Suzanne Rogerson's Blog, page 40
October 10, 2017
#Wordlesswednesday #Catinabag
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#tuesdaybookblog Therapy by Sebastian Fitzek #audio #bookreview #thriller
Therapy by Sebastian Fitzek is an addictive read / listen that grips you right from the start. Before my brief review; here’s what the book is all about…
Blurb (Goodreads)
No witnesses, no evidence, no body: Star psychologist Viktor Larenz’s twelve-year-old daughter, Josy, who had suffered from an inexplicable illness, has vanished under mysterious circumstances during a visit to her doctor, and the investigation into her disappearance has brought no results. Four years later, Viktor remains a man shattered by this tragedy. He has retreated to a remote vacation cottage on a North Sea island, where a beautiful stranger named Anna Glass pays him a visit. She claims to be a novelist who suffers from an unusual form of schizophrenia: all the characters she creates for her books become real. While writing her most recent novel, Anna has been tortured by visions of a little girl with an unknown illness who has vanished without a trace, and she asks Dr. Larenz to treat her. Viktor reluctantly begins therapy sessions with the stranger, but very soon these sessions take a dramatic turn as the past is dragged back into the light. What really happened to Josy? Do Anna’s delusions describe Josy’s last days? And is Larenz a danger to himself and others?
Therapy is an absolutely gripping psychological thriller, an intelligent, fast and furious read that will stay with you for a long time after you have followed Viktor into the depths of his own psyche, and have figured out who Anna Glass really is.
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My Review
I was totally addicted to this book and found myself listening to it every spare minute I could find.
The premise of a daughter disappearing without trace and a schizophrenic novelist having the answers had me desperate to find out more. With this story you’re never sure what is reality and what is delusion, and it was all very cleverly handled.
I love stories that keep you guessing and I would love to see this one made into a film.
The only possible disappointment for me was the very end. But I’m not giving away any details, so you’ll have to read it and let me know if you were satisfied with the outcome.
This is my first read of a Sebastian Fitzek book and it was so good, I’m almost nervous about picking up another one.
Overall, I rate this book 4.5 stars (only deducted 1/2 for the over use of unnecessary description of characters towards the beginning of the book.)
Why don’t you check the book out on Goodreads and if you have read it, let me know what you thought in the comments.
September 29, 2017
The Lost Sentinel #fantasybook giveaway on Goodreads
Happy Friday everyone!
I’m really pleased to let you all know that I’m running a new giveaway on Goodreads for my latest book – The Lost Sentinel.
Please click the link below to enter.
Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Lost Sentinel
by Suzanne Rogerson
Giveaway ends October 12, 2017.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway
I’m working hard to get the second instalment finished for publication in 2018, so watch this space for further news.
September 27, 2017
September 26, 2017
#Tuesdaybookblog Overwhelmed Writer Rescue by @colleen_m_story #bookreview
Overwhelmed Writer Rescue by Colleen Story. This is a Writer’s self-help book, but I think the time management strategies etc. would benefit anyone who struggles to cope with the demands of everyday life. Before I share me review, here’s the blurb…
Blurb
Find the time, energy, and confidence you need to make your creative dreams come true!
Do you feel like you’re always behind? Do less important tasks frequently flood your schedule and sink your creative motivation? Are you frustrated and out of touch with your inner artist?
After 20 years experience in the writing industry, author Colleen M. Story extends a lifeline to pull Find the time, energy, and confidence you need to make your creative dreams come true!
Do you feel like you’re always behind? Do less important tasks frequently flood your schedule and sink your creative motivation? Are you frustrated and out of touch with your inner artist?
After 20 years experience in the writing industry, author Colleen M. Story extends a lifeline to pull you out of the sinking swamp of “busyness” and back into the flourishing creative life you deserve.
Today’s demands on writers and other creative artists are overwhelming. Not only must you produce the work you love, but build and maintain a platform and market your finished products to the world–all while holding down a day job and/or caring for a family.
You teeter on the edge. What waits on the other side are burnout, exhaustion, and a complete loss of creative motivation.
Overwhelmed Writer Rescue provides practical, personalized solutions to help beginning and experienced writers and other creative artists escape the tyranny of the to-do list to nurture the genius within. You’ll find ways to boost productivity, improve time management, and restore your sanity while gaining insight into your unique creative nature and what it needs to thrive.
