Today is Release Day! *runs around the house screaming* To celebrate, I’ve got a special post to share with you on the Lament Blog Tour! Just as any story will always hold a special piece of the writer within its pages, the themes of Lament reflect ideas I’ve often struggled with. The Themes of Lament Belonging: In Keen we’re introduced to Caoine, a half-human/half-fae who lives in the Mortal Realm singing her banshee lament each night. From page one we are immersed in her wo

Today we’ve got Lament Blog Tour stop #8! Caffeinated friends, this tour is halfway over and my book baby releases tomorrow. (To-mor-row!!!) *faints* I am super happy for you to visit with Jebraun Clifford! Today she shares an interview that we recently had. Friends, it was so much fun! *squeals* You’ll find her post here. Feel free to leave a comment telling me how you liked the interview! Tomorrow the Lament Blog Tour stops right here! That’s right! The release day post wil

Yay! Stops #6 + 7 in the Lament Blog Tour are up! Check it out, Caffeinated friends. You won’t be disappointed! *cartwheels* I’m so excited that we get to hang with Tabitha Caplinger who has a visual post of the World of Lament! *squeals!* You’ll find her post here. This girl has some amazing books out herself. Be sure to check them out! And we get to visit with the very cool master of all-things-cryptid, Tammy Ayers from Cryptid World for a book review of Lament! *eep!* You’

Another blog tour stop, Caffeinated friends! Yesterday was Lament Blog Tour Day #5! *happy claps* We visited with Laura A. Grace who hosted a Guest Post: The Writing Process! *woo hoo!* You’ll find that here. Feel free to leave a comment! I’d love to hear what you think of how Lament came to be! Stay tuned today for another post in the Lament Blog Tour! Tabitha Caplinger has a beautiful visual post of the World of Lament! You’ll find her blog here. You can also find the stops

Hey Caffeinated friends! Welcome to Lament Blog Tour Day #4! *squeals* Who’s ready for not one, but two posts? Today we’re visiting with Laurie Lucking for a sneak peek of Character Spotlights! *clapping* You’ll find that here. Feel free to leave a comment! There’s also an Insta post of Lament with Marie Godsey! You can find her Insta account here. Thank you to both ladies for sharing in Lament’s blog tour! *blows kisses* Be sure to visit tomorrow for more Lament Blog Tour! L

We made it to Lament Blog Tour Day #3! *woot* Today we’ve got a super fun post that I think you’ll enjoy! *cartwheel* We get to hang with Kellie Parker as she hosts an Interview with the Characters of Lament! *happy dance* I think you’ll find this one quite…um, interesting. *giggles* Find it here. Be sure to drop a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s post! And don’t forget, the Lament blog tour continues tomorrow! We’ve got double the fun with two features! Joi

Are you ready for Lament Blog Tour Day #2, Caffeinated friends? The Lament blog tour continues with the very first review! *eep* Today we’ll be visiting the lovely Abigail McKenna at her blog Novels, Dragons, and Wardrobe Doors! (Isn’t that the most fun name, ever?) Find it here. Her review is thorough and so well done. *hearty eyes* I’m already a fan and plan to read more of her book reviews! Be sure to drop a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s post! More Lam

Hey Caffeinated friends! Today is the beginning of Lament’s blog tour! *stuffs a cupcake in her mouth* The first stop is a Behind the Scenes peek over at J.M. Hackman’s blog, Jilligan’s Island. Find the post here. Be sure to drop a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s post! Ready for more Lament blog tour fun? Join us tomorrow with Abigail McKenna for a review of Lament! *squeals* You can find her blog here. You can also find the stops for the entire tour right

Happy New Year, friends! I’ve got such exciting news to share with you! Lament: Banshee Song Series, Book Two releases on January 26th! *tosses confetti* This baby has been a long time coming (thanks to COVID delays!) but I’m so happy to finally get to share the next adventure in Caoine’s journey with you. Pre-orders can be found through Amazon–Paperback + e-Book–as well as through Barnes and Noble dot com–Paperback + e-Book. If you order before the release date, be sure to f

Photo by chuttersnap on Unsplash The last bell of the day buzzed through the classrooms of the junior high. Doors flew open and the hallways were flooded with students ready to enjoy the weekend. “Hey, Trevor!” A small boy with cracked glasses and shaggy hair ran down the hall. Trevor stopped, adjusted his backpack. “What’s up, Noah?” Noah panted. “Where you headed?” “Lost and found.” “Sweet. I’ll join you. I’ve been missing my black hoodie since Monday.” “Oh yeah. The one wi

