Q & A with Jenn Nixon, Author of Lucky's Charm

Jenn Nixon graciously agreed to sit down with me recently for some informal Q&A about herself, her books and whatever else came to mind. Now's your chance to get to know this extremely talented Author a little better :)

·         How long did it take you to write your first novel? What was the hardest part for you? Do you start out with a detailed outline or use more of a free flowing style?

My first novel took me about four months to write. I didn’t know anything about writing when I was working on it so it wasn’t “hard” for me at all…until I tried to sell it. That’s when I realized it was BAD and I had a lot to learn. So I joined a couple writer’s groups, learned as much as possible (still learning) and continued writing!

I am still what people call a “pantser” I write by the seat of my pants. I usually have minimal details about my characters: looks, names, some personality traits, and a skeleton outline of the plot and where I’d like to see the book go. Once I actually get into the writing process, the characters eventually become fully formed and take on a life of their own helping me (or sometimes aggravating me) with the story.

·         You do a great job of interacting with your readers on multiple social media sites. How do you find the time? Do you ever have to force yourself to “unplug”?

I’ve been part of the social media craze before it even got started. Message boards, chat rooms, forums…you know, before there was Facebook and Twitter. I still have an old myspace page hanging out there somewhere. I balance my time online with some pre-posts but always make sure to respond to everyone even if it’s late. It helps that I can type and read very fast!

·         What lies ahead for Lucky? How many books do you envision there being in the series overall? Where did the idea for the series come from?

Things are going to get worse for Lucky before they get better. I have a three book trilogy for her story. Book 2 is with the publisher. Book 3 is done and edited and ready for submission too. I actually finished all three books before I sold the first one!

The idea for Lucky happened during a brainstorm session with my best friend. He and I were talking about what I wanted to write next and we threw ideas at each other until I had something to work with. It didn’t change much from that initial session, though Kenji (the love interest) showed earlier than I wanted…but I went with it and it worked!

·         Being a fellow dog lover, I’d love to hear more about your two dogs. What are their names? How old are they? Any funny stories you’d like to share about them?

My brother and I “share” custody of two dogs, Suki (carin terrier) is 4 and Holli (german shepherd) is 3. Technically Suki is his and Holli is mine but both dogs love him more than me. I always get the short end of the stick with animals. J They are wonderful animals with such interesting personalities.  I call Suki the Kitty-Kat Teddy Bear Doggie because she acts like a cat and looks like a teddy bear. I call Holli the meeper because whenever I come home from being out all day, I can hear her through the door meeping as she’s pacing inside waiting for me.  Oh, and the little one beats the crap outta the big on all the time!

·         Have you always lived in New Jersey? What are some of the favorite places that you have visited?

With the exception of a year and half spent living in Delaware, I have lived in New Jersey my whole life.  New Jersey gets the brunt of the jokes, but it’s a great state. We have beaches. We have mountains. We have farmland. We’re close to NYC. We have Atlantic City & Great Adventure. And best of all, we have Taylor Ham. J

Personally, I love going to the Watchung Mountains to hike, it’s beautiful up there. 

And…Snookie is not a New Jerseyian!

·         I’d like to congratulate you on Lucky’s Charm reaching #17 on Goodreads. Do you track online reviews, rankings and sales figures closely? How do you handle less than complimentary reviews? Are you able to dismiss them and move on or do they get under your skin?

Thank you! I have no idea who started that list, but I thank them!! I have been watching my Amazon and B&N ranks the last two weeks since the book came out. I think I need to stop and just let the books breathe a little. I have had a few less than stellar reviews. I’m okay with them. I understand that people have different likes and dislikes. If they are constructive, I pay attention. If they are just negative because the reader didn’t like the character, plot, or writing, there’s not much I can do to change their minds. I don’t like everything I read either, so I don’t expect everyone to love my stuff.

Bio: Jenn’s love of writing started the year she received her first diary and Nancy Drew novel. Throughout her teenage years, she kept a diary of her personal thoughts and feelings but graduated from Nancy Drew to other mystery suspense novels.

