This is the start of a 26 week blog challenge set by Ari Meghlan. I think it’s a great idea and have decided to play along. This week’s word is Achievement.
My big achievement is the fact I’ve been an indie author for 10 years!
This milestone passed by very quietly on 16th November 2025. I suppose I wasn’t feeling very successful and didn’t want to advertise the fact that I’m not yet a big name in the book world, nor am I able to support myself with writing alone.
But now I am ready to celebrate it, because although there have been a lot of challenges, it can’t be denied that I have achieved one of my dreams…
I am a published author with 4 full length novels and 4 short story collections to my name.
I have plans to write and publish a lot more over the next 10 years. My books have been downloaded by thousands of people and I’ve hit a few bestseller lists on Amazon, albeit briefly. My books have had lots of wonderful reviews, and I’ve even had the amazing experience of being called a reader’s favourite author. In 2021 I was a finalist in the book bloggers novel of the year with The Lost Sentinel, and the opening of my romance novel Secrets and Love Songs at The Mermaid Hotel came second in the flash 500 novel opening competition in 2023.
One of the biggest achievements came early on when I was contacted by a publisher and had my debut, Visions of Zarua, translated into Czech. I travelled to Prague, visited my publisher and the local bookshops to see my books on the shelves.
The last 10 years have involved a lot of learning, and plenty of tears, but I wouldn’t go back and change it. This is my achievement and I am owning it today.
***
Thank you to Ari for starting off this challenge. Here is a link to her post on Achievement where she shares her thoughts on the subject and also links to anyone else who has decided to take part. Please take a look and join in if you feel inspired.
I’ve been messing around with the website headers and how the site looks on WordPress. This is a snippet of its current new look.
It’s temporary because I will hopefully have some romance covers to share soon. I love all shades of purple, so this appealed to me and the sunshine reminds me of the happiness of spring.
What I’m finding really difficult is getting a look that says I’m a writer of both fantasy and romance. Maybe I need to split the header into two and showcase both sides of my writing. It could end up looking messy, so I will do some experiments and maybe share the results here to get feedback.
The next few months will be all about defining my author brand ahead of the launch of The Mermaid Hotel Series.
Whilst experimenting on Canva with graphics, I will need to ask myself: should I come away from my fantasy books completely for now and rebrand as a romance author? Is it viable to do both on the same website? Should I have two websites dedicated to each genre? These are hard questions, and I’d love to know what other authors have done.
Also, what other softwares are out? I’ve dabbled with the free versions of Canva and Book Brush. Is it worth the monthly subscription?
I thought it would be fun to look back on the banners my website has used over the years, starting at the beginning. When I first started out, I used my own pictures to make banners. These were a couple I played with.
When I started publishing books, they took centre stage for a while.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the evolution of my website. It’s been fun looking back, especially seeing all the pictures I’ve used and being reminded of the posts they relate to. I hope to do a post looking back at those favourite images soon.
We’re already over halfway through January, so I’m a bit late with my New Year plans. I don’t like to waste an opportunity, so I’ve made myself a brief list of tasks that will help me reach the big goal – publishing The Mermaid Hotel Series in 2026. I have a rough publishing schedule in my head, though I’m not ready to announce it yet. Instead, I’m focusing on the steps I need to follow to reach my goals.
Book 1 – Get a cover, proofread, start the publishing journey including blog tours, ARC copies etc.
Book 2 – Get feedback from my critique partner, edit, get cover, send to my editor, edit, proof read, prepare to publish.
Book 3 – Read and edit prior to sending to a professional reader within the New Writers Scheme as part of my Romantic Novelist Association membership. Then the usual, edit, critique route as per book 2.
Book 4 – Send monthly installments to my writing group, edit and get a critique / edit etc.
Book 5and beyond – Plan the books and prepare to write them as soon as possible.
Winter Warmers series – Write 8 to 10 cosy Christmas stories and publish in October / November.
Back catalogue – I want to go through all my published books and update the content, ensuring they all have links to my other books, social media etc.
