2nd Editions of the Tattooed Witch Trilogy, Finally!

The Tattooed Witch Trilogy

 

Well, it took about six months of hair-pulling frustration to learn InDesign, Kindle Create, and the ins and outs of Amazon Publishing, but here are the books of my trilogy, finally. These were first published by Five Rivers Publishing in 2013, 2014, and 2016 respectively; I regained the publishing rights; they're now 2nd editions under my imprint, the Three of Pentacles Press. (More to come from the new imprint too, but I don't want to talk about that, quite yet. I'm still deciding how deep I want to dip my publishing toes.) The trilogy is basically the same, except for a few tweaks (naturally, I couldn't leave well enough alone). 

The Tattooed Witch and The Tattooed Seer e-books include the first few chapters of the next book in the series, so if you haven't read them, those will give you a sense of where the story goes. 

The links are below. If you have a Kindle Unlimited account, you can read the books for free. Yay! :-) Of course, the books are also available as paperbacks.

1. On Amazon.ca: The Tattooed Witch: Book One, The Tattooed Witch Trilogy eBook : MacGregor, Susan: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store
2. On Amazon.com: Amazon.com: The Tattooed Witch: Book One, The Tattooed Witch Trilogy eBook : MacGregor, Susan: Kindle Store
3. On Amazon.ca: The Tattooed Seer: Book Two, The Tattooed Witch Trilogy eBook : MacGregor, Susan: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store
4. On Amazon.com: Amazon.com: The Tattooed Seer: Book Two, The Tattooed Witch Trilogy eBook : MacGregor, Susan: Kindle Store
5.  On Amazon.ca: The Tattooed Queen: Book Three, The Tattooed Witch Trilogy eBook : MacGregor, Susan: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store
6. On Amazon.com: The Tattooed Queen: The Tattooed Witch Trilogy Book 3: MacGregor, Susan: 9781988274171: Amazon.com: Books 

All three books have had good reviews, but as these are 2nd editions and the first editions are no longer available, I can't include those star reviews here. If you'd like to leave a review on Amazon.ca or Amazon.com, I'd appreciate your support. Thank you.  

Currently, I'm in the process of setting up a new website. When that's done, I'll mention it here. 

I'm also back to editing On Spec manuscripts, so I may resurrect Letters to the Slush Pile here, or I may turn them into a YouTube channel. Lots to do. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, stay warm, stay Covid safe, and here's to a happy and fulfilling 2022 for all of us!

All the best! - Susan. 

 

 

THE TATTOOED QUEEN - COVER

I HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT REMISS in my posts these past couple of weeks. Here is the new cover for The Tattooed Queen by Jeff Minkevics. I love how it's in keeping with the theme for both The Tattooed Witch and The Tattooed Seer. I've been very lucky to have been allowed input with all three covers, one of the perks of publishing with Five Rivers Books. I've also completed an interview with my editor, Lorina Stephens, about The Tattooed Queen which I will post here, this coming  Monday (Thanksgiving, here in Canada), so if you're interested, check it out.

As for Thanksgiving, I feel I have so much to be grateful for. The Tattooed Queen is set to be released December 1st (I expect there will be opportunity for pre-orders through Five Rivers and Amazon, etc., although they haven't been posted yet.) I also have a date for my first Edmonton launch at Audrey's Books for December 7th. It will be a joint launch, which I'm sharing with the amazing and talented Ann Marston. Her book, A Still and Bitter Grave, is also through Five Rivers.

Wherever you are, and whenever you celebrate it, have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone!

VOODOO and THE TATTOOED QUEEN, PART THREE - ZOMBIES

Datura Stramonium

THERE ARE A LOT OF ZOMBIE STORIES OUT THERE. In the past ten years (give or take), they've resurfaced and recaptured the public's attention as brain-eating, mindless (or not so mindless) monsters. In previous decades, movies such as I Walked With A Zombie (1943) and Night of the Living Dead (1968) contributed to the popular culture; character origins might have been as early as the 1800's. Theories abound as to why zombie stories are so popular today - anything from a general belief in an inevitable and future dystopia, to a common need for more control in a society where people don't feel they have any. (What better way to experience a sense of control, than to vicariously kill something?)

Truth be told, I don't particularly enjoy zombie-themed stories unless they're well written, and even then, I insist on seeing something authentic (Nalo Hopkinson's Brown Girl in the Ring), or funny (as in Shaun of the Dead). I'll also give a shout-out here to Kristi Charish's Voodoo Killings: A Kincaid Strange Novel, a contemporary fantasy/detective tale, which I also enjoyed. But as for the 'we gotta kill them before they kill us' theme, I can do without the mindless violence that has little in the way of depth. In the minds of many writers and readers, it's become a given that 'zombies eating brains' are what zombies do. It's become a cliché, unless handled with a twist.

So what are zombies really about? An excellent resource is Wade Davis's, The Serpent and the Rainbow, a book to which I referred (among others) to properly depict zombification in The Tattooed Queen. The word zombie (in French, zombi) comes from the Kongo term nzambi, which means 'spirit of the dead'. The process involves a bokor (a sorcerer - one who practices 'with the left hand' or who is willing to commit an evil deed, 'evil' depending upon one's point of view. Many of those who are zombified are actually malefactors themselves, having committed wrongs against members of their own community). To create a zombi, a bokor composes and administers a combination of powdered poisons (coupe poudre) to his victim. Every bokor has his particular recipe, but generally, these powders originate from toxic sources, including the bufo marinus or marine toad, several varieties of puffer or blowfish, millipedes, tarantulas, and noxious plants. The toad and puffers, in particular, are loaded with tetrodotoxins that contribute to paralysis, cyanosis, and, if the victim ingests too much, death. There are several ways to administer the coupe poudre; generally, the poison is rubbed into a wound or inhaled with the target unaware. If the bokor has administered a proper dose, his victim will be pronounced dead, then awaken in his coffin days later, where he'll be given a psychoactive antidote which renders him submissive. He becomes enslaved to the bokor's will.