Ultimately, you’ll discover what may be holding you back from experiencing the true joy that a creative life can bring.
In this motivational and inspiring book, you’ll learn:
–Why you feel so rushed and how you can regain control of your time.
–Your unique “time personality” and how to use it to get more writing done.
–Practical steps to overcome distractions and focus faster.
–The 7 “productivity saboteurs” that plague creative artists and how to outsmart them.
–Your personal motivation style and how to use it to increase productivity.
–How to tap into your unconscious mind to find “writer solutions” when you need them.
–Why affirmations don’t work and how to instill true belief in yourself.
–Why it’s critical to your overall health and well being to nurture the creator within.
There’s no reason to feel overwhelmed one moment longer. No matter how crazy your life is, you can find more time for your creative work, and start feeling more like yourself again.
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My Review
I’ve struggled with finding time to write since I began my self-publishing and social media journey in 2015. When I heard about this book I hoped it would help me claim back some time to do the thing I love most, write.
Overwhelmed Writer Rescue has changed my mind-set towards time management and especially about prioritising. It’s clear you can’t change everything overnight, but this book gets you motivated to start making changes straight away. It is a book I know I will keep dipping into for advice in the weeks and months to come.
The book is written in four parts and at the end of each chapter there are Time Treasures – brilliant suggestions that help you gain back time. It is well researched, with short questionnaires to help you tailor the advice to your own personality and circumstances. This ensures you gain the most from the book.
This book has the unique blend of writing advice whilst focusing on your well-being, all thanks to Colleen’s expertise in the field of health writing.
There are so many little gems of advice thoroghout, but one of my favourites is;
‘…make the life you have now work for you, creatively.’
The chapter on Prioritising (chap 5) has been the biggest help to me in the short-term and is something I have been trying to work on every day with this in mind = KWIT Keep what’s important on top.
My daily to do list now has two sections – 3 most important tasks for the day, and then other jobs I want to try to fit in. By not expecting myself to do everything in one day, I’m no longer spending my whole life with the negative feeling of disappointment. Already I’ve found I have achieved much more.
Another really great chapter is Focus Faster (chap 7). Breaking projects down into 25 minute blocks, so you don’t lose concentration. I am guilty of spending hours at the computer without break, so this is something I really want to challenge myself to do.
Overwhelmed Writer Rescue is a brilliant, motivational self-help book that anyone can benefit from. I really, really enjoyed reading this and recommend it to everyone, not just writers.
5 STARS
FYI – I received a galley copy from the author.
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In case you missed it yesterday, here’s the link to Colleen Story’s guest post all about researching books and how research for non-fiction and fiction may not be as different as you think.
September 25, 2017
#Mondayblogs Guest Post with @colleen_m_story #amwriting
Today I am really excited to welcome Colleen Story to my blog for a guest post all about research…
The One Question You Need to Ask When Doing Writing Research
When Suzanne first asked me about the research I did for my newly released non-fiction book, Overwhelmed Writer Rescue, and how it differed from the research I did for my novels, my first thought was, Oh it’s completely different.
But then as I starting looking into it, I thought, Well, maybe not—there actually are a lot of similarities.
In discovering those similarities, I’ve found that no matter what type of writing you’re doing, it’s important to ask one question. The answer will help you determine whether the research will benefit the writing or not.
Health Writing is Researching in its Purest Form
I’ve been researching non-fiction writing for over 20 years. I specialize in health writing. If you’re unfamiliar with what that is, just imagine me writing research papers all day long on things like heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, preventative care, alternative treatments, nutrition, and the like.
Sounds about as fun as a root canal, right?
Well, if you’re interested in what you’re researching, it can be fun, and much of the time, I am. Over the years, I’ve gradually expanded into personal growth, motivation, and creativity, which I particularly enjoy, and for which the research can be extremely intriguing.
I’ve written fiction for about the same period of time, but for years, I didn’t research it at all. Looking back, I think I probably avoided it simply to get away from what to me was my “day job” as a freelance writer. Fiction was my time to play and indulge my creative muse—I certainly didn’t want to bring any dry research into it.
When I started writing novels, though, that had to change, at least somewhat.
