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JB Lynn

Hijinks, Hilarity and Heart

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  • Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman
    • Books 1 - 10
      • 1. Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman
      • 2. Further Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman
      • 3. The Hitwoman Gets Lucky
      • 4. The Hitwoman and the Family Jewels
      • 5. The Hitwoman and the Neurotic Witness
      • 6. The Hitwoman Hunts a Ghost
      • 7. The Hitwoman and the 7 Cops
      • 8. The Hitwoman and the Poisoned Apple
      • 9. The Hitwoman’s Downward Dog
      • 10. The Hitwoman’s Act of Contrition
    • Books 11 - 20
      • 11. The Hitwoman Hires a Manny
      • 12. The Hitwoman and the Sacrificial Lamb
      • 13. The Hitwoman and the Chubby Cherub
      • 14. The Hitwoman and the Mother Load
      • 15. The Hitwoman Under Pressure
      • 16. The Hitwoman Plays Chaperone
      • 17. The Hitwoman Takes a Road Trip
      • 18. The Hitwoman in a Pickle
      • 19. The Hitwoman and the Gold Digger
      • 20. The Hitwoman's Juggling Act
    • Books 21 - 30
      • 21. The Hitwoman and the Fallen Angel
      • 22. The Hitwoman Goes to Prison
      • 23. The Hitwoman and the Exorcism
      • 24. The Hitwoman Plays Games
      • 25. The Hitwoman Owes A Favor
      • 26. The Hitwoman and the Teddy Bear
      • 27. The Hitwoman and the Body
      • 28. The Hitwoman Pays A Debt
      • 29. The Hitwoman Plays Courier
      • 30. The Hitwoman’s Girls’ Night Out
    • Books 31 - 37
      • 31. The Hitwoman’s Getaway
      • 32. The Hitwoman vs The Security Guard
      • 33. The Hitwoman Investigates
      • 34. The Hitwoman Gets Her Man
      • 35. The Hitwoman and the Ninjas
      • 36. The Hitwoman’s Charity Case
      • 37. The Hitwoman’s Egg Hunt
  • A Kiki Long Mystery
    • Oh Shoot!
    • Shoot First, Ask Questions Later
  • Cursed Chicks Club
    • Once Cursed, Twice Shy
    • 2 Spells Too Many
    • 3 Times a Charm
    • Mind Your Own Magical Beesness
    • 4 Wonky Jinxes
  • Psychic Consignment Mystery
    • 1. One Woman's Junk
    • 2. Gently Used, Still Works
    • 3. Another Woman's Treasure
    • 4. Something Old, Something New
  • About
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The pleasure of unexpected detours

November 7, 2019 By JB Lynn Leave a Comment

I LOVE Fall.

While there’s lots to like about living in Sarasota, FL, I really dislike that no leaves change color in autumn. (And it’s still HOT, with temps in the mid to high 80s.)

So last month I went to the mountains of North Carolina to get away from the heat and enjoy nature’s art show.

On the way, I made a totally impulsive stop at a state park in Georgia. It was a beautiful day, I saw the sign, and I decided to make the last-minute detour. (This is the beauty of a solo road trip…I can stop wherever, whenever, and for however long I want to.)  I had no plan. I knew nothing about it and took me thirty minutes out of my way, but I felt compelled to visit.

It was a truly wonderful way to start a vacation. I got to see my first changing leaves, tromp through some fallen ones, and hike a beautiful trail.

I even found a picnic table with a great view to have lunch at!

 

Plus the unexpected stop gave both myself and my traveling companion a much-needed break from the long ride.

 

 

 

Writing as a passion AND a job

September 28, 2019 By JB Lynn Leave a Comment

The other day I took a midmorning break and met a friend at a park (Red Bug Slough if you’ve read One Woman’s Junk) so that we could walk our dogs together.

Toward the end of our visit she asked, “What will you do for the rest of the day?”

And I answered, “I should finish the first draft of Hitwoman 22.” (for the record, I came close, but didn’t finish it until the following morning)

“How do you know?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” I asked, totally confused.

“How do you know you’ll finish it? How do you know when it will end?”

“Because I’m scheduled to do the last few chapters,” I explained.

“You know how it will end?” Her disbelief was evident.

“I don’t start a book until I know how it ends,” I told her. “And I’m scheduled to finish it today.”

I then had to launch into a whole explanation about how writing is my passion, but it’s also my job and I treat MOST of my projects as such. (That said, I’ll freely admit that I’m usually working on one or two “passion” projects that I don’t really expect to ever sell. They’re my “fun” stuff. My reward for doing the work.)

So in case you’re wondering, as of today, I’m currently working on the story edits for the 21st  Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman book, the second Psychic Consignment Mystery and a couple of passion projects. Make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter to keep up-to-date on my new releases.