One incident of synchronicity (that pleased me to no end) while doing this research, was discovering that the antidote to the coupe poudre is Datura (also known as Devil's Snare, Hell's Bells, Jimson Weed, etc. I've depicted it in the upper left-hand corner of this post.) In Haiti, a variety of it (Datura Stramonium) is called the Zombi Cucumber. It causes delirium and counteracts some of the effects caused by the coupe poudre. In the first book of my trilogy, The Tattooed Witch, I introduce Datura as Dartura, a goddess herb which, in small doses heals, but in larger ones causes paralysis. Dartura also plays a role in the second book, The Tattooed Seer, and an even greater one in The Tattooed Queen. I had no idea it would become so important, but sometimes, that's just how the writing goes. (If you're wondering when The Tattooed Queen is going to be released, I've been told by Five Rivers that it will be out this December. Right now, I'm awaiting the galleys.)

I hope you've found these posts about voodoo and zombies interesting. For those of you who are attending the When Words Collide Festival in Calgary, this August 12-14, I'll be reading from The Tattooed Queen on Saturday, 1:00 p.m. in Kananaskis 1, Atrium Building. I'll also be discussing similar topics of interest to the audience (more on zombies, gypsy culture, psychic abilities, etc.), some of which I've covered on this blog. Hope to see you there!

- Susan.

VOODOO and THE TATTOOED QUEEN, PART ONE

Vévé for Damballa

BECAUSE I'LL BE READING from my forthcoming book, The Tattooed Queen at the When Words Collide Festival in Calgary (August 12-14), as well as covering some of my research for it, I thought it might be interesting to post some of my findings, here. Especially in light of zombie popularity, I thought I'd start off with voodoo, or vodou as it's also known in Haiti, being the French term. Voodoo plays a big part in The Tattooed Queen.

But first - a little background about some of the choices I made for the book as a preliminary, before we get to the religion and the magic.

I had always planned for Miriam, my protagonist, to cross the Great Ocean Sea (the Atlantic, as it was first called) in order to settle in the Caribbean or New World. In book two, The Tattooed Seer, one of her love interests - Joachín - is shown a map of a gold mine on Xaymaca (Jamaica, being the island's present-day name.) Xaymaca was an Arawak term meaning 'land of wood and water', the Arawak being the indigenous people of the Caribbean and parts of South America. They were also known as the Taino. (In Queen, I refer to them as the Tain. Interesting how one small thread of research leads to another, isn't it?) Anyway, I decided on Xaymaca (or Jamaica) for book two, because Jamaica actually does have gold which is mined in the Blue Mountains today.

Voodoo isn't just about zombies, and it certainly isn't about 'zombies eating your brain', although that's how it's often portrayed in popular culture. The term vodun from which voodoo derives comes from the Yoruba, a west African tribe, and means 'spirit'. Today, it's a syncretized Afro-Christian faith, or set of faiths. There are different varieties, depending upon where it is practised: Santeria in Cuba, Candomblé in Brazil, Voodoo in New Orleans and America, Vodou in Haiti, and Obeah in Jamaica, where it tends to include more magic.

One of the things I had to consider was what voodoo on Jamaica might have been like back in 1550, when the book is set, and before it melded with Christianity to the extent it has. Because the slave trade was active throughout the Caribbean, with slaves bought and sold, and many escaping horrific conditions, I decided to incorporate both the French and Jamaican versions of voodoo - Voudou and Obeah, to better reflect a melding of African cultures. I used a little creative license in allowing a French presence on Jamaica. One of my key characters, Papa Kodjo, is an escapee from Esbañiola (Hispaniola being the original place name for present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Papa K is also a houngoun or voodoo priest, and honours the lwa or voodoo gods. Another of my characters, a wild girl named Ekua, worships the Obeah pantheon, and Ogun, a machete-wielding warrior orisha, in particular. I hesitate to say the terms lwa and orisha are interchangeable, but they have similar meanings. On her arrival to Xaymaca, Miriam unexpectedly encounters Ekua, who claims that Ogun 'rules her head'. When a lwa 'rules your head' it means that a particular god has chosen you, and that he or she rides or possesses you as and when they choose. This possession is seen as a great blessing by the vodouisants who are ridden. Miriam finds the similarities between Ekua's religion and her own striking (as did I, when I was writing and doing research for the book. Both vévés and tattoos can be magical symbols, opening doors for spirit to enter.)

The vévé, above left, represents Damballa or Damballah Wedo, one of the most important lwa in the pantheon. Damballah is the Sky God, the great serpent who encircles the universe, and who is the creator of all life. Next post, I'll talk a little more about voodoo in general, as well as describe some of the lwa/orisha pantheon.

And yes, eventually we're going to talk about zombies. :-)

NOSE DEEP INTO THE EDITS...PART ONE

IT HAS BEEN SOME TIME since I last posted. I've been nose deep into the final edits for The Tattooed Queen, the third and last book of my Tattooed Witch trilogy. Months ago, I had been under the impression that I had until April or May to finish the manuscript and turn it over to Lorina Stephens, my publisher at Five Rivers Publishing. Not so. The deadline is March 1st. And yes, I will make it, just. I finished the first draft at the end of January, and I've had all of February to whip the manuscript into shape. I would have liked a bit longer to let it 'cook', but I think the book is fine. If it needs more tweaking, Lorina will tell me.

