JB Lynn

Hijinks, Hilarity and Heart

what I love

The pleasure of unexpected detours

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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.

 

 

 

A new release means it’s time for a….

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Writers can be a superstitious lot and I’m no different.

Tomorrow morning I’ll be running out to the nearest Panera Bread to pick up a spinach and artichoke soufflé.

Why? Because that’s my release day ritual for the Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman series and book 21 THE HITWOMAN AND THE FALLEN ANGEL will be out.

I eat a soufflé from Panera because years ago I was eating one when my dear friend, Cyndi said, “You should write with that voice” because I’d said something snarky. Now it’s my equivalent of a baseball player wearing lucky socks.

I’ve enjoyed writing each and every adventure. There are moments when I laugh, others when I cry, and I’m constantly surprised by the twists and turns Maggie’s life has taken.

Most of all, I’m grateful to the readers who’ve gone on this wild ride with me. Thank you!!

 

!Cover of The Hitwoman and the Fallen Angel by JB Lynn

 

Even a good man makes mistakes…

In Maggie Lee’s topsy-turvy world, Angel Delveccio is one of the good guys, but now it seems he’s gotten himself into some trouble. Can she get him out of it?

It’s not like she doesn’t have enough problems of her own. She’s struggling to pacify both the people and pets of her household — all of whom aren’t shy about voicing their litany of complaints and demands about their new home.

Stretched thin, Maggie attempts to broker familial peace while simultaneously contending with an external threat that revolves around a human skull.

And let’s not forget that a certain mobster has tasked her with keeping his nephew out of hot water.

Can Maggie protect Angel while keeping her family safe and together, or will someone be lost?

 

When you work from home

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Tell people you work from home and they inevitably have one of two reactions.

  1. Aren’t you lucky?!?!
  2. I could never do that. I don’t have that kind of discipline.

They’re both pretty accurate assessments.

Yes, I AM lucky.  I pretty much get to set my own work schedule. (Except for those pesky deadline times when I’ve inevitably estimated incorrectly how long something is going to take me OR I’ve come up with a new, “brilliant” idea that I must incorporate into a work that was all but finished.) I’ve got no commute. Not only can I light as many candles as I want, I can  refill my coffee as much as I desire without being judged. Not to mention, it’s perfectly acceptable, and way more comfortable, to not have to wear a bra or pants. 😉

If you follow my instagram, you know that I’m big on getting outside in the middle of the day (in the morning and evening too, lol) and my work set-up allows me to do that AND get to the beach to watch the sunset.  So yes, I am really, really lucky.

But what you won’t see is that I offset my daily distractions and diversions by working strange hours. If I go to watch the sunset, I’ll most likely come home and work until ten or eleven at night. Or like today, I had a friend over for brunch and am just sitting down to work at three on a Sunday afternoon because I’m trying to finish a project before Wednesday.  That takes some discipline. Some people can do it. Some people can’t.

It’s perfectly okay to know what you are capable of…and not.

Working from home is not for everyone. Neither is working for yourself, but that’s a whole other topic for another day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6 things people said to me today

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This is a random post, but all of these comments amused or touched me today.

Little girl studying my purple hair: “Red and blue make purple. Does that mean you’re mad and sad?”

Friend 1: “I’m nominating you for the Pain in the Ass of the Day Award.”

Hours later from Friend 2: “You are worth waiting and fighting for.”

Neighbor 1: “Your best kept secret is that you’re actually a really nice person.”

Hours later from Neighbor 2: “I heard you’re the enforcer.”

My amazing VA: “You’re such an outdoorsy person.”

Did anyone say anything interesting to YOU today?

What makes a good day?

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There’s a lot to like about living in Florida, but the brutal summer heat isn’t one of them.

The heat index was over 100 degrees multiple days this first official week of summer, so basically if you hear someone calling weakly, “I’m melting” there’s a good chance it’s me.

But it rained last night for hours and knocked the temperature down, which meant that this morning’s walk was comfortable and it’s still cool enough that I’m able to sit outside while I do some work.

Considering that spending time outside is a high priority for me, this makes today a good day.
It doesn’t take much to make a day a “good” day for me.

Yesterday was a good day too because I had a sense of accomplishment after spending a significant part of the day and most of the night (until bedtime) working on story edits for ONE WOMAN’S JUNK.  The edits aren’t anywhere near done, but I felt like I made significant progress and I’m no longer in the “I’ll never be able to fix this” mindset that I had been battling.
(It probably helped that I wore ridiculous pants….one can’t take oneself too seriously if you’re wearing something like this.)

I’ve earned a day off from the edits, so today my creative focus will just be on writing. I’m excited to dive back into the 21st Hitwoman book, which I’ve been working on pretty steadily (more progress!).

I’ll also spend some time on the screenplay which is my “pure fun” writing project.
So those are three things that make a day “good” for me: time spent outdoors, progress, and creative work.

What sort of things make a good day for YOU?

New month, new book, new series

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Last month I focused on telling you about my writing retreat. This month, I’m going to tell you about the new series I’m working on.
This new series has been in the works for a couple of years.
Yes, you read that right. YEARS.
I initially conceived of it in 2016, but it didn’t “feel right” at the time. It took me quite a while to figure out exactly what I wanted it to be about. Then it took a while to develop the characters. Finally I got to the point where I plotted out the arc of the three book series. (I’ve sketched out another three books, but there’s no guarantee I’ll ever write those.)
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So now I’m working on ONE WOMAN’S JUNK which is Book 1 in the Psychic Consignment Mystery series.
Stay tuned this month and I’ll tell you about the new method of writing I’m trying out as I write this book, how it’s coming along, and I may share a snippet or two of the manuscript.
And for those that are going to ask — Yes, I WILL continue to write more books in the Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman series.   🙂
 

Art Break!

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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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The Hitwoman's Juggling Act

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So excited to share the cover and blurb of THE HITWOMAN’S JUGGLING ACT , the 20th story in the CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN series.
 
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You know things are out of hand in Maggie Lee’s world when the least of her problems is tripping over a body.
Her family has lost their home.
Her friend, Armani, has lost her psychic mojo.
And Maggie’s in danger of losing custody of her niece.
Making matters even worse is she can’t refuse the latest job from her mobster boss. Not to mention she must team up with her murder mentor, Patrick Mulligan, and that’s….complicated.
Innocents are at risk, lives are in danger, and a family secret could change everything.

I walk alone

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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….  😉