A Scary Story for Halloween by JQ Rose

BOO!
Author JQ Rose is ready for Halloween. Are you?

Hello and welcome to the Focused on Story Blog. Halloween is coming up soon! Are you ready? I have a scary story for you, that is if you're not a scaredy-cat. Terror on Sunshine Boulevard has an element of horror mixed in with humor and the paranormal. Take a peek and add it to your reading list to make this Halloween fun (and scary.)

A reader told me she discovered she shouldn't have read Terror on Sunshine Boulevard before bed. She was too scared to turn off the lights and go to sleep!

What readers say about Terror on Sunshine Boulevard

Do you enjoy being scared? Haunted houses? Horror movies? Scary books?
Please leave a comment below and let us know.

Treat yourself this Halloween with a terrifying read!
Terror on Sunshine Boulevard
Click to order: Available at major online booksellers

Back of the Book: Terror on Sunshine Boulevard by J.Q. Rose

Rescuing a naked woman lying in a geranium bed or investigating mysterious murders are not the usual calls for first responder Jim Hart. He expects slip and fall accidents or low blood pressure emergencies in his retirement community of Citrus Ridge Senior Community and Golf Resort. The ghastly crime scenes turn the winter time fun into a terrifying season of death and mystery when the authorities cannot track down the predator responsible.

Jim and his wife Gloria could escape the horror and grief by returning to their northern home, but concern for their friends and residents keep them in Florida. With the entire community in a dither over the deaths, the Harts participate in the normal winter activities of golfing, dancing, and pool parties with their friends to distract them from the sadness and loss.

Can Jim and Gloria work with the authorities to discover who or what is killing the seniors on Sunshine Boulevard and stop the increasing body count?

                                         Terror on Sunshine Boulevard by J.Q. Rose

                                                            Mystery-Paranormal

Excerpt: Terror on Sunshine Boulevard by J.Q. Rose, Chapter 8
Warning: This is the chills part of the blog post, not the giggles.

Turning on the warm water in the bathtub, she placed her hand under the faucet to gauge the temperature. When it was just right, she turned the shower on at full force, ready to step in for a relaxing indulgence with the warm water raining over her body.  Before Pamela could step in, she heard Noel’s moan from the bedroom. Terror clutched her throat. Oh, Noel, please don’t have a heart attack now! She yanked open the bathroom door and stood frozen in the doorway. The moonlight through the window added shimmer to the yellow stripes crawling across Noel’s naked body. When a blazing yellow light filled the bedroom, she slammed the bathroom door shut. The animal instinct to escape kicked in. Clambering onto the toilet and stepping onto the granite counter, she yanked the screen off the bathroom window and dove headfirst into the cool night air. She landed face down on top of the flowers in the wood-chipped flower bed below. Pamela’s screams pierced the night as she lay naked among the geraniums....to be continued. 

Also available at amazon:

AMAZON PAPERBACK 2^nd Edition

EBOOK SECOND EDITION AMAZON: 

Happy Halloween!!

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Click here or on the JQ Rose Courier graphic at the top of the sidebar to have your copy of the JQ Rose Courier delivered to your inbox. You'll find out about new releases, giveaways, contests with prizes and what JQ is up to.
Thanks!

Fright in the Night, a Scary Read for October! #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. Each participating blogger shares an excerpt from their book. I'm sharing my scary novel, Terror on Sunshine Boulevard. It's the perfect read for this frightul time of year, Halloween!

Terror on Sunshine Boulevard by J.Q.Rose

Mystery, horror

Back of the Book: Rescuing a naked woman lying in a geranium bed? Investigating mysterious murders Not the usual calls for first responder Jim Hart. He expects slip and fall accidents or low blood pressure emergencies in his retirement community of Citrus Ridge Senior Community and Golf Resort. The ghastly crime scenes turn the winter time fun into a terrifying season of death and mystery when the authorities cannot track down the predator responsible.

Jim and his wife Gloria could escape the horror and grief by returning to their northern home, but concern for their friends and residents keep them in Florida. With the entire community in a dither over the deaths, the Harts participate in the normal winter activities of golfing, dancing, and pool parties with their friends to distract them from sadness and loss.

