It's WeWriWa time!

Click www.wewriwa.com for more information and to see other 8 Sentence Sunday posts.

This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight sentences from a published work or even a WIP (work in progress). Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! It's a great way to meet readers, writers, and your next favorite book!  :)


For the month of September, we will be reading excerpts from The Shelter Director, Jen's story in the Loving Her series.

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?


Background on the snippet: Fred encouraged Jen to go speak to the ballerina (Liz). Jen is beyond petrified - she's never done anything like this. She somehow musters up the courage to actually talk to her. When Jen finds out that the ballerina and her company are touring and won't be around for much longer, desperation kicks in.

     She hesitated for a moment. This was her one and only chance. She didn’t think the dancer would even pay attention to her. But there she was. This moment rested in Jen’s hand. Afraid of speaking and also afraid of losing her one and only chance, she somehow mustered the courage to speak.”I was wondering if you’d like to go out to dinner. Maybe have a local show you around?”

I hope you liked it!

Happy reading!

Character of the Week: Joe from Trajectory

"No one knows what it's like/To be the bad man/To be the sad man/Behind blue eyes. No one knows what it's like/To be hated/To be fated/To telling only lies. But my dreams/They aren't as empty/As my conscience seems to be/I have hours, only lonely/My love is vengeance/That's never free."

The Who's Behind Blue eyes is the perfect song (although his eyes are brown, but we'll let that go) for our character this week: Joe Davis from Trajectory.

Joe is a man who is very much trapped in his own head. He's a police sniper. Some have deemed him to be a killer. Other applaud his bravery. Very few fully understand what he does, and how deeply his own work affects him.

Joe comes from a military family. His father was a soldier in the Army. He vividly remembered all of the times his father would ship out and leave the family while he toured. He was a sniper, and thus in great demand. Joe was proud of his father, and they spent a fair amount of time together when he was home. He taught Joe how to shoot. He taught him how to be a soldier. He taught him how to be a man.

There was one tour that he never returned from. Young and vulnerable, Joe and his mother were now on their own. At twelve, Joe was young enough to have felt a tremendous impact from it, and old enough to see how difficult life became for his mother.

There was always a chasm in his heart left by his father. It was started the first time his father went away. Each time after that, the chasm grew. When his father died, the chasm became a canyon. Desperate to find any kind of connection, Joe went into the Marines. He could only imagine the pain he was causing his mother. But his pain and disconnection from his father was far too great for him to ignore.

Joe was a very successful Marine. He graduated at the top of his class. He was an excellent marksman, just like his father. He received several medals, and moved up the ladder quickly. He was a well decorated and well respected military man,

After the Marines, Joe returned to Detroit and became a police officer. He worked patrol and served as a police officer for 6 years. His dream, though, was to join SWAT. The intensity of it, the significance of it, the correlation to his father were all too lucrative for him to resist. Many officers try for SWAT, and Joe was one of the few who was accepted.

Another man made the SWAT team when Joe did, and that was his best friend, Pete. Joe and Pete actually met in the Marines. They found camaraderie in each other since they were both from Detroit. As time went on, they forged a strong friendship. Joe finally met someone who understood him. Pete was like the brother Joe never had. He knew he could trust Pete completely, and he did. Pete was the only person in whom Joe confided that he was bisexual. He was afraid. The stigmas, misunderstandings and prejudice that many bisexual men face caused Joe to keep that a secret. Pete understood. He respected Joe. He never judged him. The bond that Pete and Joe shared was incredibly strong.

                                             



Prior to becoming a SWAT sniper, Joe visited his favorite coffee shop one day. He ordered his coffee. When he turned around, he noticed a beautiful woman painting. Curious, he came closer to her. He was quite impressed by the scene she had on her canvas. He told her that he liked her work. When she looked up at him, he melted. He was instantly infatuated with her. He asked for her business card. Her name was Claudette - it was a name he would never forget. Within a couple of days, he called her...for a date.

Thus began a rather unusual romance. Two very unlikely people found themselves deeply in love with the other. Their connection was strong, but they both enjoyed their quiet time as well. Joe and
Claudette maintained their romance for years. They complimented each other. They balanced themselves out. They both got what they needed from the other. Theirs was the perfect relationship.

