Length of #fantasy fiction

Posted on August 21, 2015 by Suzanne Rogerson Author

A recent blog on fantasy-faction.com got me thinking about the length of fantasy books.

They are usually weighty tomes, which I don’t have a problem with until you start building those into trilogies and series and clocking up thousands of pages.

I believe there should be more standalone novels in fantasy. It’s always sad when a book you’ve loved comes to an end, but isn’t it good to have closure? To know that the next book you pick up will be the start a new adventure with the author. To discover new worlds and find new characters to fall in love with.

I’ve even been put off starting series because the scale of them is just too daunting (Game of Thrones as an example, though I’ve loved the TV series). As an author I’m in awe of the skills involved in holding it all together, but as a reader I just don’t have the time to invest in them.

I intend to challenge the trend by publishing my first novel, Visions of Zarua, as a standalone. At 153k it’s not exactly small, but it’ll be interesting to see what reviewers have to say.

After that, my next project is a duology. And as I begin to tackle the task of editing it, ideas for book three keep surfacing.

What is it with us fantasy authors?

What I love about writing… #writing

Posted on August 21, 2015 by Suzanne Rogerson Author

Characters have always been the most important factor in fiction for me. It’s good to read a blog post that focuses on this and expresses my views.

Historical Novels and Epic Fantasy

picture from en.wikipedia.org

What do I love about writing most? Well, it’s the same things that made me such an avid reader in the first place. Books have the ability to transport us to new worlds, or periods of time that are otherwise completely locked away from us. The immersion can be so deep from a novel that we can imagine every step that any given character makes, and it is bringing those same characters to life that is the greatest joy for me as a writer.

A book needs to be well written and full of descriptive passages, as they play an essential part in setting a scene and giving the writer’s world depth. But it is the characters within that world, their hopes, wishes, loves, and desires that will make the story come to life. When constructing a character for a novel, you want to be able to…

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What Do You Have Friends For?

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Suzanne Rogerson Author

Lots of good advice for those of us starting out in self publishing.

Savvy Writers & e-Books online

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How friends and family can help to improve your Amazon Ranking will be a reminder today, short before the holiday season starts. They indeed can help you so much – they even don’t need to buy the book (again). Amazon can give a great book a big boost to “be discovered”. These little features take only a few seconds, but can make a big difference in your Amazon ranking – and subsequently in the success of your book.
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Ask all your acquaintances, friends, family to:.

Write a REVIEW of your book.
Even if the book already has lots of reviews already. As more reviews as better for the author and as more potential buyers can see the popularity of the work. Amazon rules are against family members’ reviews. So ask only the ones with a different name/address for a review. They need an Amazon account and at…

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Novel Extract

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Suzanne Rogerson Author

I’ve just added a novel extract of my fantasy novel, Visions of Zarua, to my website. I hope to self publish this later in the year and blog about the experience.

Book blurb for Visions of Zarua

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Suzanne Rogerson Author

I am working on a pre-press release for my upcoming novel and would appreciate any feedback you have to offer.

Coming soon…

Two wizards, 350 years apart. Together they must save 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 Kalesh 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 in time to save the Paltrian people from the dark menace of Zarua’s past?