Shakyra Dunn's Blog, page 5

I'm Hosting a Giveaway!

I decided to finally buckle down on Goodreads and set up a giveaway!I'll be giving away two copies of my physical book The One Left Behind: Magic, partially in hopes of gathering new readers and with even more hope, getting a few more reviews under my belt!The giveaway is going to be starting on July 28th and run for a week, up until August 5th! I will be covering all expenses for shipping and handling if you happen to win a copy.Good luck to those that decide to enter!

Acoustic Element (Flash Fiction #2)

“Working overnight is such a pain…”Once more, she found herself gazing up at the ceiling, her back against the firm mattress, headphones tucked securely in her ears. Early mornings such as this were no longer uncommon. Suddenly swapping to the graveyard shift did a number on her sleeping habits. Even shutting her eyes for a moment wouldn’t sway her into slumber. If the sun was rising, she would greet it with a grimace.Seven a.m. struck, the cheerful fanfare of her cell phone chiming some inches away; she extended her hand to the left, brushing her finger along the screen, ceasing the sound. So, an hour had gone by, and the sun would be rising soon enough. Everything was normal once more.She tilted her head back to stare at the closed window, a streak of crimson crossing her gaze. She didn’t hesitate to rise to a sit, leaning over the windowsill.The lights hit her in an awesome wave. An unearthly blend of colors flared over the horizon. Her eyes were filled with wonderment–she was a child again, looking at the tinsel of Christmas morning, the sight more than she could fathom. Tears welled up as a Cheshire grin crept across her face.She was entranced. She felt… drawn. With what little control still held over herself, she found herself up and in the living room. It was mid-December, and the snow flurries had been reluctant to start up for the season; she would be able to suffice with two of her jackets. Her gaze hovered over her gym-shoes, leaned up against the railing of the stairs below. The grass would likely be wet from the previous showers. The sun was already rising. If she hesitated too long, she would miss her chance. Reluctant in her actions, she slipped on her sandals instead, figuring that the wet ground wouldn’t be an issue. She grabbed her keys from the counter, and exited the apartment, locking the door behind her.Her steps were well-paced as she rounded a corner. The streets had been quiet for the time being, devoid of any people. Then again, what was to be expected at seven in the morning? She kept her steps going, even though it felt as if she continued through a void. Sounds began to dampen the more she approached the sight–it was as if the lights in the sky cordoned her off into another dimension.Finally, there was a sound and she snapped her head towards the source–men, burly, rough, and hairy were departing from the direction of the lights. Each looked as if they could freeze their friends with a glare at twenty paces but at that moment, disappointment and the sense of unfulfilled desire wreaked havoc throughout their minds. They walked in the opposite direction, slouched, sulking and defeated.She saw more places that looked as if they were filled to the brim with people; she was right, but they looked to be engulfed in shadow. She couldn’t believe her eyes; a few snaps caught the people on film, and each person’s face was eschewed in horror. Her breath grew shallow. Was she capturing these people’s souls inadvertently?She wasn’t in real time, she figured that much out on her own. Things didn’t work the same way here. She scrolled back to the picture in the camera’s memory card and deleted it, gasping softly as the sound of ethereal wails rang out in the distance.Behind her, the sky lit ablaze and an unseen force knocked her on her backside. The cold of the field offered no respite as heat licked at her face with invisible tongues. She shielded her eyes at first, but gradually she looked at what was before her. The sight was truly a blaze of glory; the sky’s shade was a plume of fire from the sun, and its magnificence forced the clouds away, a trumpet’s blow to herald its arrival.She was engrossed in the sight. The colors of the wind and the sky blended together smoothly.“I know you… you are worthy?” A voice assaulted her, shaking her body to its core.She could only bring herself to her knees. She kowtowed before the light and clouds, feeling a presence she couldn’t begin to comprehend. Meekly, she responded, “Worthy?”“Compassion, talent, honor…You have things that many others your age squander. You feel yourself shackled, bogged down by the perceived hardships of life.”She looked up, trying to make sense of the lights. A brighter light appeared before her, glowing and warbling before it assumed human form. Dissipating, the voice was now human and less abrasive to the ears. She looked up and her eyes widened. A human stood before her, ivory complexion and clad in peerless white clothing. The man smiled and extended his hand to help her up.“You have a grander destiny than this; your potential is wasted trying to live by this society’s standards. You have a skill that you take great pride in, right?”Her words lumped up in her throat. She couldn’t respond but only nod. The man took ahold of her hand and scanned it with a focused eye.“Narrow fingers, strong muscles and phalanges. Faint traces of ink and lead on your skin.” He looked her in the face, her expression one of puzzlement and shyness. “A keen eye for detail. You are a writer.”She nodded once more. She felt him touch her chin to bring her gaze to meet his.“Let me hear you say it.”“I…am a writer.”The man smiled. “Tell me again. You’re not convinced.”“I’m a writer.”“Convince me.”She huffed and found her inner strength. She looked the man square in the eye. “I’m a writer, and damn proud of it!”“Bravo. It’s been so long since I’ve met a potential with the confidence to declare what they truly are. You know what makes a writer profound in creation?”The girl, curious, shook her head.“Writers tell stories. Those who live in creation need stories more than they need bread and water. Stories tell us about our pasts and present in order to prepare us for our future. Stories tells us about who we truly are at our cores, to show us a way to improve ourselves. Stories can save us.”Things made so much more sense. Each story had a purpose, a theme. Stories were meant to teach lessons and help listeners make their minds up about something they were previously ignorant about.“Come on. We’ve a lot to cover.”“But wait! Who are you?” she inquired.“I am but a teacher, and now, you are my student.”

