Suneé le Roux's Blog, page 2

Looking Ahead to 2024

Is it me or did 2023 just fly past? I didn’t achieve nearly as much as I wanted to this year, but I’m not beating myself up too hard about it – it’s been a tough year in many ways and at least I tried. There’s always next year to try again!

Janus, Roman god of doorways | Adolphe Giraldon, Wikimedia Commons

Like Janus, the Roman god of doorways, staring both into the past and the future, let’s start by having a look at how my writerly goals for 2023 turned out.

2023 Primary GoalsPublish Mythical Menagerie Book 2

Yes! The second book in the series is called Myth Keeper and is available in e-book, paperback and hardcover at Amazon and most of the usual alternative online stores.

Write and edit 2 instalments for Mythical Menagerie Book 3

Nope! This goal is being bumped into 2024, because I spent the greater part of the year working on a prequel story, Becoming Keeper, which should be published early in the new year.

Create a Mythical Menagerie story bible

Yes! Sort of! As it turns out, there are soooo many things to keep track of when you’re writing a series and compiling a comprehensive story bible is hard work. I’m almost done referencing Book 1 and then I’ll have to do Book 2, plus the two prequel novellas. So technically, yes I created the story bible, but I’m not completely finished with it yet and will continue next year.

Write a monthly flash fiction piece

Yes! My newsletter subscribers received a free flash fiction story in their inbox every month this year – with the exception of June, which is my birthday month, and in which I usually do something a little different.

2023 Secondary GoalsWrite and publish 1 standalone short story / novella

Kinda. I did write a prequal novella, Becoming Keeper, but it’s not published as yet. And I got distracted by another short story which was only written halfway (twice!) before I decided to focus on my Mythical Menagerie world again. I do still want to write more standalones, so this goal will make an appearance again in the future.

Grow my email, Facebook and Instagram following

Erm, well, sort of. My email subscriber list went down from 263 to 244 subscribers, but Facebook went from 137 to 149 followers, while volatile Instagram grew from 282 to 307. I must admit that I didn’t put a lot of effort into social media or email list building this year, so although I’m not too happy about the downturn in my email list, I’m happy with the direction Facebook and Instagram are (slowly) going.

Complete the Balkan Camping 2019 posts on my travel blog

Yes! It was pretty difficult to remember the details of a trip we took 4 years ago, so I’m quite chuffed that it’s all finally written down now.

Complete the Maggie Stiefvater writing course

Not yet. I was aiming to get it done before we ring in the new year, but I think I might give it a good go in January instead.

Read John Truby’s  Anatomy of Story

Yes! And I’m sad to say I didn’t learn much from it. Maybe my expectations were too high… I can see it being very useful to beginner writers, though, so if you fall in that category, do check it out (affiliate link in the heading).

Read John Truby’s  Anatomy of Genre

No yet. Moving this over to next year’s to-do list.

Read 12 classics

Yes! And let me tell you, some of them were delightful, but many of them were a slog! Read more about it in my 2023 in Books post.

So, as usual, my 2023 goals were a bit of a mixed bag. I achieved most of my primary goals, so that makes me happy, and a few of my secondary goals. Additionally, I also managed to do the following:

Completed a Learn to Write Movies courseWent on a trip to the UK and visited Oxford for story researchCompleted an AI for Authors courseUsed Dall-E, Midjourney, ChatGPT and various other AI tools for my author businessCreated Mythical Menagerie-themed bookmarks for my subscribersCompleted an Affinity Publisher course and learned how to do book interior layout and designReleased Myth Hunter, Myth Keeper, A Spark of Reverie and A Flight of Reverie in paperback and hardcover formatsAttended various Bookfunnel webinarsMigrated my newsletter from the old MailerLite to the new MailerLite APIRedesigned my author websiteRead 46 books

2023 was also the year in which I held a physical copy of one of my books in my hands for the first time! It was a steep, but incredibly satisfying, learning curve to get to that point, but so worth it! Especially since I hadn’t planned on ever doing physical books. I might consider tackling audiobooks next, who knows!