Jenn often adds a thriller and suspense element to anything she writes be it Romance, Science Fiction, or Fantasy. When not writing, she spends her time reading, observing pop culture, playing with her two dogs, and working on various charitable projects in her home state of New Jersey.

www.jennnixon.com

www.facebook.com/JennNixonAuthor

Twitter: @jennnixon

Check out her Novels below:

Lucky’s Charm (#1) - To protect her family and find a killer, Felicia “Lucky” Fascino assumed her adoptive father’s identity and joined the network, an organization of moral assassins to finish the job he began. Eliminating the man responsible for murdering her mother has consumed her for the last five years. While keeping her Uncle Stephen and cousin Elizabeth at arm’s length, Lucky begins to feel the weight of her career choice and reclusive lifestyle. Then a chance encounter with an enigmatic hit man, during one of her jobs, turns into a provocative and dangerous affair. Distracted by the secret trysts with Kenji Zinn and mounting tension within her family, Lucky makes reckless mistakes that threaten her livelihood and almost claim her life.

http://www.amazon.com/Luckys-Charm-ebook/dp/B008RG8V4Q

http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=73&products_id=400&zenid=68d70bfde494e5151e21617289c74f6e

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/luckys-charm-jenn-nixon/1112327966

Wild and Wicked (#1) - Veronica Chance’s sister has gone missing. In order to find Valerie, “Roni Starr” takes a waitressing job at Foxxes Gentlemen’s Club, the last place her sister worked, to search for clues. First day on the job, the club owner makes her give a lap dance to his VIP guest, former detective, Mason Storm.

http://www.amazon.com/Wild-and-Wicked-ebook/dp/B006NKROA0

 Chance of a Storm (#2)- Mason Storm waited three months to hear from Veronica Chance after she walked out of his life. Instead her sister calls, begging him to come to California. After learning Veronica was kidnapped and her mother’s still missing, Mason joins the investigation while trying to figure out where he stands in Veronica’s eyes.

http://www.amazon.com/Chance-of-a-Storm-ebook/dp/B006NKRLHG

Trust me, Tell me (#3) - Mason Storm is set to marry Veronica Chance in seven days. When he receives a mysterious text message he immediately packs and leaves without saying a word to anyone. After meeting with his former boss, Mason knows his past has finally caught up with him. In order to clear his name of false charges he returns home to Boston ready to put the issues to bed. Veronica, however, isn’t making it easy. She’s determined to help despite his claims of being the only one to make things right. As the investigation intensifies, Mason is captured and Veronica holds the key to his release. Will she make it there in time to save him and their wedding or will everything fall apart?

http://www.amazon.com/Trust-Me-Tell-ebook/dp/B006XXJYHS

Guest Blog post with Leslie Talley, Author of Make Old Bones

Bio of Leslie Talley 

Leslie Talley received her B.S. in nursing from the University of Kentucky and a B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of Central Florida, Orlando, where she subsequently taught, as an adjunct, Technical Writing and Business Writing for ten years.

Leslie and her husband Luke have two children: Terri Talley Venters, Wild Child Publishing author of Carbon Copy, and Damon Talley, education specialist in aerospace. Forty-four-year residents of Titusville, Florida, Leslie and Luke also have four grandchildren.

Make Old Bones

By: Leslie S. Talley

Fifteen-year-old Connie Kittredge disappears in 1953, presumed drowned, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Almost forty years later, her skeleton is discovered in the disused dumbwaiter of historic Belgrath House, situated on an island in the tidal Halifax River. The discovery coincides with the thirty-five year reunion of Connie's Class of '57.

Clarice and Otis Campion function as caretakers of Belgrath, newly restored and opened as a B & B. Clarice, along with their permanent guest Miss Letty, ninety-year-old star of the silent screen, decides to investigate the mystery. Could the murderer be one of Connie's classmates, now respectable citizens? A rejected boy friend? A jealous girl? Connie, a sneaky child, loved the power of finding out secrets; perhaps she found one just too dangerous for her to live.

At a wake for Connie held at Belgrath House, someone collapses from iced tea laced with cherry laurel, proving that the murderer is still around - and dangerous. Complications cloud the picture in the form of suspicious bed and breakfasters, restoration society members, University of Florida freshmen...and a certain pelican. Clarice and Miss Letty re-double their efforts at sleuthing. The death of Connie Kittredge is tied directly to the history of the house, they learn. The house will ultimately reveal its secrets, but not before exposing Clarice to danger.

Inadvertently left behind during a forced evacuation due to Category Four Hurricane Aphrodite, Clarice finds herself confronting a killer - and a rising tidal surge.

Excerpt from Make Old Bones

What would the children think if they saw her? She thought of the others that way: children. Why did she still bother with them? Not much longer, she thought. An idea sprouted in her brain. Why not scare them? Hide. Don’t come out. Let them think some Bogeyman found her. She knew just the spot, too. She found it the previous week, the same trip that secured for her the piece of map. She came to the house by herself – well, actually to meet someone. Someone who didn’t show up. But he would. Oh, yes! And that other she’d seen – Connie hugged herself as she thought of the power.

