Suzanne Rogerson's Blog, page 11

Welcome 2022! My writing plans and goals #amwriting

I love this part of the year when 12 whole months stretch ahead of me and I can think about the future with time and optimism on my side.

I have a lot I want to achieve in 2022 as I feel the last 2 years have been a let down on the publishing front. I will set myself some big goals and do my best to meet as many as I can.

First I want to share the big goals to work towards over the whole year and then break that down into monthly tasks. I’ll try to give monthly updates which will hold me to account and hopefully give me the impetus to power through these goals.

Mermaid Hotel Romance Series

I’m considering approaching agents and publishers with this series idea, but I’m torn as I do love self publishing and I have already bought 3 beautiful book covers with the intention of doing everything myself.

If I do self publish I want to get 3 books out this year; Evie’s Song, A.J’s Legacy and Love in Degrees.

Starlight Prophecy Series

This fantasy series has been in my head for a long time and I really want to get book 1 and 2 finished and published in 2022. Again, I have purchased the covers but I’m stuck on the titles. So far I have Starlight Prophecy – Awaken. Starlight Prophecy – Arise and book 3 would be Ascend.

Other Writing Goals

Stick to a weekly word count. Before Christmas I was managing between 3 – 4k. That is a pretty good figure to aim for, whether that be new story ideas, new scenes for my WIP’s or with the new book I’ve pre-ordered as a late Christmas present to myself which is all about daily inspiration. More on that when the book arrives later in the month.

Write a new piece of flash fiction or short story each month for my writing group to critique.

Publish fantasy short stories set in the world of my books.

Publish a short story anthology.

Summary

As you can see I have set a huge challenge – publishing up to 7 books! I’m not sure if it is possible but I like to aim big!

For now I will focus on a month to month strategy. With that in mind my goals for January are simple. Finish editing Evie’s Song and publish my book of Fantasy Short Stories.

I’ll be back at the end of the month to review my plan and see how it’s getting along.

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy and heart-warming romance

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Writing achievements in 2021 #amwriting #amediting #indieauthor

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

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Goodreads Challenge 2021 complete #fantasy #romance #netgalley

In 2021 I set a target of reading 20 books. I’m pleased to say at the time of writing this I have read 32 and will hopefully get the chance to finish another by the end of the year.

Since deciding to write a romance series I’ve been devouring romance books, especially those by my fav authors in the genre Sue Moorcroft, Jo Thomas and Jill Mansell. I’ve also discovered some new authors I can’t wait to read more of. I’ve read a lot of books through Netgalley this year, which is a wonderful way to read new books, but not great at clearing my TBR pile.

I’m disappointed to see that I haven’t read much fantasy, but those I have read have been brilliant.

I read a few non-fiction about writing and nature and I’ve tried a classic which I had to DNF because I just didn’t care at all about the characters. I might go back and try to read the end at some point.

So here is my list of books split into genres for easy reference and links to my reviews where available.

Fantasy

Book Reviews;
The Sixth Fire
Raven Storm
Mageborn The Sword of Kaigen Review

Romance

Sue Moorcroft

Book Reviews
A Home in the Sun
Under the Italian Sun
Christmas Wishes Review to follow

Jo Thomas

Book Reviews
Celebrations at the Chateau
Chasing the Italian Dream
Winter Beneath the Stars

Jill Mansell

Lilac Mills

Book Reviews
Waste Not, Want Not in Applewell
Tanglewood teashop

Jenny Colegan

Other great authors

Book Reviews
Elle’s A to Z of Love
A Bookshop Christmas
The Hotel ay Honeymoon Station
The River Between Us
Summer Kisses at Mermaid Point

Writing Guide

Other Genres

Book Reviews
Capital Action
Beginning of the End

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I’ll share my favourite books of 2021 in another post.

Have you beat your Goodreads challenge? Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you think.

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy and heart-warming romance

You can follow me on

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#Bookreview Mageborn – The Hollow King book 1 by Jessica Thorne @JessThorneBooks #Fantasy

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.

Check out Mageborn for yourself on Goodreads

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy and heart-warming romance

You can follow me on

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The Sixth Fire – Children of Sinai II by Clarke Nixon #bookreview #fiction

Brilliant sequel!

Blurb

Hope Meadows is now a thriving community of survivors, following the world-changing revelations made by The Fathers. They live and work together to follow the guidelines set down for a kinder, more tolerant future, and their number is growing every day.