And now, without further ado, let’s look at what 2024 has in store for me.

2024 Primary GoalsPublish Becoming Keeper (in e-book and paperback)Write and edit 3 instalments for Mythical Menagerie Book 3Complete the Mythical Menagerie story bible to dateWrite a monthly flash fiction piecePublish Book 3 in the Reverie Flash Fiction series (in e-book, paperback and hardcover)Monetary goal from writing income *

* I’m finally ready to take my writing further, in the hopes that I can make a full-time living from it in the not-too-distant future. As a result, I want to start tracking, and more importantly increasing, my monthly income from writing.

2024 Secondary GoalsGrow my email, Facebook and Instagram followingGrow my beta reader listRead John Truby’s  Anatomy of Genre Complete the Maggie Stiefvater writing courseComplete the UK 2023 blog posts on my travel blogPublish an audiobook

I can already see I’ll have to put my nose to the grindstone next year! But I’m excited and ready. Let’s do this!

How did you do with the goals you set for yourself for 2022? What is the one thing you HAVE to achieve in 2023?

My 2023 in Books

It’s become a tradition at this time of the year to look back at the books I’ve read over the past 365 days – some I remember fondly, some I ploughed through just to get it over with, and a very few I DNF’ed because life is just too short (and those ones won’t even be mentioned here at all).

In 2021 I read 66 books, in 2022 I read 48 books, and now in 2023 I’m down to 46 titles. I think the reason for the downward trend this year can be attributed to three things:

I challenged myself this year to read 12 classics, and although some of them were great and went by quickly, some were truly a slog and took some time to get through.I reread the first two books in a classic fantasy series, and they were doorstoppers! Definitely took me longer than 1 week each.I read fewer short stories this year, so the number of quick reads is smaller.

But as I’ve said before, to me it’s not about the number of books read each year, but rather about the enjoyment of it (so my challenge for 2024 will be to read some long-awaited titles on my TBR). For now, let’s have a look at the books that shaped my reading year.

(PS: If any of these books interest you, please consider using my affiliate links. They won’t cost you any extra, but I will get a small commission to fuel my book-reading habit. Thanks!)

Books About Travel

Travel makes my heart sing and I will always be reading some or other book that transports me to somewhere more exotic than my well-worn armchair. When I’m not on the road or dreaming about foreign places, I write about them – my readers will know that my travels is one of the biggest inspirations for the stories I write. I would definitely recommend 100 Countries 5000 Ideas for vicarious adventuring.

Books on Writing and Marketing

Reading The Anatomy of Story was one of my goals for 2023, and I’m glad it was on my to-do list or I might not have read any books about writing this year! I made a conscious decision to read less about writing and write more instead, but I feel like I might pick up some more writing books next year again.

Other Non-Fiction Books

Although I made no rules about reading non-fiction this year, I did read a few books that were quite interesting.

Nikita Gill’s Great Goddesses wasn’t great for me as a poetry collection, but I loved her reimagining of the Greek gods in the modern world. I’ve had a healthy fear of orcas since I saw a documentary of them jumping onto land to grab seals, so Of Orcas and Men has languished on my TBR shelf for many years while I scraped up the courage to read it – and I’m so glad I did! This book taught me so much about these magnificent apex predators and I now wish to see them for myself in the wild one day.

ClassicsRemasterDirector_1a5c03258

This year’s challenge was to read 12 classic books (my definition of a classic is a book that’s well-known and older than I am), and I managed to read 13. I really struggled to get through Dante’s Inferno (I think the translation had a lot to do with that) and I don’t know why people are still reading The Art of War. King Lear and The Lord of the Flies were rereads which I didn’t like back then and still don’t like now. But both Dracula and Frankenstein were pleasant surprises, and I absolutely adored The Secret Garden. And of course, I couldn’t resist adding some more Daphne du Maurier to my list – Jamaica Inn was good, but Rebecca was fantastic.