And check out this great pic my friend took at the park of my tree-climbing dog  🙂

 

 

Solo trips…Pros and Cons

May 24, 2019 By JB Lynn Leave a Comment

I’ve given up on having someone to travel with,  so this writing retreat was my second solo trip…though this one wasn’t technically solo, since I brought my dog.
A lot of women have told me they’d never be “brave enough” to travel alone. I tell them to connect with their inner badass and give it a try!
The big plus to traveling solo is that I get to do exactly what I want, when I want. My schedule, my interests, all the time.
So for example, I loved this view and spent a good ten minutes just standing and staring at it. It’s not exciting and isn’t on any “must see” list. I just liked it.
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The big minuses to traveling solo are safety concerns.
Taking a road trip alone with a dog provides some logistical hurdles…like I had to leave her alone in the car while I ran into places to use the restroom.
Then there are just the safety issues of being a woman traveling alone.
But by far, the most frustrating problem I faced was on the hiking trails.  I like to go off the beaten path, but that’s not the smartest idea for ANYONE hiking alone.
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If you sprain an ankle or take a tumble when you’re alone, it’s a lot easier to get back to your car if you have the help of a hiking partner.
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Plus, if something did happen, no one would miss me for days. (Especially when you consider a lot of the time I didn’t have a cell signal.)
I didn’t let this stop me, but I did move slower and more deliberately.  (And I’ll be honest, things were more complicated with the dog. More than once I ended up in a stream because I lost my balance as she tugged on the leash.)
I avoided some spots altogether if I determined the footing looked too unsafe.
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Obviously I survived, and you can too!!

My writing retreat wasn't perfect

May 23, 2019 By JB Lynn Leave a Comment

Overall, I had a great time on my writing retreat.  I managed to relax AND get a lot  of writing done on not one, but two novels…and a screenplay.
I accomplished my major goals for the two-week period. I received some major signs and confirmations from the Universe.
I can’t wait to do it again.
BUT…it wasn’t perfect.
I’m not telling you this because I’m complaining. I’m sharing what went wrong because I hate when people only share the “positives”.  It paints an unrealistic picture that some people live perfect lives and I don’t want to do that.
I don’t love traveling by myself. I do it because I hate staying home even more, but in a “perfect” world, I’d have someone to go with; a significant other or a friend.  But that wasn’t to be. ((shrug))
For the Georgia part of my stay, the RV I was staying in wasn’t balanced correctly, so I battled motion sickness the whole time. (Luckily, because I tend to over-prepare, I’d brought Dramamine with me, but that makes me groggy.)
And I set off the carbon monoxide detector in the middle of the night because I’d turned off the roaring fan that was giving me a headache.
And there was a tornado watch.
For the most part it was windy, wet and gloomy while I was there.
As for my North Carolina stay in the tiny house….
The toilet didn’t flush on the day I arrived.
The woman who owned the place sent her adult son over to plunge it.  He complained that his girlfriend was sick. I took “sick” to mean “strung out” since he was pretty obviously needing a fix.
Yeah, that was kind of alarming.
He went to get a “better” plunger from a house fifty yards away and didn’t return for another two hours.  Even then it wasn’t fixed. I had to deal with two plumbers in the space the next day (remember it was a TINY house) but eventually it was fixed.
Also, the outdoor seating area was infested with carpenter bees.  I don’t have much fear of carpenter bees, but they’re big and loud and they scared the dog on a regular basis.
Then we had a couple days of torrential rainfall. (I heard locals say they’d never seen such heavy rain before.)  Not a big deal.
EXCEPT….there were only two places to sit in the tiny house, the wooden chair and the bed. Two days of shifting from one uncomfortable seat to another to write bothered my back.
Plus, the rain triggered an invasion of ants. Which in turn meant I had an exterminator in the space a couple of days later. No big deal, but a little annoying.
And then there was the incident with the bear.
I was out hiking with the dog, on a section of path with precarious footing, when all of the sudden this big ball of black fur came barreling toward us through the trees.
I pretty much had a heart attack.
Again, I don’t have a big fear of black bears, having encountered quite a few over the years when I lived in NJ. I know that normally making noise and waving my arms will keep them away. But since it was springtime, I was afraid it was a momma bear defending her cubs.  (Plus, my dog has never encountered a bear before and I wasn’t sure how she would behave.)
It wasn’t until it was just a few feet away that I realized it wasn’t a bear.  It was a Newfoundland dog.  Now, I love Newfies, but if you’ve never seen one, you have to understand that they’re BIG dogs. They’re about four feet tall and weigh at least 150 pounds. And when they’re running at you through thick vegetation, they totally pass for bears!
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So if you ever see me use one in the CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN series, you’ll know that this scare was where I got the inspiration!
Like I said, overall I had a great time. A good part of that was due to my attitude. I was determined to make the best of it.  But that doesn’t mean it was perfect.

Art Break!

May 22, 2019 By JB Lynn Leave a Comment

I had three things I was intent on doing during my writing retreat.

