Book Signing FAQ

My readers are awesome!

First, I have to say a huge THANK YOU!

I've been blown away by the enthusiasm and excitement about Covert Justice. It's been so fun to see pictures of Covert Justice in the wild and I'm thrilled with the response to this first (and hopefully not last!) story.

The book signing/launch party for Covert Justice takes place on Saturday, June 13th from 11:30-1:30 at Five Forks CrossFit in Simpsonville, SC.

Many of you have asked me lots of different questions about Saturday's event, so I'm going to try to answer all of them in this post.

Where is this place?

The address for Five Forks CrossFit is 2613 Woodruff Rd, Simpsonville, SC 29681. It is at the corner of Woodruff Road and Scuffletown Road.

Why are you having your book signing at a gym?

Because I love my gym, because they love me, and because they are letting me use the space for free. Authors don't make much money, so I'm all about free!

Will there be a workout?

Despite some people requesting to see me do burpees...NO.

Can I bring my kids?

Yes. Mine will be there. 

Do I need to dress up?

No. Feel free to come in your bathing suit and flip flops. Or pearls and high heels. Whatever floats your boat.

I've never been to a book signing. What should I expect?

I've only been to a few myself, and none have been in a gym, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this one won't be a typical book signing. 

Normally, you walk into a bookstore and you see a sign that says an author is signing books. You find the line (or lack, thereof), you buy the book, the author and you make small talk as he or she writes something adorable on the title page, you grab some chocolate or a slice of cake and make small talk with the other readers, then you go home.

This will not happen on Saturday.

Mine won't be quite like that. 

When you come in on Saturday be sure to see my helper, Emily Mages. Emily is a rising 8th grader at Langston Middle school and an excellent writer. She will be helping me with door prizes and you'll want to be sure to get your tickets so you don't miss out on any of that action.

After that, PLEASE have some snacks. Eat some cake. Drink some Mountain Dew. Or water. Whatever. 

If you've already purchased your copy of Covert Justice, bring it with you. I'd love to sign it. If you don't have a copy, no worries. I'll have books for sale. I'm selling them for $6.

I'll be walking around, or maybe standing somewhere signing a book. I don't know what I'll be doing. If I'm talking to someone for more than a few minutes and you need me to hurry up, by all means throw something at me. If you don't want to be rude, find my sister. Her name is Jennifer. She does not look like me. She's tall and has red hair. She will have no problem at all with helping you interrupt me. In fact, she'll probably enjoy it. :-)

We have door prizes that will be given away approximately every 15 minutes. I don't know. The door prizes have taken over my table. It might be every 10 minutes. 

Prizes include books for your summer reading from my sister Killer Voices as well as from my mentor, Lynette Eason. There are movie night packs, note cards (handmade by mom - they are awesome), Covert Justice one-of-a-kind memorabilia pieces, and a few other things I've forgotten about. It will be fun!

Drop-in any time between 11:30-1:30. Stay for a minute or stay the whole time. Whatever you'd like. 

At 1:30, we'll be drawing for two prize packs. You do NOT have to be present to win!

Your chances of winning something are quite good!

One is a s'mores gift pack. (There's a fun scene in Covert Justice where Maggie Harrison explains the fine art of marshmallow toasting to Heidi Zimmerman). 

The other is a movie night bag filled with popcorn, candy, and two movie tickets to Regal Cinemas. (The movie night bag is based on the exclusive deleted scene that you can read when you sign up for my newsletter - yes, that is a hint - the link to the newsletter is at the bottom of this post). 


Why are you donating some of the proceeds to Miracle Hill Children's Fund?

In my mind, when Heidi retires from the FBI, she and Blake will open their hearts and home to many teenage foster children. Someday, I may even get to write that part of their story, but until then I'm thrilled to share any benefits I receive from Covert Justice with such a worthy organization. If you'd like to make an additional contribution, there will be a donation jar and 100% of those contributions will go to Miracle Hill Children's Home.

