TBR welcomes Lynn Hones

TBR: Welcome to TBR, Lynn. Will you share a little bit about yourself?
Lynn: I’m a wife of 24 years and mother to two beautiful daughters. I have two rescue dogs and two rescue cats. At the moment I’m about to strangle the younger of the dogs because he just tore up my couch cushion. Grrr. He suffers from separation anxiety. (And so do I. I’m anxious about what he’s going to destroy next while I’m gone.) lol

TBR: Tell us about A Titanic Tale and where it's available.
Lynn: My latest book, A Titanic Tale, is a young adult ghost story, but good for any age. I like to make my ghost stories as scary as possible. I’ve had a few people tell me they couldn’t continue reading one of my books because they were alone and had to wait until they were with someone else. I LOVE that.

TBR: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Lynn: Buy link: http://www.devinedestinies.com/a-titanic-tale-3/

A Titanic Tale –

Beautiful Cornelia Bainesworth cared only about herself and her own life the night the Titanic went down. A curse brought on by a woman who witnessed her selfish behavior that evening destroys her, but it doesn’t stop there.

One hundred years later, the curse rears its ugly head in the life of small-town teenager Callie. As if the tragedy of her boyfriend’s death wasn’t enough, strange occurrences bring her to the brink of insanity. Callie’s search for answers is unsuccessful until a nerdy schoolmate takes up her cause and together they experience frightening apparitions, unexplained phenomena and chilling truths. These truths turn Callie’s life upside down and reveal a shocking ending to a story that began on the deck of a ship doomed the moment it saw light.

TBR: Are you a plotter or pantser?
Lynn: I have to be a panster because even when I take the time to make a beautiful outline for my story, my characters laugh and say, “Oh, really? I don’t think so.” And they change it all around.

TBR: How do you develop your characters?
Lynn: I actually think of a person in my head and suddenly they take shape. I know how they feel, what they like to wear, and what they’d say in any given situation. My husband often tells me it’s remarkable that I can do that, but to me it’s so darn easy, I think anyone can write. Of course he’s an appliance repairman and can fix anything. I can’t figure out how to use a manual can opener, so…

TBR: Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to share?
Lynn: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. It’s simple and to the point.

TBR: Did any music inspire your book? Do you have a playlist?
Lynn: It depends on what book I’m working on. Two of my books are based in the era of the Civil War, so I’ll listen to waltzes of that time. I have one I’m working on about WWI and I listen to that type of music, much to the chagrin of my teens. Lol I love the looks on their faces when they walk into my room and listen to what I’m playing. “Where did you get THAT?” They scream. It’s actually hysterical.

TBR: Which of your characters would you most/least like to invite to dinner, and why?
Lynn: That’s a good question. The one person I’d love to have over would be Jackson Taylor from my book Those Who Wait. He’s a quiet, hard-working, honorable man who falls in love with my heroine, but has a secret so unbelievable, he has to leave her. He is so dang sweet I want to have him over to dinner even though I’m married. LOL.

TBR: While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned?
Lynn: I’ve learned that it’s not me who’s creating these stories. Believe it or not, it’s as if the characters themselves are doing it. They take over and sometimes the things they do shock even me.

TBR: Any other published works?
Lynn: Yes. I have several. My young adult books, along with A Titanic Tale, are, Gore Orphanage Road, Laugh in the Dark and Yesterday’s Island. My contemporary women’s fiction is The Cult of Light and Lies and my two paranormal romances are Those Who Wait and Haunted Vows.

TBR: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Lynn: The most challenging is to find the time to do it. Also, it’s so fun for me, I feel like I should be doing something like “real work.”

TBR: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Lynn: I had one person tell me that they were so scared reading one of my books that they thought they heard a voice and put the book down. They wanted to…but couldn’t finish it. It scared them that much. (At least I hope so. Maybe they just didn’t like it and were afraid to tell me.) lol

TBR: Where can readers find you on the web?
Lynn:  www.lynnhones.com or www.lynnhones.com/Blog I’m also on Facebook with Lynn Hones Books and I have a twitter account, too.

TBR: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Lynn: What scares them the most when reading a good, old fashioned ghost story.

TBR: Readers, Lynn will give away a handmade beachglass earrings and necklace set to one lucky commenter. She'll pick a winner and announce the winner here. Be sure to leave your email address so she can contact you.

Thanks for visiting TBR, Lynn. All the best to you.