Suzanne G. Rogers's Blog, page 47

The Ice Captain’s Daughter – Excerpt

The Ice Captain’s Daughter – coming January 11th

Excerpt:

“Do you not understand, Jillian? Your chances to make a good marriage have been materially damaged by your intimate association with Mr. Devlin,” Aunt Letty said.

A protest spilled from Jillian’s lips, but her aunt held up her hand to check it.

“The fact remains — you and he spent the night alone together.”

“Not by choice!”

“However innocent you both may be, the situation is scandalous by anyone’s reckoning.”

“No one need know,” Jillian said, a note of desperation in her voice. “I will not relate these matters to anyone and I feel certain Mr. Devlin will keep my confidence!”

Aunt Letty shook her head and sighed. “Servants talk, Jillian, and even a hint of scandal will ruin your prospects. Let us hope your uncle can reach an accord with Mr. Devlin on your behalf.”

And the blog tour for Tournament of Chance continues…

January 6th

– Review & Interview

CHILDREN OF YDEN Arrives at Last

My sequel to The Last Great Wizard of Yden has burst onto the 2013 scene.  This action-packed novel has intrigue, treachery, heartache, and teenage angst… along with dragons, magic, wizards, and a love triangle!

Back of cover:

While balancing the rigorous demands of regular schoolwork, Jon eagerly begins his magical training on Dragon Isle. At the same time, the Dragon Clan starts to search for other Earth-born sons and daughters of Yden’s wizards. Using a purloined map, however, the Fox Clan has already begun recruiting the children of Yden for its own sinister plans. Jon soon discovers Guinn of the Fox Clan is searching for a magical artifact called the Portal Key — and he’s more than willing to kill for it. Worse, Guinn’s desire to settle an old score puts Jon directly in his sights. As Guinn’s schemes fall into place, Jon is forced to hurt a close friend to protect her. Can he learn enough magic in time to thwart Guinn’s ambitions? Will he find the inner strength to survive injury, bitter betrayal, and horrendous loss? The fate of Earth and Yden hangs in the balance.

Excerpt:

He passed into a mossy clearing dotted by several mature fruit trees and sculptures of fairies. Focused on an intricate sculpture of a brownie, Jon nearly smacked into a strange kid.

“Whoa,” Jon said, rearing back. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

The boy, perhaps eighteen, was bare-chested, muscular and gripped a six-foot long staff. “State your Clan and your business.”

“What?”

“Your Clan and your business,” the boy repeated, brandishing the staff.

Jon’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t answer to comic book hero rejects.”

He glanced over his shoulder to check Sela’s progress and suddenly found his legs swept out from under him. Jon landed on his back with a loud thud, wincing from a stinging pain across his calves.

“Dude, what’s wrong with you?”

The kid responded by rotating the staff around and around like an incoming helicopter blade. Jon scrambled to his feet, leaving his duffle bag on the ground. From somewhere behind him, Sela gasped. His attention riveted on the weapon, Jon held up a warning hand.

“Stay there, Sela. This guy is seriously nuts!”

The wooden staff whooshed toward Jon’s head and he jumped back out of reach. Unfortunately, he stumbled over his duffle bag and sat down hard. The stranger dissolved into mocking laughter.

“You’re mean!” Sela cried.

A nearby fruit tree provided Jon’s sister with handfuls of juicy ammunition. Her aim was wide, but the incoming missiles made the teen duck. Jon seized the opportunity to tackle his assailant to the ground. He wrestled the staff away, burned it with the flames shooting from his fingertips, and flung the seared wood onto the gravel path.

“Stay down, punk, or there’s more where that came from,” Jon said.

The kid raised his hand and Jon noticed his clan ring — too late. Jon flew backward, as if yanked by an invisible elastic cord. He twisted in the air and slammed face-first into a stone sprite. As Jon spat blood from a cut inside his mouth, the stranger advanced.

“More of what, lightweight?” he sneered. “Seems to me like you got nothing.

The situation disintegrated fast.

Available now for the Kindle at Amazon, for the Nook at BN.com and in all e-formats at Astraea Press.