Can Jim and Gloria work with the authorities to discover who or what is killing the seniors on Sunshine Boulevard and stop the increasing body count?

Excerpt: Chapter Four, Terror on Sunshine Boulevard

Meet Jingles, Mr.Tweeble's Dog

Doris set aside her cereal bowl on the end table. She pulled her frail body from the deep seat ready to make a phone call to Ralph Tweeble to complain about the dog. Of course, once she was up, the pet quit yapping. She looked out the window to scan Ralph’s yard to see if he had let the dog out into the backyard, but the motion light wasn’t on. She cocked her good ear toward his house and listened. Ah, silence from next door. Maybe now she could watch her movie without that annoying barking.

Doris picked up her cereal bowl and returned to the kitchen to fill it with more raisin bran and milk. She settled down in front of the maple TV console. As she brought a spoonful of her midnight snack to her lips, the terrier next door began raising the roof with his howls and yelps again.

She had enough of that damn dog. She wrestled herself up from the recliner as fast as her stiff body would allow and spied out the window. She stood mesmerized by a dazzling yellow light blazing through Old Man Tweeble’s house. Momentarily blinded by the amazing brightness, she scrambled out to her screened-in porch to get a better view and caught a whiff of the most putrid odor she had ever smelled in her seventy-nine years on this earth.

Doris moved as quickly as her legs tolerated to call 911. Where was that dad-burned phone? Whoever thought of cordless phones anyway? When there were phones hooked up to the wall with a cord on the handset, no one ever missed a call because they couldn’t find the damn thing. She was exasperated, but she was more scared the house next door might explode into flames if she didn’t call right away.

Doris checked the kitchen table, the couch cushions and the nightstand by the bed for the phone. Finally, she found it where it should be…on the desk in the charger. She grabbed it and called 911.

“Come quick! There was a flash of bright light next door. Something’s on fire!” Doris clutched her chest, unable to breathe. “Hurry!” Everything turned black as she passed out and fell to the floor, the phone clattering down next to her.

* * *

 In that early morning, the first responders discovered two bodies in their respective homes on Sunshine Boulevard—Mr. Ralph Tweeble and Mrs. Doris Hadley. The aura of death and mystery overshadowed the dazzling sunny day.

* * *

Click here to download your digital copy of Terror on Sunshine Boulevard by J.Q. Rose from your favorite online bookstore.

Click here to order your paperback copy.

 Stay-Up-To-Date with J.Q. Rose--articles, news, prizes, sneak peeks, authors and books.

Click here to get the Rose Courier delivered to your inbox once a month.

* * *

Thank you for stopping by. Please join in the fun by clicking below to visit more authors and discover entertaining books for your fall reading!

 

Halloween Storytime Blog Hop: The Undertaker's Daughter

Storytime Blog Hop

Halloween

BOO! and welcome to the Storytime Blog Hop! This quarterly edition theme is, what else but Halloween? Talented authors share short fiction stories from 500-1000 words for your entertainment. You're invited to hop around the especially, creepy, scary cyberspace today to read fascinating stories based on the optional theme of Halloween. The list of participants is located at the bottom of the page. 

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

I apologize if I am breaking the rules today by sharing a story I shared 5 years ago on this blog. But it is so perfect for Halloween, I couldn't resist. This piece has a place in my heart because it was the impetus to spark my mystery novel, Deadly Undertaking. 

Deadly Undertaking
Paranormal Mystery

The book's setting is a funeral home because I am the daughter of an undertaker. And I have two brothers who are funeral directors. When I wrote this story for a fun blog post years ago, I had no idea I would have a published mystery from the idea. 

Anyway, it's Halloween, a time for fun, silly costumes, and candy! You'll have to decide if the tale I'm spinning is a trick or a treat. Take a break and have fun with this. You'll get to know me better after learning about my "growing up" years.

# # # 

TheUndertaker’s Daughter

By J Q Rose

I always thought of horror writers as eccentric, peculiar people. But my perception changed when a horror story sprang from my own mind. You can imagine my surprise when my mystery/horror tale Sunshine Boulevard was accepted and published in 2011. That made ME a published author of horror stories.

