Farewell from Fiction Dreams – find me, book news, style posts and more at www.suzyturner.com

Dear readers and friends,

It's Suzy Turner here and, I'm sad to say, with my final post on Fiction Dreams. But please don't despair – I will never give up on my fellow authors. I will be continuing to review a select number of books over on my popular lifestyle blog where I will occasionally also post interviews and other book news as well. So please don't think this is it. If you have any interesting book news to share, please email me and I'll see if I can slot you in :)

With the launch of my yoga career in late 2016, and the continuing success of www.suzyturner.com, I came to the conclusion that I must devote my time to those areas of my life. Unfortunately, Fiction Dreams was just taking a little too much of my time and so I had to make this sad decision. If you've sent me books and they still haven't been reviewed, please don't worry as they will be featured on my lifestyle blog.

But, like I said, I'm still a huge supporter of my fellow authors and will always try to make room for them on my lifestyle blog (which, incidentally, gets more views than Fiction Dreams anyway) and elsewhere on social media. Also, I haven't given up on writing either! I'm still planning on producing many more books in the future!

If you'd like to find me online please visit:

Lifestyle Blog | Yoga Blog | Instagram | Youtube | Goodreads | Facebook | Facebook (Yoga) | Twitter | Pinterest

If you're an author, please check out Yogadocious – where I specialise in yoga for authors (and anyone else who spends way too much time at a computer!). There's plenty of free videos to help ease your aches and pains for you to try at your leisure! 

In the meantime, I shall keep the Fiction Dreams domain going for the next two years and after that, you'll find the site situated on blogger at www.fictiondreams.blogspot.com – so if you've had a previous interview or guest post here, it will still be there for you to peruse.

Thank you so much for your continued support here at Fiction Dreams and I sincerely hope you'll come and follow me at www.suzyturner.com where you'll find lots of other fun stuff to keep you entertained – style for women (and men!) over 40, book news, travel, food and much more.

Suzy x

Armchair BEA: Author Interaction

Since becoming a book blogger at Fiction Dreams, I have obviously found myself interacting a heck of a lot more with authors around the world. Some have contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in featuring them and others I have approached myself. I must say, I still get butterflies in my tummy when a particularly well known author (or her PA) gets back to me or my colleague Eloise Walton!

Image by Jennifer Robertson

This has happened with various including two amazingly famous authors last year. The first was Joanne Harris (left), yes you know her. She wrote that little book that was made into the Johhny Depp movie, Chocolat! Eloise interviewed her and was thrilled.

The other was Gena Showalter! I know, cool huh? I've since tweeted with Joanne but have never had any real interaction with Ms. Showalter. I'm sure she's incredibly busy, mind you! 

Sadly, with me living in the Algarve, Portugal, I never have the opportunities to meet many authors in the flesh. There are no author readings anywhere locally so I have to make do with getting to know them online.

I've have become online pals with a number of amazing authors, some are better known than others but to me they're all in the same boat. They (we!) are all authors looking for readers, wherever they may be. And if I can help them widen their audience, then I'm thrilled.

Read more author interaction stories via the Armchair BEA.

Armchair BEA: Introductions and Literature

I'm absolutely thrilled to be a participant of the Armchair BEA this year. It's my first time ever at the event and I've also signed up to help out as a volunteer - so you can catch me at many of the twitter parties taking place over the next week.

Who Am I?

Well, I'm Suzy Turner, a 38-year-old British author and blogger with a fondness for white wine and dark chocolate (not necessarily together though!), married to the most amazing man who I met when I was 16. I first began blogging back in 2008 with a blog I called Iberian Bird (because I live in Portugal and have done since I was ten years old). The blog slowly developed and I soon began blogging under my own name Suzy Turner, YA Author which I still do over there (it is dedicated to young adult themes). Last year, however, with the launch of my first romance novel, Forever Fredless, I decided I wanted to blog about women's books - not just romance and chick lit, mind you, but all kinds of books aimed at, and written by, women. So I began Fiction Dreams and haven't looked back. I've interviewed some of the most popular authors around today including Gena Showalter, Joanne Harris, Ruth Saberton, Belinda Jones and so many more. I love helping both indie and traditionally published authors to spread the word about their books and I particularly love interviewing them. It's become a bit of an obsession actually lol!

Describe your blog in just one sentence. Then, list your social details -- Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. -- so we can connect more online. 

As I mentioned above, Fiction Dreams is a blog about women's fiction - all kinds of fiction!

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest
Goodreads

What genre do you read the most? I love to read because ___________________ . 

