Lynette Eason Archives | Lynn H. Blackburn

Facebook Romantic Suspense Release Party

Lynn Blackburn — Sun, 03 Feb 2019 22:00:03 +0000

An invitation to join us on on Facebook, Thursday, February 7th, from 7PM – 9PM (Eastern).

Click here to go straight to the Facebook Event page.

If you have questions you’d like for any of us to answer, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Grace and peace,

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What I Learned in August

Lynn Blackburn — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 22:35:00 +0000

It’s that time again. August was a wild ride and the stuff I learned this month?

Pretty random.

Here goes.

1. The Olympics are my favorite. Oh my word. I get lost in the backstories of the athletes, the drama of the competition, the rivalries. Love me some rivalries. You have medals? I want you to win more. You don’t have medals? I want you to finally win one!
I will cheer for the USA as long as we are in the fight, and if we aren’t, I’ll pick some other country to cheer for. And my reasons for choosing are as logical as wanting to see the home country win or as random as having issues with the color of someone’s uniform. I love it. I stay up late to watch even though I know I could Google it to find out who won. But where’s the fun in that?! I know some people who just don’t care about the Olympics, but I am not one of those people.

2. The InstantPot rocks. I got mine a few weeks ago when they lowered the price on Amazon Prime day. I’m still figuring it out, but I love it. Boiled eggs – perfection. They peeled so easily, I might actually be able to make some pretty deviled eggs now. Roasts in 70 minutes. Frozen chicken breasts become shredded chicken in under 30 minutes. I have dreams of meal planning and always being prepared when dinner time rolls around but I have yet to see them come true. The InstantPot is a lifesaver for someone like me

3. Lularoe for the win. Have you heard of this stuff? Leggings that are as soft as butter. Shirts that actually hang down long enough to cover your rear when you are wearing those leggings because—say it with me—LEGGINGS ARE NOT PANTS. My sister got me hooked on LLR and I now own several (cough, cough) pairs of leggings and a few (or, you know, 6) shirts. They are so comfortable. Seriously the most perfect outfit for a homeschooling, writer mom who needs to be able to run outside and throw the football one minute and then snuggle up with her laptop in the next. These are actual clothes—and they look like clothes—but they are as comfy as pajamas. What more could a girl want?

4. Always travel with $1 bills. Let me explain. I rarely have cash. When I do, it’s because I just hit an ATM. So I have $20s. $20s work just fine until you need some smaller bills. Say to tip the bellman at the fancy hotel you just showed up in. But you only have $20s. And he’s nice and friendly and he got your key card to work for you but $20? I’m generally a big tipper, but I can’t go $20. So instead you turn as red as your laptop cover and mumble how you don’t have anything to tip him with but could you please get his name and hunt him down later? And you can tell he totally doesn’t believe you will, and then you spend the next 3 days trying to locate him in the lobby of the hotel. Lesson learned. Keep some $1s and $5s handy.

BTW—I found him. His name was Kevin and he was awesome and I was right. He didn’t believe me. We ended up having a lovely chat and he told me people say that all the time and then never follow through. So if you don’t heed my advice and fail to have small bills handy, promise the bellman a tip and then make good. It just might open up an opportunity to share a teensy bit of the Gospel with him and who knows what God might do with that?

Me with Lynette Eason after the Carol Awards!

5. Listen to your mentors. Someday I’m going to talk more about this, but for now, here’s what I’ve learned. If God has been gracious to you and put mentors in your life, when they tell you you “must” do something? You should probably do it. I’m not going to say always, because humans are fallible and it’s possible they could be wrong. But if you have two mentors who gang up on you and INSIST you take a certain course of action? Yeah. Probably better just say, “Yes, ma’am” and do it.

The screen shot that left me stunned.

In my case, two of my mentors (Lynette Eason and Edie Melson) ganged up on me last March and insisted I enter a couple of contests. Contests I had NO PLANS to enter. None. I said things like, “It’s a waste of time and money for me to enter.” They refused to listen. And now they walk around with big heads saying, “I told you so.”

