Monday, September 29, 2014

This Week: IWSG Blog Hop, Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing, Giveaways


Are your leaves coloring up in your area? In West Michigan, 
the peak is usually mid-October, but seeing color now. 
freedigitalphotos.net By Simon Howden


This week we kick off a new fall series, Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing. Respected authors of romance and mystery stories share their tips on the writing process, publishing, and marketing. You'll get to meet your favorites and discover new authors as well as enter a drawing for giveaways. Can you feel the the electricity and excitement in the air? It's not from those cool, fall breezes. It always happens when a new event takes off on the J.Q. Rose blog. You're invited to join in every Thursday this fall.


Our Tipster Authors in October are:


OCTOBER
2 Roseanne Dowell
9 Miss Mae
16 Heather Fraser Brainerd
23 Marva Dasef
30 Gail Roughton


THIS WEEK:

Wednesday, October 1--The first Wednesday of the month means it's time for the Insecure Writers Support Group blog hop. This month is special because participants will be offering tips on writing. (I don't know. Does the change in seasons 'cause writers to give up their writing secrets?) My tip is a plan to help with guest blogging. 

Thursday, October 2-- Mystery and romance author Roseanne Dowell gives up the first tips in the series, and they deal with creating characters and editing. And does she have some fantastic characters in her books published by Books We Love. 

Looking forward to seeing you here this week!


Monday, September 22, 2014

Follow Blog Fest--Come along and join the fun!



Blog button designed by Carrie Butler.

Hello and welcome to the J.Q. Rose blog. Today begins the Follow Blog Fest, the brainchild of Melissa Maygrove, The purpose of this blog fest is to offer a platform building opportunity for writers. 

Come on in and stay awhile. The food table is in the back of the room decorated with fall mums and colored leaves to celebrate the first day of Fall with you. Please help yourself to fresh apple cider and donuts too. I'm looking forward to meeting you.


Name: J.Q. Rose

Fiction or nonfiction? 
Both

What genres do you write? 
Mystery, romance, non-fiction

Are you published? 
Yes. My mysteries are with MuseItUpPublishing. 

The non-fiction book for girls, Girls Succeed! is self-published.

Do you do anything in addition to writing? 
Hmmm, does grandmothering count?

Tell us a little about yourself.
We are campers, but not the tenting kind. I have to have a microwave and an electric blanket when I camp. We enjoy traveling and, in fact, RVed full-time for over eight years and loved it. I never thought I could live with just a couple of pans, couple of shorts, and jeans, but I did. Not much space in a camper, but great for those who, like me,  hate housekeeping!

What are you reading right now?
APE by Guy Kawasaki and  Force of Nature by Suzanne Brockman

Which authors influenced you the most?
Jan Karon who wrote the Mitford Series and Mark Twain

Where can people connect with you?
Twitter
I know I'm probably in the minority, but I am not a tweeter.
LinkedIn
Not linked in with my pen name


 Author pages:
Smashwords Author Profile




Website 

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
I enjoy meeting authors by hosting PG-13 and up published authors on my J.Q. Rose blog and MG and YA authors on my Girls Succeed blog. If you're doing a Virtual Book Tour, contact me so you can make a stop here! It's fun to swap blogs, 
so I would be happy to be your guest too. 

Thanks to Melissa Maygrove for spearheading this clever Follow Fest project. 
Thank you to all of you for stopping in.
Please leave a comment below so I can visit your page too. 
 I'm looking forward to meeting you.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Author Katie Carroll's Elixir Bound Book Blitz and Giveaway




 I'm excited to be a part of Katie Carroll's Elixir Bound Book Blitz. Read the excerpt from Elixir Bound, a YA fantasy. Be sure to register to win a signed paperback on Goodreads and/or order the e-book available for 99 cents through September 27.
 .

EXCERPT:
Katora Kase is next in line to take over as guardian to a secret and powerful healing Elixir. Now she must journey into the wilds of Faway Forest to find the ingredient that gives the Elixir its potency. Even though she has her sister and brother, an old family friend, and the handsome son of a mapmaker as companions, she feels alone. 


YA fantasy 

It is her decision alone whether or not to bind herself to the Elixir to serve and protect it until it chooses a new guardian. The forest hosts many dangers, including wicked beings that will stop at nothing to gain power, but the biggest danger Katora may face is whether or not to open up her heart to love.

