Sorry I haven’t posted since I got back from RT (Romantic Times Booklovers Convention). It’s been crazy — but not in a bad way. For those of you who want to see my RT photos, they’re on my Twitter feed. Either go to Twitter and search under my name, or just pop over to my home page. My Twitter feed is there.

I had a fantastic time, caught up with old friends, and met new ones! Uber-fan Renee and her hubby Will took great care of me in Kansas City. Will picked me up at the airport (with a little picnic lunch!). Due to the problems I have flying (and the Dramamine I have to take), I can’t eat before or while flying. After two flights to get to KC, let me tell you, that lunch was manna from heaven! He also delivered two racks of ribs and all the fixins to the hotel for me, Renee, and friends to feast on. Renee had a vintage jewelry shop set up in Club RT, and needless to say, I visited (and bought) jewelry daily. Fountain pens and jewelry are my weaknesses. And I got the chance to go to The Pen Place near the hotel, and treated myself to a Waterman Expert II fountain pen. Love, love, love it!

I had various breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with Jill Smith (RT reviewer and gal pal), authors Jennifer Estep, Linnea Sinclair, Stacey Kate, Kelley Armstrong, Diana Rowland, and Ilona & Gordon Andrews. (Ilona & Gordon had graciously invited me to be on their “Writing Action Scenes for Romance” panel.) What can I say? I adore them. Such a sweet, gracious, funny, and creatively brilliant couple.

Colleen Lindsay and Erin Galloway from Penguin hosted a party in the hotel bar for all of the Penguin authors at the conference. Awesome! Agent Sara Megibow hosted a party at Milano’s for all of the NLA (Nelson Literary Agency) authors. So great to finally meet Sara (every bit as sweet as I knew she’d be), and my agency sisters!

At the Giant Book Fair I had a fangirl squee moment with David Morrell (the author who created Rambo). Yep, I’m a big thriller fan. Last year’s RT gave me the chance to go fangirl on James Rollins. Hmmm, who will it be at next year’s RT in New Orleans? And yes, I will be going. I think it’s in mid-May of next year.

Oh, and while I’m on the topic of books I love and their authors, I’v recently read NO REGRETS and LIVING ON THE EDGE by Shannon Butcher. I bought EDGE OF SANITY at the book fair and Shannon graciously signed it. She is an amazing author and gracious lady. If you like action romance — go, buy, and read! They’re that good.

THE GRENDEL AFFAIR is with my editor Anne Sowards right now, and I’m due to start writing the second SPI Files book — THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY — on June 1. (That’s 9 months until my deadline of March 1, 2014). Time does fly. Of course I will have to stop writing that book to take care of the edits on the first book from Anne — and some changes I already know I want to make.

This week is being spent trying to catch up from RT, and get ready for my next trip. On Monday, I’ll be going to New York to meet Anne Sowards for the first time! I’m so excited! I’ll be meeting with the folks there at Ace Books (aka Penguin), along with my agent Kristin Nelson. Three days in Soho and Greenwich Village. REALLY looking forward to it! As always, keep an eye on my Twitter feed for lots of photos!

Oh, and I’m also working with Webmaster Todd to give my website a long overdue updating.

Like I said, sorry for not posting; but rest assured, when I’m not posting, I’m hard at work on books for y’all!

Hugs!
Lisa

Yesterday, my editor sent the preliminary concept sketch for THE GRENDEL AFFAIR cover.

In a word . . . SQUEE!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s just rough concept art right now, but I can tell that it’s gonna be so freakin’ awesome! It’s exactly what I wanted, and I can’t wait to see the final cover. And believe me, as soon as I can show it to y’all, I will. I think you’ll be as blown away as I am. : )

Lisa

It occurred to me that I hadn’t posted my workshop/panel/booksigning schedule for the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention next week (May 1-5) in Kansas City, Missouri, at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center. http://www.rtconvention.com/ (Sorry, I can’t get the links to embed in the post.)

Panel: Writing Action Scenes For Romance
Four acclaimed romance authors demystify the perilous process of writing action scenes for romance. Join these authors as they discuss common missteps and share tips that will keep your readers eagerly turning the pages!
Date: Thursday, May 2, 2013 – 11:15am-12:15pm
Panelist(s): Ilona Andrews (Ilona and Gordon Andrews), Laurie London, Lisa Shearin
Location: Mezzanine Level
Room: Van Horn A

Workshop: The I’s Have It: Writing First-Person POV
It’s true, almost all romances today are written in third person. But first-person POV is a growing trend, especially in YA, mystery, urban fantasy and science fiction. So how do you know if first person is right for your story? Learn what makes a first-person story engaging, the pros and cons of using “I,” how to determine which type of POV works best for you and the obstacles you’ll encounter (and conquer) along the way.
Date: Thursday, May 2, 2013 – 2:45pm-3:45pm
Panelist(s): Stacey Kade, Lisa Shearin, Linnea Sinclair
Location: Mezzanine Level
Room: Van Horn C

Giant Book Fair http://www.rtconvention.com/event/giant-book-fair (Use the link to get all the details if you’ll be attending.)
Date: Saturday, May 4, 2013 – 11:00am-2:00pm
Location: Mezzanine Level
Room: Exhibit Hall A

I have some meals set aside to get together with my author friends, but other than that, I’ll be around and hanging out. If you see me, and it doesn’t look like I’m intently talking to someone, please come up and introduce yourself! DO NOT BE SHY! I want to meet you guys. : ) I would love to talk to you. And as an additional bait/lure, I’ve had ballpoint pens made for the convention. They’re really cool and write great, but you have to come talk to me to get one. (Okay, I think I’ve got my point across.) At the Book Fair, I’ll be signing my books (Magic Lost, Armed & Magical, and All Spell Breaks Loose will be available for purchase at my table, but you can bring copies from home for signing.) See the link above for details on how to bring books from home into the Book Fair.

I’ll be Tweeting and posting photos from the convention on my Twitter account. But for those of you who aren’t into Twitter, my Twitter feed automatically posts to my website home page, so you can follow the fun from there. : )

Hope to see some of you in Kansas City!

I had a question this morning from a UK fan (Hi Nick!) and I thought that y’all would probably like to know this too:

When will you be able to pre-order THE GRENDEL AFFAIR?

The book will be out on December 31 (New Year’s Eve). Since the action in the book centers around New Year’s Eve in Times Square, that’s the date my publisher chose as the release date. It’ll probably be available for pre-order a month or two before that. HOWEVER, I will be posting snippets probably beginning in late summer (when we have the final manuscript approved, edited, and ready to go into production). And of course, I’ll be posting the first three chapters probably beginning around the first of December.

Just keep an eye on my blog, And hopefully in the next few months, I’ll have the cover art to show.

But for now, here’s the first paragraph:

Most people grabbed a coffee on the way to work. I was clinking my way to the liquor store checkout with three bottles of Jack Daniels. One bottle would probably get the job done, but I snagged an extra pair for insurance. There was no way in hell I was doing this twice.

I finished at 3:31 today (Monday, April 8), and sent it to my editor and agent at 4:47. Fifteen minutes to spare (I promised it to Anne by end of business today).

Happy author!!!!!
Lisa