IWSG Blog Hop: A Quick Answer to the Question of the Month--What Suggestions Can IWSG Offer to Writers? #IWSGbloghop #tipsforwriters,

 

Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop

#IWSGbloghop

What is the Insecure Writer's Support Group?

Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database, articles and tips, a monthly blog posting, a Facebook and Instagram group, Twitter, and a monthly newsletter. 

To find out more, click here.

  

The purpose of the group 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. 

Click here to sign-up and/or to visit the bloggers this week.

Happy IWSG Day!

Summer!
Photo courtesy of OpenClipart-Vectors at Pixabay

Thanks to our awesome co-hosts for the June 5 posting of the IWSG: Liza at Middle Passages, Shannon Lawrence, Melissa Maygrove, and Olga Godim!

June 5 question - In this constantly evolving industry, what kind of offering/service do you think the IWSG should consider offering to members?

I have been thinking about this question all morning. I studied the site's categories at the top of the page, and the only thing I can think of is how amazing IWSG is! I have no suggestions, only to express my appreciation to those who make IWSG work for all of us. 

Wishing you a fabulous summer!!! Leave a comment below about what plans you have for this summer. Thank you.

🌞🌞🌞🌞

LOOKING AHEAD:

Recipes 'n Reads Series--every third Wednesday of the month
Guest author Diane Bator 

I am thrilled that Diane Bator will stop by with her favorite recipe and her latest mystery novel on Wednesday, June 19. She is a born writer and storyteller. Once Diane started writing, she never looked back. Please join us.

Click here to visit more Insecure Writers Support Group  

members participating in this month's IWSG Blog Hop! 

Scroll down the page to find the bloggers' sites.

Author JQ Rose

Click here to link to my new Substack page. It's FREE. The May 30th article discusses writers using dictation to compose their writing projects. Do you use dictation? Leave a comment below.

Click here to be notified when a new article is posted on the J.Q. Rose blog.

Click here to follow me on Facebook at J.Q. Rose, Author.

Thank you for stopping by today! And for clicking around this post!

Creating Videos for YouTube, #IWSG Blog Hop

IWSG Blog Hop---the first Wednesday of every Month.

Hello and welcome to the Insecure Writer's Support Group Blog Hop! 
Always on the first Wednesday of the month.

What is the Insecure Writer's Support Group?

Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database, articles and tips, a monthly blog posting, a Facebook and Instagram group, Twitter, and a monthly newsletter. To find out more, click this link:  Insecure Writer’s Support Group

The purpose of the group 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. Click here to sign-up to join.

February 6 question -

Besides writing what other creative outlets do you have?

While I do love to get lost in writing a great scene or brainstorming characters and their personalities, motives, emotions, I have a few other creative projects I love to play with--Photography and Creating Movies for YouTube  

1. Photography is my first love. I'm no pro at using my camera, but I DO love taking pictures with a "real" digital camera. One with an eyepiece and a zoom lens. Composing a fall scene in the lens, catching a goofy shot of my family, memorializing our travels via photo albums or catching that deceptive hummingbird flitting among the red impatiens baskets always give me a thrill. Unlike the good old days of film photography, the best part of picture taking is I can snap as many photos as I want at no expense to me and keep only the best shots.

Lowther Castle in England

2. I am no Steven Spielberg, but I do enjoy creating videos for my YouTube channel using my photography. "Creating" seems like a big word for dabbling in making videos using PowerPoint.

I must admit the process usually results in frustration for me when I can't put the video together as quickly as I had hoped, but I do enjoy sharing our travels with viewers. I like putting together book trailers for my books too. If you'd like to take a peek at some of my videos, please click here to visit my YouTube site. 

3. My latest fun creations, for me anyway, is live streaming via Facebook Live. The first few videos were definitely learning exercises. Bad lighting, sound, stuttering, forgetting to look at the camera. The great thing about FB Live is sharing it on Facebook of course, but also placing it on your YouTube channel so you can share it there and to all your social media outlets.  

VIDEO: Writers Groups--8 Tips for Having a Successful, Productive Meeting


Have you dabbled in creating videos? What program(s) do you use in your movie-making? Do you have any tips on making videos? Share your YouTube URL with us so we can visit. 