I think I've answered everything. If not, leave your questions in the comments or shoot me a message on Facebook or Twitter. Hope to see you on Saturday!

(Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter!) 

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I Write For Harlequin

Those of you looking for Covert Justice in your local Wal-mart may be wondering where to find it.

Look for the big “HARLEQUIN” banner at the top of the book aisle.

Then look for books with the label “Love Inspired Suspense” across the top of the book.

Covert Justice should be there.

Wait…did you get stuck on something?

It’s not a typo.

I write for Harlequin.

Now be honest. What are you thinking?

Are you thinking I’ve crossed over into erotica?

Are you wondering if you really know me?

Are you praying for me to come to my senses and return to the narrow way?

If you automatically equate Harlequin with “bodice-rippers” you’re not alone, but you are way off base.

In order to explain, let me cover a few things that most people outside of the industry don’t know about Christian publishing.

1.    In most cases Christian publishing is a business, not a ministry.

For many Christian authors, writing is absolutely a ministry. A calling. An act of worship. An act of obedience to the will of God for their lives.

Publication, however, is business. Publishers have employees, shareholders, and creditors, all of whom expect to get paid. In the economy in which we live and with the ever-changing face of publishing this leads us to my next point.

2.    Many Christian publishers are owned by secular publishing houses.

Once upon a time, there were quite a few Christian publishing houses, but many of them have been bought by larger secular publishers. That doesn’t mean they’ve suddenly stopped producing Christian books. Because again, publishing is a business, and anyone who knows anything about business knows that the best way to stay in business is to give the customers what they want.

Which brings me to point #3.

3.    Harlequin knows their customers better than just about anyone.

Yes, Harlequin does sell books that might give your grandma a heart attack.

But they also sell some of the sweetest, cleanest, most wholesome romances you can find anywhere.

The Love Inspired guidelines guarantee that the romance you read will be edifying, enriching, and enjoyable. 

You can let your Granny read it (mine really enjoyed Covert Justice!) and you can also let your teenage daughter read it.  There’s no inappropriate behavior. There’s no foul language. The romance leans heavily toward an emotional attachment, rather than a sensual attraction.

(That’s not to say there’s no attraction! Characters will hold hands, hug, even…dare I say it…Kiss! (gasp!) It is a romance novel, folks.)

There are three “Love Inspired” lines.

Love Inspired books are contemporary stories.

Love Inspired Historical books are, obviously, historical romances.

Love Inspired Suspense books are contemporary stories where the hero and heroine are in danger and will spend most of the book trying to stay alive. I’m biased, of course, but these are my favorite!

So don’t let the Harlequin banner scare you off. Use it to help you find some great reads that will encourage you in your faith …. And maybe make for a great conversation starter when you read them on a plane or at the beach or in the doctor’s office.

****

There's another Goodreads Giveaway this week. You could win a free, autographed copy of Covert Justice! Check it out!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Covert Justice

by Lynn Huggins Blackburn

Giveaway ends June 07, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to Win

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Release Day!

It's here! 

Covert Justice is officially available for purchase! 

I found Covert Justice a few days early at our local Wal-mart. :-) And it was on sale. :-) I do love a good sale!

If you spot it at your local Wal-mart, please post a picture on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and be sure to tag me! I'd love to see it!

A friend of mine just got the notice from Amazon that her pre-ordered copy will arrive on her doorstep between June 9-13 so if you've pre-ordered, look for it in about a week and a half.

For those of you who prefer e-books, you should be able to download the Kindle/Nook/iBook version today! 

I'll be doing many Covert Justice related posts this month to celebrate the release. It's going to be a great month and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you!

If you're in Greenville, South Carolina, don't forget about the book signing event on June 13th! I'll have plenty of copies of Covert Justice to sell that day. We'll have door prizes, gift baskets, and fun!

Thank you for sharing this experience with me!

Grace and peace,

Lynn

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Covert Justice Cover Reveal

It's finally here! 

I have to tell you...every time I look at it, the part that shocks me is my name.

My name on a book. (Insert very girly squealing).

