Halloween 2016!!!

Happy Halloween, kids!

To celebrate the spookiest of days, we have to talk about my paranormal story, Pianissimo.

Here's a little excerpt sure to put a chill in your spine:

The outside world was morphed and swirled around through the old leaded glass. Corinne stole an extra glance at the warped view as she vacuumed the cat hair off the area rug and then the couch. She smiled at the quirkiness of the old windows. Sweat raced down her face as she cleaned diligently despite the horrid hot, humid weather. After several minutes, she finally stopped the vacuum.
   As soon as the whirl of the motor died down, Corinne thought she heard something. She strained to hear it. After concentrating for a few silent moments, she could finally make out the faint sound of a woman crying.
   Why was there a woman crying? Was someone hurt? Did something happen? Corinne hoped whoever it was was alright.
   Panic stricken for the other person, Corinne ran through the house looking in every room, opening every door. What was going on? Who was that? There was no one in the house. She ran out through the back door to see if any of her neighbors were hurt. Not one sign of life. What in the world?   Something had to be happening.
   She could still hear the cries.
   Corinne walked briskly back into the house. As she came in, she felt drawn to the inside basement door.
   Corinne went to slide back the lock, but it was so hot, it singed her hand. Corinne immediately removed her hand from the door. She looked at her palm which was blazing red. She blew gently on it to try to ease the scorch. The crying was clearer now.
   Braving the lock once again, Corinne quickly undid the latch. She pushed the door open with all her
might. The darkness rose up the stairs like billowing clouds of smoke. There it was. The crying was clear and loud now. A woman wept down in dark, dank basement.
   “Hello?” Corinne’s voice trembled with fear. “Hello? Who are you? Are you ok? Do you need help?”
   Her voice echoed mildly down the stairs.
   The crying continued.
   “Who are you? Are you okay? Do you need help?” Corinne repeated herself.
   Still no response, only sobs.
   Corinne stood at the stop of the stairs, frozen with fear. The burn on her hand began to throb. She looked at her hand. Her palm was red and beginning to blister. Yet, there were no signs of fire. No smoke, there was no scent of anything burning, no crackling or visible flames. Was it possible the fire had only just begun? Why was the door so hot that she couldn’t touch it? If she were to go down there to help this woman, would she end up hurt herself? She was truly torn: unsure of whether to brave the basement stairs or tend to her hand.
   After a perceived eternity, the sobbing suddenly began to fade away. Just as when it began, Corinne found herself straining to hear this woman once again. Eventually, there was utter silence.
   Now paralyzed by both fear and confusion, Corinne stood in place and looked back at her hand. The blister was gone and her palm looked completely normal. No longer red, no longer painful. As if nothing had happened, life in the house was still and peaceful again.


There's plenty more where that came from! For more hauntingly good stories, check out Pianissimo (as well as my other books):

https://www.amazon.com/Pianissimo-Lauren-Shiro-ebook/dp/B00OEOTZMC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477920352&sr=8-1&keywords=pianissimo+lauren+shiro

Happy Halloween!

My absence

Hello reader, writers, and everyone in between!

I apologize for the absence. Between some personal issues and an injury, I've been MIA.

Fear not, though, dear reader! For I am hard at work! Writing a story that will touch your heart like no other story can! Stay tuned! ;)

Pianissimo...en Espanol?!

Pianissimo va a llegar en espanol!

Say what?

It's true, folks! Pianissimo has been translated into Spanish and the Spanish edition is coming soon! I am VERY excited about this, and am hoping that this will be the first of many translated versions of all of my books. For now, check this out:

Con carrera de Darryl ejército llegando a su fin, él y su esposa, Corinne, se sienten listos para instalarse en Louisville, Kentucky. Darryl es enviado en una gira final, dejando solo Corinne a vivir en esta nueva casa y nueva ciudad. Pero alguien o algo no quiere que ella tiene una vida tranquila o aburrida. Y luego está el piano espeluznante en el sótano…

REVIEWS (English Editions)

Imagine a piano, once beautiful now old, that holds a secret to change a young woman’s life.

A fascinating concept revealed through letters and an ancient much abused piano. A young couple buys an old house . The man goes off to his last tour in a war zone and left alone, the wife discovers more than she expected when she enters the basement.

Secrets, an exquisite love story from another era are revealed as the young woman struggles to remove paint from the piano where beneath the ugly green lies mahogany. Pianissimo is a story of growth, understanding and love to capture the reader’s heart.

~~Don Thorkelson

I loved reading all the history of the family, house and piano…

What a great idea! I loved reading all the history of the family, house and piano..and tying it in to the present day. I found the book to be very interesting and I was totally invested in what happened to the characters.