Gradually, My Fiction Writing Began to Require Some Research
My first novel was a fantasy, so I researched things that appealed to my imagination, like gargoyles, stone sculptures, and ancient myths and legends—all fun stuff that didn’t really seem like “research.” Instead, I was indulging my own sense of curiosity.
You see, in my mind, research is tough. I’m used to regularly reading challenging material that typically goes something like this:
“Most studies agree that the classical pathological criteria for AD, neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, can account for 40%–70% of the variance in cognition seen in elderly subjects, with additional pathologies such as cerebrovascular disease (Dolan et al. 2010b) and Lewy body pathology (Schneider et al. 2007) working together with AD pathology to account for an additional 20%–30% of dementia cases. (O’Brien and Wong, Annu Rev Neurosci., 2011)”
Not exactly light reading, and this is one of the simpler ones. After a day of it, you’re ready to move onto something else.
So “researching” my fiction has always been restricted to an “as needed” and “for fun” basis. I really didn’t think of it as a key component in my fiction writing—until the last couple years.
Now I’m Researching More for Fiction
I’ve now had two novels published (one fantasy, one literary), and I’m working on a third. This novel has been my most challenging yet, partly because it has required more research than any of the others before it.
This time, I’m having to research a number of things to get them right. To start with, the characters embark on a journey from Iowa to the coast of California, so I had to research that journey. I marked it all out on a map, studied each stopping place extensively online, and even took the actual trip myself so I would know what it’s like. (Read more about that here.)
Yeah, the trip was a kick in many ways, but the research hasn’t stopped there. I’ve had to dig into the physiology of gun wounds, get familiar with various brands of motorcycles and their optimal speeds, study the history and makeup of various landmarks, and create a timeline so I can make sure each leg of the trip makes sense with various characters in play.
In other words, for this book, I can barely write a couple scenes before I have to do more research. That’s made it feel more like work—and more like the research I do for non-fiction.
Writing a Non-Fiction Book is Different than Writing a Non-Fiction Article
When examining the difference between the two, though, there’s one other thing I’ve learned over the years about non-fiction: writing a book is quite different from writing an article.
The difference is subtle. When writing an article or blog post, the main goal is to bring the reader valuable information. For example, “eating cherries helps reduce inflammation and arthritis-related pain.” The goal is to alert the reader to a helpful alternative treatment for her arthritis symptoms.
In a non-fiction book, you also want to bring the reader helpful information, but you have to do more than that. In this example, the goal might be to help an arthritis sufferer to live a higher quality of life.
This requires you put yourself in the reader’s shoes, much like you would put yourself in a character’s shoes in fiction. By doing that, you realize she not only needs good information and new solutions, but a helping hand and an encouraging voice from someone who understands her struggles.
As a non-fiction book writer, you’re more like a coach than a reporter. You want your reader to know she can create positive changes in her life. So your approach as a writer changes somewhat, creating a situation in which your research must also change.
Will this information help my reader reach her goal? How can I present in such a way that it will sound encouraging and motivating?
In other words, the research must serve the “story” you are telling—much as it must in fiction. It’s not enough just to find helpful information. You must find the information that will serve the specific book that you’re writing, and the specific reader you’re writing for.
The One Question a Writer Needs to Ask About Research
In the end, there are more similarities between researching fiction and non-fiction than I thought. Since I’ve realized this, it has helped me create both types of writing with one overarching goal—to serve the reader.
And that has helped me as a writer. To be in a position of service creates a larger sense of purpose, one that brings together all the various types of writing I do under one umbrella.
Will this help the reader? When that question is what propels your research—even if the research is dry—you can’t help but be motivated to get to work.
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Boost productivity, improve time management, and restore your sanity while gaining insight into your unique creative nature and what it needs to thrive. Find practical, personalized solutions to help you escape self-doubt and nurture the genius within in Overwhelmed Writer Rescue , available today at Amazon and all major book retailers. Enjoy your FREE chapter here !
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Colleen M. Story has worked in the creative writing industry for over twenty years. Her latest release, Overwhelmed Writer Rescue, helps writers and other creative artists escape the tyranny of the to-do list and nurture the genius within. Her novels include Loreena’s Gift, a Foreword Reviews’ INDIES Book of the Year Awards winner. She has authored thousands of articles for publications like Healthline and Women’s Health and ghostwritten books on back pain, nutrition, and cancer. She is the founder of Writing and Wellness, and works as a motivational speaker and workshop leader. Find more information on her author website, or follow her on Twitter.
