Suzannah Rowntree
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suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
Suzannah Rowntree
@suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
370 followers 180 following 2K posts
Historical fantasy author | Books make the best time machines | Christian, tea drinker, siege fancier | https://suzannahrowntree.site
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suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
"Can we get those boys some lances?" I appear on Wizards & Spaceships podcast this month to discuss how to write your fantasy battle scenes! Head over to wizardsandspaceships.ca/2025/11/15/s... or your favourite podcast platform to catch the whole episode!
November 16, 2025 at 11:03 PM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
Grab a bundle of fantasy romance reads with strong heroines from me and other indie fantasy authors! You choose what to pay: anything over $5 gets you three books, or contribute $25 or more to unlock all eleven titles.

Check it out at StoryBundle.com/fantasy before 4 December!
Collage of book covers including titles by Intisar Khanani, Jacqueline Benson, Tilly Wallace, Stephanie Burgis, Charlotte English and more. TALL & DARK is in centre with text reading "the leading ladies fantasy bundle - StoryBundle.com/fantasy - November 12-December 4"
November 14, 2025 at 10:09 PM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
Yes I DID put Q1 of the Heidelberg Catechism into my book about con artists having little adventures in 1890s Germany, because I can do what I want
November 6, 2025 at 8:27 PM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
why are male historians
October 26, 2025 at 9:28 PM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
Anyway I have a book out today in which a brainwashed lil assassin yearns for family in mediaeval Cairo

A STRANGER IN THE LAND, the latest release in a series set in the mediaeval middle east!

books2read.com/u/bzGAJZ
October 23, 2025 at 11:25 PM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
Who robbed the Louvre? Right answers only
Book cover of "Tall & Dark" by Suzannah Rowntree, a heisty gaslamp romp
October 20, 2025 at 10:40 PM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
I looked up Tolkien's Letter to Milton Waldman again the other day and haven't stopped thinking about how precisely he predicted Silicon Valley in general and generative AI in particular here..."all use of external plans or devices instead of development of the inherent inner powers or talents"
October 16, 2025 at 1:37 AM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
Once again I must share my life's greatest work
Sir Walter Scott bingo card featuring 25 squares labelled things like "nothing happens in the first eight chapters", "Forbidden Love", "JACOBITES!" and "Hammy yet AWESOME speech"
September 7, 2025 at 10:41 AM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
Saw the 1982 Anthony Andrews IVANGOE last night with my bestie C and 6 of the attack pixies, delighted to report that after Ivanhoe kissed Rebecca (!) & told her he'd totes marry her if she wasn't Jewish (!!!) he was greeted in every scene with tweenaged shrieks of "BRAT" "RATFACE" "JERK" "RACIST"
Poster for the 1982 IVANHOE movie starring Anthony Andrews, Sam Neill and Olivia Hussey, featuring floating heads, charging knights, and Rebecca's amazing Technicolour houri veil
September 6, 2025 at 11:12 PM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
Aussies who see this may like to get on the phones to your senators, ASAP, to help stop a bill that's being rushed through the Senate tomorrow.

#AusPol
September 2, 2025 at 9:03 AM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
Did you know I had THE WEREWOLF OF WHITECHAPEL ebook (Bog Standard Edition™️) on sale all month for 99c?

These are your final hours to snatch it up before it goes back to full price!

Get it here>>> books2read.com/u/mYAjLG
August 29, 2025 at 11:17 PM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
My writing group is laughing at me because I saw that IS IT ABUSE? is on sale for 4.99 and said I NEED THIS, I'M ABOUT TO TRY WRITING SOME ROMANCES
August 29, 2025 at 1:28 AM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
I just got told off on Tumblr for writing "books about white people going on Crusades" and while I am definitely a bit frustrated that this complete stranger wanted to leap to entirely unsupported conclusions about my work, I understand that the casual passer-by may indeed have Questions about this
Image shows a Tumblr post comment reading "Fantasy novel showing historical women having different roles and freedoms than we're used to books showing us - great! Books about white people going on the Crusades - ah..." and my response: "Indeed, that's why I chose to centre my books on this topic on the experiences of a Syrian family indigenous to the region" punctuated with a halo emoji
August 21, 2025 at 12:26 AM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
HOW TO WRITE A FANTASY BATTLE is finally available in paperback!

Let me demystify battle tactics for you in under 100 pages.

Find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop: books2read.com/u/bO7Q5J
Or ask your local independent bookstore to order it in: ISBN: 978-0645466881
Against a blurred grey background, an image of the cover of HOW TO WRITE A FANTASY BATTLE: BASIC MEDIEVAL AND MODERN MILITARY TACTICS FOR AUTHORS, by Suzannah Rowntree. Text above the book reads: "Out now in PAPERBACK!"
August 14, 2025 at 2:30 AM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
thanks, this one is an heirloom! it was passed down to me from my grandad, the journalist 😇
Screenshot depicts a passage of text from my WIP, DARK SECRETS. A highlighted phrase reads "That rebarbative American, Warren Vandergriff" and a PDF comment left thereon by Claire Hill reads "your adjectives are so good"
August 11, 2025 at 3:42 AM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
The Epic Sale of Beloved SFF is live! Over 100 boooks, recommended by indie SFF authors, are on sale either free of 99c - including my bestseller THE WEREWOLF OF WHITECHAPEL!

4 days only - browse it now while it's live! >>> talesfromthecircle.com/epicsale2025...
Image shows the cover design of "The Werewolf of Whitechapel" by Suzannah Rowntree against a background showing smaller versions of the covers of dozens of SFF books. Text reads "Epic Sale of Beloved SFF 2025 - Aug 7th-11th - over 100 recommended books on sale - Free or $0.99"
August 8, 2025 at 12:19 AM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
The Russo-Ukrainian war motorcycle adaptation saga continues to be endlessly fascinating to me. Un(?) fortunately it also seems to be deadly for the Russians.