  1. Writing all the words — On any given day I worked on at least two, sometimes four, different projects
  2. Meditating — I’ve talked about it before, but meditation is a big part of my daily routine.
  3. Spending time in nature — The hiking trails around Asheville are amazing.

 
BUT….I did take a break on a couple of days to refill my creative well but visiting the Asheville Arts District.  So much fun (and dog friendly too, so I exposed Smudge to some culture…not that I think she appreciated it, lol).
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My favorite shop there was the GREAT COSMIC HAPPY ASS CARD COMPANY.
I mean who wouldn’t love a store with a name like that and products like these?!?!
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I walk alone

May 10, 2019 By JB Lynn Leave a Comment

One of the reasons I chose to go to North Carolina in mid-April was that I miss Spring.
There are some really great things about living in southwestern Florida, but one of the negatives is that we don’t really have a a change of seasons. I wanted that, so I went out and found it for myself.
I spent a good deal of time on my writing retreat on hiking trails.
I realize that could sound counter-intuitive to getting writing done, but it’s actually a huge help. Being out in nature always fuels my creativity and helps me come up with new ideas.
The act of walking tends to help me sort through the jumble of ideas I’ve got tangled up in my head.
When I was walking with Donna of Girl Who Reads we came across this:
 
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I must admit that I didn’t follow its advice. I hiked for miles alone. (Well, the dog was with me, but she’s no Lassie….if I fell and needed help, she wasn’t going to go find Timmy for me.)
Because I’d seen that sign, I did find myself humming Green Day’s “I walk alone” on a pretty continuous loop.
So if you see a character named Greenday in one of my future works, you’ll know where it came from….  😉

Lunch with a Book Blogger

May 6, 2019 By JB Lynn Leave a Comment

I stopped in Georgia on my way to my writing retreat for a very special reason.
I REALLY wanted to meet Donna, who runs the fabulous GIRL WHO READS book blog.
Donna was one of the first reviewers to write a review of my first book, THE FIRST VICTIM back in 2011 and she’s reviewed every one of my books since.
Thankfully, considering there was a storm, including a tornado watch (gulp!) Donna was super flexible about meeting with me. We met at a park, so that I could bring my dog, Smudge along, after the storm broke.
Donna made us a delicious picnic lunch and we just had the best time, talking and walking and laughing for hours. She’s smart, charming and so much fun! image1-43
 

Writing retreat research

May 3, 2019 By JB Lynn 1 Comment

On my way to my North Carolina writing retreat I stopped off just outside of Athens, Georgia.
Since this was my first road trip with my dog, and I wasn’t sure how she’d do spending so much time in the car, I decided to spend two nights here to break up the trip.
But because I’m a bit on the quirky side, I decided to satisfy my long-standing curiosity about RV/Campers and stay in one. I really want to set a series based on an RV trip. I even planted the seeds for it in THE HITWOMAN TAKES A ROAD TRIP.
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I decided I could justify my stay as “research”.
Plus, I wanted to get a feel for whether I want to rent one next year and take myself on a cross-country adventure. I figured two nights of dealing with the small space would give me an idea how I felt about it.
This one was parked on a small farm.
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I’d like to say I loved the experience, but I had mixed feelings. It wasn’t the limited space that was a problem for me; it was the movement (even though it was parked the whole time).
Maybe it was because it was fairly windy (there was even a tornado watch for a few hours) but I ended up with motion sickness.
Then, because I was feeling so sick, I turned off the ROARING fan in the hopes I could get some sleep.  I did for a few hours until the carbon monoxide detector alarm went off at 3:18 a.m. waking me and scaring the dog, who then started barking her head off.
I guess that even with the windows cracked, you shouldn’t turn off the fan. Who knew?
 
 

Deciding to go on a writing retreat

May 1, 2019 By JB Lynn Leave a Comment

I’m a full-time novelist so it may sound strange to say that I decided to go on a writing retreat. But I did and it was totally worth it. This month I’ll be talking all about it!
Why go on a writing retreat?
I wanted to do something different to shake up my writing routine.  I had a project to finish, another I wanted to get started, and a fun, passion project I wanted to play with.
Also, I miss Spring. While there’s a lot to love about living in southwest Florida, one of the things I miss, being a NJ transplant, is the change of seasons.
I also wanted a change of topography. It’s soooo flat around here. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that the average elevation in Sarasota is 16 feet. That’s not a typo, SIXTEEN!
So I decided to go to the Asheville, North Carolina area in mid-April. Spring! Mountains! No neighbors to get stuck talking to!
I made my plans in January, got the “business side” of my writing world squared away so I only had to focus on the creative end, packed my car, buckled in my dog, and took off.
But before we got to Asheville, we stopped in Georgia because there was something I wanted to try and someone I really wanted to meet!
I’ll tell you about those soon, but let me share the good omen that greeted me in Georgia.
When I was a kid, my favorite book was HORSE OF TWO COLORS so this scene made me happy.
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