~~Suecup

She just gets better and better with her details

Lauren has outdone herself with [Painissimo]! She just gets better and better with her details, adjectives and story lines. This is a MUST READ!

She can capture your mind right into the book. You will see yourself in the midst of the drama. Don’t forget to read her other classics as well!

~~Lisa Cogar

¡Próximamente! ¡En Español!

https://vhpbooktours.com/2016/08/24/cover-reveal-pianissimo-lauren-shiro-spanish/

A to Z II - Z is for Zoism

Holy cannoli, kids!

It's the 31st! It's the last day in May. The last day, which means it's the last letter in my own personal A to Z challenge. The letter z. Z stands for zoism.

I know you're probably wondering what the heck zoism is.

Zoism is a reverence for animal life, or even a belief in magical animal powers. It's also a doctrine that life is due to a certain vital force, but I want to focus on the reverence for animal life.

How does a reverence for animal life correlate with Trajectory?

Simple: Gertrude.

Despite what Joe does, he actually respects all life. Animals, though, especially Gertrude, he reveres

.

Gertrude is Joe's companion. He loves her. She doesn't judge him, she doesn't nag him. She is quiet, always happy. There is something calm, gentle, and serene about her. She is sacred. Joe knows that, and respects it greatly.

Joe admires Gertrude for her simplistic and peaceful approach to life. He finds her wisdom inspiring. He has a tremendous reverence for animals and animal life.

So yes, zoism and Trajectory do go hand-in-hand.

There you have it. That's it. Both of our A to Z challenges are over! Thank you so much for coming along these adventures with me.

I hope you enjoyed learning about both of these books, and that you're excited about them. I'm very excited about both of them as I continue to work on them. I will certainly keep you posted on their progress.

Once again, thanks for joining me. I hope you had fun. As always, happy reading!

A to Z II - Y is for You/Yours

Holy crow, kids! It's May 30th! Do you know what that means? It means we're up to the letter y in my personal A to Z challenge! Y is for you or yours.

Huh?

Trajectory is for you. It's yours. I wrote it for you. Trajectory is yours.

This is your story.

This is my gift to you.

A story of love.

A story of fear.

A story of adrenaline and action.

A story of identity.

A story of friendship.

A story of solitude.

A story of camaraderie.

A story of betrayal.

A story of selfishness.

A story of selflessness and giving.

A story of personal growth.

A story of death.

A story of life - Joe's life.

Trajectory is for you.

Trajectory is yours.

A to Z II - W is for Wake

Holy crow, kids. We are nearing the end of the month and the end of the alphabet! Today's letter is w. W is for wake.

Wake? You ask.

Yes, wake. If you've ever spent any time boating, you might have heard of the term, wake. A wake is the waves a motorboat leaves behind as it is speeding along. See picture below.

What does that have to do with Trajectory?

Well, in life, we all leave a wake. Some good, some bad. We all leave a ripple effect, if you will, right? We touch people, and create some kind of an impact on the world around us. Same principle. I'm just going on a bigger scale.

Joe, for all that he does and all that he is, leaves not just a ripple effect, but a wake behind him.

The streets of Detroit are safer, but people are still affected by those he has shot.

Michael was an incredibly unhealthy and unstable person, but he didn't necessarily deserve his fate.

There is a huge effect touched by many because of Joe. It's not all bad. It's just very broad.

That wake seems to come full circle at the end of the story, which is how and why he ends up back at Claudette's apartment, begging for her acceptance.

The world around us - indeed, life itself - is like water. Moving, ever changing, free, malleable. We have the potential and the power to move it and cause a ripple effect, or even a full blown wake effect based on our words and actions with those around us. It is up to us to decide if we are going to make it good or bad. Joe's story in Trajectory  can be an example to us all.

A to Z II - V is for Victory

Welcome to another day, folks! Another day means another letter. Today's letter is....v. V is for victory.

Trajectory is a victory of sorts.

It's a victory in just how different it is from my other work and in that it is able to stand on its own. It may not compare to a work by James Patterson, but for what it is, it is a victory for me.

It's also a victory for Joe. Joe was a character that came to me in a dream, and I absolutely loved him. I still do. I felt that I did him a disservice with the first Trajectory. Now, I feel much more proud of this work.

That same feeling applies to a man named Shane. He is a police SWAT sniper that I interviewed when I first began to put this story together. I truly felt as though I did him a great disservice. I think now, this new, completed piece honors him and his donation to me much more.

It's also a victory for you. Really, you are the biggest winner here. You get a full, well-rounded, engaging story. If that isn't the greatest victory, I don't know what is!

So yes, Trajectory is a victory. It is a victory for us all!