My Particular Brand of Summer "Vacation"
Chaos
Woosh! What was that? June. Holy cow. What can I say? This past month has been a wild, wacky, and wonderful whirlwind of old friends, new friends, time on stage with colleagues and idols, teaching, learning, and of course tons of laughs. I have lots to share so I’ll get right to it!
Thrillerfest
Otherwise known as “SelfieFest” where I take pictures of myself and all my friends — and some people who did not know they were my friends but are now whether they like it or not. There was SO much — a dream interview with the iconic John Grisham, honoring bookseller extraordinaire (and longtime pal) McKenna Jordan, delivering the keynote address with my co-prez Gregg Hurwitz, celebrating ITW co-founders Gayle Lynds and David Morell, shining a spotlight on two of my favorite writers Jennifer Hillier and Oyinkan Braithwaite, and so much more. Here are just a few of the pics so you can feel like you were there. Visit thrillerwriters.org for audio recordings of key moments!
MOTIVE Crime & Mystery Festival
Woah. And not content to take a break after ThrillerFest, it was straight on to Toronto! A beautiful event at Kitchener Library with the magnificent Hannah Mary McKinnon and Sue Hincenbergs, visits to several Indigo booksellers to sign stock, a wonderful luncheon appearance with the brilliantly talented Denise Mina and the former First Lady of Iceland turned novelist Eliza Reid, capped off by a fantastic on stage conversation with one of my favorite writers (and people) the great Shari Lapena. And thanks to Hannah, my very first butter tarts. No raisins — of course.
CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO 10
I had the pleasure of a lovely lunch to discuss social media with some of the staff of ChappellRoberts, a stellar Tampa advertising firm, and Megan Federico gave me this beautiful gift. She also made a second one to give away to one lucky reader.
How would you like to win this one-of-a-kind bedazzled edition today at 8pm ET!
To enter:
Read Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 (of course you have, right?)
Post a review today at any of the following places. *Each place you post counts as a separate entry to win:
Reply to this email, or send an email to lisa@lisaunger.com, letting me know where you posted your review.
Buy now
Amazon | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Bookshop | Google Play| Kobo | Libro.fm
What I’m working on:
We have been going back and forth on the cover design for my upcoming March 10, 2026 novel. And have finally come to one that we all think looks amazing! I am so excited to share it with you all very soon. Stay tuned for a special announcement in your email.
What I’m reading and watching:
JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN on Broadway. We had the immense pleasure of seeing this stellar play (and thanks to my pal Gregg Hurwitz, we even got to go backstage and meet Sadie Sink!). The extremely talented cast of young performers brought such energy and emotion to the stage. It was powerful, intense, and one of our favorite plays of all-time!
SMOKE on Apple TV. I am a huge Dennis Lehane fan. So, I am excited to watch his latest. We just watched the first episode. I’ll let you know what I think in the next newsletter.
THE FINAL EPISODE by Lori Roy. I’ve been a fan since her first book, but she has outdone herself with this latest release. Don’t miss this dark and elegant thriller.
I am so excited for CURSED DAUGHTERS by Oyinkan Braithwaite. I was lucky enough to snag an early copy from the wonderful author herself. Her first novel MY SISTER THE SERIAL KILLER is an all-time favorite. So I can’t wait to dive in.
On the road
September 25 at 6:30pm ET | Medina County District Library | Medina, OH
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October 5 at 2pm ET | Detroit Public Library | Detroit, MI
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October 6 at 7pm ET | West Bloomfield Township Public Library | West Bloomfield, MI
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October 7 at 7pm ET | Bay County Public Library | Bay City, MI
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Lisa, I am reading a book titled Chaos.
Love all your novels! Best wishes to all!
You must visit the West Coast of Canada sometime.