Thursday, August 29, 2013

Hobby Hoedown Features Tess Grant's Hobby Project, a Mosaic Flower Pot


I'm excited to welcome my friend and crit partner, YA author Tess Grant, to the Hobby Hoedown this week. Not only do we meet regularly with two other writers every week to discuss our writing, but, needless to say, we share what's going on in our daily lives. So we became cheerleaders for her ceramic project from the beginning to the end. Now she shares the joy, the work, and cut fingers with the J.Q. Rose blog readers too!
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Finished! by Tessa Grant
I am the queen of partial hobbies. My throne is made of half-finished projects--unfinished quilts, unfinished clothes, unfinished mobiles, unfinished flower beds. You get the picture…unfinished.
     When I began writing, I swore I would no longer leave a project in mid-stream. And I didn’t…writing wise, that is. That’s why I’m especially proud of my latest creation…a completely finished mosaic flower pot! I’ve wanted to learn to do mosaics for ages, so when a class was offered at our local art gallery, I jumped at it.
     I was a little surprised when the teacher showed us the basic techniques of glass work and then stepped away from the table. I wanted her to walk me through the whole thing. I looked at my bare pot, took a deep breath and decided to go for it. Start to painful finish.
      Our class was set up for three sessions. Two glass-work meetings and one for grout. After two classes and four band-aids, my pot looked like this.  As you can see, I had a little bit to go.


      I threw my ever-patient daughters in the car and hit the gallery on an off afternoon. Four and a half hours and three band-aids later, I still wasn’t finished. Another three hours and only one band-aid later (you see, I was getting the hang of it), I was ready to grout.


       I actually got to finish my pot with my class…this may have been a first. As you can see from the surrounding table, I am an exuberant grouter.


      So…here it is...I not only learned a new hobby but I finished my project as well.


       I know what’s on my Christmas list…sheets of glass, a glass cutter, running pliers. Oh, and band-aids. ‘Cause I know one thing about my new hobby. Not only does it take hard work to finish; it also takes a little blood!
 



Check out the third book in the Kitty Irish trilogy, Flying in the Dark.

Back of the Book:
High school senior Kitty Irish knows exactly what Daniel Phinney expected of her—eradicate the werewolves haunting the Manistee National Forest—until her father comes home from Iraq and takes over.
Too bad Kitty’s plan unravels. Her father spends his time watching the tree line from the safety of a wingback chair. Her hunting partner analyzes college campuses while she analyzes kill sites. When her brother finds a new friend in a long lost uncle, Kitty’s war with the werewolves becomes a battle for more than just her own life.

Whatever Phinney prepared her for, this isn’t it.

In the final installment of the Kitty Irish Trilogy, Kitty’s past meets her present in an explosive confrontation. The battle comes to her front porch making the fight for the future more than claws and fangs.

Download a sample or buy it here:

About Tess
Tess Grant lives with her fabulous family on a farmette with a number of critters that changes
daily. She raises organic veggies, free-range kids, and novels. She drinks way too much coffee, which may explain her inability to finish a project.





Monday, August 26, 2013

Best of Summer Kid Lit Giveaway Hop and This Week

Best of Summer 2013 Kid Lit Giveaway Hop

Kid Lit Giveaway Hop 

Yes, I'm participating in this fun hop--I chose to feature one of my favorite children's books, Charlotte's Web and I'm giving away a copy of my e-book for girls, Girls Succeed! Hop on over to the Girls Succeed blog to enter to win or just say hi. The contest runs Aug 26 -September 6 so there's plenty of time to visit the 60 plus participants and enter to win all kinds of giveaways!

This Week
Wednesday, Aug 28--I am a guest blogger at my publisher's blog, MuseItUp Publishing. My main character from Coda to Murder, Pastor Christine, and I  sit down to discuss the book.



Thursday, Aug 29--My crit partner and friend, Tessa Grant, visits the J.Q. Rose blog and shares her handiwork.

We've had so much fun and interest with the Hobby Hoedown event, I've decided to continue it into the fall months. If you are a PG author and have a hobby to share, please contact me to sign up for a guest post this fall at jqrose02 at gmail dot com.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Hobby Hoedown Features Fantasy Author Karina Fabian's Circuit Training


Please welcome, fantasy author Karina Fabian to Hobby Hoedown...again. Well, actually, she sent her character, Vern, the dragon previously. He IS quite a dragon, a PI, in fact. Check out Vern's hobby if you get a minute. It's a most unusual one to be sure.
Karina has taken up Circuit Training to get herself fit. I think you'll get a kick out of it or perhaps exhausted from just reading about this hobby.