That said, I thought I'd do a two-part post on the kinds of edits I go through when I'm wrapping up a novel. I'm sure any of you who write novels also go through much the same process. The following points are mostly what second draft editing is all about, because that's where the tightening mostly occurs. I wrapped up the first draft of The Tattooed Queen at 130,111 words. Over the past three weeks, I've trimmed out about 10,000 words, which is about right. As well as tightening the prose, I've considered flow, variety, and nuance. Each of these things is important to the final product.

Tightening:

1). Dialogue tags: I tend to replace 'he said' or 'she replied' etc., with a sentence showing the speaker doing something, making a facial expression, or using body language to convey how they are feeling about what is going on. Variety is important, so I'll still fall back on 'he said' etc., where it sounds better, but condensing the dialogue helps with the flow.

2). Simplify: I tend to overwrite in the first draft, so in the second draft, I simplify. For example: "She caught his right hand with her left one," becomes "She caught his hand." Or "She continued to eye him balefully," becomes "She eyed him balefully."

3). Exposition: I trim out most of it. In the first draft, it may seem important, but by the time it's done, it probably isn't. Any sentence, even any phrase that tends to 'explain', is expository. Some of it may be necessary in the description of a setting, for example. Whenever there's a sense of the writer (narrator) sticking her nose in to tell the reader something, the exposition is probably overdone. The bottom line is - don't overdo it. Treat your readers as if they are intelligent people, and trust they will figure things out. You don't need to explain everything.

4). Redundancy: In The Tattooed Seer, I took out a 10,000 word section that no one will ever see. I wasn't happy with it. The scenes were kind of interesting, but they weren't relevant to what I wanted the book to accomplish, and they headed into directions I didn't want to go (strange, how that happens sometimes, yes?) In The Tattooed Queen , there were only a few paragraphs I thought were redundant. Everything in the plot should either move things along, reflect character or motivation. This is especially pertinent in dialogue. (What I deleted from The Tattooed Queen was extraneous 'chatter'. It accomplished nothing.) Every word, every phrase, every bit of dialogue, and every scene in a book needs to be there for a good reason.

All of us have our bad habits. In first drafts, I tend to describe things twice. If I come across a sentence where I've used the conjunction 'and' in describing a character, behavior, or whatever, I trim by choosing only one of the descriptors. Time phrases are also slice and diced. Phrases like 'At that moment' can usually be cut. For example, "At that moment, the door burst open,' reads better as "The door burst open." It's cleaner and more direct. (You see? I could have trimmed that and said, 'It's more direct.' )

Next post, I'll talk about flow, variety, and nuance.

- 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.

RESEARCH FOR 'THE TATTOOED ROSE'

A FRIEND OF MINE RECENTLY ASKED ME HOW MANY WORDS I WRITE A DAY. I told him I didn't want to talk about it. Lately, it seems I've been researching and reviewing all the prior study I have done as I write this next section of The Tattooed Rose. Right now, the setting is on Xaymaca, as Jamaica was originally known. Today, I moved ahead by thirteen words only, which accounts for my grumpiness with my friend's question. I had to rewrite a section to more closely reflect what I think was the mix of the cimarrones, or the run-away slaves, that populated the island in 1550. These people would have been made up of the few Tainos who had not been wiped out by smallpox, as well as slaves from the Yoruba, Fon, Akan, and Igbo tribes of western and central Africa. Plot-wise, I've been trying to make reasonable choices as to how to depict a multi-cultural diaspora and the various religions that come from it. I've been looking into Vodou (which today, is mostly associated with Haiti), Santeria (Cuba), and Obeah, which is Jamaican. It's been an interesting study.

One of the decisions I need to make is whether or not I depict the gods of Obeah as they are known, or if I change their names slightly. I'm inclined to change the names, mainly because I don't want to be disrespectful of any faith. When I originally wrote The Tattooed Witch, I had written it as a rejection of repressive Catholicism and the Spanish Inquisition, but I was never comfortable with that slant, so I changed it to reflect rather than represent. Even if history has shown us terrible things done in the name of organized religion, it doesn't necessarily mean that those who practiced it were all horrible people. Some of them were saints. (I give St. Teresa of Avila as an example). Like people, religion can have both its bad and good elements. It evolves, hopefully for the better.

I thought I'd share a few tidbits of what I've learned lately. Hopefully, these aren't spoilers. A lot of plot can change between the first and final drafts.

Did you know....

1). That today, there are no poisonous snakes on Jamaica? There might have been in 1550. One particular species may have been brought over in hollowed bamboo canes by the Caribs to use as biological weapons against the Taino.

2. Among the Akan people (and others) a child's name is based on the day of the week a child is born, his or her birth order, and special circumstances. There is some thought that Daniel Defoe may have created his character Friday in Robinson Crusoe, by using this device.

3. Like my character Miriam Medina who summoned and communicates with Alonso, a dead High Priest, in the religion of Obeah, Obiu-women interpret the wishes of the dead.

4. Many African peoples, including the Akan, practiced tattooing and scarification known as Adinkra. Some of these marks indicate tribal affiliation.

5. One type of divination is practiced by tossing cowrie shells. These offer 256 different signs known as odu. A simpler type of divination for 'yes/no' answers only, uses four pieces of coconut shell. This is known as the biague oracle.

I'll share more in the weeks to come. This weekend, I'm at the Pure Speculation Festival here in Edmonton, launching The Tattooed Seer on Saturday night. If you're attending, I hope to see you there.