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Join me tomorrow for my review of Overwhelmed Writer Rescue.
September 23, 2017
#Weekendwanderings – Bushy Park, Surrey #photos #britishwildlife
Over the summer we visited Bushy Park in Surrey and had the pleasure of meeting a couple of very friendly squirrels and their jackdaw pals. One cheeky squirrel actually took food from my hand and almost climbed onto my daughter’s lap.
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Over the years we’ve visited Bushy Park dozens of times, in all seasons. I have wonderful memories of family picnics and stalking wildlife with my camera. Today is more of a wander through my photo archive. I could fill this post with hundreds of pics of landscapes and flora and fauna, but instead I’ve picked a couple of my favourite wildlife shots (even if the quality is not perfect).
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And lastly, when I was certain the kids would join me in my love of photography…
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I hope you’ve enjoyed my wildlife photos. Look out for more pictures in the future, where I hope to focus more on the seasons at Bushy Park.
Next week I may return to another favourite pastime of mine, visiting old castles. Ludlow Castle here we come…
September 20, 2017
#WordlessWednesday – The Bee and the Cosmos #flower #wildlife #photo
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September 19, 2017
#Bookreview The Apothecary’s Daughter by Charlotte Betts #historical #romance
A brief review of The Apothecary’s Daughter by Charlotte Betts – Historical Romance
Blurb
1665. Susannah Leyton has grown up behind the counter of her father’s apothecary shop in bustling Fleet Street. A skilled student – the resinous scents of lavender, rosemary, liquorice and turpentine run in her blood – her father has granted her the freedom to pursue her considerable talents. But Susannah is dealt a shocking blow when her widowed father marries again, and her new step-mother seems determined to remove her from the apothecary shop for good.
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My review
I bought this book on a whim because I like everything to do with herbs, plants and apothecary. I also have a character in a future book who will be opening her own Apothecary shop, so I was intrigued to find out about The Apothecary’s Daughter and how herb lore was dealt with in 1665 London.
The story is centred around plague ridden London and makes good use of events like the Great Fire of London. There are slavery issues, the great divide between men and women at that time, childbirth complications and so many wonderful little details that helped bring the past to life.
The book was well researched and interesting to read; the historical details were integral to the story and never felt like info dumps. The story flowed along beautifully and I was fully immersed in Susannah’s life. Although I would have enjoyed more focus on apothecary, the details that were included were fascinating.
I will definitely be reading more of Charlotte Betts work and highly recommend this to fans of historical fiction. The romance element is also important, so if you like romance this could also be a story for you.
4.5 stars
September 16, 2017
#Weekendwanderings Portsmouth Historic Dockyard #ships #history #photos
During the summer we paid a visit to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. It proved to be a fun way to spend a few hours, though it did feel a little strange seeing armed police patrolling what is in effect a museum. I suppose that is just the way things are now.
Anyway, not to dwell on the state of society, the first attraction is HMS Warrior. It’s a beast of a ship and I had no chance of fitting it into one photo.
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I loved exploring the many levels inside HMS Warrior and imagining life on board.
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My favourite was the Captain’s cabin (and I think navigator’s cabin) because I could just imagine Commander Farrell from my Silent Sea Chronicles sitting in his cabin plotting his next mission to capture pirates.
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There is a boathouse where you can watch boats being built and repaired. But my favourite was this floating sail boat.
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The Mary Rose Museum houses the remains of the 16th century Tudor ship lost to the sea in 1545. The ship is stored in a temperature controlled environment, and it’s quite something to wander the levels seeing both the ship and the artefacts recovered from it.
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We managed to time our visit while the HMS Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier was there. This was the closest we managed to get, but the size of it is still very impressive.
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Finally there’s HMS Victory. We didn’t get to go inside this time, so this is the first stop on our next visit.
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It was very busy so we didn’t get to experience everything. The great thing is, your ticket allows for a second visit free of charge. So we will definitely be returning soon and hopefully I’ll get to share some more pictures.
If you get the chance, I would highly recommend a visit to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard – but get there early as the parking can be an issue.
Next week, I hope to share a wander around Bushy Park, Surrey and show off it’s friendly squirrels a.