To add to your to-read shelf at Goodreads, go HERE

And the blog tour for Tournament of Chance continues…

January 5th

Whatever You Can Still Betray – Review

Susan Heim on Writing – Excerpt

Signed Paperback – Tournament of Chance

Would you like to win a promotional paperback version of Tournament of Chance, signed by the author?  There’s a new giveaway starting today at Goodreads, .  (Due to the costs of postage, it’s limited to the U.S. only.)

Excerpt:

Dane’s cool blue eyes examined Heather and Joe with something approaching disdain.

“Shimmer, you were supposed to wake us for the revolution. Surely these two boys are not our best and brightest hope for the restoration of Ormaria?”

Both Joe and Heather bristled.

“One of the boys is a girl,” Heather replied.

The man glanced at her, askance. “If this is what women look like after all this time, Shimmer, perhaps you should return me to my dragon crystal stasis.”

“You conceited popinjay,” Joe exploded. “Heather’s more woman than you could handle.”

With lightning fast reflexes, the man drew his sword and leveled it at Joe’s throat. “Greater men than you have died for less, lad.”

And the blog tour continues…

January 4th

Laurie’s Thoughts & Reviews – Character Interview

Sarah Ballance – Interview or Guest Post

Pieces of Whimsy – Review & Tens List

Blog Tour for TOURNAMENT OF CHANCE

In my first ever blog tour, I’ll be visiting some fantastic blogs and sharing all sorts of fun posts with readers.  I hope you’ll stop by on a few of the dates to learn more about me, Tournament of Chance, or just to have fun.

~ S.G. Rogers

Tournament of Chance

When a beautiful commoner enters the Tournament of Chance archery competition, her thwarted victory sparks a revolution in the oppressive kingdom of Destiny. Although Heather never believed the legends about the restoration of Ormaria, after three shape-shifting Ormarian wizards awaken from a long magical slumber, she joins their perilous quest to regain the throne. Heather battles vicious predators and angry trolls to free the wizards’ magic, but at a horrendous cost. She is unexpectedly torn from the arms of the man she loves and hurled back in time to fulfill a prophecy not yet written. The ensuing maelstrom tests Heather’s survival skills, wits, and endurance. Will she become an unwritten footnote in history, or can she trust the magic to lead her back to her one true love?

January 3rd


Peace from Pieces – Interview

Gobs and Gobs of Books – Review & Tens List

On Starships and Dragonwings – Review

January 4th

Laurie’s Thoughts & Reviews – Character Interview

Sarah Ballance – Interview or Guest Post

Pieces of Whimsy – Review & Tens List

January 5th

icefairy’s Treasure Chest – Guest post or Interview

Whatever You Can Still Betray – Review

Susan Heim on Writing – Excerpt

January 6th

Froze8′s Blog – Guest Post or Interview

Book Worm Brandy – Review & Interview

January 7th

Chapter by Chapter – Guest Post or Interview

My Life is a Notebook - Review

January 8th

Read My Mind – Review & Tens List

January 9th

My Photopage – Interview or Guest Post

Oh Chrys! – Review

January 10th

Scribbler’s Sojourn – Review

Colorimetry – Interview or Guest Post

January 11th

Cuzinlogic – Interview or Guest Post

Ever and Ever Sight – Review & Interview

January 12th

Bookhounds YA – Interview or Guest Post

January 13th

Under the Hat – Review & Tens List

January 14th

Debbie’s Inkspectations – Review

Up in the Bibliosphere – Review

January 15th

Fly High – Interview or Guest Post

The Reading Retreat – Review & Interview

January 16th

White Sky Project – Review & Interview

Bookworm Lisa – Review & Interview

Every Free Chance – Review

January 17th

Literary Getaway – Review

Living the Goddess Life – Review & Tens List

My Devotional Thoughts – Review

January 18th

Starry Night Reviews – Review

Why Not? Because I Said So! – Review & Guest Post

 

Happy New Year Giveaway Hop

Happy New Year to everyone, and welcome to Child of Yden.  For this hop, I’m featuring my upcoming Victorian romance novella release, The Ice Captain’s Daughter.  I’m giving away TEN Kindle copies of my novella, PLUS the grand prize winner may also pick any one of my other titles (e-book format).