- Susan.

PURE SPECULATION FESTIVAL, NOV. 14 TO 16, 2014

NEXT WEEKEND, I WILL BE ATTENDING THE PURE SPECULATION FESTIVAL, here in Edmonton, at the Ramada Conference Centre. I'm looking forward to it. The theme is The Final Frontier. GoH’s include David Gerrold (who wrote the Star Trek episode The Trouble with Tribbles, writers and gamers, Dave Gross, Dan Riskin, Amber E. Scott, and Skype guest, Samuel R. Delany (yes, I know - Wow!) It’s going to be a great event for so many reasons. Some of the many panel topics include Indie Game Development, the Science of Superheroes, the Mars Race, Alternative Sexualities, Dystopian Fiction, and so on. There will also be readings by local authors (and others) including myself. If you'd like to take a look at what more the schedule includes, check out this link: Pure Speculation Schedule of Events.
 
I am involved in two events: On Spec and Tyche Books are launching On Spec’s 25^th Anniversary Anthology on Saturday from 1:15 to 2:45 (in the Millenium Falcon Room). If you’re attending, please join us to celebrate 25 years of great stories by great writers, and a great magazine.

The other event is a Saturday night Group Launch I am sharing with my fellow writers Ann Marston, Barb Galler-Smith, Eileen Bell, and Amber Scott. I'm not sure yet of the time or room location, but once I find out, I will update it, here. The website blurb advertising the launch reads as follows:

On Spec editors, Ann, Barb, Eileen, and Susan, along with Guest of Honour, Amber E. Scott, will take us across time and space and show us how magical the world of words can be. And there will be entertainment. We’ve heard rumours that Amber is considering singing show tunes from the 1960s, Eileen has talked about doing a dog bath demonstration to the tune of Jaws, Susan is considering dancing a Bulerias por Fiesta from Jerez, Barb will finally demonstrate her keen ability to mimic the face of a guanaco and the call of a peacock, and Ann will knit a sweater in under 90 seconds while yodeling Carmen.

All right, so we’re pretty sure these are just rumours, and they won’t be doing any of that. But, they will be reading from their latest novels, and there will be door prizes and refreshments for all. Come and listen, relax, and chat among friends.

I will be launching and reading from the second book of my The Tattooed Witch trilogy, The Tattooed Seer (Five Rivers Publishing). Eileen is launching her debut novel, Seeing the Light (Tyche Books), Ann will be reading from her latest novel, King of Shadows (also Five Rivers Publishing), and Barb will read from her last novel in her Druids trilogy, Warriors (Edge Books). I'm not sure what Amber is reading. When I find out, I will also post it here, or maybe we'll just let her surprise us. As well as short readings from each of us, there will be plenty of time for socializing, so if you are attending, please be our guest!

And of course, we will have books for sale. Our covers are featured below:

Hope to see you there!

- Susan.

UPDATE ON 'THE TATTOOED ROSE'

I'M JUST OVER 75,000 WORDS in the first draft of The Tattooed Rose. It's been a struggle. I go through this every time I hit the middle of a first draft. The end is not yet in sight, and I have a lot of ground to cover. The thing that helps me most is to not be daunted by the huge task it seems, but to focus on what I need to accomplish scene by scene, to get me to those major plot points I had constructed in my head so long ago.

When I had this great idea for the trilogy, the last book, The Tattooed Rose, was the most sketchy in terms of what I wanted to accomplish. I knew how the story would end, which translates into - these major things need to happen, and I'll figure out how to get there as I go along.  Well, I'm now hitting 'getting there' and dealing with 'going along'.

I have said this on Suzenyms before, that this book has been the biggest challenge for me to write. That's been an understatement. I have had to learn a lot about the 1550's, the slave trade, Trans-Atlantic shipping, New World Exploration, the major political players involved (Spain, England, Portugal, France), piracy and privateering, Caribbean history, geography and gold sources, old and new world plants, transplanted West African religions (modern-day voodoo, the gods, houngans and bokors, etc.). Even though the trilogy is based on an alternate world, I need it to be reflective of our own.

I'm not complaining. I love learning about all of this stuff and applying it. But it has been an effort and at times, I wonder if I've bitten off more than I can chew. I've also run into things I didn't expect. I've had to create certain characters to push the plot where I want it to go, and it's not just a matter of making them up. (Who would have thought that I'd have to research West African names specific to a particular area of Nigeria and the Bight of Benin, for slaves from opposing tribes?) Or, that old secondary characters I thought would not be major players become so in The Tattooed Seer, and even more so in The Tattooed Rose? And finally, that this last book would enter into some very strange environments and head spaces - even for me.

It's not the trilogy I expected to write, entirely.

But therein lies the discovery of it. When I am finally done, I hope it will be everything I had envisioned and more.

I am under contract for three books. I'm looking forward to fulfilling that goal and bringing the trilogy to its logical conclusion. But I am also toying with the idea of a fourth book that takes place ten years later. In the meantime, I will continue to work on Rose, and wrap up the trilogy as best I can.

- 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.

A LENDER NOR A BORROWER BE....

A SHORT WHILE AGO, I was having dinner with some friends, non-writers, who I care for and who care about me. One of them asked how sales for The Tattooed Witch and The Tattooed Seer were going. They had read the first book and were looking forward to reading the second. In jest, I replied, "Oh, the books are selling like hot-cakes."

"Really?" they asked.

"No, not really," I said. "I wish." I went on to explain that because my publisher was a small Canadian press (and an excellent one, I might add - this post is no criticism of Five Rivers), it also meant that I had to rely on mostly my own efforts to promote the books and that sales were steady but slow. Small presses do not have the cash flow to spend on promotion that the larger publishers do. Plus, there are many books out there from which readers can choose.

