Saturday's Blurbs @https://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com features Books by J Q Rose #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Memoir #mystery #Girls Succeed

 

Arranging a Dream: A Memoir

BACK OF THE BOOK:

In 1975, budding entrepreneurs Ted and Janet purchase a floral shop and greenhouses where they plan to grow their dream. Leaving friends and family behind in Illinois and losing the security of two paychecks, they transplant themselves, their one-year-old daughter, and all their belongings to Fremont, Michigan, where they know no one. 

 

Will the retiring business owners nurture Ted and Janet as they struggle to develop a blooming business, or will they desert the inexperienced young couple to wither and die in their new environment?

 

Most of all, can Ted and Janet grow together as they cultivate a loving marriage, juggle parenting with work, and root a thriving business?

 

Follow this couple’s inspiring story, filled with the joy and triumphs and the obstacles and failures experienced as they travel along the turbulent path of turning dreams into reality.

We are celebrating the book’s first birthday with a special price of 99 cents for the eBook on amazon!

At Major Online Booksellers: https://books2read.com/Arranging-A-Dream

 

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Dangerous Sanctuary

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?

 

At Major Online Booksellers: https://books2read.com/Dangerous-Sanctuary

 

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Girls Succeed! Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women (for girls 9-12 years old)

Non-fiction

Do you dream about what you want to be when you grow up?
Meet sixteen contemporary women who had ambitious dreams when they were girls.
Find out how they made those dreams come true. Their stories assure you that your dream career can come true too!

Readers cheer for these incredible women as they overcome obstacles and crash through barriers to complete their goals. Join these hard-working women during a typical workday. Learn about the achievements they have reached in their chosen careers.

Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women includes stories about 21st-century women who have discovered cures to stamp out disease, made people laugh, earned Olympic and Paralympic gold medals, crossed the country behind the wheel of an 18-wheel semi-truck, and more. Meet the people who mentored these dreamers and helped them negotiate the curves and bumps

along the way.

 

The Girls Succeed Reader's Guide, included in this book, suggests project and discussion ideas for classroom teachers and home-school educators to expand on themes covered in the book such as trailblazers, feeling different, persistence, and more.

 

At Major Online Booksellers: https://books2read.com/JQRose

Friday J Q Rose is visiting @https://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com and talking about Arrnging A Dream #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Memoir #Flowers

 

1. Tell me about your latest release or the book you wish to feature? Genre? This month we are celebrating Arranging a Dream: A Memoir’s first birthday. This “feel-good” book was released on January 1, 2021, by BWL Publishing. The story was a “heart work” for me, recording the first year we were in the flower and greenhouse business in Fremont, Michigan.

 

2. Where did the idea arise? I have taught life storytelling classes for many years. I am a life storytelling evangelist! I encourage everyone to record their life stories via writing or making a video. Leaving a legacy for your family is the best gift you can give them. I decided since I had “preached” about it, I’d better follow my advice and use those lessons and the stories I had penned during those workshops to write my memoir. A memoir is different from a biography. An autobiography includes all the life experiences from birth to the present. If your life is like a delicious cherry pie, then a memoir is just a slice of the pie dealing with just one theme such as your travel, careers, hobbies, etc. The slice of my life covers the first year we were in the flower business—December 1975-December 1976.

 

3. How much research was involved? Did you stay on point or be distracted by wanting to look at just one more thing? Researching to write a memoir or life story can be a delightful trip back in time. I had to look up what was happening in the news in 1975-76, talk with friends and family about what they remembered of our move to Fremont, Michigan, and their visits during that year, and travel to places I was writing about. I even called the weather person at the TV station to ask about the weather during Easter 1976!

 

4. How long did you take to write the book? Officially I have a file dated 2016. But I had started collecting stories years before that date. When I became serious about writing it for our daughters, I started submitting chapters to my critique group in 2018. With their support and encouragement, I decided to publish it for the world to read. The original release date for the book was June 1, 2020. But when Covid hit, my publisher realized how difficult it was to write, so she offered to all of their authors to put off the release date until later. I’m glad she did because when COVID hit, I could not focus on writing.

