Suzanne G. Rogers's Blog, page 25

Celebrate the release of LORD APOLLO with a #FREEBIE!

Lord Apollo & the Colleen is finally here! It’s the second book in the Graceling Hall series, and I’m celebrating by making the first book, Larken, free on Monday, June 15th, and Tuesday, June 16th! To get your Larken Kindle download go HERE. If you enjoy the book, please consider leaving a review! ~ S.G. Rogers

The sole survivor of a train accident, young Larken Burke is dubbed the Miracle Orphan. Four years later, however, her life is far from fortunate. Because of her emotional and physical scars, she believes she’s un-marriageable. With little hope for the future, she agrees to wed a gentleman she’s never met. Unfortunately, his aloof manner proves difficult to take.

Marked by romantic tragedy and the loss of his brother, Brandon King has forsworn marriage. Obliged to take in a ward, he advertises for a mail-order bride to raise the boy. Since the union is to be a marriage in name only, his criteria are youthful age, a certain level of intellect, good breeding, and that the girl shouldn’t be so ill-favored she would embarrass him in society. To his dismay, he gets more than he’d bargained for.

Will it take a miracle for Mr. and Mrs. King to fall in love, or is their marriage another accident waiting to happen?

Five years after his supposed death, Theo King has returned to Graceling Hall…but a mystery remains. A stranger is buried in his grave, and nobody knows if his death was accidental…or murder. As Theo resumes his former life, the dead man’s sister shows up on his doorstep to hold him accountable. If he helps this Irish spitfire solve the mystery, will she finally leave him in peace?

Buy Lord Apollo & the Colleen HERE

Tagged: Larken, S.G. Rogers, Sweet historical romance

No Irish Need Apply • Exposing Anti-Irish Sentiment in Lord Apollo & the Colleen

If you were a young Irishman looking for work in the 19th century, you might have come across an ad with the words No Irish Need Apply. Anti-Irish prejudice began in the medieval period, and was thought to be greatly influenced by Norman propagandist, Gerald of Wales, who sought to justify the invasion of Ireland by Henry II by painting the Irish as barbarians:

“Dedicated only to leisure and laziness, this is a truly barbarous people. They depend on their livelihood for animals and they live like animals.” (The History and Topography of Ireland) (1185)

Irishman as Monkey: John Tenniel’s satirical cartoon published in Punch sometime between 1845 – 1852

In addition, despite all efforts to convert the Catholic majority to Protestantism over the years, Catholicism persisted. Although Protestantism took hold in parts of  Northern Ireland, it was still the minority. This difference of religion added fuel to the fire of prejudice for those who saw the Irish as backward and lazy. British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli said,

“The Irish hate our order, our civilization, our enterprising industry, our pure religion. This wild, reckless, indolent, uncertain and superstitious race have no sympathy with the English character. Their ideal of human felicity is an alternation of clannish broils and coarse idolatry. Their history describes an unbroken circle of bigotry and blood.”

The Irish even wrote songs about “No Irish Need Apply” (1862).

In Lord Apollo & the Colleen, I touch upon this anti-Irish sentiment. Megan Shields, fresh from Ireland, is quite aware of the prejudice, and attempts to soften her accent to improve her chances for success. Does she outwit the naysayers who seek to keep her in her place? ~ S.G. Rogers

Lord Apollo & the Irish Colleen is available for pre-order HERE (release date: June 15th)

Five years after his supposed death, Theo King has returned to Graceling Hall…but a mystery remains. A stranger is buried in his grave, and nobody knows if his death was accidental…or murder. As Theo resumes his former life, the dead man’s sister shows up on his doorstep to hold him accountable. If he helps this Irish spitfire solve the mystery, will she finally leave him in peace?

Start the Graceling Hall series from the beginning, with Larken!

The sole survivor of a train accident, young Larken Burke is dubbed the Miracle Orphan. Four years later, however, her life is far from fortunate. Because of her emotional and physical scars, she believes she’s un-marriageable. With little hope for the future, she agrees to wed a gentleman she’s never met. Unfortunately, his aloof manner proves difficult to take.

Marked by romantic tragedy and the loss of his brother, Brandon King has forsworn marriage. Obliged to take in a ward, he advertises for a mail-order bride to raise the boy. Since the union is to be a marriage in name only, his criteria are youthful age, a certain level of intellect, good breeding, and that the girl shouldn’t be so ill-favored she would embarrass him in society. To his dismay, he gets more than he’d bargained for.

