Roz Maclaren

Teen Fiction with a Dark Twist

Roz MacLaren

Cover reveal for Fable and Legend!

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Say hello to the cover for Fable and Legend!

Designed by the ultra-talented Ashley of Redbird Designs, this cover was very challenging to brief. Unlike Venom and Blaze and City and Shadow, there aren’t many tangible elements that would make good cover material.

However, Ashley came up with the genius idea of using a mirror to symbolise all the Mirrors. The snake represents betrayal – which is a common theme in this story – and the gold coins also feature within the novel.

Fable and Legend will be out soon and I can’t wait to share it with you. This novel was one of my favourites to write and I feel is one of best I’ve written to date. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I’m glad the cover was designed before YALC as it meant I got the chance to design some lovely merch for the occasion.

If you happen to be in London this weekend, come and see me – and grab yourself some merch!

Event: Roz MacLaren appearing at YALC

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I’m so excited to announce I’ll be appearing at YALC – the UK’s Young Adult Literature Convention. The event takes place on 16-17 November at Olympia.

Along with other awesome indie authors, I’ll be in the #InspiringIndies zone and I’ll have my very own stall (with my very own merch!) on the Saturday. So, if you happen to be in London on Saturday 16 November with nothing to do from 3:15pm to 6pm, come and see me.

I had some very gorgeous specially made bookmarks and flyers (that double as bookmarks) – so come over and grab some swag.

I will also be part of the panel event on Saturday – so if you want to hear from me and some truly inspiring authors, pop over and say hello.

As a Scottish independent author, I’m based primarily in the Inner Hebrides – so getting the chance to head down to London for this event is extremely special and I feel very fortunate to be able to come down and share my books with such an amazing audience – and get to meet new authors. I expect to be very starstruck by Neal Shusterman.

How did it come about?

I was feeling very disheartened in October. A combination of factors had made me quite sad and down. I decided to focus my energy into promoting my book and getting better at my craft. So I Googled book conventions to go to and YALC came up. It was the very last day to apply for their #InspiringIndies zone – and I just managed to get in.

What am I most looking forward to?

I can’t wait to check out the stands of other amazing authors. I can’t wait to meet the indies I’ll be sharing the zone with. I am so excited to see Neal Shusterman. And I can’t wait to have a fabulous time and soak up the atmosphere.

Will you be there?

I’ll be signing books, selling books, giving away books, doing a cover reveal for Fable and Legend and getting the chance to meet and chat with authors and readers. Come over and see me.

Venom and Blaze characters and their Myers-Briggs results

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If you haven’t heard of Myers-Briggs, it’s a very insightful personality test. I’m an INFJ-T (otherwise known as a Turbulent Advocate), though I have been known to masquerade is an INTJ. If you don’t know what you are, you can find out here.

One night when I couldn’t sleep, I started wondering what some of the main characters in Venom and Blaze might be categorised at. Would we get on in real life? So I decided to take the test, answering on behalf of my characters. Here are their results:

Venom

Venom came out as ISTP-A, or Virtuoso. Known for making bold choices, they are inquisitive people who like to do things on their own terms, in their own way. I felt this was a perfect fit for Venom’s determined mindset and the way she chooses to overcome her problems.

Venom’s determination allows her to make the best of her situation. Her childhood is achingly lonely and unhappy, but she’s far too stubborn to let that break her.

Blaze

Blaze is an ISTJ-A, or Logistician. A practical problem-solver who find stability through his routine, I feel this is very accurate for Blaze. This personality type is described as reserved, yet wilful, composed, rational and purposeful – all traits Blaze has in the extreme. It’s these traits that enable him not to be broken by his extremely traumatic upbringing.

Viper

Venom’s father, King Viper, came out as ENTJ-A, or a Commander. Described as natural leaders, oozing charisma and confidence, Commanders can also be ruthlessly rational, driven and determined. Viper takes these traits to extreme. His single-minded focus on doing what’s best for his kingdom means he behaves cruelly towards his only daughter. Perhaps in some misguided way believing he really is doing his best. Or perhaps he’s just evil.

Keen to see how these characters react when they’re all mixed together? The Kindle version of Venom and Blaze is on sale at 99p.

CHECK IT OUT

Cover reveal for City and Shadow!

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The blurb and cover for City and Shadow has now been finalised!

As always, Ashley of Redbird Designs did a phenomenal job.

The question I’m sure you’re not asking is “Hang on… City and Shadow is the third in the series, right? So how come we’re seeing the cover for it before Fable and Legend?” It’s an excellent question.

If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you’ll know that City and Shadow was actually the first in the series and intended to be a standalone novel… So after I mucked up the order and wrote not one, but two, prequels, you can understand some confusion arose. Leading to City and Shadow‘s cover being ready before Fable and Legend‘s.

