Storytellers On Tour is a Blog/Instagram Tour organising service. It was born out of Justine’s (Whispers & Wonder) and my love and dedication toward SFF indie books and authors. Our goal is to give as much exposure to our clients as we can, while we also build a community among our Roadies. Find out more about us on www.storytellersontour.online!
This past week we gave the spotlight to The Lost Sentinel, and Epic Fantasy by Suzanne Rogerson in celebration of the Silent Sea Chronicles box set, which is on sale duration of the tour! Our Roadies brought a wide selection of content to this show with reviews, excerpts, and other posts. Now it’s time to bring the show to an end and it’s my pleasure to present you with the encore, including some extra content. Come and learn a bit more about the world of The Lost Sentinel through my Q&A session with Suzanne and her playlist for the Silent Sea Chronicles!
Shall we?
Suzanne lives in Middlesex, England with her husband, two children and a crazy puppy.
Her writing journey began at the age of twelve when she completed her first novel. She discovered the fantasy genre in her late teens and has never looked back. Giving up work to raise a family gave Suzanne the impetus to take her attempts at novel writing beyond the first draft, and she is lucky enough to have a husband who supports her dream – even if he does occasionally hint that she might think about getting a proper job one day.
Now an author of four novels including the recently completed Silent Sea Chronicles trilogy and a Czech translation of her debut, Visions of Zarua, Suzanne hopes the dreaded ‘W’ word will never rear its ugly head again!
She loves gardening and has a Hebe (shrub) fetish. She enjoys cooking with ingredients from the garden and regularly feeds unsuspecting guests vegetable-based cakes. Suzanne collects books, is interested in history and enjoys wandering around castles and old ruins whilst being immersed in the past. She likes to combine her love of nature and photography on family walks, but most of all she loves to escape with a great film, binge watch TV shows, or soak in a hot bubble bath with an ice cream and a book.
Tei has magic in a world where people like her are persecuted and forced into exile. Whilst fleeing their home, her father is attacked and his deathbed confession reveals a dangerous secret that will change her life forever.
Tei’s homeland, the magical island of Kalaya, is dying and without a Sentinel to restore the magic, it’s only a matter of time before all life is wiped out.
She must join the exiles in the search for the lost Sentinel, but they are not the only ones after the missing guardian. Sinister Masked Riders are on their trail and time is running out.
Tei must risk everything she loves to save Kalaya, but is she ready to make that sacrifice?
1396 pages of magic, adventure and intrigue.
This epic fantasy box set contains:
The Lost Sentinel – Book 1
The Sentinel’s Reign – Book 2
The Sentinel’s Alliance – Book 3
Click on the blog name to read their full review or other content!
SEPTEMBER 6TH–THE WELCOMING
Whispers & Wonder – interview + IG spotlight
SEPTEMBER 7TH
GnofletReads – review
“The magic system was definitely much softer then my normal read, but again personal preference is the main factor that will determine how much that might affect you. By going with the soft system, the typical exposition dump was almost completely skipped, which was quite refreshing. For me, large amounts of exposition often seem forced, because you have characters explaining to each other what they would already know, so skipping over almost all of that definitely helped me to be immersed in the story right at the beginning.”
SEPTEMBER 8TH
Woven From Words – review
“In conclusion, I recommend The Lost Sentinelfor those seeking action packed fantasy! It’s a great start to the Silent Sea Chronicles. I look forward to learning more about Tei and her friends in the future!”
Kat’s Reading Room – review + IG spotlight
“I found this story to be really engaging, it was easy to fall into (I need a new phrase don’t I!), it felt a little familiar without feeling like it was another book and the plot kept moving forward at a good pace!”
SEPTEMBER 9TH
The Book in Hand – review
“The world that Suzanne creates is an compelling and interesting one, it was great to see the world through the different POV’s ad the challenges each character faced.”
@bookriot_anjedah – spotlight
SEPTEMBER 10TH
Gwendalyn’s Books – review
“I look forward to reading more about in the books that follow. There is intrigue, and angst suspense that goes along with the faced paced challenges that character are subjected too.
Overall The Lost Sentinel is a fascinating page turner, with appealing originality.”
Out of This World SFF Reviews – review
“Kudos to Suzanne Rogerson for crafting a fun and entertaining read that is brimming with delightful magic, a very cool mystical island setting, and extremely tense situations where characters are often put in peril to the point where you don’t know if they are going to survive or not. One thing is for sure, I look forward to reading more books in the Silent Sea Chronicles based on the promise of this one.”
@soooomanybooks – review + IG spotlight
“…the main strength of this book is the world. And I think, it is greatly told without overwhelming us with its complexity. The three POV’s are a great way to show every part of the world and still developing the story.
All in all, this book is great and the twists, the magic, the world make you lose yourself a little in this breathtaking fantasy.”
SEPTEMBER 11TH
I Can Has Books? – review
“The Last Sentinel is an Epic fantasy filled with a wide range of characters, which is told from multiple points of view. Each story line connected to the other, in twinging as you go deeper.