# # # # 
Circuit Torture…er Training
By Karina Fabian
Here’s a simple fact about me:  I am a sedentary creature.  Inertia and I are best buds, and as a writer, I’ve got more push to keep my fingers moving and my butt stationary in the chair.  I’ve kept meaning to get in shape, and I even took haidong gumbdo lessons (Korean sword martial arts), but a couple of hours swinging the sword each week just didn’t do the trick.  Even worse, I am an indifferent cook who does not much care to give up her sweets or go on a diet of any kind, no matter how popular. So it’s no surprise that at 45, I weighed 169 pounds and had the muscular consistency of a bag of pudding. 
That’s why, in January 2013, I took up a new hobby—circuit torture.  The premise is easy:  you put your body through unnatural movements bearing as much weight as you can for as many repetitions as you can until you make noises similar to those of childbirth…but only for a limited time, after which you move on to some other new and unusual punishment.  In order to make your Experience of Pain complete, you alternate exercises with aerobics activity.  Since running gives me shin splints, my cardio pain device is the Jacob’s Ladder.  Imagine, if you will, a treadmill made of  rungs and set at a 45 degree angle.  The faster you climb, the faster the rungs move out from under you.  Kind of an analogy to my life, come to think of it.  It doesn’t kill my shins—after all, circuit torture is supposed to hurt, not damage—but my muscles feel every session!
The owner of this demonic health club is Ryion Butcher, who recently won not one but three awards at his first bodybuilding event.  He’s got the perfect personality for a personal torturer:  upbeat, competent, and always glad to push you further.  He’s even got the perfect laugh: encouraging, without belittling.  You can barely hear the Bwa-hahaha undertones.  I think there must be a school for it.  (Seriously, though, he’s a terrific guy, willing to work with you to modify the workout if needed, and he doesn’t push me nearly as hard as I push myself.)
Why would I choose such a diabolical establishment?  Inertia.  I’m a lazy person.  If I’m sitting, I’ll stay sitting, so if I want to work out, I need to do it when I’m already up and about.  The gym is in my neighborhood, on the way home from dropping the kids at school.  I drive by it every morning, so why not just stop in and get the torture done?  I’ve gone 5 days a week every week since I joined.
I still don’t eat the best, though I’ve cut down on sweets and sodas, but as of the 3-month point, I’d lost 14 pounds and 23 inches.  Plus, I’ve got muscles again.  I won’t be participating in any competitions, but I don’t completely wobble like a Jell-O mold anymore.
Plus, it’s fodder for stories.  Someday, I’ll have a villainous personal trainer with a gym of EVIL.  The Jacob’s Ladder will be suspended over the piranha tank.  Of course, you can stop any time you like…
Looking Good!  Bwahahaha!
# # # # 

About Karina

Winner of the 2010 INDIE for best Fantasy (Magic, Mensa and Mayhem), Karina Fabian has imagination that takes quirky twists that keep her--and her fans--amused. Nuns working in space, a down-and-out Faerie dragon working off a geas from St. George, zombie
exterminators—there’s always a surprise in Fabian’s worlds. Mrs. Fabian teaches writing and book marketing seminars, but mostly is 
concerned with supporting her husband, Rob Fabian as he makes the exciting leap from military officer to civilian executive, getting her kids through high school and college, and surviving daily circuit torture…er, circuit training.  Read about her adventures at http://fabianspace.com.  

Find Karina at:




When Grace’s life is in danger, Vern will do just about anything to find a cure—

but will he sacrifice the fate of two worlds for her life? #dragoneye 
Blurb:  Being a private detective in the border town of the Faerie and Mundane worlds isn’t easy, even for a dragon like Vern.   Still, finding the wayward brother of a teary damsel in distress shouldn’t have gotten so dangerous.  When his partner, Sister Grace, gets poisoned by a dart meant for him, Vern offers to find an artifact in exchange for a cure.  However, this is no ordinary trinket—with a little magic power, it could control all of mankind.  Can Vern find the artifact, and will he sacrifice the fate of two worlds for the life of his best friend?


