Lisa Hendrix

Spring may have sprung, but my world is as hectic as ever. So we’ll start with a moment of zen…

That bit of loveliness comes from the yard across the street from us, which is a big patch of naturalized daffodils studded with hyacinths and cherry trees. As the daffodils fade over the next week or so, hundreds of tulips will break into bloom.  If you want to see the full yard, I just posted a shot over on my Facebook Page. Pop over for a look, and please hit the Like button to join the fun while you’re there.

Now for some of the other stuff:

Nachtkrieger: Unsterbliche Liebe has launched. That’s the German language edition of Immortal Warrior (the title translates as Nightwarrior: Immortal Love), and it’s doing very well on amazon.de.  My German publisher, Droemer Knaur has done a fabulous professional book video for the book. That’s also up on my Facebook Page. I’ll post it here tomorrow, along with a sneak peak at the cover of the second book in German.

RT Booklovers Convention ramps up this week and I’m heading down with a van-load of friends to join the fun. This will be my first time at RT, but I’ve been listening to people talk about it for years, and I know how intense it’s going to be. I mean, really, a hotel full of rabid romance fans and authors? Not a recipe for sleep.

Anyway, I’m going loaded with stuff to give away: Romance Trading Cards, giveaways from other writers, and even books. Every day, I’ll have a batch of swag in my giant brown bag, ready to hand out to lucky readers and bloggers, so be sure to say hi when you spot me. No telling what you’ll get.

And if you’re not attending RT, but you live in the Los Angeles area, be sure to drive into town for the Giant Book Fair, taking place Saturday, April 9, 2011, from 11am to 2pm. You’ll have the chance to meet 400 authors (including yours truly) and you can bring your favorite keeper books to get them signed, all for just $5.  This is one of the most popular events at RT, so I suggest you arrive at the Westin Bonaventure early to buy your tickets, so you can enjoy the entire bookfair.

So…That’s my week. I’m off to pack now. If you’re going to be at RT, either the whole con or the book fair, please give me a shout out below and I’ll keep an eye out for you.

We left signed copies behind at every bookseller we visited along our route, so if you live in that area, you can check B&Ns and/or Borders in Oceanside, Westwood, Century City, Montclaire Mall, Rancho Cucamonga, Glendale, Bakersfield, Emeryville, Stockton, Sacramento, Redding, Medford, Eugene, and the greater Portland area.

But for the rest of the country, there are wonderful Indie stores who have signed books on hand and will do mail or phone orders.

Paperback Bookstore (Lisa only)
12845 Poway Road, Suite #108, Poway, CA 92064-4526
(858) 486-1440

New & Recycled Romances
143/145 Broadway, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 645-0529 ‎

Covina Book Store
234 North Citrus Avenue, Covina, CA 91723-2091
(626) 966-7434

and our featured Indie (where there will ALWAYS be signed books available from both Delilah and me

Jan’s Paperbacks
18095 SW Tualatin Valley Highway, Beaverton, OR 97006-3953
(503) 649-3444

I bombed down Interstate 5 today, making something around 700 miles before my butt gave out. Now I’m ensconced in a decent motel with a giant cup of tea, having done the now-obligatory bedbug check (my dad used to do bedbug and cleanliness checks, back in the day, so I was taught by a master). Tomorrow I’ll wend my way through the maze that is the LA freeway system, headed for Oceanside, where I have the first of several San Diego area signings Friday evening, 6-8pm, at the B&N Oceanside

Anyway, while I was contemplating life, the universe and everything in the car, I realized I should be blogging this little adventure, so here I am.

Images from the road:

Great Egret

Egrets, stately and milky white, standing by the side of the road with heads cocked, listening for their next meal to crawl by. Seemed to be one every two miles or so, all the way down.

Ominous looking banks of fog that turned out to be thin and light once I was inside them. (knock on wood they stay that way)

Oil refineries lit up like casinos southwest of Bakersfield. They may be dangerous and stinky, but they’re sure lovely off in the distance at night.

Straightest stretch of highway outside the North Dakota-Texas belt. Seriously, like a ruler.

First big traffic jam, on the Grapevine. Four lanes of cars and (mostly) trucks, backed up probably 15 miles. Not on my side of the road, thank Cthulhu.

All accompanied by an ever-changing stream of public radio stations, except in the Central Valley where for a time I couldn’t locate one and resorted to listening to Korean and Portuguese radio. (Apparently, there are 400,000 Portuguese in northern and central California. Who knew?) Of the two, the Portuguese station was by far the best: the announcer had a resonating bass voice, like Lt. Worf from Star Trek, and the music was lovely.

Today’s the official release day for IMMORTAL CHAMPION, and it’s a sign of how hectic it’s been aroundhere that I didn’t even get a post up. Bad Lisa. Bad.

And it’s still hectic, which means I’m not going to beat around the bush. Gunnar is one sexy Viking, and you need to get acquainted. CLICK HERE for an excerpt and a list of just a few of the places you can meet him.