Me with Edie at the ACFW Gala.

6. Sometimes obedience is fun. Edie shared that little nugget with me a few weeks ago when I was being all angsty about winning awards. Recognition and awards are awesome. Really and truly awesome. But I struggle with it. I don’t want to be prideful—and I know how fast my sinful heart can go there. But I also don’t want to be ungrateful. As another dear friend (and frequent deliverer of spiritual Gibbs’ slaps), Lori Roeleveld reminded me, these awards are gifts from God. Gifts from my very good Father. And as a parent, how would I feel if I gave my children a gift and they said, “It’s nice, but I didn’t really want it?” So I’m trying to stay close to Jesus and enjoy the gifts He’s giving. And trying to remember that while sometimes God does ask us to do hard things, sometimes, obedience is fun.

So what about you? Did you discover something awesome in August? Share it with us in the comments!

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A Few Thoughts . . . the Selah Awards edition

Lynn Blackburn — Wed, 25 May 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Let me welcome you to my first “A Few Thoughts” edition. Some (like today’s entry) will be more serious and thought provoking, but not all! I have future “thoughts” to share with you on everything from the NCIS season finale (sniff) to chocolate. If you enjoy these, please let me know!

Now…

I’d like to share a few thoughts with you today about the Selah Awards.

What are the Selah Awards?

The Selah Awards are given each year at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. They are awarded to books published during the previous calendar year. Selah Awards are given in nineteen categories.

I had no plans to enter Covert Justice in this or any other contest. My reasons included, “It’s my first book so it doesn’t have a prayer,” and “no one has ever heard of me” and the ever so fun, “I don’t want to waste money entering a contest I have 0% chance of winning.”

My writing mentors tag teamed me one day and set me straight. They were quite persuasive and their threats logic convinced me that as an author, it is my job to promote my book in every way I can, including entering contests I have 0% chance of winning. (When someone develops a sarcasm font, I’m going to be an early adopter).

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when my phone blew up with the news that Covert Justice was a finalist in the Mystery/Suspense category of the Selah Awards.

Covert Justice

I stared at my phone for quite a while before I actually believed it was true, even though my sources aren’t the kind of people to joke about something like that. Then I started giggling the way someone does who’s received a great shock and isn’t sure if they should laugh, cry, shout “Hallelujah,” or run away until it has all blown over.

Because now I had a problem.

A big problem.

I don’t like competition. I’m the person who wishes everyone could win. Even in sporting events when I have a strong favorite, I always feel sorry for the losing team.

But now, I have to go to a banquet and someone will read my name, and then in front of about 400 people I will find out whether or not Covert Justice actually won.

I am not going to win. I am completely okay with that. The other two books in the category, No Place to Hide and Rodeo Rescuer, are both fabulous (yes, I’ve read them and so should you) and both were written by my friend and writing mentor, Lynette Eason. She is awesome. Seeing my name in the same category as hers makes my stomach turn flips. The phrase “it’s an honor to be nominated” has never made as much sense to me as it does now.

But in the past few days, I’ve felt this gnawing (and, frankly, highly annoying) sense in my gut that I haven’t handled this well. Oh sure, I made a small announcement on Facebook. I put the “Selah finalist” logo on my blog page, and then I dropped it.

I don’t like calling attention to myself. I don’t like being in the spotlight. I’ll be glad when it’s all over.

Anyone else seeing a problem here?

There have been a lot of “I’s” in this post.

Yes, I wrote the book.

But *I* am not now, nor have I ever been, responsible for it selling, for it reaching anyone’s heart, and most certainly not for it being a Selah finalist.

When I keep quiet, I’m really only protecting myself and that comes straight from a place of pride.

What I should have been doing is sharing the great news with anyone and everyone who would listen! I should have been recounting the story—the way God impressed on me the idea to enter the Killer Voices contest, the way He enabled me to write more words than I’ve ever written in a few short months, the way He guided me through selling the book, signing with an agent, and all the crazy steps of the revision and editorial process that ultimately led to the book landing on shelves and in people’s homes.