Greater Treasures BUY LINKS:


                                                                                                 Print link

Monday, August 19, 2013

Tips for Creating a Video (Book Trailer) for Your Book and This Week's Events




Tips for Creating a Video (Book Trailer) for Your Book
by J.Q. Rose

H0w DO you put together a book trailer? Does putting together a video seem like an impossible idea? Well, I'm here to tell you it is possible. Like everything you want to do well, it takes practice. I'm still learning, but I love a challenge and truthfully, creating a movie trailer is a lot of fun. 

Today I'm sharing a list of helpful information I've discovered while learning. Please note,  I'm still learning. I am no professional. I use the Windows Movie Maker already on my laptop. To find it in Windows 7 and 8, click on the colorful start button at the bottom of the screen and type in movie maker and it will pop up for you. Click on it and your screen will be filled with this amazing FREE program. I cannot explain how to use Movie Maker. It is intuitive if you have any computer knowledge at all. Otherwise Google for a tutorial for the program.

There are other Free programs, iMovies for the Mac and Slideroll which works with any computer. But I have no experience with either one of these. These hints though will help you with whatever movie program you use.

Let's get started:
  • Begin by writing the copy for your video. Actually, if you have a blurb or back of the book piece done for your book, use that for your video.
  • Photos are the main feature of the video trailer so selecting he right ones to tell your story is crucial. You can download your own, buy them, or find some excellent ones at Dreamstime and Public Domain Pictures. Google "royalty free" free photos and you will have a lot of sites to choose from. Most sites allow you to use the photo, but request an attribution to the site and/or photographer.
  • While writing a book, I pin photos of places and faces and anything related to the plot into my Pinterest board. No, you cannot use anyone else's photos to sell your book, so you must get permission from the site or photographer due to copyright laws to include them in your video.
  • When I pour over photos, either my own or from a site, I save them in a file labeled with the book name e.g. Coda to Murder Movie Trailer. Because they are all in one file, it's easy to go to that file and upload the photos you want to use into the story board on Movie Maker. 
  • Don't make your trailer more than 2 minutes long. Tell your story in as short of time as possible. 
  • I like to place the caption on the photo because using a blank slide for every image lengthens the time. However, a caption on a plain colored slide is a good break when needed or if you just couldn't find the right picture for that part. I used the slide below in my Coda to Murder trailer. I use Print Shop 22 to make a plain or textured slide by opening to a blank page, then selecting the background. Save it to your movie trailer file and you can use it over and over.    


  • In movie maker, you have the choice of captioning or using a credit slide. The difference is the credit slide rolls like you might see in a real movie. I find it difficult to get all that important information on the roll and make it easy for readers to absorb everything. I suggest using the caption slide to display the name of the book and author, author's links, buy links, credits for photos and music. Yes, definitely include those credits!!
  • I love, love, love, Kevin McLeod's Infotech.com music site. He has the music according to genre, so if you want horror or mystery or comedy, it's easy to find the right sound to give your show the right atmosphere. I could listen all day to the music. He is brilliant!
  • Be careful you don't pick annoying background music. The longer the trailer, the more chance the music will become unbearable unless you choose more than one tune.
  • Be sure to SAVE your work as you go! It takes a lot of time to put this work together, so you don't want to lose it if there is a hiccup in the system. --Yes, I'm speaking from experience.
  • Once you are happy with the trailer, and your eyeballs are weary of watching the 15 slides or more and your ears are ringing with that snappy soundtrack music, you are ready to save it and download to You Tube or several other options. I don't use the recommended file for publishing it on You Tube because it takes forever to upload. It is such a big file, I worry it will not load quickly on websites, so I use the 960 x 720 selection.
  • Now you are ready to notify your friends the trailer is up, and let them know you are open to suggestions for fine tuning the presentation. This is the time to find embarrassing spelling errors, typos, awkward captions, and length of slides. You definitely want to have enough time for viewers to read captions and credits.
  • When you are happy with the entire trailer, then shout about it to the world via social media, your websites, and even send your family an email about your accomplishment.
  • I don't just use Movie Maker for book trailers, I have fun with my photos and sharing them with friends via a video. We took a trip to Alaska last summer....no, I haven't made a video out of the 100's of photos, but maybe this winter? 
  • If you have experience with Movie Maker, please leave your tips and suggestions in the comments section. We all want to learn how to do a better job. Thank you!
Here's a peek at my trailer for mystery, sweet romance, Coda to Murder. This is my second attempt. That's the beauty of this program. You can have do-overs when you discover something new to try. So, if you have suggestions for improvement, I'm ready!


