Lisa Shearin's Blog, page 2
April 4, 2023
The Gorgon Agenda is out now!
Get it today at . . .
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Apple
Tolino
Vivlio
Smashwords
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Kobo Plus
Scribd
LIBRARY SERVICES
OverDrive
Bibliotheca
Baker & Taylor
BorrowBox
Hoopla
There WILL be an audiobook version which I will be recording myself. I’ll be starting production on that in the next few weeks. And after The Gorgon Agenda, I’ll be recording The Solstice Countdown, The Entity Game, and the Raine Benares books that don’t have an audiobook.
Take care & happy reading!
Lisa
The post The Gorgon Agenda is out now! appeared first on Lisa Shearin -- New York Times Bestselling Author.
Audiobook update, new website, new Aurora Donati!
I’m a seriously busy girl!
First, thank you so much for all the fabulous posts, emails, and reviews for The Gorgon Agenda! I’m so glad y’all are enjoying it!
Next Monday, I start writing The Embassy Reprisal (working title), the second book in my Aurora Donati thriller series. The first book (The Entity Game) was so much fun to write, and I’m looking forward to working with Rory, Gabriel, Berta, Samuel, and Ambrose again. I’ve had this plot in mind for three years, and I can’t wait to dive in. My goal is to have the first draft completed by mid-June (in celebration of my 60th birthday).
Derek and I are finalizing the work on the home audiobook recording booth. It’s taken this long because I came down with RSV at the end of January, and I’m still getting over the cough. Recording simply ain’t happening while I’m trying to cough up a lung. ; ) At least now I’m in good enough shape to get some test tracks recorded. I’ll record The Gorgon Agenda first, followed by The Solstice Countdown. Then it’s The Entity Game, and the Raine Benares books that weren’t done by Audible. I don’t have availability dates yet, but when I do, you will be the first to know.
Also in the works is a new website! The one I have now is ancient and is definitely showing its age. I hope to have that live by early April.
For those of you interested in the custom teas for The Gorgon Agenda offered through Adagio Teas, I’ve been told they do ship internationally. Here are the links to the caffeinated version and the decaf version. I created the blends myself and have them in regular rotation in my tea cabinet.
I think that’s it for now! Take care!
L.
The post Audiobook update, new website, new Aurora Donati! appeared first on Lisa Shearin -- New York Times Bestselling Author.
February 23, 2023
Audiobook update, new website, new Aurora Donati!
I’m a seriously busy girl!
First, thank you so much for all the fabulous posts, emails, and reviews for The Gorgon Agenda! I’m so glad y’all are enjoying it!
Next Monday, I start writing The Embassy Reprisal (working title), the second book in my Aurora Donati thriller series. The first book (The Entity Game) was so much fun to write, and I’m looking forward to working with Rory, Gabriel, Berta, Samuel, and Ambrose again. I’ve had this plot in mind for three years, and I can’t wait to dive in. My goal is to have the first draft completed by mid-June (in celebration of my 60th birthday).
Derek and I are finalizing the work on the home audiobook recording booth. It’s taken this long because I came down with RSV at the end of January, and I’m still getting over the cough. Recording simply ain’t happening while I’m trying to cough up a lung. ; ) At least now I’m in good enough shape to get some test tracks recorded. I’ll record The Gorgon Agenda first, followed by The Solstice Countdown. Then it’s The Entity Game, and the Raine Benares books that weren’t done by Audible. I don’t have availability dates yet, but when I do, you will be the first to know.
Also in the works is a new website! The one I have now is ancient and is definitely showing its age. I hope to have that live by early April.
For those of you interested in the custom teas for The Gorgon Agenda offered through Adagio Teas, I’ve been told they do ship internationally. Here are the links to the caffeinated version and the decaf version. I created the blends myself and have them in regular rotation in my tea cabinet.
I think that’s it for now! Take care!
L.
January 24, 2023
The Gorgon Agenda is out now!
Get it today at . . .
AmazonBarnes & Noble
Kobo
Apple
Tolino
Vivlio
Smashwords
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Kobo Plus
Scribd
LIBRARY SERVICES
OverDrive
Bibliotheca
Baker & Taylor
BorrowBox
Hoopla
There WILL be an audiobook version which I will be recording myself. I’ll be starting production on that in the next few weeks. And after The Gorgon Agenda, I’ll be recording The Solstice Countdown, The Entity Game, and the Raine Benares books that don’t have an audiobook.
