A to Z II - O is for Obscure

Today is day 15 of my personal A to Z challenge, which means that our letter today is the letter o. O stands for obscure.

Although Trajectory is centered around Joe, he is actually someone who very much lives in obscurity.
He lives behind the scope, when most people have no idea that he is watching them.

He leads a very quiet life outside of work.

He keeps to himself, mostly.

Joe enjoys his quiet, solitary, and obscure life. He prefers to stay away from the limelight. He hates being the center of attention. Life in the shadows is where he prefers to be.

Obscurity is not a bad place to be, if you're Joe Davis.

A to Z Challenge - O is for Originality

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

It's time for another A to Z Challenge! This year, I want to tell you about a story that is currently a WIP (work in progress). It's the story I'm writing in honor of my baby lovebird, Robert. It's a fantasy story, but it's really a story about emotional healing. So let's examine it by going through the alphabet!

O is for originality

Robert's story is unlike anything you've ever read before. I know, every writer has said that about every book that has ever been written. In this case, though, I can prove it to be true.

First off, how many books have you read about or starring pirate Lovebirds? Yeah, that's what I thought. ;)

Seriously though, this story is highly entertaining while also bringing a wonderful message of peace, hope, and healing. It can be a children's book, while also being poignant enough to be an adult read.

This story contains characters, who not only differ in species, color, and everything else, but who have such depth and sincerity about them. They are as palpable as the emotions this book is founded upon.

It is technically a good versus evil story, but what the evil is, and how it is conquered is incredibly unique. It's anything but cliche.

The tale of The Good Pirate, Robert is a great, unique one that will take you on many adventures, and it will reside deeply in your heart.

Tune in tomorrow for the letter p!

2015 A to Z Challenge: Pianissimo - Day 15 (O)

 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.

And on the fifteenth day, there was O. O is for Originality.

They say every story has been told. I think many people would speculate that to be true. If that's the case, what's the point in writing more stories?

Because no matter what, each writer puts their own spin on the stories.

This could certainly be chalked up to a cliche story of self-discovery. It could be considered just another "if these walls could talk" book. But is it really? Are Corinne, Agnes, and Margaret really just flat, two-dimensional characters? Can you compare Pianissimo to another story line for line?

You could give two writers or even two hundred writers all the same prompt. You would, undoubtedly, receive two hundred different stories.

So perhaps every story has been told, but not all in the same way. Grab a copy of Pianissimo, and see for yourself!

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 - Opportunity

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


O is for Opportunity.

My grandfather taught me a lot about opportunity.



He showed me how to look for opportunities in my life. Job opportunities, opportunities to help other, opportunities to better myself. Opportunity played a large role in his life and career.

One of the greatest lessons I learned was that if there was no opportunity right in front of me, to go make my own. Opportunity knocks, but sometimes you have to clear a path to open the door.



Opportunity works equally. There aren't just a select few that are given wonderful opportunities. Opportunities come to each and every one of us. It's what you do (or don't do) with the opportunities that makes the difference.

Don't miss out. Your next opportunity is right around the corner.



O is for Opportunity.

O: Op-Art

I was originally going to write about opera today. But then I felt it was a tad cliche. So, I did some homework and learned about something called Op-Art.



Optical Art is a unique art form. According to what I read, the main movement of Op-Art began in America in the 1960s, however an artist named Victor Vasarely created a piece of Op-Art in 1938 called Zebra.



Though the fad was short lived (about 3 years according to my sources), there are artists who still use this as their medium.


What I like about Op-Art is that it's different. It's not a still life or a portrait. Don't get me wrong, I love those styles. I like things that are unique and that give us a new perspective. Moreover, Op-Art is actually very mathematically based. How often do we hear that math and science are completely oppositional to art? Op-Art disproves that. Op-Art tells us that we can use math in art. As a science and history geek, I love the blending of math and art.



So I'm glad I didn't go with my original idea. I got to learn something today and I was given the opportunity to share that with all of you. Isn't that what art's all about? ;)