2015 A to Z Challenge: Pianissimo - Day 14 (N)

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.

Two weeks in, and we are up to the letter N. N is for night. I'm actually going to talk about how time of day or night plays an important role in the story.

There are a few really good - and very important - nocturnal scenes.  

In one such scene, we are introduced to Agnes as just the vision of a woman's silhouette in the darkness of night. This scene originates as one of Corinne's dreams, but we revisit and relive it later on in the story.

In another, we see the story take a tremendous turn the night of the school's holiday party. Agnes and Margaret walk out one evening to make an appearance at the holiday party. Still seen as an unusual pair of single friends, Agnes feels the need to go to keep in the good graces of the powers that be in their school district. They plan it being a short visit, and it is exactly that when Clarence decides to speak to Margaret. In this scene, not only are we introduced to Clarence, we see the story take a sudden, dark turn.

There's also the very powerful scene of Agnes and Margaret leaving the movie theatre hand-in-hand, when they are confronted by an unknown man. With all of Agnes's strength and wit, she cuts him down to size by telling him that she has poor night vision, and that is why she is holding Margaret's hand. What's interesting is that this scene is the only time when Agnes' vision is discussed. Does she truly have poor night vision, or was that simply a lie to get that man away from them? What do you think?

Just as we deeply ponder the meanings of the people and events in our lives in the darkness of night, I will leave you to contemplate those thoughts and questions.

Indeed, N is for night.

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

My Dark Side

There are a few people and things (movies, music, etc.) that I adore. I typically like books, people, music, things, etc. However, there are a few to which I am absolutely attached.

In no particular order:
-Alfred Hitchcock
-Edgar Allen Poe
-Rammstein
-Seven Pounds

#1 - Alfred Hitchcock.

I love Alfred Hitchcock. I grew up watching his movies and his show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Why do I love him? His originality and creativity. It takes an amazing mind to come up with a story of a woman killing her husband with a frozen leg of lamb, and then cooking it and feeding it to the police officers who have come to investigate her house. All of his movies and shows were really quite unique. Dark? Absolutely! But clever and original. It is because of that originality that I am the fan that I am.


#2 - Edgar Allen Poe.

Loved for the same reasons as Hitchcock. Originality and creativity. The Tell Tale Heart is one of my all time favorites. The emotions are so potent and even palpable. I can easily experience the stress and fear of the main character. My heart rate jumps up with his. I can hear the voices that he hears in his head. Again, very dark. But his creativity and originality has never been duplicated.


#3 - Rammstein.

Rammstein is a German heavy metal/industrial band. I have been listening to them since 1998. I adore their music. I have watched them grow in their music and talent. It really is quite impressive. Just as Alfred Hitchcock could be spotted at any point in any of his movies, Rammstein always makes an appearance somehow/someway in all of my stories. Why? Because of what their music represents. They can be dark and possibly inspire "badness" as they do with Tony in Unbreakable Hostage. Or, their music can reflect your feelings as they do with Carol in Impeccable. Or, they can be a release and even a creative inspiration as they are for Liz in Loving Her. Their original sound and amazing stories in their music are unmatched. And for that, I love them.


#4 - Seven Pounds.

Undoubtedly one of the best movies ever. The story is nothing short of amazing. It is beautiful. I own the DVD. One of the features is, of course, interviews with the writer, producer, etc. The writer speaks of meeting a man who accidentally killed several people. He says that the man was "the saddest person" he had ever met. And he used that to write one of the most incredible stories. I don't watch movies for their writing. Like most people, I can easily pick up on bad writing. But this movie caught my attention for the exact opposite reason. This was one the best written movies I have ever seen. I would LOVE to meet the man who wrote it. His level is one that I aspire to. I may never get there, but he is a tremendous source of inspiration for me.


Yes, these are all dark sources of inspiration. Which is actually quite comical, because if you've ever met me, you would know that I am anything but dark. The originality of all of them is really what keeps me going. In a world of constant remakes and poorly written "reality" shows, these people stand out. They are creative and they are true to themselves. I applaud them, I envy them and I use them as guides. Their inspiration and creativity is my inspiration and creativity.


