Suzanne Rogerson's Blog, page 19

The Lost Sentinel hit No 1 in the Top 100 free Amazon chart #fantasy

The Lost Sentinel is currently on a 5 day free promo and I have stacked ads to help me reach readers.

This morning I was excited to wake up to see The Lost Sentinel had hit number 1,2 and 3 slots in Canada for Coming of Age fantasy, Epic fantasy and Sword and Sorcery! Here’s the proof.

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I have screenshots of the lists but I’m still having trouble downloading them to WordPress. It’s frustrating as I’ve been looking forward to this moment and I want to shout about how happy I am about these results!

I have a big ad hitting soon and and I’m hoping it will help me reach the big spot in more countries. Fingers crossed!

I’ll keep you updated and share my results at the end of the experiment. In the meantime, if you haven’t picked up your free copy of The Lost Sentinel, why not do it now? You can help me achieve my goal of reaching no. 1 in the Amazon top 100 free charts.

Thanks very much.

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New Review of Silent Sea Chronicles and free book offer #fantasy #epicfantasy

I’d like to share the newest review that’s gone up for my Silent Sea Chronicles series – it’s actually the first for the box set on Amazon so I’m extra happy!

(Christopher) 5 STARS – Inspiring. A lovely story that warms the soul. Some action and battle scenes but not overly graphic so will appeal to most. There’s also a good deal of romance which, although not my thing, makes this saga a good read for all. I will deffo keep an eye out for more books to follow this and catch up on the characters and how their journey progresses.

Here’s some others…

(Norris) 5 STARS Loved it. A thoroughly enjoyable fantasy story with characters you can’t help rooting for and intriguing villains. The world building was fantastic and it was easy to lose yourself in. I can’t wait to see where this story goes. – The Lost Sentinel – Book 1.

(Teri) 4 STARS – Action and Chaos. I don’t know how I came about this story but I am glad I did. Prepare yourself for a rip roaring adventure over the seas and by ways as these stories intermix to bring you a rip roaring clean adventure. There is plenty of action and chaos as the standing Sentinel comes to the end of his reign. Finding the new sentinel will come to be emotional as the loss of life touches close to home. Taking daring actions against those that mean to do harm will keep you turning the pages for more. No the story doesn’t end here and that will give you reason to prepare for a long adventure with this new to me author. Her characters have much to lose and the battle wont be easy. New friends and old foes all come together in this wonderful fantasy story. I have not read this author before but I can’t wait to continue the adventure. – The Lost Sentinel Book 1

You can try out the series for yourself as Book 1 The Lost Sentinel is free for the next 4 days, while books 2 and 3 are on sale for only 99p each. The whole series will only set you back £1.98 if you act fast.

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The sale is going well and I loved seeing The Lost Sentinel hit no 6 in the top 100 free chart for fantasy adventure. With your help I could hit no 1!

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I’m having technical issues trying to share a screenshot of the top 100 list, hopefully that will resolve itself soon.

In the meantime, please share this and help The Lost Sentinel reach the top ranking in as many top 100 free charts as possible.

Thanks for your help. Until next time…

The Lost Sentinel Free for 5 days only! #fantasy #YAfantasy #SFF http://mybook.to/LostSentinel

If you’re looking for a bargain this week, why not check out Silent Sea Chronicles? The Lost Sentinel – Book 1 in the series is free for 5 days and the rest of the trilogy is on sale at only 99p / 99c each.

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All my books are enrolled in Kindle Unlimited but this is the first time I’ve ever used the 5 free days advertising option and I’m really excited to see how the experiment plays out.

I’d love to see my books climb up the rankings and you can help by downloading your free copy of The Lost Sentinel and sharing news about the sale.

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The Lost Sentinel is free 10th to 14th August, while The Sentinel’s Reign and The Sentinel’s Alliance are 99p / 99c from 10th to 17th August. With the whole trilogy for only £1.98 / $1.98 this is a sizzling summer bargain you won’t want to miss.

‘THE LOST SENTINEL contains plenty of action, intrigue, and challenges throughout, making this a thrilling fantasy adventure… it whisked me away to someplace magical, alluring, and dangerous.’

‘…this story bowled me over, it was an absolutely outstanding epic fantasy and the kind of writing fantasy authors should be aspiring to.’

