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. 

 

 

UPCOMING EDMONTON LAUNCH and SOME REVIEWS....

WHAT WITH THE UPCOMING RELEASE of The Tattooed Queen on December 1st, I hope you'll all bear with me. It means I have to do a bit of promotion (when I'd much rather be starting on something new.)

So, let's talk about my upcoming joint launch first.

Ann Marston, who has numerous books to her credit and who is also part of the Five Rivers author family, is joining me in a joint launch. Her book, A Still and Bitter Grave is also being released December 1st as is The Tattooed Queen. We're combining forces at Audrey's Books, here in Edmonton on December 7th, at 7:00 PM. Please join us for readings, signings, and refreshments.

A reminder as well, for those of you who own a Kobo e-reader: you can get a free e-copy of my first book in the trilogy, The Tattooed Witch from Kobo until November 30th - the day before The Tattooed Queen is released. It's a great deal. There's no telling how much the books will go for after December 1st.

Lorina Stephens, my editor and publisher at Five Rivers, has also been busy publicising my final book in the trilogy by posting reviews of The Tattooed Witch. Here's a few 'snippet' reviews from various sites:

1). @LibraryThing says The Tattooed Witch 'fast-paced, romantic, vividly imaginative' #freebook @kobo http://ow.ly/cjGZ305bLts

2). @Goodreads says 'fantastic read' The Tattooed Witch #freebook @kobo http://ow.ly/cjGZ305bLts

3). @FletcherMR 'beautifully written' re The Tattooed Witch #freebook @kobo http://ow.ly/cjGZ305bLts

Here are some of the best (5-starred) reviews on Amazon.com, of both The Tattooed Witch and The Tattooed Seer:

About The Tattooed Witch (Book One):

"Readers wary or unfamiliar with the genre will enjoy this book. It is extremely well and tightly written and moves quickly along. It's nicely organised and divided so that there are frequent logical points to stop reading… only you won't want to stop reading. The characters, even minor characters, are well developed. The lush landscape is easily pictured. This book would make a great movie. While the book can stand alone in the sense that events are sufficiently wrapped up by its ending, you won't want to wait to see what happens in book two, The Tattooed Seer. MacGregor is currently working on the final instalment in the trilogy, The Tattooed Queen. I'm looking forward to reading both."

"Susan MacGregor is one of those rare writers who can pen interior dialogue without forcing the average male reader to run for cover. This is brilliantly done, intriguing and down right spooky in places and I, for one, fully intend to read this trilogy to its conclusion."

"I absolutely loved this book. The beginning just grabs your attention and the story keeps you wanting more. When I began reading it I was extremely busy...but after some really late nights and squeezing in time at work *cough cough* when I should have been working...I blew through it in a couple of days. I have given it to all of my friends and we all have truly loved it. Can't wait for book two!"

About The Tattooed Seer (Book Two):

"This is one of my favourite 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!"

"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."

Thanks for your indulgence. If you've read my books and have enjoyed them, please post reviews and let the world know. Those of us who publish through a smaller press need all the help we can get to put the word out about of our work. We don't have the big marketing and publicity machines behind us, as do the large publishing houses. I appreciate your support more than you know.

- Susan.

THE TATTOOED WITCH - SPECIAL DEAL FOR FREE E-BOOK on KOBO

IN CASE ANY OF YOU DIDN'T SEE THIS on Facebook or on the Five Rivers Publishing website, etc, Kobo Books is offering a special deal on the first book of my trilogy The Tattooed Witch. To save time, I've copied the promotion from the Five Rivers website:

"To celebrate the conclusion of Susan MacGregor’s trilogy, Five Rivers Publishing is offering 45 days at Kobo where you can download a free copy of the first in the series, The Tattooed Witch. The promotion runs October 15 through November 30. For those of you who haven’t delved into this lush, tense paranormal fantasy, we’re sure you’re going to be hooked. The last in the trilogy, The Tattooed Queen releases December 1. Happy reading!"  

This is an excellent deal. Normally, the printed book goes for $25.99, although it's currently offered on Amazon.ca at $34.29 and $31.99 on Amazon.com. This link will take you to the Kobo site for the free e-book. If you haven't already read them, you can also check out the first two chapters of The Tattooed Witch on Suzenyms here.

As a bonus, I will be posting the first chapter of the trilogy's final book, The Tattooed Queen, on Suzenyms, shortly.

