Sue Perkins's Blog, page 7
November 1, 2019
September 6, 2019
Large Print
Great news!
Miri's Inheritance is now available in paperback in large print. This format can be purchased from Amazon.com
Miri's Inheritance is now available in paperback in large print. This format can be purchased from Amazon.com
August 11, 2019
New releases
Sorry it's taken me so long to post on my blog. I've been getting my back catalogue ready to re-release and it's taken me longer than I thought. Plus I've been writing the third volume of Village of Shadows and also a new book which at the moment is called Darkhythe but this title could change.
I'm really pleased to be at last be writing the adult fantasy novel Darkhythe as I have had bits written down about it for over five years, but this year decided the time was right to get it all on the computer. As usually happens in life circumstances took over and I had to fit it in with other important events. Darkhythe should be released in early 2020 so keep watching this space. I'll announce it prior to the release.
The Village of Shadows books are now available in ebook in most online bookstores and paperback (and large print) on Amazon. Links are set out below.
Miri's Inheritance
Jayden's Innocence
Now it's back to the writing. Happy reading everyone.
I'm really pleased to be at last be writing the adult fantasy novel Darkhythe as I have had bits written down about it for over five years, but this year decided the time was right to get it all on the computer. As usually happens in life circumstances took over and I had to fit it in with other important events. Darkhythe should be released in early 2020 so keep watching this space. I'll announce it prior to the release.
The Village of Shadows books are now available in ebook in most online bookstores and paperback (and large print) on Amazon. Links are set out below.
Miri's Inheritance
Jayden's Innocence
Now it's back to the writing. Happy reading everyone.
April 5, 2019
My free short story "Secret Magic" is now available to re...
My free short story "Secret Magic" is now available to read on Long and Short Reviews. Click to the link to read this magical story.
Secret Magic
http://www.longandshortreviews.com/free-short-stories/free-short-story-secret-magic-by-sue-perkins/?fbclid=IwAR0w85hqeMSa4_IHNLWvSUU5vUYbnxnxhpI_oid1DBXC_I7ILvvx8cRCQTI
Happy Reading
Secret Magic
http://www.longandshortreviews.com/free-short-stories/free-short-story-secret-magic-by-sue-perkins/?fbclid=IwAR0w85hqeMSa4_IHNLWvSUU5vUYbnxnxhpI_oid1DBXC_I7ILvvx8cRCQTI
Happy Reading
February 28, 2019
Friday Focus
In the last few weeks I'm afraid Friday Focus has been taking a rest, but we're back. This week Harlequin Desire author Yvonne Lindsay will tell us about romance writing. Welcome Yvonne.
DELIVERING ON A PROMISE
Yvonne Lindsay
A lot of people think writing, especially romance, is simply a matter of following a formula and that they’re all the same, aren’t they? When this was proposed to me one day, I asked the person if they didn’t think a rugby game wasn’t equally as formulaic. Two teams take the field, they battle to get the ball past the goal line and, generally, in the end one team wins and the other team loses—same thing every week, right? They were flabbergasted. Oh, they said, a rugby game is so much more than that. There are so many variables like weather, skill levels, the referee’s decisions, injuries, etc. All the time I was nodding and smiling and slowly I saw the light dawn in their eyes when it came to the idea of any kind of fiction being written to a formula.
While I think saying that romance writing is formulaic is a completely simplistic and uneducated view, in some ways it is partially right because in a romance we have a couple who meet, fall in love, overcome obstacles to that love and then find a happy ending together. How they do it is what is not formulaic. One thing I think new writers need to have clear in their mind is what they’re writing, specifically in terms of the genre they’re aiming for. Each genre has its own expectations. For example—in paranormal stories and/or science fiction there is an expectation of world building and behavioural patterns in character types, in romance there is an expectation of a happy ever after ending (or, at the very least, a happy for now ending), in suspense or thrillers the expectation is that the reader will be kept on the edge of their seat for the duration of the story and in mysteries your readers expect the mystery to be solved. If you’re combining romance and paranormal, for example, you need to stay true to the promise of both genres and blend the tenets of both into your writing.