 

5. Now a bit about you. How long have you been writing? I have been writing since second grade. I used to have a bump on the middle finger of my right hand from handwriting so many stories! I continued writing poems all through college and as a young mom. But, as there are seasons in the year, I believe there are seasons for writing. I didn’t take up writing as a “career” until after we sold the flower shop. That was my season to dream and write because I had no responsibilities at work and my daughters were grown. What is your Sun Sign? Gemini, the twins.

 

6. Do you write in several genres or stick to one? I began freelance writing for newspapers and magazines and loved it because I interviewed so many wonderful people. But I turned from non-fiction writing eventually in favor of a new challenge, writing fiction. I loved mysteries by Sue McGrath and Janet Evanovich, so I decided to write mysteries with humor. I liked making up characters and worlds, so I placed the strong women protagonists in novels of romantic suspense and delved into the paranormal. I can tell you it is much more fun making up the stories than recording my memoir. A memoir has to be true, which means no making up places or fictional characters.

 

7. Where on the internet can you be found? J.Q. Rose blog http://www.jqrose.com/

Facebook http://facebook.com/jqroseauthor

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

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

BWL  http://bookswelove.com/rose-j-q/

Friday's Interview featuring J. Q. Rose Genres #MFRWauthor #Mysteries #writing

1.  What's your genre or do you write in more than one? My fiction stories are mysteries. Some have paranormal elements and some not. I like to include humor in them even if the mystery is a murder.

2. Did you choose your genre or did it choose you? I chose mystery writing after reading Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. (There’s just something about that Janet name, eh?) I realized the mystery genre could include humor and fun to entertain readers, not just death and darkness.

3.  Is there any genre you'd like to try?  Or is there one you wouldn't? I would not write historicals because of the time required to become an expert on the time period I would write about. Reading a historical where a person uses a 20^th century saying in an18^th century story is like scraping finger nails on a chalk board. Grrrr. Clothing, furnishings, speech and more have to be correct for the readers. I am working on a memoir.

For many years, I have been preaching to everyone to sit down and write their life stories. So I decided to take my own advice, and write about a year in my life. I’m not sure if I will have it published or just keep it for my family.

4.  What fiction do you read for pleasure? Mysteries, time travel, romance, memoirs.

5.  Tell me a bit about yourself and how long you've been writing. I started writing stories in second grade. My grandmother was my cheerleader. She encouraged me to make up stories. I also wrote poetry and have continued writing poems throughout my life. When I married and had children and worked full time, I didn’t have much time to write stories. But I always knew in my heart, I was a writer. When we sold our floral business, I began writing free-lance articles for papers and magazines. After fifteen years of doing non-fiction, I wanted to write something fun that stretched my creative muscles. So, I chose to write short stories and novels.

6.  Which of your characters is your favorite? I think Jim and Gloria Hart have been my favorites to write. They are the main characters in my newly released paranormal mystery, Terror on Sunshine Boulevard. They were created with the foundation being my own life, so Gloria could be a good friend of mine in real life. Of course, my husband and I have never dealt with mysterious murders! A lot of fictional scenes are in the book. I leave it up to the readers to decide if we actually experienced the situation within the pages. I’m not telling.

7.  Are there villains in your books and how were they created? Oh yes! A protagonist always needs an antagonist. I created some villains based on stories in the news. Others are purely imagination.

8.  What are you working on now? At this time, I am writing my memoir about the year we decided to move away from family and friends and start our own business in a different city, different state, where we knew no one. That was an important year in my life. I hope it will inspire those who are on the fence about becoming a business-owner or those who are making a decision to change their familiar lives to something completely different. We worked hard to make our business a success, and I think if readers see we did it, they may be empowered to make the big leap themselves. I am working on fictional short stories too.