That is until Claudette felt motherhood calling her. Though she was a strong and independent woman, she loved the idea of raising children. She wanted to teach, and learn, and love. She felt she had a lot to offer children, and she whole-heartedly believed that Joe would make the perfect father.


The idea caused Joe to stop dead in his tracks. Children? Children! Children who would grow up without a father like he did. Children who would lose their father at an early age and be left with the same broken heart that his father left him. No. There was no way he could do that. He refused to subject children to that. They shouldn't suffer the same way he did as a child.

Thus ended their relationship. Sort of. Neither was able to truly let go of the other. Claudette came around and helped Joe with his cat, Gertrude, when he was out on calls. They would talk on occasion. They both enjoyed the other's company and conversation. Joe couldn't bring children into this world knowing that they would hurt the way he was hurt. But he also couldn't bring himself to let go of Claudette.


Life continued on. Joe did his best to make sense of it all, which wasn't always easy.

One specific call changed everything.

It was a call to a known drug dealer's house. A sixteen year old kid who sold out of his house when his parents were away for two weeks every month. Narcs had their eyes on this kid for a while. It was time for SWAT to come in, and hopefully take him down.

For days, Joe sat in observation. Behind his gun, watching this kid's every move. After three days, the police decided to send in an under-cover agent. That's when things got bad.


It didn't take long for the kid to realize something was up. SWAT stormed the place. Shots were fired. When there was finally a clearing, Joe shot, and the kid went down. After all the smoke had settled, the kid and one SWAT officer were dead.



Pete, Joe's best friend and confidant was gone.

Joe was shaken to his core. Nothing made sense any more. Everything was strange and confusing and meaningless. Joe couldn't make heads nor tails of life. He needed to get away from himself. So he went to the one place where he knew he was safe: Claudette's apartment.

He ran back to her, gripping tightly (both literally and figuratively). He felt as though he had lost everything, and he could not bear to lose her again. He went to her that night, hoping for a better outcome.

Joe Davis is a tremendous man. He's dark and mysterious, and yet incredibly vulnerable. He is a strong, sensitive, wise character. His story is one that I still find to be incredibly potent and poignant.

Favorite quote from Joe: "The media swarmed around us like hornets. Today was a big day for them. Pieces of meat for them to fly around and gobble up, like the maggots they were."

Happy reading!
http://www.amazon.com/Trajectory-Lauren-Shiro-ebook/dp/B004VS2GP4/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1426894069&sr=8-8&keywords=lauren+shiro

2015 A to Z Challenge: Pianissimo - Day 23 (W)

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've made it all the way up to day 23, which means our letter is W. W is for Will.

In using the word will, I am focusing on the will and determination of the characters.

Agnes is a strong, willful woman who lives life on her own terms. She and Margaret willfully spend their lives and love together, despite social stigmas and prejudices.

Corinne is bound and determined to learn the history of the house and the piano. She is also willful in taking on the restoration of the piano, when she has never done anything like that before.

Perhaps my characters are closely related to me, but I find it important to write stories about women who are strong, fearless, and determined. Whether in historical context, or modern times, we need strong female characters to help us continue to push forward.

So yes, Margaret, Agnes, and Corinne are all very willful. This story couldn't exist any other way.

See what a strong will and determination can do, by buying your copy today!

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

2015 A to Z Challenge: Pianissimo - Day 6 (F)

 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 is F-day! F is for frankness.

I'm pretty bold in Pianissimo. I wanted to be honest and unabashed. There was a reason for me to write this story, and I share that openly in the book.

I wanted to be frank because I thought that was the best way to get my point across.

You see, for as much as Pianissimo is here to entertain you, it also serves a greater purpose. I wrote it with the hopes of reaching people. I wanted to show the struggles of our LGBT predecessors. I wanted to show the similarities between the hetero and homosexual communities. I wanted to remind us all of our humanity. I wanted to show the stupidity of labels and bigotry.

I'm not sorry that I wrote the book with that much frankness. I consider my writing a gift, but what gift is of use if it's not being used genuinely and with a greater purpose in mind? So yes, I am bold, frank, honest, open, and very clear cut. For me personally, a book with a message behind it is the best the kind.

I hope you'd agree. Check out 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