The daughter of a wealthy ice merchant, Miss Jillian Roring intends to marry for love.  En route to her first season in London, however, a failed kidnapping sends her into the arms of the most jaded bachelor in England.  When Devlin and Jillian unwittingly violate the rigid rules of propriety in Victorian-era England, he is obliged to make her an offer of marriage.  Because she aspires to be more than an obligation, Jillian reluctantly refuses the match. Devlin finally follows her to London to woo her properly, but his scheming ex-fiancée has other plans.

Can Devlin convince Jillian that his love for her is real or will the cruel gossip and sharp tongues of London society tear their budding relationship apart?

Excerpt:

“We are not in agreement, sir. I refuse to enter into an engagement with a man in love with someone else!” Jillian exclaimed.

“Have you lost your mind?” Aunt Letty exclaimed. “Love has nothing to do with marriage, on the whole.”

“I… I have no objection, Miss Roring,” Devlin said.

Jillian gave him a searching look. “Forgive me, sir. Your offer is honorable, but motivated by obligation. I aspire to enter into more than an unobjectionable union.”

“If these events between you and Mr. Devlin become known, Jillian, this may be the only offer of marriage you will ever receive,” Sir William said.

“So be it,” Jillian said. “I will not marry unless the man has a true and abiding affection for me and I for him in return. My mind is made up on the matter and I won’t discuss it further.”

TO ENTER:

You choose which way you want to enter!

1) Like one of my titles on Amazon HERE;

2) Add one of my titles to your to-read list on Goodreads HERE;

3) Like my author Facebook page HERE;

4) Follow my blog; OR

5) Follow me on Twitter HERE.

If there’s another way you wish to enter, just let me know.  I’m open to suggestions!  LEAVE A COMMENT, below, so I know which way you’ve entered.  I’ll be picking the winners on January 8th.

Happiest of New Years to one and all.

~ S.G. Rogers

To return to the linky list, go HERE

 

Happy New Year/Happy Old Year

It’s hard for me to believe, but New Year’s Eve is right around the corner.  It’s nice to look back over 2012, to think about milestones and achievements.  It’s also a good time to look forward, to see the path ahead.

On the immediate horizon, I am participating in the Happy New Year Giveaway Hop, January 1st – 7th, hosted by I Am a Reader Not a Writer and Babs Book Bistro.  I’ll be giving one winner his or her choice of any of my e-books, PLUS a review copy of my upcoming release, The Ice Captain’s Daughter. I’ll also be picking ten additional winners to receive a review copy of The Ice Captain’s Daughter.

Then, from January 3rd to January 18th, I’ll embark on a whirlwind blog tour for .  I’ll post the lineup on the 3rd if you’d like to follow along. Although Tournament of Chance is an e-book, I have promotional print copies to hand out. A signed copy will be given away during a Goodreads giveaway (US) beginning January 1st and ending on January 22nd.

On the writing front, my sequel to Last Great Wizard of Yden is coming out soon. Children of Yden is packed with action, angst, and an interesting love triangle or two. Also, The Ice Captain’s Daughter will be released well ahead of Valentine’s Day.  And my work-in-progress (as of yet untitled) is percolating along.

I hope you’ll stick around through 2013.  My writer’s journey will take a few new paths as I shift here and there into historical fiction.  By the way, I’m making a list of readers who would like to read and review The Ice Captain’s Daughter (Kindle version) on Amazon and Goodreads (if possible).  Leave a comment, below, if you’d like to be added to the list.  I will take the first fifty requests.

Happy New Year.

~ S.G. Rogers

Merry Christmas From Child of Yden

 

Tournament of Chance Book Trailer

My book trailer for TOURNAMENT OF CHANCE has been nominated for a December favorite at You Gotta Read.  It’s number 11 if you’d like to vote HERE.  Voting ends December 26, so don’t wait!  Here is the trailer; it’s about a minute long:

What is your opinion on book trailers?  Do they influence your decision to buy a book, or do you largely ignore them?  I’d love to know.

Take Our Poll

Kitty’s Hair by S.G. Rogers — Flash Fiction

Kitty Willamette’s knees buckled a little as the elevator zoomed upward. Her mother was hunched inside her jacket as if she were cold.  Her father just stared straight ahead.  The atmosphere was deadly quiet.

“Do you know why we’re here?” Kitty asked.

“No,” her mother replied, without meeting her gaze.