My friends nodded in sympathy, and then one of them offered to 'lend' my book to the other. They were happy to share the book with each other, as if they were doing me a favour. I sat there and said nothing. I had just finished talking about slow sales, and instead of thinking of buying a copy of my latest novel, my one friend promised the other to lend her the book. They thought they were giving me their support.

I was annoyed. I still am, whenever this occurs. There is an underlying belief out there that books are free, that readers pay the writer a compliment by reading their work. I suppose it's because we forget that other forms of entertainment, like television, seem to be free even though we pay for them via cable, Netflix, or whatever. Readers can finish a book in two days. They don't realize the amount of work that goes into creating a novel - years, before a writer may be technically good enough to produce a solid piece of work.

Nobody owes me a living, and nobody asked me to devote my life to writing. I have been fortunate enough to do that, blessed with the talent and tenacity to earn some acclaim and publishing success. But devoting my life to a creative effort has also meant I've lived with less financial security than I like. Many artists do. It's what we give up to be who we are. Few of us reach those heady heights where we earn six figure salaries. If not for my spouse who supports me, I would be a member of  'the artistic poor', as many other writers, musicians, painters, dancers, and actors are.

For those who think I complain of nothing, let me ask you this: would you expect a surgeon to perform surgery on you without pay? Or a plumber to unplug your pipes for free? If you argue that these things are necessary, that the arts do not fall under the same practical requirements, then imagine a world that provides you with no entertainment, a life without television, movies, books, or any kind of story. What a dull and uninteresting place it would be.

I am one of those who contributes to the world's imagination and colour. The reviews of my books have been excellent. Maybe it is worth paying for books, after all. The cost of a novel isn't so much, and it goes a long way to telling the author you appreciate what they do, that you recognize the importance of a bigger world than what the ordinary day-to-day offers. Yes, it's nice that readers are reading our work, but please - support the writers you know by buying their books instead of lending them or, even worse, by pirating them. After all, you'd spend the same on a novel that you might on lunch. Even less money, if you have an e-reader like a Kindle.

- Susan.

REVIEWS for THE TATTOOED WITCH and THE TATTOOED SEER

I DON'T GENERALLY POST REVIEWS OF MY BOOKS (come to think of it, I don't think I have yet here on Suzenyms), but I couldn't resist these two. They were completely unexpected. The first review is by Steve Stanton on the 49th Shelf, as a recommendation for September reading:

Steve Stanton picks The Tattooed Witch, by Susan MacGregor

"This debut fantasy novel by accomplished Canadian editor Susan MacGregor is set during the historical period of the Spanish Inquisition when women lived without basic civil rights and were treated as chattel. The author has a gift for engaging empathy from the reader with a simple narrative style.

The story begins dramatically with a young seer falsely accused of murder and destined for torture and death at the hands of corrupt papist minions, then begins to conjure a thematic ballet of primitive European spirituality and unrequited love. It's a dance of life revolving around a gypsy tribe known as the Diaphani, who have magical powers of divination in their bloodline, worship the goddess Lys, and believe in an afterlife of ghosts and demons. Hounded by the orthodox Church, the Diaphani make an annual pilgrimage by caravan to a secret sanctuary in the hills for ceremonies of prophetic appointment and cultural restoration.

The Tattooed Witch explores and satisfies the innate human longing for arcane knowledge and forbidden revelation with strong elements of romance, revenge, and reconciliation."

Steve Stanton is the author of a Canadian sci-fi trilogy, The Bloodlight Chronicles, and is the former president of Canada's national association of science fiction and fantasy authors. You can find him on Twitter @SFStanton.

And here's the Amazon.com review by Greg McKitrick, regarding The Tattooed Seer:

"I’ll begin this review with a caution. Susan MacGregor’s The Tattooed Seer is a sequel to last year’s The Tattooed Witch. I read the latter about a year ago, and even with that relatively short period of time, I found myself struggling at times to remember the back story. So, if you have not read The Tattooed Witch,  read it first. It’s a wonderful book and will greatly enhance your enjoyment of the The Tattooed Seer.

So on with the review of this book. Susan MacGregor sets her books in 16th century Spain, where a magical band of gypsies are fleeing persecution from Tomas, the Grand Inquisitor for the Spanish Inquisition. The book is fantasy but that hasn’t stopped the writer from doing meticulous historical research, so much so that most readers of historical fiction or romance will find much to like here.

The story centers around Miriam, the band’s matriarch and her struggles to lead her people to safety. Her life is complicated not just by the inherent dangers of their situation, but also by two lovers, one of whom is corporeal and the other spiritual. This may well be the oddest love triangle I’ve ever encountered but it works beautifully.

Miriam’s powers come from self-inflicted magical tattoos but she is not alone. Each member of her band has their own special ability but they must work together or perish at the hands of Tomas. Getting them to do so is part of the challenge facing Miriam.

If you are a fan of historical fantasy or romance this book will sit in your sweet spot. But here’s the thing. I’m not and yet this book still works for me, largely because Susan MacGregor is a literary craftsman. In my world, fine writing trumps genres any time, and this is fine writing."

G.J.C. McKitrick writes poetry, songs, short stories, novels, stage plays, and reviews under the name G.J.C. McKitrick and science fiction under the name T.K. Boomer. His mainstream novel “A Walk in the Thai Sun” is available on Amazon. He is close to completing his science fiction novel, “The Fahr”. He maintains a website at: http://bit.ly/1oKwjhf

(My thanks to both Steve and Greg for these great reviews. As I mentioned earlier, they were unexpected, which makes them all the sweeter. Since both reviews have been made by men, I'm happy to see that the trilogy is breaking barriers - not simply dismissed as 'women's fiction'.)

