Sunday, November 29, 2015

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas Shopping, Advent, Tiny Tidbits, Winners Announced

Advent Candles representing hope, love, joy, and peace
Photo by J.Q. Rose

Welcome to the J.Q. Rose blog. I hope you had a wonderful USA Thanksgiving--eating plenty of turkey and enjoying friends and family get-togethers. Football? Shopping? Games? How do you spend the day? 

Traditionally the day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday and then a weekend of Small Business shopping and of course Cyber Monday. What a way to star the shopping season. 


On Sunday, December 29, 2015, followers of Christ open the season of Advent, a time to prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of Christ on Christmas Day, December 25. This special season in the Christian church includes prayer, devotions, joy, and anticipation during the four Sundays prior to Christmas, the birthday of Jesus.  During each Sunday of the Advent season, we focus on one of the four virtues Jesus brings us: Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. A candle is lighted so all four candles are glowing on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day when the white candle in the center representing Jesus Christ is lit.

The tradition of observing Advent was first begun during the time of the Protestant reformer Martin Luther. Through the ages, the symbols have changed. Some denominations believe the first candle represents expectation, and the next three represent hope, joy, and purity. Although there are different interpretations as to the meaning of the candles, they are all a reminder of our call to aspire to live as followers of Jesus. 

Does your family observe Advent by lighting candles at home or church? The Advent wreath is a beautiful reminder of what Christmas is all about. In the midst of the shopping and the busy-ness of the season, take time to remember the candles and the reason for the season.
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Tiny Tidbits for Life and Writing
  • Do you know the traditional flower of Christmas, the poinsettia,
    Poinsettia plant
    Photo by J.Q. Rose
    is not the red or colored leaves, but rather the small flowers in the center of the leaves? Take it from a former florist, you want to purchase a poinsettia that has buds or just beginning to open flowers for a fresh poinsettia plant that will last all season.
  • If you are planning to donate to a charity this year, check for information on the charity at the Charity Navigator to make a wise decision for your donation.






This Week:
Deadly Undertaking
Available at all major online booksellers.

I am excited to learn that my mystery, Deadly Undertaking, was selected by Kobo to be included in the Kobo Cyber Monday promotion. 

I also received notice Deadly Undertaking has been chosen in the Overdrive Holiday Spectacular. Overdrive will be recommending this e-book, among many others, to libraries. 

Wednesday, December 2--Insecure Writers Support Blog Hop. Join lots of authors to discuss their insecurities. Fun and interesting way to meet new authors and make friends.








Congratulations to the Winners in the Deadly Undertaking Book Blog Tour!


Heather Brainerd, Susan Bernhardt, and Loni Townsend!

And to those who didn't win a prize, but left a comment or visited one of my hosts. I appreciate your participation and support. Please be sure to Follow the J.Q. Rose by email because I don't send newsletters every month or badger you with emails. If you do leave your email address in the box above, you will be updated on the blog posts here. And there WILL be more opportunities to win prizes too! Thank you!!


Thursday, November 26, 2015

Happy Thanskgiving USA!

Happy Thanksgiving from J.Q. Rose
Wishing you a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!
From J.Q. Rose

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Blog Swap: Making Time to Write by Sara Jayne Townsend, Giveaways




Dead Cool by Sara Jayne Townsend
Who would resort to murder?

Kindle UK
Blog Swap Time! Do you enjoy getting two-for-one blogs? That's a blog swap. 

Today I'm swapping with mystery and horror author Sara Jayne Townsend. Sara, joining us from London, England, is my guest. She's sharing about making time to write. Now there's something many writers need to figure out! AND  Sara is generously offering a giveaway of a choice of either one of her Shara Summers books, Death Scene or Dead Cool,or the horror novel, The Whispering Death. The spooky book trailer is at the end of the page Take a peek, if you dare.  

Please leave a comment below to enter the drawing. Winner will be chosen after 6 pm EST on Wednesday, November 25. Good luck!

Since it is a blog swap, I'm at Sara's blog revealing my desire to raise awareness about issues in our modern society through my writing. Sounds like a heavy topic. I would like your opinion about authors using their stories to bring attention to their causes with subtle messages in books. You're invited to hop over to Sara Jayne Townsend's blog after you finish here. You can sign up for the Rafflecopter drawing while there or sign up below to win prizes during the Deadly Undertaking Book Blog Tour.  Deadline to enter is midnight November 25. Thank you. 


