Suzanne Rogerson's Blog, page 29

WWW Wednesday 5th December 2018 My reads to the end of the year #amreading and mini #bookreviews

I’m not very good with posting on WWW Wednesday, but I do enjoy sharing the books I have been reading when I get the chance. I thought today I would share my planned reads for the rest of the year and give a couple of mini reviews for the books I’ve just finished. But first here are the rules if you want to play along with WWW Wednesday weekly meme.

Answer these 3 questions…

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Then add a link to your post on Taking on the World of Word. Here’s the link to this week’s blog page.

Visit other blogs taking part.

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What are you currently reading?

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Magic Study – Maria V Snyder

I’m half way through and loving it just as much as I did book 1 – Poison Study. See my review of book 1 here.

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Couch to 50K: How to write 50,000 words in a month without burning out – Rachel Tonks Hill

I’ve actually just started this book and am hoping for some insightful ways to up my word count. I’d say I have about 50k to finish on the draft of book 3 in Silent Sea Chronicles so this is perfect timing if we ignore the fact that Christmas is just around the corner!

 

What did you recently finish reading?

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Sweet Dream by Tricia Sullivan

This was my book group choice for December (we are actually meeting to discuss it tonight so I may share a bigger review at some point).

I was immediately drawn into the story by the strong first person narrative. Charlie is a very interesting character and her world is very strange. The fact she is a dreamhacker with narcolepsy should indicate that. At times it was hard to understand the world she lived in, but then dreams are weird and the book captured this element perfectly.

I really enjoyed the story and would recommend it to people who like something different, a unique blend of scifi and mystery.

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Gilded Cage – Vic James 

This was an audiobook read and I did enjoy it that way, though I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more if I’d read it. The narrator’s voice really worked well and brought life to the characters, but I did find some of the set up boring. I had a couple of times when I thought about DNF, but I’m so happy that I stuck with it. The last couple of hours were non stop action and I really enjoyed it. I will certainly be continuing with the series, that ending is just crying out for me to pick up the next book!

 

What do you think you’ll read next?

I’ve won a couple of books and feel that I should make an effort to read these as soon as possible – after all it’s what I hope for when I run giveaways myself. You know, Karma and all that…

So I want to read next – Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce and City of Lies by Same Hawke.

I also have my first ever Netgalley book. I don’t need to post a review until January, but I want to make a start on it asap because The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan sounds really good.

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Finally I have my annual Christmas read by Rachel Caine. I really enjoy escaping into the world of The Great Library and this is book 4 in the series Smoke and Iron. I have it on good authority (my son) that it is brilliant.

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I also love to read a Christmas story around this time of year, but I think I have my work cut out with this list. If I do manage it all, then I’ve have smashed my Goodreads reading goal of 35 books. Dare I up the challenge next year?

What do you plan to read for the rest of the year?

Not Like Everyone Else by Jennifer Leigh @boundtowriting #bookreview #ya #mystery #tuesdaybookblog

This book really gripped my attention. I had to keep reading to find out was happening to Ryan and if she was as innocent as she thinks she is.

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Blurb

Ryan can’t seem to get her memories in order. When she breaks it off with her long-term boyfriend, Corey, she can’t help but feel free. But mysterious events keep Ryan asking “just what happened?” After her family moved to Ryton, after Carter goes missing, after Jacob is in the hospital. All of these afters, but Ryan can’t remember the befores. With Harper and Elliot by her side, Ryan can only hope that she does not forget… again. Will Ryan be able to recover her memory to figure out what happened when it all went dark?

 

My review

I love how you never know quite what’s going on in this book. Ryan is an unreliable narrator because she keeps losing her memory and as readers we are in the dark just as much as she is. Can we trust her to give us the correct information or is something more sinister happening in her head? The constant questions raised as the story goes along were a great driving force that kept me turning the pages. I was shocked by some of the revelations that I didn’t see coming and really enjoyed the suspense of trying to guess what would happen next.

It was a very fast read and one I recommend to those who love a mystery. I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

I received an ARC from the author and chose to read and review the book.