Right away, I must tell you I am not an eccentric, peculiar person. I’m just a regular woman who is a wife, mother, grandmother. I like eating a burger at McDonald's, shopping at Walmart, and reading mystery novels. But, perhaps some would think my childhood was different. You see, my father was an embalmer and funeral director. I was reared in a funeral home.

It was not unusual to have a dead body laid out in a casket several days in a row in our living room which converted to the funeral chapel. In fact, sometimes we’d have more than one body in our home. The embalming room was in the back of the house, and yes, I wore lots of perfume and soap to cover the pungent odor of formaldehyde on my clothes and hair

Casket
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay 

We had knee caps for ashtrays in the private area of our home…not in the public area because that may upset some folks. But Dad was a heavy smoker, so he appreciated having the convenience of an ashtray nearby at all times.

In our kitchen, boxes of ashes of the departed sat in the pantry shelves next to the canned green beans and corn. Some families squabbled over who was going to pay the funeral expenses for their dearly departed, so they never showed up to claim the ashes for fear of being left with the debt.  In one case the family of Ida Mayberry never claimed their sweet aunt. So Aunt Ida took up residence in the cupboard next to the baked beans.

Can of baked beans
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay 

Life as an undertaker’s daughter did not seem to be any big deal. My friends, well, most of them, were happy to come over and play hide and seek in the casket room or to swipe flowers out of the funeral arrangements to put in our hair for dress up.

My girlfriends did get upset when one of the spirits who regularly hung out in the funeral home flew by. The whoosh of air was the only indicator of their presence. Yes, I lost a couple of friends that way because they were scared to death…well, not literally. They just were creeped out especially when one of the spirits would knock over the Barbie dollhouse or send the collection of Barbies swirling around the room.

Needless to say, I enjoyed going to my friend’s house. It was a treat to open their pantry door to get a can of pineapple and not see the boxed ashes of poor Aunt Ida. I could never shake the sadness I felt for her because noone cared enough to bury her ashes or at least sprinkle them on their garden.

So, yes, some may believe it was an unusual childhood compared to the experiences of others. But I felt loved, secure, and safe at all times. And that’s what counts for a kid.

The growing up years certainly shape the adult one becomes. I don’t know if this is the reason I can write a horror story or not, but I can assure you I am a normal, well-rounded person, not eccentric or peculiar at all. In fact, I got rid of the knee cap ashtrays just last week. I do have Aunt Ida in the cupboard. Her family never claimed her and I have grown attached to her company.

# # #

So do you believe what you read? I must confess most of it is made up. And of course, Deadly Undertaking is fiction, but I did have my funeral director brothers help me with the story. So, it's loosely based on the real funeral business. The keyword here is loosely.!

# # #

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Click here or on the JQ Rose Courier graphic at the top of the sidebar to have your copy of the JQ Rose Courier delivered to your inbox. You'll find out about new releases, giveaways, contests with prizes and what JQ is up to.
Thanks!
# # #

If you're not scared to death, please hop on over to the participants in the Storytime Blog Hop. The list is below.
PODCAST: General Link: Alone In A Room With Invisible People

1. Family Time by Bonnie Burns
2. The Exception by Vanessa Wells
3. Number 99 by Juneta Key
4. Edda’s Second Chance by Katharina Gerlach
5. Very Thin Line by Rebecca Anne Dillon
6. Henry Moves House by Nic Steven
7. For The Ghost The Bell Tolls by James Husum
8. Never Alone by Melanie Drake
9. The Neighbor by Meghan Collins
10. Storytime Blog Hop by Raven O'Fiernan
11. Loney Lucy by Bill Bush
12. The Traveler by Barbara Lund
13. Evening by Karen Lynn
14. Man Of Your Dreams by Gina Fabio
15. The Undertaker's Daughter by J. Q. Rose
16. The Road by Elizabeth McCleary
17. Storytime Blog Hop by C. T. Bridges
18. Storytime Blog Hop by Warp World Books

Chills and Giggles for Halloween: Terror on Sunshine Boulevard #BookHooks

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. Each participating blogger shares an excerpt from their book. I'm sharing my "terrifying" novel that is perfect for a scary Halloween read, Terror on Sunshine Boulevard.

