Interview & Giveaway: JB Lynn

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I'm so excited to welcome the awesome JB Lynn to my blog! JB is a fellow Carina Press author and today is the release of her romantic suspense novel, THE FIRST VICTIM. I've been looking forward to reading this book since I first heard about it and I'm so happy she agreed to let me interview her.

About the Book: 

Fifteen years ago, Emily Wright barely escaped from a serial killer dubbed the Baby Doll Strangler. She wants nothing to do with the small town where she was abducted, but when her father is hospitalized she reluctantly returns home to care for her teenage sister. 

When her sister's friend is killed and left in front of Emily's house, Emily begins to relive the nightmare she endured long ago. Soon she realizes that her sister, too, is in danger from the killer—and the only person who can help is the man Emily left behind: Deputy Bailey O'Neil. Together, Emily and Bailey must discover the killer's identity before he claims his next victim...

Welcome, JB! Tell us a little about yourself.

Thanks so much for having me! I’m a voracious reader, an obsessive writer, a long distance walker, and someone who drinks way too much coffee. When I was a little girl I pretended to be Nancy Drew…or when I was feeling particularly adventurous, The Hardy Boys (didn’t matter to me if I was Frank or Joe…their adventures were equally thrilling). As I got older, I thought it would be pretty cool to be Alex Cross from the James Patterson novels. Now I’m resigned to the fact that I’m most similar to Isabel Spellman from The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz. Except I’m older, married, and I’m not a P.I.

Please tell us about The First Victim and what inspired you to write it.

I wrote the kind of story I like to read. I have a soft spot for really creepy villains. I’m a fan of victims becoming victors. And, of course, I’m a sucker for love conquering all, lol. I wanted to explore all those things and that’s just what I got to do in THE FIRST VICTIM.

How much research was involved in writing The First Victim? 

I consulted with a former FBI agent and a forensic psychologist – don’t those sound like two really cool jobs? I mean, they’re the closest thing to Alex Cross I could find in real life, lol.

What appeals to you about writing romance suspense? 

I think a romantic storyline enhances the suspense in a novel. It raises the emotional stakes for the hero and heroine and allows the reader to root for them (not just against the villain). The romantic suffering of the hero and heroine results in something more than the defeat of the villain. It results in a loving relationship…and I don’t know about every other reader out there, but that’s the part I can identify with (having never hunted down a psychotic serial killer myself).

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a plantser…I do some plotting and some pantsing. I plot out all the major turning points and I don’t start a project without knowing how it’s going to end, but I don’t do a fifty page outline the way some writers do. Hence my “plantser” status.

What is your writing schedule like? 

Ha! In a perfect world I’d say that I write Monday thru Friday and edit on the weekends. Or maybe I’d say I write five thousand words five days a week. Or maybe I’d say I work on one project at a time. But those are all delusions. Most weeks I end up writing about ten thousand…and then deleting at least five thousand when I sit down to edit. Really it’s a miracle I ever finish anything.

Can you tell us what you're working on now? 

I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you! Only kidding. Maybe. I’m working on a new humorous crime series. It’s sort of Carl Hiassen meets Lisa Lutz…with a healthy dose of JB Lynn’s warped bent thrown in. I’m a big fan of old movies like ARSENIC AND OLD LACE and THE THIN MAN series that managed to integrate humorous elements into crime stories, so in some ways, this is an homage to them (although my books are considerably darker). I’m also developing a novel featuring FBI agents Chase Morgan and Sebastian Black from THE FIRST VICTIM.

Do you have a website or blog? 

http://jblynn.com

http://killerchicks.org

What good books have you read recently that you'd like to recommend? 

I thought Kate Brady’s ONE SCREAM AWAY was a great read and I loved Allison Brennan’s LOVE ME TO DEATH (then again, I love all of Allison’s suspense novels). And I highly recommend Emma Donoghue’s ROOM.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Learn how to finish writing a book. It’s relatively easy to start a book, but getting through the middle and to “The End” is a real challenge. And from the wonderful wisdom of Galaxy Quest “Never give up. Never surrender!”

Thanks for stopping by, JB!

Thanks so much for having me, Angela. I’d like to give away a copy of The First Victim to one of your followers. To enter all they have to do is leave a comment telling me their favorite villain(s) of all time. I’ll announce the winner (who will be chosen at random from the entries) in the comments section on June 17th!

To celebrate its release, I’m running multiple contests this week, so everyone should check out my blog to find other ways to be entered to win a copy of The First Victim.