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.

National Gardening Exercise Day, June Anniversaries

Dad

Mom

 June is here-- the month of June brides. My parents 77th anniversary is today. I hope they're celebrating in Heaven.

Our daughter Sara and her hubby celebrate their anniversary on  June 10.

Our anniversary is June 14. Thank goodness it's Flag Day too. So when Gardener Ted sees the flags flying on Main Street, he knows it's anniversary time!

Gardener Ted and JQ

Hello and Welcome to the J.Q. Rose Blog

Not only is June the month of brides, it's also a month for gardens.

In fact, today, June 6 is National Gardening Exercise Day. Whether you love gardening to grow 

vegetables and/or flowers. You'll get plenty of exercise.

Gardener Ted's vegetable garden

According to the holiday insights website, "It's good for the mind, body, and soul. Gardening Exercise Day gives us an opportunity to go out and burn off calories and have fun doing it. National Gardening Exercise Day is intended to recognize the important physical health benefits of gardening."

My friend and cozy mystery author, Susan Bernhardt, captured what gardening means to her in her blog post this week. Take a peek at it here. 

          Author Susan Bernhardt

If you are thinking about trying to grow a  garden or if you already have a vegetable garden started, you may want to pick up some quick tips on gardening. Gardener Ted and I co-wrote a helpful resource for gardening. His experience in gardening and my experience in writing combined to give you helpful information. To download a sample or to purchase Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening, click the book cover below.

Our Fall Garden, Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening

The last gladiola of the season...sigh

Cleaning out the garden. That time of year to put it to bed, but not completely, yet.
Take a peek at our September, fall garden.

You can see the squash on the left side on the fence, some cabbage and broccoli, and tomatoes on the right side of the photo. Gardener Ted uses vertical gardening to make more space--like he needs it!! hee hee

Gardener Ted is watering lettuce and cereal rye for ground cover for the winter.

Tomatoes and green peppers are loving this weather. Delicious.

Our fall lettuce crop is finally getting to the edible size.

Squash on the fence.

Rye he seeded about 5 weeks ago.

Do you know what plant this is?

Kind of a melancholy time when the garden plants are pulled up and the space is emptied out. But, the one idea I remember is, there's a fresh start next spring. And gardeners are the most hopeful and optimistic people on earth convinced next year, the garden will be even better.

Ha--reminds me of authors..the next book will be even better!

Did you have a garden this year? What were the high points? We won't discuss the low points!! If you don't garden, do you go to the farmers' market for fresh veggies and fruit? Are you planning a garden for next year? 
Please, leave a comment below and follow the J.Q. Rose by email. Add your email addy to the Follow by Email box in the sidebar so you won't miss the next article.

* * *

Gardener Ted and I wrote an e-book packed with gardening tips. Yes, it's time to plan for next year!

Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening by Gardener Ted and J.Q Rose

Get your copy now--only 99 cents

Strawberry Pie Recipe, This Week, Gardener Ted

Strawberry Plants are blooming...

Hi from Michigan! 

We have been dreaming about Michigan strawberries since we arrived home mid April. The photo of blooming strawberry plants in our garden above was taken mid-May. Oh the agony of waiting. Even our granddaughter checks the plants every time she comes over. "When will the 'stwahbehrries' be ready," she wails. 

Big News! Gardener Ted announced this afternoon he was going to pick a few berries tomorrow! Hallelujah!! Soon they will be in full production and I can make all things strawberry.

Strawberries picked in June 2014

I'm sharing my Strawberry Pie recipe again on the J.Q. Rose blog because it is so easy and so delicious. And to tell you the truth, thinking about making the pie makes the waiting more bearable.

My friend, Trude, gave me the following recipe for Strawberry Pie.  Trude passed away, but she lives in my memories and through sharing this recipe with friends and readers. Enjoy!

Trude's Strawberry Pie

Recipe for a 9" pie

Place about 1 pint of strawberries whole, not cut up, in a 9" pie shell.

Stir together in a pan--1 3 oz box jello, 1 cup sugar, and 3 T. cornstarch.

Add 1 1/2 cups water to the mixture and cook till thickened--It will start to boil and get clear. Stir constantly. This takes awhile, so be patient.

Pour mixture over strawberries. Refrigerate after one hour.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream or both!!

# # # #

THIS WEEK:

Thursday, June 11--Join us on the Travelogue as Rachael Kosinski takes us to Peru. She said she spent nine days running around Peru surviving on high school-level Spanish in 2013. You DO NOT want to miss this trip!