‘What an epic journey this trilogy has been…There are some terrific battle scenes, with massive shocks, and mouth dropping moments that I just hadn’t seen coming, all delivered with Rogerson perfection.’

Blurb

Tei has magic in a world where people like her are persecuted and forced into exile. Whilst fleeing their home, her father is attacked and his deathbed confession reveals a dangerous secret that will change her life forever.

Tei’s homeland, the magical island of Kalaya, is dying and without a Sentinel to restore the magic, it’s only a matter of time before all life is wiped out.

She must join the exiles in the search for the lost Sentinel, but they are not the only ones after the missing guardian. Sinister Masked Riders are on their trail and time is running out.

Tei must risk everything she loves to save Kalaya, but is she ready to make that sacrifice?

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Review: Art and Soul by Claire Huston @ClaraVal #romance #bookreview

Today I’d like to share my review of Art and Soul by Claire Huston. To briefly explain my feelings for this book – I had to ban myself from reading it at night because I just couldn’t stop reading to go to sleep!

Blurb

There’s no problem Becky Watson can’t fix. Except her own love life…

Struggling single mother Becky Watson longs to revive her career as a life-fixer, working miracles to solve her clients’ problems, no matter how big or small. Since the birth of her two-year-old son she has been stuck preventing wedding fiascos for the richest and rudest residents of the Comptons, a charming, leafy area of southern England known for its artistic heritage.

So when semi-reclusive local artist Charlie Handren reluctantly hires Becky to fix his six-year creative slump, she’s delighted to set him up with a come-back exhibition and Rachel Stone, the woman of his dreams.

Though they get off to a rocky start, Becky and Charlie soon become close. But as the beautiful Rachel becomes Charlie’s muse, Becky is forced to wonder: will giving Charlie everything he wants mean giving up her own happily ever after?

A heart-warming romance about second chances perfect for fans of Jill Mansell, Phillipa Ashley and Cathy Kelly.

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My Review

(I’m experimenting and going back to my old review style, so let me know what you think.)

Characters

I felt an immediate connection with the main characters Becky and Charlie. The story is told skilfully from both their viewpoints and has lots of side characters that bring colour and warmth to the story.

Plot

Becky is a life-fixer and is brought in to help reclusive artist Charlie rediscover his muse for painting and set his life back on track whilst trying to deal with her own single parent struggles. She can work miracles with other people, and is almost like a guardian angel working in the background, but has her own difficulties and hang ups from past events that get in the way of her finding her own happiness.

What I like

It was great to read a story about a life fixer. It’s something different and I think we can agree that we all need a bit of Becky’s magical touch in our lives!

I also loved how Becky is a single parent struggling to work and raise her young son. It’s not the usual set up for a romance story and it was refreshing.

What I didn’t like

It’s one of those books where there really isn’t anything that I had an issue with. The ending could have been a tiny bit more dramatic maybe but it was still satisfying, enjoyable and choked me up so you really can’t ask for much more from a story.

Conclusion

I cannot go into details and risk spoilers but I will say I was left with happy feeling at the end of this novel. There were ups and downs throughout that kept you guessing but in the end it was a great conclusion to the story. It left me wanting to keep reading and being in their lives!

This is Claire Huston’s debut novel, though it reads like a book from a well-established author who has honed her craft. She’s an author I look forward to reading more from.

Recommend

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a feel good romance. Star rating 4.5

Check it out on Goodreads and Amazon

Suzanne Rogerson Fantasy Author has a newsletter! #fantasy #indieauthor

For the last few years I’ve been meaning to set up a newsletter. Well, I’ve finally done it and it’s just gone live over the weekend! Join here for writing updates, news of promotions and short stories set in the vibrant worlds of my novels. You’ll get the chance to read these stories before they are seen anywhere else.

Sign up is quick and easy, and I promise not to bombard you with emails.

Join the mailing list now.

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#Reviewers #Bloggers Sign up to the new blog tour run by Storytellers On Tour #fantasy #yafantasy

As my publishing plans for 2020 have been pushed back, I decided to show some love to my fantasy box set trilogy – Silent Sea Chronicles, in particular book 1 The Lost Sentinel. The tour runs from 6th to 12th September.

All the details can be found on the Storytellers on Tour website where you can sign up to take part. Here’s the link The Lost Sentinel blog tour.