Take care & happy reading!
Lisa
January 19, 2023
The Gorgon Agenda is available for pre-order!
The Gorgon Agenda (print and ebook) is now available for pre-order. Release date is January 24.
The print and ebook will be available from:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Apple
Tolino
Vivlio
Smashwords
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Kobo Plus
Scribd
LIBRARY SERVICES
OverDrive
Bibliotheca
Baker & Taylor
BorrowBox
Hoopla
There WILL be an audiobook version which I will be recording myself. I’ll be starting production on that in the next few weeks (I had to get the ebook and print versions out there first). As I’ve said before, I’m a one-woman business.
Here’s the jacket copy!
A planet-killing weapon, sinister sisters, and immortal monsters.
All in a day’s work for the agents of SPI.
I’m Makenna Fraser, seer for SPI (Supernatural Protection & Investigations). I knew SPI protected some of the world’s most dangerous relics, but I didn’t know our draconic founder, Vivienne Sagadraco, kept them in a vault deep below Manhattan.
Until the most lethal relic of all was stolen.
The Aegis is the shield once wielded by Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war. The center of the Aegis contains the head of Medusa, making it the ultimate weapon. All who look on it or its reflection are instantly turned to stone.
Old enemies and new adversaries have descended on New York—and one of them now has the Aegis:
Tiamat—Babylonian goddess of chaos, and Vivienne Sagadraco’s sister
Stheno and Euryale—Eight-foot-tall, snake-haired gorgons, granddaughters of the Titans, and Medusa’s sisters
The Sisterhood of Medusa—An ancient gorgon military order
The Cabal—A supernatural terrorist organization
Those behind the theft have declared war on humanity, with a hatred that was millennia in the making, and a heist that was centuries in the planning.
Our mission is simple yet impossible: Retrieve the Aegis and save the world. But we can’t do it alone. We’ll need our friends, family, and some unexpected new allies if we’re to stop this ancient evil once and for all.
More updates soon as they come in!
Lisa
November 28, 2022
The Gorgon Agenda on sale January 23!
Finally! I know, right? The book turned out to be ten chapters longer than I’d anticipated. I *so* wanted to have it to you by now, but apparently it just wasn’t meant to be. The manuscript is with my editors now and I’m working on their revisions. My book designer (who makes the interior look beautiful) is on standby to work her magic.
In the next week or so, I’ll pop out a short newsletter with the back jacket copy. (I need to write it first. Something else to add to my to-do list.)
As soon as The Gorgon Agenda is available for pre-order, I’ll send out another newsletter with the info and links.
And before some of you ask, the audiobook version will come after the print and ebook editions. I’m a one-woman business, and I can only do so much at the same time. I’ll send you yet another newsletter with updates. Just keep watching this space.
The one thing I can offer you now are the custom tea blends for The Gorgon Agenda from Adagio Teas. I created caffeinated and decaf versions. If you have a tea lover on your holiday shopping list, they might enjoy these.
The tea is the one served by Vivienne Sagadraco to her two gorgon friends in the book and is inspired by Grecian flowers and herbs. The tins and bag feature custom artwork by my SPI Files cover artist Elizabeth Peiro.
The caffeinated version is a blend of pomegranate green tea, spearmint, and dragon fruit dream accented with lavender flowers and lemon verbena.
The decaf version is chamomile, spearmint, and dragon fruit dream accented with lavender flowers and lemon verbena.
I wanted to make them as similar as possible for those of you who can’t have caffeine or want a blend you can have before bed and not be awake until o’dark thirty. I drank copious amounts of both blends while writing the book.
There are three sizes: A sample tin for $6 that makes 5 cups. A 3 oz. pouch for $14, and a 5 oz. tin for $24. Note: Adagio Teas prices all of their Fandom Blends the same. I have no say in the pricing. And I pay the same price, no discounts for the creator. ; ) I do however earn points with each purchase you make toward more tea. I don’t believe Fandom Blends are available for shipping outside the US, but I’m confirming that now.
To give you an idea of how much tea is in a 5 oz. tin, the tin’s dimensions are just shy of 6 x 4 inches and 2 1/2 inches deep. And the tea is *packed* in there. It’s seriously full, so be careful opening it.
The sample tin is about the size of a credit card and 3/4 in. deep. Likewise packed full.
