Saturday, March 28, 2015

Final WeWriWa from The Model

It's time for another WeWriWa!


Click www.wewriwa.com for more information and to see other 8 Sentence Sunday posts.
This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight sentences from a published work or even a WIP (work in progress). Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! It's a great way to meet readers, writers, and your next favorite book!  :)

For this month, I am giving you snippets of Stephania's story in the Loving Her series, The Model.





She's exotic. She's beautiful. She's talented. She's unique. She's Stephania. A young successful model who started from nothing, she has experienced all the ups and downs of life. Never one to be kept down, she persists through life's trials and reaches for the fairytale ending she has always hoped for. Stephania's emotional journey is the fourth story in the Loving Her series.


Background on the snippet: Stephania is on the phone with a gentleman from a company that turned her down for a modeling job for being "too ethnic." True to form, Stephania lets him have it.

“You know, it’s not like I’m that dark. But just because I have black hair and full lips. Just
because my boobs actually fill a bra cup and I actually have an ass, I’m too thick and too ‘ethnic’ for
you. Okay. Whatever. If and when you are looking for a real woman and someone who is professional and truly representative of women everywhere, call me.” Steph hung up.


Hope you liked it! Happy reading!

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Character of the Week: Agnes

It's the last Thursday in March, kids! Can you believe it? Time flies when you're having fun!




Speaking of fun, we are about to embark on 2 very fun adventures!



First off, I just announced that my A to Z Challenge theme this year is Pianissimo. In 6 days, we will travel through the story and the alphabet. It's gonna be awesome!



Secondly, we are officially starting our Character of the Week series. Now there won't be any Character of the Week posts in April due to the A to Z Challenge, so what I decided to do was use this first week as a lead-in to the A to Z Challenge, and then once we hit May, we will continue on with these studies of my characters.



So without further ado, let's jump into this week's character study: Agnes, from Pianissimo.





In the story, we know a little about her family history. We learn that she comes from a prominent Louisville family. We also learn that she tragically lost her parents when she was eighteen. Most of what we know of her past is told only through the abstract on the house, newspaper articles, and her brief mentions of her story. But who is Agnes Walker?




Agnes was born an only child. Although she came from two powerful families, the farm was still a working farm.





Chores aside, the farm fed her passion for horses. We are later introduced to her best friend, Chief. He was the only soul who knew her, who didn't judge her, and who loved her unconditionally. He was her companion, a soul-mate of sorts. In a world where being a lesbian is taboo (though she doesn't even realize that she is), Chief consoles her and gives her freedom to be herself.




When her parents die tragically and unexpectedly, Agnes is forced to take on an entirely new role of working and managing the farm completely by herself. She is never truly able to mourn the loss of her parents as she immediately felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. She quickly becomes strong and cynical. She keeps to herself; though she eventually becomes a teacher, she doesn't socialize much with her co-workers.




When Margaret Begum arrives as a new teacher, there is a gentleness about her that Agnes cannot resist. Though she still hasn't defined herself as gay, she cannot help but be drawn to her. The pair quickly forge a strong friendship. Margaret quickly and quietly worked her way into Agnes' heart. Agnes opened herself up to someone like she never had before.




It doesn't take long for Agnes to fall in love with Margaret. She's thrilled and petrified at the same time. She was vulnerable, and that alone was frightening. Moreover, she was scared because she didn't understand her feelings. She could not fathom what was going on. She feared losing the best human friendship she ever had. Always one to be stoic, Agnes never let on that she was madly in love with Margaret until Margaret mustered up her courage to confess her love.




Agnes and Margaret share a beautiful life together. Though Agnes sadly loses everyone who is ever important to her: her parents, Chief, and eventually Margaret. Agnes knows great sadness. She tries desperately to hide her emotions, lest no one ever discover her vulnerability. In the end, however, she is simply a human - a woman doing the very best that she can.




Agnes was always a very potent character. From the very beginning, she made her presence known. She's a strong woman; she is deep, emotional, brave...she is a hero. Living a life that is true to herself. She is an amazing character, and I'm glad that I was fortunate enough to write her story. ;)


So that's our background on Agnes from Pianissimo. I think she's a great way to introduce the book, this series, and the A to Z Challenge!


Happy reading!
http://www.amazon.com/Pianissimo-Lauren-Shiro/dp/0692310819/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426886459&sr=8-1&keywords=lauren+shiro

Monday, March 23, 2015

2015 A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal!

Howdy kids!

I know, I'm blogging on a Monday. What gives?


Well, April is quickly approaching which can mean only one thing:




it's time for the A to Z Challenge!




As you may remember, I have participated in this challenge both in 2013 and 2014.

My theme for 2013 was The Arts and Creativity.


My theme last year was a tribute to my grandfather who had passed away on April 3, 2013.




So what do I have in store for you this year?



I wanted this year to be different. I wanted this year to be special. I wanted this year to be magical. I wanted this year to be memorable.





So I decided to truly challenge myself by doing every letter of the alphabet relating to a book.



Well, not just any book.

My book.


So my 2015 A to Z theme is...





 Pianissimo.





Throughout the month of April, I will use words, characters, terms, and phrases that all relate to my latest release. Pianissimo is a story of self-discovery just as much as it is a paranormal story. There is a lot of depth. I like stories with many layers, and I wanted to create a piece that was both simple yet complex. Thus Pianissimo was born. Now, we will explore the book more deeply than the snippets I've shared thus far. Now I will give you a glimpse into the story and characters that is unlike anything you would have seen or expected. Be prepared to learn more about the characters, the story, the history, and the tale(s) behind Pianissimo.

This will be a microscopic examination of my book.




