Master of Illusion – Silver Medal Winner in the 2014 Global Ebook Awards

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Anne Rouen

Winner of the Silver Medal in the 2014 Global Ebook Awards

I guess it is the dream of every author to have the magical words ‘award-winning’ after their name; and I am so thankful to Dan Poynter and his wonderful team of judges for making this dream come true for me with my debut novel Master of Illusion – Book One.

There are so many to thank for believing in my work and encouraging and supporting me in the sometimes lonely and daunting business of self-publishing: my family, friends and all my lovely fans: I cannot thank you enough.

All your wonderful reviews and ratings moved me to tears and sent shivers up my spine; and I vow to do my best to ensure that future works do not fall below standard.

The word ‘standard’ brings to mind another of my precepts: It does not matter whether the publishing is ‘self’ or conventional: it must be correctly and professionally edited and formatted. And here I must thank my fabulous, long-suffering editor for her meticulous attention to detail, tireless hard work and consummate professionalism. We set out on a remarkable adventure that was new to both of us and we leapt off a cliff into the unknown to land on a silver cloud. Thank you, beyond words, for helping me to turn my dream into reality.

So many people have aided me in my transformation from closet writer to award-winning author that I cannot name you all: fellow authors; the wonderful people at the ASA; my townspeople who stop me in the street to tell me how proud of me they are; the ACC and my solicitor friend who checked the copyright; and many more:

Including my dear, late friend, Beth, with whom I discussed my ideas for the book, almost on a daily basis. Sadly, I finished it too late for her to read it; my friend, Diane, who encouraged me to get my manuscripts off the wardrobe floor and do something about them; and my sister who is a slow but beautifully honest first reader. (I promise you: I am white-knuckled until she pronounces her verdict!)

If I haven’t named you: you know who you are; and I thank you from the depths of my being.

When I found a lump in my breast in December 2006, I had no idea that my subsequent, incredible journey would lead me to a silver medal in the Global eBook Awards for Historical Fiction Literature – Modern.

How thankful I am that Positives rule!

An Unfinished Symphony

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Anne Rouen

“Irène read and wrote constantly. Every day, after breakfast, she would go out, sometimes walking for ten kilometres before finding a spot she liked. Then she would start work.” preface, Suite Française. Image: ‘Forest and Light’ by dan, courtesy freedigitalphotos.net

At the moment, I am researching WWII in France for Bk IV of my Master of Illusion series. Normally, I use non-fiction, personal or first hand experience and video/television documentary for this. Once I am able to feel myself in the era, smell the earth, the trees, the flowers, then I can go on with my story.

In my search, have come across the most remarkable book, Suite Française, by Irène Némirovsky, a beautiful, intelligent writer who, in real life, just happened to move in the same privileged circles as my characters.

It is a work of fiction, yet I would rather call it creative non-fiction, because here is a record of what it is like to live in occupied France during WWII, a precious record from a consummate writer who was subjected to the worst horror that anyone can experience: the loss of human dignity and ultimately, her life.

Her talented pen evokes all the reader’s senses. She has you smelling the woods, wincing as a cat’s claws enter the heart of a tiny bird, cowering at the sound of an air raid, then becoming fatalistic, defiantly exposing yourself to the bombs: ‘Here I am – just get it over with.’

She describes, in vivid detail, a kaleidoscope of emotions and character traits, ranging from hatred to love, treachery to honour, modesty to arrogance, sometimes all in the one person!

Interestingly, she saw the occupying German soldiers mainly as wholesome young farm boys doing their duty, just wanting to go home; by and large with an integrity exceeding that of the French, whose characters she depicted as anything from the vilest, self-interested collaborator to the most insanely noble and courageous patriot. All the small day to day struggles, defeats and triumphs that make up the full picture.

And all of this from only 2 parts of a 5 part novel, comprising only the first draft. To find a first draft so compelling, so depictive, with such clever and poetic turn of phrase, is amazing in itself. What would it have been like had she been given time to finish and polish it?

I took a long time to read this novel, suspended by tears often. To read her precious words, knowing the tragedy behind them, was an emotionally draining experience. But I regard it as a labour of love, because I have to know what my characters faced when, in the midst of carrying out their daily lives, they were plunged into the worst darkness the world has ever known.

Irène Némirovsky was a great writer and best-selling author. She was also of Jewish descent, in a time when the most shameful and horrific treatment of Jews was already a fact; and her notes show that she had a premonition that she did not have long to live.

Sadly, she never got to write the last three movements of this wartime symphony and the world lost a consummate author. In July 1942 she was taken to Auschwitz and died in dreadful conditions at Bikenau.