As you may have guessed, this is loose tea, not in bags. Use one teaspoon (or a wee bit more) per cup. The directions for preparing the teas is on the page where you buy it. If you don’t have a tea kettle that you can program the temp, the decaf needs boiling water (212 degrees) and steeps for 5 minutes, and the caffeinated needs just before boiling (190 degrees) and steeps for 2 minutes.
I’ve also linked both blends to Adagio Teas ChariTea program and have chosen a charity near and dear to my heart: Greyhound Friends of North Carolina. 5% of the purchase price of each tea will go to GFNC. Derek and I have been members for 22 years. In that time, we’ve adopted nine retired racing greyhounds. Ruby (our latest adoptee) is prominently featured in The Gorgon Agenda.
I think that’s it for now, but there’ll be more newsletters soon with jacket copy, sale dates, audiobook info (I’ll be recording them myself). People who know me say that when they read the books, they hear my voice. Now you’ll get to hear my voice (with its North Carolina/Southern accent) too.
Take care, be safe, and stay healthy!
Lisa
August 12, 2022
Audiobook news and The Gorgon Agenda updates
And by the way, if you don’t hear from me for a while, it means I’m working hard. I’m not dead. If I’d died, my husband would contact my agent who would put out the announcement. So when you think about it that way, not hearing from me is good. : )
Here are the updates:
1. I’m finishing The Gorgon Agenda now and will be turning the manuscript over to my editor Betsy Mitchell on September 1. It’ll take her about a month to do the edits, which will then come back to me. I’ll take about two weeks to make my changes, then send it off to my copy editor Martha Trachtenberg. Martha generally takes a few weeks to do her thing, sends it back to me, and I do mine. Then the book is ready to go into layout/production/proofing. All this to let you know that from the time I finish a book until it’s ready for you to buy is 2-3 months. So we’re looking at a November/December release date.
2. I’m going to narrate my own audiobooks. I’m really excited about this, and I know a lot of you will be, too. I’ve been looking into what’s involved, and after an initial investment in recording and editing equipment and software, I can produce my own audiobooks and upload them through ACX for sale on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. I’ll be narrating them myself. For years, when I’ve done readings, I’ve had people ask why I didn’t record my own books. I’m comfortable in front of a microphone, and I’ve always loved doing readings. My husband, aka my computer dude, will be doing the editing and production. While I finish The Gorgon Agenda, he’ll be getting everything we need to set up a recording booth in the house. I don’t have a date for when I’ll start recording these, but it’ll be in the next few months.
That means there will be an audiobook for The Gorgon Agenda and The Solstice Countdown in my SPI Files series. Wedding Bells Magic Spells, Ruins & Revenge, and Treasure & Treason in my Raine Benares series, and The Entity Game in my Aurora Donati series. And any other book that doesn’t already have an audiobook.
3. Tea label for The Gorgon Agenda. As you can see from the newsletter banner, my artist (the amazing Elizabeth Peiro) has finished the label for The Gorgon Agenda custom blend tea that’ll be offered for sale by Adagio Tea through their Fandom Blends program. It’ll be offered in bags and tins. If it goes well, I’ll be creating a custom blend (with character art) for each of my future books.
I think that’s it for now. I’m back to work on The Gorgon Agenda.
L.
May 9, 2022
Creating custom tea blends for my books
Being a big tea drinker myself, I’ve often had my characters drinking tea in at least one scene. I thought it would be so much fun to create an actual custom blend and feature it in my books.
I’ll be starting that with The Gorgon Agenda. I’m working with Adagio Teas to start my own line of teas based on my books. I’ll be offering a caffeinated and decaf version of each tea. I know that some people can’t have caffeine; or like myself, like to have a nice cup of decaf to finish the day or before bed.
The teas will be available in three sizes. A sample tin which makes 5 cups for $6. A 3 oz. pouch for $14. Or a 5 oz. tin for $24. Adagio will donate 5% of the sale price to the charity of my choice. As for me, when you buy one of my blends, I’ll earn points to buy more tea. I go through at least two pots of tea a day while I’m writing, so you’ll be helping to keep me properly caffeinated and writing — or relaxed after a long day at my desk.
For even more fun, my cover artist Elizabeth Peiro will be creating custom art exclusively for the bags and tins featuring major characters that you’ve never seen on the covers.
And as to the blends themselves, the finished product has to be a tea that I love so much that it’ll be one of my go-to and must-have teas. I’d never put anything out there that I wouldn’t buy for myself. I’ve got the decaf version just the way I want it, but I’m still tweaking the caffeinated version.
