JQ Rose is in the house!

Today, I’m excited to have JQ Rose guesting on Books and Bones. She talking about names (egad! I’m horrible at those) and her brand-spanking new mystery, Coda to Murder.  Take it away, JQ…

Hello, Tess. Thanks for inviting me to stop at Books and Bones on the book tour for my mystery/romance, Coda to Murder.

Readers, thanks so much for visiting with us. Please remember to leave a comment to enter the random drawing for prizes at the conclusion of the book tour on March 22.

 

What’s in a Name? by J.Q. Rose

March 7 is my second daughter’s birthday. Thirty years ago we had to pick out a girl’s name and a boy’s name because there were no ultrasound to discover the gender of the baby.

Choosing a name for a precious little bundle entering this world is a daunting task. Sorting through all the names you do not want is easy. Remember that girl who was your nemesis all through school? Definitely cannot name my baby Judy. How about that geeky boy who always reminded the teacher she forgot to assign us homework? Donald is definitely crossed out. How about family names? If my mom had stuck to the idea of naming me after her and my grandmother, I could have been Beulah Dorothy. Thank goodness she chose middle names instead. Janet Lee.

We chose Lee for our daughter because the name has gone through four generations. Little did I realize until her six week check-up, she could be mistaken for a boy named Lee. When the nurse called me into the doctor’s office, she asked how “he” was doing? He? I had to inform her of course that she was a girl named Lee. After that I worried about that name choice.

Choosing a title for a book is just about as harrowing as choosing a name for a kid. How do you figure out the whole story and tie it together with just the right name? Coda to Murder was nameless until I was ready to write the query letter to the publisher.  I always referred to the story as Pastor Christine, the main character.

Since Pastor Christine is an accomplished organist and the person murdered in the story is the Director of Music at the church, I decided to use a musical term in the title. Crescendo? Staff line? Treble clef?

I chose Coda because, according to dictionary.com, coda means “anything that serves as a concluding part.” Murder is pretty much a concluding part or ending of life.

Since the book has been out, I feel like I made a mistake using Coda to Murder because when I say the word coda, folks not into musical terms don’t understand it and others hear it as Coded to Murder. Sigh…I felt the same way when the nurse thought Lee was a boy. I just take a deep breath and correct them.

If you are a writer, how do you choose a title for your work in progress? If you are a reader, how much does the title influence your interest into looking into a book?

TAGLINE: Pastor Christine Hobbs never imagined she would be caring for a flock that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer.

BLURB:  Pastor Christine Hobbs has been in the pulpit business for over five years. She never imagined herself caring for a flock that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer.

Detective Cole Stephens doesn’t want the pretty pastor to get away with murdering the church music director. His investigative methods infuriate Christine as much as his deep brown eyes attract her.

Can they find the real killer and build a loving relationship based on trust?

BUY LINKS:

Now available at MuseItUp Publishing- http://tinyurl.com/anax9x7

Amazon.com http://tinyurl.com/ap376tb

Barnes and Noble.com and major online booksellers.

BIO- After writing feature articles in magazines, newspapers, and online magazines for over fifteen years, J.Q. Rose entered the world of fiction writing with her first published novella, Sunshine Boulevard, released by MuseItUp Publishing in 2011. Her latest mystery, Coda to Murder, was released in February. Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board games, and travel are the things that keep her out of trouble. Spending winters in Florida with her husband allows Janet the opportunity to enjoy the life of a snowbird. Summer finds her camping and hunting toads, frogs, and salamanders with her four grandsons and granddaughter.

 Connect with J.Q. Rose online at

J.Q. Rose blog http://www.jqrose.com/

Girls Succeed blog http://girlssucceed.blogspot.com/

Author website http://jqrose.webs.com/

J. Q.  Rose Amazon Author Page http://tinyurl.com/aeuv4m4

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/jqrose

Pinterest http://pinterest.com/janetglaser/

Release Day!

It’s here! Book Three of the Kitty Irish Trilogy is out. Flying in the Dark is available at Amazon, Smashwords, and on sale at Turquoise Morning Press! It’s on the way at Barnes and Noble and in paperback.

High school senior Kitty Irish knows exactly what Daniel Phinney expected of her—eradicate the werewolves haunting the Manistee National Forest—until her father comes home from Iraq and takes over.

