Tuesday, June 2, 2020

IWSG Blog Hop: Writers Have Secrets


Hello and welcome to the 
Insecure Writer's Support Group Blog Hop!
Always on the first Wednesday of the month.

What is the Insecure Writer's Support Group?
Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database, articles and tips, a monthly blog posting, a Facebook and Instagram group, Twitter, and a monthly newsletter. To find out more, click this link:  Insecure Writer’s Support Group

The purpose of the group 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. Click here to sign-up to join.

The awesome co-hosts for the June 3 posting of the IWSG are Pat Garcia, Natalie Aguirre and Me!! 

Looking forward to hopping around and visiting with you awesome bloggers.

When you stop by here, please leave your blog URL so I can return the favor. The iced tea and chocolate chip cookies are waiting for you on the table on the back deck. Enjoy!

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June 3rd question - Writers have secrets! What are one or two of yours, something readers would never know from your work?

I write mysteries with a dead body or two or twenty in the story. Secretly, I hate having to describe the murder scene. I cringe at the idea of actually seeing blood and guts.  But if it makes me gag, then I have done my job well. We want the reader to feel emotion. However, temper the scene so the reviewer isn't repulsed by it and decides to close the book!

Happy IWSG Day!!

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New Rom-Com Release for author Ellen Jacobson!

Review by J.Q. Rose
Smitten with Ravioli (Smitten with Travel Romantic Comedy Series #1)
Smitten with Ravioli by Ellen Jacobson

I have enjoyed reading Ellen's Molly McGhee mystery series with all of the quirky characters and crazy situations. Tipping her toes into a rom-com novel delivers the same humor and entertaining read as in her cozy mystery series. Even the title, Smitten with Ravioli, made me laugh! I loved the Italian setting, the reason that made her dump her graduate studies, her cooking class and fellow students, and of course, the guy she fell in love with but didn't want to fall in love with, of all people! But the extreme lying? Hysterical. Grab this one for a true mental escape from reality. I was given a copy of the book by the author and am voluntarily recommending it to you.

BUY LINK: Amazon and major online booksellers



Your reviews help readers to discover books they would like to read and authors to get the word out about their books.
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82 comments:

Kalpana said...

Thank you for hosting the IWSG. It's interesting that you, as a crime writer, find describing the murder scene gruesome. I love reading good crime but I also find the actual murder unpleasant. Why do we do this to ourselves?

J.Q. Rose said...

Now that is a good question! LOL. Thank you for stopping by.

Cathrina Constantine said...

I had to google about what happens right after a person is killed, and dead bodies for my mystery murder story. I understand. Thank you for co-hosting this month.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That's funny the murder scenes make you squeamish.
Thanks for co-hosting today!

A Hundred Quills said...

Thank you for co-hosting today. Well, I'm surprised. This is truly a secret someone would love to know about a writer of mysteries.
Sonia from https://soniadogra.com

J Lenni Dorner said...

Iced tea and chocolate chip cookies? Yes please!
I have seen enough blood, guts, and gore that it doesn't bother me enough anymore. (I don't *like* it, but I've seen a lot of ... I've worked at a hospital.)

Cool feature book!

https://jlennidorner.blogspot.com

Toi Thomas said...

Thanks for co-hosting this month and sharing your secret.
I'm reading Smitten with Ravioli now, and am liking it.

Nancy Gideon said...

You have cookies?! And ooh, now I have a new title to check out. Thanks for co-hosting this month, JQ!

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Thanks for co-hosting this month, Janet. I think it's wonderful that you write credible crime scene from deep in your imagination. That is storytelling at its finest!

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

This totally cracked me up - "But if it makes me gag, then I have done my job well." :)

Thanks for co-hosting!

Jemima Pett said...

Thanks for revealing that, and for hosting today! I have scenes I write that I cringe at too. Mostly, they seem to turn out okay, though.

Roland D. Yeomans said...

Thanks for visiting my blog and for co-hosting this month. You're right: if your crime scene is not credible, you lose the reader and the sale for your next book! :-)

emaginette said...

Interesting benchmark. hehehe

Anna from elements of emaginette

Yolanda Renรฉe said...

I'm right there with you, although I think in my last book I went a bit too far. And yet this one should have. :)

http://murderousimaginings.blogspot.com/

Jacqui Murray--Writer-Teacher said...

Agreed, Janet! And thanks for co-hosting #IWSG. It's a big job.

Tamara Narayan said...

