Roz Maclaren

Teen Fiction with a Dark Twist

Mirrordom

Venom and Blaze release day

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Venom and Blaze is officially released today!

You can now buy both the print copy and the Kindle version online.

Venom and Blaze is a book that has quite a special place in my heart. As you may know if you follow my chaotic ramblings on the blog, it was originally written after what was meant to be the first book in The Mirrordom Legends. However, one throwaway line uttered by Venom in what is now the third book and I knew I had to tell her story.

I also wrote most of this book in a ten-day stay on the Channel Islands, one of my favourite places in the world.

What other people are saying

I had a lovely review from an ARC reader posted on my Goodreads and wanted to share it with you here. I really appreciated this review since it was obvious the reader understood exactly what I meant to convey.

The giveaway is now closed

I went live over on Instagram to reveal who won the giveaway and I posted the recipient their prize today. I plan to host other giveaways in future (Fable and Legend comes out this autumn, so stay tuned for that), so make sure to follow me on Instagram if you don’t already.

I’m now a published author!

I’ve wanted to be traditionally published since I was old enough to know what books are. To actually have that dream come true is something I don’t take for granted. I’m so grateful to my publisher for taking a risk on a brand-new, wannabe author. And for everyone who has been an ARC reader, bought the book, left a rating, written a review, liked a post, commented on my socials, read my blog and generally been supported: THANK YOU! This means more than you can imagine.

A huge thank you also goes out to my mother, who taught me how to read and write in the first place. Thanks, Mum.

What’s next?

Fable and Legend comes out in the autumn – which means going through the whole process outlined in my What’s Involved In Writing A Book series of blog posts. That includes editing, working with the designer on a cover, promoting and more. I’m very proud of Fable and Legend and I hope you love the characters in that book as much as I do.

Meanwhile… what are you waiting for? Go and check out Venom and Blaze!

READ THE BOOK

Win a signed copy of Venom and Blaze!

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My complimentary author copies of Venom and Blaze arrived yesterday! To celebrate, I’m running a giveaway over on my Instagram page.

The competition runs until Venom and Blaze‘s official release day: July 16. So make sure you get over to my Instagram account and follow the instructions so you can be in with a chance to win.

I’ve also been advised that, for those of you who have ordered hard copies, they’ve already been received! I’m looking forward to hearing what you all think of my debut novel.

Some of my ARC readers have already left me feedback and reviews on Goodreads – which is so lovely.

Want to read it for yourself?

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The boring (but necessary) bits

  • Sadly, the competition is open to UK residents only. Sorry, everyone else!
  • Entrants need to be over 18, as the book contains several trigger warnings. Please familiarise yourself with them first as Venom and Blaze isn’t going to be for everyone.
  • By entering, you agree to supply with me a postal address so I can send the prize on. More information on how I use your data can be found in my privacy policy.

Pre-order Venom and Blaze!

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Venom and Blaze is now available to pre-order! It will be released on July 16.

About time! Where can I order?

Here are all the places you can place your order:

AMAZON
BARNES AND NOBLE
SMASHWORDS
KOBO

I’ve forgotten what the book is about. Remind me?

Here’s a reminder of the synopsis:

For anyone using an e-reader, the synopsis is typed below.

“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.

Will you be hosting a giveaway?

I’m glad you asked. I certainly will. I’m planning to host a giveaway on my Instagram, so keep your eyes peeled for that nearer the release date.

Once I’ve read the book, where can I review it?

Reviewing books makes such a difference to authors. I’d especially appreciate it if you left a review on Amazon, but you can also review on Goodreads. Even if you hated the book, I’d be interested in your opinion. I understand my book is definitely not for everyone. I saw another writer say a good review lets them know what they did well and a bad review teaches them what to work on. So I take the same approach.

Writing the fourth book in The Mirrordom Legends

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I’m currently writing the fourth book in The Mirrordom Legends. It’s still a work in progress and there’s a lot to do but this book is set almost entirely on Mirror Island and will explore what goes on there.

