In touch with young fans

KELSO, Mo. -- About 30 fifth- through eighth-grade students in the gym at St. Augustine School Monday were star-struck to see the author of their favorite adventure book series at their school.

"I've read all her books, and I keep bugging her to write another," said sixth-grader Geanny Bradshaw.

Geanny can bug Lisa Hendrix Simmons because the author is a longtime area resident. Simmons lives in Cape Girardeau with her husband and three children, for whom she wrote the original story because they were bored with the books in their age group.

Simmons' main character, Kip MacAllister, is a tough, chic bodyguard who encounters dangerous situations on the job but still finds time for romance on the side. In the four-part series, Kip takes a lesson from her creator, a martial artist for more than 20 years, and teaches self-protection classes to women and children in the area.

Students asked Simmons how many drafts are required to write a book and how she gets ideas. She said she never leaves the house without her journal.

They also asked to see some martial arts moves, an invitation she declined.

The books are self-published through iUniverse, an online book publishing company, and have gained popularity in schools across Southeast Missouri because Simmons' daughters passed them on to friends. Her first book, "Kip MacAllister: Close Cover," was published in 2001.

"I'm in the 'wow, cool' mode," Simmons said of her books' success. "I think I'd fall down on the floor if someone asked me for my autograph."

She managed to remain standing when several fans lingered after the question-and-answer session to get her autograph.

The series has been exceptionally popular at the school. Students at St. Augustine became interested in them after one of their classmates, the daughter of one of the author's friends, began reading them. Two more sets have been ordered in an attempt to cut down the library's waiting list for the books it already has.

Eager fans can expect a new addition to the MacAllister series in the fall. The books can be purchased at www.iuniverse.com/bookstore.

cpierce@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127