Check it for yourself on Goodreads

 

My #SPFBO book buys during November 2018 promo #fantasy #tbr #amreading

I thought I would do a quick post on the books I bought during November’s SPFBO promo. I’m excited to add these to my Goodreads TBR, but I won’t state when I’ll read them as I still haven’t read the books I purchased during the previous sale. My TBR pile keeps growing and has reached 410. That is one of the reasons I only bought 8 books this time around, the other is I’ve spent all my money on ads. Anyway here they are…

Between the Shade and the Shadow – Coleman Alexander

Phoenix Descending – Dorothy Dreyer

The Dragon Song Saga – J C Lang

Sorcerous Rivalry – Kayleigh Nichol

A Keeper’s Tale – J A Andrews

Song – Jesse Teller

The Fire Eye Refugee – Samuel Gateley

Balam Springs – Travis M Riddle

I’m really excited by this collection. I tried to be guided by the blurbs and the covers rather than be influenced by reviews or what I’ve heard through the SPFBO pages. A couple of these I’ve had my eye on for a while so I was really pleased to find them in the sale and be able to support my fellow indie authors.

I can’t promise when I’ll read them, but I will review them on my blog, Amazon and Goodreads eventually.

I think I may have sold a couple of copies of my own 2016 SPFBO entry – Visions of Zarua but with the birthday blitz and a couple of ads running at the same time, its hard to know what sparked the purchases.

What did you pick up during the sale?

Did you pick up any of the books above? Or have you already read them?

Last reminder to pick up 99p bargain #fantasy books by #SPFBO #indieauthors #IARTG

Reminder

Today is the last day of the sale for 100 (ish) fantasy books from authors who have taken part in Mark Lawrence’s brilliant Self Published Fantasy Blog off competition.

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Travis Riddle has kindly set up a page with book covers, blurbs and to buy links of all the books taking part. Please take a look here and see what you fancy. My book, Visions of Zarua is on the list too!

I’ve been picking up a few bargain books myself and will share those buys and why I chose them tomorrow. For now, take advantage of the sale and help support us indie authors. Thanks very much.

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Visions of Zarua’s Birthday Blitz – Part 2 #highfantasy #fantasy #blogtour

Hello again. Today I will share the remaining stops on Visions of Zarua’s birthday blitz which took place on Friday 16th November. 25 lovely bloggers took part with reviews, guest posts, extracts, Q&A’s and promo posts.

Visions now has a very healthy rating on goodreads – 40 ratings with an adv of 4.33 and 23 reviews. Amazon UK has 21 reviews and Amazon US 14. If you have read it, would you consider leaving a review too?

Yesterday I shared the first 13 blogs that took part in the birthday blitz, here’s the page if you missed it.

Now for the remaining blogs taking part in the birthday blitz

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Extract – Jazzy Book Reviews

I shared a scene where Paddren makes an important decision. You can read it here.

 

Q&A – Bound to Writing

I had some fun answering questions here.

 

Guest Post – Booksaremycwtches

I discussed some of my most inspiration places here.

 

Recipe – Dash Fan Book Reviews

I shared my family’s favourite carrot and courgette recipe here.

 

Q&A – Donnasbookblog

I answered a few questions of Donna’s blog here.

 

Review – The Treasure Within

‘I loved the mashup between genres, and think that Suzanne Rogerson handled it really well – weaving clues with magic in a clever way, and being able to keep the book feeling like both an epic fantasy and a mystery novel and the same time.’  See the full review here.

Q&A – Nesie’s Place

Some more fun questions and a couple of fun photos of my cat. See it here.

 

Review – Seansbookreview

‘Magic is the cornerstone of a great fantasy read and this had a magic system that I liked. Its epic fantasy at its finest.’ Read the review here.

 

Guest Post – Writing with Wolves

I shared how Jago’s story and the dualtime of the novel came to life. Read it all here.

 

Promo – The Northern Witch’s Book Blog

A lovely promo post here.

 

Promo – The Magic of Worlds

Another promo post here.