The Whispering Death by Sara Jayne Townsend
UK Kindle link
Death comes to us all; life is the name of the game and everyone has a role to play. 


MAKING TIME TO WRITE
By Sara Jayne Townsend

There’s a misconception that the writing life is a glamorous one. And that all writers are rich. If you’re JK Rowlings, that’s undoubtedly true. If you’re not – well, the reality is that the vast majority of writers don’t earn enough from writing to do it for a living and have to have a separate source of income.

For me, and many other writers, this means writing around the day job. I have a rather demanding day job that involves three hours a day of travelling to and from London. Finding the time to write around that requires discipline. I can’t afford the luxury of waiting for the muse to strike. I allocate time to writing, I sit down to do it, and if the muse is asleep I poke her with a big stick until she starts being productive.

I don’t use my commuting time to write, since my train is rather crowded and getting out the NetBook on the train would mean elbowing my fellow commuters and, more importantly, having someone read over my shoulder – off putting, to say the least. Nor do I generally write during lunch time. Sometimes I need that time to get away from the office. Sometimes I use it for personal tasks I don’t have time to do at home, or for writing blog posts or Tweets or other promotional material. Neither do I get much writing done in the evenings, since I’m generally too tired when I get home from work to focus.

So my writing routine these days is to get up at 5:30am twice a week and take the early train into London, where I sit in a coffee shop with my NetBook and write for an hour before going into the office. Getting up at such an ungodly hour doesn’t suit everyone, and I wouldn’t say I’m naturally a morning person, but there does seem to be an advantage to writing before my ‘internal editor’ is awake. I am quite productive at that time in the morning, especially with a first draft, as I am able to tap directly into my subconscious for the words, without that internal voice interrupting with, “that sentence is rubbish”. An indulgent breakfast muffin to munch on and a big cup of tea to drink as I wait for the NetBook to boot up gives me added incentive to get out of bed so early, and I can arrive at the day job feeling satisfied that I’ve achieved my word count for the day. And besides, the early train is much quieter, since most of my fellow commuters are still in bed at that time.

The trick to finding time to write is to work out what’s best for you and mark the time in your calendar. If you can’t face the idea of getting up early, maybe you can allocate some time in or lunch hour, or sit at the laptop after the kids are in bed instead of watching that TV show. But once you’ve worked out what’s best for you, put the time in your calendar and treat it with the same commitment as you would any other appointment.



The truth is, the writing life isn’t an easy one. Those of us who feel moved to do it, do it out of a sense of need rather than regard it as a pleasurable hobby. And the only way it happens is to apply backside to writing chair and get words written. If there was an easier way to do it, we’d all be best-selling writers.


About Sara 

 Sara Jayne Townsend is a UK-based writer of crime and horror, and someone tends to die a horrible death in all of her stories.  She was born in Cheshire in 1969, but spent most of the 1980s living in Canada after her family emigrated there.  She now lives in Surrey w
Author Sara Jayne Townsend
ith two cats and her guitarist husband Chris.  She co-founded the T Party Writers’ Group in 1994, and remains Chair Person.

She is the author of the series of mystery novels featuring Canadian actress and contemporary amateur sleuth Shara Summers, but her most recent release is a supernatural horror novel, entitled The Whispering Death, featuring a group of live action role players who unwittingly release an ancient evil during a game.

Connect with Sara and her writing online at
Sara's blog  
Follow her on Twitter 

Video




Book Trailer for The Whispering Death by Kensington-Gore Publishing

Enter the Rafflecopter drawing to win prizes after the Deadly Undertaking Book Blog Tour is completed. Hurry. Deadline is Wednesday, 12 pm EST, November  25.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Blog Swap: Author Conda V. Douglas is Potato Obsessed, Recipe, Giveaway



Mild West Mysteries, 13 Idaho Tales of Murder and Mayhem
Anthology of entertaining cozy mysteries by Conda V. Douglas
Hi and welcome to another fun blog swap! Author Conda Douglas and I are opening our blogs for each other to entertain readers. Conda brought along an e-book of her new release, MIld West Myteries, for a giveaway too!  Love this cover. 

Being from Idaho, Conda is "potato obsessed." You'll believe it after reading this fun article AND a surprising recipe made with potatoes. After copying down the recipe, hop on over to Conda's blog to giggle a bit about writing cliches.


Ski the Great Potato with Conda! by Conda V. Douglas

J.Q. thanks so much for having me on your blog.