I had a lot of questions about the Mirrors’ culture and how they rule themselves. What laws do they have? What is the island like? Why can’t they just swim off and escape?

All these questions will be answered in the fourth book.

Who are the main characters?

The female main character is Flame, a Mirrorless girl who discovers she’s not who she thought she was when she’s able to defend her sisters and kill a wild boar that’s about to hurt her family. This event prompts Flame to realise that, based on her blonde hair and ability to kill, she must be Mirrorless. But who are her parents?

The male main character is Phoenix, a Mirror who has a very traumatic experience in the second chapter. I can’t reveal too much about it, but it sparks a terrible chain of events in motion.

Our villain is called Vex, which I think is a perfect name for a villain and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. Writing villains is, for me, often more fun than writing the main characters. It allows me to get creative with my imagination and writing about a character that’s truly despicable is often really enjoyable.

How long will the series be?

At present, I have five books planned in the Mirrordom Legends and I do believe that will be the end of it. I’m not going to say I’ll never write another book about some of the characters or perhaps a prequel, but I don’t have any plans at the moment.

Will any other books, unrelated to Mirrordom be in the pipeline?

I’m currently working on a sci-fi novel set in the year 3034 that I’ve just submitted to a publisher. If it goes anywhere, I’ll be sure to update the blog.

When will the first book in The Mirrordom Legends be out?

Venom and Blaze will be out in July 2024 and I’ll update the Bookshelf page with links on where you can read it.

What’s involved in writing a book: reading the proof copy

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I finally finished working through the proof copy or galley proof of Venom and Blaze. This is my last opportunity to pick up on any errors, so I made sure to go through it very carefully. As expected, I did spot a few mistakes that needed to be fixed ahead of it taking on its final form.

After this, I’ll be trying to organise ARCs and book tours and promotion ahead of the book’s release date.

The proof copy

Up until the moment I held it in my hands, it didn’t feel quite real. As if my publisher was going to jump out and go “Oh, by the way, it was all a prank. We don’t really want it after all.” (Ridiculous, I know!) But now it’s all starting to sink in that, in a very short time, the book will be out in the world.

I will be doing a few giveaways and organising some ARCs, although that will likely be only available for download at this stage. Would you be interested in an ARC? If so, drop me a line or comment below.

What I’ve learned from the journey so far

I didn’t appreciate just how long the process of creating a book actually is. Of course, I knew writers didn’t just churn out a book in a short time and have it ready for the shelves the next day. But there’s a whole world of activity going on behind the scenes – from the very first moment you finish the first draft to even after the book goes on sale. From editing to promotion, there’s always something to do – particularly if the hope is to become a full-time author.

What else has been happening?

I also took the plunge and sent my un-related stand-alone novel off to a publisher. It will likely be around 12 weeks (minimum) until I hear back, but I’ll keep you posted.

The Mirrordom Legends continue, as I’m currently writing the fourth book in the series. It has a working title of Flame and Phoenix and much of the action is set on the infamous Mirror Island. I wanted to explore the culture a bit more and answer some questions I myself had about how the Mirrors regulate themselves, control the population and establish some degree of control over their own destinies.

Venom and Blaze will be available this summer, with Fable and Legend following in the autumn. City and Shadow will be out in 2025 (and you’ll get to see how Venom and Blaze turned out as adults!)

Cover reveal for Venom and Blaze!

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I’m so excited to reveal the cover for Venom and Blaze!

Created by the amazing Ashley of Redbird Designs, this cover absolutely exceeded my expectations. I love the simple, striking design and the opulent gold colours.

And, of course, no book cover for Venom and Blaze could be complete without a few spiders here and there. Ashley cleverly came up with the idea of having a spider in the letter O, which I think adds a lovely touch.

For any independent authors or self-publishing authors, I can absolutely recommend working with Ashley. She created an amazing profile that required minimal tweaks and simply blew me away.

My advice for authors briefing cover designers

Take the time to put together the details

Your designer won’t have read your book, so they can only work with what you give them. That means you need to get down to the granular details, including what colour eyes your characters have.

