In Ancient Greece, the capital of Sparta was named Laconia (alternately spelled Lakonia). This is not that Laconia. In New Hampshire, USA, there is a town named Laconia. This is not that Laconia.
This Laconia exists on the East Coast of the United States, somewhere surrounded on three sides by state and national forest. We know it's not in Maine. We know it's not Pennsylvania. We know it's not Maryland. It could be in Virginia, but the winters seem entirely too cold for that. The quickest route is through the mind of Donaya Haymond, a precocious young storyteller who began her first novel in 2003 at age 13, obsessed with the past and future residents of this town she carries in her pocket. She started out posting it in segments on fictionpress.com (later Fanstory.com as well). Drafts and rejections, years and tears later, Halloween Romance, the book that started it all is now available as an eBook at Eternal Press, as well as for sale on Amazon. The sequel, Bite Me, is offered by the same retailers.
Donaya Haymond recently finished the first draft of the last Laconia novel, making for twelve in all.
The eBooks are also now available from Fictionwise.com in many formats, including Kindle-compatible. The third book in the series, Waking Echoes, is now available from the Eternal Press website, in both print and Kindle at Amazon.com, and in both print and a Nook Book at Barnesandnoble.com.
A fourth novel, Humans and Demons and Elves, is now newly released!
Merchandise now available from Cafe Press! See Possibly Asked Questions for details.
(Covers by Amanda Kelsey of Eternal Press) CLICK COVER PICTURES TO BUY HALLOWEEN ROMANCE  . Selene believes Ferdinand would abandon her if he knew she was a werewolf, something that isn't supposed to exist. Ferdinand hides his vampirism from her for the same reasons, and must also hide from a world that thinks he's evil. He's just a melancholy English major who had a serious misadventure last summer. She's just a college student with a bizarre family history. A comedy of secrets and a romance of accepting what makes us different.
"I have a condition that makes me, um, sensitive to strong light. My name is Ferdinand, by the way."
"Ferdinand?" She had visions of German counts and friendly bulls.
He shrugged. "My roommates call me Ferdin and my mother says Ferdy, when she's in a good mood."
Selene couldn't repress a giggle. "Ferdy doesn't suit you at all, especially in that vampire get-up. What color are your eyes, really?"
He stared off into space for a moment, then said, "Blue...Your costume. What creature are you supposed to be?"
Selene grinned. "Nobody gets it on first try. I forgot all about the party until this morning, and didn't have time to put a costume together, so I just came as a werewolf on the other twenty-nine nights of the month."
"Clever!" he said, amused. "I've never seen such a good-looking werewolf in all my life."
"Are you flirting with me?"
"Aren't vampires supposed to be oversexed?"
 It's hard enough for Dianne to be fifteen and obviously to love her parents, even worse when there's something weird about them no one quite understands. Her father being a vampire and her mother being a werewolf is a simple fact of life. More worrisome are Mom and Dad getting sick for unknown reasons, the effect an accidental display of power is having on her social life, and the possibility that the boy next door thinks she's a freak. Matthew seems to like her, yet there's something off about him. Dr. Nat Silver, a vampire with several medical degrees, may provide some answers. For the most part Dianne feels it's her wit and devotion versus a world more cruel than any supernatural being could ever be.
“Dianne Anghel, is there something wrong at home that's bothering you? Your grades are still good, but your behavior has slipped so abruptly. I'm worried.” Hah. I could just see myself sitting down and solemnly saying this to the principal, “Yeah, in fact, there is. You see, my mom's a werewolf and my dad's a vampire. Which wouldn't be so much of an issue, except everyone thinks they're weird for other reasons and won't stop ragging me about it. Worst of all, my social status has managed to plunge to a negative rating, and I might have some no-longer-latent shape-shifting abilities. Other than that, no, there's nothing wrong at all, ma'am, and I'm sorry I slapped Tammy. I wish I'd bitten her.”
