Armed & Magical makes the Final Four!

Armed & Magical has made the Final Four in the BookSpot Central March Madness Book Tournament! A&M is going up against The Outlaw Demon Wails. (As of this morning The Outlaw Demon Wails has one vote, A&M has zero.) Most of the regular visitors to BookSpot Central are hearing about my books for the first time through this contest. Needless to say, this is great promotion for my work. Here is the link for voting. The deadline to get your vote for the Final Four round is Monday, April 6 at 8 pm EST. So if you prefer Armed & Magical to The Outlaw Demon Wails, please vote. Thank you!

And for all of you eBook lovers out there, The Trouble with Demons is available for pre-order at Fictionwise and other eBook retailers.

Today at 6 pm is the deadline for the The Trouble with Demons ARC contest for who do you think looks the most like Mychael. For more details, scroll down to yesterday's blog. I'll be announcing the winner and posting the winning photo on tomorrow's blog. There are some downright yummy choices! This is going to be a tough decision.

Lisa

Contest deadline & possible signed books

The deadline is tomorrow (Tuesday, March 31) at 6 pm EST for the first part of the contest to win one of two ARCs for The Trouble with Demons. Who do YOU think looks most like Mychael and Tam? The first ARC will be awarded to the best Mychael entry; the second ARC will be given to the best Tam entry.

This isn't about trying to second-guess me; this is YOUR opinion. I also need a photo of your choices. So far, I've gotten a lot of great entries. I'll announce the "Mychael" winner (and post the winning photo) on my blog on Wednesday.

The second ARC will be awarded to the best Tam entry. The deadline for your Tam entries is Tuesday, April 7 at 6 pm EST. The ARC will be awarded on my Wednesday, April 8 blog. Send your entries to me at lisa @ lisashearin.com. I'll respond to let you know I got your entry.

And scroll down to a post I put up last night (Sunday). There's a possibility that I might be able to offer signed copies of my books through my local B&N. However, before I contact them, I'd like to have some idea as to how many people would be interested. In addition to the price of the books, you would need to pay shipping & handlilng. Please respond to yesterday's or today's blog to let me know. I'll then contact my person over at B&N, see if they can do it.

Happy Monday!
Lisa

Interested in signed/personalized copies of TTWD?

There is a possibility that I can arrange for my local B&N to offer signed/personalized copies of The Trouble with Demons -- or any of my other two books. Before I email my local B&N customer relations manager, I'd like to get your level of interest. I did it through another B&N last year, but unfortunately that CRM is no longer with them. You would have to pay shipping and handling in addition to the price of the book. But before I even email her, I'd like to see if there's enough interest. You could get the books for yourself, or as a gift for family or friends.

So if you would be like to get a signed and personalized copy of one or more of my books and wouldn't mind paying the shipping & handling as well, please respond to this post so I can get a count. Hopefully my local B&N can accommodate us.

Lisa

Snippet from The Trouble with Demons -- Raine & Sarad Nukpana

"Carnades could be taking you to prison," purred a cultured and silky voice I knew only too well.

Sarad Nukpana was reclining on my bed in the exact spot where I had been.

"And it's still warm," he murmured, running a long-fingered hand over the sheets. His voice dropped, low and intimate. "Eamaliel isn't the only one who knows exactly what you're thinking."

Sarad Nukpana had been the chief counselor to the goblin king Sathrik Mal'Salin, and grand shaman of the Khrynsani, an ancient goblin secret society and military order. At least Sarad Nukpana had held those titles before a little quick thinking by yours truly had gotten him sucked into the Saghred. Nukpana and his boss wanted to get their hands on the rock and bring back the good old days of conquering kingdoms and enslaving thousands. Sarad Nukpana didn't want me dead, just tormented for eternity.

Here he was on my bed, in my dream. It wasn't exactly torment, but it was close enough.

I just looked at him. "So, what am I thinking now?"

Nukpana smiled slowly, fangs peeking into view. "Such violence, little seeker. I don't think what you propose is physically possible."

I showed him a few of my own teeth. "I won't know until I try."

His black eyes glittered. "As always, I welcome your efforts."

Slow as molasses

Writing the last few chapters of Bewitched & Betrayed is like slogging through molasses. For those of you unfamiliar with the concoction, it's a really thick syrup used in a lot of recipes down here in the South. Baked beans and gingerbread are two examples. Now I'm no expert on molasses, but I do know that it's slooow to come out of the jar. Much like the last five chapters of Bewitched & Betrayed are slow to come out of my head.

And I know the reason why -- the last few chapters are when all the plots, subplots, and action have to come together. They don't necessarily have to be tied up in a neat bow (after all, I'm writing a series), but they at least have to connect somehow. If something absolutely refuses to connect, chances are good that it doesn't belong in the book. I REALLY hope that doesn't happen. I don't want to be tearing the book apart six weeks (oh crap, it's now five) before my deadline. That would just be messy and time-consuming. And quite frankly, all of my time is consumed, or at least spoken for.

Funny thing is, this exact same thing has happened with every book. I went back to my blogs of this time last year, and I'm having the exact same problems. Oh well, at least I'm consistent. And since The Trouble with Demons turned out great, I'm sure Bewitched & Betrayed will do the same. Eventually. So if my blogs start to sound a little more scatterbrained than usual over the coming weeks, you know the reason why.