As a writer, you’re delivering on a promise to your readers in terms of their expectations of the type of book you write—how you do it, is up to you. To help you deliver on that promise, especially in romance, I find it’s important to have a fairly clear picture on what makes your character tick. Why do they do the things they do? Sometimes, this isn’t always a hundred percent clear to me until I near the end of the book and all of a sudden I’ll have a lightbulb moment where I say, yes, that’s why they did (whatever they did) back in chapter two. Generally, I’ve always been a planner (or plotter) when it comes to my writing—mostly because it keeps me on track while I’m working, especially to tight deadlines, and when I’m doing my planning/plotting I’m getting a good grip on what kind of characters I’m writing about and what drives them to the various decisions they make. While they don’t always need to know why their fellow protagonist is behaving a certain way, it’s important for you, as the writer, to feed that information to the reader using subtle cues and internal narrative. When writing a romance, you can’t keep your reader in the dark about what your characters are thinking about one another or how they feel. You need to reveal, like peeling the layers of an onion, their developing relationship so that when the end comes, and they declare their love to one another, it’s believable and a natural resolution and your readers understand exactly how they’ve come to this stage and why it’s so important to them.
Some books I’ve found useful for figuring these things out are:
What Would Your Character Do? by Eric Maisel, Ph.D., and Ann Maisel
The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines – Sixteen Master Archetypes, by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever and Sue Viders
So, get to know your characters. Think about their childhood, their school years, their family life, their friends and influences, what they went without or what they had an abundance of. Think about the things that formed their adult expectations of the world and their belief system. Think about the things where your characters clash emotionally, what the conflict is between them. Understanding their conflicts, both external (what keeps them physically together in the story) and internal (what keeps them emotionally apart) are all excellent tools in a writer’s toolbox when it comes to creating genuine well-rounded characters your readers will want to fall in love with. Your ability to do this well will be what keeps those same readers looking for your name through their book retailers and recommending you to their friends because they can trust you to deliver on the promise they expect to receive when they pick your romance up and open it to page one.
BIO
Award winning USA Today! bestselling author of more than 40 titles, Yvonne Lindsay, has always preferred the stories in her head to the real world. Married to her blind date sweetheart and with two adult children, she spends her days crafting the stories of her heart and in her spare time she can be found with her nose firmly in someone else’s book. https://yvonnelindsay.com
DELIVERING ON A PROMISEYvonne Lindsay
A lot of people think writing, especially romance, is simply a matter of following a formula and that they’re all the same, aren’t they? When this was proposed to me one day, I asked the person if they didn’t think a rugby game wasn’t equally as formulaic. Two teams take the field, they battle to get the ball past the goal line and, generally, in the end one team wins and the other team loses—same thing every week, right? They were flabbergasted. Oh, they said, a rugby game is so much more than that. There are so many variables like weather, skill levels, the referee’s decisions, injuries, etc. All the time I was nodding and smiling and slowly I saw the light dawn in their eyes when it came to the idea of any kind of fiction being written to a formula.
While I think saying that romance writing is formulaic is a completely simplistic and uneducated view, in some ways it is partially right because in a romance we have a couple who meet, fall in love, overcome obstacles to that love and then find a happy ending together. How they do it is what is not formulaic. One thing I think new writers need to have clear in their mind is what they’re writing, specifically in terms of the genre they’re aiming for. Each genre has its own expectations. For example—in paranormal stories and/or science fiction there is an expectation of world building and behavioural patterns in character types, in romance there is an expectation of a happy ever after ending (or, at the very least, a happy for now ending), in suspense or thrillers the expectation is that the reader will be kept on the edge of their seat for the duration of the story and in mysteries your readers expect the mystery to be solved. If you’re combining romance and paranormal, for example, you need to stay true to the promise of both genres and blend the tenets of both into your writing.
As a writer, you’re delivering on a promise to your readers in terms of their expectations of the type of book you write—how you do it, is up to you. To help you deliver on that promise, especially in romance, I find it’s important to have a fairly clear picture on what makes your character tick. Why do they do the things they do? Sometimes, this isn’t always a hundred percent clear to me until I near the end of the book and all of a sudden I’ll have a lightbulb moment where I say, yes, that’s why they did (whatever they did) back in chapter two. Generally, I’ve always been a planner (or plotter) when it comes to my writing—mostly because it keeps me on track while I’m working, especially to tight deadlines, and when I’m doing my planning/plotting I’m getting a good grip on what kind of characters I’m writing about and what drives them to the various decisions they make. While they don’t always need to know why their fellow protagonist is behaving a certain way, it’s important for you, as the writer, to feed that information to the reader using subtle cues and internal narrative. When writing a romance, you can’t keep your reader in the dark about what your characters are thinking about one another or how they feel. You need to reveal, like peeling the layers of an onion, their developing relationship so that when the end comes, and they declare their love to one another, it’s believable and a natural resolution and your readers understand exactly how they’ve come to this stage and why it’s so important to them.
