Suzanne Rogerson's Blog, page 68
April 27, 2016
#AtoZChallenge W – Warwick Castle and re-enactments
Warwick Castle is a wonderful place for a writer to wander, soaking up the atmosphere and reliving history through the re-enactments. I’ve captured many images of Warwick Castle over the years and its been hard to narrow down my selection of photos to a few. I decided to share a few of the castle itself, but to mainly focus on the re-enactments which are lots of fun to watch.
And now for my favourites…
A bit more re-enactment with horses!
Another fight…
Add a little fire…
Finally, a little horsing around.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this trip into the past.
Have you been to Warwick Castle, what did you think?
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Tomorrow how about an Xtremely healthy lunch?
Check out other A-Z blog posts here.
April 26, 2016
#AtoZchallenge V – Vitamin A & C Syrup (make your own)
This syrup is a great way to use these lovely vitamin rich Elderberries after a foraging trip. The syrup is quick and simple to make, it lasts for months in the fridge and has been used traditionally as a cold & flu remedy. Plus it tastes delicious.
Beware – the stalks and leaves of the Elder are toxic, so be careful with the preparation. And it is not recommended to eat them raw.
Ingredients
A bowlful of delicious berries stripped from the stalks.
Water to cover the berries in the pan.
450g of sugar for each pint of juice that is produced.
Instructions
Wash the berries.
Add to a pan and cover with water.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
Put the mixture through a sieve and discard the seeds and pulp.
Add 450g of sugar for each pint of juice.
Boil this down for about 10 minutes, to thicken the juice.
Bottle and store in the fridge once cooled.
I’ve made this for the last few years, and we’ve used it when we feel sniffy or need a vitamin hit. It’s also very tasty if you just want a spoonful of goodness. Last time I forgot to reduce the mixture over the heat for very long and ended up with a thin syrup. It hasn’t affected the flavour and I’ve found it’s delicious adding a few spoonfuls to hot water. It makes a nice alternative to tea, and it’s hopefully doing a bit of good at the same time.
You can also use it as a Coulis and trickle it over ice cream. Yum!
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Next time W for Warwick Castle.
Check out other AtoZ posts here.
#Tuesdaybookblog The Great Escape – Megan Rix #childrensbook #bookreview
Title: The Great Escape
Author: Megan Rix
Genre: Children’s book 9+
Published: 2012
Pages: 208
I received a copy from my daughter who really wanted me to read it.
Blurb:
Robert and Lucy Edwards love their pets more than anything, but the threat of the Second World War forces them to flee to Devon – leaving their animals behind. As the air-raid sirens sound, the animals are sent to be put down. But Buster, Tiger and Rose make a daring escape. With danger at every turn, can the trio make it across the country – and cheat death for a second time?
First Impressions:
The Great Escape is a brilliant read for children. It’s packed with little facts and details about World War II, but as it all forms naturally within the story it doesn’t appear like learning at all. The author handled difficult topics like evacuations & mass animal destruction with great skill.
Characters:
Robert and Lucy and their pets were well drawn characters and I really enjoyed following their story.
Style:
I enjoyed all the interesting bits of history that the author cleverly wove into the story. Winston Churchill even turned up for a few pages as he adopted Tiger the cat and named him Jock (my daughter had learnt about this in school so it was a great way of reinforcing facts).
However, I didn’t like how the author switched between different character viewpoints within scenes. I haven’t read many childrens’ books to know if this is normal practice, and it may just be the writer in me nitpicking. It did not spoil the story in any way.
Recommend this book to:
It is a perfect learning device for children showing them how it was to live though the start of World War II. It should be recommended reading in all junior schools. Children and animal lovers will enjoy this tale.
Final thoughts:
I found this story emotional and enjoyed it a lot. I would like to thank my daughter for introducing me to this book.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
April 25, 2016
#Tuesdaybookblog Visions of Zarua by Suzanne Rogerson #bookreview
I am very pleased to share this 4 star review of my novel, Visions of Zarua.
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction
Pages: 472
Published by Suzanne Rogerson on November 16th, 2015
Two wizards, 350 years apart. Together they must save the realm of Paltria from Zarua’s dark past.
An ancient darkness haunts the realm of Paltria.
Apprentice wizard Paddren is plagued by visions of a city on the brink of annihilation. When his master Kalesh dies in mysterious circumstances, the Royal Order of Wizards refuses to investigate.
