Suzanne G. Rogers's Blog, page 37

Review Copies – Secrets of Yden

Got dragons?

I’m in need of reviews for the third book in my fantasy Yden trilogy, Secrets of Yden. In my hot little hands is a .pdf version of the book, for your reading pleasure. I’ll take the first ten people who request a copy.  Get ready…set…go! ~ S.G. Rogers

Blurb:

As Jon Hansen begins his senior year in high school, he and his friends are focused on the future. Unfortunately, a past skirmish on Yden is still having repercussions. Bailey of the Shark Clan is out for revenge, and he may have secret support on the Executive Council.  Worse, time is stopping on Earth for increasingly long intervals, and only Jon’s ankh sets him apart. An unstable portal is the cause, but his search for answers uncovers an ancient prophecy that seemingly spells his doom. Can Jon repair the hole in the universe before time stops forever, or will he have to sacrifice himself to save the world?

Excerpt:

When he returned to Dragon Isle, Jon showed Quixoran the parchment right away. As he read it, his grandfather didn’t appear to be upset.

“Forgive me, but you don’t seem to be taking this very seriously,” Jon said.

“Youth is always so impatient,” Quixoran replied. “Without the final part of the prophecy, we cannot expect to put the whole of it into context.”

Context? Whichever way Jon tried to interpret the phrase, the meaning seemed crystal clear. Somebody is going to have to sacrifice himself to close the portal. Since it was unlikely a boatload of wizards would volunteer for the duty, some stupid, idiotic moron would have to do the noble thing.

And I have a fairly stinking good idea of just who the stupid wizard will be.

Secrets of Yden, Yden Book Three is available in all formats at Astraea Press and Smashwords, for the Kindle at Amazon, and for the Nook at BN.com.

 

A Gift for Lara President’s Day Promo and $50 Street Team Contest

FREE Amazon Kindle download for President’s Day, February 17th!  Go HERE for your free copy, and spread the word!

A love letter gone astray. Two broken hearts. One last chance to make things right.

Lara Robinson wrote a love letter four years ago, but received no reply. Now the man to whom she gave her heart will visit Blythe Manor for Christmas. How can she enjoy the holidays knowing Miles Greystoke must despise her for revealing her feelings in such an unguarded fashion?

As an awkward youth, Miles fell in love with a kindred spirit…but his love was unrequited. Against his wishes, he’s now obliged to spend the holidays at Blythe Manor. Time has wrought changes in his physique, but his devotion to Lara Robinson has never wavered. He searches for the perfect present to show her how he feels, but nothing seems quite right…until he realizes the best sort of gift will embrace the true meaning of the holiday season.

=> And now for the Street Team Contest! I need your help getting the word out on my books. So from now until the end of February, anyone who posts a new review on Amazon for A Gift for Lara or ANY of my other titles will be entered to win an Amazon $50 gift card!  (Psst…I’ll have a few runner-up prizes as well).

Two conditions apply:

1) The review must be posted on or after February 17th to qualify, and;

2) You must post the link to the review in a comment on this blog post.

That’s it! Remember, you can post a new review to ANY of my titles even if you read the book awhile back.  Each review will count as an entry into the contest, so the more reviews you post, the more chances you have to win. The winner will be drawn and announced on March 1st. Good luck and thank you in advance. ~ S.G. Rogers

P.S.  Any review of my fantasy novel Secrets of Yden will automatically be counted as a double entry!

P.P.S. If I get fewer than ten entries, I reserve the right to substitute a lesser (but still very worthwhile!) prize.

Link to my author page on Amazon HERE

Giveaway Hop Winner(s)

Using Random.org, the winner of my Romance is in the Air Giveaway Hop is Lisa F.! She’ll receive a four-pack of romance books to fill her Kindle or Nook. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, however, I picked a few runners-up who may choose one of the four books as a prize! Emails have been sent to Linda, Emma, Donna, Tammy, Beverly, Julia, and Holly. Congrats to the winners, and a big thank you to everyone who entered. I truly appreciate your support. Everybody dance!~ S.G. Rogers

Minna & the Valentine

One of my publishers (Astraea Press) put out a call for Valentine’s Day stories, but I didn’t want to write the usual hearts and flowers tale. So I put on my creativity cap and began to think…what if one of the characters was named Valentine…and he had a secret? Thus was born Minna & the Valentine, a fantasy novella about two young wizards who have something to hide. Evan Valentine has cultivated a sophisticated and wealthy appearance to hide the fact he came from a poor family. He attended the finest wizarding school on a scholarship, but didn’t want anyone to know.  Even though he worked harder than anyone else, he still wasn’t above casting the occasional glamour spell to make himself  appear fashionable.

