I haven’t done this for a while, so I thought I’d share this great new review that’s been posted by The Voracious Reader. She read The Lost Sentinel as part of the judging panel for BBNYA 2021.
The Lost Sentinel reached the final and came 12th overall meaning I get to display this cool badge.
‘What an epic fantasy! There’s danger, magic, persecution, and hope.’ Check out I’m a Voracious Reader for the full review.
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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy and heart-warming romance
First review on Goodreads – ‘This is one of the best selection of short fantasy stories that keeps you entertained from start to finish. It’s a must-read.’
Please help me celebrate the release of this new book and join the blog blitz for a special day of reviews and book spotlight posts. Sign up here.
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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy and heart-warming romance
I’m excited to share a bundle of Coming of Age ARC’s that Book Sirens have organised.
Fantasy Short Stories are amongst those offered in exchange for an honest review. Click on the link below for more information. Hopefully you will find some great new reads by new to you authors.
On 8th April I published a short story collection related to the worlds of my fantasy novels. It reached 23 in the new release chart and number 4 in the Anthology and Short Stories Hot New Releases!
At the time of release I didn’t get around to arranging a blog tour. This won’t be happening until 20th June run by the very helpful Rachel’s Random Resources. More details on this will follow.
In the meantime, I am looking to get a few reviews up on Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub etc. Please let me know if you would like a ARC copy.
Can our heroes escape assassins, magic-hating authorises and destiny? Three origin stories to whet your fantasy appetites.
Blurb
A collection of stories featuring favourite characters from Visions of Zarua and ‘Silent Sea Chronicles’, plus a glimpse into the new series, ‘Starlight Prophecy’.
The Guardian
With an assassin picking off wizards one-by-one, Kalesh visits Cassima, a former student, hoping to persuade her to re-join the Royal Wizards and use their protection to keep her family safe.
Kalesh’s newest charge, Paddren, has strange visions which link to a past event known only to a select few. The knowledge hidden in Paddren’s visions is invaluable so Kalesh must guard the boy at any cost.
Can Kalesh keep his students off the assassin’s radar long enough for his order to stop the killer?
Garrick the Protector
Fifteen-year-old Garrick is helping at his uncle’s farm when his cousin’s illegal use of magic threatens the family’s safety.
Mara is in immediate danger from the Assembly who deem all magic as a threat. The only safe place for her is the Turrak Mountains where exiled mystics have found sanctuary alongside the island’s Sentinel.
Can Garrick get Mara to safety before the Assembly catch up with them?
War Wounds
Conscripted to fight off invaders, Calder finds the months of bloody battle unleash a sixth sense buried inside him.
Finally released from duty, he travels home and encounters a mysterious woman who insists his life is destined to serve a higher purpose. Calder rejects her claims, wanting only to return to a simple existence with his wife.
But can Calder pick up his old life when the powers within him have been stirred? And why does he feel such misgivings about his return?
All three stories give readers a tantalising glimpse into the fantasy worlds created by Suzanne Rogerson.
Fantasy Short Storiesis available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited, purchase for only 99p, or free ARC copies available to reviewers.
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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy and heart-warming romance
It was a real passion project to write these back stories for my characters and I hope readers will enjoy revisiting Visions of Zarua and Silent Sea Chronicles. It’s also a great introduction to the worlds and characters within Paltria and Kalaya. I hope new readers will enjoy the chance to explore what the main novels have to offer.
I’m a bit out of practise in publishing so I would really appreciate your support in sharing this news with your followers and retweeting this post.
Any reviewers wishing for an ARC please contact me.
Fantasy Short Stories is available now from Amazon. Here’s the universal link – Fantasy Short Stories. You can add it to your Goodreads shelf too.
Please consider leaving a review, it would be great to get some ratings to give new readers confidence in the book.
Thanks for reading.
As Garrick says in Garrick the Protector ‘It’s not over yet!’ – Hopefully there will be many more stories to come.
A collection of stories featuring favourite characters from Visions of Zarua and ‘Silent Sea Chronicles’, plus a glimpse into the new series, ‘Starlight Prophecy’.
The Guardian
With an assassin picking off wizards one-by-one, Kalesh visits Cassima, a former student, hoping to persuade her to re-join the Royal Wizards and use their protection to keep her family safe.
Kalesh’s newest charge, Paddren, has strange visions which link to a past event known only to a select few. The knowledge hidden in Paddren’s visions is invaluable so Kalesh must guard the boy at any cost.
Can Kalesh keep his students off the assassin’s radar long enough for his order to stop the killer?
Garrick the Protector
Fifteen-year-old Garrick is helping at his uncle’s farm when his cousin’s illegal use of magic threatens the family’s safety.
Mara is in immediate danger from the Assembly who deem all magic as a threat. The only safe place for her is the Turrak Mountains where exiled mystics have found sanctuary alongside the island’s Sentinel.