Books that were Okay

Most of the books in this category were okay, but some were downright disappointing. Others might disagree, but after the fantastic Ninth House, Hell Bent was a huge let-down to me. Similarly, while the first book in the duology was great, In the Serpent’s Wake just didn’t do it for me. Fortunately, “good” is subjective, so you just might love some of the book I’ve listed here.

Books that I Liked

All of the stories in this section come highly recommended. Shoutout to the wonderful JR Rainville and her Skyrim-inspired debut, Sneakthief, as well as Jo Macgregor’s immensely entertaining supernatural sleuth Garnet in The First Time I Knocked. I was also pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the Jack Hansard series.

Books that I Loved

The books in this category were phenomenal and I think everyone should read them. From the wonderful Tess of the Road, the hilarious Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons and the delightful Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries, to the intricate tapestry that is The Queens of Innis Lear, they were all magnificent.

Book of the year goes to the heartbreaking A Thousand Ships, a feminist retelling of the Trojan War as seen through the eyes of the female characters. Beautiful, evocative, and thought-provoking – go read it!

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? What was your favourite book of 2023? Do you have any recommendations for books I should read in 2024?

Myth Hunter and Myth Keeper Available in Paperback and Hardcover!

I’m happy to announce that you can now get both Myth Hunter and Myth Keeper in paperback or hardcover from your favourite online retailers!

I think they deserve a place on your bookshelf, don’t you?

Make my day and buy your physical copy today!

A Flight of Reverie is Now Available in Paperback and Hardcover!

I’m happy to announce that the second book in my Reverie Flash Fiction series, A Flight of Reverie, is now available for purchase in e-book, paperback and hardcover from your local Amazon store, as well as e-book and paperback at your favourite alternative online retailer. Grab your copy today!

My Thoughts on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

I have to admit, after the previous last instalment of Indiana Jones (the movie that shall be struck from the record, aka Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) I wasn’t too keen on going to the cinema to endure yet another disappointing final shot at what was my favourite movie trilogy growing up. I mean, I nearly studied archaeology at university because of Indy’s adventures.

Fortunately, my husband (the eternal optimist) convinced me to go. And I’m glad he did.

Spoilers for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny below. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, go do so first.

They say you should never see your heroes grow old (something the 007 writers took a little too literally), and when I saw Indy as a grumpy 70-year-old disillusioned man shouting at his neighbours to keep the noise down, I was almost in tears. Especially right after a flashback sequence in which he was still in his prime and taking on an entire train of Nazis in search of his current prize. (By the way, I did not mind the CGI and thought it was well done and very convincing.) I first saw Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when I was around 13 years old, and Indy has been my hero ever since. I did not want to see what had happened to him after the figurative happily-ever-after. I didn’t want to have my memories of my hero spoiled.

But you know what, life happens, and sometimes the ever-after isn’t all it was cracked up to be. But that doesn’t mean that’s how it needs to end. Indy is in a rough place when we see him post-flashback. His wife has left him, his son is dead, and he’s about to retire. He really doesn’t have much to live for anymore. Until his past comes knocking again in the form of his neglected goddaughter, Helena, who promptly steals an old artifact from him and leaves him a murder suspect, the prisoner of a ruthless bunch of Nazi goons.

Any other man of his advanced years would probably have gone quietly to his end at this point, but no, in true Indy style, he fights his way to freedom and outwits his pursuers, staying one step ahead of them every time – with the help of Helena and Teddy (her own version of Short Round) in tow.

Throughout the movie, my only complaint was that Indy sometimes takes a bit of a back step, assumedly to allow the younger generation to take over. I guess this makes sense in a circle-of-life kind of way, and Helena seems more than willing and capable of following in his footsteps (although for less noble reasons and with far less respect for history), while still leaning on Indy’s knowledge and life experience.

