Tag Archives: fiction

Ravenna’s Road is up for pre-order now, coming 7/8/25!

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I’m thrilled to announce that my latest novel, Ravenna’s Road, is set for release by Crossroad Press on July 8, 2025. Meanwhile, it is available for pre-order in all the usual places: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Smashwords, and Google Play.

Here’s a little preview:

In the not-too-distant future, climate change wreaks havoc on agriculture, the economy, public health, and the very fabric of society. Everything is in short supply: food, water, money—and hope.

Convicted of a murder she did not commit, Ravenna opts for a work-based diversion program in place of prison time. She becomes a first responder in Chicago’s toughest and most desperate section. She faces violence, suicides, and danger on every shift.

One day, Ravenna learns the immense personal sacrifice that led to her conviction was in vain. The discovery drives her to take a risky leap. Determined to make a new life for herself one way or the other, she meticulously plans her escape to Mexico, then sets out on the road.

But she encounters far worse obstacles and dangers than she imagined—and there’s no turning back. Her plan in tatters, she has to find a way to reach a safe place to start over.

Will the road be Ravenna’s salvation—or her undoing?

A brief summary of my backlist titles…

Posted by lisavb2012 on

Since I finally finished my most recent work and sent it in to my publisher, I figured I would post a little synopsis of my existing titles. People ask me which one they should start with. Well, they are all independent of each other, so it depends more on the sort of things that interest you. Here goes (in chronological order of publication)!

The Genesis Code. My debut novel. I completed work in this in 2006 (it was first published in 2012)–long before DARPA started testing brain implants on veterans to alter memories and alleviate PTSD, and long before Musk got the idea. So I was there first, folks! This one’s about a mega tech company that decides it would be a good idea to surrepticiously implant brain chips in its employees to boost productivity. Too bad the scientest who developed the chip has other plans, and intends to use those employees as unwitting test subjects for his scheme.

The Janus Legacy. Jeremy Magnusson inherits SomaGene, his father’s successful custom organ cultivation and transplant company. He takes over operations, only to find his father had been secretly developing other sources for transplantable organs. Jeremy faces an enormous ethical dilemma, even more so when his severe Crohn’s Disease forces him to seek a transplant–or die.

Ash and Bone. This one’s a novella. It’s a little tale of a haunted motel in a harbor town–and how it got that way.

Blockbuster. I consider this one a “BigPharma” thriller. A deadly, flesh-eating bacteria is on the loose, the body count is rising. Competition is fierce among BigPharma companies to find the cure–and Denali Labs believes it’s developed a business model to guarantee its success. How far will they go?

Skinshift. This one’s a novella. Dominic Donato’s partners in crime try to cut him out of a deal. They leave him for dead in the Mojave desert, but he manages to survive. And he wants revenge more than anything. He acquires a special power out there in the desert, and plans to use it for revenge–and more.

Broken Chain. I consider this one a “BigAg” thriller. An unprecedented wave of senseless and brutal violence is sweeping the nation, livestock is dying in droves. What is going on? The CDC sends out teams to investigate, and Dr. Kyle Sommers tracks down the cause. Something has gone horribly wrong with the food chain…

Moon Over Ruin. This is also a novella. Peter Watson loses his pregnant wife in a tragic accident. Despondent, he gets on the road to go somewhere, anywhere. He stops for the night in an abandoned old resort on a lake, thinking he has the place to himself. He doesn’t. Will he make it through the night?

Down the Brink. This one is, hands down, the darkest novel I’ve ever written. Zach Winters works in IT for a large for-profit prison company, and learns the very dark secret of how they boost their profits and feed the pipeline. He risks everything to try to put a stop to it…

Incidental Findings. This novel introduces young attorney Nikki Avalon, and her character may eventually be the basis for a series. It’s part legal thriller, part medical thriller. Nikki takes over a major product liability lawsuit against SignalBoss cell phones after the prior attorney mysteriously disappears. The phone appears to be causing serious neurological harm, and Dirk Demerest, owner of SignalBoss, will stop at nothing to kill the lawsuit and conceal the truth.