Will it take a miracle for Mr. and Mrs. King to fall in love, or is their marriage another accident waiting to happen?

Available at Amazon!

Tagged: Anti-Irish Sentiment, Larken

Irish Tongues are Twistin’ in LORD APOLLO & THE COLLEEN

Lord Apollo & the Colleen is now on the launch pad and nearing its release date of June 15th! Although it’s a sequel to my Victorian romance, Larken, the focus is on characters who were secondary to the plot in the first story. There will be other sequels, so I’ve titled the series Graceling Hall, after the King brothers’ Newcastle estate. Here’s the blurb:

Five years after his supposed death, Theo King has returned to Graceling Hall…but a mystery remains. A stranger is buried in his grave, and nobody knows if his death was accidental…or murder. As Theo resumes his former life, the dead man’s sister shows up on his doorstep to hold him accountable. If he helps this Irish spitfire solve the mystery, will she finally leave him in peace?

There were some challenges in writing Lord Apollo, not the least of which was accurately depicting the Irish accent of Megan Shields. She’s from Belfast, where the residents have a distinctly different brogue than other parts of the country. I listened to a myriad of “Accent Tag” videos on YouTube, which were interesting, but I was looking for more of how Northern Ireland residents phrase things. My search led to some interesting videos, like this one:

However fascinating that interview was, it didn’t help me at all! I found some actors, who’ve studied the dialect:

I also found another wonderful resource, IDEA (International Dialects of English Archive), where I could listen to various regional accents, from all over the world. The link to accents from Northern Ireland is HERE.

I came across a fun blog post HERE, entitled: Belfastisms: My struggle with the Belfast Accent. Oddly enough, a Tripod article about Northern Irish HERE was the most helpful.

All that being said, I couldn’t really write the Northern Irish accents faithfully, because after a while it became exceptionally tedious to read! Don’t worry, though. I left enough Irish flavoring in for fun. ~ S.G. Rogers

Excerpt:

A commotion in the entrance hall drew his attention just then as a young woman remonstrated with the butler to let her pass. Rowe gave Theo a startled glance. “Perhaps you spoke too soon?”

When the argument continued, Theo set down his cup. “It seems Seagate needs help.” Before he could take more than a few steps, however, a dark-haired woman dashed through the doorway.

“Which one o’ ye is Theodore King?” Her Irish brogue was thicker than the froth floating on top of the hot cider.

“Sorry, sir, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer.” The butler grabbed the woman by the arm.

“It’s all right. Let her go, Seagate,” Theo said.

“As you wish, sir.”

The woman wrenched herself free from the butler’s grasp and glared at him. “I’ve half a mind to slap ye for puttin’ your hands on me, ye big galoot.”

Theo caught Seagate’s eye and dismissed him with a movement of his head. After the butler left, he bowed to the newcomer.

“Theodore King, at your service.”

“Are ye nigh? My name is Megan Shields, and you’re responsible for the death o’ my brother.”

Startled gasps came from the room’s occupants.

Theo peered at her with dawning comprehension. “You’re Paddy’s younger sister?”

“That I am.”

Lord Apollo & the Irish Colleen is available for pre-order HERE!

Graceling Hall, Book One. Larken

The sole survivor of a train accident, young Larken Burke is dubbed the Miracle Orphan. Four years later, however, her life is far from fortunate. Because of her emotional and physical scars, she believes she’s un-marriageable. With little hope for the future, she agrees to wed a gentleman she’s never met. Unfortunately, his aloof manner proves difficult to take.

Marked by romantic tragedy and the loss of his brother, Brandon King has forsworn marriage. Obliged to take in a ward, he advertises for a mail-order bride to raise the boy. Since the union is to be a marriage in name only, his criteria are youthful age, a certain level of intellect, good breeding, and that the girl shouldn’t be so ill-favored she would embarrass him in society. To his dismay, he gets more than he’d bargained for.

Will it take a miracle for Mr. and Mrs. King to fall in love, or is their marriage another accident waiting to happen? Larken is available HERE.

Tagged: Graceling Hall Series, Larken, Sequel to Larken

2015 Readers’ Crown Finalist • Dancing With Raven

Originally posted on Child of Yden:

It’s time to celebrate! My paranormal novel, Dancing With Raven, has been named a Paranormal finalist in the 2015 Readers’ Crown Awards!