Author profile – I need to improve my author presence on social media, work on my website and restart my newsletter. I’ve looked at Substack and want to figure out how it works before I start posting there.
I plan to attend some in person events this year, including ALLi Indie Author Lab in March and the Romantic Novelist Association bi-annual conference in July. I’m signing up to plenty of online webinars as well, trying to increase my knowledge of current indie publishing trends and marketing opportunities.
I’m hoping to have more time this year to dedicate to all things writing. I need it if I’m going to achieve this huge list. As much as I just want to write stories, I know I need to get a business head on and think about reaching readers. I hope to share more of this journey here.
Any tips will be greatly appreciated!
Have you set any resolutions or goals for 2026, realistic or otherwise?
Today is the day where I get to share the audio version of my book with some lovely reviewers and you. This tour has been hosted by Rachel’s Random Resources.
Part of the Winter Warmers Series, A Little Christmas Magic is a heart-warming collection of eight stories with a focus on family, friendship, love and goodwill.
From a much-loved family pet that goes missing to a neighbour in need. Chance meetings and the kindness of strangers. Overcoming trauma to help others and being prepared to make sacrifices. A father rushing to get home to his kids in time for Christmas.
“Each story brings out a meaning of Christmas and a listener will definitely choose a favorite for their individual preference! My favorite was one of the shorter stories: Last Minute Dash. It just spoke to me more than the others. It shows the kindness of a stranger while also sharing in the joy of Christmas and memories of childhood.” Jessica at Jessica’s Reading Room
“I really like the narrator, Colette Davies Kerwin. She was really animated in the stories and easy to like. The stories are written exceedingly well. The author Suzanna Rogerson has written a beautiful story that’s full of magic and heartwarming for Christmas. If you love Christmas books, this is for you. 5 stars!” Tea leaves and book leaves
I’m looking forward to sharing some more review snippets later on.
I’ve been trying to embed a sample of the audiobook into this post, but for some reason wordpress isn’t letting me. (huge sigh!)
So November passed in the blink of an eye and we’re almost halfway through December as well!
Book 4
My plans to finish book 4 in the Mermaid Hotel series have fallen behind – it’s currently sitting at 53K. It’s going well and I could still finish it by the end of the year, but it will be a tough challenge! I’m trying to make it a well developed first draft, which takes longer than just churning out the scenes, though as Christmas approaches I may have to rethink how I do this.
Will I hit the 75k word count that the other books are averaging? From experience, the first draft is usually shorter and increases as I edit. 75k will be my end goal for next year when I have a polished, edited version.
Other writing
I’ve started working on the first prequel in The Mermaid Hotel series which starts during the run up to Christmas and ends the following Christmas. I’d love to get this ready to publish later in 2026.
Winter Warmers Series – I haven’t found the time to really get planning on book 3 in the series but I’m challenging myself to write one story a month starting in January. I would aim to get it finished by August, which would be 8 stories just like the other books.
Throughout December I’ve been enjoying taking part in the Advent Calendar Story Train, both sharing ‘A Squirrel’s Tale’ on 8th December and reading everyone else’s stories. Ari is keeping a list on her blog of each story as it goes live. Here is her link if you’ve missed it – 2025 Advent Calendar Story Train.
I can’t resist sharing Sammy AKA Scruffy’s picture one last time because he’s so sweet…
Audiobook news
The start of two book tours starts tomorrow with a ‘One Day Blitz’ hosted by Rachel’s Random Resourses. I can’t wait to get sharing the reviews on various social platforms and I’ll share a few updates here as well.
The from 17th December I have a week long tour with Love Book Tours. Again, it will be wonderful to share these reviews and see how the reviewers found Colette’s narrating style. I feel she has a very calming and relaxed voice, perfect to help you unwind after a hard day’s Christmas shopping.
Publishing decisions and marketing
I haven’t made any progress on my newsletter dilemma and really need to start marketing rather than just talking about it here! I also need to make some decisions on the covers for the series and set a publication date.
I feel like January will be a big month for making decisions, that’s why I really wanted to have book 4 in decent shape by 31/12/2025.
