Roz Maclaren

Teen Fiction with a Dark Twist

Mirrordom

Pre-order Fable and Legend!

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Fable and Legend will be released on 28 January! I can’t wait to share Fable’s story with you and introduce you to a host of new characters. Here’s how you can pre-order the book.

Amazon

Pre-order either the Kindle version or the paperback copy.

PRE-ORDER ON AMAZON

Barnes and Noble

Pre-order the digital version at Barnes and Noble.

PRE-ORDER ON BARNES AND NOBLE

Goodreads

You can also pre-save Fable and Legend on Goodreads.

SAVE ON GOODREADS

What’s the book about?

Here’s a reminder of the synopsis. The story follows Fable, one of The Five, on her quest to find her Good twin. Along the way, she meets a boy who can read minds and has to help him evade people who want him dead.

“The beast is out of the cage. And she thirsts for vengeance.”
In the world of Mirrordom, secrets lurk like shadows. For every child that’s born is entirely Good, unable to kill, steal or lie. But immediately after it appears a Mirror twin, capable of only bad things.
Fable, a Mirror girl with a twisted past, dares the impossible: to find her Good twin. Along the way, she meets Cobalt, a mind-reader with secrets of his own. As alliances shift and betrayal beckons, can Fable protect Cobalt from someone who wants to kill him? Or will the darkness consume them both?

Giveaway

I’ll also be running a giveaway on my Instagram and TikTok when I get my author copies. Be sure to follow me so you don’t miss it!

Where should you review the book?

I’m so excited to hear your opinions on Fable and Legend. You can leave me a review on Amazon and Goodreads – I’ll be thrilled to hear from you whether you love or hate the book!

Mirrordom characters make New Year’s Resolutions

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I’ve always enjoyed making New Year’s Resolutions. As with most things, I take it far too seriously and always make a note in my diary of the previous year’s resolutions, how I did with them and what I aim to achieve this year. I like the idea of constant self-improvement (not that I’m very good at it!) and I find having written resolutions make me hold myself more accountable.

However, the subject of New Year’s Resolutions got me thinking: what would the Mirrordom characters resolve to do? Let’s find out.

Venom

“I resolve to overthrow my father, the king, and take the throne.”

(A nice, modest, achievable goal then, Venom?!)

Blaze

“I resolve to escape from the dungeon I’ve been imprisoned in and get revenge.”

King Viper

“I resolve to conquer the world.”

(Megalomania runs in the family, then?)

Fable

“I resolve to find my Good twin.”

Cobalt

“I resolve to make as much money as possible.”

(Money doesn’t bring happiness, Cobalt.)

Roz

Clearly, I’m not a character in The Mirrordom Legends. But I thought I’d share a quick snippet of my goals this year as an author.

I would love to get my books into a physical bookshop.

I would love to return to YALC, this time with three of my books to sell, not just one.

I would love to have some more of the books I’ve written accepted for publication.

I would love to keep on writing. (That’s not really something I can help! I have an avalanche of ideas and not enough time to write them all down!) However, I do have a few YA novels completed that I would love to see published.

I would love to get my first Middle-Grade novel out there. I recently completed a Middle-Grade fantasy adventure novel and I’m currently very smitten with it. As someone who writes dark YA stories, it’s been an interesting change of pace to write something less intense for a younger audience.

Lastly, I would love to keep up my routine of regular exercise and drinking enough water. Getting lost in fantasy worlds wreaks havoc on that, so I need to make exercise and hydration a priority for 2025.

Do you bother with New Year’s Resolutions or do you think they’re a waste of time? Let me know in the comments.

Meet the characters in Fable and Legend

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Fable and Legend, the second book in my YA fantasy series, The Mirrordom Legends, is out soon – so it seemed like an appropriate time to introduce you to some of the characters you’ll be meeting (some of whom you already know from Venom and Blaze!)

All the books in my series are set in a world where humanity is divided into Good and Mirrors. As their name suggests, the Good are unable to lie, steal or kill – but their Mirror twin can do all those things and more. To protect the world, the Mirrors are taken from their mothers at birth and kept on Mirror Island, where they can’t hurt anyone. The souls of the twins are so bound up in each other that to kill a Mirror would kill their Good twin – so it would be impossible to simply eliminate the Mirrors without eliminating all the Good too.

I know a lot of you are waiting to hear what happens to Venom and Blaze after the events of the first book. However, you’ll have to wait until the third book (City and Shadow) to see what happens to Venom and Blaze.

The setting

Fable and Legend is set directly after the events of the first book and follows Fable, one of The Five Mirrors who were imprisoned in the dungeons of King Viper’s castle. Now, all of The Five have escaped and are navigating an unfamiliar world they’re entirely unprepared for.

