Showing posts with label Romance Readers Want to Know. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romance Readers Want to Know. Show all posts

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Romance Readers Want to Know: Three Questions for Janet Lane Walters, giveaway



Romance Readers Want to Know Series
Every Thursday on the J.Q. Rose Blog
Hello and welcome to the J.Q. Rose blog and another chance to ask an author a question or two or three. This week I'm delighted to welcome another Books We Love author, multi-published Janet Lane Walters. Janet, a prolific author, has graciously offered to award a print copy of one of her many books to a lucky commenter. Deadline for entry is Saturday, May 14 at 6 pm EDST.

Now let's find out what three questions readers ask her the most. Remember, you're invited to leave a question for Janet too.

Three Questions for Janet Lane Walters

One question I'm always asked. What advice do you have for new authors?
Years ago I went to an all day writer's conference. I can't remember the name of the author giving the workshop but I do remember one thing he said. "Finish the book. Don't worry about making it pretty just write the book." 

To this I'd like to add something that has become important to me. Write every day. Set a goal. Make the goal a small one, say, one page. This is about 250 words. If you do this every day for a year you have 365 pages. More than a book. As you become comfortable with reaching this goal, you can increase the word count. You will find that suddenly the 250 words becomes 500 and then more. If you are going to be away from a chance to write for several days, try to write ahead. With practice producing words becomes easier.
Second question - Why do you choose to write in a number of genres?
The answer to this is that I'm easily bored. Writing the same kind of book over and over would see me giving up the craft I love very much. Also this is because I tend to read just about anything. I enjoy writing contemporary stories since they keep me grounded in the past. The historicals I write are generally either based on reincarnation or alternate worlds using some of the material I research and change a bit or perhaps more. I also do some mysteries and enjoy solving the puzzles I encounter when I'm creating those worlds. Being published electronically has given me the freedom to explore the various sub-genres. There are two kind of books I wouldn't write. One is those science filled stories with technology. I love reading them but don't have the mind set to write them. The other his horror. I do not read unless I'm judging an entry for a contest. Even then I cringe. I'm chicken and I do not like to be frightened by words.
Third question - How do you develop your characters?
I use an abbreviated Astrological way to develop my character. I use their Sun Sign to depict their inner nature. These are the things important to them both their good and bad parts. The Moon Sign then shows their emotional nature. This is the way they react to things and may be in conflict with their inner nature. The Ascendant is used to show the face they show the world. This may or may not be in conflict with both their emotional responses and their inner qualities. I find this system gives me a variety of ways to depict a character. There are twelve signs in each of the three areas and multiplying these can make for a host of characters.
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Seducing the Chef by Janet Lane Walters
Back of the Book: Seducing the Chef by Janet Lane Walters
Allie Blakefield, editor of Good Eatin' wants to do a feature on Five Cuisines a restaurant across the river from NY City. Her father forbids the feature and won't say why. She's not one to sit back and be ruled by someone. She borrows a friend's apartment. While leaning over the balcony she sees a handsome dark haired man doing a Yoga routine. He looks up and she is struck by the Blakefield curse. Love at first sight. 

The pair start a hot and heavy romantic interlude. She visits the restaurant and is recognized by Greg, the chef's mother. The woman goes ballistic and the affair is broken. Can Allie learn what's going on and rescue her love?

About Janet Lane Walters:
Janet Lane Walters has been among the published since 1968. Her career began with short stories and poetry until the day when an editor told her the
Author Janet Lane Walters
recently submitted short story sounded like the synopsis for a novel. She set out learning a new direction. Time was taken out to return to work as a nurse to help children through college and earn two degrees, A BA in English and a BS in nursing. As well as writing a lot of novels, she doesn't keep track, she has also dabbled in ghost writing and non-fiction. She's the mother of four, her youngest an adopted bi-racial daughter. She has seven grandchildren. Four are biracial and three are Chinese. Like her writing she likes to think of her family as eclectic.

Please leave a comment below. We'd love to hear from you. And you may be the winner of th drawing for Janet's book! Thank you for stopping in.


Sunday, April 10, 2016

Taking a Break

This snowbird is flying north!
Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.com by domdeen
Hello Readers.