Everyone has a dark side. This is mine. But at least I'm using it to write my own original, unique stories. What does your dark side say about you? ;)

The Next Big Thing: Candles on the Spinnet

Good morning, everyone! This week, I'm doing something a bit different (as in I'm posting on a Monday! LOL). I am participating in The Next Big Thing chain, where writers talk about their next book/story. So, without further ado, here is my next big thing...

Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:

What is your working title of your book?
Currently, it’s titled Candles on the Spinet. I have reasons to change that title and reasons to keep it, so we shall see what it really ends up as! :)

Where did the idea come from for the book?
An old, dilapidated piano I found in the basement of our new home. It was built in 1907. It spoke to me the first moment I saw it, and it continues to do so. It’s a magnificent piece and I hope to do justice by it with this book.

What genre does your book fall under?
Hmmm…Paranormal, mostly. There are elements of self-discovery, romance and good old contemporary fiction as well.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
For Corinne, our heroine, a British actress named Charity Wakefield would be perfect. I’d like Olympia Dukakis to play Margaret and Vanessa Redgrave to play Agnes. They’re all beautiful, talented women who could really help these characters come to life.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A new home for Corinne while her husband is deployed changes her life - and her perspective - in more than one way!

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I will submit it to my publisher, Vanilla Heart Publishing, and see what happens.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I’m still working on it. It’s only been a couple of months, and I’m really taking my time with it. I feel the need to be patient and specific with this one, so I’m not rushing it! :)

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Eeek! I don’t know. This is my first paranormal story, but it’s not strictly paranormal. I think it’s safe to say that the story line is akin to If These Walls Could Talk 2 as far as a house and a piano that spans decades and the connection between the generations.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Again, that piano in the basement just spoke to me as soon as I saw it. The more I thought of it, the more I saw there was a story to be written there. So I did! :)

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
There is so much to this story. It is a love story, a story of self-discovery, an historical fiction piece AND a paranormal story. There is depth, fear, emotion – this story has something for every reader!


I hope that you will all read it when it comes out. No worries as I will keep you posted on my progress! :)

Happy reading! :)

Is Hollywood Killing Literature?

We ALL love a good movie. And since Hollywood first began, they have taken some of the greatest pieces of literature and turned them into moving pictures. Gone With the Wind, The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men...the list is endless.

Nowadays, though, times have changed. How many of us have seen movies to books that we never read? I'll admit I'm guilty of that. Sat through the Twilight series, never read the books. It was all for the Mrs. ;)

We live in a world of instant gratification. A phone call will no longer do. Now we must tweet. Drive through wedding chapels, electronic everything, you name it. We are more inclined to sit through a two hour movie than we are to read a book.

Now I'll admit that I would LOVE to see my books become movies, reach a broader audience, etc. That's why I LOVE storycasting.com. Fantastic site that lets my imagination play! :) BUT, if my books do turn into movies, I want them to be true to the books. There will not be any exploding cars in Imperfect. If there are, that ain't my book.

If my books became movies, though, would I see people flock to get their copies or would Hollywood simply be the only focal point? I don't know. But I will admit that the idea of my books losing their clout is scary. I write with intention. I hope that actually comes across.

So, is Hollywood killing literature? I think it's a possibility. I would like to see the two art forms help and support each other. Hopefully our society isn't becoming completely anti-literature.

Don't forget, everyone, I'm about to start my next big tour. I'll be posting & tweeting my various stops along the way. I hope to see you there, and I hope you pick up your copy of Imperfect while we're at it too! :)

Happy reading!

Woo hoo! I'm on Romance in the Back Seat! :)

Good morning!

The other day, I was asked to give my two cents about the 1980's. A decade that I just happen to be stuck in! ;) I thought it would be a grouping of authors discussing the 80s. But it's not! It's just me (and KITT from Knight Rider)!

Check out my guest blog on the 1980's! Yay! :) Many, MANY thanks to Romance in the Back Seat! :)
http://ritbs.blogspot.com/2010/04/le-harvey-on-1980s.html

Oh, so you're the girl from Vegas who...

My reputation preceeds me, and not in a way I would like.