Fifth generation Idaho native, Conda Douglas here, with a little bit about my beloved home state and how we are, well, potato possessed. Most of my writing takes place in Idaho. They say “write about what you know,” and boy do I know Idaho!
There’s also a potato cake recipe plus a way to enter to win a free copy of my newest release Mild West Mysteries, 13 Idaho Tales of Murder and Mayhem.

Yes, we are obsessed with potatoes. This comes out in different ways:
We make everything out of potatoes including desserts. Cake, cookies, donuts, ice cream and more, all of it surprisingly delicious!
We have potato guns that shoot—yes, you guessed it—potato bits.
We use potatoes to carve out temporary stamps for crafts. They really work! And potatoes are easier to carve than lots of other things.
We have “Spuddy Buddy” dolls, odd soft dolls like Raggedy Ann, only with a potato spud body.
We have “Tater Tot” T-shirts. Tater Tots are those uniquely formed hash brown bites. Unfortunately the single Tator Tot on the T-shirts resembles a gunny sack full of rocks and not a food item. We don’t care. We love our Tots!
“Ski the Great Potato” was a tourist campaign slogan, with Mr. Potato Head-like potatoes on skis skiing down mountains.

I could go on and on, but I’m sure you get the spud of the idea about Idaho!

Speaking of delicious dessert recipes made with potatoes, here's a great one:

Idaho Potato Carmel Cake

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter (or coconut oil)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, separated
½ cup milk (or coconut milk, can you tell I’m nutty about coconut?)
1 cup mashed potatoes (from one large Idaho baked or steamed russet potato) Make extra, after all, it’s potatoes.
1 cup (3 ½ ounces) grated chocolate (if you have trouble with dairy there are dairy free choices out there)
1 cup (4 ounces) finely chopped nuts (I like pecans and make sure the nuts aren’t salted)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13 cake pan with parchment paper and lightly grease the pan. Mix the flour, baking powder, and spices in a bowl. Place butter and sugar in a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the milk and potatoes. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter, and then gently fold in the remaining whites. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

And finally, if you leave a comment on this post you’ll be entered to win a Kindle eBook copy of my newest release, Mild West Mysteries: 13 Idaho Tales of Murder and Mayhem. Let me know what you know/like/hate/love about Idaho!
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 Mild West Mysteries by Conda V. Douglas
Thirteen cozy mystery short stories of the West as never seen before.

Back of the Book:

Mild West Mysteries abounds in thirteen cozy mystery short stories of the West as never seen before. 
Within these pages, you’ll discover award winning tales of weaponized fall vegetables, huckleberry wars with bears, a Sheriff from the 1800s whose biggest problem isn’t that he’s dead, dogs with bad karma, lethal jewelry, plus a bonus story with a recipe and much more. 
Every story is jam-packed full of the unique flavors of the people, land and customs of fifth-generation Idaho native Conda V. Douglas’ home. Bestseller Conda believes in writing about what you know, and boy does she know Idaho! 
For more information and to purchase click the Amazon Link image below.




About Conda

Award winning author Conda grew up in the ski resort of Sun Valley, Idaho. Her childhood was filled with authors and artists and other creative types. She grew up with goats in the kitchen, buffalo bones in the living room and rocks in the bathtub.Now her life is filled with her cat and dog and permanent boyfriend and writing.
Author Conda V. Douglas
 


She's traveled the world from Singapore to Russia (in winter!) and her own tiny office, writing all the while. She delights in writing her cozy Starke Dead creative woman mystery series with amateur detective jeweler Dora Starke. The more Dora discovers cursed jewelry, her aunt digging graves, and a rampant poisoner, the more fun Conda has--although sometimes Dora complains about her plight! The first in the series, Starke Naked Dead, won Third Place in Mystery in the Idaho Author Awards 2014. Next up, Starke Raving Dead, in which Dora's mad Aunt Maddie proves the aptness of her name.

When she's not writing Dora into her quirky and quixotic mysteries, Conda writes the popular tween fantasy Mall Fairies series. The fairy inspiration for her Mall Fairies came from the sparrows that live in the Boise Towne Square Mall in Boise, Idaho. When not rescuing fairies from humans, cats and themselves, Conda works on the last title in the Mall Fairy trilogy, The Mall Fairies: Destiny. 