Thanks for dropping in today. But as you see, I have flown the coop, so to speak. This snow bird is taking a break to fly back home for the summer. 

I'll be back online next week with romance author Sandra Cox as my guest on Romance Readers Want to Know on Thursday, April 21.




Monday, March 21, 2016

Why I Write by J.Q. Rose

Why I Write by J.Q. Rose
Why I Write by J.Q. Rose
Last night we attended a concert by Joseph Martin, a master pianist and composer of sacred music. When he played the piano, the music was so beautiful, tears surprised my eyes. Emotions of joy, inspiration, power, thankfulness filled the night as Mr. Martin shared his mastery of the piano and his anthems sung by our church choir. One after another were simply feeding my heart. What a gift he has for blessing others with his music.
Joseph Martin--Master of the Piano
Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.com by nuchylee

As I listened, I realized this is what I want to do for readers. I want to give them joy when they read my stories. If a reader finishes my book, and the story is one she will remember for the entertainment, the surprises, the humor and the emotions that played through her as she read, then I have accomplished my reason for writing.

What about you? Why do you write? And for the reader, what are you looking for in a book of fiction and/or non-fiction?

For more information about this world renowned composer and performer, go to Joseph Martin's website here.
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I'm adding a reader's guide to my e-book for middle grade girls, so I need to change the book cover. Here are a couple of ideas I'm working on. If you have time, I'd appreciate any feedback on the designs--fonts, colors, spacing, etc. Take a peek here. Designed using canva.com. Thank you.

Book Cover #1 white background

Book Cover #2 solid red




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This Week:
Thursday, March 24--The Romance Readers Want to Know series will be suspended for this one week because of the celebration of Easter this Sunday. Come back Thursday, March 31. when author Diane Wickles rounds out our March guest authors. It will be her turn to answer questions from readers.

Look who's coming in April! You're invited to fire up those questions for the following authors:
APRIL
7 Joselyn Vaughn
14 Spring Break
21 Sandra Cox
28 P.A. Estelle

Thank you for stopping in.


Thursday, March 10, 2016

Romance Readers Want to Know: Author Shirley Martin, Giveaway

Romance Readers Want to Know
Every Thursday on the J.Q. Rose Blog

Hello and welcome to another posting in the Romance Readers Want to Know event! So glad you joined us today. I'm happy to have a fellow Books We Love author today, Shirley Martin.She is an author with a "vivid imagination" and has penned stories in many genres. Today a lucky commenter will win a PDF copy of her romantic fantasy, Magic Mountain. Deadline to enter the drawing is Sunday, 9:00 PM, EDST. (Yes, time change on Sunday to Daylight Savings Time.)

If you have a question for Shirley, please ask in the comment box below. Now let's see what her readers want to know.

Romance Readers Want to Know by Shirley Martin

1. The question I’m most frequently asked, is where do you get your ideas. My answer?  From everywhere!  With my two historical romances, Destined to Love and Forbidden Love I got my ideas from actual historical events.  For Destined to Love I was reading a history of my hometown, Pittsburgh, and read of the early colonial days when many people were captured by the Indians.  So I got the idea for my heroine, a young woman captured by the Indians. Forbidden Love centers around a steel strike in Pittsburgh in 1892.  My heroine is a wealthy society lady–married!–who falls in love with a steelworker from the wrong side of the tracks. This romance is in print now and available from Amazon.
I love writing fantasy and paranormal, where you can let your mind run free.  My Avador series of fantasy romances begins with Night Secrets.  There are five books in this series.
2. Another question I’m often asked, What advice would you give an aspiring writer? One piece of advice is, be willing to take advice.  I once belonged to a local critique group that had two writers who refused to take advice.  Neither of them got published, and they are both deceased now.  And if you want to be a writer, then write. Set a certain time every day for writing, and stick to that schedule, barring illness or an emergency.  Know grammar and punctuation rules and watch your spelling.  Read everything you can get your hands on–newspapers, magazines, fiction and non-fiction books.  Be an authority on the subject you’re writing on.
3. One further question I’m often asked–What is your next project?  My last project was a fantasy romance, Magic Mountain. I’m starting on a sequel titled The Door to Forever.  I’m very excited about this fantasy romance. Part of it will take place in the contemporary world, and part of it will be in an elven country. 
And speaking of Magic Mountain, here’s part of the blurb.