Stubbing out the cigarette in the stone urn on the post, Connie groped her way to the kitchen at the rear of the house. Gleefully, she opened the door of one of the pantries. She ran her hand along the wall until she found the knob. She remembered that it looked just like one of the other cabinets. She wedged herself inside the tiny space: a miniature elevator. Perfect. They’d never look for her here. Best of all, she needn’t go near the third floor.

The jolt jarred her, tipping her over so that her head rested on the doorframe. A hollow noise reverberated down the shaft. Slowly her crawlspace moved…upward.

http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=83&products_id=401&zenid=806d27b71f6d4524dd83c306afc08a86

http://lesliestalley.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/#!/leslie.talley.12

https://twitter.com/LeslieSTalley

It's Write-Along Wednesday!!

Each Wednesday I will post the beginning of a scene, then each of you can leave a comment to continue the story from there. Be sure to read all of the comments before posting as they will build on each other. Only rule is to keep the comments PG rated. Let's see where the story takes us!!

Nearing the top of Widow’s ridge, I chanced a quick glance over my left shoulder to confirm that Erick Von Ellis, or as I liked to call him, “Erick the Assbag”, was still lagging well behind.  He looked utterly exhausted, his Viking-sized body slumped against the wall gasping for breath. Thirty feet of sheer rock face was all that was left between me and the keys to his 1963 Jag. You’d think even Euro trash climbers would have some respect for a woman that had scaled Everest twice. Instead he’s featured in Climbing magazine publically calling me out, betting his Jag against my cherry red Porsche that he can beat me up any mountain I choose.

But I couldn't get sloppy now. This peak had a reputation worthy of its name. One misstep, and you’d be riding the express elevator over 5000 feet down to Pancakeville. I placed two more cams into the finger-sized crack in the wall and clipped on, readying for my assent. I’d just reached for my first handhold when Erick’s shrill scream pierced my ears.

“Falling!”

I grabbed on and braced myself for the strain of his weight, vehemently praying to a God I wasn’t all that sure I believed in that the cams would hold. In less than a second the rope tethering us together stretched taunt. My harness sliced into my shoulders, thighs and stomach, crushing the wind from my lungs and yanking me well clear of the wall. All that stood between us and an untimely death were three metal clips wedged a little over an inch into granite.

It's Miscellaneous Monday!

Each Monday I post a combination of five random thoughts, views about current events or little known facts about myself. If there is something in particular you'd like me to answer in a future post send your question to mackpack@insightbb.com. Here goes this week's entry...

My parents made every effort to raise well-rounded kids, encouraging us to try new things and not just follow in our older siblings footsteps. For me, one of those "new things" was an ill-fated attempt at learning to play the cornet.

Growing up in Northern Michigan, hunting was a borderline religion. Our entire family would take the week off of work and school and head to my Grandparents house for the opening of rifle season. When we were kids it was more about eating, playing cards and goofing around with each other than it was trying to bag a trophy Buck. Those are some of the best memories of my life. My brothers and I still get together to hunt each year, although we take it far more serious now than we used to.

My favorite class in college was physics. I only took the one course, but I found the material fascinating. I still remember the model of space I built with the Sun weighing the center down so a marble orbited around it. If I wouldn't have been so into computer programming back then I might have switched majors.

My least favorite class? Spanish. It was smooth sailing while we were learning to count... boy did things head south in a hurry after that! My professor called on me relentlessly, presumably to try to help me learn, and the whole class would burst into laughter at my incoherent responses. It got so bad that I didn't even want to go to class anymore. Somehow I passed. I've never been so proud of a D in my life :)

My favorite childhood Author was Jim Kjelgaard. His series of books featuring dogs are what sparked my interest in reading. Someday I'd love to write a novel of my own with a dog as a central character, maybe even told from a dog or wolf's point of view.

Dangerous Waters soundtrack

Wonder what Techno songs Brooke dances to at the Clubs?

