JB Lynn

Hijinks, Hilarity and Heart

cursed chicks

Closing in on The End

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I’ve posted through Chapter 36 of 1 FLEW OVER THE RAVEN’S NEST, the first of my Cursed Chicks series and it will end with Chapter 44. 

I’ve enjoyed writing this story and sharing it. (Plus, it’s been fun to see the comments and to know others are enjoying the ride.)

You may think your mother-in-law is a witch, but RV’s really was.

And now there’s a very real chance she’ll be haunted by Mildred Bloodworth for eternity.

The only way to free herself from the curse that binds them, is for RV to make amends for Millie’s misdeeds.

Accompanied by a possessed Siamese cat, RV embarks, in her mother-in-law’s pink camper van, on a journey to right wrongs. But plans, like spells, can backfire.

RV drives right into a crime scene and quickly becomes the chief suspect in a mysterious murder.

Determined to prove her innocence, RV investigates with the help of a lucky penny, a wise owl, a reclusive turtle, and a magician whose agenda is unknown.

So what’s next for me? 

I’ll be publishing the next CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN book and I’ve got two more books featuring RV mapped out to write (okay, don’t tell anyone, but I’ve already started working on book 2!).

I’m also spending a little time each day working on a passion project. It’s a much darker book than my Hitwoman, Cursed Chicks, or Psychic Consignment Mysteries (btw, the first book in that series is currently free!). I don’t know whether I’ll ever publish it, but it’s a good outlet for my dark moods, lol.

I’m also spending time watching birds and developing my photography hobby. I just got a tripod and am hopeful this will help me get better shots.

Serendipity? Frogs

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Imagine my amusement when, in the midst of writing Chapter 33 of 1 Flew Over the Raven’s Nest and specifically the line, “I’m a member of the Froggy Friends Society you know”, my dear friend Laura Green Lageson sent me this shot:

Who wouldn’t want to be his friend???

What amazing timing! We both got a chuckle out of it. I’m lucky to have a talented friend who sends me tons of her nature pictures AND is one of my favorite people to laugh with.

Are you caught up with reading 1 Flew Over the Raven’s Nest? Do you know which character is a Froggy Friend?

You may think your mother-in-law is a witch, but RV’s really was.

And now there’s a very real chance she’ll be haunted by Mildred Bloodworth for eternity.

The only way to free herself from the curse that binds them, is for RV to make amends for Millie’s misdeeds.

Accompanied by a possessed Siamese cat, RV embarks, in her mother-in-law’s pink camper van, on a journey to right wrongs. But plans, like spells, can backfire.

RV drives right into a crime scene and quickly becomes the chief suspect in a mysterious murder.

Determined to prove her innocence, RV investigates with the help of a lucky penny, a wise owl, a reclusive turtle, and a magician whose agenda is unknown.

Grateful for woodstorks

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Yesterday was a lousy day, full of sickness (not mine) and death (again, not mine) but it ended on a better note. I went bird hunting!

It had rained early in the evening, so I grabbed my camera and went to an area where I know birds congregate and was thrilled to come across this:

They’re all big birds..not an egret among them.

My favorite Florida bird is the wood stork and there were a bunch of them. It was so cool to watch them forage for food.

It was just what I needed as a reminder that life goes on and there are still things to admire in this world.

It gave me the Benevolent Boost (haha, that’s a Cursed Chicks joke) I needed to finish my work for the day.

What are YOU feeling grateful for?

The Cursed Chicks experiment

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Yesterday I posted Chapter 26 of 1 Flew Over the Raven’s Nest.

This is proving to be an interesting experiment. To give something back to readers during the isolation of the pandemic, I began posting chapters (as I write them) of the first book in my new Cursed Chicks series. It’s fun…but it’s also frightening. It’s strange to try know I won’t have the opportunity to go back and fix things and that’s led to me working fairly slowly on it. (That and the fact I’m trying to fix the next book in my Hitwoman series.)

But it’s been cool to get all the positive feedback from readers as I write.

And for those that aren’t reading along, YES, it will be released in book form when it’s done. (But no, I don’t know when that will be yet.)

If you haven’t started it yet, here’s what the story is about:

You may think your mother-in-law is a witch, but RV’s really was.

And now there’s a very real chance she’ll be haunted by Mildred Bloodworth for eternity.

The only way to free herself from the curse that binds them, is for RV to make amends for Millie’s misdeeds.

Accompanied by a possessed Siamese cat, RV embarks, in her mother-in-law’s pink camper van, on a journey to right wrongs. But plans, like spells, can backfire.

RV drives right into a crime scene and quickly becomes the chief suspect in a mysterious murder.

Determined to prove her innocence, RV investigates with the help of a lucky penny, a wise owl, a reclusive turtle, and a magician whose agenda is unknown.

Finding a silver lining

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Is anyone else sick of this “new normal”?

I’ve been having soooo much trouble writing. More hours, less words, even less words that I’m actually happy with. The delete key is my best friend lately.

