Character of the Week: Tony from Unbreakable Hostage

How does one describe Tony Covelli? Odd? Controlling? Unstable? Confused? Desperate? Angry? Wounded? He's all of the above, and then some.

He's not the kind of character you'd really want to get to know. He's dark, unsocial, angry, peculiar, and even a bit creepy. Yet, there is so much more to him than what you'd initially expect.

Tony grew up in Fresno, California. He and his brother had fairly normal lives. Except when the family would vacation. His grandfather had built a small cabin in the woods by the Merced River. When they had reunions or take vacations, the entire family would stay in the cabin: Tony, Dominck, their parents, their aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was very confining to say the least. The real monster was Tony's Uncle Sal.

Uncle Sal was a very sick man who had his way with all of the children in the family. His illness became an illness for Dominick, Tony's brother. To some extent, it becomes Tony's illness as well, though his manifests differently.


Tony is an aimless person. He's very smart - perhaps too smart. Despite his IQ, he is unable to find a purpose or calling in life. He takes class after class, searching for an occupation. It is in such a class that he meets Lareina Oliveira.

Lareina is a small, feisty, beautiful Hispanic woman. From the first time he sees her, he is completely smitten.


Unfortunately, Tony's "illness" causes him to not respect boundaries. His smittenness becomes an infatuation which becomes an obsession, which leads to him kidnapping her.

Tony is unable to control his emotions. He can become violent, but he can also be as gentle as a lamb. He is unpredictable to say the least. Even he doesn't know what he's going to do next.

He takes Lareina to the family cabin. It's the only place he knows of that could possibly be safe, and that was secluded enough to keep the police at bay.

Unbeknownst to him, his brother Nick assaulted yet another little girl in the cabin. What he thought was a safe refuge was a target for the police.


Tony's intention was never to hurt Lareina. He just needed to have her. She was an object - perhaps even a trophy of sorts. He didn't understand - he couldn't understand that she was not a thing to be had.

He attempts to control her, he attempts to love her. Ultimately, he learns that she was never his in the first place.

It may seem odd to have some sympathy or to extend kindness to someone as sick and abusive as Tony Covelli. He is certainly no hero. He is, however, human. Sick and twisted, but human nonetheless.

Favorite quote from Tony: “That's your bed for tonight. Get some sleep. You're going to need it.”

Come decide for yourself!
http://www.amazon.com/Unbreakable-Hostage-Lauren-Shiro/dp/0615902456/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1427674225&sr=8-17&keywords=lauren+shiro

2015 A to Z Challenge: Pianissimo - Day 10 (J)

 For the third consecutive year, I am participating in the A to Z blog challenge.
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

This year, we're going to go through my latest full-length novel, Pianissimo.

We're in the double digits now! What better letter to start us off than J?!

J is for Justice.

Justice is not necessarily a word you'd think of when you read a paranormal story, but there is justice to be had in Pianissimo.

Agnes and Margaret face some horrible prejudice in their life time. Bigotry, hatred, lies, and accusations lead them to face their co-workers, and the entire town. With their lives and reputations on the line, and with virtually no one rushing to their side, they are forced to stand up for themselves. Will justice be served?

On the other side, there's Corinne learning about Margaret and Agnes. She learns not only of the lives they lead, but of the core of their beings. She learns about an entirely new way of life. She is forced to reconsider her old ideas and prejudices. Unlike the townsfolk of the early 1900s, Corinne's eyes and heart are opened. She uses them as inspiration to become a better person. She does them justice by restoring their one connection: the piano.

So yes, justice is a theme in Pianissimo. If you read it, you can find out if I do justice justice! ;)

http://www.amazon.com/Pianissimo-Lauren-Shiro-ebook/dp/B00OEOTZMC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420832795&sr=8-2&keywords=lauren+shiro

A to Z '14 - Honesty

For this year's A to Z Challenge, I am honoring my grandfather who passed away on April 3, 2013.


H is for Honesty.


My grandfather always told us to be honest. He was a man of his word, and he was a great role model for it. He taught us the importance of honesty and integrity. He always told me to be a person of my word and to have a good handshake. For me, those are both so tightly intertwined. A good handshake is the mark of an honest person.

Honesty is so important. For me, I have to wonder about people who lie (whether patholoically or not). Now, I'm not saying I'm perfect. I've lied. For whatever reasons, I have. But I have met some people whose entire lives were based on lies. Or they had huge lies within their marriages (a lack of fidelity, for example). That's the kind of stuff that I don't understand. How can you live with yourself? How can you keep your stories straight? How can anyone ever truly believe you?



I don't know and I don't want to know. At the end of the day, we are the ones who have to live with ourselves, our decisions and our actions. Honesty is important - it's a tremendous indicator of character.



I choose to be honest, because the greatest man I have ever known was.

H is for honesty.