November Hotel's Playlist

November Hotel has a sort-of playlist. It's short. It's like an EP. Do they still have EPs? IS MY AGE SHOWING?

If my age is indeed showing, it's in your best interests to keep your mouths shut. Hint, hint.

Here! Take this author-created playlist/EP/whatever for your listening enjoyment!

1) Worry About You, Ivy

I've mentioned this before. Worry About You is vaguely creepy and yet really pretty and I like it.

2) When Under Ether, PJ Harvey

Some of you might recognize this from the second season of Peaky Blinders (which you should be watching, by the way), when Tommy is on the boat after...checking out...of the hospital. Again, it's actually kind of creepy. Sounds like it's about some sort of old-school surgery-you know, the type that often goes wrong.

3) Lightness, Death Cab For Cutie

If Wes and Maggie have a 'together theme', it's this. I don't know why, it just came on and I was like, 'my precious cinnamon buns, this is for you'.

4) Title and Registration, Death Cab For Cutie

Another one? Weird. But again, it came on and fit nicely and here we are.

5) 1901, Phoenix

If Thomas were to have a theme, it's this. It's so...happy. There's joy. And Thomas is my precious baby and I want him to be happy. (Who am I kidding...all my characters are my precious babies. But Thomas is special because I don't wish misery on him.)

6) Undercover Martyn, Two Door Cinema Club

I just like it, and it came on during editing one day and sort of got associated with it by accident.

Wow, it started out creepy and got progressively happier! Cool. Accidental, but cool.

-Lalla

And now, the one you've all been waiting for...

It's the last of the freebies! The House on the Moor is free on Kindle from today to August 1st.

https://www.amazon.com/House-Moor-Ravens-Curse-Book-ebook/dp/B0091XZ4TO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1469716192&sr=8-4&keywords=lalla+squeglia#nav-subnav

-Lalla

Teaser

Whee-hee-hee! It's almost tiiiime!

I have had way too much caffeine today. 2 cups coffee + chocolate covered espresso beans + 1 large cup Irish Breakfast Tea=MUSIC HAS COLORS. Alice in Chains is kinda red, apparently. Like...red clay, sorta?

Anyways, here. Take this sample of November Hotel. Thomas is Wesley's normal friend. He's a precious cinnamon bun and deserves a Friendship Award for putting up with Wes' oddball tendencies. (So do my friends. Thanks, friends!)

" Thomas had not burned down the building, but he had gotten a date. Wesley had to give it to him-he made the impossible task of 'flirting' look effortless.

Though he'd sometimes come to work with a red mark on his cheek, so there was that.

"She's from Paris, Wes. Paris. Oui, please."

"I think what you mean is s'il vous plaît, Thomas."

"It doesn't sound nice when you do it, though." He sighed and pulled a dead leaf from the potted plant. "She's got this breathy voice, just the right tone-"

Rumble-rumble.

"Is that the elevator?"

Great. Either it was acting up or there were people in it...ridiculous...

He pulled the doors open and leaned into the shaft. Yup, there it was, slowly coming down. If there were kids in there fooling around, so help him God...

"Look scary, I think somebody took it for a ride."

The rumbling stopped abruptly and he frowned and looked up. Sure enough, it had stopped dead. It would figure that it would throw a fit when there were people playing with it, jeeze...

"Wes?"

"It's acting up again."

Thomas came out from behind the desk and poked his head into the shaft. A second later there was an earsplitting SCREEEEECH! and Wesley was yanked backwards just as the car plummeted downwards.

It did not crash. It was barely past the opening when it stopped...and came back up, shuddering to a stop where it belonged and remaining quite still, looking as innocent as ever.

"Is somebody in there?"

Nobody answered. Wesley pulled the doors open-they didn't want to move-and peered inside. It was empty.

"My God." Thomas hadn't let go of his jacket and Wesley wondered when it was socially acceptable to make him. "Nearly took your head off!"

"Uh-huh."

"Did you enrage some rival elevator person? Is there an elevator operator assassin's guild?"

"Uh-uh."

"What the hell was that?"

"I don't know." Ghosts. "Thomas, um-"

"Oh. Sorry." But it still took him a minute to let go. "Wes, that thing-"

Wesley shut the doors and put the little 'Out of Order' sign on them. Thomas backed away, dragging Wesley with him.

"It's possessed."

"It's not-"

"It tried. To kill you. On purpose! Ah-dat-dat!" What sort of word was that supposed to be? "Shut up. It did. It did."

"Coincidence."

"Lies!" Thomas gripped his shoulder with one hand and gestured wildly at the elevator with the other. "I know what I saw, and I saw the elevator try to take your head off."

"It-"

"What's all the shouting about?"

Aw, Hell. Maggie. This was just not his day, was it?

"The elevator tried to kill Wesley."

"It didn't-"

"It did! Ignore him, he's in shock."

"I'm not in shock..."

Maggie hid a facepalm behind a small forehead-scratch before holding up a hand.

"Thomas." Finally. Silence. Now he could explain that the wiring had picked a bad time to go out or...or something that would calm everyone down. "What happened. Is anybody hurt?"

"No. Because I saved him."

"Thomas..."

"Shut up, I did."

If ever there were to be a freak earthquake that nessessitated the immediate evacuation of the hotel, now would be a good time.

"What happened?"

"The elevator was acting weird, and when Wes leaned in to see what was going on, it tried to take his head off."