 

Come check out her "Club Mix" playlist, part of the Dangerous Waters soundtrack: https://c.itunes.apple.com/us/imix/dangerous-waters-soundtrack/id554477097

Guest Blog with Victoria Roder, Author of The Curse of King Ramesses II

Victoria Roder lives in central Wisconsin with a house full of pets. A German Shepherd Dog, A Husky, a Black Lab, two cats and a Blue-tongued Skink lizard. She is the author of children’s chapter book, The Curse of King Ramesses II from Wild Child Publishing. Victoria has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and is inspired by the truths and the joy for life that children share.  The Curse of King Ramesses II is a fast paced adventure featuring a twelve-year-old girl version of Abbott and Costello at the museum.  Available for download at http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=72&products_id=398&zenid=bee2ff81bf5829c785cd4146e08b6930

The Curse of King Ramesses II, dinosaurs, a wall of skulls and mummies, oh my!

 One fateful night, Mia and her best friend Jody stow away in the Bradford Museum to investigate the mysterious mummy exhibit from the Cairo Museum. Rumors of the Curse of King Ramesses II have surfaced. It’s believed, that due to the king’s tyranny the Egyptian people vowed to rise up against him. In revenge, Ramesses II vowed he would never rest until all of the perpetrators against him and their ancestors were brought to justice.

Now, spend the night in the dark, deserted museum. Experience the roar of the dinosaurs, the cold blast of the arctic, and always run past the wall of skulls. Be prepared for a night of heart-racing action as the girls dare to solve the ancient Egyptian curse of King Ramesses II. Will Mia and Jody survive the investigation or will the mummified king’s revenge be fulfilled?

Victoria Roder is also the author of picture book, An Important Job to Do: A Noah’s Ark Tale. Inspirational book, It’s Not You – It’s Them: Six Choices to Healing and Thriving After Abuse and two adult novels, Action Thriller, Bolt Action, and Paranormal Romance, The Dream House Visions and Nightmares. Victoria’s short stories have appeared in several anthologies and her puzzles have been feature in a variety of magazines.  Please feel free to visit Victoria at www.victoriaroder.com

It's write-along Wednesday!!

Each Wednesday I will post the beginning of a scene, then each of you can leave a comment to continue the story from there. Be sure to read all of the comments before posting as they will build on each other. Only rule is to keep the comments PG rated. Let's see where the story takes us!!

Have you ever had one of those dreams where nothing you did was good enough? Where, regardless of how hard you tried, you could never hope of measuring up? Well, that was my life. It wasn’t always that way. Up until last semester I’d maintained a 4.0 grade average, was a shoe in for valedictorian, and had elite colleges beating down my door with scholarship offers. I’d also been the captain of our softball team for two years—both state championships—and had been taking college level classes since my freshmen year.  Of course all that was before my mom uprooted our family and moved us to the middle of someone-please-shoot-me-now Texas.

I glanced at the Mid-term exam my teacher had unceremoniously dumped on my desk, as if his disapproving headshake didn’t tell me everything I needed to know. Another D+. Wonderful. I was now officially failing ALL of my classes. You might think a 94% would be a solid A, but it placed me well off the tail end of the class curve. And after being voted All-state the last two years, I’d been cut from the softball team on the second day of try outs. The worst part of it all? I couldn’t even argue with their decision—there wasn’t a player on the team that wasn’t a hundred times better than me.  Somehow I’d crossed over into a redneck twilight zone, where everyone except me was a world class athlete and Mensa material.

“That’s it,” Jenna declared, coming up behind me and placing her hand on my shoulder. “You’re coming to our new student assimilation tonight—even if I have to drag you.”

Out of all the people here Jenna was the only one I’d even remotely consider a friend. And that was a stretch. She’d been hounding me to attend her stupid assimilation since she led me around during orientation. I probably would have that day if she hadn’t mentioned the dress code. When someone tells me to show up at an abandoned warehouse wearing all black, every instinct I have tells me to run like hell.  But at the rate I was going I was destined to rip tickets at the local Cineplex for the next forty years.  With a resigned nod I rested my head in the palms of my hands and sighed. “Fine. I’ll meet you there at eight.”

Her wicked smile sent shivers up my spine. What the hell was I getting myself into?

Sneak peek at some Dangerous Waters cover shoot pics!!

Here are a few of my favorite pics from our Dangerous Waters cover shoot!

(All pictures are subject to Copyright and are the property of C.M. Michaels. All rights reserved.)

Daniel:

 

 

 Sandy:

Brooke:

Guest Blog with Jenn Nixon, Author of Lucky's Charm

Jenn’s love of writing started the year she received her first diary and Nancy Drew novel. Throughout her teenage years, she kept a diary of her personal thoughts and feelings but graduated from Nancy Drew to other mystery suspense novels.