A reader told me she discovered she shouldn't have read Terror on Sunshine Boulevard before bed. She was too scared to turn off the lights and go to sleep!

What readers say about Terror on Sunshine Boulevard

Do you enjoy being scared? Haunted houses? Horror movies? Scary books?
Please leave a comment below and let us know.

Treat yourself this Halloween with a terrifying read!
Terror on Sunshine Boulevard
Click to order: Available at major online booksellers

Back of the Book: Terror on Sunshine Boulevard by J.Q. Rose

Rescuing a naked woman lying in a geranium bed or investigating mysterious murders are not the usual calls for first responder Jim Hart. He expects slip and fall accidents or low blood pressure emergencies in his retirement community of Citrus Ridge Senior Community and Golf Resort. The ghastly crime scenes turn the winter time fun into a terrifying season of death and mystery when the authorities cannot track down the predator responsible.

Jim and his wife Gloria could escape the horror and grief by returning to their northern home, but concern for their friends and residents keep them in Florida. With the entire community in a dither over the deaths, the Harts participate in the normal winter activities of golfing, dancing, and pool parties with their friends to distract them from the sadness and loss.

Can Jim and Gloria work with the authorities to discover who or what is killing the seniors on Sunshine Boulevard and stop the increasing body count?

                                         Terror on Sunshine Boulevard by J.Q. Rose

                                                            Mystery-Paranormal

Excerpt: Terror on Sunshine Boulevard by J.Q. Rose, Chapter 8
Warning: This is the chills part of the blog post, not the giggles.

Turning on the warm water in the bathtub, she placed her hand under the faucet to gauge the temperature. When it was just right, she turned the shower on at full force, ready to step in for a relaxing indulgence with the warm water raining over her body.  Before Pamela could step in, she heard Noel’s moan from the bedroom. Terror clutched her throat. Oh, Noel, please don’t have a heart attack now! She yanked open the bathroom door and stood frozen in the doorway. The moonlight through the window added shimmer to the yellow stripes crawling across Noel’s naked body. When a blazing yellow light filled the bedroom, she slammed the bathroom door shut. The animal instinct to escape kicked in. Clambering onto the toilet and stepping onto the granite counter, she yanked the screen off the bathroom window and dove headfirst into the cool night air. She landed face down on top of the flowers in the wood-chipped flower bed below. Pamela’s screams pierced the night as she lay naked among the geraniums....to be continued.  

NEWS UPDATE: Terror on Sunset Boulevard is on sale at Smashwords for $2.99. 

Use the coupon code and choose your preferred format.

Click here to grab it now for your Halloween fun!

Also available at amazon:

AMAZON PAPERBACK 2^nd Edition

EBOOK SECOND EDITION AMAZON: 

Happy Halloween!!

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Click here or on the JQ Rose Courier graphic at the top of the sidebar to have your copy of the JQ Rose Courier delivered to your inbox. You'll find out about new releases, giveaways, contests with prizes and what JQ is up to.
Thanks!

Here's My Plan for Writing and Marketing, This Week, and This Month

My Plan for Writing and Marketing by J.Q. Rose

So many avenues for marketing my books, Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Goodreads, Pinterest, Amazon, and now Google Plus. My head was spinning trying to keep up with all of them. Alas, I crashed and burned. I was trying to do everything, but not doing well at any of them. Needless to say I wasn't writing anymore fiction or non-fiction. With so many balls in the air, there was no time or energy to scribble down a short story, let alone a novel.

After studying my own reading habits, I realized I needed to add more books to my J.Q. Rose list. When I like an author, I always go back to see what else she/he has written. But if there are no other books for a reader to choose from, she can't buy them (Similar to the retailer's saying, "You can't sell out of an empty cart.) That's when I decided to prune my marketing responsibilities to give me more time to up my word count. Just as we prune plants to become stronger, I believe I can make my writing career better by concentrating on marketing I can do well (and even enjoy!) and focus on getting words on paper (or on my screen.)