Coming up on tomorrow's Saturday Snippet: A snippet from The Trouble with Demons featuring Raine and Sarad Nukpana.

UPDATE on BOOKSPOT CENTRAL March Madness Book Tournament: Armed & Magical won its first-round matchup and is now in the Semi-Finals! Thank you so much to everyone who voted! The Semi-Final round is Armed & Magical vs. Dead to Me. If you liked Armed & Magical more than Dead to Me, please pop over and vote. Here's the link to the voting page. I'd love for Armed & Magical to make it to the finals -- and one step closer to a trophy. My little book would love a trophy. ; ) Voting for this match is now open and will end around 8:00 PM EST on Monday, 3/30. It doesn't matter if you voted in the first round, you can vote again -- and please do. Thank you!!

Have a great weekend, ya'll!
Lisa

Authors NOT behaving badly

I just had to do a followup post on yesterday's post from author & bookstore owner Kris Neri about authors behaving badly at bookstore events.

I'd like to start off by saying that I have yet to meet an author who is a . . .um, in consideration of my younger readers, I'll say "jerk." Every author I've had the privilege to meet has been warm, generous, giving, and happy to share what knowledge/experience they've gained over their careers. I do my best to do the same.

I'm living the dream, I know that I'm blessed to have it, and I am GRATEFUL for it. And I try to show that gratitude to everyone responsible for helping me get to where I am: my agent, my editor, her assistant, my publicist, booksellers, bloggers, reviewers--but most of all you, my fans. I wrote Raine's story in hopes that some day I would be published and people such as yourselves would love those stories and its characters just as much as I do. That is the ultimate thrill for me, when you tell me that you do. And dorky though you may think it, I've saved every last fan email; occasionally I'll re-read some of them and they help me get through the rough writing times. When I think I suck, it's always nice to read an email that tells me that I don't. ; )

I'm grateful for every experience I've had, and gracious to those who have enabled me to have them. Not to mention, I was raised to say "thank you" whenever thanks should be given, to ask politely, and to try my best to give back to those who have given so much to me.

So it's all about you, my fans. Being published is only part of what's so great about being an author -- the other part is having wonderful fans. Heck, I'm still amazed that I even have fans and that people are actually excited to meet me. I get a lot of emails from you thanking me for responding to your emails. I'm thrilled to be getting those emails, and I love talking with you, responding to your blog comments, popping over to your blogs and commenting on your posts. My secret: I have Google Alerts set up for me and my books. Sneaky, yet very effective. ; )

The bottom line is that I simply do not understand any writer who has had the privilege of getting a book contract and becoming an an author behaving badly at a bookstore event, being rude and condescending to anyone, not wanting to sign autographs, and not talking to their fans.

Either these authors didn't have to work very hard to get where they are, or they feel entitled somehow -- or they're just jerks who weren't raised right.

My two cents worth,
Lisa

Coming up on the Saturday Snippet: By request, a scene with Raine and Sarad Nukpana.

UPDATE on BOOKSPOT CENTRAL March Madness Book Tournament: Armed & Magical won its match in the first round 21 to 5 against The Reawakening! Thank you so much to everyone who voted! That means that Armed & Magical is now in the Semi-Final round against Dead to Me. I'd love for Armed & Magical to make it to the finals -- and one step closer to a trophy. My little book would love a trophy. ; ) Voting for this match is now open and will end around 8:00 PM EST on Monday, 3/30. It doesn't matter if you voted in the first round, you can vote again -- and please do. Here's the link to the rules & voting page. Thank you!!

Authors behaving badly

As some of you know, I'm active over at Red Room, which has recently been touted in the news as "Facebook for writers." Great site, lots of wonderful bloggers. One that I read yesterday I just have to share. It's from Kris Neri, award-winning mystery, fantasy & thriller author. In addition to being an author, she and her husband now own a bookstore in Sedona, Arizona. In her post, "Authors behaving badly," she says that while most authors are courteous and professional, a minority of authors seem to take leave of their common sense when doing a bookstore event. Funny (and unbelievable) stuff.

BTW -- I'm now the proud owner of http://www.lisashearin.net/. It'll take you to my same website, but I thought I should buy both the .com and .net domains for my name -- in case I suddenly become famous or something, to keep purveyors of smut from setting up a cybercamp using my name. For those of you pre-published authors who think that 2009 just might be your year to score yourself an agent and book contract, reserving your domain name might not be a bad idea, even if you don't have a website yet. I use Daydream Domains at the recommendation of Webmaster Todd -- good and inexpensive. I've been pleased so far.

And don't forget, the deadlines are coming up for the contest to win one of two ARCs for The Trouble with Demons. Cast Mychael and Tam. Who do YOU think looks most like them? This isn't about trying to second-guess me; this is YOUR opinion.

You can use movie & TV actors, male models, book cover models, your boyfriend (if he's that hot), your friend's half-brother's cousin who's an actor/model. Any gorgeous & hot man is fair play. But just names won't do it; I need a photo, book cover photo, etc. Send in both a Mychael and a Tam entry to be eligible for both drawings.