Let me take you back to Friday night. It had been a long week for both of us, and the Mrs. and I decided to blow off some steam. We ate at a beautiful log cabin restaurant and then we went over to a small local bar. I'm not one for the bar scene, but it was karoke night, and some of her co-workers and friends would be there, so we went to meet up with them. It was a typical small bar.






While we were there, she saw a man she had gone to school with. He was busy talking to other folks, so I figured it would just be a "sighting."


He actually came over a little while later. He greeted and hugged her, and he even hugged me as we were introduced.


This is where it gets good. As I was being introduced, she said, "You've probably heard about her." To which he said, "yeah."





Yeah.



Yeah?



Yeah!



Lovely. Just freakin' lovely. We often joke about how I need to get a tee-shirt that says, "I'm the girl from Vegas who..." The sad part is, that's how I'm known around here.




This is why I prefer larger metropolises. There's anonymity. You don't have a label before you have a name.


I've already had some rather "interesting" welcomes to the area, most of which were not warm. They don't know a thing about me. They just know one tiny piece to a VERY large puzzle and they assume based on that one tiny piece.




Here's the thing about me: I pride myself on my diversity. I love the fact that I am multifaceted. I also LOATHE prejudice, discrimination, ignorance and assumptions. I was a co-president of my high school's anti-bias committee. Yeah, I hate hate that much.




So, this man, not meaning to, REALLY got under my skin. It's not his fault that the locals are talking. It's not his fault that I am the new face around town. He has no control over what he hears. It's local gossip. But it bothers me to no end.




Now mind you, he was very polite and cordial. We had a very pleasant conversation, so I do not hold him at fault in any way. I'm just bothered by the fact that people are saying and assuming things about me when they may not even know my name. Ugh.




So here it is folks: the run-down on yours truly.



Yes, I came here from Vegas, but that is not where I am originally from.




Yes we met out there, but I did not "corrupt" her as so many of you like to think.




I am a writer, not a free-loader.





No, I am not here just to make a political statement (I was seriously asked if that was my only purpose to moving to this locale. Amazing what people assume, isn't it?).





No, I am not the anti-Christ.


I am just a woman trying to live her own life.







There is tremendous depth to me, far more than you may ever know.







Before you start talking about me like I'm a thing (say a hurricane or tornado), why don't you ask my name first.


It's Lauren, by the way.

Getting to Know You

Last night, the Mrs. and I had "Getting to Know You" from The King and I stuck in our heads! LOL. I had this idea anyway, but I thought the title was appropriate for today's blog.




This is going to be a brief who's who of my books! :) The celebrity pictures are who I have in mind to play these characters. Don't forget that you can cast my books as well at www.storycasting.com! That site is a blast! Go check it out! ;)






Loving Her























Linda - Linda is a mechanic who owns her own shop in University City District (UCD) in Philadelphia. She's tough, but very gentle and vulnerable. She is extremely dedicated and loyal.











Katie - Katie is a veterinary student at U Penn and works at a local pizza parlor for money. She's young and vibrant, fun and full of energy. She is mature and logical. She loves being in love and fully believes in happily ever after.











Donna - Donna is Philly cop. She is tough as nails and yet as gentle as a kitten. She is extremely insecure. With no family left, her friends are her family and she will go to any length to protect and take care of them.












Liz - Liz is a southern belle who is a ballerina and a motorhead all at the same time. Tall, elegant and regal, she's also very down to earth and loves a loud engine! She dances with the Pennsylvania Ballet and listens to Metallica on her own time. She has only been with one person: Jen - and she plans on spending her forever with her.










Jen - Jen has MS. She used to be the director of a cat shelter, but when she met Liz, she followed her all around the country. She is quiet and introverted, but don't get her gabbing about her woman because she won't stop! :)











Stephania - Stephania is an exotic, multi-racial beauty. A professional model, she is seen globally, but is still very grounded. She is a spitfire and doesn't back down from any fights!











Maria - Maria is slightly older than the rest of the crowd. She is a grounded, stable woman who works for an Hispanic newspaper in Philadelphia. She adores her family, but only from a distance. Though Stephania is a lot to handle, Maria keeps her sound and grounded.