Coda to Murder, mystery/sweet romance

This Week:

Monday, August 19--YA author Kaitlin Bevis and I are swapping blogs. Her blog on her pathway to writing is up at the Girls Succeed blog. And my guest post on what inspired to write the non-fiction book for girls is up at Kaitlin's blog . Hop on over this week if you get a chance a leave a comment for us. Thank you!



Thursday, August 22--Karina Fabian shares her hobby of circuit training.(She says it could be labeled circuit torture. Ouch!) She'll be here with her always entertaining writing.

Saturday, August 24--Carolyn Howard-Johnson features Sue Pernz (Perkins) 5 star review for Coda to Murder on the New Book Review blog. Yep, I'm poppin' my buttons with this review.





Thursday, August 15, 2013

Hobby Hoedown Features David Fraser's Hobby, Model Planes


Welcome to author David Fraser who skidded in under the deadline to share the hobby he has loved since he was a boy, making model planes. Like most of us, life's priorities don't leave much time to spend with our pastimes, but David carved out some time and challenged his skills in order to complete a model plane just for this guest post. Hey, David, I am honored you made it for our readers. High fives all around!

Readers, check out David's book,  José Picada, P.I.: Deception al Dente, a paranormal mystery authored with his sister Heather Fraser Brainerd. The next book in the series is due to be released sometime this year.
# # # #

My wife can’t complain too much. Not about the money, the time, or even the occasional smell of paint and glue. It is, after all, her fault. I had long since outgrown my fascination with plastic models. It’s a typical story. As a boy, I made all sorts of models. Cars, space ships, tanks, planes, it didn’t matter. If it was plastic and could be painted, I’d build it. But then a strange thing happened: adulthood. Over the course of my teenage years, things like girls and baseball drew my attention away from that big cardboard box in my closet that held all those worthless lumps of plastic.
David says, "At the current rate, it will take over sixty years to complete all these."
Fast forward to Christmas of 1999. In desperation for last minute gifts and time running short, my wife (then fiancée) hit the local dollar store. Included in her purchase was a model airplane. She had no idea how much that $1 would end up costing. A few days later, she was at work and I was sitting around her apartment with nothing to do. Out came the model. After a quick trip to the toy store for glue and paint, I was in business. But it didn’t stop there. I was hooked, and it was worse because now I had my own income and I could decide how to spend it. Over the next few months, I amassed a decent stockpile of kits and supplies.
My approach this time around was different. You see, this time around, I cared. As a kid, I’d stick everything together with great big globs of glue and haphazardly paint things whatever color was on hand at the moment. Now things had to be right. Seams where two plastic pieces met had to disappear. Paint (the correct color, not some random one) was applied with an airbrush. Even at the ripe old age of twenty-something, I was still learning patience. There was no rushing to get things done, as that was the easiest way to make dumb mistakes. Also, I constricted my subject matter. No longer did I build any model that came across my desk. The focus was almost exclusively on aircraft.
Initially, I had seemingly unlimited time to work on my new hobby. Right after work, I would disappear to the workbench and spend most of the evening working on the multiple models I had in progress. My friends complained that they never saw me. I missed all my regular television shows. Okay, so maybe that last one isn’t so bad. The point is that when I first got back into modeling, I could crank a decent model out in about two weeks.
Fast forward to May 2001. By this point, I was now married and back in college. And I was a father. Unlimited free time was now a thing of the past. I could now crank out a decent model in about two months.
Fast forward to January 2005. I was married, a homeowner, in graduate school, and a father two times over. I could now crank out a decent model in about two years.
Since then, I’ve always had at least one model in progress. By my count, I’ve only finished a grand total of four over the last eight years. The work sessions are far shorter and very infrequent. Occasionally, when the kids are busy with something else and I don’t have a long list of chores to do around the house and there isn’t some writing deadline hanging over my head, I can sit for an hour or two and work on one of my worthless lumps of plastic. There’s something relaxing about carefully sanding plastic until it is glassy smooth.
When the subject of this blog first came up months ago, I spent a good deal of time thinking about my relationship with model airplanes and how it’s changed over the years. I didn’t realize how much I missed the days when I could lose myself in the hobby for prolonged periods of time. I gave myself a challenge: pick a relatively easy kit from the pile and build it in a month. It was an easy challenge. There was no way I could fail.
Well, of course I failed. Here we are, two and a half months later, and it’s almost done. It was a little sad, knowing that even if I wanted to, I couldn’t recapture those early days. At least, not in quantity. Though much less, the time spent felt the same, locked away in my garage with the hum of the air compressor drowning out the any noise trying to intrude from the outside world. Nothing existed for these short stretches of time except me and a few ounces of plastic.
Thirty-five hours later, a 1/48 scale P-40 emerges from its cocoon.


