Author J.B. Hawker

I’m very pleased to bring to you today Author J.B. Hawker. J.B. is a fellow cozy mystery author, currently living in the wilds of Northern California. J.B. is a woman of a certain age with a lot of living behind her, who looks forward to all the great adventures ahead.

J.B. mines the richness of her history as a pastor’s wife in small communities all over the Western United States to people her not-quite-cozy mystery/thrillers. (If you’ve ever attended a small town church, you may even recognize some of the characters.)

Writing from a Christian perspective, her stories include men and women at all stages in their faith walk, along with some truly scary villains.

I’m ready to get to know, J.B., aren’t you? Let’s get to it.

1. Let’s start with something fun. What’s your favorite hobby? 

Gardening. I love to dig in the dirt and then enjoy the fruits (and veg and flowers!) of my labors. There is something so elemental about growing things. It is the perfect antidote for a high-tech lifestyle.

2. If you had the opportunity—who would you like to spend an afternoon with and why?

This is easy: my three granddaughters, ages 15, 6 and 5. They live in northern Italy, so I don’t see them in person often enough. Skype just isn’t the same.

3. Coffee, tea, soda or something else?

Strong black tea with milk in the morning gets my engine started, then I take a cup of latte to my desk to begin writing. I almost never drink soda, but I like minty lemonade on a hot summer day.

4. What are you working on right now?

I’m unwisely juggling three projects: a non-fiction resource for women’s ministry leaders, a collection of Christmas-themed short-stories, and the first book of my new Mrs. Thistlethwaite series, Mrs. Thistlethwaite and the Magpie, coming out in 2017.

5. How would you describe your writing style?

I write from my own heart and experience. I try to create authentic characters I would like to spend time with. I try not to take myself too seriously, so there are bits of gentle humor in all my stories. I can be a bit dark, on occasion, but only when the story calls for it. I do write mysteries, after all, and that means bad guys.

6. Do you have any advice for a person just beginning their writing career?

Fear not. That’s the first thing. It’s both easier and harder than you think, but don’t let the enormity of the task paralyze you. Learn as much as you can about your craft, then just write, proof, edit and rewrite, but don’t wait for perfection before publishing or you’ll never think your work is ready for prime time.

7. Do you immerse yourself in new situations for writing ideas or do your ideas come to you through your normal, day-to-day life? 

I’ve been around the block quite a few times, so I’ve got enough stored experiences for a library of books. Occasionally, it will be a new adventure, like a trip to Italy, say, which sparks the writing ideas, but most often it is simple, day-to-day events which recall past experiences to mind.  I frequently write about pastors, their wives, and church life because I was a pastor’s wife for twenty-five years. I’ve lived all over, so those locations also find their way into my writing.

8. Where can we find you on the interwebs?

Website: http://jbhawker.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JBHawker.author/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HawkerJB

Blogs: Power Walking with Jonna (Inspirational): https://jonnaturek.wordpress.com/

Author Blog: http://jbhawker.com/category/author-blog/

And special news. 

Thank you so much J.B. for taking the time to be with us today.

Fellow readers, I invite you to visit J.B. on any of her pages. I’m sure there’s a cozy mystery just waiting for you there. And what a bargain on her new Christmas book! Get that today while it’s on sale.