I found this book to be well written, very plot and character driven, with fantastic world building. It didn’t leave me lacking or wanting. Looking forward to continuing on with Silent Sea Chronicles and what ever else Suzanne Rogerson writes in the future. She is an author to keep yours eyes on.”
Bri’s Book Nook – excerpt
@thebookishfae – spotlight
What inspires your writing? Do you listen to music, stare into the fire, listen to the whispering of the wind, make deals with the Devil?
I find music inspirational and love to listen to it whilst writing and editing. When ideas are forming and I’m getting them down onto paper or directly onto the laptop, I especially love to listen to emotionally charged songs.
My favourite music for inspiration are rock ballads; I don’t think you can beat the mix of poignant guitar solos and powerful rock voices brimming with angst.
Sometimes I have Ben Howard or Coldplay songs on random through the day. I love their music and they always keep me in the zone.
If I was going to make a deal with the devil, it would only be with a certain Lucifer aka Tom Ellis! We’ve just caught up with the latest series and I can’t believe they won’t be making any more.
Your MC is locked in an asylum. What did he/she do to end up there?
I can certainly imagine Tei needing locking up after everything she goes through in The Lost Sentinel.
Tei suffers from a lack of self-belief and doubts both her magic and her ability to live up to the role the exiles say is her destiny. She is also tortured by dreams of her island home dying and taking the magic and everyone with it, except her.
It wouldn’t take much to tip her over the edge. She would believe she’s trapped to wander the broken island for all eternity, lost and alone with no magic – her price for failure.
You can see Tei’s idea of madness by looking at the cover of The Lost Sentinel.
Describe an asylum set in the world of your book, The Lost Sentinel!
I’m glad there are no asylum’s in Kalaya, but I could easily imagine the Assembly wanting to lock people away for using magic.
They would ensure the asylum is a magicless prison, blocking the magic users from feeling their connection with Kalaya. That would be enough to turn any sane mind to madness but thankfully the Assembly never thought of such a punishment!
Which fictional character (it can be one of yours) and/or author would you like to live with in an asylum and why?
There are so many great characters that could prove good company in an asylum, but it would need to be someone who can make me laugh and keep my spirits up. Tyrion from Game of Thrones comes to mind, or Nighteyes from the Farseer books. I’ve always been obsessed with wolves and what better place to communicate with one than in an asylum.
As to an author, I’d choose Robin Hobb so I can quiz her on how she comes up with such intricate worlds and wonderful characters. Whilst I’m stuck in an asylum I may as well hone my craft.
While you are locked in here for eternity, we will allow you one book – what would you choose?
I don’t have a favourite book that could help me survive an eternity locked up, so I think I’ll pick ‘Sword in the Storm’ by David Gemmell. The book broke my heart and I’ve never had the courage to read it a second time. This way I wouldn’t have a choice but to face the heartache all over again. But then maybe I could sneak in the rest of the Rigante series with me. Who sets the rules here? I want to make a request…
Well then, we hope you’ll enjoy your stay in the Asylum! Any last words? *locks door*
Thanks for having me and for making me see the world of Kalaya in a whole new light.
I love songs with big emotional impact. These are a few songs that have been on my playlist whilst writing the Silent Sea Chronicles trilogy. They helped me channel the emotions I needed to write the powerful scenes in these books.
My Immortal, Bring Me To Life, Going Under by Evanescence
Amy’s voice is epic, and she tells a story so well. I love everything about these songs.
Slow Gin by Joe Bonamasa
Beautiful and emotional guitar, great voice, brilliant lyrics.
Love Reign O’er Me by The Who
Wow, just listen to the emotion in Roger’s voice. That is powerful stuff.
What I’ve Done by Linkin Park
I love the lyrics of this song. They relate to several characters in my books who live with regret for their actions. Sorry I won’t say who in case of spoilers.
Demons by Imagine Dragon
Love the lyrics, the music and there’s a certain part in this song that gives me goose bumps every time.
S&M by Metallica
I remember writing the battle scenes at the end of book three whilst listening to this album. As the words flowed Metallica’s heavy beats and urgent guitar riffs made me type faster and faster. The power of the scenes and emotions I felt were intensified by their music.
By the way, Metallica with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra is a match made in heaven!
I Am the Fire by Halestorm
If I had to name my number 1 song, then it would be I Am the Fire.
The end of the trilogy was heavily influenced by this song. So much so that I find it hard to separate the two in my mind. It’s as though Tei is singing this song about her life and how everything has been leading her up to this moment – Am I brave enough? Am I strong enough? They are questions she asks herself constantly. She knows she must grasp her destiny; she must become the fire to help her people and their magic survive. Everything rests on Tei.
I listened to this song on repeat whilst drafting these last scenes. Now I always feel a glow inside when I hear the song and think of Tei. Somehow it makes me feel closer to her.
I went to a Halestorm concert last year and seeing I Am the Fire performed live was a very emotional experience and one I won’t ever forget.
If you are interested in The Lost Sentinel and would like to get in contact with Suzanne Rogers, you can find her on social media:
Find out more about Storytellers On Tour or join our team:
Grab a copy of The Lost Sentinel at your local Amazon!
Thanks for organising this tour. It’s great to see a round up of the highlights and of course my favourite song videos!