# # # #

Need some tips on starting your garden? Check out Gardener Ted's

Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening: Starting Your Garden.

Review

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple to follow-quick tips February 20, 2015

By S. Roan

Verified Purchase

Love the easy flow and down to earth approach! Great tips from tried and true gardening. New gardeners and the more seasoned can find helpful ideas to utilize.

Money or Recognition as a Writer, Shhhh--New Book Release

As a writer, do you want money or recognition?
Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.com byFeelart

Good Thursday to you! (Okay, if you are reading this on a different day, sub that day for Thursday, We are flexible here.)

Money or Recognition? by J.Q. Rose

I read an article last night on the On the Premises website. The post was in their writing tips section and of course I had to check it out since Thursdays were dedicated to guest authors sharing their writing tips on this blog from October-February.

Rather than a tip, it was more of a thought-provoking piece on what writers want when they decide on a career in writing. The blog post author (he/she never credited herself in penning this article) wrote, "Publishing an on-line magazine with the goal to make published stories available indefinitely has brought an interesting philosophical battle to my attention. There can be a struggle between the desire to make money from your work and the desire to have your work witnessed, appreciated, and/or recognized by others." Find the essay titled Two Kinds of Writers in the Writing Tips section and check out their contests. No fee to enter.

Did you decide to become a writer because you're interested in making lots of money by writing fiction? 

OR

Did you decide to become a writer to be famous and appreciated through your writing? Do you want to develop memorable characters who will leave a lasting message on our society for years to come e.g. Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird.

I must remind you that this is a philosophical discussion because I imagine if you become recognized (think Stephen King or J.K. Rowling) for your effort, you will be richly compensated. In this world of technology your books will available as digital files in cyberspace for infinity, so you could be famous now and into the future.

The article's author asks, "What’s more important to you, money or recognition?"

How would you answer that? Please leave a comment below to join in the discussion.

# # # 

This article was a timely one for me, because today is no ordinary Thursday. I am bursting to tell you, but I don't want to "let the cat out of the bag" and blow the whole surprise. Well, maybe it isn't a surprise so much, as news.

I'm sitting on my hands so-to-speak, trying not to say anything. Zipped my lips shut. But then again, this news adds to this discussion of fame or fortune in a different way.

I am going to explode though if I just don't just come out and say it!

Ta-dah!!! The Writing Tips book is published on Amazon and ready for you! 

Squeeeeeeeeeeee.. Dancin' around the chair. Breathless.

Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing
Available NOW at Amazon.com

There! My original plan was to have a quiet launch on Amazon, gather all those fifteen authors who contributed to the book, and really have a blow-out book launch all at once. But---

I've had so much feedback from the authors who are ready to shout about the book, I decided to go with that program too.

If you would like a free PDF copy of the 40 page book, please contact me at jqrose02 at gmail dot com. Hopefully you'll be able to leave a review and recommend it to your friends.

So you're wondering why does this book launch have anything to do with the philosophical discussion on fame or fortune as a writer? 

For awhile now I have been questioning if the world really needs anymore mysteries, fantasies, horror stories in this already mixed up world of terror and unimaginable crimes. As I see that I have more years behind me than ahead of me, I want to offer, in my writing, information that will help society. I think this writing tips book will definitely offer eye-opening tips to new writers. In our gardening book, released in February, my DH, Gardener Ted, and I shared lots of valuable quick tips for new vegetable gardeners. And it feels good!

Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening
Available at Amazon.com

It feels even better when I know I'll be donating the royalties from the writing tips book to public libraries and royalties from the gardening book to local food banks.

I'm not saying there is no place for good escape reading to help get us through some of these worrisome times. In fact, as a writer, you know those stories just wind through your brain and you have to get them out on the page. But I'm not looking for fame or fortune when writing fiction. I am looking to get a message out to the world through characters and settings, etc. to bring awareness, start discussions, and to find solutions to problems in our society, as well as entertain readers with a great story. When it's all said, in order to get my message out, I have to become recognized. 

How do you view your writing career? Take a few minutes to leave a comment, please. We'd love to enjoy a rich discussion from all sides. Thanks!

Be sure to get notification of every article posted on the J.Q. Rose blog by following by email. Enter your email addy in the box on the right side bar. Thank you!

Snowbird Spring Migration, Winter Projects

“Migrating Geese At Night” by Vlado

courtesy of freedigital photos.net

Migrating north this week because my husband and I are snowbirds. We are packing and moving back north for the summer. 

