TWO NEW REVIEWS for THE TATTOOED QUEEN (Book Three of The Tattooed Witch Trilogy)

SO CHECKING AMAZON.COM the other day, I came across these two reviews for the third book of my trilogy, The Tattooed Queen. They were a nice surprise.  With a trilogy, it always feels as if there's a void between each book. This is especially true when the last book is nearly two years to publication following the second. I was beginning to think no one had read The Tattooed Queen to comment.

Here's what the reviews said:

1). by N. Luiken (May 31, 2017), who gave it 4 stars out of 5:

Well-researched historical fantasy. Book Two left off with a cliff-hanger: Joachin in serious peril, he and Miriam separated, Miriam under a spell, and evil Tomas in pursuit. About two-thirds of the book is spent on board ship (or rather three different ships), sailing to the New World. I confess I had trouble getting invested in some of the on-ship plot-lines - I was impatient to arrive. I quite enjoyed the magical landscapes and the new twist on Joachin's powers.

Favorite moment: dolphins!

2). by Chipompompom (June 6, 2017), who gave it 5 stars out of 5:

Due to a busy period of life, I ended up reading this 3rd book over a series of months. Even the long breaks in reading time didn't seem to affect the flow, and I was able to pick right back up with ease. Once again, I was surprised to find myself thinking about these characters in vivid detail while I was going about my day. I would have to remind myself that it was a book I was envisioning and not people I know or have interacted with in real life. This author has a real ability to set the scene and characters and have the whole thing form in your mind quite vividly. My favorite part was the new powers given to the main character. The plot possibilities opened up in such a marvellous way. It really hit me as a genius plot device, and I couldn't wait to see how it would all play out. Great series! I'm already reading it again.

My thanks to the reviewers. I appreciate their comments.

Although it's slightly frowned upon to respond to reviews, I'd like to address the comment made in the first review about two-thirds of the book taking place on board three different ships. When I was doing my research, I was faced with the problem of what to do with my characters for the six weeks it took to travel from the Canary Islands to Jamaica in the mid-1500's. (Believe me, I tightened the plot here as much as possible, and I don't think the book dragged. Lorina Stephens, my editor at Five Rivers, would have been merciless with me if it did. I love her for being the tough editor she is.) I also had to decide what conflicts would occur on those ships, thus, three sub-plots involving Miriam and her gypsy tribe of mostly women, Joachin and the men aboard a slave ship, and Tomas, my Grand Inquisitor with his pet sorceress, Rana, travelling in high style. A lot of the end-story was created in these middle plot lines, including Joachin's magical talents merging, Rana's redemption, and the rivalry between Joachin and Alonso resolving and then dissolving. I also wanted to introduce an entirely different take on the search for the Fountain of Youth. I couldn't have dealt with any of these without the necessary set-up spent at sea.

I welcome additional reviews. If any of you'd like to review the trilogy, drop me a line and we'll talk.

- Susan.

UPDATE: THE TATTOOED QUEEN plus REVIEWS on THE TATTOOED SEER

YUP, THAT'S RIGHT. It's official. I am switching the working title for my third book, The Tattooed Rose, to a more appropriate title, The Tattooed Queen.

Why? Because the more I thought about it, the more 'Queen' fits with what happens to Miriam on Xaymaca, especially considering the voodoo and magic that occur in the book. (For those of you who find such things interesting, Xaymaca is actually the old Taino term for Jamaica). I discussed this change with Lorina, my publisher at Five Rivers, yesterday.

I also broke 100,000 words on the novel, today. I'm about 4/5's of the way through, and am trying to have the first draft ready by March 1, 2015. According to Lorina, the book may not be released until February, 2016. This depends on the edits, of course, but Five Rivers is also doing very well and taking on more projects. According to Lorina's latest blog post, in 2014, Five Rivers expanded from 34 titles to 46. I share that expansion with Dave Duncan, Matt Hughes, fellow editor Ann Marston, and others. (Check out this link, to see what other fantastic writers, Five Rivers carries.)