Too bad Kitty’s plan unravels. Her father spends his time watching the tree line from the safety of a wingback chair. Her hunting partner analyzes college campuses while she analyzes kill sites. When her brother finds a new friend in a long lost uncle, Kitty’s war with the werewolves becomes a battle for more than just her own life.

Whatever Phinney prepared her for, this isn’t it.

In the final installment of the Kitty Irish Trilogy, Kitty’s past meets her present in an explosive confrontation. The battle comes to her front porch making the fight for the future more than claws and fangs.

Come along for the ride and finish out Kitty’s adventure!

Cover Reveal

Time has been whipping by, and the release of Flying in the Dark is right around the corner. The ebook comes out the week of March 3rd. Can you believe it? Anyway, got a lovely surprise in my inbox Sunday morning from K.J. Jacobs, my cover artist at Turquoise Morning Press. Take a look and check out the blurb following.

High school senior Kitty Irish knows exactly what Daniel Phinney expected of her—eradicate the werewolves haunting the Manistee National Forest—until her father comes home from Iraq and takes over.

Too bad Kitty’s plan unravels. Her father spends his time watching the tree line from the safety of a wingback chair. Her hunting partner analyzes college campuses while she analyzes kill sites. When her brother finds a new friend in a long lost uncle, Kitty’s war with the werewolves becomes a battle for more than just her own life.

Whatever Phinney prepared her for, this isn’t it.

In the final installment of the Kitty Irish Trilogy, Kitty’s past meets her present in an explosive confrontation, bringing the battle to her front porch. The fight for the future is more than claws and fangs.

I love this cover. I think it’s my favorite of the three. Which one do you like?

Monday Musings: The Virtual Office Tour or Don’t Make Me Clean My Dining Room Table for Nothing

Good morning! It’s Monday and that means it’s time for Monday Musings. Last week Chris Allen-Riley, Kirsti Jones, Lynn Doezema, and I looked at places we’d most like to live. This week, we look at the place we do live…and take you on a virtual tour of our office.

Ta-da!

Yup, that’s it. I use the term office lightly. This is my dining room table (decluttered especially for these photos). The farmette is cute and friendly but the layout is a bit funky. I have a long skinny living room and two huge bedrooms upstairs. Plenty of room for an office but there isn’t one included anywhere. We tried to make the teeny bedroom on the ground floor into a study of sorts, but it got converted to a guest bedroom. The last time I spent any time in there I got a bad case of cabin fever and tore up the linoleum to see if there was hardwood underneath. There was…but unfortunately DH was not impressed. However, I digress…back to my office.

This is what it looks like set up for writing…

Oh yeah! Computer, coffee cup, wireless mouse (because I detest the little finger pad do-dad), my purple binder which contains whatever I’m editing currently, and my blue clipboard which is preloaded with pen and paper for the car.

Now then…say I’m feeling like something a little more cozy…ta-da!

It’s the office easy chair. All I need is my lap desk (shown) and my foot stool, and I can sink into this corner for some work. The old library card catalog on the floor to the left serves as my end table to hold my coffee cup and the research book for my next YA.

So…there you have it. Would I like to have a real office? Maybe someday. At the very least, I’d like to have a little desk space to call my own. Scatter some papers around, put up my Lego mini-figures (the werewolf, Tow Mater, Lego motorcycle dude with goggles and dynamite), maybe even hang something on the wall.

But it’s all good. This layout has worked for me so far!

How about you? What does your workspace look like?

Monday Musings: Literary versus Genre

Good Monday Morning! Chris Allen-Riley, Kirsti Jones, Lynn Doezema, and I are back to our weekly mini blog-hop. Today, we visit the topic of literary versus genre fiction. Be sure to stop in to see at all our blogs to see our various thoughts on the topic.

Back when I first started writing, I had to ask a more experienced writer what all the fuss was about literary versus genre writing. It all seemed so shrouded in mystery—so us versus them. To paraphrase and to simplify… Literary works were the ones that won awards. Genre works made money. Literary works explored the human condition. Genre works put the human on a roller-coaster ride of a plot and let him go.

Eventually, I came up with my own litmus test for whether a work was literary fiction or genre. Here it is (be prepared to be blown away!): I pick up a book at the bookstore. If it’s something deep, dark and depressing—watching a loved one die a long slow death or a convoluted ethical dilemma—in short, something I don’t feel up to reading because it’s too much like real life, it’s literary fiction. If it sounds sweet, funny or implausible—in short, something I would read to be entertained—it’s probably genre fiction.