I'd like to make a case for changing the name of snowbirds to sunbirds. We follow the sun...summers in Michigan and winters in Florida. I believe snowbirds fly away from snow, but, hey, Florida has no snow to fly away from! 

Escaping to Florida reminds me of summer camp when I was a kid. I had fun and more freedom at camp. In winter, I have fun and freedom in Florida. No responsibilities to organizations or family (whom I truly love and miss during the winters), and complete freedom to write and wonder.

Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening:
Starting Your Garden

This winter I feel very pleased with myself. Unfortunately I didn't get much done on my WIP concerning a murder in the funeral home. On the other hand, my dear hubby, Gardener Ted, and I published a gardening book on amazon. It was so good to share this writing experience with him. And he is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to vegetable gardening. Yes, I'll keep you updated on ours this gardening season.





By the time we get home, I hope to have news about the release of my writing tips book--a compilation of writing tips from fifteen talented authors. This project was a joy to work on, getting to know so many great authors who generously shared their writing tips and advice. 

Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing
Coming Soon!

I finally settled on a book cover. This one garnered the most votes and the best comments.

So that was my winter. How about you? Any writing projects? Great books you enjoyed this winter? 
Leave a comment below and let us know about your activities...well, the ones you can share in public anyway!!

I'll be offline for awhile this week, but will return next Monday!!

Have a wonderful week!

Marketing Your Book with the KDP Free Promotion, Book Trailers for Non-fiction Books, This Week

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

I bet you had a blessed Easter and/or Passover. Now spring is officially here! 

Many folks' thoughts turn to vegetable gardening this time of year. My DH, Gardener Ted, and I joined forces to offer information in our guide, Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening: Starting Your Garden, to help them get inspired and to offer practical advice on gardening. 

Vegetables from J.Q. Rose and Gardener Ted's garden

I had a blast putting all the articles together and working with my hubby on the final product. I uploaded the file to Amazon on February 15, 2015. The eBook hit the Amazon bestseller lists the next day!  I was thrilled. But after the first rush, sales fell off. 

I decided to try the KDP promotion of offering the eBook for free. I don't have the second book in the series available yet, but I decided to use part of my 5 days of free promotion at this time since 'tis the season to start a garden. 

I was blown away with the response to the three day "sale." I gave away over 1100 eBooks and reached #1 in crafts/hobbies and seasonal categories of Amazon's free kindle eBooks. 

I decided to use the free promotion for several reasons:

• Create buzz to earn real sales after the promotion
• To gauge the interest in vegetable gardening
• To garner reviews for the book

I chose the dates because in Michael Thomas eBook, Crush It on the Kindle: A Guide to Publishing and Maximizing Sales, advised offering the free promotion at the end of the month. He explained "The biggest jump came from people borrowing my book at the beginning of the month, which increased its sales rank, which increased its visibility, which increased its actual sales and profits." I figured if he achieved great results when giving it away for just one day, I'd offer it for three days to include the end of the month and the beginning. Perhaps this was erroneous thinking on my part. (Just like the assumption that if fertilizer is good for a plant, give it more than the directions say, and it will grow faster. No, don't do that,)

I'm sure I made an error when selecting the days for the give away because by making the promo 3 days, I bumped up into Good Friday, Passover, and Easter weekend. When the give-away ended on Thursday, April 2, the next day to actually purchase the book was Friday and the beginning of the weekend. As I write this blog on Monday morning, I have not sold one eBook. So the "buzz" didn't translate into actual sales. 

Do I have hope this week will see sales? You bet I do because the royalties are going to support local food pantries in my area. Have I missed the optimal time to sell a book on Starting Your Garden? Not in Michigan! It's still snowing there and in many northern states. I also rationalize, people always have that desire to get their hands dirty. Gardening is not just a few weeks in the spring.

Another tidbit for you to tuck away in your marketing tool box--I notified several websites who feature FREE eBooks so I could rely on not only Amazon's promotion, but also those sites. Shelley Hitz Places to Submit Your Free KDP Select Promotion PDF made it easy to find and enter the eBook info. The link to the PDF is in her eBook, Marketing Your Book on Amazon: 21 Things You Can Easily Do for Free to Get Exposure and Sales.

# # # #

Besides the give-away as a marketing tool, I decided to make a book trailer for the eBook. I worked on it and got it ready, then it dawned on me that book trailers are usually for fictional books. Have you ever seen a book trailer for a non-fiction book?? Hmmm....well, after all that time I spent on this video, I'm going to be brave and share it with you below even if non-fiction trailers are not done! 

