Events

2022 Author Events

I’m so excited to share with all of you that I will be at a few different events this year!

The first events are Indie Author Book Expos! These events are for indie authors to get together and share their love for writing, publishing books, and to share their stories with everyone. What I love about these events are they aren’t geared towards just romance authors, but a variety of genres and book types. If you are looking for a fun event, these ones will surely be ones to keep an eye out for! You can get more information from their Facebook pages.

I’m so happy to also be returning to Romance Rendezvous Book Blast this year! As you all know, this is my favorite event of the year and the organizer is so amazing!

I remember attending years ago when it was a smaller event. I’m so happy to see it grow each year, as there are always amazing authors and raffle prizes! If you’re in the cedar valley area for that event, I can’t recommend it enough! Be sure to stop by and say hi at my table, as I always have fun swag and prizes as my table for this event!

My last event for the 2022 will be Authors on the Riverwalk. You all may recall I was supposed to sell at this event last year, but due to COVID it had to be canceled. So hopefully we can still have it this year!

I’ve never been to this event before, but I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things! I can’t wait to see you all there!

Be sure to go on Facebook and mark if you are going to these events to receive updates! A lot of them do giveaways and raffle baskets, so it’s always a fun time! Not to mention you get to meet all the authors and buy plenty of books to read for the following months.

I can’t wait to see you all then! I have some new things I will be doing at my table — including a prize wheel for special swag, new hookmarks, and other fun items. Be sure to stop by and say hello!

~Shanna Pikora

Book Review

“Stalked by the Kraken” by Lillian Lark (Book Review)

I know what you’re thinking. “Shanna, what kind of books have you been reading?” AMAZING ONES! And no, this isn’t the only monster romance. I know a few of you may see the cover or title of this book and immediately put this book in the category of “not for me-I see those tentacles”. If you do, you’re missing out on one of the best monster romances I have ever read. No, that isn’t hype – it is genuinely one of the best I’ve read… LET ME TELL YOU WHY!

“Stalked by the Kraken” covers a lot of ground in romance-landia. Monster Romance. Fated Mates (Soulmates). Kinks. Shifters. All of these on their own can be a big genre to write for, with a lot of expectation. But Lillian Lark balanced them all beautifully and hit each one with an expert level of storytelling that had me sunken into the book for hours (yes, that was a ship joke…get it…because of the Kraken?).

Lillian tells a beautiful story of a matchmaking witch (Rose) trying to find herself again after an emotionally damaging relationship and an ancient Kraken (Gideon) who has finally found the one he’s been looking for. Each character is wholly unique and give so much to the story and each other.

What I found especially amazing in this book, was how Lillian Lark handled sexual preference, needs, and healing from the past. She didn’t shy away from any conversation or hard moment. There is no line or dialogue wasted in the book. Each one is dedicated to show character growth, healing, and acceptance. It isn’t rushed. The characters take their time to get to know each other, listen to their needs, and set healthy boundaries. It was very refreshing to read.

I was fully enraptured when Gideon listened to Rose’s fears and allowed her space to determine the pace of the relationship. I adored the moment when Rose accepted Gideon for who he was, and what he was. Each moment they took just one small step further into their own desires and needs was wonderfully written and captured my heart. This book has not only romance, but mystery, twists, and some looks at characters later in the series.

This book had so much heart! It’s one that when you finish, you will close the book and wrap your arms around it as if you were the kraken and it was the ship-a new favorite on your shelf.

Read “Stalked by the Kraken” by Lillian Lark. You won’t be disappointed! Be sure to grab your copy today by clicking the link under the image above!

As a special treat, here is a special interview with the amazing author of “Stalked by the Kraken” – Lillian Lark!

Question 1: “Stalked by the Kraken” is a fantastically unique story that captures your heart and ignites the imagination. What inspired you to write this story? 

I was actually procrastinating writing the next harpy book, Pair of Fools, when I started “Stalked by the Kraken”. I was really struggling to get into the mindset of the main character and with the project as a whole so I brainstormed a novella-length project to help me out. It’s mentioned in my first harpy book that the main character of Pair of Fools was banned by a bathhouse rumored to be accepting to all and as a part of developing that character I had to be all… wait, why did she get banned? In the end, the characters of Stalked by the Kraken rejected the idea of the story being novella-length and the book took on a life of its own.

Question 2: Each character in this story was wonderfully unique and had such amazing growth throughout the story. I fell in love with each one, even the background characters, and when we talked about it in my book club, we struggled to pick an all time favorite. So I’m curious…who was your favorite character to write?  

I think Gideon has to be my favorite just with the way he’s totally gone for Rose and how sneaky/not really sneaky he is about it. I especially loved writing scenes in Rose’s POV featuring Gideon’s seductive charms.

Question 3: The Kraken is one of my favorite mythological creatures, but there are so many amazing ones out there. Are there other mythological creatures you are hoping to write in the future? 

Oh definitely! All the books in my Monstrous Matches series will feature creatures of legend. I’m currently gearing up to start a book with basilisks in it and have many requests to someday do a dragon.

