Okay, 2026. Let’s do this!
Book tour announced, giveaway, new projects, and highlights from 2025.
As we approach the March 10th release of SERVED HIM RIGHT, I am excited; I am grateful; and I am nervous! It’s always a thrill, and never something that I take for granted, that the book I spent a year writing is heading out into the world. But these moments right before are always intense.
As writers, we only control what we do at the keyboard, so this is a heady time where the book goes from being mine, to becoming yours. I can only hope that you’ll love reading it as much as I loved writing it.
I’ll be back on the road soon, visiting some of my favorite stores, and hopefully connecting with you. Keep reading to see my schedule. And if you see that I will be in your area, come out to say hello!
There is a lot to share, so let’s get to it!
Served Him Right
I’m so thrilled by the early reader feedback. Here are just a few of the wonderful comments…
“This is my 1st 5 star read of the YEAR. It’s like Desperate Housewives meets Big Little Lies, but darker and spikier. Fast, fun, and a little wicked—SERVED HIM RIGHT is the kind of thriller you devour in one sitting.”
“Unger’s writing is sharp and immersive, and the pacing kept me hooked from start to finish. If you love psychological thrillers with heart, SERVED HIM RIGHT is a must-read!”
“Lisa Unger has done it again. SERVED HIM RIGHT pulled me in from the very first chapter and didn’t let go… I loved how Unger wove together sisterhood, suspicion, and vengeance in such a sharp, emotionally charged way.”
PRE-ORDER NOW!
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Book Tour
March 9 at 7pm ET. Tombolo Books. St. Petersburg, FL. Get Tickets
March 10 at 7pm ET. Main Street Books. St. Charles, MO. Get Tickets
March 11 at 7:30pm ET. M. Judson Booksellers. Greenville, SC
March 12 at 6pm ET. Page 158 Books. Wake Forest, NC. Get Tickets
March 13 at 6:30pm ET. Midtown Reader. Jacksonville, FL
March 15 at 4pm ET. Oxford Exchange with Roxanne Wilder. Tampa, FL. Get Tickets
March 25 at 6:30pm PT. A Slice of Literary Orange with Gregg Hurwitz. Orange County, CA
March 28. Keynote Speaker. A Day of Authors. Fullerton, CA
April 16-19. Guest of Honor. Hamptons WhoDunit. East Hampton, NY
May 5-9. Thrillerfest. New York, NY
Other appearances
February 11 at 7pm ET. Tombolo Books. In Conversation with Kara Rouda. Get Tickets
February 12 at 6:30pm ET. Oxford Exchange. In Conversation with Adele Parks. Tampa, FL. Get Tickets
Goodreads Giveaway
Less than two months to go until SERVED HIM RIGHT is released, but if you can’t wait that long, click here for your chance to win an early copy on Goodreads.
I realized that even in the midst of all the challenging moments, there was still a lot of joy.
A Look Back on 2025
Wow, is it just me, or did 2025 pass by in a blur? But on New Years Eve, when my daughter, husband, and I went through all our photos (our yearly ritual), I realized that even in the midst of all the challenging moments, there was still a lot of joy. Here are just a few of the many bookish highlights:
The Kill Clause
Wow! What an outing. THE KILL CLAUSE was a Amazon First Reads pick back in November, then became a #1 Bestselling Kindle Single and made it’s way onto a billboard on 7th Ave in NYC in December, and is still a bestseller now in January. Thank you so much to you my wonderful readers, and to Amazon Original Stories, for knocking this out of the park!
If you start the day with the business of publishing, very little writing will get done. Trust me!
What I’m working on:
This is that crazy moment in time when I’m getting ready to launch SERVED HIM RIGHT, editing my 2027 release (UNTITLED), and writing the novel that will release in 2028! How do I keep all these balls in the air?
Well, of course it’s those golden early morning hours for the creative. Writing or editing first thing, always.
