Stories by Shanna Pikora

I can’t believe it is already December! NaNoWriMo was such a blast–even if it was a bit chaotic. I am happy to announce that I was successful in drafting over 50,000 words of my new novel “Justice”!

Below is a short sneak peek at the novel…but please remember it is a first, UNEDITED draft. I hope you enjoy it!

He was filthy. His pants were torn and tattered in many places with blood. His shirt was ripped open, barely hiding his form underneath. He was young, perhaps around her age, and he had such a desperation in his eyes.
            His face had been darkened with mud, or bruising, she couldn’t tell. When the Peacekeeper pulled on the rope once again, he fell prone on the ground and cried out in a hoarse voice. Arra moved without thinking, going to step forward towards him when the boy met her eyes. Crin stopped her, pulling on her arm to keep her next to him.
            “What do you think you’re doing?” He whispered harshly to her. “Don’t interfere!”
            “He’s being dragged through our town. That isn’t right!” Arra wanted to scream, but she knew she wouldn’t get through to Crin. “What could he have done to warrant such punishment?”
            “I don’t know, but if he’s being punished by the Justice’s Peacekeepers, it must have been bad.” Crin seemed so sure of himself before he went to step away, pulling on her arm to guide her away. Arra wouldn’t let him sway her. Her feet planted firmly in the ground against his pull. In the back of her mind, she heard her father’s words from yesterday, “There are going to be many times in the future where you will have to sacrifice a part of yourself for the greater good of someone else…don’t rush into it unless you must.”

Now that NaNoWriMo has ended, it is time for me to turn my attention to my December projects. This month, I wanted to take a little break from my novels and focus on poetry and short stories. I write so many throughout the year and never do anything with them…NOT THIS YEAR!

This month I will be working on editing a few poems and short stories I already have drafted–as well as finding a place to submit them if I don’t publish them here on my blog. I’ll also be writing some special stories for special anthology submissions to Black Hare Press. I’m excited to get back to shorter stories and poems!

I don’t have many updates other than that! I hope all of you are staying healthy, safe, and warm! Until next time, Happy Reading!

~Shanna

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Book Review

“A Neon Darkness” by Lauren Shippen (Book Review)

November 28, 2020 storiesbyshannap

This last month I read “Neon Darkness” by Lauren Shippen. This was the second novel released by Lauren Shippen that is a companion to the audio drama podcast “The Bright Sessions”. I fell in love with “The Bright Sessions” from the first episode. It was an incredibly well written and orated podcast with a twisting and turning storyline. I was over the moon when I heard the writer would be publishing novels to go along with the story I loved.

“The Infinite Noise” was the first novel Lauren Shippen released, following the characters Adam and Caleb. It showed their meeting, the challenges they faced, and how they found love in a world that was made infinitely more complicated by Caleb’s empathic abilities, marking him as Atypical.

With how much I adored the “The Bright Sessions” and “The Infinite Noise” I was so excited for the second novel “A Neon Darkness” to be released, especially since it revealed the origin story of my favorite character, Damien. However, after I read it I had very mixed feelings and reviews about the story as a whole.

“A Neon Darkness” and “The Infinite Noise” both have a similar start in that they drop you right into the narrative without any introduction. As a fan of the podcast, I did like this but at the same time a small introduction or recap would have been nice. For those who haven’t listened to the podcast, I wouldn’t recommend you read the books until you do as you will be missing very important background to aid you in understanding the narrative.

Where “The Infinite Noise” did a good job following the characters and showed their challenges and growth, I feel “A Neon Darkness” didn’t have such a satisfying conclusion or growth of the character I was hoping for. The story introduced amazing new characters and a fascinating plot line, but at the same time, I struggled to stay in the narrative directly connected with Damien and his struggle to control his power. The ending, which I won’t spoil here for those who want to read it, left me feeling a little underwhelmed.

I feel like Damien didn’t really grow or overcome any major challenges. Other than the creation of his name, I didn’t see any change in the character. This may have been the purpose of the story, to show why Damien is the way he is, but I would have liked to see more depth to the character I adored in the podcast.

Overall, “A Neon Darkness” was a good book. Perhaps if someone isn’t as much of a villain fan as I am, you may find more enjoyment in it. The tagline of the book is “What if the villain of your story is you?” and it holds true in the novel by showing the creation of “The Bright Sessions” villain. I just wish I could have seen more of Damien’s motivations and development.

If you are looking for a new fandom to fall into, I HIGHLY recommend “The Bright Sessions”. Listen to the podcast, read “The Infinite Noise” and “A Neon Darkness”, and fall in love with a whole new world!

Check out “the bright sessions”

purchase “The infinite noise”

purchase “A Neon Darkness”

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Giveaways, Publications

Writers of the Cedar Valley 2019 Anthology Publication & Giveaway

November 19, 2020 storiesbyshannap

I am so happy to announce the Writers of the Cedar Valley 2019 Anthology is now in print! I know it took longer than expected, so please accept my apologies for the wait.