Blurb: The Shakespearean Institute of London is the most powerful, prestigious, and top-secret demon-hunting organization known to mankind…and they want American Tori Moss dead before she turns eighteen. Demons are pouring into her hometown of Los Angeles as they await the end of the world, and she doesn’t know whom to trust or where to turn. After a handsome English boy enrolls in her performing arts school, Tori’s life takes a turn for the deadly. Sometimes in the fight between good and evil, the enemy of your enemy is your friend. And sometimes, you’re on your own.

If you’d like to judge DWR for yourself, you can buy it at Amazon, Smashwords, iTunes, BN.com.

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RONE AWARDS • Week Four • Young Adult Paranormal and Novella

Originally posted on Child of Yden:

The InD’Tale Magazine RONE Awards continue! It’s Week Four, and I need your votes for my two nominated entries, Larken (Category: Novella) and Dancing With Raven (Category: Young Adult: Paranormal). Go HERE to vote (you must create a free account first), and I thank you for your support! ~ S.G. Rogers

The sole survivor of a train accident, young Larken Burke is dubbed the Miracle Orphan. Four years later, however, her life is far from fortunate. Because of her emotional and physical scars, she believes she’s un-marriageable. With little hope for the future, she agrees to wed a gentleman she’s never met. Unfortunately, his aloof manner proves difficult to take.

Marked by romantic tragedy and the loss of his brother, Brandon King has forsworn marriage. Obliged to take in a ward, he advertises for a mail-order bride to raise the boy. Since the union…

View original 179 more words

RONE AWARDS ��� Week Four ��� Young Adult Paranormal and Novella

Originally posted on Child of Yden:

The InD���Tale Magazine RONE Awards continue! It���s Week Four, and I need your votes for my two nominated entries, Larken (Category: Novella) and Dancing With Raven (Category: Young Adult: Paranormal). Go HERE to vote (you must create a free account first), and I thank you for your support! ~ S.G. Rogers

The sole survivor of a train accident, young Larken Burke is dubbed the Miracle Orphan. Four years later, however, her life is far from fortunate. Because of her emotional and physical scars, she believes she���s un-marriageable. With little hope for the future, she agrees to wed a gentleman she���s never met. Unfortunately, his aloof manner proves difficult to take.

Marked by romantic tragedy and the loss of his brother, Brandon King has forsworn marriage. Obliged to take in a ward, he advertises for a mail-order bride to raise the boy. Since the union���

View original 179 more words

Guest Author Vonnie Hughes • Got Romantic Suspense?

Vonnie Hughes is my guest author today, talking about her favorite genre, Romantic Suspense! Welcome, Vonnie! ~ S.G. Rogers

Romantic suspense is my favorite genre to both write and read. Nowadays there’s an overlap between ‘suspense’ and ‘romantic suspense’ as most suspense novels contain a certain amount of romance. Once, well-known male writers seemed to have decided at the last second, “Oh, don’t forget my female readers.” And they hastily shoved in a little liaison. Or perhaps their publisher gave them a nudge. But often those interludes seemed forced. However over the past few years they’ve become much more adept at the romantic aspect e.g. Harlen Coben and James Patterson.

And hey, haven’t female authors got gutsy and down and dirty lately when writing suspense? Huh? I just love Karen Rose, Tami Hoag and Anne Stuart. Their background knowledge shines for me because it’s not overly technical as if it’s saying: “Hey, I did my homework!” But the romance is peripheral to a darned good story each time.

I was born in New Zealand and spent most of my life there, although our family now lives in Australia. The two main differences

© William Sarver | Dreamstime Stock Photos

between Australia and New Zealand are the weather (warmer over most of Australia if you discount Tasmania which is very blue/green like New Zealand because it’s wet and often cold), and the fact that NZ has 4 million people and B-I-G Australia has 21 million residents. Yup. Australia is vast. It is the sixth largest country in the world and has a whole continent to itself. It’s not the sort of place where you get in your car and zip over to Auntie Flo’s. If you hear an Australian say, “It’s just down the road,” you know they lie. Sure, it’s just down the road, but the road is a 2,000 kilometer dust-encrusted two-lane bitumen highway straddling two states, millions of curious kangaroos, hundreds of racing emus trying to beat your car, some wild camels, a million gumtrees, several townships and a couple of rivers if you’re lucky. Nor is it the place to get lost in the bush, since much of the bushland looks the same. You can go around in circles forever.