Question 4: Every writer had a different process and ritual. What does yours look like? What helps keep you in the writing zone? 

Sometimes it feels like every book I work on has its own ritual of me learning what way works best for that book. Whether it’s having a super strict outline or needing to wake up early in the morning to write. The consistent parts of my ritual are to do a Pinterest board, a Spotify playlist, and to turn my WIFI off.

Question 5: Do you have any upcoming releases? What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future? 

Yes! Thank you for asking. I have a preorder currently up for Found by the Lake Monster, which is a standalone novella that features a lake monster in heat and the human woman who stumbles into his woods.
https://books2read.com/FoundbytheLakeMonster

And I’m thinking the book featuring Emilia from Deceived by the Gargoyles will be out sometime in fall 2022, but I’m not far enough into the writing process to have set a preorder. https://books2read.com/DeceivedbytheGargoyles

Keep up with Lillian Lark’s future books by subscribing to her newsletter!

General News and Updates, Writing

Camp NaNoWriMo (April)

The time has come for Camp NaNoWriMo, where writers around the world spend the month feverishly editing and polishing their stories and works from NaNoWriMo last year…or in my case, continue editing a piece from NaNoWriMo in previous years. I’m excited it has started as I always find my inspiration and motivation for editing grows when I’m working with my fellow writers. It’s nice to have others who are in the same stage as you in their writing so you can talk and chat about stories and challenges you are facing.

This month, I am again working on my story “After the Storm”. I’m trying a new outlining method that includes a finer focus on the purpose of each scene. Admittedly, this story needs A LOT of work, so I’m hoping this will help me be a bit more conscious with my story choices and critical about what scenes make it in to the next draft.

If you are interested in following my progress this month, you can follow me using the button below. Otherwise, be sure to check in on my various social media platforms for regular updates and news on how things are going!

Happy Reading and Editing!

Shanna

Book Review

“Christine” by Marie Piper (Book Review)

I’m back again with another book by Marie Piper, and she did not disappoint! I knew I would love the book when I learned it was a “Phantom of the Opera” inspired romance, but this book blew my expectations out of the water!

Though, I do have to preface this…If you are a lover of Erik (aka the Phantom), as I am…and wish Christine (in the original) ended up with that mysterious man…then you will LOVE this book. #TeamPhantom. It will make you swoon and squeal with every interaction they have.

If you aren’t #TeamPhantom, and preferred Raoul as the love interest, then I think you’ll still like the book, just not as much as I did. Though, Raoul is the bad guy in this one (a REAL bad guy), so approach with caution!

“Christine” is the first in the Monsters and Maidens series. It takes place in a little Old West town in the middle of nowhere. I feel this change of venue for the story makes it feel even more genuine and special, as it doesn’t take place in an old Opera house, mansion, castle, or other classic locations. This new twist on an old story made it fresh and unique. I’m also really excited to see how this location and the secrets it holds ties into the other books.

I do have to give a huge shout out to Marie Piper, for a moment. Even though she made this story 100% hers, she also added little sprinkles of the old story in, in the most hilarious of ways. Such as a name here, a joke there. There were times I barked out laughing when a little Easter Egg popped up from the classic story or the rock opera. Well Done, Marie Piper! Well Done!

Overall, “Christine” is a great, quick read for those who love the classic gothic stories but wished the heroine had ended up with the antagonist instead. I’m not sure what the other books will be inspired by, but I have theories… I’ll keep them to myself for now.

Be sure to pick up a copy of “Christine” today, especially if you are a lover of the monsters of gothic stories. It won’t disappoint!

Even better, you can get a copy of “Christine” for FREE! All you have to do is sign-up for Marie Piper’s newsletter! I have a button below to do so! Her books have never disappointed, so it would be a great one to join!

I hope you enjoy the book just as much as I did!

Happy Reading,

Shanna Pikora

Novels, Publications

“Goodnight, Little Grubb” Behind the Scenes

I wanted to share some sneak peeks and behind the scenes looks at “Goodnight, Little Grubb”! This is a children’s book I put together for the first birthday of my little cousin!

This book was such a passion project and I had so much fun doing all of the artwork! It started with a few sketches. I did it all by hand. As you can see on the sketches above, it took some time to get them just right (I went through a lot of erasers!).

I had never done anything like this before, so I started with sketches, marking out the text and where I would want it. I had originally hoped to do watercolor pages, but they didn’t scan so well. Below are a couple of pages in watercolor. You can see the vibrancy was lost a bit, but I still think they are pretty!

You may also notice a bit of warbling in some of the pictures. This was also the downside of watercolor. It didn’t mater what paper type I used, it always had that effect and thus the pictures didn’t look as crisp. So, I went back to the drawing board and tried digitizing the pictures!

It took a bit of time to figure out, but I finally got it and was able to get the pictures colored and into a document for publishing! It was a lot of work, but definitely worth it! If you ever want to check out “Goodnight, Little Grubb” it is available on Amazon!

I hope you have enjoyed seeing these behind the scenes looks!

~Shanna