Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Tempest Child News and Contest!



First of all, I have to show you this beautiful cover, including the back! Many of you buy ebooks so you won't ever see it.

The official release date for Tempest Child will be next Tuesday, June 7th. I would be thrilled and honored if you would consider buying either the paperback or ebook on that day to help push it up the charts. Of course, I will have a post here with the links as well.

Now for the fun part - I'm having a contest today! I'll announce the winner of a copy of Tempest Child next Tuesday, here on my blog! All you have to do to enter is answer one simple question:

What was I (meaning me, Laura) most afraid of as a child?

I'm looking forward to your guesses. :)

Here is the back cover description for Tempest Child:

As future Queen and Guardian of the Elements, Princess Skylather'cha'eab thought her worst nightmare was the impending find-a-husband party until events take an ominous turn. Now she must put her life at risk to save her Kingdom.
Armed with only a staff, a bow, and her wits, Skyla's world is turned upside-down when she enters the Crossroads and encounters the beast she's destined to kill. Does she have the courage to sort truth from lie, or will she die not knowing who betrayed her?
The novel is a YA romantic fantasy and you can read the first chapter here.
So tell me what my childhood fear was in the comments! Go on, give it a shot!
Laura

P.S. Don't worry if someone else has already taken your guess...I will award a book to every right answer!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Mirror, Mirror - #FridayFlash








I haven’t told this story to anyone else but you seem nice enough. Maybe you’ll understand. At any rate, it’s time I told the truth.

You see, I’m not from your world. I know you find that hard to believe but just hear me out before you make any judgment.

It all started with the mirror. I was going through the piles of junk, looking for anything useful to trade – or eat – food being one of the highest commodities on my world. The sun was just breaking the horizon. That’s a good time to hunt. The gangs tend to sleep later so I’ve learned to rise early.

The first rays hit something in the rubble, something shiny that caught my eye. I dug through the layers hiding it and found a mirror. By some miracle it was unbroken, with a large gilded frame surrounding it.

As I tried to wipe the grime away, my arm fell through the plate of glass. Not breaking it, mind you, but through. I was so startled that I dropped the mirror onto the ground. I lost my balance and fell on top of it. Instead of lying there in the dirt and garbage though, it shimmered silvery and I passed right through it.

Well, I ended up in what you call an antiques store with my back to that same mirror. The proprietor came around the corner right then and looked at me in disgust. He hadn’t seen me come through. All he saw was a grimy girl sitting on his floor. The guy called me a bum and told me to get out, giving me a shove for good measure as he opened the door.

That’s when I really understood that I wasn’t home anymore. The buildings and sidewalks that you have…well, there’s nothing like them where I come from.

Anyway, I’m sitting on the sidewalk, my mouth gaping open trying to take it all in, when Frankie walks up to me. He sizes me up right away as someone who needs a friend, or at least a meal. I don’t know anything about your world at this point, so I fall for his friendly routine. I’ve never had someone be so nice to me before so I guess I can be excused on that part. Besides, I’m never going to turn down an offer of food.

After I’ve finished eating food out of a paper sack, Frankie gets me to tell him my story. I don’t know whether he believed me or not, but he got a thoughtful look on his face. He dragged me back to that store and ignored the man who said I couldn’t come in saying, “She’s with me.” I didn’t understand why at the time, but that shut the guy up.

“Is this the mirror?” Frankie had a hold of my arm or I would have bolted. I could see through it, right into my own world, a place I never wanted to go back to. I nodded, afraid to say anything. I thought he was going to push me back home.

Instead, he bought it, telling the owner where to have it delivered. He brought me to this place; called it an apartment. It was the most gorgeous space I’d ever seen, something only officials would live in. By the time I’d gotten out of the shower and dressed, choosing from the closet full of beautiful clothes he had, the mirror had been delivered.

I cringed at the sight of it. That pleased Frankie somehow. He forced me over to it, watching the terrified look on my face as he forced my arm through it. He laid his hand flat against the silvery surface, as though demonstrating his superiority.

“That’s some wild story you’ve told but it looks like it’s true, at least for you. If you don’t want to go back, you’ll do what I tell you.”

What could I say? I watched those eyes of his narrow, becoming mean and shifty. He suddenly reminded me of the worst of the gang leaders, the one I used to run stuff for in order to stay alive. I guess in some ways your world isn’t much different from mine. I nodded, wondering what he wanted.

“That’s a good girl.” His grip on my arm loosened. “Sit down here and let me tell you what you’re going to be doing for me.”

After telling me what my duties would be in exchange for his kindness, I decided that he really didn’t deserve to walk this earth.

