Be My Guest: Lynette Eason

by Andrea Renee Cox

One of my favorite suspense authors has stopped by the blog today. Hope you enjoy this fun interview with Lynette Eason!

An Interview with Lynette Eason

Andrea: Always Watching is a fantastic start to your new Elite Guardians series. How did you come up with the idea to feature a team of female bodyguards?

Lynette: Thank you so much! I appreciate that. I was reading a book about a male bodyguard and started doing the “what-if” game. What if there was a female bodyguard for a male? How would that play out? Would my heroine come across too “male”? Would the hero come across too wimpy? Once I started creating the characters, I soon realized that as long as my hero was as strong as the heroine and not overshadowed by her—and what most people assume is a career for mostly males—then the story could be great and the readers would fall in love with the characters.

Andrea: How do you keep each new series feeling fresh and unique? Do you ever struggle with this? If so, how do you overcome that?

Lynette: Sometimes I struggle with it, but not often. I mean, really, there are only so many plots to play with, but I think with unique characters in unique situations, each story becomes a new story. Sure, my characters get shot at in every book. They also might get threatened or kidnapped or beat up or almost blown up. But in the end, it’s still a new story that never been written just that way before and I think readers are okay with that. They keep buying the books, so… :)

Andrea: Your characters are so organic. Do you ever use qualities from people in your life when crafting new characters for your stories?

Lynette: I generally try to stay away from using qualities from people I know. I really don’t want people who know me to read my stories and wonder, “Is she talking about me?” Some people might not mind, but depending on the character, things could get dicey! LOL. Seriously, I simply try to come up with as interesting a background that I can for the characters where something he/she went through in their past will come into play sometime in his/her future. If a character is claustrophobic, she’ll have to face being trapped in a small space. If she hates water, she’ll have to put her life on the line to save someone, etc. I think it brings the character full cycle and makes her feel real to the reader. Like a three dimensional person and someone the reader might like to meet one day—or be friends with. 

Andrea: Kids often play huge parts in your novels. Does your role as mother contribute to that? If so, how?

Lynette: I do seem to put a lot of kids in my books, don’t I? LOL. I think as a mother, I have a lot of fears. Fears of bad things happening to my kids, etc. (I don’t let it rule me or control my thoughts, but if you have kids, those thoughts will cross your mind at some point.) Anyway, I like the fact that I can control the outcome of what happens to the kids. Kids in my books will always have a happy ending.

Andrea: How do you balance being a wife and mom with also being a suspense writer and speaker?

Lynette: That’s the key word. Balance. I will admit, it’s not always easy. Fortunately, I’m a fast writer. Most days anyway. I’m generally a morning person. I get up, have some time with God, get my kids off to school, then jump right into the story. I get my word count done before I do anything else book related—that means interviews, marketing, etc. Some days I’m finished in an hour. Some days it takes ten hours. It can depend on where I am in the story and how intricate the wording of the scene needs to be. I’ve been known to get the word count in then go back and work on a scene, rewriting, etc, trying to get it to say exactly what I want it to. I’ve worked on the same scene for days—but only after I get in the next couple thousand words in the story. So, all that to say, it takes time, but fortunately the hours I work don’t have to be consecutive.

Andrea: Bonus! What's up next for the Elite Guardians?

Lynette Eason

Lynette: Believe it or not, I’m working on the last book in the series. Book 2, Without Warning, comes out in August 2016, then Moving Target releases February 2017. The fourth book has yet to be named. :)

Andrea: Thanks so much for letting me interview you for my blog, Writing to Inspire.

Lynette: Thank you so much for having me, it’s been a blessing!


About Lynette:
Lynette Eason grew up in Greenville, SC. Even as a young girl, she knew she wanted her life to reflect the love of Jesus Christ. Her books have appeared on the ECPA and CBA bestseller lists and have won several awards. She and her husband have two children.

Now Available!

About Always Watching:

The bodyguards of Elite Guardians Agency have more than just skill and prowess in common--they're also all women. When it becomes clear that popular psychiatrist and radio personality Wade Savage has a stalker, his father secretly hires Elite Guardians in order to protect his son.

But when Wade's bodyguard is attacked and nearly killed, agency owner Olivia Edwards must step in and fill the gap. Olivia's skills are about to be tested to the limit as Wade's stalker moves from leaving innocent gifts at his door to threatening those closest to him. Olivia has the feeling that she's next on the list. And to complicate things even further, she realizes that her heart may be in as much danger as her client.





Friends, what question would YOU like to ask Lynette Eason?


Have you tried romantic suspense? Are you a fan or not? Why or why not?



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