The first ARC will be awarded to the best Mychael entry, and the second ARC will be given to the best Tam entry. I'll be the judge.

The first ARC will be awarded on Wednesday, April 1, (entry deadline March 31 at 6 pm EST)and the second will be awarded the next Wednesday, April 8 (entry deadline April 7 at 6 pm EST). Send your entries to me at lisa @ lisashearin.com. I'll respond to let you know I got your entry. So if you don't hear from me within three days, send it to my alternate email address lisashearin @ gmail.com.

Lisa

Linnea Sinclair video interviews

As those of you who have been around me a while know, Linnea Sinclair is my mentor, author mom, captain my captain, and all around great gal. She's a RITA-award winning author of "Interstellar Adventure Infused with Romance," and is an absurdly talented writer. I don't re-read books that often, but at the moment, I'm devouring Gabriel's Ghost. Again. Sizzling, action adventure.

Linnea is featured on Romantic Times BOOKreviews magazine's website right now in their video interview section. Linnea's interviews are divided into four topics:

Fans and the writing process
Background, Star Trek, and Sci-Fi
World Building and personalities
Hope's Folly (her latest book)

These are great interviews. Click here to enjoy.

Update on writing Bewitched & Betrayed (due May 1 to my editor). Being sick with the "Cold from Eternity" (and still being sick, hence the word "eternity") has thrown me off of an already very tight writing schedule. Oh well, I'm writing as fast as I can, and that's all I can do. After all, I'm only human -- though my husband thinks I'm a reptile. While he ran a 102-degree fever with this cold, my temp. was my usual below normal. Yep, definitely a reptile. ; )

Lisa

More contest fun!

Spacefreighters' Lounge is coming up on a major event -- 10,000 hits! -- and the blog is celebrating by holding a drawing for a pre-order of The Trouble with Demons and a $10 e-gift certificate from Amazon. Laurie has been a blog buddy of mine from the beginning (soon after Magic Lost, Trouble Found was published). Help her roll her space blog odometer over to 10,000, and get a chance to win her contest at the same time. ; ) Just pop over to Spacefreighters' Lounge and leave a comment on the "We're almost there!" post. After the counter at the bottom of the blog rolls over to 10,000, a winner will be selected at random from the entries. Good luck! And congratulations, Laurie!

And for those of you who didn't see it on yesterday's blog, here it is again. Damon over at Bookspot Central.com emailed me this weekend about a March Madness style book tournament. Armed & Magical is up against The Reawakened in the first round. If you love Armed & Magical, pop over and give your vote and tell why. Here's the link to the forum page.

The rules are listed inside each of the threads. Just click on the "The Reawakened vs Armed & Magical" thread. The winning author of each of the two tournaments (2008 and Dealers choice) will receive a trophy engraved with the their name and the year of the tournament. Needless to say, I would love to have a trophy! ; ) Voting for this first match will end around 8:00 PM EST this Wednesday, 3/25. If Armed & Magical wins, it'll move up a bracket to the next round -- and another competitor.

Your appreciative author,
Lisa

March Madness book tournament

I know I don't normally blog on Sunday, but I have some more fun for everyone! Damon over at Bookspot Central.com just emailed me about a March Madness style book tournament. Armed & Magical is up against The Reawakened in the first round. If you love Armed & Magical, pop over and give your vote and tell why. Here's the link to the forum page.

http://www.bookspotcentral.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=89

The rules are listed inside each of the threads. Just click on the "The Reawakened vs Armed & Magical" thread. The winning author of each of the two tournaments (2008 and Dealers choice) will receive a trophy engraved with the their name and the year of the tournament. Needless to say, I would love to have a trophy! ; ) Voting for this match will end around 8:00 PM EST on Wednesday, 3/25. If Armed & Magical wins, it'll move up a bracket to the next round -- and another competitor.

Your appreciative author,
Lisa

Saturday snippet -- The Trouble with Demons (Raine & Mychael)

Mychael and I were inside the conference room; four Guardians were outside the conference room. Piaras was being taken under Guardian protection back to the safety of the Fortune. Talon was being escorted back to Sirens, Tam's nightclub. The conference room door was closed. So it was just me, Mychael, and enough tension and sizzling magical leftovers to fill the rest of the room. Cozy.

Like an increasing number of his men, Mychael was wearing full battle armor. For Guardians, that didn't mean clunky, shiny plate mail. Mychael's armor was steel and then some, and sleek was the best way to describe it. Matte finish, dark gray, and custom fit -- Mychael's armor conformed to his leanly muscled body almost like a second skin. No armorer was that good; there had to have been magic involved when it was forged.

I made myself stop staring at Mychael's conformities and helped myself to a chair. "The reason you're rushing those boys out of here wouldn't happen to be named Carnades Silvanus?"

"It would."

"Shit," I spat.

Mychael nodded. "That's why I made sure I got here before he did."

"You know for a fact he's coming?"

"Without a doubt. And Piaras and Talon not being here will cause two less complications."

I raised an eyebrow. "So that's what you're calling me now? A complication."

Mychael pulled up a chair and sat facing me, mere inches separating us. He almost smiled. "You don't think it fits?"

"Oh, it fits. I just think you could've done better. Carnades has got some downright colorful names for me."