SYNCHRONICITIES, COINCIDENCES, AND SOME FUN RESEARCH for THE TATTOOED ROSE

AS A RULE, I DON'T POST ANY MAIL THAT LOOKS LIKE SPAM or includes links, but here's part of a note I received the other day. Other than tightening it a bit, I haven't changed the spelling or punctuation. I think that's part of its charm:

"Hi, I am ------ from USA, i went to share my testimony to the world on how i got my husband back after two(4) years of marriage, my husband left me with two kids . I felt like my life was about to end.... Thanks to a spell caster called Dr Johnson which i met online. On one faithful day, as I was browsing through the internet, I came across allot of testimonies about this particular spell caster. Some people testified that he brought their Ex lover back, some testified that he restores womb, cure cancer, and other sickness, some testified that he can cast a spell to stop divorce and so on....

This is an advertisement for a Hoodoo practitioner. Hoodoo is a variant of Voodoo, one of the syncretized mystery religions that came about as a result of the African slave diaspora being forced to adopt Christianity in the New World.

As it happens, I'm right in the middle of some really interesting research on Voodoo, Santeria, and Obeah. The note above doesn't look as if it stems from any religious practice, but it is an aspect of it. What delighted me was its synchronicity and timing. I had planned on refreshing my mind on what I already knew about Voodoo for my third book, The Tattooed Rose. This note came two days before I was about to start. I am half way through the book's first draft, around the 60,000 word mark. Miriam and company are about to make landfall in the Caribbean.

Here's another coincidence that surprised me today:

In The Tattooed Witch, Miriam carves herself with her first tattoo, a triple goddess symbol that is featured on the cover of the book. In The Tattooed Seer, she receives additional tattoos from her Tribe. These resemble a ring of interlinking snakes swallowing their tails, ourbourus-like. In The Tattooed Rose, (spoiler alert) Miriam encounters Maroons, run-away slaves of mixed Taino, Spanish, and African blood. Understandably, they don't like or trust her because she is both Spanish and white, but her tattoos change things. This is what I found today, from Mysteries and Secrets of Voodoo, Santeria, and Obeah, by Lionel and Patricia Fanthorpe. (For reference, a Voodoo loa is like a type of demi-god):

"Damballah is regarded as the most important of the Voodoo loas. He is at the core of much Voodoo magic, where he is seen as the serpent-god who devours his own tail....a wheel, like the traditional Wheel of Hecate, is used to represent Damballah....right at the top of this complex circle design is a magic square containing representations of the moon in its various phases."

Synchronicity in action? That description is eerily similar to Miriam's tattoos. The triple goddess symbol is well known in pagan circles, but the snake chain came from my imagination. To find that it has an unexpected connection with Voodoo not only surprised me, but to find the two tattoos in tandem blew me away. I am delighted this detail works so well for the plot.

Some say there are no coincidences. I'm not sure what I believe. There is no way to prove or disapprove that. But no matter from where our ancestors come, I suspect their early religious ideas weren't so different. The pagan sources I draw upon for The Tattooed Rose and the rest of the trilogy have much in common with other religious roots.

UP-TO-DATE VERSION OF SUZENYMS SYNOPSIS/AURORA AWARDS VOTER PACKAGE

THIS WILL BE A VERY SHORT POST. AS SUZENYMS HAS BEEN NOMINATED for a 2014 Aurora award under Best English Related Work by the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, and as I've also been busy all weekend at one of my favorite conventions, When Words Collide in Calgary, I'm taking a few spare moments to point you to the updated one-page synopsis I've created for all the posts on this blog. If you want to review all of the ABC's I've covered so far, check out the Letters to the Slush Pile I've penned, the Guest Interviews I've presented, see where my own writing has taken me, etc., they are all here. One stop shopping, so to speak. Just go to the link below, and from there, check out whichever posts interest you.

Here's the link to the updated Suzenyms Synopsis/Voter Package.

As for When Words Collide, the convention has been great. I'll be heading to my own launch for The Tattooed Seer at noon, and then the Five Rivers launch shortly thereafter. Highlights of the convention so far? Sharing a Live-Action Slush, Historical Version panel with Adrienne Kerr of Penguin/Random House Canada and chatting with her afterwards. Also, having many people tell me how much they loved The Tattooed Witch and how they were looking forward to reading The Tattooed Seer. Thanks, everybody. Your praise has been music to my ears.

- Susan.

LAUNCHING FIVE RIVERS' BOOKS at WHEN WORDS COLLIDE

TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE VOICED YOUR SUPPORT FOR ON SPEC either here on Suzenyms, on the I Read On Spec Facebook Page, or elsewhere, thank you. In light of our 2015 funding cut by the Canada Council, we have appreciated your comments more than we can say. As editors, we sometimes feel as if we are the 'enemy', especially when we have had to make hard decisions. Those of you who have commented on On Spec's behalf, (especially if we have rejected you in the past), not only show your professionalism, but reaffirm for me something in which I strongly believe - that we are all part of one great SF community. Because of you, On Spec will survive. I am hopeful that our grant funding may be reinstated in 2016.