 WAKING ECHOES
Accepting yourself can be unusually difficult. Taylor Calvin is a hardworking, intelligent high school student who’s been stretching herself a bit thin lately. This is not improved by the appearance of Tylianvornika, a ghost that claims to be Taylor from a previous life in another dimension, one she shared with her closest friends. Now Taylor must juggle daily problems that merely feel like the end of the world, along with memories and a persistent haunting concerning the actual ending of a world.
“Are you an angel?” Taylor believed strongly in angels, but never thought one would come to her. “Again, sort of. I’m kind of a transfigured being. Did you think what happened today was a string of coincidences? They were echoes, Taylor Calvin. Your memories have been asleep, and they are awaking.”
“Can I at least know your name, kind of a transfigured being?” The girl’s insubstantial, colorless lips smiled slightly. “I’m glad I didn’t change much.” “Excuse me?” “I am Tylianvornika, resident of Canyonar, which is now pretty much nonexistent. The entire universe vanished too. Kind of upsetting, really. Right now I am sleeping in my world, in the split second before I die. I have been promised that, after I die, I and my friends will be reborn into a new world passing through the test that Canyonar failed. That is, I’m you.” “Me?” “Today seems familiar because it happened before, but on a greater scale. I am here to tell you about the last year of your previous life—the last year of my life.” She laughed, dropping all the mystical pretension in her voice and sounding like an adolescent again. “It’s pretty exciting for me too.”  HUMANS AND DEMONS AND ELVES
The Elves of North America use dimension-bending magic to conceal their woodland villages from humans, though it fails to protect them from the beautiful-but-deadly Eudemons. Edofine is less prejudiced than many, even befriending an Archaedemon, whose people are known for switching sides in the ancient conflict. But when young Edofine's clan is destroyed, he has only one person to turn to: his cousin Kryvek, who was adopted by humans who established the Official Magics-Humans Institute (OMHI). Will Edofine be able to adjust to human society? Can the OMHI help him despite facing its own crisis? Could he possibly be falling in love with Kryvek’s friend Lira, a half-Elf half-Eudemon working for the OMHI? His life has fallen to pieces, and the reconstruction is full of surprises.
"One more time. You turn these knobs, and water comes out. One knob has hot water and one has cold water. You adjust the amount depending on your preference." "And then what do I do?" Edofine stood inside the shower, gingerly poking the pipes. He was still in full Elf regalia, complete with dead leaves and grass stains. "Cover yourself with soap and stand under the water so that it washes off. Do you think you can handle that?" "You do this every day?" "Yes." "What a waste of time and water." "Way to be sanctimonious, kid. I am merely teaching you how to conform to local hygienic standards. When you live indoors in small apartments, washing frequently becomes very important. Some even enjoy it. I'll leave you alone now to get acquainted with it." Kryvek was growing annoyed with having to explain these basic things to his cousin. He knew Edofine wasn't being obtuse on purpose, but helping him was like having a child to take care of. Kryvek's stomach growled again and he looked at his watch for the fourth time in ten minutes. Panic rose in Edofine's throat, which, coupled with his hunger and disorientation, made him worried he might vomit. "You cannot leave me. What if I do something wrong and I scald myself? What if the magic governing these pipes breaks down? Anything could happen." Kryvek was about to dismiss Edofine's fears, but he saw the hurt in Edofine's drooping shoulders and bowed head and changed his mind. "All right. I'll stand right here in the doorway and talk you through the process. First take your clothes off.” Standing in the shower, Edofine disrobed. Kryvek noted many scars and bruises underneath the grime. “You have to put the clothes outside of the shower, otherwise they’ll get wet.” “Now turn the hot knob…” “Aiee!” “I meant turn it while standing sort of away from the stream of water, so it wouldn’t hit you full force. No, don’t turn it off! Turn on some of the cold!” “I think you are trying to kill me…” |