Looking back on it, I have to wonder why he never once asked me what kind of skills I possessed. Maybe since I didn’t say much he just assumed that I couldn’t do much. He really should have taken the time to learn more about me though. Poor Frankie thought he could fly by the time he climbed up onto the roof.

You see, my world isn’t a parallel of yours even though we may look the same. We have abilities that you might call mind control. Your people don’t know anything about mental blocks to guard against it, either. You might want to correct that before any more of my kind show up. Some of them aren’t as congenial as I am.



Story first appeared in Pow Fast Flash Fiction, Jan 2010

Friday, May 13, 2011

Gone Away - #FridayFlash

This story is dedicated to Jane Kennedy Sutton, a wonderful blogger who passed away last week. Her husband left a beautiful post on her blog to let us know and I, for one, am thankful for that closure.



The woman bent to her journal, the soft scratch of her pen the only sound in the house, her face illuminated by the pool of light holding back the darkness.

The sweetest aspects of my journey
are the friends I've made along the way
If I had the chance to begin anew
I wouldn't
for I might have missed the opportunity to know you
and my life would be emptier for it
Cherish your friends
as I've tried to do with mine
and you'll never be alone

She closed the book with a smile and reached for the sky.

©2011 Laura Eno

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Hair of the Dog - #FridayFlash







I started a new life last Friday—new boss, new place to live, new goals. That was the last day I had a drink too. If only it were Thursday again. I could use a drink right now.

Friday morning dawned too early, just like every other day. The alarm clock sent me bowing before the porcelain god. I climbed back into bed for a couple more hours of sleep.

The hangovers were getting worse. Even having a drink for breakfast didn't dull the pain anymore. I finally decided to take my buddy's advice and visit the Chinese herbalist he swore by.

After stumbling onto the subway, I headed towards Chinatown and hope, the shop address firmly planted in my wallet. Twelve stops later, my head pounded so badly I wandered into a bar and knocked back a shot of bourbon before continuing on.

I don't read Chinese so the address didn't help me much, but I eventually spotted a shop that said herbs in the front window. Figuring they were all pretty much the same, I walked inside.

The dim lighting soothed my eyes and I began to feel better just being here. The door in back opened and an old man squinted at me. I must have looked bad for he said, "You need hair of dog."

"What?"

"Hair of dog. Hangover remedy."

I heard something yelp in the back of the shop that made my skin crawl. I hoped 'hair of dog' was just an expression.

"You don't use dog hair in it, do you?"

The man laughed as if I'd said something highly amusing and shook his head. "No dog hair. You mix only with water, no alcohol."

He reached under the counter and produced a small packet. "This one free."

I thanked him and hurried outside, making my way back to the subway. He gave me the creeps, to tell the truth. At one point, I even thought I saw his eyes flash red, but that's ridiculous.

After several blocks, I realized I was lost. My head hurt again so I stopped at a bar and ordered another bourbon. Fingering the packet, I thought what the hell and dumped it into my drink.

I felt slightly dizzy by the time I left the bar, but my headache was gone. Deciding to go back to the shop to buy more of this amazing remedy, I managed to retrace my steps without any difficulty. For some reason I could smell the herbs in the shop from far away.

When I got there, the doorknob seemed higher than before. I couldn't reach it. That's when I noticed I was on all fours. I tried yelling but all that came out was a guttural bark.

The door opened and the old man stared down at me, a smile on his face. "I told you, only mix with water."

I tried to reply but my tongue lolled out of my mouth and my ass-end shook. He ushered me in, pointing at the back of the shop. I trotted back there, joining the menagerie of sad-looking faces. Resting my head on my front paws, I wondered if there was a tree nearby. I really needed to take a leak.

©2011 Laura Eno

Sunday, May 1, 2011

A to Z Challenge Reflections

A to Z Challenge Reflections


This has been a wonderful, whirlwind month for me. I had been posting pretty much only on Fridays, as part of the FridayFlash crowd. To post daily was quite a stretch.

The pros:

First and foremost, I met many new people, a number of whom resonate for me as permanent friends. I learned about Norse Mythology, Flamenco dancing, traveling around the world, a terrific sci-fi blog, and picked up some great recipes—to name just a few. Others were heart-warming, fun or wacky. It was a fabulous experience.

I also learned I really could come up with a daily post without dying falling apart too much stress.


I want to thank all of you who took the time to visit my blog, who friended me, and left comments. You are all awesome and I raise a virtual glass of bubbly in toast to you.

Cons:

I am currently deep into a WIP (aren't I always?) and discovered I don't have a good grip on time management. I fell off the radar on Twitter and Facebook as a result. To my old friends who've missed me last month, I apologize. Hopefully, you'll still recognize me when I return.

All in all, I had a blast and I'll be back again next year for the challenge.

Laura