A Ute medicine woman inherits the double-edged gift of visions of her own, and, following their confusing messages, she leads her diminished group to Hope Meadows. It becomes clear that an ancestor’s prophecy, and those of the old tribes, is to become a reality… but they come with one final warning for mankind. Their ancestors, and those of the Hope Meadows founders, are inextricably linked, and their communities must now work together to preserve the world for which they have fought.

But old enemies are gradually building their plans against them, and all too soon they realise that the solution could prove as deadly as the threat.

My Review

I loved the start of the second book where we meet and follow some new characters and see events that happened in book 1 through their eyes and the awful impact it had on their lives. I loved Rose and Joe, but I think the star of the whole book for me was Nita the medicine woman who plays a huge part in the unfolding story of the survivors. I loved her scenes with Doron too.

It was also great to be back at Hope Meadows to see how the characters are coping with the realities of their new lives. I loved meeting up with the twins again and seeing how their powers are being honed for the good of the growing community of survivors. There are plenty of shocks and surprises in book two and plenty of new revelations. It was an entertaining read.

I have to say I was sad to finish The Sixth Fire. There is plenty of scope for further books in the series, so I really hope the authors are working on a sequel right now!

I was given a ARC copy. This review is an honest reflection of my thoughts on what is a very different and entertaining series.

Check it out on Amazon

Link to review of Book 1 Children of Sinai

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy and heart-warming romance

You can follow me on

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New release from GJ Stevens – The Gemini Assignment #spy #thriller @stevens_gj

Exciting news!

Book 3 in the Agent Carrie Harris spy thriller series came out on 10th December 2021. I’ve enjoyed the prequel and first book in the series (links to my reviews below) and I look forward to catching up with the rest of the series in 2022.

Here’s the blurb for book 3…

The Gemini Assignment

Only hours after stepping from a plane, and still reeling from the turmoil of her last assignment (LESSON LEARNED), Agent Carrie Harris’s journey to headquarters is interrupted when the Operation Centre task her to hunt down something so sensitive they can’t even tell her about it.

Carrie is under no illusion that her second official assignment would be easy, but little did she know, whilst hunting down the first clue, a childhood she’d consigned to a distant memory would confront her in a way only helpful to the enemy.

Distracted by a time she’d thought she’d forgotten, Agent Harris battles to concentrate on the hunt leading her across London and onwards to the suburbs, hoping to stay one step ahead of rivals intent on getting to the prize first.

Despite a constant concern that if she doesn’t succeed so many could die, including an innocent who’d become so important to her, the chase takes her over the ocean where her fears seem as if they have come true. Can our hero stay focused enough to see if she’s a match for the evil she’s confronted with and return what was stolen, or will Carrie lose everything she holds dear, including her life?

For fans of John Wick, Jack Reacher, Sydney Bristow and Eve Polastri from Killing Eve.

Plus the series has brand new covers which look awesome. Book 3 has already received some great reviews which you can check on these links below;

UK: https://amzn.to/3GjfN5v

US: https://amzn.to/3lI7tEu

Official author site – https://gj-stevens.square.site

My review of Book 1 Operation Dawn Wolf

My review of the Novella Capital Action

Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you think.

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy and heart-warming romance

You can follow me on

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You can also join my Newsletter for writing updates and news of promotions.

Elle’s A to Z of Love by Claire Huston #romance #bookreview

A very enjoyable romance that keeps you guessing in the love interest sakes.

Blurb

Haileybrook, a beautiful village in the peaceful Cotswolds countryside, is most people’s idea of heaven on earth.

It should be easy, but every time she packs her bags for exotic adventures, old loves and loyalties pull her back.

Will Elle be forced to forget her dreams of far-flung places and epic romance, or can she grab one last chance to have it all?

An uplifting, romantic story about friends, family and the relationships that make a place a home. 

My review

Firstly, isn’t this a pretty cover!

I really enjoyed my visit to Haileybrook but felt for Elle – no matter how much she wanted to escape her childhood home, life and fate always intervened.

This was a very enjoyable romance, the kind that keeps you guessing if the couple that are meant to be together will ever admit their feelings for each other. The book is filled with entertaining characters, unexpected situations and keeps you turning the pages wanting to know what happens next.

I enjoyed Elle’s journey of discovery and I recommend this book to all romance readers.

Also, I must just mention the title – I didn’t realise it’s significance until quite late in the book. It’s very clever.

You can add it to your goodreads shelf.

See my review of Claire Huston’s previous book Art and Soul – another great romance.

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy and heart-warming romance

You can follow me on

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Visions of Zarua is 5 today! #fantasy #epicfantasy #indiebooksbeseen

I have some news to share, but first…

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.