* * *

If you want to use free photos without requiring attribution when making your videos,
Click here to visit Pikwizard. It's a new site. Here's what their representative told me--"We have 100,000 completely free images on the site, over 20,000 of those are exclusive to us. We are also adding new images to our library daily and our ultimate goal is to get to more than 1 million images."

Thanks for visiting. Click here to visit more participants in this month's IWSG Blog Hop.

Insecure Writers Support Group Question: Have you ever slipped any of your personal information into your characters, either by accident or on purpose?

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

Time for 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. I hope you'll take some time to visit the diverse list of bloggers.

IWSG Question for the Month

Question: Have you ever slipped any of your personal information into your characters, either by accident or on purpose?

Personal information? Like my birthday or Social Security Info?  No, I've never slipped that kind of info in my characters' personalities. 

Deadly Undertaking by J.Q. Rose

A handsome detective, a shadow man, 

and a murder victim kill Lauren’s plan for a simple life.

I have used my personal experiences in stories. In Deadly Undertaking, the setting of the story is a funeral home. Yes, my dad was an undertaker (and my brothers too) so I was familiar with the business. My character, Lauren, performed many of the jobs I did when I was a kid e.g. dusting caskets, setting up flowers for the visitation and service, and racing out with all the flowers right after the service to set the floral pieces at the gravesite before any mourners arrived. Honestly, we never had a shadow man-in-residence, but writing Henry, the ghost, who is a pain-in-the- neck for Lauren, was a lot of fun. And isn't that the reason we write all these stories?

Dangerous Sanctuary by J.Q. Rose

Pastor Christine never imagined 

she would be caring for a flock that includes 

a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer.

Dangerous Sanctuary's main character, Christine, is based on female ministers I have interviewed and who were our church ministers. I gleaned some of the information and their experiences for the story during conversations e.g. parishioners complimenting Christine on the shoes she wore along with her robe. "Noone would do that with a male minister," one of the women told me with a smile.

In my upcoming mystery to be released this fall by BWL Publishing, Terror on Sunshine Boulevard, I had to research all the information on marijuana...no personal experience with that. (See that halo shining over my head?)

I'm looking forward to reading your answers to the question of the month. Click below to leave a comment.

Thank you for stopping by.

****

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

in the non-fiction interactive ebook for girls,the amazing women who tell their inspiring stories  certainly believed in their dreams. Find out about their journeys to successful careers-technology expert, chef, horse trainer and breeder, hockey player, medical doctor, medical researcher, and many more.

Girls Succeed is on sale for a limited time--99 cents-- and includes a Reader's Guide. 

With the push for Science, Technology, Engineering , Mathematics ( STEM) education programs,stories of  the role models in these fields are excellent resources for classroom teachers and homeroom studies.

Role models for girls!

Click here to get your ecopy for a girl in your life for 99 cents for a Limited Time. 

All formats available.

Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop: Firing Up My Writing Ideas, 99 Cents eBook Sale

Hello and welcome to 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.

# # # #

Scene from Mesa Verde National Park
Photo by J.Q. Rose

I just returned from two weeks of roaming around the deserts, mountains, and rocks of the Southwest USA. What a completely different experience from my life in green, tree-laden, lake-rich Michigan. The wide open vistas, sands, dwarf bushes, and cacti were never in my life except when I watched cowboys like Roy Rogers and Rex Allen race across the movie screen when I was a little kid. Loved all those movies, but never imagined I would ever visit the movie locations. 

Vintage train ride up the mountain from Durango, CO to Silverton, CO
1870's style
Photo by J.Q. Rose

Now I'm home and tapping on the keyboard filled with eagerness to get down all the ideas I thought about while riding hours and hours in our little rental car from one destination to the next. We put on 2400 miles on this trip and that doesn't count the plane ride from Michigan to Las Vegas!!

So, at this moment, I'm not feeling insecure about my writing, but fired up to get to it! How about you? Does taking time away from the keyboard (or pen and paper) inspire your writing projects? I'd love to read your thoughts on this. Thank you for stopping in.

* * * *

Check out this countdown deal on my latest romantic suspense, Deadly Undertaking.

Deadly Undertaking for 99 cents for limited time.