Ebook on sale for $.99 until September 27:

Amazon

MuseItUp bookstore

Signed paperback giveaway on Goodreads until September 28: Click Goodreads to enter.

About Katie:

Katie L. Carroll began writing at a very sad time in her life after her 16-year-old sister, Kylene, unexpectedly passed away. Since then writing has taken her to many wonderful places, real and imagined. She wrote ELIXIR BOUND and the forthcoming ELIXIR SAVED so Kylene could live on in the pages of a book. Katie is also the author of the picture app THE BEDTIME KNIGHT and an editor for MuseItUp Publishing. She lives not too far from the beach in a small Connecticut city with her husband and son. 

For more about Katie, visit Katie's website

Follow her on Twitter (@KatieLCarroll) or Tumblr.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Character Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to the Character Blog Hop! 
Thanks so much to author Heather Fraser Brainerd for inviting me to join in on the fun. Heather is a co-author with her brother, David Fraser, of the newly released MG paranormal, Shadows of New York.
Today I am enlightening you on the main character in my cozy murder/sweet romance, Coda to Murder.
Pastor Christine Hobbs never imagined 
she would be caring for a flock that includes a pig, a kangaroo, 
and a murderer.
What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?
My fictional character is Pastor Christine Hobbs.
Where and When is the story set?
The contemporary story is set in a small town, Fair Lake, Michigan
What should we know about (character)?
The young woman loves God, her church family, and her position as spiritual leader of the Dayspring Church. Even as a pastor, she struggles like we all do with forgiveness. She finds it nearly impossible to forgive her ex-husband so she can moving on to a better life in Fair Lake. 
What is the main conflict/what messes up his/her life?
Talk about messing up her life and the life of her church, the church's Director of Music was found dead in the church basement. Christine has to prove she has been wrongly accused of the murder. The handsome detective doesn't want her to get away with murder. His investigative methods infuriate Christine as much as his deep brown eyes attract her.

 What is (character)’s personal goal?
Personally she is afraid to give her heart away to a man. She was crushed by her ex-husband and does not want to ever be hurt like that again. And yet, she does yearn to love and be loved by a special guy.
# # # # 

Video: Take a peek at the book trailer for Coda to Murder.


Buy Links for Coda to Murder
bn.com and major online booksellers.

You're invited to visit me online at the following links:

Thanks so much for stopping in today. 
Please hop on over to fellow Character Blog Hoppers. Heather Fraser Brainerd,
Roseanne Dowell, and Joan Curtis and meet their characters too.

From the books you have read and enjoyed, who would you choose for your favorite character and why? Please leave your answer or comment below. Thanks!


Monday, September 15, 2014

Goodbye to Big Blue and the WIP, This Week, Giveaway

"Big Blue"--1996 RAM truck

Good-bye to "Big Blue" by J.Q. Rose
Our Dodge RAM truck has given us fantastic service for fourteen years. Last week, we bought a new truck. I know this sounds sappy and sentimental, but I am sad to lose Big Blue. I know it's just a truck, but when I think of all Big Blue and my hubby and I have been through together...We began our camping adventures with this truck pulling a little 24 foot fifth wheel out west and into Canada.

Big Blue was the one who hauled us and our 32 foot fifth wheel around as we lived full-time in our "condo-on-wheels" for over eight years. Big Blue was the work horse on mission projects with the NOMADS RV'ers group. We loaded up lumber to build decks for my brother-in-law and fix-up jobs.Ted's tools were always at the ready in the tool box in the bed of the truck when he could do handyman jobs for folks. And this is the truck that transported our grandkids to those great family camp-outs.
Big Blue in the background. Grandsons cooking breakfast on camping trip to Mackinac Island
My DH had a hard time giving up this truck, but it had 189,000 miles on it. Though the engine runs like a top, thanks to my DH babying it with regular oil changes and transmission charges, the trip to Florida is a long one. I imagine Big Blue could do it, but we traded to feel more confident on those busy roads and comfy (let me tell you, my seat in that old truck had deep impressions matching my bottom).

Much like giving up Big Blue for a new truck, I have the sad but exhilarating feeling of finishing my WIP. This sounds sappy and sentimental too, but this story has become a "friend" and we have been through some fun and difficult places too. I hate to see the fleshing out of the characters and their emotions and motivations come to an end, but thrilled that I finished it. Do you ever feel that way after reading or writing a book? I have to ask--do you ever get attached to your vehicles?
# # # #
This Week:

A lot of fun coming up here on the J.Q. Rose blog this week plus a giveaway!