 

Promo – Zooloo’s Book Diary

The last promo post of the day here.

***

Thank you to everyone who took part and who read the posts. It was a lot of fun and now I’m ready for a rest! It’s back to work on book 3 of the Silent Sea Chronicles for me on Monday.

Don’t forget the giveaway ends today, but the ebook will be on sale for the next couple of weeks 99p worldwide.

Have you enjoyed the blog tour? Please get in touch. And if you’ve been inspired to read Visions of Zarua, please let me know. I love to hear from readers and if you have time to share your review it will make my day.

Until next time…

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For UK Authors With an Interest in Getting Their Books into Bricks and Mortar Stores.

I’ve been looking into getting my books into Waterstones and hit a dead end because I don’t use the right book distributor. Stevie’s post explains everything you need to do and will be very helpful to me when I’m ready to take the next step.

via For UK Authors With an Interest in Getting Their Books into Bricks and Mortar Stores.

Visions of Zarua Birthday Blitz round-up Part 1 #fantasy #epicfantasy #blogtour

Yesterday was an amazing day for Visions of Zarua and sharing the book birthday with so many people was brilliant.

The birthday blitz was huge fun and a great success as far as I’m concerned. I got to visit 25 blogs in one day and there were 10 new reviews for Visions all between 3.75 to 5 stars.

I would love to share every word here, but the post would end up being massive. Instead, here are some of the highlights from the first 13 blogs on the list. Tomorrow I will share the remaining 12.

Birthday Blitz round-up Part 1

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Review from Nemesis Blog

‘Wow! Wow! Wow! What can I say?! This is an epic standalone fantasy. The world building Suzanne did for this book is incredible! …if you like fantasy, mystery, wizards, a bit of romance, the bad dude and monsters! I cannot recommend this book highly enough!’ Read the full review here.

 

Review On Odd socks and Lollipops

‘Visions of Zarua was a really enjoyable fantasy read, it reminded me of the older style fantasy novels I have read. It has a shattered timeline spanning 350 years, a mystery to solve, a host of vivid characters. I found the start was a little on the slow side, though it did set the scene well. The world-building was really interesting and I found that I really liked the world of the past, Zarua of 350 years ago.’ See full review here.

 

Guest post – Between the Lines

I shared the story of how Visions of Zarua will soon be traditionally published in Czech! Read the post here.

 

Extract – Laura’s Interests.

Read the scene that sparked off the idea for the whole book here.

 

Review – Pagefarer book blog

‘The characterisation is strong (I think Leyoch was my favourite), the world-building is very able and the story is well-paced…’ Full review here.

 

Guest Post – B for Bookreview

I shared character profiles for my 4 viewpoint characters. Read it here.

 

Extract – Read. Write. Inspire.

I shared an important scene from Jago’s perspective here.

 

Review – Jessica Rachow

‘I loved everything about Visions of Zarua! From the flawed, relatable characters to the intricately planned out world of Paltria, and the ancient, abandoned city of Zarua…this book had everything I want to see in a fantasy novel.’ Full review here.

 

Extract – Ali the Dragon Slayer

I shared a terrifying moment for Leyoch. Read it here.

 

Review – Splashes into Books

‘What a great mix of fantasy, magic and mystery this proved to be! The talented author has built a unique version of a medieval style world where there are barons, Kings, wizards, magic and monsters. You can never be certain just who you can trust…’ Read the rest of the review here.

 

Review – J Bronder Book Reviews

‘This is an amazing read and one that I strongly recommend checking out. Fantasy might not be your thing but definitely try this book. I think it will become a fast favorite.’ Read the full review here.

 

Review – Birdie’s Bibliotheca

‘The story itself progresses in a fairly standard manner: disastrous events lead to a staggering reveal which leads to a quest whereby more reveals are made, further inciting the need for the quest. The final climax is drawn out and convoluted, and maybe my favorite part of the story. Overall, I give this about a 4…’ Read the full review here.

 

Review – Jess Bookish Life

‘The author created an amazing world with relatable characters, many secrets, magic and a touch of romance in a great recipe for a wonderful fantasy standalone novel.‘ Read the rest of the review here.