I am really excited about this challenge, and I hope you come along with me through this journey!




Thanks for your support.

April is going to be a great month! ;)




Happy reading!

Saturday, March 21, 2015

More WeWriWa fun from The Model

It's time for another WeWriWa!


Click www.wewriwa.com for more information and to see other 8 Sentence Sunday posts.
This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight sentences from a published work or even a WIP (work in progress). Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! It's a great way to meet readers, writers, and your next favorite book!  :)

For this month, I am giving you snippets of Stephania's story in the Loving Her series, The Model.




She's exotic. She's beautiful. She's talented. She's unique. She's Stephania. A young successful model who started from nothing, she has experienced all the ups and downs of life. Never one to be kept down, she persists through life's trials and reaches for the fairytale ending she has always hoped for. Stephania's emotional journey is the fourth story in the Loving Her series.

This snippet has been edited to fit 8 sentences.

Background on the snippet: Stephania and her family has gathered together because her younger brother has just died. Stephania is talking with her mother and two sisters, Yoana and Erendiria.

Yoana turned to Stephania. “You are next if you keep this up; you need to stop.”
Stephania lifted her head and looked at her.
“I mean it.” Yoana said. “Was it not bad enough we lost Dad at an early age and now Alvaro?
Don’t put Mamá through anything more. Please, I beg of you.”


Hope you liked it! Happy reading!


Thursday, March 19, 2015

Character of the Week

Good Thursday morning, troops!





Today, I want to introduce something new. I want to give you a better, deeper look at the people in my stories. Let's go beyond the stories and what you have read. Let's go really deep and get into their psyches.




To give you a better understanding of my characters, their stories, their lives, and their truths, I am introducing a new series called Character of the Week. Each week, we will explore the mind and soul of a different character. We're going to discover each and every one of them. From Imperfect and Impeccable to the Loving Her series, and everything in between.




So come join me in these weekly examinations and see my characters and stories in a whole new light!



We'll kick off this series next week. I'm not going to tell you who will start this off, but it will be a nice lead-in into the April A to Z Challenge. Stay tuned for more details on both the Character of the Week series and the A to Z Challenge! ;)

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Another WeWriWa snippet from The Model

It's time for another WeWriWa!


Click www.wewriwa.com for more information and to see other 8 Sentence Sunday posts.
This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight sentences from a published work or even a WIP (work in progress). Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! It's a great way to meet readers, writers, and your next favorite book!  :)

For this month, I am giving you snippets of Stephania's story in the Loving Her series, The Model.




She's exotic. She's beautiful. She's talented. She's unique. She's Stephania. A young successful model who started from nothing, she has experienced all the ups and downs of life. Never one to be kept down, she persists through life's trials and reaches for the fairytale ending she has always hoped for. Stephania's emotional journey is the fourth story in the Loving Her series.


Background on the snippet: Stephania has just crashed on the couch after another exhausting shoot. Her long-term girlfriend, Chrissy, is away shooting in Europe. Just as Steph begins to fall asleep, the phone rings.

This snippet has been edited to fit 8 sentences.


“Hey baby!” Some strange woman said.
“Uhhh…who is this?”
“It’s Ellie!”
“Ellie who?”
“Chrissy?”
“No, this is…”
The woman hung up.


Hope you liked it! Happy reading!

Thursday, March 12, 2015

What to Expect...

Hello, hello!






Yet another Thursday is upon us, folks! We all know what that means!





Yes, it's blog time. And what am I blogging about? I'm blogging about...blogs.





We're in mid-March now (why does time fly by so quickly?!), so I thought I'd give you a guide to the up and coming.





Starting April 1, I will be participating in the A to Z Challenge again.

This is my third year doing so, and I am very excited about my theme for this year. What's my theme? You're gonna have to wait and find out! ;) The theme reveal is on the 23rd, so stay tuned!



Because of the A to Z, I will not be doing WeWriWa during the month of April. We will continue with our WeWriWas from The Model through the rest of March.


We will begin again in May, at which point, we'll be reading WeWriWas from The Vet Student.



So that takes us through the next 6-8 weeks-ish, not including my usual Thursday blog which, like the WeWriWas, will continue through March, and resume again in May.



I think that covers the basics. I hope y'all are as excited about all of this as I am. It's gonna be great!


Happy reading!

Saturday, March 7, 2015

WeWriWa The Model

It's time for another WeWriWa!


Click www.wewriwa.com for more information and to see other 8 Sentence Sunday posts.
This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight sentences from a published work or even a WIP (work in progress). Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! It's a great way to meet readers, writers, and your next favorite book!  :)

For this month, I am giving you snippets of Stephania's story in the Loving Her series, The Model.




She's exotic. She's beautiful. She's talented. She's unique. She's Stephania. A young successful model who started from nothing, she has experienced all the ups and downs of life. Never one to be kept down, she persists through life's trials and reaches for the fairytale ending she has always hoped for. Stephania's emotional journey is the fourth story in the Loving Her series.


Background on the snippet: Stephania is sixteen years old and working full-time to help support her family after her father's death. A customer at The Taco Shop gave Stephania her business card and told her to call.

This snippet has been edited to fit 8 sentences.


Steph stared at the business card under the dim light of the lamp in her room: Joanne Wilcox –
Wilcox Talent Agency, representing models, actors and singers in the greater Philadelphia area
since 1975. Why would she have given her this card? Steph wasn’t a model, an actress, or a singer.
This woman must be delusional. What would it hurt to actually
call her? Steph wouldn’t actually lose anything, right? Maybe she would just give this woman a call.
Maybe.



Hope you liked it! Happy reading!