Please welcome JB Lynn to Novel Reflections. She’s here today to talk about her new release, Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman!

Please tell readers a little bit about yourself.

I drink too much coffee and play too much Scrabble. I’m overly fond of purple ink, 80s music, and cheese.

I’ve completed two half-marathons, so apparently I’m a glutton for punishment.

I write with a parrot on my shoulder, two dogs at my feet, and a patient husband in the next room.

Please tell us about your latest release.

Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman is a humorous romantic suspense novel.

Maggie Lee is not your average hitwoman. For one thing, she’s never killed anyone. For another, after hitting her head in the car accident that killed her sister, her best friend is now a talking lizard–a picky eater obsessed with Wheel of Fortune.Maggie, who can barely take care of herself, is desperate to help her injured and orphaned niece get the best medical care possible, so she accepts a mobster’s big cash offer to kill his son-in-law.

Paired with Patrick Mulligan, a charming murder mentor (who happens to moonlight as a police detective), Maggie stumbles down her new career path, contending with self-doubt, three meddling aunts, a semi-psychic friend predicting her doom, and a day job she hates. Oh, and let’s not forget about Paul Kowalski, the sexy beat cop who could throw her ass in jail if he finds out what she’s up to.

What inspired you to write this book?

A couple of years ago a great line came to me: “You just know it’s going to be a bad day when you’re stuck at a red light and Death pulls up behind you in a station wagon.”

I loved it, but for the life of me had no idea what it was supposed to be part of. It wasn’t until a couple of years later that the rest of the story fell into place for me.

That line is now the first in the book. “You just know it’s going to be a bad day when you’re stuck at a red light and Death pulls up behind you in a station wagon.”

Were any of the characters a challenge to write?

It’s tough to write a talking lizard. I spent an inordinate time bending down to try to see things from his perspective.

Seriously though, Maggie was tough to write. I didn’t want her to come across as unsympathetic (which I think is a distinct possibility with a hitperson) and despite the absurd situations she found herself in, I wanted her to be relatable.

Was there a characters you enjoyed writing the most?

I enjoyed writing Godzilla…he says out loud the kinds of things I usually think, but aren’t necessarily polite to say.

Without giving away spoilers, can you share your favorite scene from the book?

The climax is my favorite scene in the book. All the elements just came together magically. Plus it includes one of my favorite characters….but if I told you who that is, Maggie would have to kill you.

Do you have any interesting writing quirks?

I won’t start a book unless I know how it ends. I chart out my books, breaking them down into acts. I write a chart for EVERY major character in the book. And I STILL flounder in the middle of every book, lol.

If you could trade places with one of your characters either in this story, or one of your previous books, who would it be and why?

I’d like to trade spots with Maggie, because of the hots for one of the cops in her life, lol.

Can you leave readers with a little teaser from CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN?

You just know it’s going to be a bad day when you’re stuck at a red light and Death pulls up behind you in a station wagon.

I’d been using the rearview mirror to touch up my lip gloss when I spotted him. Okay, maybe he wasn’t really Death, but dressed in a black raincoat with the hood pulled up covering his face, he sure looked like he could pluck a scythe out of thin air.

It was one of those days when I kept catching the specter of Death everywhere. I’d catch a glimpse of him in the condensation on the bathroom mirror as I stepped out of the shower, or burnt into my morning toast, or in the pile of dog shit I narrowly missed stepping in…or didn’t.
Death was idling behind me, and I was kinda freaked out. Which was why, completely forgetting about the damn April showers that had been falling for three days straight, I floored my crappy, beat-up, not-gently-used Honda the second that light turned green.

Hydroplaning, the car spun out into the intersection, with me pumping the brakes while wondering if I should have been steering into the skid or out of it, and berating myself for not having paid more attention during my high school Driver’s Ed course.

I knew I was gonna die. I could already hear the angels singing.

Three months before, I’d had the same feeling as another car slid out of control. I hadn’t been driving then; my sister’s idiot husband had been behind the wheel. I’d been in the backseat, singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” to my three-year-old niece Katie, trying to distract her from the argument her parents were having in the front seat. Suddenly the car swerved and squealed, and as we rolled over onto the driver’s side, I distinctly remember thinking, Dear God, please don’t let us die. I didn’t think that three months later. In this moment I was resigned to my fate.

But then, miraculously, my little Honda gained traction, and I achieved a semblance of control over the vehicle. I wasn’t in the clear, though. Squinting at the rearview mirror, I could see that Death had followed me through the rain-soaked intersection. And I could still hear the singing of the angels, but it wasn’t a heavenly sound.

It was loud. It was annoying. From the floor of the passenger seat, I snatched up the bag of crickets that I’d bought for Godzilla. They were making an unholy racket. I shook it hard. That shut the little fuckers up.

Where can readers find you on the web?

website — http://jblynn.com
blog — http://killerchicks.org
twitter — @JB_Lynn_author
facebook — http://www.facebook.com/people/Jb-Lynn/100002078994028

Author Bio:Most little girls dream of puppies, ponies and Prince Charming, but I grew up to write about murder, mayhem, and the killer next door.

I love stories. I love reading them and I love writing them. 

Ever since I picked up my first crayon, I’ve been spinning tales in one form or another. I’ve published articles in magazines and on websites, short stories in print and online, and even optioned a screenplay.

Although fascinated by the dark and twisted, I’m also a sucker for tales of love conquering all. These dual interests show up in my stories as creepy, dangerous villains, and the heroines and heroes who must defeat them.

I write with a parrot peering over my shoulder and a dog curled up at my feet. When not writing, I spend the bulk of my time reading, cooking, training for half marathons (I walk more than I run, so don’t go being all impressed) and playing Scrabble with my husband. (He tends to win more often than I do…I think he cheats!)    

An admitted coffeeholic, I don’t really care if the cup is half empty or half full…I just want to know whether it’s regular or decaf!


Giveaway Details:
JB is gifting a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
Please leave a comment or question for JB.
The contest is open the duration of the tour.
The winner will be randomly selected and notified.
Remember, the more stops you participate in, the greater your chances of winning!! :)

Tour Stops:

The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2011/12/virtual-book-tour-confessions-of.html