Only Available at
Cedar Falls Public Library Book Nook

This anthology was put together by my local writers group, Writers of the Cedar Valley. I am so happy with how the anthology came together and to be included with so many other amazing authors. This anthology includes two of my poems, “Measure of Love” and “Fire Dance”, and a short story, “Little Light”. I’m very proud of all of these submissions, especially “Little Light”. Be sure to have some tissues nearby when you read it!

To celebrate the anthology’s publication, I will be giving away 3 copies through my website. All of you who are following my website (and by extension this blog) will be entered to win. I will be announcing the giveaway on all my platforms and do drawings on Friday, November 27th. Keep an eye out on your email that day to see if you are a winner!

Thank you again for all of your support! I’m looking forward to releasing more books and publications in the future! Until then,

Happy Reading!

~Shanna Pikora

Giveaways, Novels, Publications

“Goodnight, Little Grubb” Now Available for Purchase

November 7, 2020 storiesbyshannap

It is with such amazement and pride that I announce I am officially an Indie Published Author of my first book, “Goodnight, Little Grubb”. As you may remember from a blog post last month, I have been working for the past year on a children’s picture book for my cousin’s first birthday. I had originally had the publication date set to November 15th, 2020 — as a way of ensuring she got her signed copy first — but she got it a bit sooner than expected and I can officially share the news!

Beautiful “Little Grubb” posing with her new book!

I can’t put into words how it felt to have my book arrive, to hold something I created and published in my hands. For so many years I had dreamed of just that moment. I’m not ashamed to say I cried (happy tears) and didn’t want to put the book down. I planned to keep the novel publication a secret until the 15th, but I was too excited to share, as were the other people who knew and had been keeping it a secret.

“Goodnight, Little Grubb” will be my first official publication as an Indie Author. I published through Amazon, and I’m so glad I did. Amazon KDP made it so easy to put everything in and get it formatted just right, especially when I had some strange white border around each page (but not anymore!). I’m so happy with how it turned out!

You can now order your own copy of “Goodnight, Little Grubb” through Amazon today!

As always for a new publication, I will be doing a Giveaway of 3 Signed Copies! You can enter by doing the following:

Follow/Subscribe to this Blog — You can do so by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking “Follow”.
Subscribe to my Monthly Newsletter — You can subscribe by clicking the “Newsletter” tab on my website.
Follow me on Instagram & Twitter — Linked below.

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I will do a drawing next Sunday, November 15th, 2020. All followers on the platforms listed below will be entered to win. If you follow me on multiple platforms, you will be entered multiple times!

Thank you to everyone who supported and encouraged me during this year long process. I couldn’t have done it without you. And of course, I couldn’t have done it without you as well, my dear readers! Thank you for following me on this journey!

Happy Reading, Shanna Pikora

General News and Updates

NaNoWriMo Has Begun!

November 3, 2020 storiesbyshannap

I look forward to November every year–not because of Thanksgiving or to start preparing for Yule, but because of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). For those of you who don’t know what NaNoWriMo is, it’s a free event and platform that takes place through the month of November where writers like myself strive to write 50,000 words in just 30 days! You can find out more by clicking the button below!

check out nanowrimo website

In the past couple years, I have been a NaNo Rebel. Instead of writing a new story, I would edit novels to get them ready for the next step of publication. However, this year I am drafting a completely new novel idea. I’m really excited to be starting on this novel. It has been brewing in the back of my mind for months now. I spent time each month plotting and planning and I feel I have a great foundation (which is code for saying I have a three-ringed binder full of maps, outlines, pictures, and more!).

You can follow my progress this month by following me on NaNoWriMo or checking out my profile page. If you are also doing NaNoWriMo, be sure to send me a buddy request so we can cheer each other on!

visit my nanowrimo profile page

The images above are NOT mine. They were created by very talented artists — but I found them online and have been using them as inspiration for my novel. Image 1 (Left) — “Fire Keeper” by CatCouch (DeviantArt). Image 2 (Middle) — “Ash” by WLOP (DeviantArt). Image 3 (Right) — “Dark Souls” by Kristin Toxicpanda (DeviantArt).

While I am hoping to get to 50,000 words at the end of the month, I have a different goal pushing me forward this month. Through the NaNoWriMo website, I am tracking my word count. My goal is to update my word count every day and stay “on track” with my word count (meaning I will have to write 1,667 words each day). I’d love to say there is a special prize for doing this, but my true motivation is to receive to special digital badges for reaching both of these goals!

When I reach my goal for the day, I then turn my attention towards more prep. I’m hoping this novel will be the first in a trilogy, something I never thought I would tackle. It is rather intimidating so I’m fighting those nerves and anxieties by doing some extra preparation for the future of the first book or the series. My binder is growing bigger each day as I add a couple pages of preparation each day.

I have been trying out a couple writing platforms to help keep everything together, but haven’t found one that I work well with quite yet. Right now I’m checking out “World Anvil”. It is a platform more so for Dungeons & Dragons and Tabletop Gaming, but it has a lot of promise for writing as well. I’ll be sure to give an update later on how it goes. You can check out the platform yourself by clicking the button below.

check out world anvil

I hope everyone is staying safe, warm, and healthy!

Until my next time, Happy Reading!

~Shanna Pikora