Romantic Times Magazine
Small-town feuds and buried secrets are vividly portrayed in this gripping tale. When it comes to providing gritty and sexy stories, Ms. Jackson certainly knows how to deliver.

Reader to Reader Reviews
Ms. Jackson has written a terrific tale that will garner her many new readers.

Sharon Galligar Chance, Times Record News, Wichita Falls, TX
Lisa Jackson presents a spine-tingling suspense adventure in her latest release, UNSPOKEN. Carefully constructed, tension-packed scenes will leave readers sitting on the edge of their seats, anxiously anticipating the outcome of this incredible tale . . . UNSPOKEN is thrilling.

From the Back Cover
When secrets are revealed and lies are exposed, anything can happen . . . even murder. Shelby Cole thought she'd put Bad Luck behind her. Bad Luck, Texas, that is. She left her hometown ten years ago, her world shattered and her illegitimate baby dead. Now she's receiving anonymous letters claiming that her daughter is alive. But going home means demanding answers that her father won't be happy to give and facing Nevada Smith, the man who broke her heart. But Shelby's not the only person returning to Bad Luck. Falsely accused of murder and sent to prison for ten years, Ross McCallum is coming home to settle the score, especially with Shelby and Nevada. Shelby's search for the truth boils over into violence as a lethal web of secrets threatens everything she believes about the man she loves and even her very own life. AUTHOR BIO: Huckleberry Finn Childhood Fuels Lisa Jackson's Novel Success When asked what has inspired her to write more than 50 novels brimming with adventure, intrigue, hot passion and high emotion, best-selling Oregon author Lisa Jackson gets a mischievous smile on her face. Then the words flow as fast as her fingers fly on her computer keyboard when she writes. Her eyes sparkling with memories, she tells stories of her youth, stories of a Huckleberry Finn childhood in the small lumber town of Molalla and on her grandparents' nearby farm in the hilly region of western Oregon. There in the old growth timber, Jackson rode bareback and raced along the ages-old sheep, cattle and deer trails. In the nearby river, she skinny-dipped and caught crawdads in her bare hands. An inventive child, she sneaked out of the house and rode her bicycle or horse in the moonlight and dreamed up childish pranks that would have done Tom Sawyer proud. "Nobody could have had a better childhood," Jackson remarks, her twinkling eyes and got- away-with-something grin giving her a youthful appearance that defies the fact she is in her mid- forties and the mother of two college-age sons. "My childhood was enchanted. We were a small, tightly knit family. My mom and dad were and still are my greatest supporters." Why then does Jackson write lousy dads and conniving relatives into the plots of books that regularly earn berths on such national bestseller lists as USA Today's and Waldenbooks'? "I think the most intense angst people can experience is what can develop among family members, because our emotions run so deep there," Jackson replied. "Deep down, we care about these people, but being related doesn't mean we think alike or want the same things. I also think manipulative people are fascinating. Characters like that help me keep the readers' interest. I love it when readers write me to complain that they didn't get any sleep the night before because they had to finish my book." For her ability to write such reader-pleasing page turners, Jackson is sought after by publishers, currently writing for three. In style and career path, she has been compared to author Sandra Brown. Like the mega-New York Times bestselling author, Jackson built her reading audience in the romance genre. Like Brown, she went on to write bigger books splashed across a broad literary canvass that appeal to men as well as to women. As in Brown's newer novels, a romantic relationship is at the core of Jackson's stories, but there's a lot more going on, even in her shorter genre romance novels. In both authors' books, the reader encounters bold, strong heroines who inspire them to take charge of their own lives. The characters' gutsy nature brings to mind the indefatigable Jackson herself. Jackson studied English literature at Oregon State University for two years before she married. In 1981, when her younger son was a year old, she began writing novels. But she decided she needed a steady income and, drawing on her experience in the banking field, applied for and landed a $9/hour bank job. "Before I could begin work, the woman who would have been my supervisor was arrested for embezzling, and that was the end of my job." Jackson recalls. "I wasn't too disappointed, because about then I sold my first book, A TWIST OF FATE, and my author career took off. In one of life's little ironies, though, the plot of that first book revolved around a woman suspected of bank embezzling." Since that first sale, Jackson has written enough novels to fill a bookcase. Drawing on her small-town upbringing, she writes contemporary novels that are more often than not set in rural areas, like her hometown in Oregon. Texas is the setting for UNSPOKEN, her November 1999 novel for Zebra Books. UNSPOKEN is the climax of Zebra's four-month Lisa Jackson promotion of four re-releases and one original title. Jackson also writes medieval romances set in 11th and 12th century Wales, such as DARK EMERALD (Topaz Books, March 1999). "The main thrust of my writing career is the contemporary novels, but I enjoy doing these period pieces," said Jackson, who earlier wrote as Susan Lynn Crose. "Women were so trod upon in medieval days. By nature of women's lot in life then, I can generate sympathy for the medieval heroines. They're underdogs from the get go! Tell me what woman doesn't root for the underdog!" To promote her five fall 1999 Zebra titles, the gregarious author will tour Washington, Oregon, California, Texas, Illinois, Oklahoma and several other states. Recently divorced, Jackson is being booked to speak for singles' clubs, with her tongue-in-cheek insights into dating, including "Lisa Jackson's Dating Tips for the New Millennium: Hero or Zero?" Jackson's 1999 publishing schedule is impressive. In addition to the five Zebra titles, a Lisa Jackson medieval, a category romance and a selection in a Christmas anthology will be published. When not writing, Jackson enjoys spectator sports, reading, watching "The X-Files" and socializing now that she's a single mom. Her favorite authors include Pat Conroy, Nelson DeMille, Stephen King, Patricia Cornwell, Dick Francis and other authors who also write compelling page turners.