Life is Tedious

Hi there! Sorry for the lack of, well,anythingover the last couple of weeks. Things have been pretty tedious, to say the least.I've been struggling a lot with trying to get together marketing tactics to promote the new book, and even though it has been a little less than a month since I began this journey, I find it to be very worthwhile, and I look forward to learning more about what I can do to improve things. Marketing is the worst thing in the world. It will forever be.In addition to that, I recently took a trip to my hometown of Chicago to finish up some business involving my father's memorial service. The entire event was a bit strange to me, partially out of having never been to a militia service. I can still hear the gunshots ringing through my ears from the 3-shot volley. I can still hear the vows and prayers, and think of everyone around me reacting, crying, thinking, while I sit back and watch, as if I were an outsider looking in.I plan to take more trips to Chicago to see my family, knowing that now there are two young children that need me to act as their sister.Life is definitely tedious when you're paving the way to your future.But it's only the beginning, so why not keep striving for more?

My First Interview

I got to participate in my first Indie author interview with the wonderful Adelle Yeung last week. She is the crafter of the series "The Cycle of the Six Moons," and a voice actress extraordinaire. I'm gonna keep this one pretty brief, but I'd really appreciate it if you'd give it a look, enjoy the fun, and enjoy your night, Creators!

Death's Call (Flash Fiction #1)

He had piercing chartreuse eyes—that was the first thing I recalled when this unfamiliar figure shrouded in dark clothing appeared.His expression was confident, the grip on his rusted scythe shaky. He upturned his lips at the sight of his new presence, and outstretched his hand, brushing past my curly locks and caressing my right eye. I hadn’t processed why he had chosen this spot until he drew back his ginger touch. Blood and rotted flesh coated the limb, and cold eyes blessed by lavender

Creators

I've been sitting back doing some thinking.Maybe it's time that I stop talking about myself on these blogs and get into what really matters: providing advice to other writers, and even just to other people in general based on what knowledge that I have already begun to gather.Now, just hear me out here. This is something that I'm NOT much of a professional in, but then again, I was never really a professional at talking about myself either. I'm still budding in the field of promotion, and in the

The First Week

So, the first week since Left Behind made its debut has come to an end, and now I'm sitting back watching the rankings on Amazon just plummet... and plummet...  *Pouts* Oh well, I guess it's good that at least some books have sold, right? Besides, it's a series AND author debut, it's a work in progress!I've sold about 15 books (9 physical and 6 e-books), and I am about to ship off 10 autographed copies as soon as they arrive tomorrow!I've been spending a lot of time working on promotion tactics,

Father's Day

Father's day this year is a bit of a touchy subject for me, given that my dad passed away back in March. I've been delaying this for a while, but I decided to finally think about what Father's Day truly is. This is the first year that I've been without both parents. My mom passed away unexpectedly from hydrocephalus back in 2012 before I was going to start college, and it's a heavy thought, which is why I've tried to surround myself with my book work and promotions over all. Keeps you going, you

Should I Be Feeling 22?

It's my birthdaaaay! *Throws hands up in the air* *Plays Taylor Swift's 22 despite not liking the song much... or the artist... or, well, any mainstream music* I don't really have any plans today. I'm waiting until tomorrow when I get paid, and my roommate and I are going to head out to Olive Garden. Time has been going pretty well so far. I started selling copies of The One Left Behind: Magic officially on Amazon.com, and so far I have my rankings from day 1, with 4 e-books and 3 physical books

An Excellent Day

It's E3 week! And to all of you who know what E3 is, you know why this week is important! To those that don't know, E3 is the gamer's Christmas! (My friend's words, not mine.) Further, E3 is a three-day conference that showcases a bunch of games being released or debuting in the next year or so. It's pretty interesting to watch.I'd have to say that I look forward most to Final Fantasy XV and its movie counterpart being released in August, Kingsglaive. I also look forward to Horizon Zero Dawn and