An Artistic Temperament FREE on Amazon Dec. 5-9

Free Dec. 5-9 on Amazon -- my funny short story AN ARTISTIC TEMPERAMENT -- featuring another favorite character of mine, Cyril Payne, who might have stepped out of a Saki story.

Here is the Amazon description:


AN ARTISTIC TEMPERAMENT is another quirky comedy from children's author Laura L. Sullivan. Though intended for adults, it features a sixteen year old girl as one of its central characters.

Cyril Payne, one of society's most delightful parasites, is staying at the seaside at his friend's expense. Though he'd much prefer to lounge in the shade and nibble at plums, he leaps languidly to the rescue when his friend announces he is bored. Cyril lights upon a sheltered teenaged girl and begins to spin his web of meddling machinations. Before long, the poor girl finds herself in a sauna with a dead body. Will she be scarred for life, or embark on a new career?

With echoes of Saki and Wodehouse, AN ARTISTIC TEMPERAMENT is a quick, clever romp that introduces one of Ms. Sullivan's favorite characters, Cyril Payne.

You can get your very own free copy here.

(And please, please review! Just a line or two on Amazon is very helpful.)

xo
Laura

One of my favorite characters -- LANA HALLIDAY -- FREE

For the next five days, my short story LANA HALLIDAY will be free on Amazon.

The captivating, sly LANA HALLIDAY is part detective, part guardian angel, part trickster. When her friend Ronnie Acton loses his gold-digging fiancé -- and the huge diamond engagement ring he gave her -- Lana steps in to set things aright. Her methods aren't quite ethical, but they are always comical.

You can get your free copy here.

xo
L

He Hunts Butterflies... With Guns

My next FREE story is The Butterfly Hunter, a horror(ish) story that originally appeared in the horror magazine Necrotic Tissue. (Is that not a perfect name for a horror magazine? I think it is now defunct, which is unfortunately also appropriate for a horror magazine. Perhaps it will one day be undead.)

O. Beauford Jasper began life as a contented baby surrounded by a garden of flowers. But when one of the flowers torments him by flying away, Jasper begins a lifelong obsession with butterflies that leads him to the wildest reaches of the globe. But he doesn't collect butterflies – this butterfly hunter slaughters them with a gun. He stalks the world's rarest butterflies, and takes joy only in seeing them obliterated by a bullet.

But Jasper gets his comeuppance deep in the Amazon rain forest when he tries to shoot a butterfly thought to be extinct.

You can get the Kindle edition FREE on Amazon November 25-29. Happy reading! (Well, rather disturbing reading, but you know what I mean.)

xo
Laura

The Next FREEBIE -- SF Short Story LARVAL

My next FREE story is the science fiction short, LARVAL. It will be free Nov. 20-24.

In LARVAL, two recent graduates with mountains of debt and grim prospects meet two girls who claim that humans are larval stages which, on earth, never undergo metamorphosis. The girls are refugees who want to keep their fleshy bodies all their lives instead of changing into all-knowing energy creatures like the rest of their species.

One of the human men – a workaday scientist stuck in a dead-end job of ceaseless pipetting – thinks metamorphosis is a wonderful idea. But when he passes himself off as one of the escapees to a bounty hunter, he finds that becoming an intergalactic creature of immense power isn't as good as it sounds. LARVAL is a dark, insightful tale for science fiction fans.

You can get LARVAL for FREE here on Amazon.

SF short FREE Nov. 15-19 -- The Ideal Household Appliance

Here is the latest FREE story -- The Ideal Household Appliance, a science fiction short, free on Amazon November 15-19.

In THE IDEAL HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE, a socially averse entomologist with an interest in robotics has created the perfect cleaning gadget – artificial roaches that hide in the daytime but scurry around at night cleaning up debris. They have all the benefits of insects, without the feces and disease. But when he develops an unhealthy obsession with his neighbor, and her violent ex-husband returns, the scientist discovers that his new invention still has a few bugs.

You can get your free copy here.

XO
Laura
 

Mark your calendar for FREE ebooks!

Just so you can plan to download all of your FREEBIES, here is a calendar of all of my holiday giveaways. I have some science fiction, some adventure, a couple of kids stories, and some literary stories as well -- all for you. Enjoy!

The First Freebie -- A MAN OF KIRI MARU Free Nov 10-14

As my holiday gift to my readers, I'm giving away every single one of my short stories -- FREE on Amazon in Kindle format. For five days, from November 10-14, you can get a free copy of A MAN OF KIRI MARU right here. (Other free titles will follow, through December 24.)

Here is what A MAN OF KIRI MARU is about:

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, bathed by the Humboldt currents, lies the island of Kiri Maru. It is a strange and lovely place, where time is so fluid that days and nights merge, but the hours of a new moon are never remembered. The natives had a god once, but he died in a drunken fall. Now the islanders live on luck, generated by the manner of a person's death. Being ripped apart by a wild animal is considered very lucky indeed.