Helped by his childhood friend, the skilled tracker Varnia, and her lover Leyoch, Paddren vows to find the killer.
The investigation leads Paddren down a sinister path of assassins, secret sects and creatures conjured by blood magic. But he is guided by a connection with a wizard from centuries ago – a wizard whose history holds the key to the horror at the heart of the abandoned city of Zarua. Can Paddren decipher his visions in time to…
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#AtoZChallenge U – Ultimate Flapjacks
Although not gluten free, these Ultimate Flapjacks are wheat free. And although full of sugar and syrup, they are a delicious treat. They are so easy to make, and the kids can easily get involved with the measuring and preparation.
Ingredients
250g oats
100g raisins
125g butter
60g demerara sugar
4 tbsp. golden syrup
pinch of salt
(you can add other dried fruit, chopped nuts, seeds etc)
Instructions
Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan on a low heat setting.
When melted and the sugar dissolved, turn off the heat. Add the oats, raisins and salt and mix well.
Pour the mixture into loaf tins or a high-sided baking tray and press down.
Cook in the over 180c for about 20mins until brown and crispy.
Cut into squares, allow to cool and enjoy.
You could be munching on these Ultimate Flapjacks in less than an hour, start to finish. Just don’t burn your tongue on the hot raisins!
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Tomorrow – Vitamin rich syrup
Check out my other AtoZ Posts here.
April 22, 2016
#AtoZChallenge T – Title Trouble & a poll
I have a terrible writer’s affliction called Title Trouble.
It’s getting serious. How can I get my cover art ordered if I don’t have a title?
We all know titles must catch the reader’s eye. Next to the cover image, I’d say it was the most important draw to make the reader want to check out your book. Then the blurb and opening lines have to finish the job.
Sometimes titles are easy. ‘Visions of Zarua’ wrote itself and encompasses what the book is about.
The title Spirit Song, yesterday’s flash fiction story, came from the story itself.
When titles are hard to think up, I use a working title. The trouble with this method is those titles becomes so engrained, it’s almost impossible to see beyond them.
Now I need your help;
I hope to publish my second fantasy novel this year. It will be the first book of a trilogy. The pesky working title has stuck and I can’t see beyond it. Maybe I don’t really want to change it and that is the reason for my Title Trouble.
What do you think?
Bloodlines Trilogy
Book 1 – Search for the Sentinel
Would you pick up this book purely on its title? Would you be intrigued?
Does the title matter to you as a reader? If you’re a writer, how do you come up with your titles?
I look forward to your comments and seeing what the vote will be.
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Next time its back to some cooking with Ultimate Flapjacks.
Check out other A-Z posts here.
April 21, 2016
#AtoZchallenge S – Spirit Song #flashfiction
For S in the AtoZChallenge I’m so happy to be sharing this flash fiction story that came third in the flash500 comp in 2013.
Judge Steph Patterson – Senior editor of Crooked Cat Publishing stated,
‘Unusual, emotional, warm, surprising — a warm, unusual story. It moved me when I read it. It has an air of esoteric.’
Have a read and let me know your thoughts…
Spirit Song
Cecilia no longer saw the faces of the dying. They were merely shells cast off at the last to free the soul within. But, in the moments before death, she often wondered what happened to their spirits.
Sensing the man’s time was drawing near, she picked up her lute. Her fingers plucked the strings, dancing like raindrops over the notes, filling the room with fluid harmony. Slowly, the man in the bed responded. The music rose to a crescendo as he took his final breath, and she wept as his spirit lifted clear of its bonds to embrace the light. Cecilia let her fingers fall from the strings, while the haunting resonance of the song echoed around her. She cradled the lute in her frail hands and allowed the stale sickly air in the room to dry her tears. The intrusion of another broke the spell, and she opened her eyes to blackness.
‘He’s gone, Cecilia. But he died with a smile on his face,’ the nurse told her softly. ‘Come on, let’s get you back to your room.’
Cecilia shook her head. ‘There’s another down the hall…’ She rose on unsteady legs, clutching the lute possessively against her body.
‘At least let me help.’ The nurse took hold of her arm, but Cecilia recoiled from the touch and the strength of life flowing through the younger woman.
‘I can do it myself.’ She felt her way to the door and shuffled along the corridor with her hand trailing along the wall. Finally she reached the right room and slipped inside. She plucked the familiar notes of the spirit song until the dying woman floated away into the healing light.
