Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Deadly Undertaking: Call 9-1-1. There's a dead body out here! #MFRWHooks


Book Hooks Blog Hop 
#MFRWHooks
Hello and welcome to the Focused on Story Blog. Today we're joining the Book Hooks Blog Hop sponsored by the Marketing For Romance Writers Group. Each participating blogger shares an excerpt from their book. I'm sharing from my romantic suspense novel, Deadly Undertaking.
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Deadly Undertaking by J.Q. Rose
Cozy mystery
A handsome detective, a shadow man, 
and a murder victim kill Lauren’s plan for a simple life.


Back of the book:
Lauren Staab knew there would be dead bodies when she returned home. After all, her family is in the funeral business, Staab and Blood Funeral Home. Still, finding an extra body on the floor of the garage between the hearse and the flower car shocked her. Lauren’s plan to return to her hometown to help care for her mother and keep the books for the funeral home suddenly turns upside down in a struggle to prove she and her family are not guilty of murdering the man. But will the real killer return for her, her dad, her brother? Her mother’s secrets, a killer, a handsome policeman, and a shadow man muddle up her intention to have a simple life.

Welcome home, Lauren!
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Excerpt: Deadly Undertaking, Chapter One
“Lauren, quick, call 9-1-1, there’s a dead body out here in the garage!” 

Dad and his bad jokes. This is a funeral home. Of course, there’s a body here. 

“Lauren, did you hear me? Call 9-1-1.”

 Hearing the urgency in his voice, Lauren grabbed her cell phone from the desk, kicked off her high heels, and ran toward the garage. Lauren skidded to a stop in the doorway. A man lay sprawled face down in a pool of blood on the garage floor between the black funeral coach and SUV. Her father looked up and shook his head. 

Bile rose to her throat, and she turned away from the ghastly scene. Trying to steady her hands long enough to punch in 9-1-1, she breathed deeply and squeezed her eyes shut to block the image from her mind. 

“What is your emergency?” a nasal voice on the phone asked. 

“There’s a man in our garage. I think he’s dead.” Her voice sounded unusually loud and high pitched. 

“What’s your name and location?” 

“Lauren Staab, Staab and Blood Funeral Home, 405 East Main Street.” 

“Is this a joke? If this is a prank call, there are serious consequences, Ma’am.” 

“No, no. It’s true. There’s a dead man on the floor of our garage.” Lauren’s stomach churned. “Hurry, call the police.” She knew she was going to be sick. 
“Get the police here now!” 
Clamping her hand over her mouth, she raced for the other side of the funeral coach. 
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Deadly Undertaking is on sale during Smashwords Authors Give Back Event 
through May 31 for $1.20.  
Click here to download it at Smashwords now.

Buy Links: Deadly Undertaking is available at your favorite digital bookseller.

Universal Link for Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, etc.

Available in paperback and eBook at Amazon

AmazonUS  



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The May edition of the Rose Courier will be delivered this week. You still time to have it delivered to your inbox. Click the image in the sidebar or click here to sign up for all the news and giveaways from J.Q. Rose. Thank you.

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Click here to visit bloggers who are participating in the Book Hooks Blog Hop. Enjoy meeting new authors and visiting your favorites. 
Thanks for stopping by.


17 comments:

Anonymous said...

This goes to prove there are dead bodies and dead bodies.

Ahem. I totally forgot what day it was and thus didn’t go to the signup page until after it closed. I do have a hook, though, if you get around to visiting it. It's here: https://eahoornaert.com/2020/05/12/mfrwhooks-42/

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Ed.This was a fun story to write based on my growing up as the undertaker's daughter. Set a reminder with Alexa for the next book hook you want to join!

Daryl DevorΓ© said...

Poor her trying to convince 911.
Tweeted.

J.Q. Rose said...

LOL Daryl. Thanks for visiting and tweeting!

Janet Lane Walters said...

This scene made me laugh. What a dilemma - dead bodies and a funeral home

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Congratulations, Janet. Best of luck with this new book. It sounds like a great read. I especially love the underlying humour despite the serious subject matter. Tongue in cheek are one of my favourites.

McKenna Dean said...

Definitely a case of one body too many! Good luck on the new release!

Holly Bargo said...

"Is this a joke?" Love it! And it's an entirely believable reaction.

J.Q. Rose said...

Good. I love make people laugh when reading my stories. Thank you!

J.Q. Rose said...

Yes, one of my reviewers commented about the humor in the book even if the subject matter was serious. Thank you, Joylene

J.Q. Rose said...

Yep! Her Dad thought they should just load up the body and put it in the preparation room instead of calling an ambulance and then bringing it back to the funeral home. What a timesaver. Thank you.

J.Q. Rose said...

Yes, I remember calling when teenagers got together and asking if King Edward was in the can or some such nonsense. It was a joke!

Marsha said...

Hey, JQ. Love this opening. A quirky fun read in a serious setting. I'll share. :)

Becky Flade said...

A murder at a funeral home. I love it!

J.Q. Rose said...

Thanks, Marsha. Quirky is a good word for it! Lots of quirky characters and situations in my books.

J.Q. Rose said...

Thanks, Becky! It was fun to write too!

Tena Stetler said...

Oh, I love your excerpt and the name of the funeral home. Fantastic! I'd like to read more of this. Shared

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