“Maybe Uncle Meriweather has a new television series for me?”

“Hush,” her father said.  “He’s not your uncle.”

Kitty sighed.  She let her head loll backward so she could look at the mirrored tiles on the ceiling.  She wanted to see how the dreadful hat her mother had made her wear played up her eyes.  At least that was what her mother had said; she suspected the hat had more to do with covering her roots.  Since Kitty’s hair had begun to turn brown, her mother couldn’t hide her disappointment.

Everything had always been about the hair.

The elevator slowed as it neared its final destination.  Kitty hoped Uncle Meriweather had good news. She knew the money was running out. The housekeeper had been let go first, and then the nanny. More recently, she’d noticed her father mowing the grass and cleaning the pool himself. Her mother was painting her own nails and clipping coupons. Kitty’s allowance had been eliminated entirely.

The arguments were the worst part. Her parents had been having shouting matches downstairs, when they thought she was asleep.  Although it would mean leaving regular school and having tutors on the set, she would happily go back to work again if it meant her family life could return to normal.

Kitty and her parents emerged from the elevator into the waiting area of the talent agency.  The receptionist directed Kitty down the hall to the Green Room while a secretary showed Ted and Lori Willamette into Uncle Meriweather’s office. The Green Room was a lounge decorated like the interior of a movie theater lobby. A popcorn machine was pushed against the wall, but it was always empty. There was a Pac-Man video game table that always froze up at level five and a flat-screen television that played kids’ movies, non-stop.  Kitty had spent a lot of time in the Green Room over the years, while her parents met with Uncle Meriweather.  She used to enjoy it, but now that she was twelve the place struck her as tired.

Kitty was not the only occupant of the Green Room.  A trio of identical triplets sat on the couch, fixated on the television.  She recognized the brothers from their national commercials for chewing gum, breakfast cereal, and lunchmeat. They were perhaps seven or eight years old, with freckles and shocks of violently red hair.  Kitty found them ugly, not because of their looks but because of their sour and bored expressions.  She supposed their parents were in a meeting with one of the other agents.

“Hello,” she said. Kitty always tried to be polite.

The triplets made no reply, but shifted their focus from the TV screen to her.  Kitty was used to being stared at, but their three pairs of eyes were leveled on her with such intensity she could practically feel them lasering holes in her forehead. She sat as far away as possible.

The boy on the right finally spoke. “You’re Kitty Willamette.”

“Yes.” She smiled. “Nice to meet you.”

In the silence that followed, the triplets continued to stare. Her smile faded. She glanced at the magazines on the table next to her, but they were all geared toward younger children.  Kitty wished she’d brought along her e-book reader, but she’d assumed the meeting was going to include her this time.  She hadn’t seen Uncle Meriweather in a while.  Apparently he hadn’t had a holiday party last season because instead of her usual invitation, Kitty had received only a small box of chocolates in the mail.

“Our mom says you’re washed up,” the middle triplet said.

“Yeah, you’re a has-been,” said the boy on the left.  “That’s what Dad says.”

The triplets burst into laughter, their faces creased with mirth. Kitty’s mouth fell open. She’d overheard trash talk from show biz kids before, but it usually wasn’t directed at her. Her chin lifted.

“I couldn’t care less. I’ll be a forensic psychologist or a osteoarchaeologist when I grow up and you three will still be hawking wieners.”

Kitty didn’t completely understand what those professions were, but they sounded impressive.  More importantly, the triplets wouldn’t know either and they’d never admit it. The boys exchanged bewildered glances with one another, and then went back to watching television.  She tossed her flaxen-tipped braid over her shoulder, triumphant.

Her father beckoned to her just then, from the door of the Green Room. “Come on, Kitty.  We’re going.”

Kitty followed him out of the Green Room without a backward glance at the triplets. On her way down the hall, she noticed the door to Uncle Meriweather’s office was shut.

“Can I say good-bye to Uncle Meriweather?”

“No, and for the last time, please stop calling him your uncle!”

Kitty’s mother stood by the elevator, with swollen eyes and smudged eyeliner. As they rode down the elevator, her father cleared his throat. “Fitzroy & Meriweather released you as a client today, Kitty. With no money coming in, we must sell the house.”

Kitty’s mother couldn’t suppress a sob.

