Lucky's Charm by Jenn Nixon - Virtual tour and Giveaway

Today we're welcoming author Jenn Nixon to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for her romantic suspense, "Lucky's Charm".

Jenn will give away one backlist book at every stop for one lucky commenter, and she and Wild Child Publishing will be awarding a $10 Wild Child Publishing GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win prize!

Jenn was kind enough to answer all my prying questions, so let's turn the floor over to her!

Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

I write in a few different genres but at the core of my Sci-Fi or Romantic Suspense novels, there is a mystery. Most genre fiction seems to have some mystery element to it. Someone is always trying to find something, uncover someone, or understand an event. I love mystery. I love the type I can solve and the kind you’re usually not supposed to until the very end. I think mystery surrounds us every day and I never seem to tire of it. I love watching movies or TV shows that ask questions and strive to find the answers and books are no different. Having a mystery aspect to what I write keeps the story fresh and the characters engaged.

What research is required?

For Lucky’s Charm, I had to do a lot of research on weapons, the military, and the darker side of crime. There is also a bit of psychological research needed to understand the motivations of certain characters. Having that extra knowledge helps to keep the characters grounded in reality while making them interesting at the same time. When you’re writing about a character who kills for a living, it’s very tricky to make them likeable.

Name one thing you learned from your heroine.

While writing Lucky, I learned that I can be very defensive. She usually has a snappy bite when confronted and doesn’t like hearing the truth when it hurts. I guess that part of my personality came through in Lucky. When you go that deep into the mind of someone like Lucky, you can’t help but see similar actions in yourself when they come out. So when I’m confronted by someone these days, I try to take a moment to think before snapping and instantly reacting.

Any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

I do have a little writing quirk that I haven’t really told anyone about yet. There’s a certain word I’ve include in all of my novels, with the exception of Trust Me, Tell me (we took it out in editing). I didn’t even realize I was doing it until it popped up in one of my non-Sci-Fi books. That’s about as much of a clue as I’ll give because I can’t tell you what the word is. I plan on having a contest one day!

Plotter or pantser?

I’m a pantser. When writing a new project I usually have a character outline and a basic idea about the story: a beginning, a middle, and sometimes an end. I usually know what they do for a living, some aspects to their personality, and some of their motivations. Generally, I let the characters develop naturally and fill in the plot holes after the first draft if completed. My characters tend to change the story on me during the process, which is one of the reasons I love writing, I love being surprised when a character takes on a life of their own.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

My bed, with my dog Holli on it. I write in my bedroom and my bed and computer are near the window. Unfortunately, the bed is also right next to my desk, so I occasionally have to deal with a German Shepherd trying to climb onto my lap.

Anything new coming up from you? What?

I have two Sci-Fi project coming out soon, MIND: The Beginning and Tiva Boon: Royal Guardian. They are both in various stages of editing, and I’m looking forward to sharing these two amazing stories with everyone.

Do you have a question for our readers?

How do you find new authors to read, online, word of mouth, the bookstore, or a combination?

To protect her family and find a killer, Felicia "Lucky" Fascino assumed her adoptive father's identity and joined the network 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. Completing the job is the only way Lucky and her family can return to a safe and normal life. Lucky's uncle, Stephen Chambers, hasn't come close to tracking the killer. He announces he's stepping down as her handler to concentrate on the investigation and names Elizabeth, his daughter, as successor.

Keeping secrets is a family trait, and Elizabeth's addition to the business tests Lucky's ability to maintain the pretense that the job doesn't affect her despite the fact that all network hits are hardened criminals. While keeping her family 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 starts to make mistakes that threaten her livelihood and almost claim her life. When her family is targeted, Lucky must make several rash decisions she believes can save them and preserve her own sanity.

“I’m not…good at this anymore.” Lucky puffed out a heavy breath and clutched the phone. “I can’t wrap my mind around it. I’ve really tried to forget you.”

“Why?”

“Because, I can’t want…this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Be with someone while doing what I do. Sharing my life… I haven’t for a long time. I don’t see how I can do it with—”

“Another killer?”

That stopped her cold. Lucky shut her eyes and banged her head against the wall. Not only was it the oddest conversation she’d ever have, it frightened her because he was dead on.

“Why add to the torment?” she snapped.

“Being with you was far from torture.” His reply was husky and saturated with innuendo. Lucky ignored the ripples of electricity on her skin.

“We’re not good people, Kenji. I’ve already accepted that, but I think you’ve still got blinders on.”

“No, I have a sense we are more alike than you realize. I know why you eliminated McKowen. He was a vile man.”

“Yeah… We might be the bad guys, but we’re never the villains.” Lucky softened her tone. “We’re not heroes either, just stuck in the middle somewhere.”

“This is what we do, not who we are. It does not change what happened between us. We should not ignore this.”

“I don’t know….” The contact with him did something to her, but finding the words to explain it seemed impossible. Lucky did want to see him again, though, not for all the right reasons.

“Where are you, right now?”

“Miami,” he said immediately. “Let me come to you, wherever you wish.”

“I….” The confusion twisted through her. He was determined without being forceful.

“The choice is yours. Call me after you complete your task,” he said without demand.

“Okay.”

Author 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.

Website: www.jennnixon.com
Facebook: facebook.com/JennNixonAuthor
Blog: www.jennafern.blogspot.com
Twitter: @jennnixon

Lucky’s Charm:
Amazon
Wild Child Publishing
Barnes and Noble