Perhaps you’re wondering why I’m so crazed that I’m barely even up to blogging about my own book on release day. Well, it has a lot to do with working on the next one (Immortal Defender, due to my editor in February) and packing for an extended book tour.

BOOK TOUR. Those two words conjur a mix of excitement and dread in most authors, including yours truly. We are retiring, solitary types, we writers; if we weren’t, we’d be actors or rockstars.

But like those less shy types, we go on tour anyway. If we’re lucky, we get to go with someone.
(I’m lucky, btw. I get to go with Delilah Marvelle, who is the exception that proves the rule about retiring writers and who tends to bring out a less, ahem, shy side of me.

Which is the source of the the warning: WILD WOMEN ON TOUR.

If you live on the West Coast between San Diego (where I will sign at the American Library Association Winter Conference, among other places) and Portland, OR (where we will sign at Jan’s Paperbacks in Beaverton/Aloha), we may be signing near you. To find out, check out the official tour schedule on the Meet Lisa page.

It’s an incomplete schedule: We’ll be filling in gaps with tons of impromptu stock signings, where we find a nearby store and run in to schmooze the booksellers and sign stock on hand. If you can’t attend one of the formal events, follow one or both of us on Twitter to find out if we’re headed your way for a “drive-by” signing…And to offer your suggestions for good stores to visit along the way. (For that matter, if you know of a good romance-friendly bookstore along the I-5 corridor in California or Oregon, tell me below in comments and I’ll add it to our list.) (Booksellers can request a stop, too!)

We hope you’ll turn out to visit, perhaps buy a book, and have a good time. (I don’t want to start any rumors, but there may be a few prizes involved…)

See you along the road.

Lisa

PS: That’s Jan’s in the photo, and if you look closely, you can see Immortal Champion posters in the windows.

I know, I know. I owe you a post about the glorious Minster at Sudwell and the Gate (Procession) that supported it for centuries, but the Swine Flu (not me, but *all* of my family) has stolen much of my time over the last two weeks, and what it didn’t steal I’ve been trying to use to write.

Now I’m leaving the sickies behind to go visit readers, meet with writer friends, and Read the rest of this entry »

Well, not here, but at Powell’s Books at Cedar hills Crossing.  I’m one of a dozen members of the Rose City Romance Writers who’ll be autographing their books this evening (Friday, 9/18/09) at 7pm. Show up and you can get books signed by Meljean Brook, Margaret Mallory, Delilah Marvelle, Jean Johnson, Cathy Lamb, Minnette Meador, Elisabeth Naughton, Jenna Bayley-Burke, Hanna Rhys-Barnes, Gina Robinson…and moi.

Full details are on the Meet Lisa page, but here’s a Google Map to get you pointed in the right direction:

View Powell’s Books At Cedar Hills in a larger map

Be there or be square—and utterly without a decent book to read this weekend.

That’s the name of the fun site where I’m the featured paranormal author starting July 7.  The forums are already open for a discussion about IMMORTAL OUTLAW and the Immortal Brotherhood in general, and Terry, the owner started things off with a heavy question about human mortality. Come check out my answer and add your own questions or comments by going to the RITBS Forums.

Then be sure to wander around the rest of the site. It’s called Romance in the Back Seat because Terry actually does interviews of authors in the back seat of a moving car — a clever idea, and one which I very much wanted to get in on. Unfortunately, her schedule and mine were in opposition when she was in this part of the country, so I missed out, but my friend Sheila Roberts (LOVE IN BLOOM) hopped in her backseat and chatted for a few minutes. And another buddy, Delilah Marvelle (MISTRESS OF PLEASURE and the upcoming LORD OF PLEASURE) managed to be so naughtily entertaining that she got two spots.  Check out both ladies’ videos HERE.

See you in the Back Seat.

Boy, those blog tours fry me.  Writing a guest post is way harder than writing fiction, for me at least.  But I’m done now, for all practical purposes, and venturing out into other venues.

Tonight, you’ll find me doing a solo chat at Writerspace, 9pm Eastern (6pm Pacific). I hope you’ll come join me. (I have giveaways…)

Then Saturday, I’ll be at the 1st Annual NW Book Festival, along with 40 other authors of all varieties. There are a whole herd of romance authors, so come connect up with your favorites. Full deets are at the festival website, but the time and place are:

Saturday, June 27, 2009
10am-4pm
21860 Willamette Drive, West Linn, OR

(Click link for Google Map)

Sunday evening, I’m back at Writerspace, this time for their 2009 BEACH PARTY blowout.  If you’ve never been to a virtual beach party, it’s time you put your toe in. There are a ton of authors, even more fans and readers, and a moderator who must have Exedrin Headache #885 by the time the evening’s over. They pass out virtual piña coladas and sunscreen, and every author gives away prizes–I’m giving away books and chocolate–and all you have to do to enter the giveaway is register before the party and then show up.

The party rocks from 8-11 pm Eastern (5-8 Pacific); my designated slot is 9pmE/6pmP.
Full list of participating authors (and it’s a juicy list!) and a link to the registration form are HERE.  The Writerspace Chatroom is, as always, at