What sort of details do you need to give your cover artist? These might include (but probably aren’t limited to):

  • the name of your book
  • your pen name, if you have one
  • back cover blurb and any taglines, if you have one
  • the time period your book is written in
  • the genre
  • a detailed description of your main characters
  • any design aspects you do or do not want included
  • any visual inspiration – for example, other covers you really love
  • any input on fonts.

I also included a full, hundred word synopsis with spoilers so Ashley could really get a feel for what was going on in the book.

Be respectful

Your designer is also a creative – and we all know how it feels when someone disparages work we’ve put our heart and soul into. If you need them to make amends, be sure to ask for them politely and clearly. Be as specific as possible.

I couldn’t be happier with how the cover turned out – and I really can’t wait to see what magic Ashley comes up with for Fable and Legend, the second book in the series!

What stage are we at with Venom and Blaze?

I am still waiting for the proof print copy to reach me. As my publisher is in the United States, this is taking a wee while. Once I receive it, I’ll go through it one more time with a fine-tooth comb to check for any errors. I’ll then sign off the errata form, either confirming all is okay or requesting any final tweaks. After that, I’ll be able to confirm the release date and then the countdown begins!

A playlist for Venom and Blaze

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I love it when people take the trouble to put a playlist together for me to listen to. So, my little present to you is a series of songs to listen to while you read Venom and Blaze. Every song has a link (in my head) to the story of one of the characters.

Venom

Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me? – Taylor Swift

Venom is a complex character who has the potential to choose between right and wrong. Her upbringing and situation has made her feel powerless in life and there’s a very clear moment in the story where she has to choose which way she wants to go and whether to to what she knows is right or embrace her darkness.

This song, by Taylor Swift, reminds me of Venom’s personality and the descent of compromising who she is in a desperate bid for survival.

Blaze

Thunder – Imagine Dragons

Blaze is a dreamer who doesn’t fit the mould. Irrespective of the jeering of his contemporaries, he has his own path to forge and he does so with relentless conviction.

This song, by Imagine Dragons, reminds me of Blaze’s fearlessness in the face of all odds.

Thorn

We Could Be So Good Together – The Doors

I can’t say too much about why this is Thorn’s song without giving away some key plot details. Sufficient to say, if you study the lyrics to this song by The Doors, it fits Thorn’s motivation and actions surprisingly well!

Viper

you should see me in a crown – Billie Eilish

Power is what drives Viper – and what better song to celebrate his unhinged actions than with a spot of Billie Eilish?

There are, of course, other characters in the book. Once you’ve read it, I’d love to hear what songs you think would suit their personalities.

What’s involved in writing a book: editing the formatted version

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It was as I suspected. More editing was required.

This time, I was sent the formatted .pdf for review. Lo and behold, I found a handful of tiny errors that had slipped through the first billion edits. (Seriously, was I reading it with my eyes shut the entire time??)

Instead of marking up the .pdf with comments, this time I had to note them down in what was called an errata. Basically, I typed the page number, a short note of what needed fixed in parenthesis, the offending sentence or paragraph and what the correct version should read, with the new bits in a red font.

Once again, I was grateful for writing such a short book. Imagine how many errors there would have been in a longer one. (I’m looking at you, City and Shadow.)

What happens next?

This was my penultimate chance to find errors. My next and final chance will be in the actual physical copy! Yes, my publishers are going to sent me a printed proof to read and I’ll get to hold it in my hands!

At some point after this, I’ll get to work with the designer to create a cover. This is probably the part I’m looking forward to most. Creating the perfect cover was a major factor in why I decided to submit the books to the publisher I did, as I really like their previous examples and their approach in terms of working with the author.

Talking of images, the girl above is very close to how I picture Venom – except Venom probably looks a little more ruthless and she’ll have a ton of spiders with her.

Anything else happening?

Not really. I’m balancing the day job with writing, but I’m constantly plotting for the next novel. I also have a few works in progress, so we’ll see if I can make anything of those.