"Carnades has more time to think than I do."

"And plot," I reminded him. "Don't forget the plotting and scheming."

Still sick, dang it

Okay, I feel like death warmed over and hung out to dry -- but I'm determined to get to my day job today. It's another hour & a half until I have to leave the house, and if I take it slow and easy, I just might make it. I think I'll go with minimal makeup; it'll scare my coworkers into staying away from my desk, which considering that I'm probably still contagious is probably for their own good. My nose looks like Rudolph, and I'm breathing through my mouth like a beached fish. Like I said, not pretty.

However being the determined little workaholic I am, I actually finished Chapter 19 of Bewitched & Betrayed yesterday. I'd write, then nap, then write, and nap. And I actually think the chapter turned out good. It's amazing the good work you can do with you're too sick to overthink things (i.e., give a crap). Overthinking/second-guessing what I write as I'm writing it is a habit I'm trying to break myself of. The whole process goes a lot faster if you just let the scene unfold and write itself, rather than trying to force your critique in there. There's always time for critique later on the edits.

Tomorrow will be a snippet featuring Raine & Mychael. And I need your entries for The Trouble with Demons ARC contest by March 31. (See Monday, March 16 for the contest details.) I'll be annoucing the first winner on April 1.

Happy Friday! (cough, cough, sneeze, hack)
Lisa

Sick today

Today is Day 3 of my cold, and it finally took me out of the game. I called in sick to my day job, and am out of bed long enough to type this, eat some cereal, get a cup of tea and go back to bed (with three very snuggly and supportive dogs). The cough's moved down into my chest and my voice sounds like Darth Vader -- though a kind coworker said yesterday that it was more like a deep & sexy Kathleen Turner. Uh . . . yeah, I'll take Kathleen over Darth any day.

The hubby brought me two big boxes of Puffs Plus (tissues with lotion in them for those of you not in the U.S.) These things are a life saver (or literally a nose saver). I've blown my nose so much that it would have fallen off my face by now if not for the Puffs.

Cereal is finished, tea is made, going back to bed, and back to sleep.

Your sniffly, coughing, and deep-voiced author,
Lisa

Review of The Trouble with Demons!

I've gotten my first review of The Trouble with Demons and it is awesome! (Yes, there was squeeing involved).

It will appear in the May issue of Romantic Times BOOKreviews magazine. For those of you going to the RT Convention, it'll be included in your bag when you register. For everyone else, this is a great magazine to get if you love books ranging from full romance to just a taste -- they review all genres. About 300 books are reviewed each month. Great place to find new additions to your TBR stack.

The Trouble with Demons received 4.5 stars (their highest ranking), and has been selected as a TOP PICK! (their highest honor) for May. I am SO thrilled!

The reviewer at RT was Jill M. Smith, and here's what she had to say:

Demons, demons everywhere -- and they're really ticking off the indomitable Raine Benares. Fans can rejoice as uber-talented Shearin dishes up more hilarious mayhem. Snappy dialogue, great pacing and two seriously sexy heroes ensure hours of nonstop pleasure. Raine is sassy and irreverent, and this book is an auto-buy!

SUMMARY: Despite having saved lives during a recent violent attempt to steal the enormously dangerous Saghred, seeker Raine can feel a theoretical noose tightening. Because she's reluctantly bonded with the Saghred and its power, various factions of elves, goblins and demons all want her dead or in their control. Besides her infamous pirate family, the only people Raine trusts are paladin Mychael Eiliesor and goblin dark mage Tamnais Nathrach. The ties between the three get really complicated when they're inadvertently magically bonded. When someone opens a hellgate and demons start invading, Raine knows she and the Saghred are the primary targets. If any of them are to survive, Raine is going to have to think quickly!

Genre books selling well in tough economy. Yea!

In my latest eNewsletter from the RWA (Romance Writers of America) is a short article (cut & pasted below) on "Romance Sells Well in Tough Economy." Fantasy & science fiction are likewise experiencing a sales boost. I guess people want some good old fashioned escapism from what they read on CNN.com and see on TV. Uplifting stuff where the good guys win, evil is defeated, the girl gets the guy (or the guy gets the girl). I know that's the kind of books I'm reading right now. Conveniently, my books are also considered romance -- or at least I've been embraced and welcomed by the romance community, publications, and blogs. Thank you!!

Here's the article snippet: "According to various news outlets, romance fiction is selling well despite the economic downturn. Harlequin Enterprises reports revenue rose 2.2 percent in 2008 to $379 million U.S., with sales up in both the North American retail and overseas segments. (Publishers Weekly, 26 Feb. 2009) And, the Chicago Sun-Times says sales have increased at Borders for American history, "romance novels and science fiction and fantasy books." (Chicago Sun-Times, 28 Feb. 2009) The USA Today best-seller list reflects the success of romance fiction. For the week of March 4, "one-quarter of the list's top 50 books are romance novels, and 20 percent of the books new to the list are in that category." (USA Today, 4 Mar. 2009)"

7 weeks from today, The Trouble with Demons hits the bookstore shelves. I'll be asking for this over the coming weeks, but please recommend my book to friends, family, and coworkers who like fantasy action adventure (or who you think might like fantasy action adventure). If someone has a birthday and you're trying to come up with gift ideas, you could buy them my book -- it's inexpensive and provides hours of reading enjoyment. ; ) My ultimate dream is to make The New York Times bestseller list, and I can't do it without you. In fact, it's not up to me -- it's up to you. Help me out if you can.