As for Minna Westerfield, she has her own secrets. Her dragon-jockey father was injured in a racing accident deliberately caused by a wizard. Although Minna is incredibly talented, Wynn Westerfield has forbidden her to study magic.  She adores her father and wishes to please him…but she’s secretly a self-taught wizard.

Add to the mix a kindly wizard named Thaddeus Bartholomew, who has an agenda of his own. He sends Minna and Evan on a quest to seal a rift in the universe…but there’s more to Thaddeus than meets the eye.

If you like wizards, parallel dimensions, cute dogs, dragons, and flying cars, Minna & the Valentine is for you. ~ S.G. Rogers

P.S. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Amazon, BN.com, Smashwords, iTunes

 

 

 

Cover Reveal for The Shadow Prince by Stacey O’Neale

Novella Blurb:
 


This prequel novella will be FREE and available on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble on March 25, 2014!

Every sacrifice has consequences.



Sixteen-year-old Rowan has spent most of his life living among the mortals—learning to control the element of fire, impatiently awaiting the day his vengeful mother, Queen Prisma, will abdicate her throne. When he finally returns to Avalon for his coronation, his mother insists he must first prove his loyalty to the court by completing a secret mission:

Kill Kalin, the half-human, half-elemental daughter of the air court king.

Willing to do anything to remove his mother from power, he agrees to sacrifice the halfling. He returns to the mortal world with his best friend, Marcus, determined to kill the princess. But as he devises a plan, he starts to question whether or not he’s capable of completing such a heinous task. And what price he will pay if he refuses?

Add to Goodreads

Author Blurb:



Stacey O’Neale started her career in publishing as a blogger turned publicist for two successful small publishers. She loves to write stories with swoony paranormal heroes, snarky heroines, and lots of kissing.

When she’s not writing, she loves blogging and fangirling about books on twitter. Occasionally, she leaves her computer to go outside.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Rafflecopter Giveaway HERE

Duke of a Gilded Age – TRR Top Pick!

I’m pleased to announce my historical romance, Duke of a Gilded Age, has been made a Top Pick at The Romance Reviews!

Blurb:

When American-born Wesley Parker inherits a dukedom in 1890, he must learn to be an aristocrat. Assigned to the task is his attorney’s daughter, prim Belle Oakhurst. As they travel to England together on a luxurious ocean liner, their tempestuous relationship encounters more than rough seas. Although Wesley is increasingly attracted to Belle, she is already engaged. While Belle begins to regret her hasty promise to marry, she is bound by honor and duty to keep her pledge. Furthermore, a thoughtless fabrication on her part threatens to expose her as a liar. Neither Wesley nor Belle can foresee that their voyage across the Atlantic will be fraught with peril, and will cost more than one man his life.

“There is unrequited love, really bad fellows to fight, and excellent balls and proposals. It’s a feast,” reviewer Linda Hays-Gibbs writes. “I was most impressed with the ingenuity and suspense.

I gave it five stars and believe everyone will enjoy this adventuresome tale of escapades and love. It is sure to inspire.”

To read the review in its entirety, go HERE.

Duke of a Gilded Age is available at Amazon and Smashwords.

 

Romance is in the Air Blog Hop

Valentine’s Day is near, and it’s time for a blog hop featuring l’amour! Enter to win a four-pack of exciting historical romances in Kindle or Nook format:This blog hop is open internationally as well as in the U.S.A.

How to enter:

1) *Like* me on Facebook HERE; or

2) Add one of my books to your to-read list on Goodreads:

The Ice Captain’s Daughter HERE (Can an ice captain’s daughter find love in Victorian-era England?)

Jessamine’s Folly HERE (Will newly-impoverished Jessamine be able to resist falling in love with her employer?)

A Gift for Lara HERE (A love letter gone astray. Two broken hearts. A chance for redemption)

Duke of a Gilded Age HERE (A Brooklyn-born duke must learn the ways of the aristocracy from a prim lawyer’s daughter)

or

3) Follow me on Twitter HERE, or

4) Make up your own way to enter (ie: share the Amazon book link on Facebook or Twitter, or follow my blog). I’m open to suggestions!

I will select the 4-pack winner on Saturday, February 15th before noon (EST).  Please leave a comment, below, to let me know which way you entered, and good luck! ~ S.G. Rogers

To go back to the linky list, go HERE

Sex and the Single Romance

“Show me the money!” screams Cuba Gooding, Jr. in the film Jerry Maguire.  In porn parlance, it’s called “the money shot.” Yes, romance novels are often associated with sex—an image promoted by torrid covers of shirtless men clutching panting heroines in the throes of passion.