When they say, “It’s just down the road” in New Zealand, they mean it’s down a one-lane bitumen highway that goes for ten kilometers then switches to a gravel road that finishes at Jessop’s farm with 1,000 sheep dotting the peaceful hillsides. And at the back of that farm is bushland, tight, green and impenetrable. In the winter it drips with damp and in the summer the cacophony of cicadas screams in your ears.

But I digress. They say ‘write what you know’ and because I know more about the NZ Police than I do the Australian system, I based LETHAL REFUGE on the NZ system. But I took liberties with the truth. Of course I did. It’s fiction, for heaven’s sake. But think of the British Police and you’ve got a handle on the NZ Police Service which was originally based on the British system.

In LETHAL REFUGE, Célie Francis, a prickly young woman, self-reliant to the point of being irritating, witnesses the aftermath of a murder and is stalked by the murderer. When she is placed in the witness protection program, she can no longer be self-sufficient. She is at the mercy of a bunch of people who want to help her, for God’s sake. And then there’s Brand Turner, the police psychologist with a vulnerable intellect as high as the sky who has an annoying habit of demanding trust from the relocatees. When the murderer seems to track their every move, Célie finally realizes she can’t do stuff on her own any more.

I’ve had two romantic suspense books published over the past couple of years and there’s another in the works. I’ve much enjoyed writing them, even though I’m known more for my Regencies. Anyway, here’s something about LETHAL REFUGE, set in New Zealand:

Who can you trust if you can’t trust your own mother? Through the clammy fog, Celie Francis hears the chilling message. “I know who you are, Celie. I know where you live.” And in the terrifying aftermath she reconnects with her dysfunctional family in ways she had never imagined.

BLURB:

Abused and abandoned as a child, Célie Francis knows better than to trust anyone. But after she witnesses a murder, she’s placed in the Unit “New Zealand’s witness protection program” where she’s expected to trust strangers with her life.

It’s psychologist Brand Turner’s job to ease witnesses into their new identities, not to protect them, but Célie stirs feelings in him that are far from professional. When it appears someone is leaking critical information that could endanger Célie, Brand will do anything to protect her. But first he has to convince her to trust him.

Adrift in a frightening world, Célie would like to believe the handsome psychologist is everything he seems, but as witnesses are murdered and danger swirls around them, Célie must decide “can she trust Brand with her life?

To buy LETHAL REFUGE, please click: Amazon or The Wild Rose Press, where you will find LETHAL REFUGE in both paperback and e-book. To follow my blog go HERE.

If you have any more questions or would just like to say “Hi”, email me vonniehughes@yahoo.com.au.

In the meantime, have a great day!

~Vonnie

© Kate Mitchell | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Tagged: Australia, Guest Author, Lethal Refuge, New Zealand, Romantic Suspense, Vonnie Hughes

Guest Author Vonnie Hughes ��� Got Romantic Suspense?

Vonnie Hughes is my guest author today, talking about her favorite genre, Romantic Suspense! Welcome, Vonnie! ~ S.G. Rogers

Romantic suspense is my favorite genre to both write and read. Nowadays there���s an overlap between ���suspense��� and ���romantic suspense��� as most suspense novels contain a certain amount of romance. Once, well-known male writers seemed to have decided at the last second, ���Oh, don���t forget my female readers.��� And they hastily shoved in a little liaison. Or perhaps their publisher gave them a nudge. But often those interludes seemed forced. However over the past few years they���ve become much more adept at the romantic aspect e.g. Harlen Coben and James Patterson.

And hey, haven���t female authors got gutsy and down and dirty lately when writing suspense? Huh? I just love Karen Rose, Tami Hoag and Anne Stuart. Their background knowledge shines for me because it���s not overly technical as if it���s saying: ���Hey, I did my homework!��� But the romance is peripheral to a darned good story each time.

I was born in New Zealand and spent most of my life there, although our family now lives in Australia. The two main differences

�� William Sarver | Dreamstime Stock Photos

between Australia and New Zealand are the weather (warmer over most of Australia if you discount Tasmania which is very blue/green like New Zealand because it���s wet and often cold), and the fact that NZ has 4 million people and B-I-G Australia has 21 million residents. Yup. Australia is vast. It is the sixth largest country in the world and has a whole continent to itself. It���s not the sort of place where you get in your car and zip over to Auntie Flo���s. If you hear an Australian say, “It���s just down the road,” you know they lie. Sure, it���s just down the road, but the road is a 2,000 kilometer dust-encrusted two-lane bitumen highway straddling two states, millions of curious kangaroos, hundreds of racing emus trying to beat your car, some wild camels, a million gumtrees, several townships and a couple of rivers if you���re lucky. Nor is it the place to get lost in the bush, since much of the bushland looks the same. You can go around in circles forever.