Her husband, with the kind of love that defies all boundaries, not knowing she was already dead, lobbied the Vichy government to free her and let him take her place. Callously, they sent him to Auschwitz and straight to the gas chamber. To add to its depravity, the Vichy government then spent time trying to hunt down their small daughters to send with them.

Having been acquainted with the bravery of Marshal Pétain during the carnage that was WWI, it twists a particular knife in my heart that he presided over a craven government that would stoop to such brutal depths of inhumanity as to persecute and murder innocent civilians and their children.

I will always cry for you, Irène Némirovsky. But I salute you, too: a shining spirit holding up the truth. I feel so honoured that your hand reached out through time to show me what my characters have to face as they enter the 1940s.

Your words, so beautifully crafted, your courage, your love and the love of your husband, Michel Epstein, will live forever.

Suite Française, a remarkable, heart-rending snapshot in time. Unforgettable.

Celebrate “Read an Ebook Week” with Anne Rouen and Smashwords

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Anne Rouen Admin

Celebrate Read an Ebook Week with Anne Rouen on Smashwords

Our lovely friends at Smashwords are putting on a big celebration in honour of “Read an Ebook Week”.

To join in the fun, I have decided to put both my novels in the Historical Fiction Romance Series Master of Illusion up for sale in their HUGE discount catalogue.

So, from March 2 – 8, 2014, you can buy Master of Illusion — Book One and Master of Illusion — Book Two from Smashwords with a 50% OFF discount coupon.

All you have to do is click on the title of each novel above. This will take you to the Smashwords site. When you go to the checkout, enter the discount code REW50 to obtain your savings! This brings each book down to $2.02 US for one week only.

If you have never tried Smashwords, don’t be shy. It’s very easy to use for purchasing ebooks. It allows you to purchase via PayPal, so that may alleviate any fears with regards to online purchases and security. It also offers the ability to download ebooks in any format you like. So you can read on your Kindle, iPad, IPhone, Tablet, Computer and so on!

Hurry to claim your 50% discount before March 8, 2014!

Nothing Like a New Release – Update on Self-Publishing

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Anne Rouen

Master of Illusion Book II. New release from the Historical Fiction Series by Anne Rouen

It has been a lot of work: editing, checking facts, little rewrites here and there, attending to all the publishing details like ISBN and CiP, agonising over a choice of cover from the number of really beautiful designs presented to me. But the excitement of the launch beats everything!

After the great reception and the wonderful reviews Master of Illusion Book I received, I just couldn’t wait to do it again. And my latest review from a judge of the Writers’ Digest Awards has re-fired all my enthusiasm.

Your first book is like your baby. You cannot bear to part with a word of it. Only the strongest representation will induce a rewrite. This is more due to the belief that this story has been given to you; come from outside yourself; rather than overweening conceit about your own abilities as a writer.

I found I wasn’t so precious about Book II, cutting out chunks on the editor’s advice without turning a hair. I think that with Book III, I will be positively blasé! But I have to say I love it when my editor suggests a little rewrite – one more chance to revisit the magical world of opera/ballet, opulence and charm of nineteenth century Paris.

Life on the land is extremely heartbreaking at the moment, as all my farming friends will agree. But after I have fed my few old sheep, checked the horses, the water and put out the drought blocks for the cattle, I can step through the vine-covered door of my little stone hut and become Anne Rouen, resident author of StoneHut Publishing.

Here, immersed in the lives of my characters, the problems of the present world pale into insignificance beside the vibrance – the dazzling brilliance – of la Belle Époque.

Would I do it all again? Absolutely! The whole experience has been so uplifting that I will most definitely do it again.

Here’s a little secret: Book III is finished, ready for polishing – months of hard work by me and my editor – to make it ready for its new release and start the excitement all over again! I’m hooked!

Master of Illusion Book II continues the story of the Master of Illusion and begins where Book I ends: the after party following the Grand Opening of their new opera house. I take this opportunity to assure my fans waiting on the book that, not only will it answer all your questions, but some you never thought to ask.

Master of Illusion Book II is currently available as an ebook on Amazon and Smashwords. And coming soon to the other platforms. Enjoy!

The Dreyfus Affair

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Anne Rouen

Captain Alfred Dreyfus – an innocent man subjected to shocking injustice.

At its simplest, the Dreyfus Affair was the heart-wrenching story of an innocent man, framed by the real culprit, for selling secrets to an enemy; and an illegal cover-up by the military to hide its mistakes.

On a deeper level, it became the issue of the right to freedom of the individual being subordinated by the state, with Dreyfus as its symbol. Its incredible and far-reaching consequences tore apart the fabric of French life, including dramatic changes to the French constitution, the separation of state and clergy, and deep divisions between right and left that still reverberate today.