The blurb

“At first, they tried to co-exist. The Good and their Mirror. The firstborn and the twin that emerged immediately after…”

In a world where every person has a Mirror twin capable of doing only bad things, Quiver is the only one born Mirrorless. Along with his best friend, City, the two must navigate a society ruled by a tyrannical queen and threatened by a dangerous rebel. And, when City’s Mirror escapes from her island prison, a chain of events is set in motion that thrusts Quiver, City and her Mirror into a dangerous struggle for power and survival.

The cover

Ready to find out what happens to Venom and Blaze now they’re all grown up? Venom and Blaze is essentially their origin story – but City and Shadow is when they truly embrace their dark sides.

Venom is now queen and still has spiders and snakes at her command.

Fable, too, is all grown up and makes a major appearance in the story. (I can’t say too much more without giving away some important stuff!)

I know I’m not really allowed to have favourites, but I do have a soft spot for City and Shadow. City is a very special character for me and I hope you love her, Shadow and Quiver as much as I do. I can’t wait for you to meet them all next year!

What 2025 releases are you most excited for?

Grab Venom and Blaze for 99p!

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The Kindle version of Venom and Blaze is on sale this October for .99p!

GET YOUR COPY!

What better way to celebrate the upcoming release of Fable and Legend than an autumn sale? So, if you’ve been eyeing up the first in the series, now’s your chance to snag it at a bargain price.

Here’s a reminder of the blurb:

“During a time when unicorns roamed free and dragons cast shadows across the sun, the wise men and women of the land told stories of a troubled future. The legends whispered of a time when every baby born would be blonde, genial and entirely Good. But straight after it would emerge a baby with black hair, dark eyes – and an entirely different nature. They would be called Mirrors, and nobody would know from whence they came or what to do with them once they arrived.”

Venom wants a normal life where no one can tell her what to do, especially her father, King Viper.

Blaze wants to be free, after all, he has been imprisoned in a dungeon since he was a baby.

Thorn wants to get the girl, which is a shame, because the girl has other things on her mind.

At least one of them is going to be disappointed.

In other news…

I finished my WIP sci-fi novel, set on the Isle of Skye, yesterday. Unlike with most novels, I buried myself straight in edits right away. I usually let my books sit, but somehow I didn’t want to break momentum with this one. There’s a host of characters I think you’ll love, along with a couple of villains.

I have no idea if this will ever see the light of day, but the first step towards future publication is getting it into a place where I’m happy with it.

With the days getting darker, it’s the perfect time for writing and reading. And, if you’re looking to add to your TBR list, let me remind you (again) that Venom and Blaze can be yours on Kindle for .99p!

If you do happen to download and read it, it would mean so much if you could pop a review on Amazon. After 50 reviews, Amazon will then promote Venom and Blaze to others and the effect of this for indie authors is not to be underestimated! Thank you for all your support!

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Why you might find errors in indie authors’ work

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You’re reading the latest novel from a new author, who has either been published by a small indie press or gone down the self-publishing route. You’re enjoying the tale when, shock, horror! You find an error.

Before immediately rushing onto Goodreads or Amazon to leave a scathing review, let’s take a look at why you might find errors in indie authors’ works and what you should do about it.

Why are there occasional errors in books?

The author has a smaller team behind them

They haven’t been published by the Big Five* and they don’t have as many eyes on their books. Does this mean they haven’t spent hours combing through it? No, it does not. It means that, despite their best efforts and the best efforts of their team, a few mistakes slipped through the net.

*However, even books that did have a larger team and even books published by the Big Five have errors in them. Unfortunately, it happens.

What should you do about it?

Speak to the author

Notice I say ‘Speak to the author’, not ‘Immediately write a vitriolic email berating the author’. My recommendation would be to approach the author and ask if they would like to know about some errors you may have found. This is particularly useful if you’ve got your hands on an ARC as it may not be too late to fix those mistakes. However, even if the book is published, it might still be reaching out to the author. They may be able to release a second edition… or even explain away some inconsistencies in the book in the series.

Become an ARC or beta reader

If you have an eye for detail, why not put your skills to use? Indie authors will appreciate you signing up for advanced reading copies and letting them know your thoughts on their work. You could even take it a step further and become a developmental editor.

What errors don’t mean

They definitely don’t mean the author hasn’t spent months on this book, giving their very best to it. And they definitely don’t mean the book necessarily warrants a bad review. As an indie author, I can guarantee you every book I write was given huge amounts of care and attention. I created the very best book I could at the time. Are any of them perfect? No. There are definitely typos I wish I’d caught and little details I missed that should have been changed. But did I give it my level best? Absolutely.

If you really feel occasional errors distract from the storyline, perhaps sticking to books published by the Big Five is the way to go for you.

