Writing, publishing, marketing and reading are J.Q.’s favorite topics to blog about. Her first e-book, Sunshine Boulevard, was released by Muse It Up Publishing in 2011. You can imagine how many things have changed in the world of writing and reading since then. She has a second mystery/romance, Coda to Murder, also from MuseItUp Publishing.
J.Q. self-published a fun short story, The Good Neighbors, and an e-book, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women, for middle grade girls. She tries and keep up with this amazing industry and all the good books available and believes the best solution is for authors to share with each other.
J.Q. Rose has been writing feature articles in magazines, newspapers, and online magazines for over fifteen years. 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 her the opportunity to enjoy the life of a snowbird. Summer finds her camping and hunting toads, frogs, and salamanders with her grandchildren.
The Writer’s Voice
by J.Q. Rose
Being an author in this age of exploding technology is both a gift and a curse. It is a gift because there are so many ways to get stories into the hands of readers. And it is a curse because there are so many books being published every day that an author’s story can get lost in this vast ocean of books. So, how does an author get noticed?
There are only so many plots one can write. Critic Christopher Booker maintains in his book, “Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories” that there are “only seven basic plots in the whole world and every story is a variation of these.” The seven he cites are: 1. Overcoming the Monster, 2. Rags to Riches, 3. The Quest, 4. Voyage and Return, 5. Rebirth, 6. Comedy and 7. Tragedy. Read the entire article by MICHIKO KAKUTANI in the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/15/books/15book.html?_r=0
Now as an author, this theory worries me. How does one stand out in an ocean of stories if there are only seven basic plots to write? Haven’t they all been done? What’s left for me?
I conquered the tribulation over the amount of stories published every day and the number of basic plots available simply by realizing I am unique. Each author is distinctive and will tell the same story in his/her own way.
Finding my writer’s voice is the only way to grab onto the lifesaver to rescue my books from drowning in that roiling ocean. Quirky characters, a location I know well, humor, and surprises for readers are the elements that make up my stories.
I remember Lea Schizas’ email to me when she offered a contract with MuseItUp Publishing for my first published mystery, Sunshine Boulevard. She said, “We love your voice.”
Sunshine Boulevard
Mysterious deaths upset the Florida retirement community interfering with their seasonal activities and turning up more than dead bodies.
Who or what is killing the seniors on Sunshine Boulevard? Follow Jim and Gloria Hart, snowbirds who annually migrate to Florida for warm sunshine, fun, and games in snow-free winters. However this season, Jim Hart, a volunteer First Responder in his retirement community of Citrus Ridge, is drawn into the investigation of the mysterious deaths. Even in the midst of the unfortunate demise of the residents on Sunshine Boulevard, the Harts try to enjoy the winter with friends. They don’t realize that their friends are getting together for their own kinds of affairs with each other. The neighbors are in a dither over the deaths, but perhaps more intrigued by the gossip about the affairs and why the naked lady was found lying in the geranium bed.
THIS IS WHERE YOU CAN FIND PUBLICATIONS BY J. Q. ROSE
Available on Amazon
Available on Barnes & Nobel
MuseItUp has also included Sunshine Boulevard in a book bundle of mysteries with authors Heather Fraser Brainerd, David Fraser, Sara-Jayne Townsend, and Conda Douglas. The bundle, Sirens on Death Starke Blvd, is an early Black Friday special available November 28 for $1.99. But readers can pre-order now! Price will go up on December 2. Here is a ink to the bundle: Sirens on Death Starke Blvd, Mystery Bundle