Can Garrick get Mara to safety before the Assembly catch up with them?
War Wounds
Conscripted to fight off invaders, Calder finds the months of bloody battle unleash a sixth sense buried inside him.
Finally released from duty, he travels home and encounters a mysterious woman who insists his life is destined to serve a higher purpose. Calder rejects her claims, wanting only to return to a simple existence with his wife.
But can Calder pick up his old life when the powers within him have been stirred? And why does he feel such misgivings about his return?
All three stories give readers a tantalising glimpse into the fantasy worlds created by Suzanne Rogerson.
I have been very quiet on the blog this year, but now I’m ready to share some brilliant news – I am about to publish a book of short stories with characters from my fantasy realms. See below for details.
Blurb
A collection of stories featuring favourite characters from Visions of Zarua and ‘Silent Sea Chronicles’, plus a glimpse into the new series, ‘Starlight Prophecy’.
The Guardian
With an assassin picking off wizards one-by-one, Kalesh visits Cassima, a former student, hoping to persuade her to re-join the Royal Wizards and use their protection to keep her family safe.
Kalesh’s newest charge, Paddren, has strange visions which link to a past event known only to a select few. The knowledge hidden in Paddren’s visions is invaluable so Kalesh must guard the boy at any cost.
Can Kalesh keep his students off the assassin’s radar long enough for his order to stop the killer?
Garrick the Protector
Fifteen-year-old Garrick is helping at his uncle’s farm when his cousin’s illegal use of magic threatens the family’s safety.
Mara is in immediate danger from the Assembly who deem all magic as a threat. The only safe place for her is the Turrak Mountains where exiled mystics have found sanctuary alongside the island’s Sentinel.
Can Garrick get Mara to safety before the Assembly catch up with them?
War Wounds
Conscripted to fight off invaders, Calder finds the months of bloody battle unleash a sixth sense buried inside him.
Finally released from duty, he travels home and encounters a mysterious woman who insists his life is destined to serve a higher purpose. Calder rejects her claims, wanting only to return to a simple existence with his wife.
But can Calder pick up his old life when the powers within him have been stirred? And why does he feel such misgivings about his return?
All three stories give readers a tantalising glimpse into the fantasy worlds created by Suzanne Rogerson.
2021 was a huge disappointment in many ways, not least because it just seemed to disappear without anything happening.
There were some good things that happened and my big event was being a finalist in the Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award 2021.
The Lost Sentinel came 12th, just short of receiving a prize, but it is still a great achievement and I’m proud to be able to display this badge on my blog.
As for the rest of my writing, I did manage to meet some of the deadlines I set myself last year but I didn’t manage to publish anything. However, let’s not focus on the bad but the good. Here goes…
Romance
I drafted the first three books in my Mermaid Hotel Romance Series – Evie’s Song, A.J’s Legacy and Love in Degrees (working titles). There are still plenty of notes to work through at the editing stage, but I’m hoping to finish them in 2022. Plus plans for the next 3 books in the series are whirring away at the back of my mind.
Fantasy
I’ve reworked my Starlight Prophecy Series and will have two full books rather than a novella prequel and a dual timeline story. This format should be a lot less complicated for the reader and for me to write!
Short Stories
I have finished three short stories based in the worlds of my fantasy novels and have printed them in booklet form to sell at events. Early in 2022 I plan to publish them on Kindle and giveaway to my newsletter subscribers.
I have also produced a booklet of short stories but I want to write some more before I publish these on kindle.
Courses
I completed two online courses, the Curtis Brown Creative Romance course led by Jenny Colegan and Romantic Novel Association’s Fantasy Worldbuilding course led by Ruth Long. Both of these courses were great fun and I feel as though I’ve learnt a lot from them.
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I think that is about it for now. All there is left to say is Happy New Year. Let’s hope 2022 is a wonderful year for everyone.
I’ll follow up with my plans for the new year very soon.
Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy and heart-warming romance
An excellent fantasy. Mageborn is one of those books you start and know you are going to love from the first page. And look at this gorgeous cover…
Blurb
A dark and addictive fantasy read for fans of Graceling and Sarah J. Maas. The life of an orphan soldier becomes entwined with that of the mysterious heir to the throne, whose very presence draws out the secret magic living inside her: a magic that breaks every law she is duty-bound to uphold…
The room is small and dark. Row upon row of jars line the shelves, each one sealed with blood-red wax. The seal’s mark is a twisted circle of briar with gleaming, gold-tipped thorns. And in each jar a flicker of forbidden magic dances… beautiful, but deadly.
Sold to the Crown in the aftermath of the Last Great War, Grace Marchant has never known her parents. Now, she trains as an elite soldier tracking down mageborn – those born with an ancient and long-outlawed magic – and destroying them if they don’t surrender their power to the Crown.