Brynn - Brynn is a little brunette bombshell. A police officer in Doylestown, PA., she is friends with Donna's partner, John, and his wife. Brynn and Donna meet thanks to John and they begin their lives together as two young female officers in love.



















Unbreakable Hostage





























Lareina - Lareina is a Puerto Rican with exotic and enchanting looks. A Ph. D. student in algebra, she's smart and beautiful. She is very close with her family and holds her Catholic traditions very close to her heart. Strong, resilient, intelligent, and determined, she is one Latina who can never be kept down!













Tony - Tony is an overweight brut. He fell over the fine line between genius and crazy a long time ago. He is obsessed with Lareina and lives in his own dark, twisted world.















Marc - Marc is English, but he's been living in the States for some time now. He is lonely and leads a quiet life save for his work as a missing persons detective. He is captivated not only by Lareina's beauty but by her quick wits as well. He is a caring and gentle man who needs to be saved as much as he saves others.


















Imperfect (not yet released)






Carol - Carol is an IT guru. She's intelligent and caring. She takes the world's burdens on as her own. She is loyal, compassionate and extremely insecure.




























Alex - Alex is a woman with a troubled past. Though she is now back on solid ground, she can never full erase her history. She is a true romantic. She is funny and dedicated, but also very demanding at times.




















Ok, there ya go! Hope you liked getting to know some of my characters. If you'd like to know more, go check out my books! :)

Ode to my Heroines

After I wrote my blog about Jason Statham, I thought it was only fair that I pay a tribute to all of my women. ;)




Not like that. I mean the heroines in my books.




Ok, now the only character in Loving Her that I have dead set in my mind is to have Katherine Moennig play Linda. Sorry, no ifs ands or buts on that one. I'm sure that like my gay half, most of you are TOTALLY ok with that! ;)



I had Salma Hayek in mind for Lareina in Unbreakable Hostage. She is too gorgeous for words. I also think that the beauty and intelligence that Ms. Hayek brings to the screen would play perfectly to Lareina's beauty and intelligence. The fact that she has killer curves would help at the box office! ;)






Then there are my girls for Imperfect. I have a serious crush on both of these gals, but for different reasons.



I LOVE Jorja Fox. Yes, I'm a big CSI nerd. But she's also a phenomenal actress! She is the perfect embodiment of Carol. I relate to her well, and I think a lot of other people do as well, which is what I was striving for when I wrote Carol's story in Imperfect.






Then there's Alex. Sweet, beautiful Alex. This may seem like an odd choice to you, but I would LOVE to see Debra Wilson play her. She is gorgeous, she's sharp, she's funny. She is the perfect Alex.





Come on! Two hot women?! Does it get any better than that?!




Now again, just like good old Jason, you can cast the characters (both male and female) in Loving Her and Unbreakable Hostage. Since Imperfect has not yet been released, it's not up yet on Story Casting. However, you can bet that the minute Imperfect is released, it will be up on storycasting.com !

So, enjoy my female eye candy as well. Again, I have to clean up my drool. So go play on storycasting & tell me which women YOU want to see in my movies! ;)

Ode to Jason Statham

Ok, so this blog refers back to the blog earlier this week about literary blasphemy.




In the same trip that we saw "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" (dear God, will I ever stop shuttering from that?), my baby got me The Transporter and Transporter 2. Why? Because she's the bestest in the whole wide world! :)





If you don't know this about me yet, I am only "half gay," otherwise known as "bi." And I have had a thing for Jason Statham for a while now. My gay side LOVES guy movies, so it's actually NOT my crush that has me watching the Transporter series or either of the Crank movies. I like action, fast cars, and all that good stuff! :)






Seeing Jason doesn't hurt, though. ;)



He was the inspiration for Marc in Unbreakable Hostage. Hell, he IS Marc from Unbreakable Hostage! I purposefully made Marc British so that Jason Statham could play him when the movie comes out. I'll let ya know when that happens! LOL.





God only knows why my partner puts up with my and my dumbass crush, but she does. :) I think it's mainly because she knows that there is no chance in hell of me ever meeting him! LOL.