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Thank you so much to the above blogs for featuring Visions of Zarua yesterday. Please visit them and show your support to these bloggers. A huge thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources who made this possible. I highly recommend her services.

If you want to check out the remaining blog of the birthday blitz, visit this page for the links.

The giveaway is running until sunday night, so why not try to win a signed paperback for yourself. Visions of Zarua 3 book giveaway.

The ebook will remain on sale at 99p worldwide and you can purchase that here or check out the free sample below.

 

Thank you for following the birthday blitz and please join me again tomorrow for the remaining stops on the tour.

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Happy Birthday! Visions of Zarua is 3 today! #epicfantasy #fantasy

I can’t believe I’ve been a published author for 3 years!

Today is a big day for Visions of Zarua too and I’m celebrating in style with a massive book birthday blitz. I must say a big thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising it all.

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Today there will be reviews, guest posts, Q&A’s, extracts, promos and a giveaway to win 3 signed paperback copies. There is a special page of links here for all the blogs taking part. I will be visiting these blogs and sharing their posts throughout the day, so keep a look out and share where ever you can.

Visions of Zarua is also on sale for 99p worldwide universal link.

And you can try you luck with the Rafflecopter Giveaway here.

I will run a follow up post with links to all the posts tomorrow, but for now I would like to thank everyone involved.

From 15th – 19th many #SPFBO fantasy authors are reducing their books to 99p

Who is up for some bargain books?

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Check out the Promo page with links to all the books in the 99p sale. The fantasy books on offer span all areas of the genre including dark and urban. The authors taking part have been entrants in Mark Lawrence’s ‘Self Published Fantasy Blog Off’ competition which is now in its 4th year.

A big thank you to Travis M Riddle for organising the giveaway and hosting the promo page.

You will find my debut epic fantasy Visions of Zarua among the books on sale. It was a SPFBO entrant in 2016 and is celebrating its 3rd birthday tomorrow! I will be back then for a special birthday blitz. But while you’re waiting, why not check out all the brilliant books that are on sale today.

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Please share and spread the word about this epic sale!

 

My reading plan for 2018 #amreading #fantasy #ya #thriller

This year has been busy in various ways and I have not read as much as I would’ve liked. My Goodreads challenge was 35 books and so far I have only read 29. I thought making a list for the rest of the year would help me get back on track.

So here goes.

Currently reading – Magic Study by Maria V Snyder. As with the first book I find the writing totally addictive and if I read nothing else but these books this year I would be happy.

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ARC – Not Like Everyone Else by Jennifer Leigh. This is a YA thriller I’ve been interested in since following Jenn’s blog and I am going to read this before 2018 ends.

 

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Self Published Fantasy Blog Off books – I bought lots of SPFBO books in the last SPFBO sale which I have yet to read. Here’s my post about the bargains I picked up. Now there is another sale 15th to 19th November so I will be getting even more books to add to my TBR list which already has 400 books! I really hope to read at least another one off this list and perhaps I may even share a surprise review from my husband who is currently reading one of SPFBO books – surprise because he has no idea I’ve mentioned this!

My Xmas Read – For the last three years I have read the latest Great Library book by Rachel Caine. This year I will be reading Smoke and Iron – book 4. My son started the series a few weeks ago and has already started the 4th book. I had planned to give it to myself as a Christmas present, but he begged to read it first!

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Audio book – Still listening to Gilded Cage by Vic James which has been enjoyable so far. I like the voice of the narrator and she has brought the story to life for me. It does seem a bit slow, but I’m happy to stick at it.

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Book Group Read – Sweet Dreams by Tricia Sullivan

This one sounds intriguing!

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Books I’ve Won – I have been lucky enough to win two books recently and I can’t wait to read them.  City of Lies by Sam Hawke and Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce. I would love to read and review these before the end of 2018.

So these books will take me to my Goodreads target of 35 books, but life and writing does have a habit of getting in the way. Fingers crossed I find some uninterrupted reading time!