That being said, I would like to one day put together a list of all the errors my editor and my team caught, especially if they’re funny, and have them as a sort of bloopers roll at the end of a book one day. Or perhaps they could make a blog post in their own right!

What are your thoughts on errors in books? Does it put you off reading?

What to read while you’re waiting for Fable and Legend to be released

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Fable and Legend is due out this autumn – but there’s still time to finish up your summer reads. If you are excited for the second instalment in The Mirrordom Legends, chances are you like dark fantasy – so here are a few books to get stuck into until Fable and Legend comes out!

Powerless by Lauren Roberts.

9/10.

This book was getting so much praise on BookTok and Bookstagram that I had to check it out. If you haven’t already read it, it’s definitely worth picking up. I’m excited to see how the rest of the series develops.

Of Kingdoms and Curses by Amy Woodruff.

10/10.

I received an ARC of this fantastic book, but it’s since been released. I wrote a full review but the short version is this was a thoroughly enjoyable escape into a magical world.

A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olsen.

I must admit, I haven’t read this one yet but it’s on my TBR and I found the synopsis rather arresting. I’ll likely write a full review once I do read it.

In The Days Before by Renée Shantel.

10/10.

Once again, I had an ARC of this book and can thoroughly recommend this twisty mystery. It’s due out on 23 October. I’ve written a full review on this amazing novel as well, but I can’t praise it enough.

Foiled Stars by Jennifer Ascienzo.

10/10.

I was fortunate enough to receive the entire Foiled Stars trilogy as ARCs. The first two are both available to buy now and the third is due out in September. I really enjoyed the escapism of this series and Jennifer’s writing style very much lends itself to people with busy schedules who still want to progress through their books. I’ve written three full reviews, but I would definitely recommend anyone who likes sci-fi to check them out.

Venom and Blaze by Roz MacLaren.

I was just about to hit publish on the blog when I realised I had forgotten the obvious! Before diving into Fable and Legend it will make sense to check out the first in the series, Venom and Blaze. While The Mirrordom Legends is a series that can make sense with each book read in isolation, each story will weave together to create a complete picture. So I would definitely recommend starting with Venom and Blaze first – as one of the side characters in that story is getting a whole novel dedicated to her adventures in Fable and Legend.

Here’s what another amazing author had to say about my book on Amazon:

“I finished reading in one sitting — both because the book is the perfect length for a lazy Sunday afternoon, and because I was absolutely captivated by the story. I’d intended to start it, to put it down when I went to bed, and pick it up again after work tomorrow. Instead, I devoured it start to finish with only a short break in between for dinner.

I loved everything about this book. The concept of the Mirrors was fantastic. The world-building was simple but well done, so I never once felt bogged down by it. The characters were phenomenal, and the twists! The turns! Every time I thought I knew what was coming, I was wrong. There were so many surprises waiting just over the page that I was almost afraid to turn them!

I NEED more of this series. I need to know what’s going to happen to these characters.

10/10 would forego sleep to finish reading this again!”

As always, if you do read a book, especially by an indie author, I can testify first-hand to how deeply appreciated that will be. So, if you enjoy any of my recommendations, I’d love to hear your thoughts and read your reviews.

Inspiration for Venom and Blaze’s setting

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Venom and Blaze takes place in a fantasy world called Mirrordom. The area is split into distinct regions based on geographical features – such as the Sealands, the Heatherlands and the Cavelands. I thought it would be fun to take a look at the real-life locations that inspired some of the settings in Venom and Blaze.

Mirrordom

It’s never explicitly stated in the books (and it never will be) but Mirrordom, in my head, is Scotland. The range of scenery in Scotland can be dramatically different even over a relatively small region. So I took inspiration from Scotland’s mountains, moorlands, coastal regions and islands to create the setting for my series.

Mirror Island

Mirror Island is a location that won’t be properly developed until the fourth book at the earliest. However, it’s a location that is frequently mentioned in all of the books. It’s the place where all the Mirror babies are banished to. Given the population of the Good, we can determine that Mirror Island must be quite sizeable.

Mirror Island, for me, is based on the Scottish Isle of Skye – large enough to house a generous population of Mirrors and with a varied terrain from beaches, rocky coastlines, mountain ranges, moorlands, bogs and forests.

The Castle

King Viper’s castle is one of the few places not inspired by something Scottish.

Mont Orgueil Castle or Gorey Castle on Jersey CI formed the basis for the Venom’s home. All of the book was written on the Isle of Jersey, so it made sense that some island inspiration crept into the book.

A small section in the novel describes Venom spending many a happy hour reading in the courtyard of the castle and this particular scene was based on an hour or so I spent in castle courtyard basking in the gorgeous sunshine surrounded by very cute lizards and reading on my Kindle.

Are the locations that inspired Venom and Blaze‘s setting similar to how you pictured them in your head? I’d love to hear how you imagined the places.

Venom and Blaze is available now.

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