Cecilia slumped to the floor, hugging the lute to her chest. Exhaustion tugged her towards sleep and she dreamt of the place beyond death.
She awoke in bed and sensed the nurse at her side. A warm hand squeezed her cold bony flesh.
‘My lute…’ she croaked and felt feebly for her beloved instrument.
‘Have a drink first.’
A straw prodded her lips and she sucked at the water, choking as its coldness flooded her constricted throat. The covers shifted under the weight of the lute and her hand scrabbled to lay across its neck. She stroked the strings with her fingertips, too weak to pluck a note.
Cecilia drifted back to sleep. The music swelled inside her, its poignant melody leading her spirit away from its dying shell. She travelled through a tunnel feeling weightless and pain-free, and cocooned by warmth. Bright light blinded her and cold air caressed her naked body. The shrill cry of a new-born filled her ears. Cecilia forced open her eyes and stared up into a stranger’s face.
Before the memories of her old life faded away, she finally had her answer.
The story behind the story;
Spirit Song holds a very special place in my heart. I wrote it when my Grandad was admitted into a hospice. At the time I was attending creative writing classes and the prompt for that week was Cecilia, the patroness of musicians.
I sat in bed with my notebook and closed my eyes to think. When I started to write this piece seemed to flow onto the page almost fully formed and I instantly fell in love with the character.
I entered it into the Flash500 comp. The critique stated it was a lovely character study, but not a story.
I couldn’t let Spirit Song go, or maybe it wouldn’t let go of me. I rewrote the end and gave it a starting point that tied in with the conclusion. Then I re-entered and this second attempt was placed 3rd in the Flash500 comp. I felt like that was a turning point for me, a time when I could really start to believe in myself as a writer. Two years later, I self published my first novel.
Did you have a defining moment when you realised you were a writer?
(If you want to find out more about the Flash 500 Quarterly competition, click here. It’s well worth paying for the critique, my story would never have been placed without that important feedback.)
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Tomorrow T for Titles.
Check out some other AtoZ posts here
#AtoZChallenge R – Reviewers
This is my chance to say a big thank you to all those who review books.
Indie Authors rely on you to help our books stand out from the masses. You give us your time, and post about us on your blogs.
I would like to give a special thanks to those I have connected with and who have been kind enough to review my book, or interview me over the last few months. These are links to their homepages if you want to check them out.
Into another world (hosts author interviews and novel excerpts).
Also let me say thanks to all those book purchasers out there who take chances on unknown authors and post their reviews on Goodreads and Amazon etc. Indie authors wouldn’t get noticed without your help.
Indie authors have you thought of the benefits of reviewing? It’s good to give something back, good to understand books from a readers perspective and good to get involved in the book reviewing community. Plus the more you get involved, the more great books you will discover.
I’ve actually taken my first steps into reviewing, but I am only doing it on a very small scale. I find it hard enough fitting in reading, writing, blogging, and all the boring stuff of every day life. As well as reviewing the books I’ve enjoyed on my own TBR pile, I’ve also joined Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team #RBRT. They are a supportive bunch of writers / reviewers, and I know that Rosie puts in a lot of effort to help authors get reviews. So thanks very much for all your hard work Rosie, and for allowing me to join you.
Have you got any reviewers you’d like to thank?
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Tomorrow S for something special I’d like to share.
Previous A-Z challenge posts can be accessed here
April 20, 2016
#AtoZChallenge Q – Quality #photos from West Midlands Safari Park
Q is a tough letter in the A-Z Blog Challenge. I’m sure lots of other people have struggled too.
I’ve cheated by falling back on my second love next to writing – Photography. I’m really grateful my blog has given me the opportunity to share these photos rather than having them sitting on my hard drive never to be seen.
I choose to focus on Quality Close ups from West Midlands Safari Park. We’ve visited here almost every year for the last 12 years. I’ve filled memory cards with shots and it’s been quite a task to choose my favourite. Some are not the best Quality, but they are Quirky (managed to get in a 2nd Q!)
Here goes…
I’ve lost the will to go to West Mid since they got rid of their wolves. I blame Robin Hobb for my wolf obsession, ah Nighteyes… if you’ve read the Farseer books you’ll understand.
Also check out my post on my favourite writing retreat with wolves, if you’re as mad on them as I am!
Giraffe would like the last word…
Hope you’ve enjoyed the pictures.
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Tomorrow – R for reviewers
Check out other A-Z posts here