Covert Justice is not mine. It is His. Any glory or praise Covert Justice receives is also not mine. It is His and His alone.

And I’ve been squelching it out of pride and my own insecurity.

It’s kind of late to do much about it other than send this post out into the world. The awards will be presented tonight and I will be there. I bought new shoes, had a pedicure, and even tried out some new sunless tanner. When I walk into the banquet and people acknowledge Covert Justice, my goal will be to point them to Jesus. To how amazing He is. To how blessed I am to get to have a tiny part in building His Kingdom by writing the stories that He gives me.

I’m not attending so I can soak up the attention and bask in my fifteen minutes of fame.

My prayer, my heart’s desire, is to be a reflection of my Savior. To make His name great and to spread His fame.

I covet your prayers—not that Covert Justice wins—but that God will be glorified.

Click to Tweet: A Few Thoughts on tonight’s #SelahAwards2016 at #BRMCWC.

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No One To Trust by Lynette Eason

Lynn Blackburn — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 09:12:00 +0000

There are only a handful of authors whose books shoot to the top of my to-be-read pile as soon as they become available.

Lynette Eason is one of those authors.

No One To Trust is the first novel in her new Hidden Identity series. I was a little sad to say goodbye to the characters in the Deadly Reunions Series, and I wondered how she would top the twisty plotline that wound through those books.

But she did.

No One To Trust opens with a murder. It’s followed by a blood pumping chase that ends in …well…I won’t say, but by this time, I want to know who David Hackett is, and why Kyle Abernathy is being chased by a hit man.

If you think you’ll be able to catch your breath, you’re wrong, because the next scene comes straight from most women’s nightmares. Summer Abernathy wakes up to find a man pointing a gun at her. He’s not there to kill her, but what he tells her sends her world into a tailspin, and takes the reader along for the ride.

For the next 300 pages, the story unfolds, one tantalizing detail at a time. We meet siblings, clients, former military unit members, U.S. Marshalls, and let’s not forget the mob boss with a snake fetish and his seriously dysfunctional family.

Lynette does a masterful job of introducing new characters and keeping the entire cast distinct. I never struggled to follow along, even toward the end when plot lines and characters were converging and then taking off in unexpected directions.

No One To Trust also gives us a nice spin on the typical romance, because the main characters are already married. The question is, will their marriage survive? Can Summer forgive Kyle for lying to her? Can Kyle keep them alive long enough to convince Summer that the one thing he hadn’t lied about was his love for her?

Underpinning the entire novel are beautiful themes of redemption, forgiveness, and, ultimately trust, making No One To Trust both a thrilling and uplifting experience.

No One To Trust is available from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in January 2014 from your favorite bookseller.

The super fine print: I received this book in exchange for my opinion. I was not required to provide a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

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I Want a Magic Bullet

Lynn Blackburn — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 17:02:00 +0000

Ronie Kendig, Missy Tippens, Lynette Eason, Ginny Aiken

I want a magic bullet.

Somewhere
there’s a book, a routine, maybe a diet, or even an outfit. Somewhere, there’s
one thing I’m missing and when I find it, my publishing dreams will come true!

Right?

In my quest
for the elixir of publishing success, I had a rare opportunity to do some
extensive research. I got to hang out with four published authors as they
wrote, brainstormed, and it must be said, consumed copious amounts of coffee
and loaded grits.

I tried to act cool about it. (Heavy emphasis on the word
act, because I’ve never been cool in my entire life). But secretly, I was
watching. Surely over the space of several days, one of them would slip up and
reveal the source of their publishing power.

Since it’s the first Thursday of the month, I’m guest posting over at The Write Conversation. Head on over there for the rest of the story!

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Book Review :: When A Secret Kills by Lynette Eason

Lynn Blackburn — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:30:00 +0000

One of my personal rules of writing book reviews is No Spoilers – so be prepared for this review to send you straight to your local bookstore!

