Excerpt: A Pig, a Kangaroo, and a Pastor, Oh My! #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. (#MFRWhooks) Each participating blogger shares an excerpt from a novel. I'm featuring my romantic suspense, Dangerous Sanctuary. I hope it will give you some smiles during this month of romance.

You're invited to come on along to visit authors sharing their books with you. The link to the list of participants is at the end of the page. Have fun!

Dangerous Sanctuary by J.Q.Rose
Romantic suspense

 Pastor Christine Hobbs never imagined she would be caring for

 a flock that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer.

Back of the Book:

Pastor Christine Hobbs has been in the pulpit business for over five years. She never imagined herself caring for a flock that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer. 

Detective Cole Stephens doesn't want the pretty pastor to get away with murdering the church music director. His investigative methods infuriate Christine as much as his deep brown eyes attract her.

Can they find the real killer and build a loving relationship based on trust?

Excerpt: Dangerous Sanctuary, Chapter 14

 Christine watched the EMTs load Iola into the ambulance and secure the cot inside. Harley boosted up the pig, shoved him into the back of the ambulance, and started to grab the kangaroo. The EMT stuck his head out the back door. “Hold on there. Wait a minute. Sir, we can’t be taking a pig to the hospital and for sure, not that kangaroo either. You’ve gotta leave them here.”

Flashing a glance at Christine, the EMT rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Hurry up, sir. We’ve got to get this patient to the hospital.”

Harley pulled Abraham out of the ambulance. Grabbing the pig and the kangaroo’s leashes, he quickly handed them off to Christine, then hoisted himself into the back of the ambulance with help from the EMT. The siren wailed as the lime green ambulance lumbered its way out of the parking lot onto the road and toward the intersection.

Christine stood in the parking lot hanging onto the leash of the agitated pig in one hand and the docile kangaroo in the other. Taking her eyes from the ambulance careening out of the parking lot, she turned her attention to the animals and wondered what just happened here.

Her heart caught in her throat when she spotted Cole Stephens speed into the parking lot, barely missing the departing ambulance. What was he doing here?  He pulled up near her and jumped from the car. “I heard the call come through. I was afraid of what I’d discover at this church.” 

His serious expression broke out into a huge smile. “You never know what situation a 9-1-1 call will lead to. This… this is a first for me.” His hearty laughter echoed off the brick walls of the building. He wiped tears of laughter from his eyes with the back of his hand.

Cole’s appearance seemed to shake up the animals. Christine struggled to hang on to them, so the detective grabbed the kangaroo’s harness and tried to calm the frightened animal.  “What are you doing with the Noah’s ark critters?”

She saw the twinkle in his eyes. Her face cracked into a smile. She had to admit it was an odd situation. She must look like an idiot standing out in the lot hanging onto these two adorable creatures.

“Well, in a nutshell. A woman had a cardiac arrest here in the parking lot. As you saw, she’s on her way to the hospital, and well, these are her pets.”

Christine swept her free hand toward the animals just catching a glimpse of Jackson’s old van making a beeline for the parking lot exit. “Isn’t that right, Ella?”

“Yes, her pets.” Ella nodded and pointed to Katy and Abraham.

“Um, I guess I’m keeping them till, well, until… Let’s just say we didn’t really have time to discuss it. I’m sure you probably have a place to put them, don’t you?”

“Huh-uh, lady. I’m not taking in any animals.” He backed away as if they were wild animals ready to attack. “Anyway, my retriever would probably eat them.” His wink was disarming.

Christine turned to Ella standing nearby. “Ella, would you?”

 “No way, Pastor. You’re on your own with those animals. Remember? I’m the one who didn’t even want the cat.” Ella made a quick exit for the safety of the church office.

Christine turned to the detective. “Now what am I going to do?” She pushed her bangs off her forehead.

 “I can call the animal shelter. They’ll probably take them. Meanwhile, shall we take them over to the parsonage lawn instead of standing here?” He tugged a bit on the kangaroo’s leash.  Katy didn’t exactly hop right. She had a hitch in her hop gait.

What a sight as the little band hopped, tugged, pulled their way across the street and into the back yard.

Dangerous Sanctuary by J.Q.Rose
Romantic suspense

“Do you think this animal is housebroken?” Cole asked.

Christine sliced her gaze at Cole ready to dress him down while she was in the middle of this predicament until she spotted those sparkling eyes full of mischief. A grin spread across her face. “Well, I don’t think the congregation would appreciate a kangaroo in the parsonage, nor a pig. Would you call the shelter for me now, please?”  

“Sure.” He slipped his phone off his belt.

Thank goodness Katy and Abraham needed her attention. Otherwise, she would’ve cupped his face in her hands and given him a healthy kiss for staying here with her.

***

Click here to download your copy at amazon.

Click here to order the paperback edition of Dangerous Sanctuary.

About J.Q. Rose--

After writing feature articles in magazines, newspapers, and online magazines for over fifteen years, J.Q. Rose entered the world of fiction. Her published mysteries From BWL Publishing are Terror on Sunshine Boulevard, Dangerous Sanctuary, and Deadly Undertaking. Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board games, and travel are the things that keep her out of trouble. She and her husband, Gardener Ted, spend winters in Florida and summers up north camping and hunting toads, frogs, and salamanders with her four grandsons and granddaughter.

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.