One year ago, I was living in complete chaos. Our home had been a construction zone since early January thanks to some frozen water pipes that had done close to $40K in damage.  I don't handle disruptions well. It was not prime writing time.

But someone mentioned a contest, and for reasons that make no sense to me, even now, I entered. I sent in my first page, then my synopsis. And in the midst of the craziness, I carved out the time to add thousands of words to the story that had been floating around in my brain for a couple of years.

My husband could have discouraged it. It really was a bad time.

Instead, he pushed, prodded, encouraged, and cheered me on. 

When I hit send on the evening of June 8th, the day before my 40th birthday, I had no real hope that this would happen. 

I still don't know HOW it happened.

I know I prayed. A LOT.

I know I cried. A LOT.

I know I panicked. A LOT.

I know I stayed up late and got up early. A LOT.

I know it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. And I know I love this story.

A LOT.

I really hope you will, too. 

About Covert Justice ...

When a woman drags Blake Harrison out of his wrecked car, he knows the mysterious stranger has saved his life. But more shocking than the hit-and-run is the news that a crime cartel has infiltrated his factory. There's a fortune to be made by tampering with the factory's products . . . but only if Blake is out of the way. Undercover FBI agent Heidi Zimmerman has two goals - catch the criminals in the act, and keep Blake alive. Falling for the single dad and his adorable daughter isn't in the plan. But everything changes when an abduction leaves Heidi face-to-face with a killer, revealing the danger that's been hiding in plain sight all along . . .

Covert Justice is available for pre-order on Amazon. It will be available in Wal-mart stores in June. I can't wait for you to meat Heidi and Blake. They are two of my favorite people.
(Yes, I know they aren't real...)

I have some fun things planned for my readers, including an opportunity to win free copies of Covert Justice, and an exclusive deleted scene!
So stay tuned!


Click to Tweet: Check out this great cover for Covert Justice from @LynnHBlackburn.

If you're on Goodreads, I'd love for you to add Covert Justice to your to-be-read list!

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Seekerville!

It's Seekerville Day!

My sister Killer Voices and I are being interviewed over at Seekerville. 

For those of you who might not know, Seekerville is a hugely popular blog written by The Seekers - a group of writers who met several years ago while they were all "seeking" publication. 

They've all achieved their goal, and Seekerville remains a place for writers seeking publication to find ideas, encouragement, and wisdom for the publication journey. 

I would love it if you'd stop by and check it out!

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The Call

In my last post, I mentioned that the jury was still out on my 2nd novel. Well, it isn't any more!

To bring you all up to speed…

Earlier this year I entered a contest. The Search for the Next Killer Voice was a four stage contest held by the editors of Love Inspired Suspense.

Stage 1 – Submit your first page. No problem. I already had it written.

Stage 2 – Submit a synopsis. Not much of a problem. I had a synopsis written, I just needed to tweak it, re-write it, start over and try again. (A huge shout-out to Mary Denman for talking me through it at midnight!)

Stage 3 – Submit the first 3 chapters. Bit of a problem. Wasn’t exactly expecting to make it this far and had to rewrite most of what I already had to make it work for this publisher. (Never-ending gratitude to Lynette Eason for reading it and giving me hope that it might work!)

Stage 4 – Submit the full manuscript by June 9. Big problem. Way back in March when I sent in my first page, I never imagined I’d still be in it at this point. The pressure was intense. I may have sent out one, two, multiple SOS prayer requests to my writing and non-writing friends as I wrote during every spare minute and most of the rest of the minutes of my days and nights. There is no human explanation for how I was able to finish the book on time. Truly, it was a case of God expanding my time and energy.

On the evening of June 8, I hit “send” and put it out of my mind for a few weeks. I celebrated my 40^th birthday, went on vacation, and tried not to think about the fact that somewhere in New York, an editor could at any moment make THE decision about my book.

Which leads me to the stage no one warned me about.

Stage 5 – Lose your ever-lovin’ mind while you wait to hear if they want to buy your book.

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