Lynette Eason wraps up the Deadly Reunions series with When A Secret Kills and, well, at the risk of sounding cliche…

It starts with a bang. (Sorry, that’s all I can say!)

As hard as this may be to believe, the pace actually quickens from there.

After ten years in hiding, Jillian Carter knows it’s time to go home.

Time to face her past.

Time to expose a powerful politician for a crime that happened before her eyes.

Time to explain her disappearance to Colton Brady—the high school sweetheart who hadn’t deserved to have her vanish without a word.

Convincing Colton of what she saw and why she had to stay in hiding is complicated. So very complicated. (Sorry, that’s all I can say!)

Despite his reservations about Jillian’s story, Colton is too good of a cop to refuse to consider all the facts.

The fact that he’s still in love with Jillian Carter being at the top of the list.

As I’ve come to expect from Lynette, there’s just enough romance to keep me from being completely wigged out by the danger Jillian—and those she loves—are in as they search for the truth of what happened that night.

This plot line is one of the twistiest I’ve encountered in a while and I loved the surprises that awaited me on each new page.

When A Secret Kills hurtles from the chaos of the opening pages to the unexpected—and very satisfying—conclusion.

Available May 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

You can read my review of the previous books in the series by clicking on these links.

When the Smoke Clears

When a Heart Stops

While When A Secret Kills could be read as a stand alone, you’ll definitely miss out on the intricacies of the plot and the depth of the characterization if you haven’t read the previous books in the series first.

The super fine print: I received a copy of When A Secret Kills in exchange for my review. I was not obligated to provide a positive review. All opinions are my own.

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When A Heart Stops

Lynn Blackburn — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 21:33:00 +0000

When A Heart Stops
Book 2 in the Deadly Reunions Series

Back in May of 2011, I reviewed Too Close to Home by Lynette Eason. It was the first in the 3-book Women of Justice series and all three were excellent. Then, I eagerly read When the Smoke Clears—the first book in Lynette’s new Deadly Reunions series—as soon as it became available. (You can read my review here).

So you can imagine how excited I was when I realized that the second book in the series, When A Heart Stops, is about Serena Hopkins. You see, I met Serena back in Lynette’s first series and I love it when a secondary character winds up having a story of their own.

And Serena’s story will have your heart racing. From page one.

In her job as medical examiner, Serena Hopkins sees death on a daily basis. But when former classmates start turning up dead, it becomes clear that someone is sending a message. And that she may be next.

FBI Agent Dominic Allen has known Serena since she was a little girl playing with his sister (Alexia from When the Smoke Clears). But Serena is all grown up and Dominic would love to get to know her better. Before he can see if there’s a chance for them to be more than friends, he’s going to have to find the serial killer who plans to make her the next victim.

Lynette ratcheted up the shiver factor for this one! The opening pages are intense and the serial killer is a long way past creepy.

When The Smoke Clears
Book 1 in the Deadly Reunions Series

As I’ve come to expect from Lynette, the story never ends quite the way I think it will. I had a pretty good idea who the bad guy was…but there was a twist!

Now, one word of warning. The Deadly Reunions series has a continuing suspense thread that has not been resolved. This doesn’t bother me one bit! I love it when a series answers most of my questions and leaves me hanging…just a little!

But, If you haven’t read When the Smoke Clears, it will be tricky to follow the nuances of the plot in When A Heart Stops. If you have read When the Smoke Clears, you might want to take five minutes to refresh your memory about the key players and the drama that surrounds Alexia, Serena, and Jillian.

Then, turn on all the lights, lock all the doors, and dive into When A Heart Stops. You’ll be glad you did. And you’ll be just like me…anxiously waiting for Book 3!

Special Note:

For those of you who live in the Greenville, SC area—Lynette will be signing copies of When A Heart Stops at the Lifeway store on Haywood Rd. Saturday, October 20th from 1-3pm. You won’t want to miss it!

The super fine print: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not obligated to provide a positive review. All opinions are my own.

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My Five Favorite Romantic Suspense Authors

Lynn Blackburn — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:30:00 +0000

A few weeks ago we talked about the seven things readers can do to support their favorite authors.