Reading
I’m close to reaching my Goodreads goal which is only a lowly 19 books this year. I’m on book 17, so again it’s going to be close. At least I caught up with my Netgalley reviews and have banned myself from looking on there for the rest of the year.
Everything else
Work and family each have their challenges but with only a week left before breaking up from college / work, I think I can make it!
I’m hoping to start the holidays fit and healthy as last year was ruined with a bad, lingering cold that meant I could barely taste the Christmas dinner I slaved over, or the many chocolates I scoffed.
That’s about it in my world, I’ll be back with some review highlights of the audiobook blitz for A Little Christmas Magic over the weekend.
Welcome to the Advent Calendar Story Train, where you can read through 24 stories under this year’s theme, Lost.
A Squirrel’s Tale
‘Look at those delicious acorns,’ I said, my tail twitching with excitement.
Sorrel ran along the branch towards me. ‘Are you mad, Sammy?’ she chattered angrily. ‘There’s no cover on the ground. It’s not safe.’
‘I’m the fastest squirrel in the park, what’s to worry about?’
‘Dogs, foxes, hawks, take your pick.’ Sorrel’s claws groomed nervously through my fur.
‘Don’t be silly.’ I laughed and scurried down the tree. ‘I bet I can get the acorns back here before anyone notices. Come on.’
‘No, I’ll keep watch.’
‘Suit yourself.’ I flashed my tail at her. ‘I’ll just keep the juiciest acorns for myself.’
On the ground, I sat on my haunches and sniffed the air for danger. All I could smell were those tempting acorns amongst the damp leaf litter, and I raced towards them before another squirrel chanced across my bounty.
Gathering all the acorns I could carry, I left them at the base of the tree for Sorrel to collect and then moved back to pick up the rest. I couldn’t resist stopping for a taste. I turned the acorn between my paws and tested several spots, looking for a weakness in the hard shell. My mouth watered as my teeth sank through…
‘Fox!’
I dropped the acorn and frantically checked around for the fox, sniffing the air for its telltale musky scent.
‘Run!’ Sorrel screamed.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of red bounding towards me. I dashed for the nearest tree with the fox closing in behind me.
Just as I dived up the tree trunk, I felt the tug of sharp teeth grasping my tail. Digging my claws into the bark of the tree, I climbed for my life.
The grip on my tail slipped, and finally I was free. I didn’t stop climbing until I was high in the branches.
Sorrel jumped through the trees to reach me, still chattering loudly as she stopped beside me and ran her claws through my fur.
‘I know I lost the bet.’
‘No, Sammy, your tail…’
As I flicked my tail, I felt a sharp, throbbing pain.
Catching it between my paws, I groomed my fur and tasted blood. Tears welled in my eyes. My beautiful bushy tail was a ragged mess.
I hadn’t just lost the bet – I could never call myself a squirrel again.
***
Sitting high in the branches, I surveyed the frosty ground below and looked for my next meal. From the corner of my eye, I glimpsed my crooked, bald tail and tried to ignore it.
“The price of stupidity and greed,” Sorrel was fond of telling me.
I saw my target family walking along the path.
‘Watch the magic at work, Sorrel.’
‘You’re such a show-off,’ she tutted, though she still climbed lower to watch me.
The family moved into range. I gave a quick check around for foxes and dogs before making my appearance.
The two children spotted me first.
‘Look, there’s Scruffy,’ the boy called as I scurried down to greet them.
I sat and clutched my paws in front of me, blinking big brown eyes and giving my tail a wiggle, just to remind them of my plight.
‘Poor Scruffy,’ the girl attempted to whisper. ‘Mum, give him food.’
‘Shh,’ her brother hissed. ‘You’ll scare him.’
‘Don’t argue, you two,’ the mum said, crouching low with her camera trained on me.
I never minded posing for her, so long as she paid for the privilege.
Finally, the mum stopped taking pictures long enough to dish out food to the children – they argued if they didn’t both get to feed me.