Any time with that earthquake. Really, any time now.

"Wes?"

"The wiring was acting up, this weather-"

He barely dodged Thomas' hand aiming to cover his mouth, but there was no shutting him up.

"No. We thought there was someone in it, right? It was comin' down, and Wes got the doors open to make sure it wasn't stuck or somethin'. And he leaned in, and then it just dropped."

"Did it crash?"

"Nah-uh. Pulled itself up when I yanked him backwards, and now it's just sittin' there. Waiting."

Thomas would have been much better off working at a theatre than at a hotel.

Maggie looked from one to the other, eyebrows raised. Keeping Thomas and his annoying hand in the corner of his eye, Wesley opened his mouth to speak.

"It's probably just wiring. This sort of weather always upsets it. I'll climb up there tomorrow and-"

"Don't." Huh? "Don't. It's out of order now, and that's final."

That was her 'management voice', the same one her father used, and he had no intention of arguing with it. It would only end badly.

"Okay." "

-Lalla

The cheek! The gall! The...I'm out of words for this outrage!

So I have this shirt. Says, 'Bucky, take the wheel!' on it. (Winter Soldier reference.) Yesterday, I'm minding my own business, checking out at the store, and the cashier, as I'm walking away, goes, 'Hail Hydra'.

WHAT. WHAT YOU SAY? LITTLE PUNK KID!

So that's my story of meeting a fellow nerd in the wild. Shame we'll never be friends now, after that.

Anyways, today marks the beginning of The Maze having a free period. Yes! From today 'til the 26th, you can grab a copy for your very own.

https://www.amazon.com/Maze-Ravens-Curse-Book-ebook/dp/B00EPG45M4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1469195882&sr=8-4&keywords=lalla+squeglia#nav-subnav

-Lalla

Wesley Graves

Wesley-or Wes, if you'd rather-is the protagonist of the upcoming November Hotel.

I've been chipping away at the idea since early 2013-finally powered through and finished the first draft around midnight on Halloween of that year. (Strange, the things that stick in your memory.) It hasn't changed so very much, really, which is a little odd for me-usually somewhere in the second draft I'll go 'OH! this big thing needs to happen!' but not this time. It just got a touch more creepy, that's all.

I think, out of all my characters, Wes is probably the most like me. He's quiet, he could do without crowds, his default 'unexpected social reaction' response is to turn into a stuttering, awkward mess. He's a sensitive soul, really-very non-confrontational.

I didn't intend for that. I never really intend for anything, you know. The characters give me very little choice. Anyone wanting to be a writer and thinking that 'I can play God!'...you can't. You really can't. Prepare to sacrifice your sleep at the very least.

I think, out of all my characters, that I probably love him the most. Partly because of our commonalities, it's true, but partly because he's equal parts brave and a craven coward. Climbing elevator cables? Fine. Murderous ghosts? Bring it on. Talk to the girl he's had a crush on (even if he won't admit it) for years? Nope. Stars. Can't do it. Not today.

He's precious.

And I'm not very nice to him. Poor Wes.

-Lalla

Save a muse, download a book

...

Okay, that sounded better in my head.

You can all laugh at me. I have carpal tunnel syndrome, which means I have to wear wrist braces sometimes. They're hideous and uncomfortable, but they work so oh well. Buuut the other day, I got a new one, and I spent about ten minutes trapped in it.

Yes. Really. The Velcro was really, really strong, and there was no way I could get it off one-handed, and I eventually had to Houdini my way out. (I have tiny hands, and have never been so grateful for them.)

So yeah. It was not my finest moment. And I chipped a nail, which just made it worse.

Anyways, The Muse is free from today to the 20th, so grab a copy. Make Layne a happy muse!

https://www.amazon.com/Muse-Lalla-Squeglia-ebook/dp/B00MY6Q5M0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1468675842&sr=8-3&keywords=lalla+squeglia#nav-subnav

-Lalla

Friday, Friday, Friday is my favorite...

She hates that song. Mitch sings it every single Friday and insists it's not his fault she got stuck with that for a name. Whatever. Lies. Anyway, One Sunny Afternoon begins its free period today-from now until July 14th, you can get a free download. Tell you friends!

https://www.amazon.com/One-Sunny-Afternoon-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B014AM9WGG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468160076&sr=8-1&keywords=lalla+squeglia

-Lalla

Newletter

I know. I've been...y'know what? I have been dead. Yes. I pulled a Winchester and returned from the dead.

What? It's not like you can prove anything.

This is basically a little newsletter, because it's that time of year again!

Important things first: as always, August 22nd. New book. A nice ghost story for the fall-November Hotel. You can get a sample over on Wattpad-it's at the link below.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/70083650-november-hotel-sample

So that'll be exciting! I like ghost stories, m'self. I like scary stories period, but there's something classic about a ghost story. This one has a running theme song-Ivy's Worry About You. I like that song. I find it vaguely creepy, but that's probably because I first heard it as the theme song for Kingdom Hospital-which, by the way, has a surprisingly pretty opening. It wasn't bad-shame it got screwed over.

Other exciting things: because of the new book, everybody gets a promo. Free book bonanza! Here's the schedule, but I'll remind you guys the day of.

July 10th-14th: One Sunny Afternoon

July 16th-20th: The Muse

July 22nd-26th: The Maze

July 28th-August 1st: The House on the Moor

Set your calendars, ladies and gentlemen! It's coming.

-Lalla