Toasting 2016

For the last three weeks, I told you about my resolutions, my goals, and what to expect this year.


This week, it's time to celebrate!

Here's to you!

Here's to us!

Here's to my books!

Here's to the stories that have yet to be written!

Here's to writing, creativity, and all artistic endeavors!

Here's to 2016 being an absolutely wonderful year!

Happy new year, and happy reading!

What to expect in 2016

I wish I could tell the future. To know what's going to happen, and to be prepared for it. Unfortunately, I can't. However, I can still tell you what to expect in 2016. As in what to expect from me.

This year, expect to see more in-depth blog posts. Expect to see more creativity in my blog posts as well. With things like the A to Z challenge in April, I plan on letting my imagination run wild, and to take you all along with me!

Expect more of a relationship with me. I want to personally connect with my readers. I think it gives us a tremendous friendship, and I also think that it gives both you as the reader, and me as the writer, a more complete experience with all of my stories.

Expect to see more of me. I plan on using social media more, and creating more of a presence, and making myself more accessible and more known.

Expect the unexpected. We never know what's going to happen, what life will throw at us, or what inspiration will hit and when. I ask that you please keep your minds open, and together we can experience some wonderful things!

2016 will be what we make of it, and I plan on making it the best. That's what I'm going to expect. What about you? ;)

Happy new year, and happy reading!

Resolutions for 2016

We are into the second week of 2016. This week, I want to share my resolutions for the new year.

This year, I resolve to be a better writer. I will push and challenge myself. I will study, take classes, and improve my craft.

This year, I resolve to expand my horizons. I refuse to limit myself to just one genre. Instead, I want to grow and see what new stories I can create. My books will now encompass a broader range.

This year, I resolve to create stories that will impact my readers. My books will touch your heart and change your mind. I write to entertain, but I also write with a greater purpose. That will be even more palpable this year.

This year, I resolve to reach a bigger audience. By creating new stories, and promoting my current titles, more people will be aware of my work, and will read them. By doing so, my previous resolution will be reinforced,

This year, I resolve to be the best person and writer I can be for one sole purpose: you!

Happy new year and happy reading!

First blog post of 2016!

Happy New Year!

With 2016 waiting like a blank canvas, I think it's a good idea to discuss my goals for this year.


I want 2016 to be a big year, full of big changes, big successes, and big stories.

Big changes. I'm coming into 2016 working on stories that are unlike anything I've written before. If you follow me on Facebook or have read my WeWriWas in November, I am working on a magical story based on my baby Lovebird, Robert. I'm attempting to emulate J. K. Rowling by writing something that could be deemed a childrens' story, but is written in a more mature voice so that even adults will enjoy it. It'll be very exciting to see where this story goes, and to watch it come to fruition.

Big successes. I  have goals of seeing my stories - old and new - reach bigger audiences. I have goals of seeing my stories receiving more reviews, and watching my rankings go up. I have goals of continuing to publish great stories for you to enjoy. Everything that I do that is positive, that is helpful, that creates movement and momentum, everything that I can achieve is a success. 2016 will be a year that is chock full of them.

Big stories. I'm working on a few pieces, and I plan on writing many more. I write stories of love and life without boundaries. Stories that will touch your heart. Stories that will stay with you, long after you've closed the book. Stories that are powerful, poignant. Stories that are educational as well as entertaining and enjoyable. Stories that you will love.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, folks. 2016 is going to be one heck of a year!

Happy new year, and happy reading!

All of my titles

As a new year is about to dawn, let's review all of my books, so you know what you have to look forward to reading in 2016.

Listed in Alphabetical Order:

Amnesie

What happens to love when life changes? Two women in love, one debilitating change...
http://www.amazon.com/Amnesie-Lauren-Shiro-ebook/dp/B007NJQZZA/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8



First Christmas

A heartwarming holiday short story - Corrine and Darryl haven't spent much time together, with Darryl away in the military. Now, Darryl is coming home. Corrine has changed... grown... become a woman he barely knows... a woman who amazes him at every turn. He's coming home to their first home for their first Christmas... together, at last.
http://www.amazon.com/First-Christmas-Holiday-Short-Story-ebook/dp/B00PPOZD2G/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8



Imperfect/Impeccable

                                                                                

Carol Mathers: born a sickly child, in a home fraught with undercurrents that threaten to sweep away any chance she might have for a normal life. Now in her mid-thirties, she's a highly sought-after IT guru in St. Louis. She has built a great life for herself with her partner, Alexandria, even though the two face prejudice as lesbians, and as an interracial couple -fighting tragedy and sometimes, finding triumph. During her tumultuous life, Carol discovers that she has acquired AIDS as a result of a childhood transfusion from the dark period of time before AIDS was widely known... or understood, not even by the medical profession. Now, the two women face even more obstacles, prejudice, and a strange, new life as AIDS patients. Carol learns just how much her chaotic past has affected her, and how she can never really escape it, even as she tries to move on with her life. An unexpected event creates even more pain and tragedy in Carol's life, and causes her to wonder about the meaning of and purpose of her own life... or if there is any purpose at all... 