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Another book birthday and Ad experiments #fantasy #fantasypromo

Yes, I know it’s another book birthday post, but I’m super proud of The Sentinel’s Alliance reaching it’s first birthday today. It was such a special feeling to finally finish publishing the trilogy and receiving such wonderful reviews from readers and book bloggers. Now I just need readers to find it!

With that in mind I’ve been experimenting with Ad’s over the weekend, trying to find the right combo for Facebook ads to promote the box set.

Here’s a couple I’ve designed, let me know what you think.

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I’ve also played with a few for the first book.

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What do you think about promo’s, is it better to focus on the first book in a series or the whole box set?

I still have lots of work to do making my ad’s but I’d love some feedback at this early stage and before I start actively promoting it.

Also…

Have you read the box set? Would you consider leaving reviews on Amazon / Goodreads / Bookbub or where ever you feel comfortable posting them? I love to share quotes from reviewers and I hope to pick a few to add to my ads.

Thanks for your time.

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Writing update – Today I was supposed to publish! #fantasyauthor #indieauthor #amwriting

At the beginning of 2020 I planned to publish a prequel novella today – 30th June 2020.

I’m not and I have no idea when it will be ready. I know there is no point rushing and bringing out a book that isn’t the best I can make it, but I still feel disappointed.

Positive thinking…

I’ve realised that I need to relax and stop pressurising myself. Nothing terrible will happen if I don’t meet my own deadlines. That is the beauty of self publishing and being your own boss.

At the start of lock down I had hopes of publishing 3 books in a year! A prequel novella, the main book and then the sequel novella. Looking back now I see my crazy plan was unattainable. Hell, I haven’t even reached beyond a brief plan of the sequel and still have the last quarter of the main book to write. Now a beta reader suggests that the prequel novella should be novel size, so I no longer know where I am.

Future plans…

I would still like to get the first book out by the end of the year but I need to keep in mind that plans can change and that is just the way life is.

I also have ideas to publish a book of short stories and I’ve been working on a romance novella that could be a contender for publication later this year.

I have plenty to keep me busy and lots to look forward to in the future. I also want to work on getting more exposure for my 4 published books. Here they are, I still love looking at them.

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A dose of reality….

My husband is very supportive of my dreams but we did have an honest chat about finances the other day. What he said has stayed with me and shown me that I need to get my act together. He said

‘Your books are our pension… so it looks like we’re going to starve.’

Puts things into perspective, doesn’t it!

Staying positive…

I need to focus everything I have on these next few books and making them the best I can before setting any publication dates.

I hope having a bigger back catalogue of books will start working for me financially and if not, there perhaps at that point I’ll pull my head out of the clouds and get that proper job he’s always joked about. But not until I’ve given this my best shot.

I got a Czech publishing deal out of nowhere, so who knows if another great opportunity is just around the corner.

Stay safe and positive everyone.

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

You can follow me on

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The Sentinel’s Reign book birthday #fantasy #epicfantasy #trilogy

This post is to celebrate the 2nd birthday of book 2 in my Silence Sea Chronicles – The Sentinel’s Reign.

With lockdown and epidemics still going on, I think it’s good to look back and celebrate successes. By now I should be preparing to publish my next book but everything has been set back, so at least today I can feel proud of a past achievement rather than focus on the delays to my plans.

On 29th June 2018 I released this beauty into the world…

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I remember feeling nervous that it wouldn’t match the quality of book, but reviewers soon put my mind at ease. It’s great to look back and share a few of their comments…

‘The Sentinel’s Reign breathes life into an island of magic as well as enemies thirsting for its power. Adventurous and unique this fantasy only gets more captivating with every turn.’

‘After reading The Lost Sentinel, I was invested in these character’s lives and as before beware of heartbreak. There were times that I was in mourning and then as I was continuing the story, I wanted to fist pump the air. This story will flip your emotions and as the story intensifies with the pending danger, I could not put this book down.’

What I love about The Sentinel’s Reign is that it doesn’t struggle from “middle book syndrome.” The plot is great, the characters are developing, and this doesn’t feel like just a bridge from book one to book three!

‘What a fantastic continuation from book one… Overall, this book was action packed and had me glued to it’s pages just as its predecessor did, even as I was just processing what happened in one chapter, I was desperate to speed through the next to see what happened! I cannot wait to get my hands on book three and see where the adventure takes Tei and her friends next.‘

‘As soon as I read Book One, I bought the next two in the series and all three books were fabulous! Suzanne has created a wonderful new world full of characters you will mostly love and a few to hate but they are all superb.’