Thank you!!
Lisa

The Trouble with Demons ARC contest -- The Details

Okay, I've come up with the "rules" (such that they are) for the giveaway of two ARCs (Advance Reader's Copy) for The Trouble With Demons. Here goes:

Cast Mychael and Tam. Who do YOU think looks most like them? This isn't about trying to second-guess me; this is YOUR opinion.

You can use movie & TV actors, male models, book cover models, your boyfriend (if he's that hot), your friend's half-brother's cousin who's an actor/model. Any gorgeous & hot man is fair play. But just names won't do it; I need a photo, book cover photo, etc. Send in both a Mychael and a Tam entry to be eligible for both drawings. The first ARC will be awarded to the best Mychael entry, and the second ARC will be given to the best Tam entry. I'll be the judge.

Now, since the ARCs have just gone out to reviewers, I can't give them away immediately. But this also gives you some time to find a perfect Mychael and Tam. So if you want to enter, get online and start digging.

The first ARC will be awarded on Wednesday, April 1, and second will be awarded the next Wednesday, April 8. Send your entries to me at lisa @ lisashearin.com. I'll respond to let you know I got your entry. So if you don't hear from me within three days, send it to my alternate email address lisashearin @ gmail.com.

Have fun with it!
Lisa

Saturday Snippet -- Raine & Tam

As promised, here's a short snippet from The Trouble with Demons featuring Raine & Tam. Next Saturday's snippet will feature Raine & Mychael.

I kept my mouth shut all the way upstairs to Tam's apartment above the theatre stage. I thought my restraint was nothing short of miraculous.

Tam walked in front of me, which gave me ample opportunity to stare daggers into his back--and to be reminded once again that Tam Nathrach had a great ass. Yes, I'd almost had my soul sucked out by one of Death's minions, but some things a woman just couldn't ignore. Tam was manipulative, secretive, and you couldn't get a straight answer even if you choked it out of him--but his his leather-clad posterior was without peer.

Tam spoke without turning. "Enjoying the view?"

I put a whole winter's worth of frost into my voice. "It's the first thing I've appreciated all day." I didn't appreciate being attacked, used, or threatened--and I despised being terrified. All of the above pissed me off in ways that I couldn't even begin to describe. Though when we reached the top of those stairs, I was going to give it a damned fine shot.

Vegard and Phaelan were going to wait on the landing below, and Uncle Ryn's six crewmen were standing guard at the foot of the stairs in the theatre. The moment we'd stepped across Sirens' threshold, Vegard expanded his job description to include chaperone. Mychael didn't want Tam and I in the same room. I understood his concern, but I needed to talk to Tam alone. I had some questions for him that I didn't want Vegard--but especially Mychael--to know the answers to yet. Vegard stayed on the landing, but he didn't like it.

I almost told him that Tam and I didn't need a chaperone, but I'd have been lying through my teeth. Tam and I have always needed a chaperone. He was a not-quite-recovered dark mage. Thanks to the Saghred, I was a dark mage magnet. The two of us were an apocalyptic, magical kaboom waiting to happen.

How much do I work?

I've been asked recently how many hours do I work every week between my full-time day job and my writing.

About 70 hours a week.

And I've been doing that since early September when I started writing Bewitched & Betrayed. And yes, that's normal--at least for me. When I'm writing a book (which is 8-9 months out of the year) that's how many hours I put in a week.

My day goes pretty much like this:

My alarm goes off at 5:45. Since my hours were cut at my day job last month, I don't have to be in the office until 9:00 each day. So I use that time in the morning to feed & potty the dogs, blog, answer emails, take care of book business, do 20 minutes on the treadmill, have breakfast, and every couple of days, I throw in a load of laundry. Then it's off to work. I usually leave at 4:30, get home by 5:00, cook dinner, have dinner with Derek, take a shower (so I can go to bed as soon as I stop writing for the night). Then it's upstairs to my office for about 3 hours of writing. I really try to be in bed by 10:00. On the weekends, I usually write anywhere from 6-8 hours a day.

I squeeze in life where I can. I write during the day on weekends so I can have Saturday and Sunday nights free. On Sundays, I write when we get home from church.

And yes, I do try to take a night off usually once every two weeks. But when I'm down to the wire like right now (6 weeks until my deadline of May 1 for Bewitched & Betrayed), I only take a night off if I'm about to drop in my tracks or cry because I'm so tired -- yep, it's happened, and it ain't pretty.

Ah, the glamorous life of an author. ; )

But I wouldn't do it if I didn't love it -- even with all the hard work. And I can't stress enough how vital it is to have a supportive spouse. Derek is magnificent -- the perfect author husband. He knows when to take me to Dairy Queen for ice cream, or when I just need a hug.

Living the dream can be hard work; but believe me, it is worth it.

Tomorrow is the beginning of "Snippet Saturdays" of The Trouble with Demons every Saturday between now and April 28. Tomorrow's snippet will feature Raine & Tam. Next Saturday, it's Raine & Mychael.