When I was a kid, I loved reading about gory things. Now, I read for character, symbolism, and foreshadowing. English teachers, you have ruined me!

Thanks for co-hosting.

Liza said...

Good for you for writing the scenes that are hard for you!

Pat Garcia said...

Hi,
I have two of your books and I have read them. I never would have thought that you have problems writing the murder scene.
Wishing you all the best and thanks for being a co-host today.

Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

Lidy said...


Thanks for co-hosting today! You write mysteries but can't deal with dead bodies? Well, you know you're a writer if you can write about the very things that makes you squeamish. 

Patsy said...

If you're going to describe something gruesome then I think it does need to be at least a little unsettling to work – but I agree that too much will just put most readers off.

Lynn La Vita said...

I've been hungry for chocolate chip cookies! Thank you, they were delicious. Just hit the spot.

One of the interesting things about writing is what we discover inside and how we decide to express it. It sounds like you're not satisfied until it makes you gag.

I'm curious, is it harder and harder to gag? In other words are you becoming insensitive to these scenes?

Thank you for co-hosting this month.

Lynn La Vita blog: Writers Supporting Writers

cleemckenzie said...

It's interesting that you don't like writing the bloody scenes. I can understand that. I'd have the same problem.

Congrats to Ellen on her newest!

Arlee Bird said...

I think many of us have that curiosity about knowing the details, but sometimes I don't think they give us anything else but nightmares later on. It can be difficult if not impossible to forget bad things we've seen or experienced. Some images and descriptions from decades ago still haunt me at times.

Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I definitely prefer the tension to the blood and cuts in books and TV. I would hate writing descriptions of that also.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Glad to be co-hosting with you. I write fantasy and have been thinking of writing a mystery but worry about getting a criminal's head and the gore of a murder scene.

J.Q. Rose said...

Yes, they'd probably laugh if they knew.

J.Q. Rose said...

Oh, I could never work in a hospital in that situation. Yes, the book is a fun read.

J.Q. Rose said...

Good for you. It's entertaining to say the least. You're welcome.

J.Q. Rose said...

Let me emphasize "virtual" cookies. I'm not much of a cookie baker, but I did just take brownies out of the oven.

J.Q. Rose said...

Why, thank you, Joylene. I strive to earn the storyteller title.

J.Q. Rose said...

Laughing at you laughing! You're welcome.

J.Q. Rose said...

Oh, Jemima, thanks for sharing that. Cringe is a good word to describe it.

J.Q. Rose said...

Hee hee back at ya. That made me grin.

J.Q. Rose said...

You never know till it's done, I guess.

J.Q. Rose said...

You're right. But I love co hosting and meeting wonderful folks.

J.Q. Rose said...

Those darn English teachers!!You're welcome.

J.Q. Rose said...

I am fortunate to have a great crit group to help me with those scenes.

J.Q. Rose said...

Pat, thank you for reading my books. I appreciate your kind words.

J.Q. Rose said...

Yes, and I am a funeral director's daughter. Talk about dead bodies!! Dad was careful not to let me in the prep room. Thank goodness.

J.Q. Rose said...

Unsettling is a good word to describe the feeling.

J.Q. Rose said...

Lynn,Glad you liked the cookies. Thank you for your question. To be honest, I am taking a break from writing murder mysteries. I don't want to add more violence and death to the darkness we are dealing with in our world now. I am writing my memoir.

J.Q. Rose said...

Yes, you'll like her newest!

J.Q. Rose said...

Arlee, yes. I agree with you.

J.Q. Rose said...

Susan, my books are cozy mysteries so it's not too gruesome.

J.Q. Rose said...

Once you get into the story, you will learn how much of that you need or want to describe. Poisoning is the safest, I'd say. !! Enjoying co-hosting today too!

Michelle Wallace said...

Thank you for co-hosting the IWSG today.
Your words made me think of "no tears in the writer, no tears in the reader".
Likewise, no gagging in the writer, no gagging in the reader.

I love Ellen's title Smitten With Ravioli!

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Thanks for co-hosting today, J. Q. I don't like to write bloody or scarey scenes, either. They give me nightmares. So I don't write them.

Fundy Blue said...

Thanks for so-hosting today, J. Q. I love all things Italian, so I'd likely enjoy "Smitten with Ravioli." I don't like writing love scenes ~ LOL All the best to you.

Sandra Cox said...

I hear ya on the cringing on guts and gore. As you know, my protagonists are usually in the middle of a shootout and I'm a gun control advocate. ROFL.
Many congrats to Ellen. Sounds like a fun read.
How is your project coming along?