Excerpted from Unspoken by Lisa Jackson. Copyright © 1999. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
A condensed excerpt from UNSPOKEN by Lisa Jackson Nothing seemed to change in Bad Luck, Texas, Shelby decided as she opened the French doors and stepped onto the tile verandah that overlooked the pool. Fans mounted in the ceiling of the porch swirled the air lazily, and shade from the live oaks and pecan trees eased some of the summer heat that rose from the terra cotta that skirted the pool and reflected in sharp rays off the shimmering blue water. Her father was seated at a small table. Dressed in a black suit and white shirt, a black Stetson on the table, his cane with its carved ivory handle lying across his lap, he was deep in conversation with two of his yes-men. At the sound of the door closing behind her, they looked up. "Shelby!" She ached inside when she saw the pure joy that lit her father's face. God, he'd aged. His face had become jowly with the years, his red hair had faded and grayed, but he was still an imposing man. As he pulled himself to his full height, she remembered how intimidating he'd been on the bench. "My God, girl, it's good to see you." He opened his arms wide, but Shelby held her ground and stood away from him. "We need to talk." "What the hell are you doin' here, darlin'?" Disappointment clouded his blue eyes, and a part of her wanted to run to him and throw her arms around his neck and say Oh, Daddy, I've missed you. But she didn't. Instead, she stiffened her spine. She was no longer a little girl. "Alone, Judge. We need to talk alone." The men, dismissed by a nod from their boss, kicked out their chairs and walked stiffly around the back of the house and through a gate. In the ensuing stillness, Shelby didn't waste any time. She reached into her briefcase, pulled out a manila envelope and spilled its contents onto the glass-topped table. The black-and-white photo of a girl of nine or ten stared up at them, and the Judge sucked in his breath as he slowly sat down again. Shelby noticed that his wedding band had cut a groove in the ring finger of his left hand, a ring that hadn't been removed in over thirty years, and on his right, he sported a flashy diamond that most Hollywood brides would envy. Shelby leaned over the table. "This is my daughter," she said, her insides quaking, her voice unsteady. "Your granddaughter." She looked for any sign of recognition in the old man's face. There was none. "She looks just like me. Just like Mom." The judge glanced at the photo. "There's a resemblance." "No resemblance, Judge. She's a dead ringer. And here" she edged a piece of paper from beneath the photograph "this is a copy of her birth certificate. And this . . . the death notice of her as a baby. Read it Elizabeth Jasmine Cole. She was supposed to have died of complications, heart problems right after birth. You told me she hadn't made it. That those ashes I spread in the hills . . . oh, God, whose were they? You lied to me, Dad. Why?" "I didn't " "Don't! Just don't!" She held both her palms outward, in his face, and stepped back. Beneath her skin, her muscles were quivering in rage. "Someone, and I don't know who, sent me all this. I got it yesterday, and so I came back here to clear it up. Where's my daughter, Dad?" she demanded through teeth that were clenched so hard her jaw ached. "What the hell did you do with her?" "Now, darlin' " "Stop it! Don't call me darlin' or sweetie or any of those cute little names, okay? I'm all grown up now, in case you hadn't noticed, and you can't smooth-talk your way out of this. I only came back here to find my child, Judge my daughter." She thumped her chest with her thumb. "Yours and who else's?" he asked, his smile having disappeared and the old, hard edge she remembered coming back to his voice. "That that doesn't matter." "Doesn't it?" The judge frowned, his eyes narrowing behind wire-rimmed reading glasses. "Odd, don't you think? You get proof that you've got a kid during the same week that Ross McCallum is going to be released from prison." "What?" Her knees nearly buckled. McCallum couldn't be given his freedom. Not yet. Not ever. Fear congealed her blood. She was suddenly hot and cold all at once. "So you didn't know?" The judge settled back in his chair and played with the ivory handle of his cane. He looked up at her over the tops of his glasses. "Ross is gonna be a free man. Oh . . . and Nevada Smith, he's still around." Her stupid heart skipped a beat, but she managed to keep her face bland, her expression cool. Nevada was out of her life. Had been for a long, long time. Nothing would change that. Ever. "No one knows how he'll handle Ross's freedom," the judge went on, "but the word is that there is certainly gonna be hell to pay." He bit his lower lip and scowled thoughtfully. "And now someone sends you bait a little chum in the water to lure you back to a town you've sworn you'd never return to. Someone's playin' you for a fool, Shelby . . . and it ain't me." For once she believed him. She'd flown back here on a cloud of self-righteous nobility and determination to find her child. That hadn't changed. But now she felt manipulated, and yes, as her father had said, played for a fool. Unwittingly, she'd stepped into a carefully laid trap set by an unknown individual with purposes of his own. Well, tough! She'd find a way to get herself out of this damned snare. Come hell or high water, she'd leave Bad Luck, Texas, behind her once and for all. And this time, by God, she'd take her daughter with her.