Here's my plan.

• Dedicate certain days for posting on my J.Q. Rose blog every week, evidenced by Monday posts and the Hobby Hoedown Thursday event. I enjoy blogging and never seem to run out of ideas for articles.
• Invite authors to be guests on the J Q Rose blog and on the Girls Succeed blog.
• Never sign up for Twitter.
• Join the Insecure Writers Support Group who write blogs and share the posts with each other. Good source for writing information too at the IWSG Website.
• 
•  Participate in more blog hops and tours.  
• Join Google+. I read Guy Kawasaki's What the Plus! Google+ for the Rest of Us, a helpful book on what Google Plus is all about. I joined and post there. He says in the book it is primarily a photo and video site. It's a great way to share posts with readers.
• Open a Facebook Author Page. Because all the industry articles shout about the traffic on FB, I did open the FB page and I'm very pleased with the response and the stats that can be obtained from it. (Psst--Please like me at the J.Q. Rose Facebook page when you get a minute. If you are #100, I'll send you my latest short story!) 
• Set aside time after lunch Monday through Friday to write stories. No definite word count or time frame. Just write!

I am no guru on how to write, market, and sell books, but I am going to have the best adventure in discovering how to do it. This plan is my latest attempt. 

Do you have some tips for us on how you juggle all the responsibilities of being a published author? Please, share in a comment below. Let's help each other!!!

# # # #

This Week:

Halloween is this Thursday, so Hobby Hoedown will continue on Nov. 7. Have a safe and happy Halloween. I wrote about my Halloween Memories on the MuseItUp Publishing blog last week. When you read it, my memories may spark some of your own.

Here are the hobbyists in November's Hobby Hoedown event.

Nov.
7	Heather Greenis	curling
14	Margaret Mendel	photography
21	Jane Lebak	knitting
28	THANKSGIVING

All Month:

Breast Cancer Awareness month

Lavender Dreams

Ten short stories in this anthology to entertain you. More importantly, the authors and cover artist have generously donated these stories and their royalties to help raise funds for cancer research each year.

Authors:

MuseItUp Publishing Authors: Barbara Ehrentreu, Gloria Oren, Lisa J. Lickel, Nan D Arnold, Nathaniel Tower, Rosemary Gemmell, Suzannah Safi, Tanja Cilia, Vicki Batman

Buy Link at MuseItUp Publishing

# # # # 

Christmas in October continues at Penny Estelle's blog. Win 50 prizes!

Christmas in October

Every Monday and Thursday during October,

six different authors will be spotlighting their books. 

Some lucky commenter is going to win over 50 different prizes. 

It could be you!  All you need to do is comment.

 The more you comment, the more chances you have of winning

all of these fabulous prizes.

Penny's blog. 

Ho!  Ho!  Ho!

Have a Spooktacular Halloween!

Have a Spooktacular Halloween

Wishing you all a safe, "funtastic" Halloween. 

31 Days of Halloween

You're invited to visit Brynna Curry's 31 Days of Halloween, if you dare, for some spooky Halloween fun! 

Don't miss a day this month.

Halloween is My Least Favorite Holiday Bah, Humbug!

Halloween scares me. Yes, it does. It is my least favorite holiday probably because of trick or treating experiences as a child. How many of you had your mother dress you up like the jolly green giant with a balloon for his head and tiny peep holesin his chest to see the path to the neighbor's doors? Or how many of you ran like crazy 12 year olds racing from house to house in the cold rain, freezing to death because it was not cool in our clique to wear a rain coat and boots? And how about those old folks who invited you into their homes for cocoa and cookies and wanted to talk and talk and talk? They were as creepy as some of the monsters in my imagination.
I went to one scary movie with my brothers--something like Abbott and Costello Meets Frankenstein. I think they told mom it was Abbott and Costello so she thought it was okay and had them drag me along. I'm sure they loved taking their seven year old sister with them.-- I spent the entire movie under the theater seat hiding from the scary scenes on the enormous screen.
So, I hate Halloween. But isn't it ironic that the first book I sold is a mystery/horror story???
What are some of your Halloween memories??