My Life and My Writing Life Updates by J.Q. Rose

 

Preparing for my kitchen remodel

My Life and My Writing Life Updates by J.Q. Rose

Hello and welcome! Just a quick stop-over this week to update you on the happenings going on in my life and writing life. 

MY LIFE: 

The photo is my kitchen. Yes, we unloaded all the cabinets so we could tear them out and replace them with new cabinets. Tearing out is the operative expression. What a mess. But oh what fun to have a great project like this. Living through it may be a test for my left-brained tendency. 

This is an important project, not only because it will be quite an improvement to my 15-year-old kitchen, but especially because my hubby, GT, is strong enough to do the job this year. In the past 3 years, he has had a hip replacement, a shoulder replacement, and a do-over on the first hip replacement because it was loose. That recovery was more difficult than the original. 

Last summer he was strong enough to work in the garden. And we had a fantastic year for gardening. That experience really built his muscles and stamina. He was ready to be active in Florida, so here we go ripping out the kitchen.

WRITING LIFE: 

Arranging a Dream: A Memoir
Official launch date January 1
Pre-order and Paperback available December 1

1. I am thrilled to report that I have turned in the ms for my memoir, Arranging a Dream: A Memoir, to my publisher. Now I am working on writing a book description for the sales page and choosing keywords to draw readers to my book. 

Here's the latest book description with help from my friend and memoirist, Nan Sanders Pokerwinski and mystery author, W S Gager:

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 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?

This part of the publishing business is the most difficult for me. Writing someone else's description is easier than writing my own. 

Keyword choices are one of the things that drive interest in the book. The other elements needed to make a sale after the book is discovered are an eye-catching book cover and the description sometimes known as the "blurb." Hopefully, these will garner readers who will leave reviews that get amazon's attention.

Your Words, Your Life Story: A Guide for Sharing Memories by J.Q. Rose

This book is a collection of information I use in my Life Storytelling Workshops to begin your life story.

2. I created a how-to book on writing life stories, Your Words,Your Life Story: A Guide for Sharing Memories and published it in December. Now I am following that up with a companion book with topics to spark memories. This journal for life storytellers allows the writer to keep their stories in a safe place.

New book cover for Girls Succeed!
I'm not sure if this is the one. What do you think?

3. Revising, updating and adding new content to my eBook for inspiring girls to dream big, Girls Succeed! Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women. The chapters are mini-biographies of amazing women who are fantastic role models for girls 10-14 years old. 

Do you see a theme here about life stories--mine, yours, and these wonderful women who trusted me to tell their story?

November is Life Writing Month. I hope you will consider writing down some stories for your family and friends. You can start with how 2020 has affected your life. You are an eyewitness to history and I'm sure there will be all kinds of stories about it. You can tell the truth about this year with your experiences and not let the media spin it the way they reported it.

If you'd like some tips on writing, recording or making a video of your life story, please click here to join my FB group, Telling Your Life Story and Memoirs Circle.

The Rose Courier will be delivered this Friday if you have signed up.
Click here if you wish to keep up-to-date with JQ Rose,
read articles, meet new authors, get freebies and more.

Thank you for stopping in. If you're an author, do you find it difficult to write your book description?
If you're a reader, what helps you decide to buy a book when browsing online or in a brick and mortar store?

IWSG Blog Hop: Life Disrupted, FREE Vegetable Gardening Guide

Hello and welcome to the J.Q. Rose blog. 

April showers and storms in your area? Thinking of all those folks enduring strong storms and tornadoes that are roaring through their neighborhoods. 

Today is 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.

IWSG Question for the Month

Have you taken advantage of the annual A to Z Challenge in terms of marketing, networking, publicity for your book? What were the results?

I have not accepted the A to Z Challenge. I admire those who do participate in this annual event in April. Best wishes to each one of you!

Life Disrupted by J.Q. Rose

Celebrating today! Gardener Ted received good news yesterday at his six weeks check-up after his hip replacement. The hip x-ray revealed it is in place and healing well. 

Gardener Ted and Me

The surgery and recovery has consumed our lives. Talk about life disrupted. This experience was a lesson in choosing priorities. His recovery was our #1 priority and everything else was secondary. Including writing. I couldn't focus on putting two words together when he first came home from the hospital. 

Caught off-guard by how debilitating such a surgery is to a person, I had no idea he would be rendered so helpless. I didn't know if my big, strong guy could handle being in such a weak condition. I worried about being a good caregiver because the responsibility is huge and constant. But, we have managed the six weeks and I didn't overdose him with medicine or trip him up or even nag--too much. 

He now has permission to drive, so we are making progress. His muscles are still sore, but the hip is good. He's in physical therapy where I hope the exercises will help him to get back to his old self or better!

🌿🍅🍆🍈🍉🍓

We're celebrating the successful surgery by giving away a Kindle format or PDF copy of our guide, Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening. Ted is certainly looking forward to getting into that garden dirt. How about you?

Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening

by J.Q. Rose with Gardener Ted

Request a copy of the guide by emailing me at jqrose02 at gmail dot com. I promise, NO SPAM.

Thank You, Hip Replacement Surgery, Caregiving

Hello and welcome to the J.Q. Rose blog!

I don't say thank you enough to all of you readers who stop by the blog. I certainly appreciate you stopping in and viewing the pages. I get a kick out of reading the comments. The views validate that I'm not talking to myself!! 

I never want anyone to think I am taking them for granted. That was especially brought home in the last couple of weeks. We all get involved in our lives and mindlessly carry on. Sometimes it's good to be jarred out of the comfort zone to wake us up. My husband's total hip replacement two weeks ago was one of those events that made me stop and take time to reflect on all the things I do take for granted.

Gardener Ted has had a bad hip for years, at least six, but the hip wasn't at the point the doctors wanted to fix it--until now. After surgery, he could walk, but with a walker. When the doc cuts muscles apart to fit in the apparatus to substitute for a hip bone, it makes one pretty helpless.

Surgery

I discovered how much I'd taken him for granted. Basically I'm a caregiver now. He can walk with a walker, but you know what? He can't carry anything if he's hanging onto a walker. Not even a glass of water. (He sure can't take out the trash or clear off the table!) 

Gardener Ted and Me

I have no confidence in my caregiving. I always feel like I should be doing more for him or look ahead and see what he needs. I'm not a warm, fuzzy person who dotes on my kids/grandkids. (I'm not the kind of grandma who bakes cookies for the grandkids. But I do like hugs.)

I don't want to hover over him and nag him about things like being sure to keep weight on the bad hip  and not limp. Finding a balance between hovering and biting one's tongue is difficult.

Have you had an experience that jarred you out of your comfort zone? One that allows you to realize how much you have taken for granted in your life? Are you a caregiver? Any tips on caregiving?

🔷 🔷 🔷 🔷

Gardener Ted is getting stronger every day. He had the staples holding the incision removed yesterday at the doctor's office. The doc showed us the x-ray of his hips. The new one is in the perfect position and looking good. So, it will take time and a lot of work on Ted's part to be back to walking and enjoying his go-getter lifestyle. But he's well on his way. I'll keep you updated on his progress.

Thanks again for stopping in. 

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