(Impeccable) Carol - abandoned - waiting...for what, she couldn't know. She couldn't see that there was more life waiting for her. Carol is forced to face the demons of her past as well as begin to face life without Alex. Struggling to make sense of it all, Carol experiences her new life and all of the highs and lows that come with that life.

http://www.amazon.com/Imperfect-Lauren-Shiro-ebook/dp/B00KXHUN84/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
http://www.amazon.com/Impeccable-Lauren-Shiro-ebook/dp/B00KXNR1LA/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8



Loving Her:

The Ballerina

A southern, redheaded, pickup driving lesbian ballerina? You bet! Meet Liz: a southern belle with flair. Vivacious, eclectic and graceful, she is unique to say the least. The first in the series of Loving Her stories, Liz’s story is the kind that stays with you long after you’ve closed the book.
http://www.amazon.com/Ballerina-Loving-Her-Book-ebook/dp/B00EP01SP2/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8


The Cop

Donna White is one tough cop. Behind the badge, though, is a very sweet, sad, sensitive soul. Truly a woman alone, Donna is simply trying to navigate her way through life. Who is Donna? She is dedicated, determined, distinctive and deep. Donna’s rich and touching story is second in the Loving Her series.
http://www.amazon.com/Cop-Loving-Her-Book-ebook/dp/B00FW3VWF2/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

The Mechanic

Linda - her name means beautiful... After facing rejection from her parents because she is a lesbian, Linda didn’t feel beautiful... she felt lost and alone.
As a skilled mechanic, Linda built her business... Her love life was a different matter. Until Katie...
http://www.amazon.com/Mechanic-Loving-Her-Book-ebook/dp/B00GMPBKS8/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8


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.
http://www.amazon.com/Model-Loving-Her-Book-ebook/dp/B00GVLL3NA/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8


The Peace Officer

Brynn Racanelli is a daughter, a sister, a friend, a partner, a police officer, and so much more. Devoted to serving others through her police work, and to helping her sister who battles chronic Lyme Disease, she is the the poster child of selflessness. But she does have wants, needs, hopes, and dreams. After the sad ending of a long term relationship, she wonders if she will ever be able to get what she wants. Will fate finally bring her the life and love she’s always dreamed of?
http://www.amazon.com/Peace-Officer-Loving-Her-Book-ebook/dp/B00ICQWXCW/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8


The Shelter Director

Shy, quiet, humble – Jen is the kind of person that would give you the shirt off her back and then ask you what else you need. She may not be a movie star, but she’ll treat you like one. She works diligently to help save cats. She sacrifices her life and stability to accommodate her partner. She gives until it hurts, and her reward is a devastating diagnosis. What will her life become?
http://www.amazon.com/Shelter-Director-Loving-Her-Book-ebook/dp/B00JCI6CXA/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8


The Vet Student

One night changed everything for Katie. From that moment on, her life was propelled forward like a rocket. Determined to escape the small town and her religious, stifling parents, Katie works hard to get into veterinary school... in Philadelphia.

Katie refused to let anything – or anyone – destroy her dream. Not even her own parents. Even in the face of danger, Katie held true to herself and her beliefs. She suffered many losses along the way, but she gained so much more. Tumultuous and tender, Katie’s story closes the Loving Her series... for now.
http://www.amazon.com/Vet-Student-Loving-Her-Book-ebook/dp/B00L5WJXCS/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8


The Writer

Everyone has that one friend; the mother of the group. Maria is that one friend; nurturing, wise, and with a spicy streak, Maria is the matriarch of the clan. An emotionally challenging family relationship that threatens to interfere with the love she'd given up ever finding again...with Stephania. Cerebral, emotional, and even sometimes comical, Maria’s story is the seventh in the Loving Her series.
http://www.amazon.com/Writer-Loving-Her-Book-ebook/dp/B00K6ZEAAU/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8



Pianissimo

Darryl and Corinne Richards purchase their first house. With Darryl’s army career coming to a close, they feel ready to settle down in Louisville, Kentucky. With impeccable timing, Darryl is sent on one final tour, leaving Corinne to live in this new house and new city alone. Overwhelmed, Corinne becomes reclusive, living a quiet, boring life with her cats as she adjusts to her new surroundings. The problem is: someone or some thing does not want her life to be either quiet or boring. And then there’s the creepy piano in the basement… There is more to that creepy, dilapidated piano and her new home than Corinne could ever imagine. Through highs and lows, twists and turns, she begins to understand that even the most softly played music is powerful – and that even soft realizations and quietly subtle changes can have a profound effect.
http://www.amazon.com/Pianissimo-Lauren-Shiro/dp/0692310819/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8



Trajectory

Joe Davis has spent the last four years of his life behind a turrent scope as a sniper for the Detroit PD's SWAT Team. A fateful call sends Joe and his team deep into the Detroit ghetto; and reminds him that there is more to life than what's on the other end of his gun.

Albeit short, this story is chock full of details and insights
into the life of a police SWAT officer.
http://www.amazon.com/Trajectory-Lauren-Shiro-ebook/dp/B004VS2GP4/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8



Unbreakable Hostage

Lareina Oliveira; she wants to share her passion for math. So it is back to school for Lareina… a tough Ph.D. program. A classmate is captivated by Lareina’s beauty and intelligence, and despite her repeated refusals to his attentions, he kidnaps her! Only her determination and wits can save her…
http://www.amazon.com/Unbreakable-Hostage-Lauren-Shiro/dp/0615902456/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Happy reading and happy new year!