- 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 TWO

Vévé for La Sirene and Agwe

I ENDED MY LAST POST ON VOODOO with a mention of Damballa, the great serpent vodouisants consider to be the creator of the universe. I also said that the lwa/orisha (also orixa) are Voodoo gods, but I should clarify that. Today, most vodouisants have faith in only one god and creator - Bondye (from the French Bon Dieu or Good God). Bondye is Damballa (or Damballah Wedo); all the other lwa/orisha are considered his servants in the same way angels and saints are servants of God in the Catholic church. I don't make this 'only one god' distinction in The Tattooed Queen, because in doing so, I would have had to slip into exposition. It's always a judgement call about how much to explain. There's a point where too much exposition will take the reader out of the story. My wild girl, Ekua, simply refers to the lwa as 'gods'. If any vodouisants come across this once the book is released, I beg their indulgence.

Voodoo is a syncretized religion. Due in a large part to the Atlantic slave trade, those slaves from west and central Africa came into forced contact. An amalgamated faith was the result, where gods from different nations (nachons) were honoured. Forced yet again to embrace their owners' religion (Roman Catholicism), it was safer to find similarities between their own African gods and the Catholic saints. Therefore, when a vodouisant honours Damballa (the universal serpent), he might also show his devotion by honouring St. Patrick who emptied Ireland of snakes (a metaphor for stamping out the so-called evil of pagan religion).

In general, the lwa/orisha fall into a number of groups. The Rada lwa are the Fon/Ewe spirits of the Dahomey and are considered 'cool' or sweet tempered. The Nago lwa stem from the Yoruba of Nagoland. The Petwo lwa (more hot tempered) come from war-torn Kongo, although some claim they rose from those slaves who died under harsh conditions in Haiti. The Ghede lwa are servants of Bawon and Brigitte, the king and queen of the graveyard. The Ghede are also ancestral spirits and 'the dead'. In The Tattooed Queen, Papa Kodjo refers to Alonso, Miriam's ghostly love, as Ghede. There are also djabs, or personal working spirits that assist their hosts. Djab stems from the French term diable or devil. Some djabs are benevolent while others are not. It depends on whether or not the houngoun or bokor (priest or sorcerer) works with the right or left hand, the right meaning good works and the left referring to evil ones (like zombification). Even a houngoun worth his ashe (the power to make things happen) will know how to work with the left hand, even if he never does.

There are many lwa/orisha. What follows are the few I mention in The Tattooed Queen. I delineate their names as follows - first, the Haitian name (because in Queen, Papa Kodjo, my vodou priest originates from Esbañiola/Hispaniola - modern-day Haiti and the D.R.), second, by the Obeah/Jamaican name or the name of a similar orisha, followed by one of their affiliated Catholic saints:

1). Damballa/Obatala/St. Patrick: the universal serpent, the Sky God, the Creator of All. In The Tattooed Queen, Miriam is put to the test with Damballa in his guise as a Jamaican yellow boa constrictor. (I'm hoping the cover art will feature this scene.) Yellow boas are endemic to Jamaica and found (in the wild) nowhere else in the world.

2). Ayida Wedo/Oya/St. Patrick: lwa of the rainbow and fertility, Ayido Wedo is peaceful and serene and rules the skies with her husband Damballa. She is also associated with St. Patrick.

3).  La Sirene/Yemaya/St. Martha, Our Lady, Star of the Sea: depicted as a siren or a mermaid who can bring both good luck and bad. La Sirene is comparable to Miriam's own goddess, Lys. When I started writing The Tattooed Witch years ago, I based the Diaphani religion on the pagan idea of both male and female aspects of diety. I decided to represent the female aspect with symbols of water and air (the male aspect being earth and fire, symbolic of male dominated religions and the Inquisition, in particular). Discovering La Sirene as a strong vodou counterpart for Lys was a nice moment of synchronicity. The vévé, above left, depicts La Sirene as a mermaid, along with the vévé for her husband, Agwe, king of the ocean.

4). Ogou/Ogun/St James: lwa of war, blood, iron, and machines, Ogou is hot tempered and ready to fight. He is also a great protector and loyal. In Queen, Ekua, my wild girl character, honours Ogun, claiming he 'rules her head'. She hates all whites and would use her machete to kill every last one them. (She doesn't.)

5). Gran Bwa/St. Sebastian/St. Isadore: ruler of the forests, plants and animals, Taciturn yet benevolent, Gran Bwa is the lwa of herbal medicine and charms. Represented by St. Sebastian, the Christian martyr who was pierced through with arrows while tied to a tree, Gran Bwa also suffers the loss of his forests throughout the world. In Queen, Papa Kodjo tells Miriam he will appeal to Gran Bwa for a herbal cure.

I've only depicted a few of the lwa/orisha here. If you're interested in further reading, I recommend The Haitian Vodou Handbook, Protocols for Riding with the Lwa by Kenaz Filan, Mysteries and Secrets of Voodoo, Santeria, and Obeah, by Lionel and Patricia Fanthorpe, and Haitian Voudou, by Mambo Chita Tann.