To find out more about Conda and her publications visit:

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Readers, you’re invited to enter the Rafflecopter drawing for prizes during the Deadly Undertaking  tour November 12-25. Win your choice of J.Q. Rose's e-books, fiction or non-fiction, a short story, or a 20 minute phone call from J.Q. Enter below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Deadly Undertaking Book Blog Tour Contiues, Giveaways

Deadly Undertaking Book Blog Tour
Hello and welcome!  The Blog Tour continues today. I'm happy to be a guest at Marsha R. West's blog. Marsha is a talented mystery author and I'm happy to say we are friends. She has another mystery coming out in December, so you can bet she'll be a guest on this blog.

Marsha is a curious woman, so she asked me a lot of questions. Find my answers and an excerpt from Deadly Undertaking on the Marsha R. West blog. Hope you'll join us.

I have a busy week hopping around cyberspace.

Thursday, November 19--Conda Douglas and I swap blogs. She'll be giving away a copy of her new anthology here on this blog.



Friday, November 20--I am a guest author on my publisher's blog, Books We Love. If you enjoy poinsettias in your home, then come on over for my 12 Pointers on Poinsettia Care.

Please join me because at each stop you have an opportunity to sign up to win in the Rafflecopter Drawing. Sign up below and sign up at each of my stops.
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, November 16, 2015

Prayers for the People of Paris

Prayers for the People of Paris
My heart is heavy with grief and sadness today. I can't wrap my mind around the devastation and senseless killing that occurred over the weekend. I can't promote books, write snappy essays, or expound about my week ahead. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Paris and France and the future condition of our world.

I am a praying woman and I pray for peace and comfort for the people of Paris and France, wisdom and strength for the world leaders, softened hearts and the absence of rage for soldiers of ISIS, and love and peace for all. 

Prayer is powerful. 

Thank you for stopping by today. Please say a prayer or take to hold these people in your hearts.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Blog Swap: Heather Haven's Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries, Giveaway

Stack of books
Welcome mystery lovers and all readers!. I'm excited today to be swapping blogs with one of my favorite mystery writers and friend, Heather Haven. Heather released the third book in her Persephone Cole series. 

Please leave a comment below to be entered in the drawing for the newly released e-book The Chocolate Kiss-Off.   Deadline to enter is Sunday, November 15 at 9 p.m. EST.


  • She's here with background on the birth of the series, and I'll be at Heather's blog. I dedicated my book, Deadly Undertaking, to my friend and mentor, Bernie. After enjoying Heather's article here, please  Visit Heather's blog to see why I chose this special lady. 


The Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries
by
Heather Haven

Thank you for hosting me, J.Q. What a treat to be coupled with you in the blogging experience. It’s a lot of fun!
The Chocolate Kiss-Off, book three of the Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries, came out September 1st 2015. I’m proud of the book and the series. The series came to life several years ago when I was challenged by my then publisher to write a protagonist who was not your standard or typical beauty. I can do that, I said, using New York City during the 1940s as the backdrop. The era directly after the Great Depression, in particular the year 1942, is a fascinating time in American history. I’d delved into the happenings of that year for my stand-alone noir mystery, Death of a Clown. I didn’t want to throw all the learning aside!
So enter Persephone ‘Percy’ Cole, who’s bucking the odds and pounding the pavement of Manhattan as one of its first female private detectives. Joining the ranks of other gumshoes such as Sam Spade, Lew Archer, and Phillip Marlowe, this five-foot eleven, full-figured gal has the same hard-boiled, take-no-prisoners attitude, but with a difference. She’s a shamus with a wicked sense of humor and the mother of an eight-year old son. Whether it be on the Great White Way, in the Diamond District, or knee-deep in chocolate, Persephone Cole blazes a trail for all other lady dicks to follow. Percy finds her holiday cheer in solving crimes of the most deadly kind - murder.

The Chocolate Kiss-Off by Heather Haven
Mystery
The Chocolate Kiss-Off
Book Three
by
Heather Haven

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and vats of delicious chocolate are being cooked up to win fair lady’s heart.  But at Carlotta’s Chocolates, Carlotta is found cooking in her own vat of chocolate, and not so deliciously. Arrested for her murder is chocolatier Howie Goldberg, good friend to Persephone ‘Percy’ Cole.  As one of Manhattan’s first female private detectives, Percy is determined to hunt down the real killer. But the sleuth, herself, is being stalked by the murderer, who not only keeps a diary of the latest kills, but records who is next. Percy Cole tops the list. When the lady shamus finds the elusive killer, will Death be her Valentine?