Maybe that sounds flip, but it’s not a bad test. 

The literary-genre divide has been going on for years. My first books were absolutely genre—YA novels about a teen werewolf hunter. Definitely not the stuff of the Newbery Award.

Then I started writing my adult mystery, Second Chances. See it here on the What I Write page. The main character is a difficult and complex woman named Jo Birch—a deeply vulnerable soul wrapped in a mouthy and hard exterior who is scarred by every case she works. As they reviewed chapters, my critique group kept asking me, “Why is she like that?” “What’s her response to that?”

When I finished Jo’s story and turned it over to beta readers, comments were something like this, “This is more about Jo than the mystery.” “I just wanted to find out what happened to this girl.” Another reader was more blunt. She said, “This is literary suspense.”

Imagine my surprise! I–Proud Genre Girl–had written a literary novel. Okay, deep down I had my suspicions, but still having it confirmed came as a bit of a shock.

What did this teach me? Perhaps the divide between genre and literary is not so much a gap as a continuum, and the two aren’t nearly as far apart as we sometimes make them out to be. What do you think?

Visit Chris, Lynn, and Kirsti for their thoughts.

Monday Musings

Mondays aren’t usually my best day–more of a move-slow-and-get-back-in-the-flow-sort of day. But from now on, I’ll be waking you all up bright and early on Mondays with Monday Musings. I’ll be pairing with fellow YA authors, Christine Allen-Riley  and Kirsti Jones, to bring you a mini blog hop every Monday. We’ll all be posting on the same topic and you’ll have a chance to hear how different–or similar–we are. The three of us already have one thing in common–writing YA.

Without further ado, I give you the inaugural Monday Musings…the self interview. Given that I got to choose the questions and only went for the easy ones, I breezed through.

What are your favorite words?  Just and lean. They’re not really my favorites, though my editor might tell you different. They show up a lot in my writing. A lot. Can I help it my characters like to lean on things? They just do.

What are your least favorite words? See above.

What’s your favorite curse word? This is a YA blog, right? So I’d better not say what my real favorite curse word is. Ever see the movie Fantastic Mr. Fox? In it they replace all the curse words with the word “cuss.” So you get lines like, “What the cuss?” and “How the cuss should I know?” When I remember to use it, cuss is my favorite curse. (try saying that 3 times fast).

What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?

I have always wanted to drive a Zamboni–one of those ice resurfacing machines you see at hockey games. I am completely serious. I lean toward perfectionism with a touch of obsessive-compulsive to make it really fun. Watching one of those ice machines pull out when the ice is all faded and scratched, then seeing it drive around and around and all of that disappears in a shiny new surface? Absolutely soothing.

Coffee or tea? Coffee! Preferably flavored, black and heading toward lukewarm.

City or country?  Country or least countrified city. I get a bit stir crazy when I can spit out the window and hit my neighbor’s house. That said, after eight years on the farmette, sometimes I hear the word chicken and wish we were only talking about nuggets.

Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Wars! That’s why I wanted to have twins and name them Luke and Leia. However, I will admit to enjoying Galaxy Quest on occasion…by Grabthar’s hammer.

If you were a book, which book would you be? There’s a slight discrepancy between what I’d like to be–The Stand or some epic good versus evil–and what I am, which is really more Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Thanks for stopping by. Christine, Kirsti, and I don’t want to be all alone, so go ahead and pick a question and and answer it below. You know you want to.

Speaking of my fine co-bloggers, to pay a visit to Christine, click here. For Kirsti’s blog, click here.

AWOL….but interviewed!

So…I’ve been seriously absent from blogging lately. This is the result of a lot of factors…no internet service on the farmette–rural living has advantages and disadvantages; life changes–change is good, right?; and manuscript doldrums–curse you, writer’s block! It’s possible the writer’s block came courtesy of the life changes—hmmm.

Anyway, I’m hoping to pick up the blogging torch again on a more regular basis. And what better time to start than now? Today the energetic and organized Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz interviews me on her blog, One Writer’s Journey. Stop on by and say hello!

As enticement, I’ll be giving away an electronic copy of the first book in the Kitty Irish Trilogy, Trajectories. So if you–or a friend–haven’t had a chance to meet Kitty yet, stop by for a chance to win.

