Goddess Fish Book Tours Guest Post: J.B. Lynn w/Tour Giveaway!

Welcome author, J.B. Lynn to A Chick Who Reads. J.B. is the author of Confessions Of A Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman!


Balancing Suspense and Romance

For me, getting the balance right when it comes to blending suspense and romance is about getting a character’s internal journey to keep pace with their external adventure.

At its heart, a suspense novel is driven by the threat of danger.

Maybe the heroine is being stalked by a vicious killer. That’s what happens to Emily Wright, the heroine of my romantic suspense novel THE FIRST VICTIM. That story is about whether the Baby Doll Strangler will be caught AND if Emily, and her childhood sweetheart Bailey, will find the love they deserve with one another.

In CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN, the heroine, poor Maggie Lee, agrees to kill someone (a very bad someone) so that she can earn enough money to pay for the best possible medical care for her hospitalized niece. Of course, by agreeing to do this job for her friendly local mobster, she puts herself squarely in the mob’s crosshairs if she fails to pull off the murder. And things just get worse (much, much worse) for her from there.

Simultaneously, Maggie is faced with taking a chance on the possibility of love.

Just as Maggie struggles with the moral and practical questions of whether she can kill her intended target, she is also faced with the possibility of finding love (or at least lust) with both a hitman and a cop.

Both stories within the story are mysteries. Will the evil be defeated? Will love conquer all?

I’m curious. As a reader, do you read romantic suspense for the love story, the thriller aspect, or because you adore the balance of the two?

Author Info: 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!

Website: http://www.jblynn.com/Site/Home.html
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JB_Lynn_author
Blog: http://jblynn.wordpress.com/


Book Blurb:  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.

Giveaway: J.B. Lynn is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter during the book tour. The rest of the tour dates can be found here.  The more comments you make on tour posts the more chances you have to win!