#Review #QandA: Melokai by Rosalyn Kelly @rosalynkauthor

Release date - 10th October 2017
Book length - 338 pages
Publisher - Self-Published
Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk
Amazon US - www.amazon.com


I want to thank Rosalyn Kelly for providing me with a copy of this novel for review and I look forward to the next instalment!!


ABOUT THE BOOK

She thinks it’s the end, but it’s just the beginning.

“Trouble will come from the east. A wolf will claim the throne.” 

Legendary warrior Ramya has successfully reigned over Peqkya as Melokai for twelve years. Prosperous, peaceful, and happy, her people love her… or so she thinks.

But Ramya’s time is up. Bracing herself for the gruesome sentence imposed on all Melokais who have served their purpose, she hears instead a shocking prophecy.

Is the sudden appearance of a mysterious cave creature from the east the trouble the prophecy speaks of? Or is the threat something darker, more evil? And what of the wolves… does the ferocious war with their kind mark the end for Peqkya? 

Before Ramya can answer, she and her fearless warriors must first crush a catastrophic rebellion that threatens to destroy her and devastate her beloved nation.


MY REVIEW

From the very beginning of this story, I was thrown into the action and customs of this new world and the people of Peqkya, where women reign supreme and men are seen as nothing more than useful slaves or pleasure-givers. Ramya is their Melokai or leader, but she knows that her rule is almost at an end and she will be banished and alone soon. But when a prophecy is declared, Ramya understands that there is a threat against her people and she will fight like the warrior that she is, but when a mysterious cave creature enters her demesne, he will stir her heart in a way that nobody ever has, and she will do whatever she must to keep him by her side. But other parts of this fantasy world are preparing for their own individual battles - the wolves want to reunite to take back what is theirs and the royalty of Drome are seeking to expand their rule. And even within her own people, Ramya is not as beloved as she may think, and rebellion is breeding ...

MELOKAI by Rosalyn Kelly is a fascinating and descriptive new fantasy world that I enjoyed getting to know and I will definitely read the next book in this series to see what happens next. Now I have to warn readers that there is a lot of sexual activity mentioned throughout which may not be for some people. Sex seems to take on many roles in this story from pleasure, to power, to control, to love, to duty.
​There are lots of characters in this fantasy world but I still got to know each and every one and had my favourites and those that I really disliked from the beginning. The different nations are wonderfully depicted as we get to know their individual strengths, weaknesses, customs, and natural beauty, as well as the darker side that exists of those in power.

​All in all, I enjoyed MELOKAI by Rosalyn Kelly and I highly recommend this novel to all fantasy fans who enjoy a rich story that leaves you wanting you more. 

Author Bio:

Rosalyn Kelly grew up in the magical New Forest in the south of England and has lived around the country as well as in the Middle East and travelled all over the world. 

She studied English Literature and Language at Oxford Brookes University before embarking on a PR and marketing career. 

After ten years of telling the stories of international brands and businesses she decided the time had come to tell her own and her debut novel MELOKAI was written in 2016 after quitting her job, going travelling for four months and then writing solidly for the following four. 

The inspiration for her epic fantasy trilogy came when she was trekking in the mountains of Nepal’s stunning Annapurna Sanctuary. 

When she’s not putting her heart and soul into book two of the In The Heart of The Mountains trilogy, she daydreams about where to travel to next, paints with acrylic, reads voraciously and writes book reviews on her blog. 

For more information:
Website - www.rosalynkelly.co.uk
Twitter - twitter.com/rosalynkauthor
Facebook - www.facebook.com/rosalynkellyauthor
Instagram - www.instagram.com/rosalynkauthor/

*Read on for a fascinating Q&A with the author herself on the topic of self-publishing.*

SELF-PUBLISHING 

Q.1 Why self-publish and not traditional?
I’m impatient. I had a feeling that I would self-publish when I started writing Melokai.  I did the usual thing and sent my manuscript off to literary agents and then got bored waiting for replies so started all the wheels in motion to self-publish anyway. It took months to get responses and rather than send out a second round of emails to more agents, I decided to go it alone.  If I’d got a yes from an agent, it might be months/years to get a publisher then another year or so to see my book on the shelf and I wasn’t prepared to wait that long. 


Q.2 How much creative input did you have in the Melokai cover and map?
The joy of publishing Melokai myself was that I have full creative control over every aspect of the book.  I knew exactly how I wanted the cover to look and I also found an illustrator whose work I admired to create my map.   


Q.3 How do you ensure quality when self-publishing?
Quality is very important to me, and I wanted to produce a book to the same standards as a traditionally published one. I researched and read up on everything about self-publishing that I could get my hands on. I decided that a lot of stuff I could do myself, but there were a few critical things that I’d need to outsource to ensure the highest quality – namely a professional book cover design and an editor.  Before I employed an editor, I went through two rounds of beta reading with three beta readers, rewrote my first chapter numerous times and asked friends to read it and give me feedback, plus carefully edited and proofread the manuscript. Only when I was confident in, and proud of, the story did I call it finished.  Then I tweaked and fiddled with the formatting until it was near perfect and sourced a professional to create my cover. 


Q.4 How much effort do you put into social media and promoting your book?
It’s a lot of effort, but thankfully I enjoy social media and marketing. I used to work in the industry and it comes naturally to me. I post to my social channels almost every day and write regular blogs.  I taught myself all about book advertising, set up a website and email newsletter following and, genuinely, I have fun. 


Q.5 Best advice you have received which has helped you to survive in the self-publishing world?
Many readers don’t care if you are traditionally published or self-published or something else entirely, they are looking for a great story and a positive reading experience (e.g. cover, ebook formatting, paperback layout).  These questions really drove the message home for me: Do you know who published the book you’re currently reading? Do you care? Do you buy books purely based on who has published them? My answer to all three is no. 


Q.6 What are the positives and the negatives of self-publishing for you personally?
Positives for me include: speed, complete creative control, no reliance on others and no interference from others – you are the master of your own destiny
Negatives: steep learning curve at first, which can be overwhelming (but on the positive side, once learned it’s never difficult again!), opinion of some that self-publishing is the poor relation to traditional publishing.  I remind people that EL James’ Fifty Shades of Grey, Andy Weir’s The Martian and Hugh Howey’s Wool all started out as self-published books.


*My thanks again to Rosalyn Kelly for this insight into her self-publishing journey so far.