Category: Blog

…and I’ll tell you why.

This has been quite a year. Well, more like a year and a half. It’s been the most challenging and disruptive year of my life.

At the beginning of last summer, my spouse and I split up, and started divorce proceedings. This was along with my kids being home, moving to online school, and all that came with such a move. I know that there are a lot of you who dealt with the same challenges. But it was hard. I don’t like to talk about myself outside of book world all that often, or fun stuff like cons and writerly things, but this is my truth. It was hard.

Then, in February, my beloved Daddy passed away. He’d gone into surgery for his heart, and he was doing well. Something happened – not sure even now – and he left us one night, after we’d all gone home. To say that I was shell shocked would be an understatement.

I’ve been devastated for the past four months. I miss him every day. I’ve finally stopped calling him automatically, because we talked regularly.  There’s a hole in my life left by his passing that will never heal. I’ll miss him forever.

What else can you say after that? Getting up, taking care of my kids, my pets, and my work was basically one step in front of the other, and just working to get through the end of the day.

My kids and my friends and family have kept me going. Amazingly, because I’ve never gone through this before, so did my writing. At the moment, I’m writing Wynter’s story, in the Oracle of Wynter series, and while she and I aren’t on the same path, there are similarities. She has been the perfect story for me to be working on.

And you all. I’ve had readers reach out, just to offer kind words, and check in. A lot of times, you all made me cry with happy appreciation. This may have been a challenging year, but I am most fortunate in those that are still around me.

As summer finally hits the Rocky Mountains, I feel as though I’m coming out of a dark tunnel.

Which is nothing but good. So onward, and hopefully upward.

And thank you.

XO,
Lisa

For the last blog of the month focusing on the PWF series Oracle of Wynter, I was thinking about why I find this so appealing. I know why I like it, but that idea has expanded as I’ve blogged about it over the month. All the characters have lived their lives for a while. That means they’ve had both major successes and massive failures. Because that’s life, and that’s how it goes. We all make mistakes. But with the help of magic, and the people around us, there is always room for second chances, for starting over, for new beginnings. We all have this idea of who we are and who we want to be when we first hit being adults. That shifts from year to year. In PWF, there’s an event that marks the end of what we thought was, and the characters must now live with what is. Along with some magic, none of which ever seems to cooperate as the characters would like. That makes it fun, don’t you think?

Anyway, Hexes & Hot Flashes, the first book in the series, is out tomorrow. I hope you enjoy it, and have enjoyed the insight into Wynter, Florry, and Logan. I am in love with this trio. There’s more of them to come!
XO
Lisa

Can you be a hero, if you didn’t plan on it? We’re all the hero of our own stories, but do we see ourselves that way? Not necessarily.

This week, we’re going to talk about the hero of The Oracle of Wynter series. Because I like having a hero, even though he’s not the main character. The main male character is a man named Logan Gentry. He’s 49, tall, with wavy dark hair that might be a touch too long. He has what I’ll politely call an interesting past, and he’s come to see Wynter because he finally hit a wall. Basically, she’s his last option to find out the things he needs to know in order not to get dead. He’s quiet, although within him is a maelstrom of mess. The good – no, the great thing about Logan outside of the fact that he is easy on the eyes is that he keeps his mess to himself. His asking for help from Wynter is a big step for him, and a sign of his trust in her. Or desperation. I think his choice to ask for help can straddle both camps.

Are you getting excited to read more about these folks? I’m excited to share with you! Only another week!

XO,
Lisa

Last week, I introduced you to Wynter, who is the unwitting heroine of my new series, The Oracle of Wynter. She’s not the first Oracle, however.

This week, let’s meet Florry. Florry is short for Florence, but no one calls her that anymore. She was the Oracle for over twenty years. She lived in a tiny house in a town in Kansas called Lost Springs. She’d grown up in that house, and then her father gave it to her when she married. She lived to be 86, despite drinking a nice cold one every night, and enjoying her Virginia Slims. The last five years of her life, she loved wearing her floral nightdresses and pastel housecoats. Her sons gave her a ridiculous collection of fuzzy slippers. She let her curly hair go natural, and subsequently, it rioted around her head in a soft white halo. She found the serpent that made her the Oracle in her garden while she was pruning her rosebushes. She is sharp-tongued, and sees everything. She always did, even before she was the Oracle. And she’s going to try to help Wynter, even if Wynter doesn’t want her help. Because Florry knows, y’all. No Oracle does this alone.

Next week, the third character you’ll see the most of. Have a fabulous week!

XO,
Lisa

Time to meet Wynter! Last week, I shared with you all my new reading obsession – PWF – that has now become my writing obsession. I’m releasing a new series this month called The Oracle of Wynter, and it’s about a 45 year old woman named Wynter Chastain. Her three kids are all out of the nest, and her husband Scott recently passed away. He was a helicopter pilot and owned a tour company that worked in the Grand Canyon, so he spent at least six months of the year working away from home. Wynter has been dealing with all the stuff that comes with a person’s passing, and getting used to her new life when she gets a visit from Scott’s life insurance agent. She doesn’t get everything she thought she would because lo and behold, Scott has another beneficiary that is entitled as well. His other wife.