REFLECTIONS ON VOICE

AS A FIVE RIVERS AUTHOR, I have access to all Five Rivers titles which include some of the best science fiction and fantasy Canadians put out there. It's one of the perks I enjoy for being part of the Five Rivers family. Recently, I finally figured out how to transfer all of this great work onto my Kindle. I've been catching up on my reading ever since.

You would think that having been an editor  for over twenty years with On Spec Magazine, I'd appreciate all the different voices On Spec has showcased over the years. I do, but short fiction only gives you a sampling of that unique way each writer handles their prose - what we call Voice. Reading novels in quick succession really brings Voice home to me - especially if I know the writer personally. It's amazing to read beyond plot, beyond character, and to realize how characters approach situations, and how the story is paced, really does reflect the writer.

Okay, pretty obvious on the surface, but I'm talking about subtleties here. For example, one of my writer friends approaches conflict in a certain way. She thinks a lot about the issue before she acts, she moralizes, she tends to talk a good argument, she plans, and, in the end, she side-steps or defuses the conflict whenever possible. She also handles conflict in her fiction in exactly this way. Where some may throw themselves into the fictional fray with swords swinging, guns blazing, karate chops chopping (because they tend to be a bit more volatile in life), she doesn't. I'm not saying either way is good or bad - there is room for both. Readers enjoy different things. Only that how she acts and thinks reflects how she writes, which mirrors her Voice.

I mentioned in an earlier post that my book The Tattooed Witch was included in an Aurora Awards StoryBundle curated by Douglas Smith. As part of the promotion, those of us who were involved, promoted the Bundle on our blogs, on Twitter, and elsewhere. Hayden Trenholm, publisher of Bundoran Press, wrote this about me: "I've known Susan MacGregor for enough years that I can't quite remember...in any case, we met from time to time at conventions in Western Canada, both when I lived in Calgary and later...where we would have brief but intense conversations..."

Brief but intense conversations. I had to smile at that. Because that is me. It also reflects how I handle my prose, how I write, my style of Voice.

As I read, I sometimes find how others handle a scene is not how I would, either pace-wise, or character-wise, or what have you. We all have our different styles. But I also began to wonder how an editor of novels respects the work without insisting an author's voice adhere to their preconceived notions of what is right (or better). So I asked an expert, my own editor and publisher at Five Rivers, Lorina Stephens. Lorina writes:

"How do I manage to edit all these different voices and honour them? Respect the artist’s work. Don’t put your hand to it. Suggest. Guide. Nurture. It’s difficult sometimes because I know how I’d handle a story or scene. But that doesn’t necessarily make it the right way. As an editor I think you have to walk out of yourself and learn to view artistic expression with a broad view, to understand, to learn.

I've learned a lot personally from voices like Thomas King, Joseph Boyden, Richard Wagamese, Salman Rushdie, Rohinton Mistry. Particularly Rushdie. I am always blown away by his writing, how he gets away with breaking every rule and does so brilliantly. How he chooses words and structure carefully and with precision to suit the action, mood, and voice of the work or scene. Simply brilliant. But not easy to read. By no means. He makes no apology whatever for his work. I believe he simply writes for himself, and if anyone else enjoys or gets what he's doing, well great. But otherwise, as Sting has said, "I'll write for the cat."

Well said, Lorina. I'll finish with two quotes by Steven King. The first, because many writers, when they're starting to write, get caught up in what might be popular: "First, write for yourself, and then worry about the audience." The second has to do with Voice: "Stick to your own style. One cannot imitate a writer's approach to a particular genre, no matter how simple what that writer is doing may seem."

So, we all have a Voice, even if we don't think we do. It's just a matter of being yourself and putting down those words.

- Susan.

AURORA AWARD STORY BUNDLE

https://storybundle.com/aurora

I AM SOMEWHAT BEHIND in posting this (mostly because I've had my nose deep into The Tattooed Queen edits and also because I'm recovering from foot surgery). Therefore, I'm posting it now. My friend and fellow writer, Douglas Smith, is curating the StoryBundle I've featured opposite. Each book, including my own The Tattooed Witch, has been a Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association's Aurora winner or short-listed nominee.

On Doug Smith's blog, he writes about his inspiration for putting the bundle together: 

"One of my goals when putting this bundle together, aside from offering the best books possible, was to have a gender balance in the selected authors. Mission accomplished. The bundle includes five female and five male authors. You'll also get a great mix of SF and fantasy, adult and YA novels, as well as a selection of short fiction. The bundle also reflects the long history of the Auroras, with titles spanning over twenty years of Canadian speculative fiction."