Probably YA because it's so easy and fun to get into. Also because that's what I've been writing for the past few years. I particularly love reading YA urban fantasy - books that are set within our own world but with a magical and/or supernatural element to them. Harry Potter and Twilight for instance are some of my favourites that I couldn't get enough of.  But I also read a lot of chick lit - my other absolute favourite that I've actually been reading the longest. I first read Jilly Cooper, for example, when I was about 12. Gosh I learned a lot, if you know what I mean ;)

What was your favorite book read last year? What’s your favorite book so far this year? 

Just one? Oh no that's really difficult! I have many favourites from last year but if I can only give one then I'd say The Time Spirit series by Melissa Pearl. All I can say is that I'm so glad I have a kindle so I could immediately download the sequel after finishing the first book in the middle of the night in order to continue reading. That series blew me away!

From this year? Well, Melissa Pearl's releases from 2014 have been AMAZING too but to give another author equal credit, I'll say Shalini Boland's The Perimeter. OMG - that dystopian series is freaking amazing! Oh, and I literally just finished reading Pulled Beneath by Marni Mann and it was freaking awesome (look out for a review coming soon)!!

What does your favorite/ideal reading space look like? 

I can read just about anywhere, but at the moment this is exactly where I like to read before the sun gets too hot........

And this is my view...

And this is who keeps me company...

What book would you love to see as a movie?

Shalini Boland's Marchwood Vampire Series - I think it would be utterly amazing. 

Today's topic is 'Literature'....
What do you think of when you think of literature? Classics, contemporary, genre, or something else entirely? We are leaving this one up to you to come up with and share the literature that you want to chat about the most. Feel free to share a list of your favorites, break down your favorite genre, feature your favorite authors, and be creative about all things literature in general.

If you'd have asked me this question when I was a kid, I would have just thought of the classics - you know, the kind I was 'forced' to read at school. Although, having said that, I never really felt forced because I always had such a passion for reading. Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Anthony and Cleopatra, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Waiting for Godot - these were just some of the books I read as a teenager that weren't my choice. However, I delved in and discovered worlds I'd never knew existed. It was hard work, mind you. I mean, come on, Shakespeare takes some understanding! But it was fun, nevertheless. What wasn't fun, however, was having to write deep, meaningful essays on the books afterwards! Bleurgh! I just wanted to read them and enjoy them. Not try to unravel the mystery of how the author was feeling when he or she wrote it!

I also had to read the more modern classics such as A Bend in the River by VS. Naipaul (didn't enjoy it at all - it just seemed too boring after those other early classics), Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (probably one of the most hilarious and incredibly unusual books I've ever read!), A Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood (this became my absolute favourite book that I read at school - it's amazing) and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird which I recall our teacher also bringing in the film for us to watch. I was glued to it. Wonderful!

Of course, I've read a few classics off my own back, like Little Women which I adored and can never get enough of. The movie too - I love the old version and the newer one.

But back to what I really think of now, when I think of literature. Well, being an author and a book blogger, I think of so many different wonderful authors. I have tonnes of favourites - many of which are from a wide variety of genres including YA, Chick Lit, Mysteries, Horror (yes, occasionally I'll give one  a go!), drama, romance, historical - the list goes on. But here are a few of my favourites:

Shalini Boland

Melissa Pearl

Patti Roberts

Arthur Golden

Margaret Atwood

JK Rowling

Belinda Jones

Sophie Kinsella

Jenny Colgan

Wendy Holden

Ruth Saberton

I could quite easily go on and on and on....

For more Armchair BEA tales of literature, visit Armchair BEA's website.

Stay up to date with Fiction Dreams

Hey peeps! I thought I'd just check in with you all and see how you're enjoying the new Fiction Dreams blog? I've been working really hard to source some super exciting interviews, guest posts, cover reveals, latest news and much more.
In the near future, you can expect to see exclusive interviews with some amazing authors including Wendy Holden, Belinda Jones, Freya North, Judy Astley, Paige Toon, Nicky Wells, Lizzie Lamb, Janice Horton, Veronica Henry, Cally Taylor, Carrie Duffy.... there are just too many to list them all! But you're gonna love 'em all :)
I've even been in touch with the super fabulous Jackie Collins (all hail the bonkbuster Queen!!) ... but we'll see if I manage to get that interview. It's a long shot but I don't know unless I try, right?
So anyway, if you're as super excited as I am about all this awesomeness coming your way, then please follow Fiction Dreams via Bloglovin so you don't miss a single thing!
If there's any particular female author you want to see, drop me a line or just leave a comment and I'll get right onto to it and see what I can do.
Have a cracking Friday 13th peeps, and don't forget to click the button below to stay up to date with all the latest, great news...