Erika Beebe said...

I agree! It's hard to write scenes we writer's would normally steer clear of with a 10 foot pole. Thank you for cohosting today :)

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I've never written a gory scene but I think I could.

Ellen is a great storyteller.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

"if it makes me gag, then I have done my job well" I literally laughed out loud when I read that, and then had to explain what was so funny to my husband, lol.

Allie Bock said...

I love it! Definitely, bloody if you're gagging. Thanks for hosting.

Diane Burton said...

I can’t write guts and gore, don’t want to read it, either. I’m amazed you can do it. Thanks for cohosting this month.

Anonymous said...

I'm good with guts and gore, as long as it's the bad guy/girl! I've written plenty in my little horror pieces.

I loved Ellen's new book! Looking forward to the next in the series!

Liesbet said...

Based on your dislike of writing murder scenes with blood and gore, it sounds like cozy mysteries are your thing. :-) I enjoyed Ellen’s series as well and read Smitten with Ravioli in no time (which is rare for me). So awesome you are featuring her here! Thanks for co-hosting this month!

Marsha said...

Hey, JQ. Boy, you got a lot of comments on this post! It is funny you have trouble writing about the murder. I've shared. :)

J.Q. Rose said...

Ha--you made me LOL with that.

J.Q. Rose said...

Thank you. Yes. Some day I'd like to take a cooking class in Italy. And I'm not even much of a cook!

J.Q. Rose said...

Yes, and yee-haw, you do write some shoot-em-up cowboy scenes. Love them. The project's first ddaft is done, so I have been re-writing and slashing and adding, etc.

J.Q. Rose said...

I bet you can, Diane. Love Ellen's sense of fun in her books.

J.Q. Rose said...

LOL..I imagined he rolled his eyes at that one. Thanks for sharing.

J.Q. Rose said...

You're welcome. Thanks for stopping.

J.Q. Rose said...

My scenes are just enough to get the idea. They're cozy mysteries. I'm enjoying co-hosting.

J.Q. Rose said...

Good point!!

J.Q. Rose said...

Thanks, Liesbet. Yes, Ellen's story keeps you turning pages.

J.Q. Rose said...

I'm co-hosting this month on the Insecure Writers Support Group, so I have a lot of visitors. Thanks for sharing!

Samantha Bryant said...

I love your secret. I bet that makes your scenes all the more effective, because you understand what squicks people out! @samanthabwriter from
Balancing Act

Matt Sweeney said...

Thanks for hosting and your time. I find that very intriguing. I wonder, then, what do you find compelling about the mystery genre? How does it fill your tank?

Loni Townsend said...

Thanks for co-hosting! Heh. The things we put ourselves through (like thinking about all the gruesome details) to get what we want (an engaging story), right?

Chrys Fey said...

I've written some crime scenes, but oh gosh! I would never be able to see one and be around on in real life.

Pat Hatt said...

Good way to think about it. If it makes you gag it is a win indeed.

diedre Knight said...

Interesting secret ;-) I have no idea why I can't seem to kill off even the worst of characters. I enjoyed your review.
Thanks for co-hosting!

Shannon Lawrence said...

The cover to Ellen's book is adorable! Good tip on writing a crime scene. Just enough is perfect.

Lori L. MacLaughlin said...

Writing a realistic crime scene would gross me out, too. Ellen's new rom-com sounds hilarious! I'll have to look it up. Thank you for co-hosting! Lori at https://lorilmaclaughlin.com

Ornery Owl of Naughty Netherworld Press and Readers Roost said...

I've been reading horror from a very young age (Edgar Allan Poe at age six, literally) so writing gruesome scenes doesn't really bother me. It's hard for me to find horror that actually scares me. Too much of it relies on gore or jump scares.
Since this is a Blogger blog, I'll be able to leave a link and have it take. WordPress doesn't tend to let me do that!
Cie from Naughty Netherworld Press
http://www.naughtynetherworldpress.com

Ellen Jacobson said...

Thank you so much for featuring Smitten with Ravioli!

Beth Camp said...

Nicely concise and revealing! I can pretty much handle the gore with an occasional body, but I don't like writing graphic sex scenes. Like the Victorians, I close the door to give my characters privacy! Thank you for visiting my blog earlier AND for co-hosting this month.

Rebecca M. Douglass said...

As a writer of cozies, I'm glad the conventions of the genre allow me to sort of gloss over the bodies!

Love the shout-out for Ellen's book. She writes such fun stuff!

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