The Gorgon Agenda teas will go on sale on Adagio’s site the same day the book releases.
And of course, there will be teas for my Aurora Donati thrillers, and my Raine Benares adventures as well.
What do you think?
Lisa
March 15, 2022
The final cover for The Gorgon Agenda
Here is the final cover from my new artist, the fabulous Elizabeth Peiro! What do you think?
My apologies for not having the book finished next month as originally planned. Thanks to the Cuisinart of crap that is the world right now (and the past couple of years), a LOT of authors are struggling to meet deadlines (and are missing them). Apparently, creativity and doomscrolling don’t mix. I’m still on the first draft, but it’s a strong first draft, and I know you’re going to love the finished product. I’m shooting to have the first draft done by the end of next month, and the finished book out this fall.
I’m also grateful to be an independent publisher (Murwood Media LLC). Thanks to industry upheaval and supply chain issues in traditional publishing, I have it on good authority that some books being turned in to publishers now are having their release dates pushed out as far as 2024. I’m so glad to be a one-woman business. Having to do everything myself gets overwhelming at times, but it also lets me control what I write and when I write it. My previous publisher didn’t want any more SPI Files or Raine Benares books, and we never offered the Aurora Donati series for sale. I knew I wanted to do it myself. Thanks to you all spreading the word about my books, I have a good core readership. And thanks to my agent teaching me how to do self-publishing, I’m free to write what I want, and what you want to read. Let’s hear it for indie publishing!
After The Gorgon Agenda is the second Aurora Donati thriller, then comes a new Raine Benares adventure. And then you’re going to get the SPI Files book you’ve all been waiting for. ; )
Take care & stay safe!
Lisa
October 4, 2021
Updates on The Gorgon Agenda and more
The following is my October newsletter. Click here to subscribe, and you won’t miss any book updates.
This newsletter is a little different. As always, I will give you an update on The Gorgon Agenda. It’s going great. Taking July off did wonders for me. Dory and Loki (our greyhounds) are doing well, though mealtimes are a challenge with Dory because of her kidney issues, but I’m up to it. I’m only working five days a week. I’m taking weekends off, at least from writing. There’s plenty of household chores and yardwork that won’t do themselves. Though at least now that it’s fall, everything needing cutting and trimming starts to slow down, so that’s less work.
Fall is my favorite time of the year, and not just because the grass and weeds stop growing. Today I’m going to talk about tea – fall teas, to be exact. I love tea even more than fall. I always drink tea while I’m writing, either in a mug, or if I’m feeling fancy, from a vintage pot with a pretty cup and saucer. I write my first drafts longhand with vintage fountain pens in journals, so good tea is a must.
Ashley from Adagio Teas recently contacted me to ask if I’d like to review some of their fall blend loose teas. Of course, I said yes. Adagio always has a wide selection of seasonal tea offerings, as well as teaware and gifts for tea lovers. I told her that I have a serious weakness bordering on addiction for teaware, especially infuser mugs, but it’s hard to find a good one. Ashley graciously sent me one of their double-walled porcelain mugs with a stainless-steel infuser and lid.
I requested the Double-Wall Leaves infuser cup. The verdict? I love it. The stainless-steel infuser extends down far enough in the cup to allow for a good steeping. It’s rare to find a good infuser-to-cup-depth ratio. Plus, it has a lid with a cutout for the infuser hook. Great feature. I’ve never had a double-walled porcelain mug. A problem I’ve had with other infuser mugs is that they don’t keep the tea at a good drinking temperature for long (or even short) writing sessions. The double-walled cup took care of that. The tea stays hotter for longer, and the mug is nice and warm. Hot tea without burned hands. For marathon sessions, I have an electric mug warmer, but for normal workdays when I want different teas for the morning and afternoons, the Adagio infuser cup does the job — and I love the fall leaves.
Ashley sent me their Autumn Tea Sampler, which came in a nice gift box containing four of their fall seasonal blends: Autumn Mist Green, Honeybush Pumpkin Chai, Pumpkin Spice, and Bonfire. These are loose teas, not tea bags. But don’t let that scare you. Each package tells you the amount of tea per cup, water temperature needed, and steeping time. Just do what the package says, and you’ll get the tea as it was intended to taste. Note: Those of you who drink a lot of tea probably already have an electric tea kettle where you can select the water temperature. If you don’t, you should treat yourself to one. They’re not expensive, and you’ll be getting the best taste from your tea.