Scorched Earth. In this one, the largest drought in history has led to the largest wildfires in history. When I wrote it, I thought I was being over the top in having the entire panhandle of Nebraska ablaze. Soon after, there were the huge fires in Australia and California, and my plot didn’t seem so far-fetched anymore. Jake and Lexi try to escape to the west coast with their baby Ava. Will they make it to safety and a better life?

These titles are available in all the usual places: Amazon, Smashwords, Apple, B&N, Google. The Genesis Code and Down the Brink are also available in audiobook format on Amazon. The only exception is Moon Over Ruin–it is solely available on Amazon in ebook and paperback forms.

Thanks for reading!

Lisa

At last! My latest novel submitted!

Posted by lisavb2012 on

There were times I thought it would never happen, but I did recover my momentum and completed my 11th fiction title (I put it that way because two of my books are novellas, not novels).

As I mentioned in a previous post, I started this novel in December 2019. I decided to try “pantsing” this one for a change of pace. I’ve always outlined first. Pantsing just doesn’t give me the path I need to write as productively as I like. And then came the pandemic and everything associated with that. At work, we were thrown back into dealing with a new foreclosure crisis. It was a lot.

Last summer, I decided pantsing was just not working for me, and outlined the rest of the story. That made all the difference. I finally finished the first draft, then the various editing cycles, and finally turned it in to my publisher, Crossroad Press, recently. It still needs the editing/cover art and all that, so I don’t have a launch date at this time. But it feels good to finally have it out of my hands.

It’s called RAVENNA’s ROAD. To give you a little preview, here’s my draft of the back cover copy:

In the not-too-distant future, climate change wreaks havoc on agriculture, the economy, public health, and the very fabric of society. Everything is in short supply: food, water, money—and hope.

Convicted of a murder she did not commit, Ravenna opts for a work-based diversion program in place of prison time. She becomes a first responder in Chicago’s toughest and most desperate section. She faces violence, suicides, and danger on every shift.

One day, Ravenna learns the enormous personal sacrifice that led to her conviction was in vain. The discovery drives her to take a risky leap. Disillusioned at throwing away her life for nothing, she meticulously plans her escape to Mexico, then sets out on the road.

But she encounters far worse obstacles and dangers than she imagined—and there’s no turning back. Her plan in tatters, she has to find a way to reach a safe place to start a new life.

Will the road be Ravenna’s salvation—or her undoing?

(Good heavens, this platform won’t let me do something as simple as indenting it, so I went with bolding.)

Stay tuned for updates!

The Genesis Code was there first…

Posted by lisavb2012 on

So, Mr. Musk has done it. He’s implanted a chip in a human brain. Well, *he* didn’t do it, some robot did. 

My debut novel, The Genesis Code, was originally published in May 2013. And I actually completed the manuscript in 2006. In other words, I beat him to it by a long shot. 

And of course, being one of *my* novels, some things go terribly, terribly wrong in the plot. The implant ends up being a sort of Trojan horse, supposedly doing one relatively benign and useful thing, but in reality doing a hell of a lot more so the inventor can try out some things under the radar. 

The news story this morning: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/other/elon-musks-neuralink-implants-brain-chip-in-first-human/ar-BB1hsnrD

Actually, I thought DARPA had been trying out implants to tackle PTSD for a while now…but still long after The Genesis Code dreamed it up.

Elon Musk has nothing on me…

Posted by lisavb2012 on

So, he’s working on an implantable brain chip, is he?

That idea occurred to me way back in the early 2000s. It fascinated me, so I wrote a short story centered on the concept. Never ended up published–instead, I realized the idea demanded a longer format. So I wrote a novel, finished it up right before I started law school in 2006.

And that novel–The Genesis Code–was first published by DarkFuse in 2013, later re-released by Crossroad Press.