And that’s how the book starts. With news of the other wife.

I can’t even express to you how much fun I’m having writing this new series, even as I toss a whole heap of nonsense on Wynter right from the get go. Next week, we’re going to meet the ghost. Because this is paranormal fiction, so there must be a ghost!

See you next week,
Lisa

This week, I wanted to talk to you about new projects. It’s been a while since I blogged, but 2021 is a new year, and it’s that time when we try and start new habits, right? LOL! Anyway, my thoughts today are about new genres. I started reading a genre called Paranormal Women’s Fiction (PWF) this year, and I. LOVE. IT. It focuses on older heroines, who have dealt with loss, divorce, and are middle-aged. And magic. As a woman is older, and middle-aged, and also working through a divorce, I can empathize. But what I love about all the books I’ve been reading is that the heroines are picking themselves up, dusting off the dirt, and giving the stink eye to all the things in the way. And barreling forward. Several Eminem lyrics come to mind here, but I try to keep the swears to a minimum here. Basically, these ladies, regardless of their pasts, have now shown up ready to kick some ass.

So. Be on the lookout. Next week, I’ll introduce you to Wynter Chastain, the heroine of the forthcoming Oracle of Wynter series. And have a look at the cover – isn’t it gorgeous??? Click the link and check it out!
XO,
Lisa

Holy cow! How did we get here? It’s almost 2020! And I don’t have a single bit of my Christmas shopping done.

My sad shopping habits aside, this has been a busy fourth quarter. After Dragon Con (which I will be a pro at in 2020 as well! I just got the acceptance! WOOT!) I attended Reno Pop Culture Con, put on by the same folks who do Denver Pop Culture Con (I’ll be at DPCC 20 as well).

After Reno, like, the next day, I flew to Las Vegas for the 20booksto50K indie authors conference. To say that was amazing is an understatement. Over one thousand people who were all there to level up their business. I love being around other indies, so it was amazing.

My pen name put out two full novels and a novella. I put out two novels and a novella. I’m currently working on a new idea that landed in my lap, and by the end of the year, I should have that mostly squared away and ready for editing (that whole writing ahead thing I keep trying to manage, LOL).

I’m also starting a sci-fi space opera pen name. I have a novella that is coming out by the end of the year, I think, and it’s really good. It’s set in a post Civil War magical steampunk world, and it’s like nothing I’ve ever written. That pen name is J.D. Bowman, and I can’t wait to get that moving. J.D. is also doing a trilogy next year called The Tachyon Cycle, and it’s plotted from a high level. So that’s exciting. I’ve loved space opera/sci-fi/apocalyptic since I was a kid, and J.D. gives me the chance to play in that world.

That’s the problem with being a writer – you want to write ALL. THE. THINGS.

If you follow me on social media, you hopefully have seen the two anthologies I’m in next year. Holy hell, y’all, those covers!!! Let me share these beauties:

They’re both up for pre-order right now. Magic is the New Black comes out March 18, and Tempted by Fae is releasing May 5. Both of them will have brand new novellas. Magic is the New Black is a prequel for an entirely new series, and Tempted by Fae is a prequel to a series I have going now. So LOTS of delicious goodness coming.

I’m also continuing the Deadwood Sisters, and The Mostly Open Paranormal Investigative Agency series – book 3 is in the pipeline for both. There’s another Midnight Coven book coming, and there may be some more, but I’m not willing to commit myself to much more than I already have, LOL.

I finished NaNoWriMo this month, squeaking in over the 50k mark the last couple of days, but with my knee surgery this month – yeah, that happened in November as well – I didn’t write as much I wanted to. It’s not a deal breaker, but I need to pull my focus back together.

It sounds like I’m all over the place, but I’m really not. This year, I feel really good about the publishing plans moving forward. I know what I want to do, and have my schedule halfway set for 2020. I’m leaving a little wiggle room because some really amazing opportunities have come my way by allowing for flexibility.

One thing I want to make sure I share – I don’t do many conferences or cons. It’s just too much to plan and it takes a lot out of me. But the ones I do – WOW. I had such a wonderful time at Denver Pop Culture Con, then Dragon Con, and Reno – I have to say thank you to all the amazing, fantastic fans I’ve met, or gotten to see again. You all have made this so amazing.

Because it’s December, and traditionally we give things to one another, I have one for you. I’m part of a Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Romance & Paranormal promotion where there are all sorts of books to be had for free! Click the link below, and find a new author to enjoy!

Click here and find something for everyone!

Have a fabulous December; if you celebrate something, be safe and enjoy! See you in 2020!

It’s that time of year again! Dragon Con! WOOO HOOO! I love Dragon Con, it’s one of my favorite cons. Why? Well, there’s something for everyone.