Check out The Sentinel’s Reign on Goodreads

Reading all the lovely reviews of this book has made me feel very emotional. I’m so happy that I’ve been able to share this story with the world and that readers have loved Silent Sea Chronicles as much as me. Sometimes with all that’s happening it’s good to be reminded of what we have achieved.

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My only regret about self publishing is not being able to reach readers on a wider scale. I believe in these books and I wish I could wave a magic wand to help people find them.

Unfortunately, I don’t own a magic wand but the next best thing is happening – soon all three books will be brought to life in audio format! Until then, I’ll try to keep positive; who knows what’s around the corner.

If you are tempted to try out the series here are the universal links for Book 1 The Lost Sentinel or Silent Sea Chronicles trilogy box set for only £6.99 / $6.99.

Have a great day everyone.

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Suzanne Rogerson – Author of epic and heroic fantasy

You can follow me on

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Guest Post #Indieauthor Neveah Hor #YA #fantasyromance

I wrote my first novel when I was 12, but I wasn’t brave enough to self publish until I was 38. So I was very impressed when a young author contacted me about writing a guest post for my blog. It’s great to encourage the younger generations to follow their dreams, so today I’m very pleased to welcome 13 year old author, Neveah Hor. Her debut, Love Machine, was published in February 2020.

Why I chose self publishing

Hello! I’m Neveah and I’m so honoured to be able to guest post on this blog. I’m a self-published thirteen-year-old author of my debut novel titled Love Machine. This novel is a young adult romantic fantasy. I would like to share with you on why I chose self-publishing over traditional publishing. Of course, there are many pros and cons of self-publishing so be sure to read on and explore the reasons behind my choice of publishing.
Firstly, self-publishing allows me to have the freedom to title my book and choose a cover
design. Traditional publishing does not allow you to have the freedom to choose your cover
design and your book title.
Secondly, it’s fast and convenient. Just after a few clicks, you can easily publish a book through self-publishing. Traditional publishing can take months and years. You either get a rejection letter or good news.
Thirdly, I get to market the book by myself and I enjoy connecting with my readers personally. If you traditional publish, then most of the marketing work will be done for you. It might be great news to some people but to me, I like to reach out and communicate with my readers personally. I don’t need to be a bestselling author and I don’t wish to be more superior than others. I want to be an author with a real passion for writing.
Last but not least, royalties. Self-published authors need money to feed themselves with food. I would say that royalties is not really the main point for my self-publishing choice but it’s just another benefit. Self-publishing allows you to get more royalties than if you traditionally publish.
That’s really all I have for you today.
Thanks for reading!
Neveah

Useful links:
Sign Up for a free copy of Love Machine! htttps://13yearoldauthorneveahhor.wordpress.com/freebies/

Neveah Hor’s website: https://13yearoldauthorneveahhor.wordpress.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neveahor/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Neveahor13/boards/

Blog: https://13yearoldauthorneveahhor.wordpress.com/blog/

Newsletter: https://13yearoldauthorneveahhor.wordpress.com/subscribe/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Neveah-Hor/e/B0878SZ531

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20102320.Neveah_Hor

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Blurb – Goodreads

In this year, 2050, among the humans on the streets, there are these very few others. Others who are made in the biggest technology company, AITA (artificial intelligence and technological advancements), what humans call, the guardians. They were crossbreeds of humans and animals which had the highest Intelligent Quotient (IQ)they were created to protect all citizens with their special abilities. However, they had one enemy. The citizens called them the poachers. They are from another company, The Royal AI. This company was the second most advanced company and they wanted all the glory of AITA. To win them over, The Royal AI had to prove themselves worthy and they resolved to hunting down the guardians to kill them all off. They have decided to start off with the head of the guardians, 7 different crossbreeds – Aurelia, Jiwon, Hye Kyo, Lena, Darren, Justin and lastly Richard. Aurelia, the chairwoman and Jiwon, the vice chairwoman. Hye Kyo and Lena, the advisors and the three males, heads of defense. Humans just did not understand one thing… These guardians they so often talk about did not want fame. They wanted something else… 

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Thanks to Neveah Hor and I wish her lots of success with Love Machine and all her future books.