Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Insecure Writers Support Group Question: Have you ever slipped any of your personal information into your characters, either by accident or on purpose?

Hello and welcome to the J.Q. Rose blog. 
Time for the monthly meeting of the Insecure Writers Support Group(IWSG) blog hop! 



Internet Writers Support Group Blog Hop


First Wednesday of every month.
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. I hope you'll take some time to visit the diverse list of bloggers.


IWSG Question for the Month
Question: Have you ever slipped any of your personal information into your characters, either by accident or on purpose?

Personal information? Like my birthday or Social Security Info?  No, I've never slipped that kind of info in my characters' personalities. 
Deadly Undertaking by J.Q. Rose

A handsome detective, a shadow man, 
and a murder victim kill Lauren’s plan for a simple life.

I have used my personal experiences in stories. In Deadly Undertaking, the setting of the story is a funeral home. Yes, my dad was an undertaker (and my brothers too) so I was familiar with the business. My character, Lauren, performed many of the jobs I did when I was a kid e.g. dusting caskets, setting up flowers for the visitation and service, and racing out with all the flowers right after the service to set the floral pieces at the gravesite before any mourners arrived. Honestly, we never had a shadow man-in-residence, but writing Henry, the ghost, who is a pain-in-the- neck for Lauren, was a lot of fun. And isn't that the reason we write all these stories?
Dangerous Sanctuary by J.Q. Rose
Pastor Christine never imagined 
she would be caring for a flock that includes 
a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer.

Dangerous Sanctuary's main character, Christine, is based on female ministers I have interviewed and who were our church ministers. I gleaned some of the information and their experiences for the story during conversations e.g. parishioners complimenting Christine on the shoes she wore along with her robe. "Noone would do that with a male minister," one of the women told me with a smile.

In my upcoming mystery to be released this fall by BWL Publishing, Terror on Sunshine Boulevard, I had to research all the information on marijuana...no personal experience with that. (See that halo shining over my head?)

I'm looking forward to reading your answers to the question of the month. Click below to leave a comment.

Thank you for stopping by.
****


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16 comments:

Juneta key said...

That is cool how you used your experience.
Happy IWSG
Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

Pat Garcia said...

Hi J.Q.
I use my experiences too in my books. Nice to see Girls Succeed on sale. Will walk over to Amazon Germany and purchase it.
All the best, my dear.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

J.Q. Rose said...

Thanks, Juneta! Happy IWSG back at ya'!

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Pat. I imagine every character we write has a bit of us in them.

I'd love to walk over to Germany with you. Thanks so much for your support.

Suzanne de Montigny said...

Got it.

Anonymous said...

Halo? On J.Q. Rose? Nah, only if it's chocolate, I bet ya!

Ooh, yep, I remember all about the undertaking, coffins, ghosties, and Lauren's dilemmas.But she was a true Girl Succeeding!

Love the fall background on your blog, Ms. Rose. You always know what Nosey likes, don't ya? Heh heh *winks*

emaginette said...

Must have made research a breeze. :-)

Anna from elements of emaginette

L. Diane Wolfe said...

What an interesting profession to have experience in. I bet you had no idea you'd one day write about funeral homes.

Diane Burton said...

Working in a funeral home is not your everyday job. What interesting experiences you must have had. I had to pick up Girls Succeed. I just blogged about my daughter's, granddaughter's, and my experiences in Girl Scouts. With the big gathering in Columbus, OH this week, your book is perfect.

J.Q. Rose said...

Thanks, Suzanne!

Hey IB, of course it's chocolate. That's just the way we roll.I like that Lauren is a Girl Succeeding!! I guess I didn't really know you liked fall, IB. You don't see much fall weather and colors on your island, right?

J.Q. Rose said...

Anna, I relied on my brothers for a lot of info, but made up a LOT of it!

Dianne, the novel actually grew out of a little short story I wrote. So much fun. I shared the story on my blog here http://www.jqrose.com/2015/10/big-news-deadly-undertaking-is.html

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Diane, thanks so much for picking up my book! I'd love to donate a copy to the Girl Scouts. Just tell me where to send it! I'll check out your blog. I was a Brownie leader a l-o-n-g time ago!

Olga Godim said...

Your books and your personal experiences sound intriguing. Especially the funeral home ones. I'm tempted to read that book.

Chemist Ken said...

Being able to use your own experiences and that of your friends and family make stories feel more real and authentic. My dad was a minister of a church and I helped him out a lot when I was a kid too. Maybe I should think about using those experiences.

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Olga, please DO read that book! LOL.. thanks for stopping in.

J.Q. Rose said...

Ken, I bet you have great stories to tell from your experiences as a PK--preacher's kid. My book Dangerous Sanctuary is a mystery with a female minister as the main character. You could write fiction or a memoir about the church. Let me know when it's ready to read!!

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