Is there anything wrong with that? No, of course not. It’s all good fun; escapism had for less than the price of a movie ticket. I used to gobble up bodice-rippers when I was a hormonal teen. White lines would appear on the spine of the paperbacks where the particularly juicy scenes could be found. Sometimes, with historical romances, I would actually learn something other than intimate details of procreation.

In this topsy-turvy world, writing romance novels without “money shots” has actually become controversial.  Unless the book specifies it’s Amish or Christian, some people expect a little friction between the sheets.  Even if the story is categorized as Young Adult, readers often look for the spice…and get annoyed when it fails to materialize.

In traditional Regency romance (romance set during the British Regency from 1811-1820), no explicit sex occurs. The last few years have seen the rise of a more modern Regency romance; romances of a non-traditional sensual variety (ie: more “marketable”).

So why on Earth would an author swim against the tide of filthy lucre (money) and write what might be termed “clean” or “sweet” romance…especially considering reader expectations?  Call me crazy, but personally I think readers should have choices. I don’t think novels and stories without explicit sex scenes need be antiseptic or anemic.  In my romances, for example, my characters have sexual feelings and thoughts. For me, the money shot is the kiss!  I also tend to put  exciting adventure in my stories…fisticuffs, sword fights, and escapes from death.

If you’re looking for a good time that doesn’t involve *ahem* “biology,” check out Clean Indie Reads. The blog features “flinch-free” fiction in a variety of genres.  Astraea Press (slogan Pure. Fiction) is a publisher specializing in sweet romance and fiction in various genres.

I guess you could say “clean” fiction is now edgy.  And I guess I can call myself a maverick. ~ S.G. Rogers

 

 

 

 

Clichés and Chainsaws

[image error]Once upon a time, on a dark and stormy night, I set out on a quest to become a writer. I had it in my mind I wanted an agent, and knew I must develop some Important writing credits to provide street cred to my résumé . To that end, I wrote a few short stories and sent them off with a pat on the head to several Important Magazines. With one particular fantasy story, I received a rejection, along with a link to the most frequent writer clichés that earn a submission a short walk to the guillotine. It was more than a pointed hint I’d fallen short of Importance.

I took the advice to heart, and turned my back on blonde-haired, blue-eyed girls who discover, much to their surprise, they are THE ONES to save the world.

A few years have passed since then and I can’t help but notice that readers gravitate toward clichés to a certain extent. Well-written (and some not so well-written) clichés are marketable (particularly in the romance genre).  So I guess what it comes down to is choosing to write a story people will buy, or risking obscurity in the pursuit of art. (See my previous post on writing what will sell HERE).

There are those who will say, “If you write a great story, readers will discover it.” Okay. Go for it and good luck. As for me, I’ve concluded that clichés are not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps clichés are merely another sort of blunt tool in a writer’s repertoire.  After all, beautiful art can be created with a chainsaw. ~ S.G. Rogers

Noblesse Oblige and Jane Austen

Although it’s not the main focus of Jane Austen’s Emma, the main character is portrayed as doing a great deal of charitable work in her town. Because of her fortunate financial and social status, she feels a sense of obligation to help those in need. The concept of noblesse oblige (translated from French “nobility obliges”) is at work; the idea that privilege is paired with social responsibilities. This notion is codified in the bible: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” (Luke 12:48)

When attempting to dissuade Harriet from her interest in Mr. Martin, Emma says, “The yeomanry are precisely the order of people with whom I feel I can have nothing to do. A degree or two lower, and a creditable appearance might interest me; I might hope to be useful to their families in some way or other. But a farmer can need none of my help, and is, therefore, in one sense, as much above my notice as in every other he is below it.”

For Emma, at least, one can conclude her feeling of noblesse oblige has extremely specific parameters and limitations!

I use this concept of noblesse oblige to motivate Lara Robinson in A Gift for Lara. She lives in a country manor, and is keenly aware of the needs of the poor. When Miles Greystoke comes to stay, they have a conversation about charitable works. To Lara’s dismay, Miles believes, “There will always be inequality and poverty, no matter what any of us do. I believe that much of our efforts toward the poor are wasted.”

Lara thinks Miles means he’s unwilling to even try. Therein lies the conflict. Noblesse oblige does not require the privileged to guarantee a positive outcome from charitable works—-only that a sincere effort be made. Will Miles make the effort to please Lara?

For my part, I think giving out of a sense of obligation is good. Giving from the heart is better. ~ S.G. Rogers