Shenanigans and hijinks ensue, with appearances from old friends and numerous references to inside jokes that will delight die-hard Indiana Jones fans, including a MacGuffin that is too powerful to let fall into Nazi hands (but is pretty useless in the end).

But what truly makes me appreciate this last instalment is the fact that Indy didn’t die. With his life in ruins and dropped in the thick of a historic battle, Indy wants to stay behind. After all, what reason does he have to return to the present? If he stayed, he’d have the chance to see history (the knowledge of which he dedicated his entire life to) for himself. What scholar wouldn’t jump at such an opportunity (hell, I would be very tempted too!)? But Helena refuses to accept this choice and brings him back to the present, where we see Marion return to show us that life isn’t just about the things we do, but about the people we choose to do them with.

As send-offs to old heroes go, this one is pretty good. I’m glad I saw it, and I’m glad I can still rewatch my old favourites without being sad about my hero’s ultimate end.

Have you seen Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny yet? What did you think? Do you think it’s a good end of an era movie?

A Spark of Reverie is Now Available in Paperback and Hardcover!

Milestone reached! For the first time ever, I held a physical copy of one of my books in my own hands! (And, as it turns out, I received my copies on my birthday, so it was doubly special.)

Creating the paperback edition of A Spark of Reverie was an incredible learning curve and involved the following steps:

Completing a course on Affinity PublisherCompleting a course on AI Cover Design for AuthorsCompleting a 2-hour YouTube tutorial on interior layout for print booksCreating images for each short story using MidjourneyExtending my existing e-book cover using Dall-ELearning how to generate cover templates using KDP PrintCreating the cover in paperback and hardcover sizesCreating the interior laying in paperback and hardcover sizes, includingLearning about bleed, margins and guttersLearning about CMYK vs RGB coloursLearning how to use and flatten layersLearning about embedded fonts

And then finally, also finding a printer willing and able to do a small 20-book print run.

It took quite a few tries to get everything right – in fact, my first printer gave up in frustration and paid my deposit back, but I persisted and eventually did get that physical book in my hands (using a different, less finicky, printer, I might add). Admittedly, the book was supposed to be a hardcover and they gave me a paperback, but I consider it all school fees and a fantastic learning experience!

And since I’ve now proven to myself that I can do it – and I actually LOVE doing it! – I am now equipped and ready to expand my entire range of books into paperback and hardback formats. If you’ve been holding out for the day you can have one of my books on your shelf, watch this space!

You can buy A Spark of Reverie in both paperback and hardcover from your local Amazon store, or the paperback at your favourite alternative online retailer. Grab your copy today! (And if you do, please make my day and send me a picture of you with your copy!)

And now I’m off to celebrate another lifetime achievement checked off my bucket list!

Revisiting Cardiff for an ASRAI’S CURSE Book Tour

We’ve recently returned from a trip to Wales to visit family, and one of our daytrips included a spectacularly wet morning in Cardiff. We wanted to revisit our old haunts and see some of the sights featured in ASRAI’S CURSE (Part 3 of the Mythical Menagerie, published in the novel Myth Hunter).

Since the weather didn’t play along, our sightseeing was limited to just a few highlights, but I still managed to romp around the inner city like a kid in a candy store, deliriously excited to see places that featured in THE BOOK THAT I WROTE! I may or may not have fangirled geekily about my own novel while complete strangers shook their heads at the daft tourist.

Anyway…

Here are a few places we visited on this trip that you’ll encounter if you delve into Ambrose’s adventure in Cardiff.

The National Museum of Cardiff

Ambrose is on the trail of a notorious antiques thief and visits the National Museum of Cardiff, which is hosting a special exhibition showcasing some of the world’s most important relics. Before entering the museum, he stops at the circle of standing stones in Gorsedd Gardens, wishing for luck, and he’ll definitely need some luck during this adventure.

Inside the museum, he also fleeting catches a glimpse of some of the classical paintings on display, as well as a bronze copy of Rodin’s well-known sculpture “The Kiss”.