Screenshot from ISW: www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder...
Text reads: A Russian milblogger and former Storm Z instructor complained on June 30 that Russian motorcycles and ATVs are vulnerable to Ukrainian first-person view (FPV) drone strikes and that Russian motorcycle assaults result in higher killed-in-action (KIA) to wounded-in-action (WIA) ratios, however.[11] The milblogger noted that motorcycle assaults could be more successful should Russian forces use motorcycles in tandem with significant air, drone, and electronic warfare (EW) support. Motorcycle usage has allowed Russian forces to marginally improve their ability to dodge Ukrainian drones in contested "gray zones" along the frontline, but Russia's rate of advance has yet to increase beyond a foot pace despite efforts to integrate faster-moving vehicles into assault tactics.
July 19, 2025 at 9:40 PM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
Stressed out by your battle scene? HOW TO WRITE A FANTASY BATTLE is out in the world - and since a few reviewers who pride themselves on the depth of their military knowledge have complained that the book is too short and basic, you know it'll be absolutely perfect for YOU 😇

books2read.com/u/bO7Q5J
Cover design of HOW TO WRITE A FANTASY BATTLE: BASIC MEDIEVAL AND MODERN MILITARY TACTICS FOR AUTHORS, by Suzannah Rowntree
July 11, 2025 at 11:27 PM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
HOW TO WRITE A FANTASY BATTLE is now available for pre-order at most major online retailers!

Let me demystify battle tactics for you, in under 20,000 words and for about the same price as a cup of coffee!

Releases 11 July, 2025! Pre-order now: books2read.com/u/bO7Q5J
Image of book cover "How to Write a Fantasy Battle" by Suzannah Rowntree, with a quote beneath reading: Most people tend to think of battles in terms of two factors: men and weapons. However, if you’re going to be planning a battle, whether as an author or in some other capacity—I won’t judge—then you need to recognise that terrain is an equally important factor. Image of book cover "How to Write a Fantasy Battle" by Suzannah Rowntree, with a quote beneath reading: The easiest thing to do is to consider how your worldbuilding can best map on to some real-life element of war. Image of book cover "How to Write a Fantasy Battle" by Suzannah Rowntree, with a quote beneath reading: I will go to my grave maintaining that real battles are amazingly dramatic, and that you don’t need to make up bad tactics for the sake of the story.
July 1, 2025 at 12:49 AM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
Have you pre-ordered HOW TO WRITE A FANTASY BATTLE?

Author Tara Grayce gives this one the thumbs up: "Nice, clear, and basic enough that I could hand it to a beginner, but someone who has done a fair bit of reading about military strategy could get a nice refresher.”

www.amazon.com/dp/B0FBFPDFWD
June 17, 2025 at 12:11 AM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
Happy Lizard Fashion day to all those celebrating #DraculaDaily, from Molly, Vasily, and the gang.
Screenshot from A STAB IN THE DARK, book 5 of the Miss Dark's Apparitions, reading: I stifled a giggle and felt better at once. “Does the prosthetic eye help with Opera-managing?” “Oh, immensely,,” he said with a little gasp, for he was now scaling the second-floor balconies. “You have no idea—how useful it is—to know when one of the sopranos is bamboozling one.” He disappeared into the balcony, but his voice went on. “Third—you don’t know many vampires, I take it, but we are all very good at climbing things. We have to be. There used to be a connection of the family in Roumania who fairly crawled about the walls of his ancestral castle like a lizard.” “Well, be careful of the trellis on the second right-hand balcony,” I told him. “There’s nothing but a few vines holding it up anymore.”
June 12, 2025 at 1:29 AM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
I just sent my latest newsletter, which this fortnight features the amazing Marie von Bruhl, a.k.a. Mrs von Clausewitz, without whom we would never have the landmark work ON WAR.
Monochrome sketch portrait of German noblewoman Marie von Bruhl in early 19th century clothing and a ruffled cap. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_von_Br%C3%BChl
June 9, 2025 at 11:37 PM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
I'll never forget this passage from John Merriman's THE DYNAMITE CLUB: HOW A BOMBING IN FIN-DE-SIECLE PARIS IGNITED THE AGE OF MODERN TERROR, on state terrorism. I read this book at the end of 2019 for my MISS SHARP'S MONSTERS series.
Screenshot of black text against white background. Reads: "Revolutionaries and resistance terrorists commonly direct their violence against states they view as oppressive and whose presence they consider unjust. Indeed, the origins of the word “terrorism” go back to state terror, as wielded by the Committee of Public Safety during the French Revolution. Maximilien Robespierre borrowed the word “terrorism” from Tacitus’s history of classical Rome. The original terrorists did the work of the state, punishing those who resisted its authority. And, as has been pointed out, state terrorism not only came first, it has always been infinitely more dangerous than the highly lethal terrorism undertaken by the determined enemies of existing state structures. By one sad count, in the twentieth century, some 170 million people perished at the hands of government authorities, most of them in their own states. During the 1890s, anarchist attacks killed a maximum of sixty people, wounding more than two hundred. This is tragic, to be sure, but it is a small number compared with the victims of state terrorism. The ratio of victims of state terror to the bloody work of freelance terrorists, or “non-state” terrorists, stands at approximately 260 to 1. State terrorism is often conveniently forgotten, or overlooked."
June 7, 2025 at 4:21 AM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
another of THOSE mornings I see
June 5, 2025 at 9:02 PM
suzannahrowntree.bsky.social
do other people put their hair in space buns for an instant winter mood boost or are you normal
June 3, 2025 at 1:25 AM