As some of you know, I am heading to Calgary on Friday to attend one of my favorite conventions held here in Western Canada, When Words Collide. As well as being involved with the panels I list below, I am launching The Tattooed Seer on Sunday at noon. Five Rivers is also promoting all of its new 2014 releases on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. For those of you who would like to purchase Five Rivers' books, I've been told by Robert Runté, Editor in Chief, that he has five copies of each title which will be sold for $15.00 each. (The print version of The Tattooed Seer regularly sells for $28.00. As a convention offer, I'll be selling it for $25.00, so if you nab one from Robert, you're getting a deal.)

I am also on the following panels, which I am looking forward to and which should be a lot of fun:

On Friday, at 4:00 PM - Live Action Slush - Fantasy Edition: I love being involved with live action slush panels. If you aren't familiar with how these work, writers submit the first few pages of their work anonymously. The editors listen to a reader who reads the submission. Then the editors raise their hands when they reach a point where they might stop reading because of a writing problem. After three editors raise their hands, the issue is discussed. If no editor raises his or her hand, the piece is working well. Even if the submission has faults, this panel is a great way to hear professionals offer their advice on how to improve work. For me, it's a great mental workout - helps me hone my editorial edge.

On Saturday, at 11:00 AM -The Short Story - A Stepping Stone to Novel Writing: This should be an interesting one. This is how I started as a writer. Cutting your writing teeth on the short story has its benefits, but it also has its drawbacks. I'll be interested to hear what my fellow panelists have to say.

On Saturday at 3:00 PM - Live Action Slush - Historical Edition: Another Live Action Slush! (Diana Gabaldon was going to sit on this panel, but unfortunately she had to cancel her appearance at the convention. Even so, I am pleased to share it with GoH's Jack Whyte and D.J. McIntosh, plus Barb Galler-Smith, Randy McCharles, and the lovely and talented Adrienne Kerr of Penguin/Random House Canada) .

On Sunday at Noon - The Tattooed Seer, Book Social and Launch. Come on by for a chat and to help me celebrate! (I know, noon isn't a great time, everybody wants to have lunch. I'm ordering some food - I hope to have munchies on hand.) I will do a couple of short readings, field questions, and socialize. I will also have both The Tattooed Seer and The Tattooed Witch available for sale.

On Sunday at 2:00 - Five Rivers' Publishing Seven-Book Launch, as indicated in the image above. I'm looking forward to seeing other members of our Five Rivers family, including Dave Duncan and Ann Marston. (Yes, I am name-dropping, but what great names to drop!)

I'm looking forward to all of it, meeting old friends, and making new ones. If you're attending, don't be a stranger! I hope to see you there.

- Susan.

WAS IT PIRACY or SOMETHING ELSE?

LAST WEEK, MIKE PLESTED, A FIVE RIVERS' WRITER LIKE MYSELF, advised me, Lorina Stephens, and fellow Five Rivers' writers that it looked as if our books were being pirated. He had discovered a particular website that offered our books (and others) as free downloads. Lorina suggested we advise the publishers that they were in infringement of copyright and to remove our books immediately. A number of us did so, only to receive an automatic message saying the publisher would get back to us within 72 hours. That was on July 25th. So far, I've received no response. I don't expect I will.

On the surface, this looks like piracy. But I had to ask myself, what does any site get out of offering a free download for something they don't own? The site claimed their motive was to share books - very philanthropic, if not a rip-off to the writer, but I am cynical. I suspect it was something even more insidious than that.

This 'so-called publisher' knew what it was doing. There were numerous buttons offering links to download books through them, through other vendors (Amazon, etc., to make them look legitimate), and also - which I thought really illuminating, a big red button to 'Report Copyright Infringement'. Before I thought it through, I used their link to report the infringement of copyright for The Tattooed Witch and The Tattooed Seer (yes, they already had Seer on their site. It hasn't even been officially launched yet). What really tipped me off was that when I used their link, the icons on the other tabs I had open went live - they responded as if they were loading. That website was collecting or delivering something.

So, what looked like piracy, may actually have been an attempt to search for and steal confidential information, like passwords, etc., from my laptop. My husband is a computing guru. Luckily, he was home at the time and agreed with me that the free download offer was likely just a ploy. We wasted no time in emptying my cache and changing all of my passwords.

Piracy is bad enough. Identity theft, or emptying someone's bank account if they're foolish enough to leave passwords on their machine (which I don't) is even worse. Nothing is for free. Not everything is what it appears. Be careful what you download and what you think you're linking to, even if you're doing it for the right reasons. There are scuzzballs everywhere. These people will take advantage of you if they can.

- Susan.

THE TATTOOED SEER is up on AMAZON, KOBO, ETC.!

AS I MENTIONED ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE, these arrived in the mail yesterday. I have since checked out Amazon.com, Amazon.ca (Kindle version) and Kobo. The books are now available in print or e-books, and of course, with my Canadian publisher Five Rivers Publishing.

I am so pleased! There's nothing like seeing your novel in print. Naturally, I had to stop what I was doing yestserday (working on the first draft of The Tattooed Rose) to savor the moment, touch the books, and read some sections. If you've already read The Tattooed Witch, feel free to take a look at the preview for The Tattooed Seer here on Amazon. If you haven't read The Tattooed Witch, I suggest you read it first, because the prologue in Seer is a spoiler.

I've been told The Tattooed Witch is a good book. I've been told that The Tattooed Seer is an even better one. This is great to know, because the concern with a second book in a trilogy is that it will slump. I don't think The Tattooed Seer does that. (And I'm sure Lorina Stephens, my editor and publisher at Five Rivers would have told me if it did.)

If you read The Tattooed Seer, drop me a line. Let me know what you think. I'll be officially launching it in Calgary, at When Words Collide over the August 8, 9, and 10th weekend. If you're attending and would like to buy a copy, I will have both print books available for sale and signing.