Bute Park

While being chased by the Cŵn Annwn (the hounds at the head of the Great Hunt), Ambrose and his friend, Daniel, search for a way into Cardiff Castle. They stumble along a side street next to Bute Park, the glorious gardens beside the castle, and find a little hidden wicket gate in the nick of time.

Cardiff Castle

While the castle itself doesn’t play a major role in the story, things of great import do happen inside the Keep (I’ll say no more for fear of spoilers), and the Clock Tower itself also has a small cameo role in ASRAI’S CURSE as well as TRICKSTER’S DECEIT.

The next time you find yourself in Cardiff, I hope you’ll get a chance to visit these (and a few other) locations from ASRAI’S CURSE, and that you’ll be just as excited as I was to follow in Ambrose’s footsteps!

If you haven’t ready Myth Keeper yet, click on the image below to find out more!

Release Day: Myth Keeper (Mythical Menagerie Book 2)

Today is a book birthday – hooray!

Myth Keeper, the much-anticipated sequel to Myth Hunter (Mythical Menagerie Book 1), is finally available for purchase!

If you’ve been wondering what happened to Ambrose, or the creatures he and Amari acquired during the events of the blood moon market in Rome, then the wait is finally over.

I thought I could leave the mythical world behind, but now it’s hunting me instead…

Following the events of the blood moon market in Rome, Ambrose Davids is ready to put the mythical world behind him and return to a normal life. Until a creature who had escaped from the Colosseum comes after him, leaving a trail of bodies in its wake.

Does Ambrose have what it takes to save himself, and those he cares for?

Meanwhile, the Keeper of Exotic Animals has her own battles to fight. Amid the greatest influx of new residents the Repository has seen in decades, Amari also has to contend with an obnoxious rival intent on thwarting her every move and a new apprentice with very different ideas on how to care for the creatures in their custody.

Amari will do whatever it takes to keep her charges safe from the outside world, but can she protect them from machinations inside the Repository itself?

Wow – I am totally bowled over by this latest book in the Mythical Menagerie series. It’s AMAAAAZING!

Goodreads reviewer

This is soooo my perfect read… Unmissable.

Goodreads reviewer

Grab your copy from your favourite e-book retailer today!

Am I Writing Contemporary or Urban Fantasy?

With the imminent release of Myth Keeper, the second book in my Mythical Menagerie fantasy series, I found myself once again wondering in which subgenre the series falls. Up until now I’ve been marketing it as urban fantasy, but if I look at other popular titles in the genre, it just doesn’t feel like the same type of story – think The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton, and the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. At points, they’re all very gritty and have some explicit content, and don’t really have the same whimsical vibe that my books have.

Are my books contemporary fantasy then? What even is the difference between urban and contemporary fantasy?

So, since it’s all the rage lately, I turned to ChatGPT for some answers…

Based on that response, it seems like the urban setting is obviously very important for an urban fantasy. In Myth Hunter (book 1) and Myth Keeper (book 2), Ambrose’s adventures take place in London, Paris, Cardiff, Rome and Dubrovnik, but they are not exclusively set in these cities. He also travels to more remote locations in Ireland and Scotland, and the third book in the series will see him go even further afield into the woodland regions of Europe. What’s more, a large part of the story is set within the Repository, a hidden mountain fortress somewhere in the Alps. So, it seems like, although there are urban locations in the Mythical Menagerie series, it’s not exclusively based in a city, or even one specific city, for that matter.

While both urban and contemporary fantasy feature a modern world with magical and supernatural elements, ChatGPT notes that “urban fantasy stories typically have a darker tone than contemporary fantasy and may include themes such as crime, violence, or romance.” While Myth Keeper does open with a murder scene and there are some elements of violence and tad of romance, the overall feel of the books (to me at least) is much more lighthearted and mainly centered around the wonder and adventure of the mythical world. And I don’t think anyone would describe my books as gritty or noir, although they do have that snarky first person POV characteristic of urban fantasy and noir fiction.