I know you're sitting there wondering what the hell the point is to this blog.




There actually wasn't one. BUT, I will plagiarise from myself and say that using celebrities as inspirations for your characters is not a bad idea.


Use them and their voice to create a realistic dialogue. Use their features to help describe how your characters look. Now, you may see someone different in your mind when you read Unbreakable Hostage, and that's fine! I think that's one of the many joys of writing. Your characters don't always look the same to the same people. I love that subjectivity! :)




Remember (and no, I am NOT getting paid to say this. I say it because I just happen to know that these folks ROCK), there is always www.storycasting.com where you can actually cast the characters for Unbreakable Hostage! How cool is that? Oh yeah, and it's free! Does it get any better than that? I think not!



So, while I'm cleaning up my drool from looking at Jason, go hit up storycasting.com and have some fun! I'll be checking to see who you cast! ;)

Literary Blasphemy

So last night, the Mrs. and I were doing our usual grocery shopping/lollygagging around Walmart (Walmart may not be the best place politically, but it's cheap & we're starving artist folk with 4 cats, a dog and a three year old. We have to go there!). As we were meandering, we passed by the book section. She reaches out and picks up this book with the strangest cover I have ever seen. It is a woman in victorian dress, except her skin is peeling off & revealing her skeleton. Eeeeew!




The cover said it was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Say what?!




Somehow, some VERY sick mo fo got copyright priveleges to Pride and Prejudice to turn it into a zombie book. I kid you not folks. At first I just thought it was a strange pairing since the front cover had them listed as two different stories. But the back cover explains how some dude turned Pride and Prejudice into a freakin' stupid zombie story! Oh, and his bio said only that he had taken a class in English Lit once in college & that he now lives in L.A.



Excuse me?! You're not even a real literary person/author/person with half a brain?! Sweet Jesus! Are you kidding me? Who the fuck has any right to change P & P? Now, I am not a Jane Austin kind of gal. However, I recognize her as an incredible writer and someone who was ahead of her time. I'm just not into the froo-froo stuff, that's all. But seriously, I couldn't even imagine butchering her story like that!




Who thinks that they can do that & it's good lit?! What publisher was twisted enough to agree on such a project? Has the writing industry gone that low that things of this nature are acceptable?! WTF, people?! WTF?!




Yes, this pissed me off. My better half LOVES Jane Austin. Again, I totally respect her in the literary world. I may not jump out of my skin to go read P & P again, but I have the utmost respect for her work. This was just plain disgusting. No classic work should ever be sullied so. Hell, not even contemporary fiction should be sullied so! Seriously! My work may not compare to something like P & P, but sure as shit, I would be more than pissed to find out that someone had turned Loving Her or Unbreakable Hostage into a damn zombie story! Sheesh! Where do people get off nowadays?



It sickens me to think that people feel that can take such "artistic license" with a work that's been complete for HOW LONG?! Seriously. If this guy wanted to write his own zombie book, then fine! Go ahead and do it! But to make a mockery out of a classic? Why not just change Othello to a ghost married to Desdemona? Doesn't have the same social and political implications, now does it?



Stop ruining other people's art! I may not be a zombie book reader, but I sure as hell have more respect for someone who creates their own story than someone who just uses another's story and throws their own shit in there. In this case, it is shit. This guy could be a great writer, I don't know. To steal or use someone else's work for your own shows a tremendous lack of creativity and talent. Anyone can steal from Pride & Prejudice. Not everyone can create a story from scratch. Do you get what I mean?



This is so wrong on so many levels. This is akin to Hollywood writers who would rather do a remake of the Stepford Wives than to write a new story. I'm sorry, but I have only seen the original, and plan on keeping it that way. Whoever wrote the original had a GREAT idea! Who ever wrote the newer version had no creative skills at all. Yes, I am being harsh but let me know how easy it is to write a full-length novel or movie from sractch! It takes time, dedication, creativity and independence! These literary thieves have NONE of the above. Isn't plagiarism illegal? In cases like this, it should be UBER illegal!




I am done with my rant for today. Seriously folks, let's consider what we put into our books and what books we put into our hands!