even though it’s a fantasy, I like to base my story on facts and real life where possible.

Suzanne Collins – The Hunger Games

I loved the films and have been trying to get the kids to agree to read the books. I finally bought a copy and would love to find the time to read it as well, especially with the prequel coming out this month.

GJ Stevens – Lessons Learned – (Carrie Harris Book 2)

This book has just been released this month so I snapped up a copy, especially as I’ve been reading book 1 this month. See below. You can get your copy of Lessons Learned here.

S.A Chakraborty – The Empire of Gold (book 3 Daevabad trilogy).

I was really excited to be given a copy of this from the publisher via Netgalley. I can’t wait to read book 2 The Kingdom of Copper so I can get onto this one.

Ian Gregoire – The Apprentice in The Master’s Shadow (Book 2 Legends of the Order)

This came out in May but I’d thought I’d share it here as I’m looking forward to reading it. Another gorgeous cover too! Here’s my review of book 1.

Claire Huston – Art and Soul

I love all the cake recipes on Claire’s blog so I had to give her debut book a go.

Currently reading

Laura Laakso – Infallible Justice.

I’m enjoying this book very much. It’s a modern day London with magic. I hope to post a review very soon.

GJ Stevens – Operation Dawn Wolf Book 1 Agent Carrie Harris

I plan to review this book asap so don’t want to say too much right now apart from the fact that it’s very good! But if you’re interested in reading it you can get a free copy of the book by joining GJ Stevens newsletter. That’s how I got my copy.

That’s about it for my recent purchases. I’m hoping to get lots of reading done over the summer so look out for reviews of the above.

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

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10 Writing tips during writing slumps / lockdown #writingtips #amwriting

Posted on June 11, 2020 by suzannerogersonfantasyauthor

Everyone has days when they just can’t find the inspiration to write.

I’ve heard from writing friends that they’ve found it especially hard to find any creativity over the last few months what with lockdowns and the pandemic. Thankfully I haven’t suffered with lack of inspiration but I have found it hard to adjust to having family around during my writing time and helping / nagging two teenagers about their home school lessons can be draining.

I thought it would be a great time to share some of the tips I’ve found helpful now and in the past to help me keep my writing mojo.

10 Tips to writing through a slump

Allow yourself time to write. Giving yourself the permission to write frees up your subconscious and hopefully your creativity.
Write anything and see what arrives on the page. Lately I’ve managed to write some short stories by just starting with whatever comes into my head.
Experiment to find the right time to write. Are you most creative first thing in the morning, evening, in bed at night? I’ve discovered first thing in the morning before I even get out of bed is my optimum creative time, though I used to love writing before I go to sleep too.
Find the right medium to get down your ideas. For me that’s pen and paper or in a beautiful notebook. Maybe you like to type directly on your laptop, put notes on your phone or maybe a diary or journal.
Typing up ideas you’ve scribbled down and giving them a working title can really get the creativity going as you see the story emerging on the page.
Use idea spinners; Title prompts, picture prompts, story cubes, online sites, competition story prompts, news articles, or whatever springs to mind as your pen hits the paper.
Have a writing journal or a place to scribble down ideas or bits of stories. When you are stuck for an idea it’s great to be able to flick through your past scribblings and see if anything inspires you.
Maybe it’s time to revisit an old novel or short story attempts. I like to print them off, or even better send them to my ipad or kindle. Then, armed with a notebook and pen, I can read through them as a normal book and make notes on what needs changing or expanding.
Sharing stories with critique partners can help you find out what’s not working and talking it through may just inspire you to finish it. One of my beta reader’s recently pushed me to reconsider the whole mood of a story and I realised making my character so morose was stopping the reader from connecting with her.
Write with a friend. You can spur each other on. This is something I’ve been doing with one of my writing buddy’s Jackie. She decided to start sharing the story on her blog to force her to write more. Here are the links so far; The day of the Badger (working title) Part One , Part Two.

A few points to remember

Write now. Edit later.
Don’t think too much about the story. Allow your mind to work as you go along and be amazed at the story that unfolds.
Don’t hold back.
Don’t expect it to be a wonderful first draft. The fun is in the editing, at least it is for me!
Enjoy yourself. Writing and creating is the best natural high there is.

I hope these tips have inspired you to write.

Do you have any great tips to share?

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

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