I love Firefly, Star Wars, Star Trek, Outlander, Wynonna Earp, steampunk, battle bots, costuming, other authors, Marvel – and that’s just the things that come to mind off the top of my head. There is a panel for everything.

But what I love most is that this is a gathering of people who are like me – who love something, and love all the things that used to be considered nerdy. (A lot of the “nerdy” stuff is now totally mainstream.)

It goes on for basically five days. Six, if you count all the get-togethers on Wednesday.

And OH MAH GAWD the costumes. When you costume at Dragon Con, you are all in. You are hardcore. You are dressing for your people. I think my faves are tied – those who are purists, and do the costume down to the detail (I have the Inara dress from the Janestown episode that I made with that mindset) and then the mashups. I love them both. As in, I have a steampunk Princess Leia. Both were so much fun to make, and they are so much fun to wear.

Since I spend a lot of time working, I don’t costume hard core anymore. I do costume-lite, which is more normal, everyday clothing with a costume theme. LOL, I take a lot less pairs of shoes! (I used to have an entire suitcase for shoes. That is not an exaggeration.)

This year, the track organizers took me at my word of “I volunteer as tribute!” and I have ten panels. The schedule below is tentative, and subject to change. I’ll update on social media if it does. It’s also on the Dragon Con app (which no, has not updated yet, LOL) and that shows changes in real time.

I will be back at Bard’s Tower in America’s Mart for the selling of books, and I’m excited about that as well. It was a great experience last year!

So that’s it from me at the moment. I’m working to finish my deadline projects before the end of next week, so that I can head off to DC without one hanging over my head. Well, not immediately, anyway. There’s always a deadline.

I hope to see you there!

Dragon Con 2019 Schedule

Title: Contemporary Vampires
Description: Long a staple of urban fantasy, the depictions of vampires appearing in the genre have evolved over time. Our panel of authors discusses the aspects they employ in their work, as well as the characteristics they adopted and adapted from earlier sources.
Time: Fri 10:00 am Location: Chastain 1-2 – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
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Title: The Power of Three, Revisited: A Charmed Fan Panel
Description: A moderated fan-panel discussion over the first season of the new series
Time: Fri 11:30 am Location: Chastain 1-2 – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
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Title: VC Andrews: A Dark Garden
Description: An examination of Victoria “VC” Andrews, who inadvertently created a cottage industry of fiction that blended Gothic suspense, family melodrama, and fairy tale overtones.
Time: Fri 08:30 pm Location: Chastain I-J – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
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Title: Maze of Treachery: The Rook Fan Panel
Description: A moderated fan-panel discussion of the first season of the new show.
Time: Sat 11:30 am Location: Chastain I-J – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
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Title: Through the Stones: An Outlander Fan Panel
Description: Diana Gabaldon’s novel turned TV series takes Claire Randall from the 1940s back 200 years into the 18th century. Scottish conflicts, Jacobite uprisings, and much more of Great Britain’s history unfolds before our eyes. The fans discuss the books, the show, and what makes it all so bonny.
Day, Time: Saturday, 01:00 pm Hotel / Room: Sheraton / Augusta
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Title: From Chuckles to Belly Laughs: Humor in UF
Description: Humor in urban fantasy ranges from the laugh-out-loud variety to more subtle approaches. Our panel of authors discusses which type they employ most often, and why.
Time: Sat 07:00 pm Location: Chastain 1-2 – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Julie Kenner, Rick Gualtieri, R.R. Virdi, Michael George Williams, Lisa Manifold)
——————-
Title: Accepting Their Gifts: A Midnight, Texas Fan Panel
Description: A moderated fan-panel discussion of the popular show.
Time: Sun 10:00 am Location: Chastain 1-2 – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
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Title: From Purgatory and Into the Light: A Wynonna Earp Fan Panel
Description: The Earp curse was broken, Peacemaker is now a sword, and almost everyone has disappeared from Purgatory. Oh, and the fandom spent 132 days with the show on the brink of never-coming-back. It’s safe to say there will be lots to talk about in this moderated fan-panel discussion.
Time: Sun 11:30 am Location: Chastain 1-2 – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
——————-
Title: Aquaman: Tides of Trouble
Description: The Crown of Atlantis rests uneasily and Arthur Curry, child of a human and a princess, strives to stop a war with the surface, quests for Atlan’s Trident along with Mera, to claim his throne, all this despite his reservations. DC’s track record is spotty in their films, did this one break the mold?
Time: Sun 05:30 pm Location: M302-M303 – Marriott (Length: 1 Hour)
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Title: End Game: MCU
Description: For the final panel of the con, we’ll look at the final film of this part of the MCU. There was a lot of fan love, and some crazy timey wimey stuff, and the sad loss of some of our favorites.
Time: Mon 02:30 pm Location: M302-M303 – Marriott (Length: 1 Hour)