The mageborn who submit are collared, then handed over to the King’s cousin and heir: the elusive Bastien Larelwynn, Lord of Thorns, locked away in his shadowy workshop deep inside the castle. What becomes of them is hard to say – the Lord of Thorns keeps his secrets close.
Grace has always fought the voice inside her that questions whether the law is truly just – but when her closest friend is next on Bastien’s list, Grace’s loyalties are tested to the limit. Confronting Bastien – searching his strangely compelling obsidian-black eyes for answers – Grace is shocked to feel herself begin to change, to show the first signs of the wild magic she so fears.
Only the Lord of Thorns has the power to save her and the rest of the mageborn – if he doesn’t destroy them all first…
My Review
I actually read this book a few months ago and didn’t realise I hadn’t shared a review until I was looking through my Goodreads list for 2021.
Mageborn is so good that I can’t let it slip by without sharing a quick recommendation to all fantasy readers. It has a compelling storyline with plenty of mystery and the magic is excellently described. The whole world building is a great strength of the book (no wonder the author is teaching classes on it for the RNA!). I haven’t read anything by Jessica Thorne before so I was very happy to discover a new author to follow.
I loved the main characters, Grace and Bastien, and the turbulent relationship between them. The fact the story was told from their alternating viewpoints really strengthened my connection to them and I was desperate for them to join forces in more ways than one!
There are many twists and turns in the plot and I just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. It was an absorbing read and the ending didn’t disappoint. I’ve already bought the second book and hope to read it asap in 2022. I really hope Jessica Thorne writes book 3 soon.
Today I’m celebrating the 5th birthday of my debut fantasy, Visions of Zarua. It’s hard to believe I started my indie author journey so long ago!
It has been a time of ups and downs, and the best part has been getting so many positive reviews from happy readers. I don’t think you can beat that feeling.
I shared this back in January, but I do love to see how my book was brought to life. Why not give it a like on youtube and give Guy Barnes a boost – he did an epic job!
If you are interested in finding out more about Visions of Zarua, please follow these links.
‘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.’ Amazon reviewer
‘I completely recommend this, both for fans of the fantasy genre and for those of who haven’t read fantasy before. The story was great, the characters genuine and likable, and the worldbuilding fantastic.’ Amazon reviewer
This is the perfect time to share some news – there will soon be a new short story published in the world of Paltria featuring characters from Visions of Zarua! It’s part of a project I’ve been working on, lead in stories to introduce new readers to my fantasy stories and also for fans that want to read about their favourite characters. More news will follow soon…
For now you can help me celebrate the 5 year anniversary by sharing this post, writing a review if you’ve read it, or just say hi. I love to interact will fans, readers and bloggers.
Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy and heart-warming romance
***IMPORTANT UPDATE*** THE LOST SENTINEL IS A FINALIST IN BBNYA 2021. I’m excited to reach the final round though the next few months will be agony waiting for the results! See my earlier post about it here.
I haven’t done a writing update for a while so I thought it would be a good time to share my plans for the rest of the year. But first…
What have I been up to?
It doesn’t feel like much. I’ve written 3 fantasy short stories as lead in’s to my books. The Guardian is a prequel to Visions of Zarua, Garrick the Protector from the Silent Sea Chronicles trilogy and War Wounds from my new series Starlight Prophecy, which I hope to publish in 2022.
I’ve also been working on my romance series Mermaid Hotel though did put that on hold to re-work the whole structure of book 1 and 2 in the Starlight Prophecy series. It’s been so good to escape back into fantasy, but now I’m at a stage where I need to put that on hold to get back to the romance series.
The next 4 months
In September I’m doing a 6 week Curtis Brown Writing Romance course led by Jenny Colgan. I plan to work through book 1 – Evie’s Song and hopefully get it into a publishable state very soon.
In October I’ve signed up for a World Building course run by the Romantic Novelist Association. It’s an area that my readers have said works really well in my books, but I don’t want to be complacent. I’m always eager to hone my craft so I’m hoping to learn a few things that will enhance the Starlight Prophecy series.
Publishing plans…
At some point I plan to publish the short stories I’ve written in a short fantasy teaser book which will be free to my newsletter subscribers. I’m toying with the idea of writing more stories to go into it but I haven’t decided for certain yet. I’ve also wondered whether to publish a book of modern day short stories and that idea is still in the back of my mind.
I’m hoping to finish books 1 and 2 in the Starlight Prophecy and the first few books in The Mermaid Hotel ready to publish in 2022. I would love to get something out sooner but time is running against me.
The most important thing is to keep working and hopefully 2022 will be the year I get lots of books out into the world.
I hope you will be there cheering me on.
Til next time…
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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy and heart-warming romance
Suzanne Rogerson Fantasy Author 