A word from Lana Richmond

Hey Everyone! Lana Richmond of Pixie Chick fame here. I'm still hijacking Regan's plans for her blog tour. Nick's cool enough to host us today and I just managed to get my email sent off before Regan. It's not like there was an option. Come on! Sky Pirates and Steampunk? It all sounds so much cooler than anything I've seen around my town lately.

My high school's got all the requisite classes - and by that I'm talking social, not academic. We've got band geeks, jocks, nerds, goths, and preps, but we're fresh out of Steampunk. I'm thinking of starting a trend though.

Thomas Riley (Nick's lead character) gave me a crash course in wardrobing and accessories. It could be Halloween all year round with Steampunk, because it can go subtle or all out. And none of it violates our school dress code. Besides, clothes are just another way to declare yourself and your interests. Who wouldn't want to declare themselves ready for any adventure?

Really, the goggles did it for me, although I'm liking the boots a lot. And the inventive gadgets...that's just fun and trouble waiting to happen. Since I don't sleep much, tinkering with gadgetry (no, Regan, not weaponry) might be a fine new hobby.

And who knows, the goggles might be the one thing I need to finally break through the Hobbitville portals.

My hometown is so boring, it's no wonder someone created a magic garden - they needed the fast ticket to somewhere interesting. But after poking around Nick's world of Steampunk, I'm going back to the library - maybe there are some alternatives hidden away in my town's history. If I find that we did have a few inventive types, maybe I can find a way to escape and explore without the Hobbitville magic after all.

Wish me luck!
Lana Richmond,
band geek, Pixie Chick, Hobbitville magic seeker, and potential Sky Pirate!


~Well, thank you Miss Richmond. I'm sure Regan will just be thrilled that you've done all of her tour stops for her. So now that you all have heard, Regan Black has a new short story on Echelon Shorts called The Shadow Stone. Want to know more? Yeah, I thought so. Here is the blurb about the new short:

Lana Richmond will not be the left behind when all her friends are using the magic of Hobbitville to escape their small Midwestern town for more exciting places. She's been trying–and failing–to use the garden's portals. The bruises haven't quite faded when Lana takes matters into her own hands and meets a stranger who promises to help her…on Halloween. Will Lana have the courage to follow her wanderlust, or will she settle for being the only Pixie Chick who can't work the Hobbitville magic?

I thought that would interest you. Ok, I guess I'm allowed to give you a little more. Here's an excerpt.

Lana is alone in Hobbitville the night before Halloween, determined to find what the kids call a touchstone - a garden statue that allows them to travel magically to other gardens around the world.

Lana's thoughts rambled back across the memories as she hovered over every stone of any artistic formation. It seemed memories didn't open portals either. She tried to amuse herself with philosophy as she moved from Brie's section on to the next portion of the
garden. "When something's lost, you always find it in the last place you look," she murmured to the cherub-faced cupid cloaked in shadows.
She reached out, more than a little conflicted. She definitely wanted to find her touchstone, but a cupid was so not her.
As expected, the cupid did nothing for her, but maybe that was because she expected nothing from it. Philosophy was an annoying companion tonight. She tried to rev up some enthusiasm and made a second attempt. Still nothing.
She moved on before she made herself crazy with circular arguments. "The lost thing's always in the last
place you look because you stop looking once you've found it."
"It is pretty silly to keep looking once something's
found," a deep voice rumbled out of the darkness.

Oh now you really want to read the whole thing. Gotcha. Try these:

Here's a link to all of Ms. Black's Kindle titles

Go here to purchase your own copy of Shadow Stone from Echelon (It's going to be the best $2.25 you've ever spent.)

I know... You want to know more about Regan Black. Click here to go to her blog.