Most of the action in this book takes place either in taverns, in a farmhouse or in the infamous Glittering City, renowned for its decadence and wealth.

The characters

Fable

Fable, who occasionally goes by Elegance when she wants to be incognito, is trying her best to blend in and pretend to be Good. She’s making it her mission in life to track down her Good twin, Legend. Fable is clever and resourceful, but also innocent and naïve. She struggles to make sense of the world around her, having been imprisoned in a dungeon since she was a baby. Can she trust the people around her? Will finding her family help her find herself?

Cobalt

The boy who can read minds. Cobalt doesn’t believe in prophecies (even though there’s one about him) and all he wants to do is make money, live richly and capitalise on his abilities. Shortly after crossing paths with Fable, he realises he can use her in his nightly cons. However, after an enemy from the past shows up and someone tries to kill him, Cobalt realises he needs Fable to protect him while he figures out who wants him dead and why.

Legend

Legend is Fable’s twin – and she’s nothing like Fable imagined. The happy-ever-after, fall-into-each-other’s-arms meeting never happened. In fact, if anything, Legend seems unnaturally hostile towards Fable. Just what secrets is Legend hiding? And can Fable ever bridge the chasm that lies between them and truly connect with her twin?

Ballad

Ballad is an old friend from Cobalt’s past – who isn’t acting like a friend at all. She wants revenge for something that happened when they were both fifteen – and she’ll stop at nothing to get it.

There’s also going to be a surprise appearance from another of The Five, who shows up in a most unexpected manner – but I can’t say any more than that!

Which character do you think you’ll relate to most? Driven, confident Cobalt? Determined, stubborn Fable? Or someone else entirely? Let me know in the comments which character you’re most intrigued to meet.

Venom and Blaze: free on Kindle!

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Fancy some dark and twisted holiday reading this season? The Kindle version of Venom and Blaze (and loads of other indie books) is currently free.

The Indie Author Winter Wonderland event runs from 6th December to 9th December, so don’t miss your chance to download Venom and Blaze for free!

The event showcases various indie books, either free or reduced, so it’s a fantastic chance to stuff your Kindle full of goodies.

DOWNLOAD THE KINDLE VERSION
CHECK OUT THE INDIE AUTHOR WINTER WONDERLAND

Venom and Blaze is the first in my series, The Mirrordom Legends. Now is the perfect time to check it out as the second in the series, Fable and Legend, is due out very soon. Here’s the blurb for Venom and Blaze. (Be sure to check out the trigger warnings before you dive in – it’s not suitable for arachnophobes and it does contain violence and lots of childhood trauma.)

“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.

Venom and Blaze is also FREE on Smashwords, where you can download the .epub version. Smashwords are running their 2024 end-of-season sale, where multiple titles are discounted or free altogether.

CHECK IT OUT

If you do snag a copy of Venom and Blaze, it would mean a lot if you left a review on Amazon or Goodreads! Even if you hated it, I’d still like to know. Constructive feedback is always welcome.

Proofing Fable and Legend

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Over a thousand miles. Eight trains. Multiple hotels. Two action-packed days. YALC 2024 is over.

I’ll be blogging about the experience more, but I wanted to share some more exciting news: Fable and Legend took another step closer to publication day! When I got back, the proof copy was waiting for me.

What happens next?

It’s my job to go through the printed book to triple-check everything. This is a very important part of the proofreading and editing process and, at this point, I usually ask my early readers to let me know if they’ve spotted anything too. It’s amazing what can slip through the cracks!

Promoting Fable and Legend

Fable and Legend is one of my favourite books in the series. I love the character interplay and growth and the way Fable develops from a quiet, uncertain young girl to a woman who takes control of her own destiny and makes tough decisions.

The book is dedicated to everyone who ever had to make impossible choices. I hope Fable’s story will resonate with you all.

Many lovely readers will have picked up Venom and Blaze at YALC, so I’m looking forward to when they’re ready to read Fable and Legend.

The blurb

“The beast is out of the cage. And she thirsts for vengeance.”
In the world of Mirrordom, secrets lurk like shadows. For every child that’s born is entirely Good, unable to kill, steal or lie. But immediately after it appears a Mirror twin, capable of only bad things.
Fable, a Mirror girl with a twisted past, dares the impossible: to find her Good twin. Along the way, she meets Cobalt, a mind-reader with secrets of his own. As alliances shift and betrayal beckons, can Fable protect Cobalt from someone who wants to kill him? Or will the darkness consume them both?

I’ll be back very soon with an update of when Fable and Legend is ready to pre-order! In the meantime, back to editing!

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!

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?