To those of you who have so enthusiastically supported me while I've been writing this trilogy, thank you. I really appreciate your support. Over the next year, I will do my utmost to deliver a satisfying end in the final book, The Tattooed Rose.

- Susan.

COVER FOR THE TATTOOED SEER

I AM SO PLEASED WITH THIS COVER! Jeff Minkevics finished it tonight, and I wanted to unveil it for my novel The Tattooed Seer, the second book in my Tattooed Witch trilogy, soon to be released this August 1st.

If you're wondering about the tattoos, the first two are featured in The Tattooed Witch. (If you don't know what they represent, read the book!) The bloody circles below the first two are featured in The Tattooed Seer and come from a scene where Miriam is cut by the women of her Tribe in an attempt to ward them against unwanted spying. The circles are actually linked snakes swallowing their tails.

I love how these covers are evolving. Book One had a brilliant white background, and Book Two is moving into a bit more colour. You'll have to wait at least another year to see how things change yet again for Book Three, The Tattooed Rose (which I am currently writing).

The Tattooed Witch has been short-listed for a 2014 Aurora Award under Best English Novel. For those of you who have been waiting to see how the trilogy evolves, The Tattooed Seer will be available for pre-order shortly, through Five Rivers Publishing.

- Susan.

BACK JACKET for THE TATTOOED SEER

WHAT WITH FINISHING THE EDITS FOR THE TATTOOED SEER for Lorina at Five Rivers, I've been handling a few last minute details as she prepares the galleys, including talking to Jeff Minkevics about the new cover (which I suspect will be similar to the one featured here). As the next couple of paragraphs may be a bit of a spoiler, don't read them if you don't want to know about some of the key incidents that occur in Seer. Lorina's given me the go-ahead to share the back jacket, so it follows below:

As she flees across Esbaña for a port to the New World, Miriam finds being the matriarch of her people, the mystical Diaphani, almost as difficult as being hunted by the Inquisition. Her deepening relationship with Joachín, patriarch and thief, is marred by the sudden return of Alonso, her ghostly love, whom she thought she had lost forever. In this alternate historical epic, Miriam’s world expands to the larger realms of Esbaña, the Papacy, and Inglais, where one spy in particular seeks tattoo magic to set a new queen upon the Inglaisi throne. Grand Inquisitor Tomás and other old rivals seek their vengeance against Miriam, while new ones fight to usurp her place. As she broadens her understanding of magical power, Miriam learns what it is to lead, to love, to forgive, and to change, for change she must, if she and her Tribe are to reach the New World.

The Tattooed Witch has been nominated for an Aurora award under Best English Novel, so the timing couldn't be better for the release of The Tattooed Seer, the second book in the trilogy. We are hoping to have it ready for When Words Collide in Calgary in August. I'll post a copy of the cover when I have it. As well, I seem to be getting a lot of interview time on Youtube, lately. This coming Wednesday, June 18th, I'll be involved in a Five Rivers interview with Lorina Stephens, Publisher, and Five Rivers authors, Dave Laderoute, Michael Plested, and Susan Forest. Dave, Susan, and I all have our work nominated for Aurora awards this year (Dave's YA novel, Out of Time has been nominated for Best English YA, and Susan's short story The Gift from the Urban Green Man anthology through Edge Books has been nominated under Best English Short Fiction.) Mike Plested's YA novel, Mik Murdoch: Boy Superhero was nominated for an Aurora last year.

- Susan.

CONSIDERATIONS WHEN WRITING A TRILOGY and UPDATE ON THE TATTOOED SEER

I MANAGED TO FINISH THE EDIT OF THE TATTOOED SEER THIS WEEK. It involved both substantive and line edits, and I was happy to get the whole thing off to Lorina at Five Rivers one month ahead of schedule. Which means, instead of an October release, we have our fingers crossed for August 1st, providing Jeff Minkevics, who designed the cover for The Tattooed Witch, can also create a cover for The Tattooed Seer in time. I hope so. I'd like to launch the book in Calgary at the When Words Collide convention.

It's been an interesting process, doing the edits. There is great value in having a sharp editor look at your work and make suggestions as to how to make the book better. As writers, we tend to be myopic about our work. It was through Lorina's suggestions that I fleshed out a new character in one of the sub-plots in The Tattooed Seer. I had fleshed him out, or so I thought, but not nearly enough. The important details never made it onto the page. They're there, now.

The other great thing about doing edits for a book that's part of a trilogy, is that it forces you to look for inconsistencies. Because I had already started the research and writing for The Tattooed Rose (the third book in the trilogy) I needed to go back and correct some details in Seer with regards to shipping in the 16th century. I had learned a few things in the meantime. There were other small details I needed to change in terms of the world I had created for all three books. For example, I had to make sure I'd been consistent with the honorifics for the clergy, that I'd accented and used the Spanish terms properly, etc. - all very minor things that were easy to miss, but were also important. The substantive edits also meant I needed to do more research - in particular on opium usage and on the characters found in the Commedia dell'arte. All of these are elements in The Tattooed Seer.

If you haven't read The Tattooed Witch yet, it's been nominated for an Aurora award under Best Novel, English. Over the next several months, you can read it for free if you're a member of the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, who sponsors the Aurora. If you aren't a member, it's also available on Amazon, Kobo, and through Five Rivers Publishing (see the column on the right for links). Witch is competing with some works by very high-powered and well-known writers, including Guy Gavriel Kay, Robert J. Sawyer, and Julie Czerneda. Chadwick Ginther, who we've also published in On Spec, has his second book up for consideration. It's wonderful to be included in such excellent and stellar company.

- Susan.