On Monday, I'll announce the details of an ARC contest (I'll be giving away 2 ARCs of The Trouble with Demons)

And there'll be another contest to come with great prizes right after TTWD hits the shelves (signed books, t-shirts, keychains, fridge magnets, bookmarks, signed cover flats)

It's Friday -- YeeHa!
Lisa

Blog milestone

Today is my 500th blog post!

And June 24 will be my blog's 2nd anniversary. Mmmmm, I'll have to get another cake for me . . . I mean the blog.

I just want to thank all of you for making blogging so much fun for me. It's no fun to talk if no one's listening. And I know a lot of you are out there, even if you don't comment. Heck, Kristin Nelson has been my agent for years now, and I think I've only commented a handful of times on her blog -- though I read it every, single night. So there's nothing wrong with lurking. Heck, I'm the lurker poster child.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for:

• "Snippet Saturdays" of The Trouble with Demons every Saturday between now and April 28
• An ARC contest -- Details coming on Monday (I'll be giving away 2 ARCs of The Trouble with Demons)
• And another contest to come with great prizes right after TTWD hits the shelves (signed books, t-shirts, keychains, fridge magnets, bookmarks)

Ya'll are the best!

Lisa

Blog & snippet news

First, some blog-related news. I just received an invitation to be the Guest Author on Sunday, April 26 over at the fabulous blog Romance Bandits. I'll be discussing The Trouble with Demons which will be out two days later on Tuesday, April 28 -- but I think you all know that. ; ) Bewitched & Betrayed is due to my editor that Friday (May 1). Jeez, one book coming out, another book going in -- all in the same week. Somebody remind me to breathe that week.

In addition to an interview, I'll be posting a steamy scene between Raine & Tam, and there will be giveaways. So be sure and pop in and join the fun. I'll be popping in and out all day, chatting with you all -- and working furiously to finish Bewitched & Betrayed. Multi-tasking at its finest. ; )

Speaking of blog news, tomorrow will be my 500th blog post. And to think I told Derek (my husband for those of you new to my blog) that I'd never be able to find that much to say and that he was going to have to "guest blog" at least once a week. He just chuckled and shook his head. He knew once I got started talking about writing and my books that I wouldn't shut up. ; )

And for all of you Team Tam members out there -- Saturday's snippet will be a piece of a Raine & Tam scene. Next Saturday, I'll feature Raine & Mychael.

I'm off to the treadmill,
Lisa

Authors are people, too

I was reading Pat Rothfuss' blog this morning and came on his reference to John Scalzi's recent post -- don't ya just love cross-blogging? ; ) John's post was on 10 Things to Remember about Authors. He starts out with: "Because it appears someone needs to say these things out loud, some thoughts, for the consideration of readers, about authors, particularly novelists. Warning: This is long."

Yep, it's long, but worth the read. It's funny, insightful, and as far as I can tell dead-on accurate. That being said, ANY reference John makes to rude, inconsiderate, or snarky "fans" (notice I put "fans" in quotes). That means that these people may think they're fans, but they're not. If they were true fans of an author, they would be supportive, encouraging, fun to talk to, understanding, and simply some of the best people on the planet. That would be you guys -- my fans. I couldn't ask, beg, or pray for better people to support me and my work. I have never received even one snarky email.

Ya'll simply rock!

But John penned a great post, and he's right -- authors are people too. ; )

BTW -- I had a permanent filling put on my root canal tooth yesterday. No novacaine. Yeah, that kinda surprised me too. But I guess when you've had a root canal, there's nothing left in that tooth for a drill to hurt. A most interesting experience. And I was gratified to know that my left fang came through it all perfectly and will be staying with me. Yea!

Lisa

P.S.: Don't forget that every Saturday between now and April 28 (with The Trouble with Demons comes out) will be Snippet Saturday -- I'll be posting short snippets from TTWD for your reading enjoyment. And by Monday, I'll announce the contest to win ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) of TTWD. Stay tuned.

Update on Bewitched & Betrayed

Well, I busted my butt this weekend and finished the edits/polish on four more chapters of Bewitched & Betrayed. My goal is to do one a day this week, and two a day again next Saturday and Sunday. This will bring me up to Chapter 19, where I stopped writing (to go back and edit/polish the earlier chapters). I plan on there being 25 chapters in this book, though it could have one or two more. Hey, extra chapters happen. My deadline is May 1.

Between working so hard this weekend (I felt like I was wringing my brain out like a wet rag) and the time change, I feel like I'm stumbling around in a stupor this morning. No treadmill for me this morning. My normal get-up time is 5:45, which with the time change felt like the delightfully sparkling hour of 4:45. I'm definitely not firing on all cylinders right now.

And apparently neither is my laptop. My "N" key is sticking. Anyone got a quick fix for that? A blast to the keyboard with canned air? Something else? Advice is welcome. I need my "N"; it's a useful letter.

And just a reminder, in about six more weeks (or so) on April 28, The Trouble with Demons can be bought, gotten, obtained, read, devoured, and slurped up. ; ) In the meantime, I'll be posting a short snippet every Saturday between now and then. (Dang, these "Ns" dropping is driving me crazy.) By next Monday I'll announce the contest for the two ARCs of The Trouble with Demons that I'll be giving away. Stay tuned for that.

