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 Challenge - Z is for Zany

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!

This is it, kids. The final post. We have made it all the way to the letter z! What does z stand for? Z is for zany!

You can't have a story about a pirate Lovebird and not have it be zany. The characters are quirky, how could they not be? Robert's crew is an interesting mix, including a giant, giraffe, a couple of dogs, a hippo, a unicorn, and several others. Locreya is a land beyond your wildest dreams having fields full of flowers that are colors unlike any you've seen before. Locreya is like water: if you move, the world around you moves. Zany is only the tip of the iceberg.

The Good Pirate, Robert is a story that will keep you very entertained with its zany characters and its zany places, and even its somewhat zany story line. This is the best zany book you will ever read!

And that's all folks! Thank you so much for joining me on this year's A to Z challenge! Let's do it again next year! ;)

Thanks again and happy reading!

2015 A to Z Challenge: Pianissimo - Day 26 (Z)

 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.

Today's the final day, kids. Day 26. The letter Z. Z is for Zoetic.

Zoetic means living or vital. Pianissimo is very much a living story.

The truth of the matter is, Pianissimo is more than just words on a page. It's a story about people - real people. It's a story about real history. It's a story about a real house, and a real piano. It's the kind of story that burrows deeply into your heart and lives on with you.

There is such depth and such emotion here. It's impossible not to take this story and these characters with you.

It is a very vivid, palpable, deep, vivacious story.

This is one book that truly is alive.

Thank you for going through the ABCs with me. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Thanks, and happy reading! 

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 - Zest

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


Z is for Zest.


My grandfather had an amazing zest for life. I always remember him having great enthusiasm for...everything!


He was enthusiastic when he played with us or talked to us. He had a passion for cars. He had a great zeal for history. Anything - and everything - that he did, he did with such energy and enthusiasm.


He showed me the importance of having passions in life. He showed me that having zest in what you do makes you that much happier.


He did nothing half-assed. He loved everything he did. His life was not dull, it was bright, beautiful, and zestful.


It has been incredibly difficult to live this past year without him - especially to live with any kind of zest. He left a huge hole in my heart. But I also know that he would not want me to mope around and hide under the covers, so to speak. So I am facing each day without him with as much zest as I can muster up in order to honor him properly. I must live my life with the same joy and enthusiasm that he did so that I may carry on his legacy. I will continue that legacy, and I will do so with zest.



Thank you for traveling through the alphabet with me and for sharing these memories and this tribute with me.


And remember, Z is for Zest.

Z: Zen

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart always ends with a "moment of zen." Granted those are comical clips, but I think we need to end with a moment of zen of our own.




Wikipedia defines Zen as: "Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism[note 1] that developed in China during the 6th century as Chán. From China, Zen spread south to Vietnam, to Korea and east to Japan.[2]

The word Zen is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the Middle Chinese word 禪 (dʑjen) (Modern Mandarin: Chán), which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna,[3] which can be approximately translated as 'absorption' or 'meditative state'.[4]

Zen emphasizes the attainment of enlightenment and the personal expression of direct insight in the Buddhist teachings.[5] As such, it de-emphasizes mere knowledge of sutras and doctrine[5][6] and favors direct understanding through zazen and interaction with an accomplished teacher.[7]"



We need zen in art.



We need to absorb the art and creativity that surrounds us. Creating will put us in a meditative state. Think about it. How noisy is your brain when you create? Are you not quiet, peaceful and happy when you are creating? You bet you are! We need zen to create art and creating art gives us zen.


Breathe deeply. Listen to the sounds of running water and chirping birds. Find peace and quiet within your soul. Once you feel your heart rate has decreased and you feel less anxious, allow yourself to create.


As you create, be in the moment. Pay attention to the joy you feel, the reprieve you experience. Live and love in the moment as you draw, paint, write, sing, play, do, make, create.


May you create in joy and find joy in creating.


Peace.