See you there! (And hopefully here more often in the future )

Kickoff to Summer Blog Hop

It’s the beginning of June, school is almost out, and I’m ready to start summer. What better way to begin than with a blog hop with my critique partners? JQ Rose, WS Gager, Joselyn Vaughn and I are ready to spill the beans about our summer plans–reading and otherwise–and throw in some freebies while we’re at it.

What have I got planned for summer? Loads, let me tell you. For starters, I want to hang out with my kids. DH just strung up the hammock on the porch and it’s big enough for two. I’ll park my favorite wicker chair next to it and away we go. What better place to get started on all those books on our TBR piles?

How about some gardening? This is the year I actually want to fine-tune that salsa recipe so that I no longer have to tout my motto as “Never the same taste twice!”

Finish that craft with the kids! We bought the supplies on spring break and actually cut out some of the fabric. Now’s the time to get those cute bean-bag frogs made.

Enjoy the water! From Lake Michigan to the Muskegon River to our local lake and the even more local blow-up pool in the backyard I want to spend some time in the not-so-deep blue.

I could go on and on about what I want to do. I could go on and on about what I have to do…mow the lawn, weed the flowers, rototill the garden. But let’s keep it simple. If I can spend some quality time with my family, read a few good books, and make use of the good stuff that comes out of my garden, I’ll be happy.

How about you? Leave a comment below on your summer plans–reading or otherwise–and you’ll be entered to win. I’ll pick two winners–one for a free e-copy of Trajectories and one for a $5 Amazon gift card. Put your preference in the comment. If you already own Trajectories but still would like some reading material, no worries. You can choose a free e-copy of Gathering Speed, Book Two of the Kitty Irish Trilogy, when it hits the stores in September.

Finally, check out JQ Rose, WS Gager, and Joselyn Vaughn for more great summer plans and giveaways! They are some very cool writers for these hot summer days.

Ciara Knight Cover Reveal

Today I have the pleasure of doing a cover reveal for the most talented, most gracious Ciara Knight. If you don’t know her, start following her…she’s a dynamo! Read on to hear of upcoming awesomeness from Ciara…

The first book of The Neumarian Chronicles entitled Escapement will be released in 2013. It is a young adult post-apocalyptic with paranormal elements. For those of us who just can’t wait another year, there’s good news! We don’t have to. Weighted is the prequel novelette and will be released August 2012.

Scroll down for a look at that cover…it’ll knock your socks off.

Blurb:

The Great War of 2185 is over, but my nightmare has just begun. I am being held captive in the Queen’s ship awaiting interrogation. My only possible ally is the princess, but I’m unsure if she is really my friend or a trap set by the Queen to fool me into sharing the secret of my gift. A gift I keep hidden even from myself.  It swirls inside my body begging for release, but it is the one thing the Queen can never discover. Will I have the strength to keep the secret? I’ll know the answer soon. If the stories are true about the interrogators, I’ll either be dead or a traitor to my people by morning.

Click on the link below to add Weighted to your Goodreads shelf…I know I will.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13647847-weighted

Name that Army Jacket…

I have a hard time with names. Ask the nurses at the birth of my second child, who remained Baby Girl Grant for a good six hours or so after making her appearance, and I’d already had a good eight months to think about it. I just can’t decide. This little hangup can make it difficult when you’re a writer whose characters require names. Main characters aren’t nearly so hard, but secondary characters throw me into a tizzy.

Between kids, chickens, marketing, and writing, I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. Therefore I’m leaving this one up to you. In the third Kitty Irish book, tentatively called Flying in the Dark, I have an Army jacket that needs a name.

I know. Right now, you’re saying, “Whaa?”

It’s actually an Army field jacket that my villain wears–one of the OD green ones–and the name is embroidered on that little strip above the pocket. Yes, I hear you. You’re saying, “Duh! What’s the villain’s name?” That’s the point, see? It’s not his jacket. It belonged to somebody the villain had dealings with. Since this is a werewolf book, ‘dealings with’ is essentially a euphemism for…well, let’s just say the original owner doesn’t need the coat anymore.

So how about it? What do I name the jacket? Leave a suggestion in the comment section and I’ll use one of them in the third book. How sweet is that? It won’t take me nearly as long as naming my daughter.