When they say, “It���s just down the road” in New Zealand, they mean it���s down a one-lane bitumen highway that goes for ten kilometers then switches to a gravel road that finishes at Jessop���s farm with 1,000 sheep dotting the peaceful hillsides. And at the back of that farm is bushland, tight, green and impenetrable. In the winter it drips with damp and in the summer the cacophony of cicadas screams in your ears.

But I digress. They say ���write what you know��� and because I know more about the NZ Police than I do the Australian system, I based LETHAL REFUGE on the NZ system. But I took liberties with the truth. Of course I did. It���s fiction, for heaven���s sake. But think of the British Police and you���ve got a handle on the NZ Police Service which was originally based on the British system.

In LETHAL REFUGE, C��lie Francis, a prickly young woman, self-reliant to the point of being irritating, witnesses the aftermath of a murder and is stalked by the murderer. When she is placed in the witness protection program, she can no longer be self-sufficient. She is at the mercy of a bunch of people who want to help her, for God���s sake. And then there���s Brand Turner, the police psychologist with a vulnerable intellect as high as the sky who has an annoying habit of demanding trust from the relocatees. When the murderer seems to track their every move, C��lie finally realizes she can���t do stuff on her own any more.

I���ve had two romantic suspense books published over the past couple of years and there���s another in the works. I���ve much enjoyed writing them, even though I���m known more for my Regencies. Anyway, here���s something about LETHAL REFUGE, set in New Zealand:

Who can you trust if you can���t trust your own mother? Through the clammy fog, Celie Francis hears the chilling message. ���I know who you are, Celie. I know where you live.��� And in the terrifying aftermath she reconnects with her dysfunctional family in ways she had never imagined.

BLURB:

Abused and abandoned as a child, C��lie Francis knows better than to trust anyone. But after she witnesses a murder, she’s placed in the Unit “New Zealand’s witness protection program” where she’s expected to trust strangers with her life.

It’s psychologist Brand Turner’s job to ease witnesses into their new identities, not to protect them, but C��lie stirs feelings in him that are far from professional. When it appears someone is leaking critical information that could endanger C��lie, Brand will do anything to protect her. But first he has to convince her to trust him.

Adrift in a frightening world, C��lie would like to believe the handsome psychologist is everything he seems, but as witnesses are murdered and danger swirls around them, C��lie must decide “can she trust Brand with her life?

To buy LETHAL REFUGE, please click: Amazon or The Wild Rose Press, where you will find LETHAL REFUGE in both paperback and e-book. To follow my blog go HERE.

If you have any more questions or would just like to say “Hi”, email me vonniehughes@yahoo.com.au.

In the meantime, have a great day!

~Vonnie

�� Kate Mitchell | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Tagged: Australia, Guest Author, Lethal Refuge, New Zealand, Romantic Suspense, Vonnie Hughes

Ruse & Romance 2015 RONE Award Nominee • Voting Begins!

S.G. Rogers:

May 3rd is your last chance to vote! Please don’t wait. :-D

Originally posted on Child of Yden:

My bestselling Victorian tale, Ruse & Romance, has been nominated for a RONE Award in the category of Young Adult: General (Week Three), but I need your help to get into the finals! Please go to InD’Tale Magazine and vote for my book. Like Tinkerbell, every vote I receive will help me fly! Voting is open from April 27 – May 3rd, 2015, and you must register for an account first. It’s absolutely free (and I’ll need your help again in Week Four, for my novella, Larken).

View original

Ruse & Romance 2015 RONE Award Nominee ��� Voting Begins!

S.G. Rogers:

May 3rd is your last chance to vote! Please don’t wait. :-D

Originally posted on Child of Yden:

My bestselling Victorian tale, Ruse & Romance, has been nominated for a RONE Award in the category of Young Adult: General (Week Three), but I need your help to get into the finals! Please go to��InD���Tale Magazine and vote for my book. Like Tinkerbell, every vote I receive will help me fly! Voting is open from April 27 ��� May 3rd, 2015, and you must register for an account first. It���s absolutely free (and I���ll need your help again in Week Four, for my novella, Larken).

View original