Your struggling to stay awake author,
Lisa

Oh yeah, happy Monday.

First page of Bewitched & Betrayed

Whew! I meant to have posted this earlier this morning, but apparently I needed that ten hours of sleep. Need to get on the treadmill to wake myself up. I REALLY want to knock out four chapters of edits this weekend. I'll try to get there, but if I don't, I'll know I did my best -- it's the attempt/goal that counts.

As promised, here's the first page of my work-in-progress -- Bewitched & Betrayed. While The Trouble with Demons will be out on April 28, B&B won't be out until NEXT April. For those of you who can't stand the torment of waiting that long to read the rest of the story, avert your eyes now. ; ) The rest of you . . . enjoy!

I was being chased by a pissed off naked guy with a knife. A really big knife.

He being naked was expected since I was doing my ducking, weaving, and dodging down a hall in the Isle of Mid's finest bordello. You'd think that the worst that could happen to me was acute embarrassment and possible death. But this naked guy was possessed by the specter of a three-thousand-year-old, evil elven sorcerer who'd turned Mid's red-light district into his personal playground. I'd interrupted recess, and he was mad as hell.

My name is Raine Benares, and I'm a seeker. Tonight I'd found what I was looking for, as well as things I never wanted to see. The men who frequented The Satyr's Grove were here because they had money, not muscle tone. These weren't your finer specimens of manhood. And believe me, I got to see enough manhoods and fleeing pasty white posteriors to last me a lifetime.

Even worse, the sorcerer's specter had picked himself a young, fit, and fast body, not an old, flabby, and slow one. But on the upside, apparently slinging spells was a challenge when wearing someone else's skin. Hence the big knife and bad attitude.

There were screams, shouts, and chaos from the first and second floors. We now had the third floor hallway all to ourselves. Everyone had either fled downstairs, or barricaded themselves in the bedrooms that lined the hall. Unfortunately in The Satyr's Grove, the more expensive ladies were on the top floor, and our quarry had decided to splurge. I'd gotten separated from my Guardian bodyguards in the stampede of working girls and clients on the two floors below. I couldn't stop to wait for them. I'd been tracking this specter all week; I'd found him, and he was not getting away.

We'd had a plan, a good plan, but like most plans I'd been involved with lately, it'd gone straight down the crapper moments after implementation. I was upstairs, the specter was upstairs, but the man with the containment box to trap the specter was somewhere in the chaos downstairs.

Crap.

Friday food for thought

This morning I discovered some blog food for thought -- or since it's not even 7 AM yet, some breakfast blog food for thought.

On friend and Sci/fi author Mark Van Name's blog this morning, he talked about going to see his kids in a production of a musical at their high school. It was the first performance, so it wasn't without glitches, but what was obvious to Mark was the sheer joy the kids had in simply performing. The glitches didn't matter, just the joy of creating characters and bringing them to life. He said that the same can be applied to authors. Sometimes (okay, a lot) we get so wrapped up in the business of writing, that we forget what the sheer joy of creating feels like. This is definitely something I need to work on, especially now in the throes of "deadline hell." Yet another great post from Mark.

From my agent, Kristin Nelson was another blog gem on the importance of authors supporting their local and national independent bookstores on their websites. Yeah, we all link to Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Borders, but what about the indies? In the present economic climate where small businesses are struggling to survive, Kristin's post reminded us of our responsibilities as authors to support the ENTIRE bookseller industry. I'll have to get Webmaster Todd to work on that. Need links to indies. : )

Tomorrow I'll post the first page of Bewitched & Betrayed (my work in progress). And on every Saturday between now and April 28 (with The Trouble with Demons hits bookstore shelves), I'll be posting the "Saturday Snippet" short snippets from TTWD to tide you all over until you can get your hands on the book. I can't wait for you all to read it!

It's FRIDAY -- WOOT!
Lisa

Finishing a book, it's all in the layering

Shut cat out of bedroom last night; I slept through 'til this morning. Well, almost. Gracie the Greyhound's feet in my face at 3:30 was a temporary annoyance. However, Gracie will move her feet, Natasha the Cat will not move her meow, or even turn down the volume. We feel bad for her -- she misses Boris. For those of you who don't know, we had to have Boris put to sleep last spring, inoperable tumor. Boris & Natasha had been together since we found them as kittens in our local ASPCA. Natasha will be 18 years old in June. Getting another cat is not an option as the greyhounds will regard it as a squeeky toy -- a one-time-only squeeky toy. We give her all the extra attention we can, and Lucy our Jack Russell gives Natasha plenty of grooming attention -- that cat has the cleanest ears on the planet.

I'm presently working my way through Bewitched & Betrayed one chapter at a time (and a chapter a day if I can at all do it). I'm layering on the details, enriching the story, and tying loose plotlines together. I have approx. 7 weeks to do this and pick up at Chapter 19 where I had stopped writing to go back and add the details, new character names, dialogue tags/action, etc. So I have to write Chapters 19-25 from scratch, probably no more than three days per chapter. It's gonna be tight to make that May 1 deadline, but I'm also planning on taking 3-4 vacation days between now and then to give myself some full writing days other than weekends. I'll get there, but it probably won't be pretty. Then again, it never is. ; ) Stress will be running rampant through the Shearin household.