Photo by Philipp Berndt on Unsplash The precious jewels weighed heavy in Andy’s hand. Emeralds, rubies, diamonds. The corner of his mouth curled as he spilled them into his small sack. He took one last glance at the sleeping figure of King Henry VIII. Then he tip-toed out of the bed chambers and slipped through the door. “Did you get them?” His father, Drew, stood within the shadows. Andy nodded. “Thief!” A voice echoed against the stone walls. Drew jumped. “Time to go.” They

Photo by Kate Stone Matheson on Unsplash Morning sun crept through the bedroom window. Marlene yawned. A pounce jostled her. Her cat Butterscotch joined her in bed. The cat bumped Marlene’s back, forcing her to lift the covers so he could climb in. She complied, the drum of purring vibrating from beneath the covers. Marlene scratched beneath his chin. Her beloved roommate. The only “someone” she shared her apartment with. Another minute passed. The door squeaked open. She gla

Photo by Tai’s Captures on Unsplash Ruby twirled in front of her mirror, her champagne colored dress spinning, too. Her smile waned. The pandemic had swept the world in a matter of weeks. School = canceled. Graduation = postponed. Senior year = ruined. Prom = gone. Her stomach clenched as she snatched up her phone and fell onto her bed. Her fingers quickly messaged her best friend, Lacie. This stinks. We should be leaving for prom like now. Little dots popped on her screen as

Photo by Food Photographer | Jennifer Pallian on Unsplash Tabitha licked the sweet gooey batter that dripped from her finger. Yum. The idea of baking chocolate chip cookies had popped in her head during suppertime with her family. Now she had the kitchen to herself with no one around to warn her against eating raw dough. She smiled and dipped her finger back into the bowl. Satisfied that her sweet-tooth was appeased (for now), she popped the first tray of cookies into the ove

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash Quarantine Day 1: Deadly virus spreads. Entire country housebound 30 days. Military delivers staples, medical supplies weekly. No one allowed out, including medical personnel. Quarantine Day 7: Family bored. Elderly neighbor Mr. Wilson injured at home, military medical staff arrive, take him away. Quarantine Day 10: Mrs. Wilson says unknown when husband will return. Quarantine Day 14: No response from military regarding Mrs. Wilson’s inq

Hey friends! I realize it’s been a hot minute since I’ve last posted but wanted to let you know that I’m still alive! *tosses confetti* “Why Laura, you’ve been silent for so long! What have you been up to?” Welp, lots. Over the past four months: I’ve completed a NaNoWriMo with a brand new YA fantasy novel that hit 70K words in 30 days. (Woot.) Revised and submitted book two of the Banshee Song Series to my publisher. (The release date for Lament is forthcoming!) And I’ve writ

Photo by Alison Marras on Unsplash “Tomorrow is Thanksgiving!” Mama Mary plopped herself at the rickety dining table, the weathered cookbook passed down from her great-grandmother spread before her. “It’s a day when we give thanks.” She flashed a smile filled with crooked, yellowed teeth. “And it’s a day for eating!” “Yay!” All three of her young children danced around the room. “Will we have Golden Quiche?” Harry asked. “Of course!” Mama nodded. “Will we have Golden Omelette

Image and dialogue from “Titanic” courtesy of Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox The young man stood at the bow of the ship, the evening breeze tossing his hair as the sky faded from muted pink to deep plum. “Hello, Jack.” Rose approached in a cautious manner, a smile on her lips. “I changed my mind.” Jack’s eyes glinted against the dipping sun. “Give me your hand.” She did as she was told, cheeks flushed. He led her to the thin railing that lined the ship. His grin curv

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash The pumpkin was simple, yet unique. Not your average shade of tangerine orange. More of a rich honey color. Three faint kelly green stripes bled from the stem, reaching halfway down one side. The shape was mostly round, a small bulge the size of a fist near the top. Perfectly normal for carving a perfectly ordinary jack-o-lantern. Or so the Pattersons thought. This is their story. (Law and Order theme “dun, dun”) “Scary or funny?” Aubrey blew

Friends, today is the last day of the blog tour. I’m not sure how I feel about this. Release Day was three day’s ago. Two day’s ago I had my local Launch Party. Yesterday was my Facebook Release Party. Things are winding down. It sort of feels like a wedding. Looots of build up, fantastic celebration during the event, but a “what do I do now?” after coming back from the honeymoon. *shrugs* What do I do? Welp, I can tell you! As of today I can say that the rough draft of the 2