Which made me wonder: If a fantasy story is set in a city, but it’s not gritty or noir, can it still be considered urban fantasy?

And now I’m baffled again, because I can’t quite decide if the Mythical Menagerie falls into either category. So, I ask ChatGPT to define the characteristics of each subgenre for me.

Clear as mud, right?

At this point in the conversation, I tried to pivot and asked ChatGPT if there is a fantasy subgenre for adventure. The response? That most fantasy stories have adventure as a key component. When asked which subgenres focus specifically focus on adventure, the response was high fantasy, sword and sorcery, quest fantasy, and heroic fantasy (some examples include The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Earthsea Cycle, and The Wheel of Time). I think we can all agree that my Mythical Menagerie series does not fall into any of those categories.

Taking everything into consideration, my conclusion is that Myth Hunter and Myth Keeper, although they have elements of urban fantasy in them, probably align closer to the contemporary fantasy genre:

They have both urban and rural settings in the real worldThey are genre blending with some elements of action, mystery, and romanceThey focus more on a good adventure than gritty or explicit contentThey have a witty everyman main character who is suddenly drawn into the magical world, but also feature supporting characters with magical powersThey explore the consequences of a mundane world colliding with the supernatural world

“But why does it matter?” I hear you ask. Well, knowing which genre the books fall into helps me pinpoint the types of readers who might appreciate them. Although I wrote the story I want to read, I would really love it for others to read and enjoy it too. And that’s what writing is all about.

Have you read Myth Hunter yet? Which genre do you think it falls into?

My 2023 Reading Challenge

I don’t really understand why someone would challenge themselves to read x amount of books every year. Unless you don’t read at all and you’d like to get into the habit, why put pressure on yourself or limit yourself to a number? Reading is fun. Do it because you like it, and read what you want and as many of it as you have time for.

However, I do understand challenges aimed at improving yourself. I see many challenges online aimed at getting people to read books by authors from certain demographics, or a book by an author from each country in the world, or a genre’s canonical greats. Although I fully support people reading whatever they like for the love of it, I can’t find fault with stepping a little bit out of your comfort zone and broadening your reading horizons.

For the past few years I’ve challenged myself to read one non-fiction book per month. The reasoning for that was that I often get story sparks from things I read for my flash fiction, and (ahem) I have a habit of buying interesting non-fiction books by the basket load at book sales, so it was a great way to “force” myself to actually read those books, instead of just proudly displaying them on my bookshelf.

This worked very well and I’ve learned so much in the last few years. I have a particular interest in ancient history, so I’ve read about Tutankhamen and Egyptian temples, tombs and hieroglyphics, I’ve travelled vicariously to ancient Babylon, followed in the footsteps of Casanova and learned about who the Mona Lisa might have been. I’ve read about whales and trees and discovered the world through the eyes of the great explorers and scientists.

It’s been quite a journey, I can tell you. And although there are still many, many unread books on my non-fiction shelf, it’s now time for a new challenge.

My classics bookshelf!

I studied English Literature at university and although I loathed some of the books my lecturers made me read (I’m looking at you, James Joyce!), they did manage to instill in me an appreciation for the great classics. (Although, to be fair, I read and enjoyed Jules Verne long before my tenth birthday.) And although I’ve read more of the canonical classics than most people, there are still so many that I haven’t read, embarrassingly enough – especially the ones ingrained into pop culture!

So in 2023, I’m challenging myself to read 12 classic novels (or novelettes, whatever) that I haven’t read before. I haven’t set any specific plans or order yet, but in my sights I have such well-known stories as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wizard of Oz, The Secret Garden, and The Scarlet Letter.

How do I define and determine which books are classics? Meh, I won’t be too pedantic about it. If it’s famous and older than I am, then it counts!

(PS: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on them to buy books it won’t cost you any extra, but I will get a small commission to fuel my book-reading habit. Thanks!)

Do you set yourself reading challenges? What are you reading this year?