(That said, I’m loving writing ONE FLEW OVER THE RAVEN’S NEST the first book in my Cursed Chicks series. Currently I’m posting the chapters as I write them, so check it out.)

But I’m struggling with Hitwoman 24 and I’m not making as much progress on my passion project as I’d like to be.

I think that part of the reason is that there’s a distinct lack of stimulation coming in (staying home, not seeing anything or anyone different) and that’s making my output sputter.

The silver lining of all this is that I’ve spent more time on getting into photography and I’ve been enjoying that. (I’d enjoy it more if I ever did it more than a mile away from home, lol.) Still, I’m having fun with it!

What are the silver linings YOU’VE found in all this?

The Cursed Chicks experiment

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I’ve been posting chapters of ONE FLEW OVER THE RAVEN’S NEST (the first in my new Cursed Chicks series) as I write them. Well, technically it’s not AS I write them. I write them, send them to an absolutely wonderful reader to point out any typos she spots, clean them up and THEN post them.

I decided to do this as my way of helping those contending with the Covid-19 debacle. (I can’t tell you how much the comments and notes I’ve received from readers have meant to me. I’m so glad that my silly little story has offered you a few minutes to escape from reality.)

This has been an interesting experiment on a couple of fronts. First, it feels like flying without a net. If I make a mistake story-wise I can’t go back and fix it in edits. My poor choices are already out there. No take-backs!

Second, this book was scheduled to come out AFTER the release of THE HITWOMAN AND THE EXORCISM which will be out on May 28th. RV, the main character in Raven’s Nest plays a major role in the Hitwoman book and I keep writing things that reference that role…but then I have to delete them because I’m trying to avoid spoilers.

Third, there’s a lot of pressure to crank out these chapters. But they’re not the only thing I’m working on. In addition to the prep work for the release of Exoricism, I’m writing Hitwoman 25 (and another passion project) not to mention all of the other things that go into being self-employed. Plus, just like everyone else, there are days when I get overwhelmed by our virus-ridden new world. According to my Fitbit, I haven’t had a night of “GOOD” sleep since March 7th…and that seems pretty accurate. Hmmmm…maybe I should write a new story about a character who goes to ridiculous extremes to get a decent night’s sleep. What do you think?

Maggie Lee will do anything to protect her family…including participating in an exorcism.

When her niece is threatened by an evil spirit, Maggie and her menagerie (with the help of friends Armani and RV) must find a missing skull and rob a graveyard. As if that isn’t enough, they must also go on a quest to collect a list of magical ingredients (including pumpkin spice coffee, because everyone knows that’s some magical stuff right there). 

God is being snarkier than usual, as Maggie also contends with the demands of a mob boss, the fallout of a killing, and an offer of a job that could be her most dangerous yet.

Will she figure out a way to exorcise the evil spirit to save her beloved niece Katie or will the cursed cloud Maggie’s always lived under finally get the best of her?

Have you preordered your copy yet?

Death Smurf!!!!

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This is Death Smurf.

Note his killer scythe and the fact he’s carrying Smurfette’s scalp.

Now I know some will try to convince me that this is Farmer Smurf and he’s carrying a sheaf of wheat or something, but you’re wrong. This is Death Smurf and you will never convince me otherwise. Have you ever looked in his eyes and seen the crazy evil there????

But don’t worry, Death Smurf is not out in the world. I keep him in my terrarium.

And yes, if you think you see a pair of smooching dinosaurs in the background, they’re in there too.

But don’t worry, I make Death Smurf maintain social distance from Tyrone and Rex…cuz you know, extinction and all.

And if you wonder why I write about a hitwoman with a heart of gold who talks to animals, psychic sisters who inherit a consignment shop and a woman who is being haunted by her witchy ex-mother-in-law….it’s because I’ve got Death Smurf smirking at me.

Tour of my writing desk

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I’m always rearranging my desk. Here’s the current view:

Yes, I do have three plants, three light sources (candle, salt lamp, regular lamp) and two drinks (water and coffee). I don’t know if this shows my priorities or my obsessions, lol.

The basket holds my pens, notes, and work tracker book. The salt lamp and palm are pretty self-explanatory and that’s a ginger-peach candle.

A terrarium (more on that in a couple of days) and a fern get the center space to make sure they get enough light.

There’s magic in that there little bowl. Seriously….my inspiration talismans for the Cursed Chicks series are in there. And RV’s a badass so I keep the button on the lamp handy for those moments when I need to hit it.

I’d LOVE to show you what’s in the magic bowl but then I’d have to have Maggie from the Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman series do you some serious harm, (Have I mentioned that book 23, THE HITWOMAN and the EXORCISM is available for preorder?)

Water and coffee are always on hand. My rule for myself is that every time I want to refill my coffee mug, I have to drink 10 ounces of water (the bottle holds 32).

So that’s the view of my writing desk this week, where I’m currently working on Hitwoman 24, One Flew Over the Raven’s Nest, and a passion project.