9.  What's your latest release and how did the idea arrive? Terror on Sunshine Boulevard is my latest release. First published as a short story, I have embellished the story into a novel adding new characters and new situations. The setting is a Florida Senior Retirement Community where Jim and Gloria Hart spend their winters away from the harsh cold, but also away from family. We are snowbirds just like Jim and Gloria, so the idea for the story came from real life.

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Saturday;s Blurbs featuring Books by J. Q. Rose #MFRWauthor #mystery #non-fiction

Dangerous Sanctuary by J.Q. Rose

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?

BUY LINKS

Available at amazon

Kindle http://amazon.com/dp/B01MQIFQFI

Paperback  http://amazon.com/dp/1772992933 

Deadly Undertaking by J.Q. Rose

Back of the Book:  Lauren Staab knew there would be dead bodies around 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!

Amazon http://amazon.com/dp/B016U7MPR2

Girls Succeed! Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women by J.Q. Rose

Back of the Book: The stories of the women interviewed in Girls Succeed! inspire girls to keep working toward that dream and not quit.  The e-book is a unique reading experience. Not only do readers meet role models who are successful in their dream careers, girls can dive deeper into the career and the woman’s life by clicking on videos and links related to the occupation. 

The chapters are filled with ideas to inspire, entertain, and empower girls. Fifteen remarkable career women in a variety of occupations share their stories about their work and the paths they took to become successful in their dream careers. Women in the arts, business, science, medicine, ministry, entertainment, and sports are featured. Learn about contemporary women who have discovered cures to stamp out disease, made people laugh, earned Olympic and Paralympic gold medals, and crossed the country in the cab of an eighteen wheeler. Just like the girls reading the e-book, these amazing women dreamed of achieving their goals. Read about how they overcame obstacles and the people who helped them to negotiate the curves and detours along the way.

Through projects and discussion, the Girls Succeed Reader’s Guide included in the e-book helps girls discover themes covered in the book such as

·         Persistence

·         Passion

·         Feeling Different

Friday's Guest featuring J.Q. Rose #MFRWauthor #Guest #Mysteries

1. What were you in your life before you became a writer? Did this influence your writing? Oh yes, I think all of our life experiences color what and how we write. Besides my most important job of being a mother to my two daughters, I was an elementary school teacher. I taught for five years until my husband and I bought a floral shop and greenhouse business which we “grew” into a successful business for 20 years. I met a lot of different people—who became characters in my books. Experiences on the road when we were full-time RV’ers also influenced my writing by visiting so many different places in the country and learning about the different regions and their history and customs

2 Are you genre specific or general? Why? I don't mean genres like romance, mystery, fantasy etc. There are many subgenres of the above. I was a freelance writer for many years with featured articles in newspapers, magazines, and e-zines, so I have written non-fiction books as well as fiction. I enjoy sharing information in the non-fiction books about real people and how-to-do information on gardening and writing, but I like to play in the fiction world making up funny, mean, or lovable characters in all kinds of settings.

3. Did your reading choices have anything to do with your choice of a genre or genres? Yes. I fell in love with mysteries after reading Sue Grafton’s alphabet mystery series and the funny, entertaining Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum series. After reading Mark Twain’s stories and The Mitford series author, Jan Karon, I aspire to be a storyteller to entertain and enlighten readers like they can.

4. What's your latest release? Books We Love just released my romantic suspense, Dangerous Sanctuary. The main character is a woman minister who is accused of murdering the church’s choir director. Of course the handsome detective discovers she has motive and opportunity to commit the evil deed, so he must consider her a person of interest. And not just in the murder investigation. Her personality sparks a romantic interest too.

5. What are you working on now? I’m writing a memoir about the first year we were in business and working on re-issuing a mystery first published six years ago.

6. Where can we find you?

Connect with J.Q. Rose online at

J.Q.Rose blog 

Facebook 

Google+ 

J.Q.  Rose Amazon Author Page