To this island comes a scientist, searching for the elusive giant squid. Instead he finds love in the arms of a young woman, the daughter of a man of Kiri Maru and an American anthropologist.

She ensnares him, body and soul, and wants to bear his child. But first he must become a man of Kiri Maru himself... if the Red Brothers will accept him. Who are the Red Brothers? The man-sized Humboldt squid who haunt the local waters, and are said to be so jealous of human men that they sometimes... well, you'll see.

Weepy as Soon as the Book is in my Hands

Right now I'm reading Eva Ibbotson's last* book One Dog and his Boy, and I've been misty-eyed ever since picking it up. I KNOW that it is going to end well, because her books always do. But she's going to make me suffer to get there. Even more than that, I'm weepy because I know there won't be any more Eva Ibbotson books. The late Eva Ibbotson is one of my favorite writers. Was perhaps my favorite living writer. (Luckily I still have Laurie Graham. Ms. Graham, please eat well, look both ways and all that!) Sigh.

* At least one more Eva Ibbotson book is being released -- The Abominables. But I don't know how I feel about an author's heirs publishing an old manuscript that the author deliberately held back. Apparently her beloved husband died as she was completing it, and in her grief she decided to abandon funny, silly books for those with more emotional depth. But her comedies do have emotional depth, and her more serious work always has a comic element, so... Well, I'm glad there will be one more, but I'll feel a tad ambivalent reading it. Which of my old manuscripts would I want my heirs to release? Some, perhaps, like The Bulbuls of Baghdad, a time travel fantasy set during the Iraq war and a particularly bloody period of Medieval Baghdad that no one seems to want to touch... but certainly not some others, handwritten Mary Sue juvenilia...

xo
Laura

CLEVER ELODY -- a sweet fairy tale for kids

Here is a sweet little story called CLEVER ELODY about a poetic prince and the poor girl he loves. All seems hopeless -- until Elody teaches the prince how to turn one borrowed chicken into perfect bliss.


Here is the first line:
Elody was beautiful – which, as she told everyone, wasn't her fault – and clever, which was only natural because she read everything she could get her hands on.

And the last two lines:
Then they were truly happy with what they had – each other, and a chicken. Which is all anyone really needs.

It is written at about middle grade level, but also makes a perfect read-aloud for fairytale-loving younger ones.

Right now you can get CLEVER ELODY at AMAZON, but it will be available at Barnes and Noble soon. If you'd like a review copy in any format, let me know!

xo
Laura

Some Short Stories -- This One About SQUID!

I'm making some of my short stories available in e-book format. Some of them have been previously published in magazines like Story Quarterly, GUD, and others, some have been published under my nickname and are now being restored to my real name, and other are completely new and never before published.

Here is the cover of one of them, A MAN OF KIRI MARU, designed by yours truly. What do you think? I'm still finessing my Photoshop skills, so if you have any ideas for improving it, let me know. Ditto any of the copy. The nice thing about e-books is that they are easy to tweak.


A MAN OF KIRI MARU is for ADULTS. It's not that kind of adult book, but it does have sensuality, danger, and mature situations.

Here is the blurb:

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, bathed by the Humboldt currents, lies the island of Kiri Maru. It is a strange and lovely place, where time is so fluid that days and nights merge, but the hours of a new moon are never remembered. The natives had a god once, but he died in a drunken fall. Now the islanders live on luck, generated by the manner of a person's death. Being ripped apart by a wild animal is considered very lucky indeed.

To this island comes a scientist, searching for the elusive giant squid. Instead he finds love in the arms of a young woman, the daughter of a man of Kiri Maru and an American anthropologist.

She ensnares him, body and soul, and wants to bear his child. But first he must become a man of Kiri Maru himself... if the Red Brothers will accept him. Who are the Red Brothers? The man-sized Humboldt squid who haunt the local waters, and are said to be so jealous of human men that they sometimes... well, you'll see.

A MAN OF KIRI MARU is available at Amazon at the moment, and will be available at Barnes and Noble soon.

Squawk

This bird is called a SQUAWK. (Guess what their call sounds like?)

They are also (more commonly) called Yellow Crowned Night Herons, and their favorite hobby is to really freak me out when I'm walking by a lake in the evening. This one was sleeping just before I took his picture, no doubt resting up so he can properly scare the dickens out of me when I'm lost in thought later...

Under the Green Hill is Honored

Did I mention the pleasant news that UNDER THE GREEN HILL was selected for the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list? That means thousands of middle school kids throughout the state of Florida (my home state!) are being encouraged to read my book. I am so honored, and thrilled, and giddy!

This is the paperback cover.

 

And this is the hardback cover.