Magic Mountain by Shirley Martin
Fantasy and Romance
Gold!  Legend tells of a fortune in gold, hidden in a mountain in a land far away. Princess Olwen must find the gold because a neighboring warlike country has held her brother hostage for years and demands a vast amount to free him.  Olwen’s father doesn’t believe the legend about the treasure and refuses to send anyone to find it.  So Olwen sets out on her own, without her father’s permission, to find the treasure. Along the way, she finds magic and danger, but also romance.

BUY LINKS:
Amazon
Kobo
Also available at all major online booksellers.
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Thank you, Shirley!
As a prize, Shirley is generously giving away a PDF copy of this fantasy romance. Leave a comment below and you may be the lucky winner in the drawing! Do you have a question for Shirley about her writing? Now's the time to ask.

About Shirley:
Shirley Martin
Author Shirley Martin
Born in western Pennsylvania, Shirley Martin graduated from the University of Pittsburgh. She taught school for one year, then obtained a position as flight attendant with Eastern Air Lines. Based in Miami, she met her future husband there. After raising three sons, she devoted her time to writing, something she'd always wanted to do.

With a vivid imagination and a love of storytelling, Shirley has always enjoyed writing. Her first published novel, "Destined to Love" reflects her familiarity with western Pennsylvania and her love of romance writing. From this historical romance, she blossomed out to other romance genres. "One More Tomorrow" is a vampire romance, one her publisher dubbed "a sizzling seller." With several fantasy novels and novellas, her writing should appeal to just about every lover of romance. Her books have been sold at Amazon and most major bookstores and have garnered great reviews.

A widow, Shirley lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her two cats.

Connect online with Shirley

Monday, March 7, 2016

Happy Birthday, Signs of Spring, Vegetable Gardening, Growing Lettuce, Romance Readers Want to Know,

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

About thirty plus years ago, I gave birth to a pink bundle of joy we named Lee Ann. She was such a smiley newborn, the nurses asked permission to use Lee Ann to demonstrate how to bathe a baby for the new mothers in the maternity ward. And yes, indeed she was the smiling star. To this day, she is a beautiful, smart young woman who smiles a lot.
Lee Ann and J.Q. at a make-up demo at Merle Norman Cosmetics.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEE ANN!

I hope you're finding signs of spring in your corner of the world. Mother Nature sometimes has a difficult time transitioning from harsh winter weather to gentle, warm temperatures in March. Usually it's a mixed bag of cold and warm that month. (Secretly I think she suffers from PMS during March.)
Have you seen spring creeping over your landscape?

We're preparing to head north which means Gardener Ted is getting seeds started for the Michigan garden. The seed flats are a sign of spring for me. Today he brought in some gorgeous lettuce from the Florida garden.
Sitting out on the picnic table in the backyard, are tiny seedlings he has planted for Up North.
Green pepper plants popping up. 
You can barely see some of them, no bigger than a pencil lead.

Teeny tiny lettuce seedlings in foreground. Begonias in background.


These lettuce plants are ready to be planted in our Florida garden, but depending on the weather and how soon we leave, we may not be able to harvest. But he just can't throw them away now, can he? No.
Lettuce ready to be transplanted.
No wonder gardeners are always optimistic when spring comes. They are a part of  the miracle hidden in seeds. From this tiny, seemingly lifeless form, a vegetable or a flower grows. Such mystery. The garden reminds me of the mystery of the Easter resurrection. 

You're a gardener whether you plant a plot of ground, a pot on your deck, or a small bowl filled with lettuce plants sitting by your back door. They're all good and offer the opportunity to play in the dirt. How about you? Do you grow plants, vegetable or flowering? What's your favorite vegetable to grow in the garden? 

If you're interested in starting a garden, Gardener Ted shares many helpful tips in the ebook, Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening: Starting Your Garden. Click the cover below to download a sample and/or purchase a copy for yourself.




Romance Readers Want to Know
Every Thursday on the J.Q. Rose Blog
Come back on Thursday, March 10, when author Shirley Martin answers the questions her readers want to know.

Take some time today to look for spring!

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