VIDEO: Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening: Starting Your Garden

Book Trailer for  Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening

Have you tried using the KDP Select Free Promotion in your marketing efforts? Is it in your marketing plan? What do you think of book trailers for non-fiction books? Please leave a comment below. We'd love to hear from you.

This Week:

Thursday, April 9--Author Kyla Phillips is my guest. She suggests four points when world-building in your stories. Come back for this helpful information and to discover her new urban fantasy, Agent of Light, releasing in May.

Be sure to get notices of new posts on the J.Q. Rose blog by submitting your email in the box in the right side bar. I promise, NO SPAM!!

Insecure Writers Support Group: Police Procedure, FREE eBook

IWSG Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to  the IWSG blog hop. 
What is IWSG? Founder of the Insecure Writers 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. 

# # # #

Caution: Remember today is April Fool's Day. Don't get caught!

FREE eBook today and tomorrow

# # # #

Today is no April Fool's prank when I tell you our eBook on gardening is free today!! Yeah, really, go check it out. Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening: Starting Your Garden is FREE today AND tomorrow. Go get it at Amazon 

# # # #

No joking around, today my writing insecurity is police procedure. I write mysteries, but I have no experience in law enforcement, so I have to depend on my own "investigation" into how a crime is committed and how police actually gather evidence, find suspects, and how they handle the aspects of bringing a criminal to justice. 

I am insecure about my lack of knowledge in this department because in Coda to Murder a reviewer called me out on getting a procedure wrong--notifying the family of the murder of their loved one. I know it is a book of fiction, but when readers see a fact or procedure is incorrect, it colors their perception of the whole story. 

In writing my first two mysteries, I relied on my neighbor who is a city policeman and the Crime Scene Writer Group. (My neighbor did not get the procedure wrong. I didn't even ask him about the procedure.) Now well into my third mystery, I realize I am lacking in information on the witness protection program and drug trafficking. 

Where do you find resources for getting the police investigations and procedures correct? Please leave a comment below. Thanks so much. 

IWSG: Your Aging Books, Self-publishing, Read an Ebook Week, Giveaway

Insecure Writer's Support Group
Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to  the IWSG blog hop. 

What is IWSG? Founder of IWSG 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. 

# # # #

What do you do with your old books you have published either traditionally or indie? I am insecure on how to handle these old graying stories that I love dearly. But, after 2 or 3 years they are just sitting online at my publishers and doing absolutely nothing!! Do I get my rights back and re-pub with another publisher or self-pub?

I've thought about self pubbing. I just released a gardening e-book February 15. I used the info from my gardening blog plus other materials to make a booklet on starting a garden. I plan to release a couple more in the series.

Quick Tips on Vegetable Gardening:
Starting Your Garden
Quick, clear, concise, tried and true gardening tips

After self pubbing a couple of projects, this one went like clockwork. (I know that's a cliche, but this describes it perfectly.) I was prepared this time after studying several books on Kindle formatting, as well as learning from my experience with the other two projects. 

I chose niche categories so the ebook was an immediate bestseller in 3 categories.

I had my friends ready to post a review the minute the book went live.

Clockwork.

I don't know about fiction though. So much more competition. But at least if I self pub one of my ebooks and make five sales, I'd still be ahead of what the book is doing now!

I never really thought about what would happen to my books once they were out and aging. I just worried about getting a publisher for my first book! 

What is your experience with your "old" fiction/non-fiction? Are you continuing to enjoy sales from your previous books? What is your advice on dealing with aging books? Please leave a comment.

Follow this blog by email for updates on blog posts. Thank you.

# # # #
Readers, get FREE and discounted books at Smashwords during Read an Ebook Week.

I'm celebrating eBook Week by giving away an eBook from my list. Just leave a comment anytime this week, and I'll draw a winner from all commenters on Sunday, March 8. Check my Amazon Author page to make your choice. If I don't have your email addy, please leave it in the comment or email me with it at jqrose02 at gmail dot com. (Yes, the new e-book on Vegetable Gardening, QUICK TIPS ON VEGETABLE GARDENING: STARTING YOUR GARDEN is on the list too!)
Plus GIRLS SUCCEED: STORIES BEHIND THE CAREERS OF SUCCESSFUL WOMEN is 50% OFF during this event. $2.00. 
Grab it at Smashwords 

Girls Succeed!
Inspiring and empowering girls to achieve success in their dream careers

The Reader's Guide to accompany this ebook is FREE at Smashwords. 

Download it now.