Things don’t turn out so well for the characters in the novel…perhaps Mr. Musk should read my book before he goes too far…

Find it here: The Genesis Code on Amazon

In Honor of Women In Horror Month…

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In honor of February being Women In Horror Month, my publisher, Crossroad Press, is featuring certain titles at special prices–including my debut novel, The Genesis Code.

Click here to check it out! Only $2.99 on Kindle!

Obedience and submission…uploaded directly to the brain…

When Mark Weston is hired by OneMarket, the prestigious and premier supplier of global equity trading systems, owned by international business tycoon Simon Harris, he thinks he’s found his dream job. Great pay, amazing benefits—and sure, the hours are long and the demands on his time are often extreme—but it means financial security for him and his wife Sheila, a new life and a new beginning, a fast track to success with a great company.

But deep within the walls of the enigmatic OneMarket, there is something unthinkable happening that only a select few are aware of, the development of a new kind of invasive technology dubbed THE GENESIS CODE, that could not only expand Simon Harris’ empire, but create a new, more efficient and obedient workforce. Mark and his coworkers have unknowingly become part of a horrifying experiment they may never be able to escape, and time is running out.

A new kind of worker…a new kind of hybrid…a new kind of corporate slave…

The Genesis Code…upload complete.

And I thought I was writing fiction…

Posted by lisavb2012 on

Apparently not.

My newest novel, Scorched Earth, takes a look at what it might be like to live in extreme drought conditions.  What would day-to-day life be like?  The economy?  I envisioned the criminalization of water waste, massive unchecked wildfires large enough to engulf the Nebraska panhandle, and more.  My characters, Jake and Lexi and their baby daughter Ava, are forced to flee their home–fast–when a huge fire takes aim at their town.  They think life will be better in California, and take off through Nevada with a hasty plan.  Let’s just say things don’t go as planned for them…

I started writing this novel back in early 2017, wrapped it up and sent it to my publisher about a year ago.  When I started on the book, big fires were certainly in the news–but nothing like the mega-fires we’re seeing in so many places, and especially in California right now.

I really thought I was writing something a bit over the top, a dystopian near-future novel.  Fiction.  It frightens and saddens me that it isn’t so fictional after all.  My heart goes out to all the people affected and all the firefighters putting their lives on the line.

My 10th title, Scorched Earth, has arrived!

Posted by lisavb2012 on

Well, mostly.  The paperback was released today on Amazon, and the ebook is available for preorder, should be available mid-September.

I’m very excited about this book.  I began working on it in early 2017, wanted to do a climate-change/drought-related thriller this time around.  I had no way to know it would become as topical as it has, with all the horrendous, tragic fires that have taken place in the meantime.

I hope you check it out…and that you have pleasant dreams…or not!

Find it on Amazon

Scorched Earth cover

A question for fellow authors and readers…

Posted by lisavb2012 on
I have a question for my fellow authors and readers. A long time ago (in a prior life), my doctor (at the time) told me that he really loved Pat Conroy’s writing, that the descriptions were so gorgeous. I read Prince of Tides and remember enjoying it. I started The Great Santini the other day and am blown away by the stunning descriptions. Really fantastic. But…
 
When I write, I only write through one character’s POV at a time. I write vivid descriptions, but I have to write them in that character’s voice. I’d love to free myself to write lyrical descriptions as Conroy does, but that would not be true to the voice of my typical characters. He’s obviously writing as the omniscient narrator and describing as he pleases.
 
Fellow authors/readers, what are your thoughts on the matter? What do you prefer to write? What do you prefer to read?

Sponsoring the Seattle Review of Books this week…

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They have a cool setup where you can sponsor their site for a week, and in return they post an excerpt from your book (or announcement of your event) for the week.  Check it out–Chapter 1 of my recent release, Down the Brink, for your reading pleasure:

Seattle Review of Books

Nice little blurb of the book by them:  Read it here