Visions of Zarua – Amazon universal link

Audible and iTunes for the audiobook.

‘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

You can follow me on

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You can also join my Newsletter for writing updates and news of promotions.

Celebrations at the Chateau by Jo Thomas #romance #bookreview #netgalley

This was the another Netgalley ARC, which I was very excited to read as its by one of my favourite romance writers, Jo Thomas.

Blurb

When their grandfather dies, Fliss and her sisters are astonished to inherit a French chateau! Travelling to Normandy to visit the beautiful if faded house, they excitedly make plans over delicious crepes and local cider in the town nearby.

But they soon discover the chateau needs major work, a huge tax bill is due . . . and there’s a sitting tenant to whom they owe a monthly allowance.

Unable to sell but strapped for cash, Fliss determines to spruce up the elegant old rooms and open a B&B. But, why is Jacques, the local mayor, so hostile? How did Fliss’s grandfather come to own the place anyway? And will Jacques and Fliss be able to put their differences aside to save the chateau?

Inspired by Escape to the Chateau, this cosy and uplifting novel to curl up with, from the author of Escape to the French Farmhouse and Finding Love at the Christmas Market.

My Review

I loved reading this story right from the start. Inheriting an old French Chateau is right up there on my wish list, but seeing as that is not going to happen I had to live the fantasy through Fliss and her sisters.

When the three sisters decide to turn the old, run down Chateau into a B&B before it bankrupts them, it doesn’t go as smoothly as they’d hoped. Much like the path to true love between Fliss and the broody mayor, Jacques. They are perfect for each other but ex’s and a difficult situation in the past threatens their happy ever after.

Fliss is a very capable heroine, but she still occasionally needs rescuing and the handsome farmer / mayor / next door neighbour, Jacques is never far away.

The supporting cast are great; from Fliss’ nephew Jason who comes to help restore the chateau and blossoms in France, to Clementine Jacques step-daughter, to the huge working horse Pegasus whose always sticking his head through the fences and causing havoc, and Cedrick the peacock whose sometimes turns up to delight the guests. I have to mention the sitting tenant too, the chatelaine. She holds the key to the mystery of how Fliss’ grandfather came to own the Chateau in the first place, if only she could overcome the events in the past to confide in Fliss.

At the heart of this novel is mystery, love and family relationships. And of course there’s plenty of Christmas magic and a New Year’s Eve wedding at the Chateau to look forward to. You can’t get much better than that.

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy and heart-warming romance

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A Bookshop Christmas by Rachel Burton #bookreview #romance #netgalley

Thanks to Netgalley I managed to bag an ARC of A Bookshop Christmas by Rachel Burton ahead of the publication date of 2nd September 2021. I didn’t manage to finish reading in time post on publication day, but here is my review – hopefully it’s better late than never.

Blurb

A snowstorm. A stranger. A spark. And it’s Christmas!
It should be the perfect start to the perfect love story.

But real life is far messier and more complicated than in the pages of the books in Megan Taylor’s family bookshop – the last few years have left this young widow in no doubt of that. Moving back home to York should have been a fresh start, but all it did was allow her to retreat from the world.

When prize-winning author Xander Stone rams his supermarket trolley into her ankles and then trashes her taste in books, Megan is abruptly awoken from her self-imposed hibernation. It’s time to start living again, and she’s going to start by putting this arrogant, superior – admittedly sexy – stranger in his place.

Just as she is beginning to enjoy life again, the worst happens and Megan begins to wonder if she should have stayed hidden away. Because it turns out that falling in love again is about more than just meeting under the mistletoe… 

See it on Goodreads

My Mini Review

A bookshop is the perfect setting for a magical Christmas story.

This heart-warming romance shows that life can eventually carry on after loss. Rachel Burton has taken a very difficult subject, the death of a spose at a young age, and treats it with sensitivity. She shows how it takes time to recover, and can often be overwhelming, but with the right person happiness is possible. This isn’t a sad or maudlin story, but one of hope.

I immediately connected to Megan the main character, and Zander has all the marks of a broody hero with a soft side to him. The challenges they face are believable and entertaining, and I was rooting for their budding relationship to develop despite all the set backs and misunderstandings.

The cast of characters were all well drawn and likeable and I especially liked the book group’s weekly meeting at the book shop and their extravagant plans for the Christmas party. Special shout out to Zander’s dog as featured on the cover.

I do love a bit of Christmas magic, though you can enjoy this story at any time of year.

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic fantasy and heart-warming romance

You can follow me on

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