J.Q. Rose

Connect with J.Q. Rose online at

J.Q. Rose blog http://www.jqrose.com/

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J. Q.  Rose Amazon Author Page http://tinyurl.com/aeuv4m4

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/jqrose

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Inspired, Excerpt from Dangerous Sanctuary

Dangerous Sanctuary by J.Q. Rose

Pastor Christine Hobbs never imagined 

she would be caring for a flock 

that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer.

Hello and Welcome to the J.Q. Rose blog,

Next month, (yikes, that would be tomorrow!), I kick off my Book Blog Tour for my romantic suspense novel, Dangerous Sanctuary. I really enjoy hopping around the cyberspace and meeting readers and bloggers. As a reader, I especially love author interviews because I learn more about the person. I have four Q and A's lined up for December. Answering the questions makes me delve into the depth of my story and the reasons I wanted to share it with readers.

Author and Blogger Juneta Key, who will host me on my blog tour December 19, had lots of wonderful questions for me, but this one gets right to the heart of the inspiration for this book. She asked:

      Your main character is a female pastor and a murder suspect, which I found unique.  What gave you the idea?

I interviewed a female pastor for my book for girls, Girls Succeed: The Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women. I was intrigued with the pastor's story about her entry into the ministry at a time when it was basically a man's career. When she discovered

Girls Succeed! by J.Q. Rose
Inspiring and empowering girls
to achieve success
in their dream careers.
Available at Amazon

women were making breakthroughs into becoming ordained ministers in a few denominations, her dream of becoming a minister became a reality. She succeeded in earning her Master of Divinity Degree at Yale University Divinity School and was ordained by the General Conference of the Mennonite Church in Pennsylvania. 

At the time I interviewed her she was the District Superintendent of the West Michigan United Methodist Church Conference. She was responsible for sixty-nine United Methodist churches and their pastors.  Her devotion to God, her determination, and her great experiences sparked the idea for the story. 

That same year, a woman was assigned to our local church. I learned even more about being a woman pastor from her e.g. no one tells a male pastor he’s wearing cute shoes! With these two exceptional role models, I created the character of Pastor Hobbs. Since I’m a mystery writer, Pastor Christine had to be one of the murder suspects and what a contrast to have the good pastor accused of such a horrendous crime. 

Especially since Detective Cole Stephens discovered she had the opportunity and the motive for murder. Christine was an attractive and smart woman, so he didn’t mind investigating her either!

***

This excerpt can give you a peek into the personality of Pastor Christine Hobbs.

EXCERPT: Dangerous Sanctuary, Chapter Six

“Hobbs, we need a preacher now!” The voice on the phone was firm and left no doubt about the urgency of the situation. “This is Stephens. I’m pulling into the church parking lot. Get out here right away.”

Christine looked out her office window to see the black Ford pulling into the parking lot and on its way to the double doors of the church entrance. She grabbed her bag and flew down the steps.

She opened the passenger door and hopped in. “What’s going on? You’re scaring me to death!”

“Two blocks from here one of your parishioners is being held hostage with a knife at his throat. His hyped-up grandson is using him as a shield to keep the officers away. We’ve been talking to him since early this morning. He asked for you.”

“Who’s the hostage?”

“Roger Jenkins. His grandson is Jason Jenkins.”

Christine swallowed hard. Roger Jenkins was indeed a church member and had been for fifty years, dearly beloved as one of the saints in the church. She had visited his wife in the nursing home several times.

The morning sun highlighted the new leaves on the trees. The tulips were at their peak of color. This was a day full of beauty and promise. No one would suspect the dark drama taking place at the small white wooden frame house on Pine Street.

Stephens pulled the car along the curb. Christine jumped out and hurried toward the policeman who motioned to her to stay low to the ground. Dread fell over her as she realized the policeman was trying to keep her from being a target if Jason had a gun. He held a cell phone in front of him and was talking to the kid inside the house.

“Okay, Jason. We have your grandfather’s pastor here,” the officer announced into the phone. He ducked down behind the car and turned to the crouching minister, greeting her with a quick nod.

“Hello, Pastor. Can you help us out here and talk this guy out of the house to give us some time till the negotiator gets here? The kid asked to talk to you. He’s threatening to kill his grandfather if we storm the place. We think he’s high, probably looking to steal some money from grandpa to buy more drugs.”

“Anyone else in there with him and Jason?”

“No, no signs of anyone else in there, just the old man and the boy. Let me give you this to speak to him. Maybe you can talk some sense into him.”

Christine slightly rose with the phone pressed to her ear. She used the car to shield most of her body as she looked toward the house.

“Jason, this is Pastor Christine. Can I come in and talk with you?”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute, Pastor. You aren’t going in there to talk. You stay right here. A hostage specialist from the state police will be here soon. You just calm the boy down.” She ignored the policeman’s stern voice and kept her eyes on the doorway of the house.

The strong young man dragged the frail old man to the screen door.  Jason kept his arm around his grandfather’s neck. The blade of a butcher knife gleamed in his hand. His left arm circled the old man’s waist, holding him upright in the doorway.

“I’m tired of talkin’. I don’t wanna talk to nobody! Everybody leave, so I can get outta here!” His hoarse voice strained to shout at the surrounding police.

Christine unfolded from her crouched position and moved around the car into full view.

“Jason, let your grandpa go. We can talk. Let me come in. We can work this out.” She moved slowly toward the wooden porch. She tried to breathe deeply and remain calm, but her heart thundered in her chest.

* * *

Download a sample or order Dangerous Sanctuary at Amazon here for your Kindle or in Paperback.

* * *

Join me for fun and prizes during the Dangerous Sanctuary Virtual Book Tour