Some books I’ve found useful for figuring these things out are:
What Would Your Character Do? by Eric Maisel, Ph.D., and Ann Maisel
The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines – Sixteen Master Archetypes, by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever and Sue Viders
So, get to know your characters. Think about their childhood, their school years, their family life, their friends and influences, what they went without or what they had an abundance of. Think about the things that formed their adult expectations of the world and their belief system. Think about the things where your characters clash emotionally, what the conflict is between them. Understanding their conflicts, both external (what keeps them physically together in the story) and internal (what keeps them emotionally apart) are all excellent tools in a writer’s toolbox when it comes to creating genuine well-rounded characters your readers will want to fall in love with. Your ability to do this well will be what keeps those same readers looking for your name through their book retailers and recommending you to their friends because they can trust you to deliver on the promise they expect to receive when they pick your romance up and open it to page one.
BIO
Award winning USA Today! bestselling author of more than 40 titles, Yvonne Lindsay, has always preferred the stories in her head to the real world. Married to her blind date sweetheart and with two adult children, she spends her days crafting the stories of her heart and in her spare time she can be found with her nose firmly in someone else’s book. https://yvonnelindsay.com
February 7, 2019
Day 4 of the Blog Blast
Today is Day 4 of my Blog Blast. Please visit the blogs below to read an excerpt of The Sixth Key and be in to win a free copy of the book.
http://www.longandshortreviews.com/guest-blogs/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins-spotlight-and-giveaway/https://rainnes.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins.htmlhttps://bookreviewsbyjasmine.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins-book-blitz.htmlhttps://reneewildes1.wordpress.com/2019/02/07/guest-blog-welcome-sue-perkins/
http://www.longandshortreviews.com/guest-blogs/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins-spotlight-and-giveaway/https://rainnes.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins.htmlhttps://bookreviewsbyjasmine.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins-book-blitz.htmlhttps://reneewildes1.wordpress.com/2019/02/07/guest-blog-welcome-sue-perkins/
February 5, 2019
Day 2 of Blog Blast Tour
Today is Day 2 of my Blog Blast Tour. Thanks to all the hosts for inviting me to visit their blogs. Here are the links to today's blog visits. Dont't forget to enter the draw to win a free copy of The Sixth Key.
https://the-avidreader.blogspot.com/2019/02/05-book-blast-giveaway-the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins-GF.htmlhttps://indieauthorsblog.wordpress.com/2019/02/05/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins/https://straightfromlibrary.blogspot.com/2019/02/straight-browsing-from-library-sixth.htmlhttp://dbaileycoach.com/brightbooks/2019/02/book-spotlight-giveaway-the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins/https://stormynightbloginandreviwing.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sixth-key-book-blast-giveaway.htmlhttps://mixedbookbag.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins-book-blast.htmlhttps://bookschatter.blogspot.com/2019/02/tour-key.htmlhttps://jbbookworms.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins-kidnapped.htmlhttps://www.tsstuff.net/2019/02/book-blast-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins.html
https://the-avidreader.blogspot.com/2019/02/05-book-blast-giveaway-the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins-GF.htmlhttps://indieauthorsblog.wordpress.com/2019/02/05/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins/https://straightfromlibrary.blogspot.com/2019/02/straight-browsing-from-library-sixth.htmlhttp://dbaileycoach.com/brightbooks/2019/02/book-spotlight-giveaway-the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins/https://stormynightbloginandreviwing.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sixth-key-book-blast-giveaway.htmlhttps://mixedbookbag.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins-book-blast.htmlhttps://bookschatter.blogspot.com/2019/02/tour-key.htmlhttps://jbbookworms.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins-kidnapped.htmlhttps://www.tsstuff.net/2019/02/book-blast-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins.html
February 4, 2019
Blog Blast
Come and visit my blog blast, see all the different blogs I'm visiting and leave a
comment to be in to win a free copy of The Sixth Key.
Blogs for today's visits are:
http://christineyoungromancewriter.com/2019/02/04/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins/https://joanneguidoccio.com/2019/02/04/book-blast-the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins/http://christinewoinich.booklikes.com/post/1840654/book-blast-the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins-with-a-giveawayhttps://romancenovelgiveaways.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins-book-blast.htmlhttps://mythicalbooks.blogspot.com/2019/02/how-much-worse-can-her-life-get-sixth.htmlhttps://twoendsofthepen.blogspot.com/2019/02/excerpt-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins.htmlhttps://edgarbooks.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins-book-blast.htmlhttps://andisbookreviews.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins.htmlhttps://sybrina-publishing.blogspot.com/2019/02/goddess-fish-promotions-sixth-key-by.htmlhttps://readeropolis.blogspot.com/2019/02/read-excerpt-of-sixth-key-by_4.html
comment to be in to win a free copy of The Sixth Key.