A little About Heather Haven

After studying drama at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida, Heather went to Manhattan to pursue a career. There she wrote short stories, novels, comedy acts, television treatments, ad copy, commercials, and two one-act plays,
Mystery author Heather Haven
which were produced at Playwrights Horizon and well-received. Once she even ghostwrote a book on how to run an employment agency. She was unemployed at the time.
One of her first paying jobs was writing a love story for a book published by Bantam called Moments of Love. She had a deadline of one week but promptly came down with the flu. Heather wrote "The Sands of Time" with a raging temperature, and delivered some pretty hot stuff because of it. Her stint at New York City’s No Soap Radio - where she wrote comedic ad copy – help develop her long-time love affair with comedy.
Heather lives in the foothills of San Jose with her husband of 33-years and her two cats, Yulie and Ellie.

Heather Haven, writer
San Jose, California 95135
Heather's blog at: heatherhavenstories.com
https://www.facebook.com/HeatherHavenStories
Twitter@HeatherHaven
Heather’s author page at Amazon:




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, November 9, 2015

Deadly Undertaking Book Blog Tour November 12-25, Giveaways, This Week



Sound the trumpets! Fly the flags! It's time for the 
Deadly Undertaking Book Blog Tour! 
I'm looking forward to this great trip hopping around cyberspace 
hosted by author friends. You're invited to stop in and say hi.

12 HEATHER HAVEN 
17 MARSHA WEST
19 CONDA DOUGLAS 
23 SARA JAYNE TOWNSEND

All aboard for the merriment and dancing along the way. 
Be sure to enter the drawing for prizes during the event November 12-November 25.

Prizes:

Deadly Undertaking by J.Q. Rose
Mystery/Romance. Paranormal
  • Reader's choice of any of J.Q. Rose's e-books
  • Short story by J.Q. Rose
  • 20 minute phone call from J.Q. Rose US only
This Week:

Thursday, November 12 kicks off the Book Blog Tour

Thursday, November 12--My guest author will be Heather Haven sharing the inspiration for her latest Persephone Cole Mystery, The Chocolate Kiss-Off. I'll be at Heather's blog introducing you to the woman to whom I dedicated Deadly Undertaking.


Friday, November 6, 2015

Meet Logan from Ginger Simpson's Mystery/Romance, Lost in His Eyes

You're in for another treat today, and it's not even Halloween. multi-genre author Ginger Simpson sent over an interview of hcr hunky character in her book, Lost in His Eyes. You gotta love cowboys!


Lost in His Eyes by Ginger Simpson
Mystery/Romance

Ginger's Character Interview with Logan Carruthers from Lost in His Eyes
 

Interviewer:  “Today our guest is the good-looking Logan Carruthers, the hero in Ginger Simpson’s mystery-romance, Lost in His Eyes. Welcome Logan.”

Logan:  *chin dipped and cheeks slightly flushed*  - “Ah, I don’t consider myself as handsome as you make me out to be, but I reckon I am a hero…at least that’s what Harlee called me when I dragged her up from the bottom of the old well.”  *looks up, his eyes wide*.  “Boy, was I surprised to hear a voice say “ouch.”

Interviewer:  “I don’t understand.”

Logan: “I stopped by the homestead I thought had been abandoned to check it out for my pa.  He talked about buying the land to grow more feed corn for the ever-growing number of cattle people are raising these days.”

Interviewer:  “And…”

Logan:  “The temperature was sizzling that day, and I decided to get a drink, but when I threw the old bucket over the side, it unwound quickly and hit Harlee on the head.”  *clears his throat* “You see, Harlee had earlier tried to fetch water and fallen in?”

Interviewer:  “How?”

Logan:  “The well is pretty old and the stones gave way when she was trying to estimate how much water was left.”  *Fixes a serious gaze on the Interviewer* “The lack of rain is really taking a toll on some folks, and Harlee’s folks were having a shaky start to what they hoped was a new beginning.” *Dips chin and laces and unlaces his fingers in his lap.*

Interviewer:  “I’ll bet Harlee and her folks were glad you happened along.”

Logan:  “Well, Harlee definitely was…at least after she recovered from the fall.”  *Looks up and grasps the arms of his stool* “What really amazed her...and me…her family was nowhere to be found.”

Interviewer:  “You mean they’d gone to town or visiting?”