Then, in the afternoons, I attend to the marketing of the book about to hit the shelves. I schedule any interviews, meetings, or even things like writing this newsletter after the real, deep work is done. Because if you start the day with the business of publishing, very little writing will get done. Trust me!
I just finished up copyedits on a new short story coming out this summer called THE SAFE ROOM. It is about a grieving private investigator who is forced to investigate her estranged father’s mysterious death, and finds that her dad’s retirement as a birdwatcher was not what it seemed. More on this soon.
And there’s a very exciting project that will release in the fall. All of my short stories and novellas will be collected in one gorgeous, slipcovered, illustrated, signed PRINT edition! If you have been reading me for a while, you know that most of my short stories are only available in either ebook or audio formats. So, I’m really geeked out about this. This will be a limited edition run, so you’ll want to be the first to place your order. Stay tuned here in the coming months for a link to get your copy.
If I had to pick a favorite show of 2025 — and you know I hate to do that! — this would be it.
What I’m reading and watching:
THE GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore. When a Barbara Van Laar disappears from summer camp, long buried secrets and dark truths come to back to haunt. I’m late to the party on this one. I love a real book, written with care, rich with character and atmosphere, a slow burn into story, something you can really sink your teeth into. This is all of that and more. Smart, engrossing, all too human.
ANTIHERO by Gregg Hurwitz. What can I say? Gregg is my bestie, my co-prez, and truthfully one of my favorite writers. He only gets better with each book and the Orphan X series is just stellar, with gorgeous writing, beautifully drawn characters, breakneck pacing, cool tech, and — vodka. If you’re a fan already, you’ll love it. If you haven’t read — what are you waiting for?
THE AWAKENED BRAIN: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life by Dr. Lisa Miller. Mind blown. I heard Dr. Miller on Martha Beck’s podcast, The Gathering Room, and her wisdom and insights resonated deeply with me. This is on my list of books that have changed the way I see the world, right up there with THE FOUR AGREEMENTS by Miguel Ruiz and A NEW EARTH by Eckhart Tolle. Life changing if you’re ready for it.
PLURIBUS on Apple TV. This was deeply weird. A virus takes over the planet, turning everyone happy and connected (like literally sharing one mind, all knowledge and skills). And one of the only people who finds themselves immune is Carol (Rhea Seehorn), a middle aged, bestselling romantasy author. Created by Vince Gilligan of “Breaking Bad,” this show has all the great writing, character depth, and assured plotting you would expect. I’m still puzzling over some of the elements. This is a thinker’s show — funny, intelligent, observant, and with lots of unsettling commentary about human nature, what we want — and don’t.
THE DAY OF THE JACKAL on Peacock. This is a modern spin on the 1970 Frederick Forsyth thriller THE DAY OF THE JACKAL. Written by Ronan Bennett and starring the magnificently talented actors Eddie Redmayne and Lashanda Lynch, it is a sumptuously shot, gorgeously written, and binge-worthy series that gets in deep to the origin story of a trained killer and the woman hunting him. Screenwriter Ronan Bennett wrote an excellent article for The Guardian about being asked to access this iconic novel and the resulting films and make it fresh. Read it here.
THE BEAST IN ME on Netflix. If I had to pick a favorite show of 2025 — and you know I hate to do that! — this would be it. Brilliantly acted by Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, this series dug in deep to themes that I explore in my novels. How are we complicit in the worse things that happen to us? Where is the line between justice and revenge, or is there one? How do we claw our way back from life-rupturing trauma, or can we? Claire Dane’s enthralling and heartbreaking performance is the gem here, but the show itself is a masterclass in smart, layered, suspense.
I hope your 2026 is off to a roaring start, that your TBR pile is rich and deep, and that you can join me in person at one of my upcoming events.
Of course, let me know when you’ve read SERVED HIM RIGHT and don’t be shy! Please post your reviews and let your friends know if you love it. There’s nothing nicer you can do for an author than to spread the word. Happy reading!