Blogs for today's visits are:
http://christineyoungromancewriter.com/2019/02/04/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins/https://joanneguidoccio.com/2019/02/04/book-blast-the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins/http://christinewoinich.booklikes.com/post/1840654/book-blast-the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins-with-a-giveawayhttps://romancenovelgiveaways.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins-book-blast.htmlhttps://mythicalbooks.blogspot.com/2019/02/how-much-worse-can-her-life-get-sixth.htmlhttps://twoendsofthepen.blogspot.com/2019/02/excerpt-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins.htmlhttps://edgarbooks.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins-book-blast.htmlhttps://andisbookreviews.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-sixth-key-by-sue-perkins.htmlhttps://sybrina-publishing.blogspot.com/2019/02/goddess-fish-promotions-sixth-key-by.htmlhttps://readeropolis.blogspot.com/2019/02/read-excerpt-of-sixth-key-by_4.html
January 31, 2019
Books for free
Several authors have joined together on Book Funnel for a giveaway of books suitable for mid-teens and adults. Well worth a visit as you might find something you like and it won't cost you anything! Only 15 days left to this giveaway. Go visit now before it's too late!
Below is the book I am giving away but there are many more in lots of different genres.
https://books.bookfunnel.com/3a5zlfrsd4/i4mayfaea4
Below is the book I am giving away but there are many more in lots of different genres.
https://books.bookfunnel.com/3a5zlfrsd4/i4mayfaea4
Friday Focus
On Friday Focus some authors have answered questions about their writing, so I though it only fair that I did the same. I've tried to answer questions about my writing that the other authors didn't answer. Here we go.
The right setting is critical for a story to work. Have any of your books started out in one setting and ended up in another? What changes did you make and what made them necessary?‘The Sixth Key’ started in a modern setting, then switched to a medieval style planet with magic. At the end of book it switches again. This was necessary for the mystery aspect of the story.
How do you come up with the titles for your stories?I try to make my titles give some guidance as to what the book is about. The title has to fit and I have to be satisfied with it before I’m able to write the manuscript. ‘The Sixth Key’ centred on a rhyme which had to be followed to solve the mystery. Once I decided on this title I was able to dive into writing the book.
What was the very first thing you remember writing?I believe it was called “Little Lord Fotheringay”. It was my essay entry for the 11 plus exam in England. It must have been reasonably good as I passed the 11 plus and went to an ‘A’ stream grammar school.
Where do you draw your inspiration from? Is it dreams? Things you see on television or in movies. Books? People you meet? Anything catches my imagination and a story forms in my mind. I saw an unusual name on a boat once and have started writing a book using that name. People in the street, something on television – anything can supply the basis of a story for me.
How old were you when you finished your first novel? Is that novel published today?Oooh a lady never reveals her age. Let’s just say I was in my forties. This novel was never published as looking back I realise it needs a lot of editing to make it suitable for publishing. However I learned my lesson and the second book I wrote was published and is still available today.
Of all the characters you've created, who is your favorite and why? Yes, I know you aren't supposed to have favorite children, but it's okay to have a favorite character. Be sure to tell us what book they are in. This has to be Caishel. The first release of the book was under the title ‘Blue and Silver’ but then I changed publishers and the second release was called ‘Caishel’. I’m so fond of her that I named my publishing name after her – Caishel Books. Unfortunately these books are not available at the moment as I am no longer with the second publisher, but I do intend to release the whole series of Cloud Kingdoms next year as self-published.
Where is the most interesting place you have ever traveled? If you haven't travelled much, where would you absolutely love to go? I have travelled all over the world when my husband was at sea, but the one place I remember as being really interesting is Kuwait. Our family lived there for two years before the troubles with Sadam Hussein. It was a wonderful place to live and I felt very safe there and made many friends. I would really like to visit New Orleans and go up the Mississippi on a paddle boat to see the plantations etc. Apparently it’s possible to travel as far as Memphis. Really great.
How do you choose the names of your characters? I start off with the initial letter of the first name then think of lots of names starting with that. Once I find one I like I change some of the letters around to make it different this is because my books are fantasy so I need to the names to be a little different. There are times when the name just pops into my mind. Whichever method I choose it has to suit the character before I write about them.