BIG NEWS (and shameless promo): Romantic suspense, Deadly Undertaking, is now on sale through Wednesday, July 6 for 99 cents. Time is clicking away. Grab it quick at amazon 

Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop: Book Marketing is Mystery

Hello and welcome to the monthly meeting of the 

Insecure Writers Support Group(IWSG) blog hop! 

May is my birthday month, so there's always birthday cake (Texas chocolate sheet cake) available for visitors. And if you leave a comment, you could get ice cream on top! 

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. 

# # # #

Book marketing is my topic this month. I 'm very insecure about choosing methods to market my books. On Monday on this blog, I shared my experience in attempting to create a Facebook ad. You can click here to read that post. Let's just say it was a learning experience.

I attempted to create the FB ad to get the word out about my book for girls, Girls Succeed! It's on sale through Wednesday this week for 99 cents. 

Girls Succeed! 
Stories Behind the Careers 
of Successful Women
Inspiring and empowering girls.

Then I thought, I don't want to use a FB ad along with the ads on the 99 cent sites and my efforts on social media because I couldn't judge what was effective and driving interest to my book page on amazon.

Is that how you think? Or should we throw all our effort all at once against the wall and hope something sticks?

Book marketing is a mystery. Do free book giveaways increase actual sales? (I haven't found that to be the case.) How about using KDP Select and their promotions? But then I have to be published only at amazon. Am I losing sales if I don't use another distributor to offer more bookselling outlets to carry my books?

Who knows the answer to all these questions? 
I feel like I'm lost in the world of book marketing. 

Please leave a comment below. Your feedback is appreciated.

Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop: Blogging Etiquette

Welcome to  the Internet Writers Support Group (IWSG) blog hop.  .

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. 

* * *

Hello and welcome to the J.Q. Rose blog. I'm J. (Janet or Jan) Q. Rose.

Yes, this is a rendition of J.Q. Rose from my friend Miss Mae.
This drawing does resemble me quite a bit!!

Last month I co-hosted the IWSG event. I'll admit I was a bit nervous about doing it. But I discovered instead of being insecure about hosting, I was exhilarated by purposefully visiting over 70 bloggers. My head swam with all the amazing, brilliant, funny, talented, wise people who participated on this blog hop. 

Kudos to you all for being insecure! Hmm...that didn't come out exactly right. But if we didn't air our insecurities during this monthly  event, then there would be no need for the IWSG. So thanks for sharing your insecurities and thanks to those who are here to support us all and lift us up with their assurance and advice.

I appreciate Alex and all the co-hosters who keep these insecurities alive. Oh wait, that didn't come out right either.  Just plain thank you for all the folks behind the scenes and the many bloggers who allow us space to come together as a community every first Wednesday of the month.

I'm looking forward to visiting with you here and on your blogs. 

Questions for you.
 Photo by Master isolated images
Courtesy of freedigitaldownloads.net

Blogging Etiquette by J.Q. Rose

I have a question for you about blogging etiquette. When I leave a comment, is it wrong to leave my # on the list or to leave my website addy? I ask this because I must admit I didn't get to visit some of the folks who left their comments on my blog because I couldn't find their blogs. 

When I clicked on the commenter's name, sometimes I would find their google profile with their blogs listed. At other times, the G+ page came up and no blog information. 

As far as I'm concerned, if you leave a comment below, you're welcome to leave your blog address so I can find you. I appreciate you taking time to visit my blog and I would like to return your kindness.

What do you think? Is it wrong to leave my # on the list or to leave my website addy when I comment on blogs? Thank you.

* * *

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

Come back on Thursday, February 4 when author Nancy Bell kicks off the new series, Romance Readers Want to Know. She answers her readers' questions and is generously offering her e-book as a prize to a lucky commenter.


Visit Books We Love for 99 cent reads Valentine event.
Books We Love

Sharing a little love with my readers by offering my latest mystery,  Deadly Undertaking, for 99 cents this month. Visit my publisher, Books We Love, to discover a wide variety of full-length novels for 99 cents.

Deadly Undertaking Buy Links::

Amazon US  http://amzn.to/20kKUmN

Amazon CA http://amzn.to/1nFVuH4

Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1nrEx3v

Barnes and Noble http://bit.ly/1H72tvV

Kobo https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/deadly-undertaking