Here’s my take on each blend – with each brewed per the package instructions in my new Adagio fall leaves infuser mug. Note: I left all of these unsweetened. I only use sugar (and then very little) in seriously strong black teas.
Autumn Mist Green: A blend of gunpowder green tea, apple pieces, cinnamon, rose hips, natural crème brulee flavor, marigold flowers, and rose petals. I love green teas, but I’m not normally into fruit teas. And I have no idea what marigold flowers taste like. And crème brulee? Okaaay. I had no idea how Adagio could put crème brulee taste in a cup, but they did it. To tell you how much I liked it, I’m drinking it right now. For me, enjoying a tea is as much about the scent as the taste. I’ve got to have both for it to be a winner in my book. The verdict? I need to make room in my tea stash for this one. The crème brulee, along with the apple and cinnamon, makes for a silky smooth taste and aroma. I love this tea. It’s coziness in a cup.
Honeybush Pumpkin Chai: A blend of honeybush tea, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cocoa nibs, natural pumpkin spice, and safflower. I pretty much stick to the basics when it comes to tea, but I’m always up for trying something new. I’ve never had honeybush tea. Turns out it’s a “naturally sweet South African tea with a honey aroma and taste,” which sounds like it’s right up my alley; and as a bonus, it’s caffeine free. Also, I’ve never had chai anything. I know, what rock have I been living under, right? I brewed a cup. The color is a deep amber/red. Nice. The scent is Red Hots. You know, the spicy candy? I can taste the honeybush tea (honey), cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger. I can’t pick out the cocoa nibs, pumpkin spice, and safflower (I don’t know what that last one would taste like). There’s no, single overwhelming flavor. It all balances, which is good. It’s what a blend is supposed to do. This tea leaves a light, spicy taste, but not too spicy. It’s like a warm fire on a cool night. Note: When you get to the bottom, give the cup a swirl so you don’t miss out on the final pop of taste in the leaves.
Pumpkin Spice: I went to Trader Joe’s this week and only bought two pumpkin spice products: coffee and tortilla chips (the chips because I just had to know what pumpkin spice tortilla chips tasted like). Verdict? Not bad, not bad at all, though my taste buds were confused by the combo. I’ve never gone in for that whole “pumpkin spice” craziness that erupts as soon as the first leaf hits the ground. I love cinnamon and nutmeg, but that’s pretty much the extent of it. Adagio’s Pumpkin Spice Tea is a blend of black tea, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, natural pumpkin spice flavor, cardamom, and marigold flowers. The scent (to me) is cloves and ginger. The taste is ginger snaps in a cup, and I do love me some ginger snaps. Other than the cloves and ginger, the flavors blend, which as I’ve said is a good thing. If you like your pumpkin spice with a little kick, this is your tea.
Bonfire: This tea is aptly named. A blend of honeybush tea, apple pieces, lapsang souchong tea, aniseed, cocoa nibs, cinnamon, rose hips, cloves, orange, red peppercorn, safflower, natural cinnamon flavor, natural hazelnut flavor, and natural orange flavor. There is a lot going on in this tea. The scent is smoky and licorice-y (if that’s even a word). I’m not a fan of licorice or hazelnut. (I’ve only had hazelnut coffee. Once. I really wish hazelnut tasted as good as it smelled.) Then comes the peppercorn. Bam! Bonfire is the perfect name. Kudos to whoever named it. My verdict? This tea is not shy. If you’re one who prefers tea with an attitude, you’ll probably like it. But for me, pardon the pun: It’s not my cup of tea.
Final lineup of the four: Autumn Mist Green (I’ll be buying more of that one) is my number one pick. In second place is the Honeybush Pumpkin Chai. I’d never had honeybush tea before, and I really liked it in this blend. I’ll have to explore that one and chai further. In third place was the Pumpkin Spice. It was really good, but a little too spicy for me. In fourth was the conflagration in a cup that is Bonfire. Only the adventuresome tea drinker, or hard-core spice aficionado need apply.
That’s it for now! Ashley also sent some of my all-time favorite tea – Genmaicha. (I drink that stuff by the pot.) I’ll cover that in my next newsletter, as well as any book updates.
Thank you Ashley and Adagio Teas!
And as always, take care, be safe, and stay healthy!
Lisa