What other books or authors do you believe have influenced your writing? How did they influence it?Anne McCaffrey and David Eddings. I came across their books at the end of my teenage years and fell in love with fantasy. It seemed to be the natural thing when I began to write my own stories for publishing to head to the fantasy genre. I do also write romance, but my main love is fantasy. Has being a writer affected how you read other books?Definitely. I pick up any small errors in books which sometimes spoils it for me. The main thing that puts me off is when an author hasn’t done the research properly. This is not only new authors but famous ones can do this too. American authors in particular can fall into the trap that because the language is similar the settings must be similar too.
What was the best advice you ever received about your writing? Something you keep in mind still today OR What was the best writing tip you ever read, learned, etc. The secret of writing is re-writing.
Sue has many books published and these area available on various online bookstores. She lives in New Zealand at the top of the South Island.Although her main focus is on fantasy writing, Sue also writes romance books. Her other interests are family history, aqua jogging and graphic art.
The right setting is critical for a story to work. Have any of your books started out in one setting and ended up in another? What changes did you make and what made them necessary?‘The Sixth Key’ started in a modern setting, then switched to a medieval style planet with magic. At the end of book it switches again. This was necessary for the mystery aspect of the story.How do you come up with the titles for your stories?I try to make my titles give some guidance as to what the book is about. The title has to fit and I have to be satisfied with it before I’m able to write the manuscript. ‘The Sixth Key’ centred on a rhyme which had to be followed to solve the mystery. Once I decided on this title I was able to dive into writing the book.
What was the very first thing you remember writing?I believe it was called “Little Lord Fotheringay”. It was my essay entry for the 11 plus exam in England. It must have been reasonably good as I passed the 11 plus and went to an ‘A’ stream grammar school.
Where do you draw your inspiration from? Is it dreams? Things you see on television or in movies. Books? People you meet? Anything catches my imagination and a story forms in my mind. I saw an unusual name on a boat once and have started writing a book using that name. People in the street, something on television – anything can supply the basis of a story for me.
How old were you when you finished your first novel? Is that novel published today?Oooh a lady never reveals her age. Let’s just say I was in my forties. This novel was never published as looking back I realise it needs a lot of editing to make it suitable for publishing. However I learned my lesson and the second book I wrote was published and is still available today.
Of all the characters you've created, who is your favorite and why? Yes, I know you aren't supposed to have favorite children, but it's okay to have a favorite character. Be sure to tell us what book they are in. This has to be Caishel. The first release of the book was under the title ‘Blue and Silver’ but then I changed publishers and the second release was called ‘Caishel’. I’m so fond of her that I named my publishing name after her – Caishel Books. Unfortunately these books are not available at the moment as I am no longer with the second publisher, but I do intend to release the whole series of Cloud Kingdoms next year as self-published.
Where is the most interesting place you have ever traveled? If you haven't travelled much, where would you absolutely love to go? I have travelled all over the world when my husband was at sea, but the one place I remember as being really interesting is Kuwait. Our family lived there for two years before the troubles with Sadam Hussein. It was a wonderful place to live and I felt very safe there and made many friends. I would really like to visit New Orleans and go up the Mississippi on a paddle boat to see the plantations etc. Apparently it’s possible to travel as far as Memphis. Really great.
How do you choose the names of your characters? I start off with the initial letter of the first name then think of lots of names starting with that. Once I find one I like I change some of the letters around to make it different this is because my books are fantasy so I need to the names to be a little different. There are times when the name just pops into my mind. Whichever method I choose it has to suit the character before I write about them.
What other books or authors do you believe have influenced your writing? How did they influence it?Anne McCaffrey and David Eddings. I came across their books at the end of my teenage years and fell in love with fantasy. It seemed to be the natural thing when I began to write my own stories for publishing to head to the fantasy genre. I do also write romance, but my main love is fantasy. Has being a writer affected how you read other books?Definitely. I pick up any small errors in books which sometimes spoils it for me. The main thing that puts me off is when an author hasn’t done the research properly. This is not only new authors but famous ones can do this too. American authors in particular can fall into the trap that because the language is similar the settings must be similar too.
What was the best advice you ever received about your writing? Something you keep in mind still today OR What was the best writing tip you ever read, learned, etc. The secret of writing is re-writing.
Sue has many books published and these area available on various online bookstores. She lives in New Zealand at the top of the South Island.Although her main focus is on fantasy writing, Sue also writes romance books. Her other interests are family history, aqua jogging and graphic art.