As for The Tattooed Seer, it's received some great reviews, lately. This is the most recent one I found on Amazon.com by Amanda Neufeld:

"Why Don't People Know More About This Series? Excellent Second Book After an Excellent First.

This is one of my favorite new series! I read the first book last year and was very eager for the second one to come out to see what happens to these fascinating characters. Susan MacGregor is a skilled story teller who has managed to weave fantasy with elements of historical Spanish Inquisition into a compelling and inventive world full of intrigue, peril, and magic. I was a particular fan of the first book for how MacGregor sets up the complexity and intricacies of her well-developed societal milieu. I got lost in this multifaceted world with characters facing danger and adventure. The second book hits the ground running and keeps the momentum up throughout. I often had chills and my only disappointment in the series so far is that I have to wait for the 3rd book to see what happens! This is a very mature read and very rewarding for fans of fantasy who still like to have roots in reality and believability. I definitely recommend this little known gem!"

 And here's another good one from Chipompompom:

"I read the first book in the series last year and loved it. Could not wait for this one to ...

I found this book very fast paced compared to the first in the series. Less introducing of characters and background and more plot and character development. I read the first book in the series last year and loved it. Could not wait for this one to come out. After reading this second book I found myself re-reading both books again so I could re-experience the story in full. I'm sure I will do the same after the third book. The author has a wonderful way of setting a scene and presenting a character so that they stick in your memory. I found myself wanting to go back and re-live how these characters were first introduced, how they first met and also to marvel at the writing which has somehow managed to succinctly implant the setting quite fully developed in my mind. I can't comment on having to read the 1st in order to enjoy the 2nd but I think both are really worth a read."

 Thanks, Amanda and Chipompompom. Both reviewers gave the book Five Stars.

- Susan.

HOW CAN YOU TALK ABOUT TROLLS, WITHOUT FEEDING THEM?

I GREW UP BEING TOLD that if you can't say something nice, you shouldn't say anything at all. I think the original message came from the Disney film, Bambi. My mother used to remind me of Thumper's words often. This post is an awkward one to write, because it's true what they say - you shouldn't feed the trolls, and I may be feeding them. Any mention of them tends to bring them out from their moldy, flesh-encrusted caves, because they smell blood.

I blame the internet and bad parenting. I may be as guilty of bad parenting as the rest. Our society has devolved into a morass of rudeness protected by anonymity. Anybody can bash anybody and get away with it. I wish there was some way to change that. This is my attempt.

Trolls are cowards and bullies. At heart, most of them are unhappy people, frustrated and insecure; they find power and satisfaction in bashing others because they think they can attack with impunity. If you're wondering, yes, I've recently seen some bad reviews for The Tattooed Seer. They sat like little bombs, waiting for me to discover them so they might explode in my face. But here's the thing - in spite of my initial shock and distress, I feel sorry for the people who penned them. I know they stem from a need to lash out. Deep down, these people suffer from their own senses of inability, so they make attempts to cut others down to their size.

It's one thing to pen a thoughtful review. It's another to trash a book because it's not your favorite genre, or because you've read the second book of a trilogy and it makes no sense because you haven't read the first. I'll also add, if you don't like a novel, why scan through the whole thing, unless it's to find fault? If I don't like a book, I set it down and stop reading. I make better use of my time. It also crosses my mind that potentially, these reviews stem from disgruntled writers I may have rejected from the On Spec slush pile. I will never know for sure. But it's a hell of a way to get back at me, if not pretty transparent.

Anyway, as Lorina Stephens, my publisher, tells me, I'm not the only writer who has ever received the odd bad review. Everyone from Joseph Boyden (The Orenda) to Salman Rushdie (The Satanic Verses) has received them, so I am hardly alone. And sometimes, it's the bad ones that generate more interest than the good.

I can only hope readers with any intelligence will see those reviews for what they are - ill thought-out attempts to make somebody who feels small and frustrated feel powerful. If I get any troll-mail as a result of this post, I don't intend to post it. Suzenyms remains a Troll-Free Zone.