I let them walk closer while watching the food held temptingly in their hands; today it was a nut bar, my favourite.
They tossed the food on the ground next to me.
I snatched up the bar and scampered back up the tree, perching to eat my prize.
The family watched me from below, staying until I returned to claim the second offering.
When they were gone, Sorrel climbed down next to me, and we shared my reward.
‘Tastes good, doesn’t it?’
‘Yes, but it’s not natural taking handouts from humans,’ she said, licking her paws clean.
‘It’s not easy living with this.’ I flicked what remained of my tail in her face. ‘I’m just making the best of things. Look, here comes another family.’
‘Sammy…’
‘The name’s Scruffy,’ I told her. ‘At least while I’m working.’
‘Begging more like.’
‘If it’s good enough for the ducks…’ I threw over my shoulder before scooting down the tree in time to earn another snack.
A few minutes later, I handed my sister half the booty, and we sat munching together.
‘This winter will be so easy,’ I said.
‘But it might not last, Sammy. You still need to cache the acorns before they’re all gone, or you’ll starve.’
‘I’ll do it tomorrow.’ I pointed up to where the blue sky shone through the bare branches.
‘Right now, the sun is shining and there are plenty of humans eager to help an injured animal. I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts,’ I told her.
We moved through the park together, Sorrel sulking in silence.
‘I’ll teach you my technique.’ I scanned the area for likely victims. ‘There you go.’
I pointed to a lone man with a camera slung around his neck. ‘Those are the ones to target. They’ll do anything to get a good picture.’
Sorrel watched the man, twitching her tail nervously. Then she jumped in front of me. ‘Alright, this one’s mine.’
As she scurried down the tree trunk, I had to admit she looked graceful. The man with the camera took plenty of pictures before dishing out a reward.
‘You’re a natural,’ I told her. ‘But then again, you have been learning from a professional.’
She nipped me playfully and dashed away with her spoils. I gave chase, deciding that life without a tail wasn’t so bad after all.
The End
Thank you for reading today’s story. The next story will be available to read sometime on the 9th December, titled “Time Travel“. This link will be active tomorrow when the post goes live.
If you missed yesterday’s you can go and read it here.
***
Believe it or not, this is based on a true story – well sort of! We used to love going on family walks to Bushy Park in Surrey and one day met a squirrel just like Scruffy begging for food.
I loved to take pictures of the wildlife and even got the kids interested too.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the story and taking part in the Advent story train. Don’t forget to check the other stories through the rest of December.
Thank you to Ari for arranging the Advent story train again this year. I’ve enjoyed taking part every year she has run it. If you missed them, here are the links to my previous stories.
Ok, so I realise my October wrap up is slightly later than planned, but I’m quite proud of what I achieved, so I wanted to share it.
First, the big news:
I’ve just agreed the audiobook for A Little Christmas Magic, and it’s now with ACX for their quality checks before they release it for sale. Colette Davies-Kerwin has done an amazing job bringing the stories to life, and I can’t wait to share the audiobook with everyone. To help with this, I’ve set up two audiobook blog tours in December, so will share more info on those when I can.
I made changes and sent Book 2 in the Mermaid Hotel Series out for its second round of critique feedback. Cristal is a very thorough reader and really challenges me to make the story better, so I’m looking forward to working through her suggestions as they come in. I’ve also entered the first chapter into a competition and have everything crossed that it gets to the shortlist stage.
I finished the latest draft of Book 3 in my Mermaid Hotel Series and sent it to two of my beta readers – we meet next week to discuss their thoughts on the last chapters. I hope they like it!
The story for the Advent Calendar story train is complete, and the post will publish on 8th December. It’s called ‘A Squirrel’s Tale’ and is a little different from my usual stories, so I’m looking forward to sharing that.
Plans for the rest of the year…
November is all about Book 4 and trying to finish the first draft by the end of the year. I’ve been reading through the story so far and trying to make a brief plan of what comes next. I’m aiming for around 1k words a day. If I manage this over November and December, I should reach an end word count of 75k. It would be great to start working on the finished novel over the Christmas break, as it will need a lot of editing!