Jenn often adds a thriller and suspense element to anything she writes be it Romance, Science Fiction, or Fantasy. When not writing, she spends her time reading, observing pop culture, playing with her two dogs, and working on various charitable projects in her home state of New Jersey.

www.jennnixon.com

www.facebook.com/JennNixonAuthor

Twitter: @jennnixon

Lucky’s Charm

To protect her family and find a killer, Felicia “Lucky” Fascino assumed her adoptive father’s identity and joined the network, an organization of moral assassins to finish the job he began. Eliminating the man responsible for murdering her mother has consumed her for the last five years. While keeping her Uncle Stephen and cousin Elizabeth at arm’s length, Lucky begins to feel the weight of her career choice and reclusive lifestyle. Then a chance encounter with an enigmatic hit man, during one of her jobs, turns into a provocative and dangerous affair. Distracted by the secret trysts with Kenji Zinn and mounting tension within her family, Lucky makes reckless mistakes that threaten her livelihood and almost claim her life.

Excerpt:

Chapter One

            Through a small gap in the grimy motel curtains, Lucky watched Conrad Andersen pull a hooker over his lap and playfully spank her ass. The woman shook her bleached head and kicked her legs in false protest, shaking the entire bed. She slithered against his portly belly and gave him an exaggerated kiss before vanishing from the scope.

            Andersen wiped his mouth, and traces of bright red lipstick smeared across his face. Frowning, he got up and moved out of view.

            Two hundred yards away, Lucky shifted on the rooftop, using the free time to ease the tension built up after an hour-long stakeout. First, a stretch and twist sideways popped a few vertebrae. Flexing both hands and then rotating both ankles brought the circulation back.

Wonder if military snipers do this shit when stalking a target. Doubt any of them ever had to endure an Olympic, Viagra-induced sexcapade.

            Lucky eased back into position just in time to see Andersen appear in the rifle’s scope again. Even with the obstructed view into the room, she saw him dressed in a blue pinstriped suit with a white shirt. A decent-looking older man but knowing everything he’d done made him vile enough to eliminate.

            The woman reappeared and gathered her belongings off the ratty nightstand. The lights dimmed; Lucky took deep breaths to maintain a slow, steady heart rate.

            Lucky directed the scope three feet to the right and targeted ten inches below the top of the motel room’s door frame: the perfect height to hit the man. Once she had a clear shot, the window of opportunity would last five seconds. She already calculated the wind factor, distance, and bullet drop. The door opened. Lucky let out one last breath and then counted in her head.

            One. The hooker emerged laughing.

            Andersen appeared and draped his arm around the woman’s shoulders. Two.

            She glanced up at him. Three. Lucky eased the crosshairs of the scope on his head.

            Four. He leaned down and kissed his escort.

            The mark lifted his head to search the parking lot.

            In the fifth second, the bullet penetrated his skull. His eyes popped upon exit. Pink bits of his brain spattered on the door behind him. Andersen’s body slumped against the door frame.

            The hooker’s scream filled the air. Other rooms instantly sprang to life with commotion. A dog even barked in the distance.

            The remnants of his face stared back into the scope, confirming the kill.

            Burn in hell, bastard.

Come join in on Write-Along Wednesday!!

Each Wednesday I will post the beginning of a scene, then each of you can leave a comment to continue the story from there. Be sure to read all of the comments before posting as they will build on each other. Only rule is to keep the comments PG rated. Let's see where the story takes us!!

                “Welcome home, Detective,” S.A.R.A. chimed in a feminine, techno-electronic voice. The video wall above the couch switched to my personal newsfeed as the lights brightened. Video messages, case records and entertainment programs opened in rapid succession, layering one over the other until the entire board resembled a giant, noisy-as-hell collage.

                “Home,” I grunted. My mood only worsened when I discovered that my roommate had attempted to make dinner for us again. Sauce splatters and dirty pans were everywhere. This was an especially impressive effort—not even the overhead track lighting had been spared.  Living with your 22 year old, uber popular niece might save on the rent, but it didn’t do your sanity any favors.

I’d just started to fill the sink when our carbon reinforced entrance door opened.  “So what is it tonight, Caledrian or Balanese?” I called out, dunking the last of the silverware into the rising, sudsy water. Her sob-filled, panicked gasp sent a jolt of adrenaline racing through me. In one fluid motion I wheeled toward the door, drew my Police issued Laser pistol and flipped off the safety. Three men stood behind Cassie, and a thought-controlled slave bar was fastened around her throat. Knowing that it could sever her head in less than a microsecond, I reluctantly lowered my weapon.

“We meet again, Alexis.”