One thing you may notice with my blogs between now and then, since I'm writing them first thing in the morning when I get up (and after I've taken care of the dogs & cat), is that you'll be getting more of a stream of consciousness (or unconsciousness) blog post. Whatever comes into my brain is what's gonna end up on the page. Hmmm, could be entertaining, and revealing.

I think for the rest of the Saturdays until the release of The Trouble with Demons, that the Saturday Fun Pic will turn into the Saturday Snippet. This Saturday, I'll post the first page of Bewitched & Betrayed. And for those of you who don't want to be tormented by reading the first page of a book that you won't see for another year, avert your eyes on Saturday. ; ) The remaining Saturdays will be short snippets from The Trouble with Demons.

Well, I'm off to the treadmill for 20 mins., then breakfast, get ready and go to my day job.

Make it a great day!
Lisa

Down to the writing wire -- deadline in sight

Natasha the Cat meowed for half the night, meaning that I've had half a night's sleep. In the immortal words of Pooh: "Oh, bother."

Great sci/fi author and friend Mark Van Name blogged this morning on The Stages of a Book. Educational and entertaining reading for those of you who are pre-published -- or those of you who are just curious how a book gets from author brain to bookstore shelf.

I'm in the final two months of writing Bewitched & Betrayed -- or eight weeks if I want to freak myself out. Yep, I had to pause before typing the title, thinking to myself: "what's the name of the book I'm working on now??" With The Trouble with Demons coming out a day before I turn B&B in, it's all starting to run together in my head. PLUS, I'm thinking about the next books in the Raine series, because as soon as I turn in B&B, I start writing plots/proposals for those to get another publishing contract. Yep, after I turn in B&B, I'll be an author without a contract. This usually makes my left eyelid twitch for about a week until I adjust to the idea. Then I get my butt to work coming up with the next 2-3 books for my agent to pitch to my editor. If God smiles, my publisher makes an offer, my agent negotiates for a better offer, and in the end a brand-spanking-new contract is writtten up for the number of books bought. Then after signing on the bottom line, it's my job to write the books I've promised (and been paid for) and deliver them before their respective deadlines.

One thing I've noticed about myself in the last two months of writing a book: the more focused and intense (meaning "running-around-crazy frenzy") my writing schedule gets, the messier my office becomes. A messy office is nothing new, but at this point in my countdown to deadline, I don't care how messy it is. Being a neat-freak, this is definitely different from the norm.

I meant to talk today about specifically what I'm doing in B&B right now, but I kind of went off on a tangent. You can blame the cat. I'm sleepy. I'll see if I can blog on that tomorrow. And as soon as I have time to think about it (hopefully this week), I'll decide on a contest idea for the two ARCs I have to give away. Thank you for all of your wonderfully creative input.

Your sleepy author who has to go get on the treadmill now,
Lisa

Writing success, it ain't all roses

No, I'm not talking about myself. In the grand scheme of the publishing world, I'm only a tiny blip on the radar, if even that. This is not the case for Pat Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind). Pat became an international bestselling author with his debut novel; he has something like 27 foreign rights deals, movie, gaming, etc., etc. I don't know what all he has by now, but it's a lot. The Name of the Wind was his first book and it came out the same year as Magic Lost, Trouble Found. He was one of the five finalists for the Compton Crook Award for that year (and about every other major award), and I was incredibly honored to be included in his company in being considered for the Compton Crook. (Though BTW, neither one of us won. ; ) That honor went to great writer and now friend, Mark Van Name.) I've never had the honor of meeting Pat (and I hope to one day), but from everything I've read and heard, he's simply one hell of a great guy.

Pat's working on the sequel to The Name of the Wind, titled Wise Man's Fear. It's not finished yet. My books are approx. 100K words, Pat's are somewhere around 300K+ His books take longer to write, and perfection takes time. Most of his fans are patient -- some are not. I'm blessed with the greatest fans in the world; but apparently as an author achieves Pat's level of success, some of the "fans" aren't so nice; some can be downright rude, nasty, ugly, and words I won't say here. Pat's blog recently reminded me why I'm perfectly happy with where I am in my career right now. Don't get me wrong; I'd love a movie/TV/gaming deal, and foreign rights deals out the yinyang -- eventually. But I'm content to wait for success to come gradually and in its own good time -- for some of the very reasons Pat lists in his blog. If I were in his situation, I think I'd react in the exact same way to sudden success.

For those of you pre-published authors who want the whole "fame & fortune" thing with your first book right out of the gate, read Pat's blog. It'll give you an entirely different perspective.

Lisa

P.S.: I'll be adding Pat's blog to my regular morning reading. Incredibly funny, entertaining. and insightful -- this guy gives good blog.

Snow in central North Carolina in March

We in central North Carolina got a little of the snow that's presently dumping copious amounts in the Northeast. We didn't get copious amounts at our house, just about 2-3 inches. But it was enough to make it very pretty. Here are views of the woods behind our house, and the street & and a cherry tree in bloom in front of our house. This weekend will be in the mid-70s. It's wacky North Carolina "spring" weather at its best.