EPILOGUE: I’ve been working on this blog entry bit by bit for the last month or so. It was scheduled to be posted on Thursday, August 15. My target date to submit it was August 8. I try to finish things well in advance if possible, but writing this dragged on longer than usual due to my delays in finishing the model. Well, here we are on August 11 and it’s finally done. I’d put its completion time at about thirty-five hours over the course of ten weeks. Not bad for a married guy with a house, a pool, two kids, two cars, and four pets to take care of, right?

Not bad at all, David. That plane looks very sharp. Thanks for taking time out of your busy life to share this hobby with us. 

Paranormal mystery

Back Cover

Having left the dull life of workers’ comp insurance behind to strike it out as a private detective, things aren’t going well for Josie P. Cates. Her new career isn't as exciting — or lucrative — as she thought it would be. As her bank account dwindles, her first major client finally walks in the door. Chef Marco, a successful local restaurateur, hires Josie to find out who's skimming money from his business. It doesn't take long for Josie to discover that things at Bistro Italiano aren’t what they seem. Secrets seem to cling to Chef Marco like splattered marinara sauce. With the help of friends both old and new, Josie unravels a case that takes her from the bistro to the world of deadly dark magic. At least it keeps things from being too boring.


About Dave:
David Fraser, born in 1973 in Canandaigua, New York, stands six feet tall (1.83 meters for those of you who insist on using measurement systems that make sense) and has way too many college degrees.  These include (in both chronological and alphabetical order):  a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Syracuse University, a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics and Computer Science) from Emory & Henry College, and a Master of Science (Applied Mathematics) from Rochester Institute of Technology. More importantly, he is the father to two daughters who do their best to make sure he has little time to write (it usually involves My Little Pony) (I mean the daughters are doing something involving My Little Pony; David Fraser doesn’t write about My Little Pony). He enjoys using parentheses and writing about himself in the third person.

His first book, José Picada, P.I.: Deception al Dente (co-written with his big sister Heather Fraser Brainerd) is available from MuseItUp Publishing. The second book in the series, José Picada, P.I.: The Sound of Sirens, is available nowhere. Yet. It’s due out later this year, so just be patient.


He can be stalked on Facebook (Brainerd & Fraser) or WordPress (Driving Blind Productions). The kids will be back in school in less than a month, so those sites will be updated more frequently.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

It's Fair Time! and the Week's Events


The county fair is just winding up this weekend. In my area the fair, founded in 1955, is an opportunity for the "city" folks to see what the farmer does for all of us and educate the city folks about farming operations.( BTW, have you seen those enormous tractors, combines, and machinery? Amazing!)


Tractors are loaded now with air conditioning, GPS, music, and auto-pilot so it can plant corn.
Driver just needs to turn the tractor around when it gets to the end of the field. Yeah, really!
I especially like the idea of the kids participating in projects for the fair. They have the opportunity to raise and show animals, grow veggies, and/or work on a craft like needle work, woodworking, painting, photography, and more. Finishing the project, having it judged by an expert in their field,  and displaying it to friends, family, and the entire community is quite a boost in self-esteem for any kid. Responsibility and work ethics are lessons learned when entering projects in the fair. 


Some of the lovely sewing projects are shown here proudly displayed with the award winning ribbons.



What can I say? If you read Coda to Murder, you'll know I am particularly partial to pigs.



Baby goat, one of the cutest animals there IMHO.

Baby mesmerized by the newly-hatched baby chicks.

Mr. Peacock struttin' his stuff for all the ladies!

Horse events and handling all kinds of animals are popular at the fair.