“My sister invited us to move onto her property in Maggie Valley,” her father continued. “I can go back to carpentry and we’ll make a fresh start.”

Kitty was pleased. She’d visited Aunt Jennifer on her farm in Western North Carolina almost every summer and liked it a lot. She enjoyed the company of her cousins.  One of the boys was her age. Even better, Aunt Jennifer had acres of apple orchards.

“I love apples,” Kitty said.

“I want to stay in L.A.,” her mother wailed.  “Kitty can find another agent.  We’ll get her hair done and have some new headshots made. We’ve just hit a dry spell.”

“I don’t want to act anymore,” Kitty said.

“See! The kid knows it’s over, Lori,” her father said.  “Why don’t you?”

On the drive back to Bel Air, her parents began to yell at each other. Katie closed her eyes and tried to tune them out.

When they reached home, Kitty went to her room. She opened her closet and pulled out her Kitty doll, the special collector’s edition that had retailed for over three hundred dollars.  Kitty had never thought it looked much like her, except for the hair. As she braided the artificial strands, she thought about what had just happened. Uncle Meriweather didn’t want to be her uncle anymore. That made her very sad, but she wasn’t especially bothered about the rest of it.  If it hadn’t been for her hair, she never would have chosen an acting career.

Before she’d even graduated from pre-school, Kitty’s hair had made her famous. It wasn’t just the amazing thickness or length of it that was so remarkable; it was the magnificent color.  The palest of blondes, her tresses had shone like a ripe field of wheat set dancing by a breeze. A casting director had spotted five-year-old Kitty in the cookie aisle as she begged her mother to buy chocolate-covered graham crackers.  The chance encounter had led to her being cast in an ad campaign for facial tissue. She was shortly thereafter given her own television show, entitled Life with Kitty. The series became a phenomenon for several years. Unfortunately, it was canceled after she turned ten.

She knew there was so much more to life than being famous. If she lived with Aunt Jennifer, maybe she could have a horse.  Her aunt could teach her to grow things. She could drop the stupid nickname and go by her real name. No one would know she was washed up or a has-been. She’d just be a normal teenager.

If only she could convince her mother.

Kitty tossed the idiotic hat aside and gazed in the mirror.  Her braid was so long she could almost sit on it.  The bottom half was a beautiful flaxen color, but the hair grew darker the closer it got to her scalp.  Kitty examined her light brown roots.  Her hair was turning the color of peanut butter cheesecake batter with melted milk chocolate thrown in.  She thought it was a nice shade, quite yummy.

There was only one thing to do.

Kitty took a pair of scissors and hacked off her braid at the nape of her neck.  She bound up the end with an elastic band so it wouldn’t unravel.  That way she could donate the hair to an organization that made wigs for sick people. She left the braid in a neat coil on the floor.

Then Katherine walked downstairs to tell her parents what she’d decided.

S.G. Rogers Has A Present For You

Thank you all for following my blog!  Loyalty has its rewards. From now until Christmas Eve, I’ll be gifting twenty-five Amazon Kindle copies of my romantic fantasy novella, MINNA & THE VALENTINE. (PSST… if you already have MINNA, I’ll substitute CLASH OF WILLS).  All you need to do is to leave a comment, below, with a working email address, and the first twenty-five people will win. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and I hope your holidays are full of family, friends, and chocolate.

~ S.G. Rogers

Minna must seal a rift in the universe before it’s too late

Minna has a secret.  Her father, ex-dragon jockey Wynn Westerfield, will forever hold a grudge against wizards.  Because it was a wizard who caused his career-ending accident, Minna struggles to hide her incredible magical powers from him…and from the world.

Evan Valentine has attended a prestigious magical academy on scholarship, although he’s managed to conceal that fact from everyone. He’s on the fast track to success with his apprenticeship to wizard Thaddeus Bartholomew, and Evan’s carefully constructed life doesn’t include a certain beautiful girl whose powers rival his own.

Although Minna and Evan don’t realize it yet, their destinies have been intertwined for years. When a threat arises, Minna and Evan must travel to another reality to retrieve a dangerous magical artifact.  Can Minna and Evan learn to work together, despite their mutual mistrust? Or will their explosive romantic attraction lead to disaster?