Depending on your point of view it was either the most shocking miscarriage of justice, or the acceptable sacrifice of an individual for the security of a nation. For many in a country that, one hundred years before, had fought a hard and bloody battle for freedom and fair treatment, this was not to be borne. Feelings ran so strongly that the whole country was polarised. The conflict, reflecting issues of anti-semitism, anti-clericism and anti-republicanism, was often violent.

Everyone living in France between the years 1894 and 1906, was forced to choose a side. There were two camps: Dreyfusards and Anti-Dreyfusards.

My characters, Angel and Elise, with their shared passion for justice, were, naturally, Dreyfusards and worked tirelessly behind the scenes with Dreyfus’ wife Lucie and family to free him.

Dreyfusards (pressing for the exoneration of Dreyfus) were mostly anti-clericals, Jews, left-wing intellectuals and radicals, their cause represented by Georges Clemenceau’s newspaper l’Aurore.

Anti-Dreyfusards( prepared to sacrifice Dreyfus for national security), mainly anti-semites, nationalists and conservatives opposed to republicanism, found a mouthpiece in the newspaper La Libre Parole, owned by Edouard Drumont, an anti-semite.

There is as much drama in this story as any fiction writer could desire; and movie makers were quick to take it up. A short summary of events include:

1894 – Captain Alfred Dreyfus convicted of treason for selling military secrets to the Germans and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island.

1896 – Increasing evidence that another officer, Ferdinand-Walsin Esterhazy was the culprit.

1898 – January – Esterhazy tried and acquitted of treason. In response Émile Zola wrote his famous letter J’accuse, published in l’Aurore, for which he was found guilty of libel.

1898 – August – A sensation caused by the confession of Major Hubert Henry that he fabricated important evidence against Dreyfus. Esterhazy immediately fled to England. Henry committed suicide.

1899 – September – Dreyfus retried and found guilty of treason in an infamous court-martial at Rennes. The President, Émile Loubet, pardoned him to resolve an inflammatory situation.

1906 – Dreyfus finally exonerated by a civilian court of appeal. He was given the Legion d’Honneur and a rise in rank to major. He had lost twelve years of his life, his career and his reputation. How could it be given back?

I find it touching that one innocent citizen’s ill-treatment by a corrupt military galvanised a country into action. Fair-minded people, revolted by injustice and racial/religious prejudice, took up the cudgels in defence of a principle: the right to freedom of the individual.

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: I love it. Vive la France!

Where’s the Risk?

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Anne Rouen

Surprise yourself and read a self-published author (eBook Friendly)

My book, Master of Illusion, shared ebook friendly’s photo on Facebook telling readers to surprise themselves and read a self-published book. Master of Illusion is like that: he sometimes takes his own initiative when it comes to his Facebook page.

But it set me wondering: Why do readers feel it is such a risk to read a self-published book?

Before I self-published, I researched the opinions of many self-publishers and readers.

So, if the risks for the reader are:

That you will spend less than the price of a cup of coffee on an ebook.
That you may become intensely irritated by grammatical errors and/or poor expression.
The characters may be stilted and one dimensional.
The story might be boring; or the end leave you unsatisfied and feeling you have wasted precious hours of your time.

Then the answer is twofold:

a). Choose self-published books that have been professionally edited. All of the above will have been taken care of, and

b). Reading the free PDF download of 10 – 20% on the author website will give you a good idea if it is your sort of book. And if you must, must read on, well and good.

For the self-publisher, on the other hand, the risks can be daunting, both in time, investment and sending you out of your comfort zone. Basically, you put your money where your mouth is (or your pen).

Not only that, but you must take charge of the whole publishing process, doing all the hundred-and-one things a conventional publishing company does for its author, including publicity.

And the greatest risk of all – that your beloved baby you have laboured over for so long will be torn to pieces when it goes out into the world. Or worse, ignored.

But for the author/publisher there is also the unparalleled joy of doing something you love. It is amazingly fulfilling.

Nothing compares with:

the excitement of seeing your book for the first time on the shelves of Amazon, Smashwords and all the other platforms available to ebook authors.
the privilege you feel when someone has taken the time to read your book and the humble delight when they say they loved it. That is so special.
the sheer indescribable ecstasy of receiving a 5 out of 5 star review from someone in a country across the globe; and watching your book rise in the International ebook authors top ten, pinching yourself to make sure it’s real!

For me, as a self-published author, all the above and the fun of forming my own business StoneHut Publishing, was worth the risk, whatever the outcome. (We breast cancer survivors don’t have time to wait twenty years for a publisher to notice us: we just want to get on with it.)

Matthew Reilly took the risk and self-published his first book Contest. His millions of readers are glad that he did. And he is one of the most positive people I have ever met.

So go on, read a self-published book. What’s the risk? You might actually enjoy it – and have your coffee too.