I also need to start marketing my Mermaid Hotel Series and decide on things like my newsletter – do I try going with a different provider and use a new name? I don’t like Mail Chimp, so it seems like the perfect time to start afresh. If you have any newsletter recommendations, please let me know.
I still need to share my reviews of NetGalley books. I should get onto that ASAP as these were summer books, and now I have several Christmas ones to read and review as well.
I’ve also purchased the new Authorpreneur Academy course from Dave Chesson. I need to work through the modules and get familiar with self publishing again. If I want to make a big splash next year, all the preparation work I do now will hopefully help The Mermaid Hotel Series take off.
That’s enough from me. I’ll be back soon with those book reviews and details on the audiobook tours for A Little Christmas Magic.
Ok, so it’s already been a few weeks since my last post, which means I’ve fallen behind on the promise to blog more often. But I am working my way through the other items on my to do list for the last 100 days of 2025, and I also have a great new development to report.
Firstly, September’s challenge – Complete the draft of book 2 in The Mermaid Hotel Series.
I completed this a little late, but sent the book off to my beta reader last week. A win!
October:
Complete the draft of book 3 in The Mermaid Hotel Series. I’m getting on really well with this and have got the word count up to 72.5K. I still have about 60 pages to edit and develop, so I’m hoping to get that up to about 76k by the end of October.
I treated myself to a mini writing retreat and booked into a local hotel, where I wrote in my room until midnight without distraction. In fact, I only stopped to go to the curry house attached to the hotel for dinner. As well as getting lots of words done, it also gave me an appreciation of how the characters in my books might feel booking into a hotel as a solo traveller and dining alone. I also saw firsthand how much of a struggle in must be for the hotel industry to keep afloat with few guests – all invaluable experience for the crafting of my new series set in a Cornish hotel.
I would recommend any writer take a similar retreat to focus and recharge, especially if you have a busy home-life.
I still need to write a story for the Advent Calender Story Train and the deadline is looming, plus a Halloween themed story for the library writing group I attend.
The rest of October will be a busy one, especially now I have made an offer to a narrator to perform A Little Christmas Magic – I will keep you updated on the progress.
I still have lots of words to write today and stories to draft. I hope to be back with some late book reviews on my Netgalley reads and hopefully news on the book covers for my Mermaid Hotel Series.
Lastly, I finally got a new laptop! My old one has had a broken ‘down’ button for the last 2-years and the screen had bubbles and was leaking at the edges. Thanks to the recent Amazon Prime day deal, I’m typing this on my lovely new blue Lenovo IdeaPad. So far I’m very happy with it, though the battery life could be a little better.
It has been almost 10 months since I last posted on my blog, I don’t know how that happened. I also can’t believe we’re almost into October.
Last time I posted about the successes of 2024. I would usually have shared plans for 2025, but somehow didn’t get around to it. I will do a post in the coming days about my plans for the last 100 days of the year – inspired by a online event I will be attending run by London Writers’ Salon on 23rd September.
First on my list will be to blog more!
So, the reason I’ve been MIA is beacuse I’ve been deep in a romance hole, writing the books in my Mermaid Hotel series. I can’t wait to share more details of this over the next few months, but for now I will just say that I plan to start releasing them in 2026.
As I’ve been working on my romance ideas, I’ve been questioning whether I should start a new blog and have a new domain name rather than “Suzanne Rogerson Fantasy Author”.
Fantasy will always be something I come back to, and I class it as my first love, but over the last few years I’ve really loved writing romance and Christmas feel-good stories. I’ve also enjoyed building this blog up and connecting with so many writers and readers over the years, and I wouldn’t want to lose touch by starting out again.
What would you do? Would you carry on with a blog that you’ve established over the past ten years, or start again with a new genre and new direction?
This is just a short post to ease myself in and say hi. I hope to be sharing lots of news and insights into my new series and life as an indie author very soon.
How has the year been treating you? Do you have the rest of 2025 mapped out?
Suzanne Rogerson Author 