But there was one item I left off the list…on purpose!

One of the best things a reader can do to support their favorite authors is …

Tell everybody about their books!

Every now and then, I’m going to use our Thursdays to introduce you to authors I love. And we’re going to start with a genre that is near and dear to my heart.

I was a reader long before becoming a writer. I love to read just about anything (no horror, please!), but one of my favorite genres is Romantic Suspense. Here (in alphabetical order) are five of my favs…

Lynette Eason – I’ve reviewed a couple of Lynette’s books here at Out of the Boat. In her Women of Justice series the heroines are computer whizzes, forensic anthropologists, and hostage negotiators. In the first book of her new Deadly Reunions series we get to hang out with a fire-fighting smoke jumper.

Irene Hannon – The Heroes of Quantico series was fantastic! We meet three members of the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team and, of course, some lovely women who cross their path. The Guardians of Justice series is next on my reading list.

Dee Henderson – Oh how I love the O’Malleys! And Dee’s Uncommon Heroes series is another favorite. I just learned that she’s releasing a new book this fall and I’m thrilled!

Ronie Kendig – I snagged Ronie’s Dead Reckoning as a freebie on Kindle. And read it in record time. Her Discarded Heroes series is a great mix of special ops and romance. Look for my review of the fourth book in the series, Firethorn, next week. (Oh – and I’ll be giving away my review copy!)

DiAnn Mills – DiAnn is currently (as in you’ve got until March 12th to enter) running a giveaway for her newest book, The Chase, on Goodreads. It looks so good, I would enter repeatedly if I could get by with it. Her Call of Duty series had heroines as varied as a CIA agent in hiding, an FBI agent with a secret past, and a border patrol agent grieving the murder of her husband. (DiAnn also writes exciting historical fiction!).

So . . . tell me . . . do you read romantic suspense? Have you read anything by my favorite authors? Do you have a favorite to share with me? I’d love to know what you’re reading right now!

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Book Review and Giveaway :: When the Smoke Clears by Lynette Eason

Lynn Blackburn — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:11:00 +0000

Lynette Eason has done it again!

When the Smoke Clears is the first in her new Deadly Reunions series (doesn’t that sound ominous!) and it has everything I loved from her Women of Justice series – romance, mystery, and characters with intriguing professions.

But she’s taken it up a notch in the suspense department! The first few chapters come hard and fast with all the pacing of a great thriller. Oh there’s trouble. And we know it. But who’s behind it and how is our main character, Alexia Allen, involved?

Well, that’s the story!

And let’s chat for a moment about Alexia. Did I mention that she’s a smokejumper? In the first few pages, we see that she’s driven, tough, brave, and compassionate. She’s also got a stubborn streak, a serious problem with her mom, a past that haunts her, a crush on a cute detective that might be turning into something, and oh, someone’s framing her for murder . . . when they aren’t busy trying to kill her.

As the danger intensifies, so does the romance. Will they survive to see where this new relationship leads? And if they can find the person responsible for all the drama, will Alexia finally be safe?

We’d like to think so, but . . . oh come on! You should know by now – I never give away the ending!

Sounds good, doesn’t it? It is! And, here’s the best part…you have an opportunity to win a signed copy! Lynette has graciously agreed to sign my review copy for whoever wins this week’s giveaway.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Subscribe to Out of the Boat by email or RSS feed. (This is super easy! See the “subscribe” tabs on the right? Just click and follow the prompts.)
2. Post a link to this post on Facebook.
3. Post a link to this post on Twitter.

In all 3 cases, leave me a comment telling me what you did, and you’ll be entered (up to 3x) to win a signed copy of When the Smoke Clears by Lynette Eason.

Hurry…the drawing will be held at 10AM on Saturday, February 18th…just in time for me to take my copy to Cross Way Christian Supply and have Lynette sign it. If you live in the Greenville, SC area, I’d love to see you there!

The super fine print: When the Smoke Clears ~ Available February 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. I was provided a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

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