Tuesday, September 16--Heather Fraser Brainerd invited me to a Character Hop. So much fun to share characters. Click back tomorrow and catch a group of authors talking about the amazing characters who populate their stories. I fill you in on Pastor Christine in my romance/mystery,Coda to Murder.


Thursday, September 18--Katie L. Carroll's Elixir Bound Book Blitz--This YA fantasy is on sale this week for 99 cents AND Katie is giving away a signed copy through Goodreads.


Ebook on sale for $.99 until September 27:
Amazon
MuseItUp bookstore

Signed paperback giveaway on Goodreads until September 28Click Goodreads to enter.

Have a fantastic week!






Thursday, September 11, 2014

Patriot Day--a Day to Remember Those Lost

9/11


Patriot Day is observed as the National Day of Service and Remembrance 
of the 2977 lives lost 
on this infamous day in the history of the USA. 

Our hearts go out to those friends and family 
who were left behind to recover from this tragedy. 

Monday, September 8, 2014

Review of Video-Maker Powtoon.com




Hello. I'm writing this post and enjoying a sunny, 
fallish-feeling morning in Michigan!

I'm taking some of my own advice and learning something new this season. I tried this program, Powtoon.com. It's a FREE one! This video-maker is  a cute way to add some fun to your blog, but it takes some time to figure out how to put a video together.

They have a good variety of templates to choose from, so I used the one they demonstrated on a webinar. I didn't just plug in my info and be done. However, I must admit I do have "perfectionist" tendencies, so I spent a lot of time tweaking it.

The tutorials and webinar really helped me to figure out all the buttons, library, and "whatchamacallits" available on the site. I'm looking forward to developing another one later.

You're probably wondering why I attempted this? All I have learned this summer in my marketing/promoting classes stress how important video will be in the future to get readers' attention and to keep them coming back for more. I hope to use Powtoon as one of the tools in my book marketing kit to promote my published books and future books to get more interest and SALES!

Please know, you are my guinea pigs, so to speak. What do you think of my first attempt at using Powtoon?  I have big shoulders, so I can take it! Thanks. Hope you enjoy it! <Fingers crossed.>


Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Insecure Writers Support Group: New Beginnings

Hello and welcome to  the IWSG blog hop. 

Happy Third Anniversary 
to the Internet Writers Support Group!


What is IWSG? Founder of IWSG and author Alex J Cavanaugh explains the group's purpose is "to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!" 

The group blogs the first Wednesday of every month, The list of bloggers is always available so you can hop around to the author blogs filled with humor, advice, and thought-provoking topics on writing and publishing. You can find the list of participants at Alex's IWSG page

Happy First Wednesday of the month, Back to School, and Fall! I know it isn't officially fall yet on the calendar, but I figure after school starts, it is fall to me!


New Beginnings by J.Q. Rose
The "back to school" time of year is one of new beginnings. When I taught third grade, I appreciated the opportunity to start over with a new group of children every fall. And they got the chance to have a fresh start with a new teacher.  Teachers are lucky to have the beginning of the school year to make resolutions to be a better teacher, better person, and have that fresh chance to super-charge their teaching methods and interaction with the students. Plus they get a new year in January to made resolutions to improve their teaching and their lives. 

Teachers shouldn't be the only career allowed to have two new beginnings in one year, so I am declaring this time of year a new opportunity to get excited and motivated to make a fresh approach with my writing career. I am tossing around the idea of indie publishing  my WIP instead of staying with a small press. I've also been looking into new ways to super charge my book promotions e.g. podcasting, inteviews, videos. 

So I'm going "back to class" online to learn how to do all these things and to get a handle on the technology available to us for interacting with readers and writers. I'm a bit insecure about using the Google+ Hangouts on Air, but I can't wait to find out how to start my own and participate in actually sharing with folks in that medium. Do you have experience with the Hangouts? Any tips for the newbie user?

What about you? Are you ready for a fresh start?  To  tackle something new in writing methods, writing process, technology, research? I'm ready just as soon as I find that stash of chocolate!! 

Best wishes for success in making your own new beginnings in September!

Connect online with J.Q. Rose:



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