The county fairs are having a tough time of making it these days now that the state of Michigan has dropped supporting the fairs in every way. As an example, kids used to receive a token amount of cash for their ribbons, but not anymore. That didn't decrease the participation in the events.
This enormous barn to house draft horses is one of the many improvements to the grounds .


Another new facility for the horse arena.
Business people and community organizations stepped up this year to pay for improvements to the fairgrounds. The area is looking pretty sharp and much more handicap accessible.

The county fair is one of the highlights of summer and a tradition for area families. The dream to promote agriculture and grow the economy by bringing the country and the city folk together through the fair continues to be realized. A huge thank you to all the volunteers, sponsors, business community, and foundations who make this event possible every year.

Have you had any experiences with the county fair/state fair in your area? What time of year do you go to the county fair?

THIS WEEK FOR J.Q. ROSE

Monday, August 12--I review an entertaining fantasy for middle graders, Kiera's Quest Awakenings by Kristy Brown, on the Girls Succeed blog. It's the first story in the Kiera's Quest series at MuseItUp Publishing and Smashwords  and major online booksellers.


Thursday, August 15--Hobby Hoedown continues featuring David Fraser showcasing his hobby, planes. Ya'all come back this Thursday now, ya' hear?

Thanks for stopping in today!

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Hobby Hoedown Features Author Anne Stenhouse and her Foray into Belly Dancing


Holler a loud YEE-HAW for British author, Anne Stenhouse. She is fessing up to her foray into belly dancing today. Curious? Read on!


My Belly Dancing Foray

Before I get deeper into the mire, I should 'fess up.
I'm not a belly-dancer, but given different circumstances, I might have been. I am a writer, that's why JQ invited me on here, and I know the benefit of a good title.
The belly-dancing I have done was a lesson. I was at a charity ball and one of the other ladies on the table decided we would group our resources and bid in a silent auction for a belly-dancing lesson. We didn't win, but the donor was so impressed by my friend's enthusiasm she took us on too.
Like all the other dancing I've tried - Scottish Country, Highland, Ballroom, Line, Latin American, Ceildh, the Twist, Disco - it was good fun. It's always interesting if you are a regular dancer as I am, to learn the basic step behind the dramatic performance.
I might not have been able to shake the beautiful belt of jangling discs like an Eastern beauty, but I could lead with my left foot and take the group gracefully round the floor until handing it over to the next lady. It was a great experience.
I'm not signing up for anybody's harem anytime soon!
The picture of me turning under my friend's arm was taken during the dance following my marriage. We're probably dancing a Scottish dance called The Pride of Erin Waltz. It was and remains one of my favourite dances.

About Anne:
ANNE STENHOUSE has always loved words. Reading them and using them greedily, she can’t truly remember a time when she couldn’t escape into the pages of a book and certainly can’t remember when she couldn’t talk and ask
questions. Anne is a published and performed playwright. She studied both English and History at University in Edinburgh, and finds it a great joy to combine these two disciplines in her novels. Being a playwright means Anne loves dialogue and knows a piece is going well when she ‘begins to hear the characters talking to each other’. She has been a civil servant, full-time Mum, and for a while, a worker in an Addictions’ rehabilitation unit. Anne lives in Scotland with her husband and dancing partner of over thirty years. Their children and a grandchild are close by.

 MARIAH'S MARRIAGE
The worlds of teachers and aristocrats collide and fuse
when a pig charges Mariah Fox in nineteenth century London

 Synopsis:
Leaving the chapel in London’s 19th century Thames’ side where she teaches the alphabet to a raggle-taggle of urchins, Mariah Fox is charged by a stray pig. The quick intervention of Tobias Longreach saves her from certain injury. Mariah has always believed her destiny to be teaching. After the early death of her mother, she was brought up by her papa, Jerome, to believe that she could learn anything a boy could. She shares his vision of a future in which everyone, rich or poor, boy or girl, will be taught at least the rudiments of reading, writing, and counting.
Tobias was brought up a second son, but following his elder brother’s premature death, inherits an Earldom and the need to provide it with an heir. He comes to believe that Mariah will make a perfect countess and enrolls her papa’s help in securing her hand.
However, Sir Lucas Wellwood, whose debts have made him urge his sister to attempt to trap Tobias into marriage, has sinister intentions. Mariah suspects Wellwood has been mistreating his sister and she heads off impetuously to rescue her. Will Tobias and his friends reach Wellwood’s home before he can exact revenge on Mariah?



Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Insecure Writers Group--Who Knew?





Because this is my first post as a member of the Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG), I thought I should share its mission with readers of the J.Q. Rose blog who are not sure what it's all about. Author Alex J Cavanaugh explains it this way:


Purpose: 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!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
# # # #

But wait a minute...who believes writers are insecure? Afterall, aren't writers the ones who brave speaking in front of small groups as well as to crowds at famous writers' conferences? Aren't they the ones who are talking with folks one on one at library gatherings, flea markets, festivals, and even in school rooms?

Let me tell you a secret. Writers are great actors. When getting up in front of a group,  our guts are squirming and our knees are knocking together so loudly, we hope the crowd can't hear them. Sometimes a quick race to the bathroom precedes the eloquent, enlightening, entertaining talk to the audience. Yeah, we're just a bunch of adolescent kids in adult bodies scared to death we will make fools of ourselves and disappoint the people we care about.

But somehow, we are driven to share our writing with others in order to brighten readers' lives. We want to make people laugh or shed tears or just feel something. So we act like we are self-assured in order to give a piece of ourselves to readers. And it is exhilarating and so worth it--when it's all done!

Thanks so much for stopping in for my maiden voyage into this group. Come on back the first Wednesday in September and every first Wednesday of the month thereafter (and maybe tomorrow for the Hobby Hoedown event with Anne Stenhouse. She shares her foray into belly dancing.)

Please take time to hop over to other blogs and hear their voices. You can find a list at Alex's IWSG page


Monday, August 5, 2013

Report on the Author Talk and Book Signing and What's Up This Week

Blueberries are ready in Michigan and oh so sweet and yummy!
It's blueberry picking time in Michigan. Those plump, juicy berries, which I really never liked till moving to Michigan, are growing abundantly on the tall bushes. The exceptional weather has produced a delicious batch of blueberries this year.

Unfortunately the beautiful weather and outdoor activities (like concerts in the park) contributed to low attendance for our writers critique group talk and book signing. But we were grateful to those who came in out of the sunshine that beautiful evening last week. We had a relaxed, informative, and informal get-together. Plus my three crit partners sold books!!

I didn't. Sigh. All my books are e-books, but I did pass out a lot of "propaganda." I don't know how an e-book author can sell e-books at such an event. I wish I could just stuff the darn book into their Kindles and Nooks. I'm sure sometime in the future, we will.....somehow.

We had great publicity for the talk discussing "What Stirs Inspiration." A big article in the newspaper, online, newsletter from the Artsplace where we held the signing helped tell folks about our books. The four of us spread the word through Facebook, Twitter, Google plus, you name it, we did it! So we had a lot of exposure to the community. I had three people weeks before the event come up to me and remark they didn't know I was an author!! So that helps. (Maybe pen names aren't so wise, but that is another topic for discussion later.)

I believe the night was a success especially in realizing how important each of us in the crit group is for our inspiration and support for our writing projects. I should also point out, this group of writers bakes fantastic cookies too!



THIS WEEK:

Monday, Aug. 5--Ace Hansen and I are swapping blogs. I feature Ace's brand new humorous MG book, Julius Caesar Brown and the Green Gas Mystery on the Girls Succeed Blog and I try to the best of my ability tp answer her interesting, makes-you-think interview questions on her blog at http://yascribe.blogspot.com/ Her new release is as one reviewer described it, "hysterical." Good for reluctant boy readers.


MuseItUp Publishing Celebrates!
All During the Month of August: My publisher, MuseItUp Publishing is celebrating their brand-spankin' new website. Publisher Lea Schizas is installing the cutting edge technology to the site and offering 25% discount on all the books. And let me tell you MIU Publishing has a ton of great authors with diverse genres and voices. Take a peek and take advantage of the discount!!


Wednesday, Aug. 7-- The first Wednesday of every month is the Insecure Writer's Support Group blog day. Who knew writers were insecure? Take a peek at my maiden voyage into this group founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh, then hop around to the 100 plus writers who also post on their blogs that same day.

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Thursday, August 8-- Hobby Hoedown continues featuring author Anne Stenhouse's  foray into belly dancing. And I always thought the British had a reputation for being "stuffy." LOL.. 
Yee-haw,  ya'all come by now, ya' hear?







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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