Logan:  *shoulders squared* “Nope.  The house was bare as a bone.  Not a stick of furniture to be had.  You should’ve seen the look on Harlee’s face when I suggested she might have hit her head a little harder than she thought.”

Interviewer:  “Now you’ve got my interest piqued. Did you find her folks? Was the place really her home?  What happened?”

Logan:  *smiling*  “I sure as heck can’t expect me to give away the ending to Ginger’s book, so just let me say, I first had to believe there really was a missing family, and provide Harlee with a place to recover.  She and my mom were like dynamite and a flame, but that eventually worked out but I’m pretty sure I don’t ever want to live in a house with two women who both have tempers. *he laughs.*

Interviewer:  “So, you’re just going to leave us hanging?”

Logan:  “I wouldn’t say that.  I’ll just tell you that Books We Love, Ltd. is having a Buy One Get One FREE sale on their site, and now is a great time to get a copy.  I gotta say, Harlee and I look pretty smitten with one another on the book cover.”  *Stares into space* “You know, this e-book thing sure is a wonderful thing.  Who would’ve thought you could read on some little hand-held thingy?”


Books We Love BOGO Sale
Interviewer:  “I don’t suppose you even know what a url is?”

Logan:  “I’m no dummy.  I may not understand all the ins and outs of this Innernet thing, but I do know if people follow a road map using http://www.bookswelove.com, they’ll find a place where they can click on Miz Ginger’s page.”  *Grins* “Just don’t ask me anymore about it cause that’s all I recall at the moment.*
Author Ginger Simpson
Ginger's Website

Interviewer:  “Thank you for being with us today Logan, and I for one, look forward to reading Lost in His Eyes.  Kinda sounds like Harlee found herself a new sweetheart.”

Logan:  *cheeks flushed again*.   “I ain’t telling, but she definitely is a pretty little filly.”
# # # #
Yee-haw! Told ya' you were in for a treat! Now, Partner, wrestle yourself up so you can hop on over to Ginger's blog, Dishin' It Out,  and visit with me. Read my blog post and let me know if you can decide if I'm telling the truth or not.


Wednesday, November 4, 2015

IWSG: Doubts About Social Media

Hello and welcome to  the IWSG blog hop. 

What is IWSG? Founder of the  Insecure Writer’s Support Group 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!" You're invited to become a member of this supportive group.

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

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Facebook Tablet by Stuart Miles
Courtesy of freedigitadownloads.net

Doubts About Social Media by J.Q. Rose

My insecurity this month is my doubts about social media. With my new mystery e-book just released, I'm trying to get the word out to readers about Deadly Undertaking using social media such as Facebook, G+. and my blog. I was so sure I had a plan until I was on a chat at the Writers Chatroom on Sunday evening. The guest was Barb Drozdowich, a social media expert. 

Deadly Undertaking by J.Q. RoseAvailable now at major online booksellers.

I was shocked to hear her talk about using Facebook not for promotions, but as the venue to get readers to your blog/website. I know I can't yell "buy my book" on Facebook  or any other social media 100% of the time and turn off readers. ( I'd be so bored with that too.) But I noticed when I link my "brilliant" blog posts to Facebook, I get fewer views than if I put up some cute picture of a cat or make a stupid observation about my life. I know Facebook wants to sell ads instead of allowing a free link to my blog. I don't understand how you drive readers to the blog, or as Barb calls it--your real estate. So this advice is a conundrum for me.

Social media is all about connecting to folks and building relationships. I get that. Last week I was surprised when listening to the Blog Maven, an expert on blogging. She suggested not putting any social media links on your blog/website because you don't want the readers to be tempted to click on the link to leave your site. No social media, no  blogroll, nobody leaves. This idea was new to me. I always thought the more avenues for an author to get her name out into the world, the better. 

How do you use social media? Please soothe my insecurity about using social media by sharing your tips. Thank you.
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This Week:

You're invited to spend the week with me!

November 6--Ginger Simpson visits the J.Q. Rose Blog

Thank you for stopping in today. Please sign up to follow the J.Q. Rose blog.  Leave your email addy in the Follow by Email box at the top of the sidebar. You don't want to miss a new blog post or a chance to win books and prizes during the November Deadly Undertakng Blog Tour. 

Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) Blog Post: Now About That AI! #IWSGbloghop

  Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop #IWSGbloghop What is the Insecure Writer's Support Group? Founded by author   Alex J. Cavanaug...

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