If you'd like to read a bit more about each book in particular, you can link to Doug's post here: 

For me, the stand-outs (so far) have been Sean Stewart's Nobody's Son, Caitlin Sweet's The Pattern Scars, Dave Duncan's West of January, and Candas Jane Dorsey's Black Wine. I know the other works will be as good. I will enjoy them as I find the time to read.

Doug is offering this Story Bundle at an incredible deal. For only $15.00 Canadian, you can have all ten e-books. But here's the thing - this offer is only available until April 21st (2016). If you'd like more details on how to purchase this Aurora Bundle, follow this link: Aurora Award Bundle.

Thanks for your support, and happy reading!

- 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.

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.

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'.)

A CLOSER LOOK AT ON SPEC EDITOR, LAURIE PENNER

IT'S BEEN A BUSY WEEK. TOMORROW, THE DEADLINE for voting for the Aurora awards looms. If you are a member of the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, I hope you've already voted. If you haven't, please consider voting for my debut novel, The Tattooed Witch and also for this blog, Suzenyms. I don't expect to win - the competition is really stiff. For Best Novel, I am up against both Guy Kaye and Robert J. Sawyer, two of the most seasoned SF/Fantasy authors here in Canada. As for Suzenyms, I am competing against On Spec! (Wish I wasn't, but the blog was moved to Best English Related Work from a different category than to what it was originally nominated.) No matter how it turns out, I wish all the nominees the best of luck. As for me, I hope I place well.

 

ALL OF THAT ASIDE, I AM HAPPY TO INTRODUCE one of our latest new editors to our On Spec team, Laurie Penner. As with Eileen, Constantine, and Brent, I put the following questions to her:

 

1). What kinds of stories appeal to you most? Do you lean towards a particular type of story or style? So many genre stories feel like carbon copies of each other. I like it when a writer shows me something I've never seen before, which is pretty rare these days, or an old trope done up in a way that feels fresh and new, from an angle the writer might not have originally approached. If you can't do that, at least populate your cookie-cutter world with well-developed and fascinating characters who will make me not care if the setting feels like it's been done in a million other books.

2). What types of stories don't appeal to you? What are your pet peeves, writing-wise? I'm pretty over the generic Dragonlance-type sword and sorcery style - "Five ragtag heroes must band together to find the Dark Crystal and stop the evil Dragon Lord from taking over blah blah blah...." . And any story where some random guy is transported to a fantasy world and becomes inexplicably awesome - no Mary Sues, please. That being said, I don't believe there is any genre of story that can't be awesome when done in the right way by the right author.

3). What advice would you give to a writer submitting to us? Be original! We get a ton of submissions, so give us a reason to read your story past the first page. Great characters, fascinating settings, snappy dialogue. And here's the biggest secret - I'm not even sure my editors will allow me to tell you this, but here goes nothing: We love to get stories from authors all over the world, but at heart we are Canadian and proud of it. (I guess there may be a little something called 'minimum Canadian content requirements' too....) Does your story have a hockey team of vampires in it? Do aliens take over a Tim Horton's and demand to be allowed to 'roll up the rim'? Or do you just have something profound to say about life in Newfoundland or small-town Manitoba as reflected through a science fiction, horror, or fantasy lens? Send it over, and our editors might just give it a second look. You'll definitely have the edge over the 100th guy who sent in a 'stand-in for the author who is transported to a fantasy world, and becomes inexplicably awesome' story.

4). Please list any credits you'd like mentioned (ie. book pubs, editing/publishing involvement), followed by a small bio: I've been (and still am) a proofreader for On Spec and a former copyeditor for Company's Coming Publishing, currently paying the bills with government administrative work and the odd freelance editing job.

 

(Thanks, Laurie. It's great to have you with us in a more editorial capacity. I'm looking forward to working with you. - Susan.)

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.

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.

YOUTUBE CLIP where I talk about THE TATTOOED WITCH AURORA NOMINATION

HI. I HOPE YOU'LL ALL FORGIVE THIS LITTLE BIT OF PROMO I'm indulging in here, about my Best English Novel Aurora nomination for my debut novel, The Tattooed Witch. I talk with Lorina Stephens, Publisher of Five Rivers Publishing. As I mention in the clip, I'm a bit stunned by the nomination and honoured, too. I talk about the book, why it doesn't fit into one specific genre (it's a true hybrid), and the themes I wanted to explore. If you have ten minutes over a coffee, give it a listen. At the end, I also mention that you can read The Tattooed Witch and the other novels that have been nominated, if you join the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (CSFFA). The cost to join is only $10.00 (through PayPal) and gives you the opportunity to read all nominations in all categories for free, plus voting privileges. Thank you for supporting Canadian work and The Tattooed Witch.

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.