Here is the oh-my-goodness-lovely cover of Love by the Morning Star. I think it is my favorite cover ever. It so perfectly captures the effervescent romance, the sly comedy, and the setting of my upcoming book.

The Romantic Comedy Formerly Known as MORNING STAR

Oddly enough, writing and blogging don't seem to go well together.

The good news is, I've finished my romantic comedy (or historical romance, or Wodehousean farce) which was once known as MORNING STAR, but which will soon have a shiny new name. I'll tell you more about it soon. It will be out some time in 2014 from Harcourt (HMH).

Rumor is that Christopher Silas Neal might do the cover. He's the one who did that AMAZING covers for Sadie Jones' The Uninvited Guests, and Laurie Halse Anderson's Chains, Forge and Fever 1793. I'm kind of swooning at the possibility.

XO
Laura

YA Historical Fantasy DELUSION Hits the Shelves!

My young adult historical fantasy DELUSION is released today!
It is about two teenaged stage magician girls in London at the beginning of WWII who are evacuated to the countryside – and discover a hidden college of real magicians. As they try to persuade the reclusive magicians to help their country's cause (two handsome, dashing ones in particular) they face love, betrayal, danger, and challenges to their most deeply held beliefs.

You can buy DELUSION at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, IndieBound, or your favorite local bookstore.

I like to write about the small things inside the big things – the romances, the friendships, the accidents, that have a huge (though utterly unknown) effect on history. My historicals are alternate history in that the main characters never existed, the plots they make or foil never happened. But they are set in a past that is as accurate as possible. In other words, no magicians probably ever meddled in world events in 1939, but they could have. I don't change any real historical outcomes. I just show what could have happened behind the scenes if a stage magician girl and a real magician boy happened to meet and fall in love.

I hope you read it -- and I hope you love it! Let me know what you think!
XO

Laura

All is roses

Writers (oh how I love to generalize) are fragile, insecure creatures (who are at the same time egoistic narcissists, but they keep that on the DL) who go all to pieces at bad reviews and then start a downward spiral of sour-graping mixed with crushing self doubt.

Then they get a review like this, and all is roses again:

Bookshelves of Doom reviews Ladies in Waiting.

So thanks.

xo
Laura

Carbon Free Sugar

Okay, I get what they're saying. It still tickles me.

Certified Carbon Free Sugar.

Not quite as bad as the fat free spring water, but still, funny.

Because of course, sugar has carbon.

And here is a nifty little experiment you can do (if you have sulfuric acid) which rather dramatically shows exactly how much carbon sugar has:

The Winner!

Congratulations to MIKE! You won a copy of The Crimson Petal and the White, and a signed hardcover of Ladies in Waiting. I'll contact you shortly to get your mailing address. I can't wait to hear what you think of both books!
XO
Laura

August Historical Giveaway -- The Crimson Petal and the White

Life has been exciting lately, what with selling a house (for a rather depressing price, but hey, I got a little out of it and at least I'm not paying for a house I'm not living in any more, so I can't complain... too much) and the Little Guy starting kindergarten (he got a smiley face on his first daily report and was "respectful and curious") I got a little distracted so this month's giveaway is late. Let's run it from now until September 5 to give you two full weeks.

The Crimson Petal and the White, by Michel Faber, is one of my favorite historicals. Fierce, tender, scheming, literary whore Sugar goes from being pimped by her own mother in a Victorian slum, to being the mistress of a rich man, to... well, I won't tell you where she ends up, but it is a rich, juicy, complex, moving, completely satisfying book. It's the world of Trollope where Trollope feared to go. I love a good prostitute tale, and this is one of the best.

In the 17th century, and in the 19th, women didn't have a lot of options to get ahead that didn't involve sex. In both The Crimson Petal and the White and Ladies in Waiting, young women are surrounded by sex but trying to support themselves through their wits and talents.

This month I'll give one lucky winner a copy of The Crimson Petal and the White, and a signed hardcover of Ladies in Waiting. Just fill out the form below. Spread the word for more chances to win!

There Goes My Mascara

Foolish, foolish girl! You knew the ending of Code Name Verity would make you weepy (as did several parts before the end.) Why on earth did you read it right before going out? Why did you doom yourself to a day of puffy eyes and damaged mascara when you could have just saved those last twenty pages until you were snug in bed?

I don't review, but I probably should start mentioning books I really enjoy. Code Name Verity was amazing. Though I am seriously annoyed at the author for making prominent use of Nelson's dying words “Kiss me, Hardy” – which I was using to comic effect in my work in progress, set just a few years before Code Name Verity. Curses! One might say I should keep it, since Morning Star won't come out until 2014. Everyone will forget, right? Well, not if Verity wins a Printz, which it probably will. Oh well. I can keep my character's name Hardy, and just make a Thomas Hardy joke instead.

XO

Laura