TBR welcomes J.Q. Rose

TBR: Welcome to TBR, J.Q. Rose. Will you share a little bit about yourself?
J.Q.: Thank you so much for hosting me today, Cate.

I am a wife, mother, grandmother, freelance writer, author at Muse It Up Publishing, who loves to take photos of nature, family, and friends. I firmly believe the digital camera is the best invention ever developed IMHO…even better than the Internet. We have a huge garden every summer up north and a small garden every winter in Florida, so I enjoy trying out different recipes using fresh veggies from the garden. And I have to tell you I love, love, love playing the board game, Pegs and Jokers.

TBR: Tell us about Sunshine Boulevard available at Muse ItUp Publishing and major online booksellers.

J.Q.: Sunshine Boulevard is purely escape, fun reading. It fits into many genres, mystery, suspense, horror. The question is 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.

The e-book Sunshine Boulevard is available at the Muse It Up Publishing Bookstore and Amazon.com  bn.com  as well as at many online booksellers.

TBR: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
J.Q.: Excerpt: “Jim, Jim!” Gloria threw her keys on the kitchen counter and then stashed her mat and barbells in the hallway closet.

            “Jim!” She called louder. He was not in the Florida room. She gingerly stepped from the kitchen to the carport. She darted into the attached shed housing the laundry room with storage in the front and Jim’s workshop in back. She walked through the workshop and out the door to the neat little back yard and found him watering their garden plot.

            “Did you hear about George McDonnell?” Gloria shook her auburn hair, compliments of her favorite brand of hair color #118. Her clear blue eyes filled with tears.

            “Yes, I heard.” Jim kinked the hose to stop the water flow and dragged it to the faucet on the back of the house. He slowly turned the tap to cut off the stream of water and dropped the hose to the freshly cut grass.

            “How sad that he died alone. Oh, Jim, he wasn’t discovered for so long his body just ro...” She couldn’t say it.

            “Gloria, come in the house. I have to tell you something. I don’t want the neighbors listening in on this conversation.” Gloria knew her husband of thirty-five years well enough to realize something wasn’t right.

            As they stepped into the bright kitchen, Jim turned to her. Looking straight into her eyes, he said, “Royce called this morning. George’s death was peculiar. I guess, that’s what the Medical Examiner is saying.”

            Jim was friends with the county M.E., Royce Williams. They worked together on investigations involving the First Responders Unit. Living in a retirement community, the Medical Examiner and medics were frequent visitors. An ambulance at a home was not a significant event at Citrus Ridge. It was part of life and death.

            “Royce told us George’s body did not rot. It couldn’t have decomposed that quickly because Miss Lottie checked on him every day when she brought him the mail in the afternoon. She delivered it the day before he died. He was alert and talked about the weather.

            “When Lottie called 9-1-1 at one o’clock yesterday, she was so upset she couldn’t even speak. They traced the call to her house. When the police arrived, she only pointed to George’s house.”

            Jim stopped a minute. Gloria saw the anguish in his face. “They discovered George sitting in the living room in his recliner. His body was mustard yellow. His clothes were melted to his body. The odor was not a rotting smell, but rather like burning or scorching. In fact the fabric in the chair was charred. Ron was the first responder. He told me when he and the paramedics touched the body, it turned to powder.”

            Gloria cried out in disbelief. She covered her face with her hands. “Dear God. What happened, Jim? What could have caused such a thing?”

            “Ron arrived at the scene first. You know Ron. Always talking and telling great stories.” Gloria remembered the usually fun-loving raucous Ron.

            “Royce told me there was such a look of horror in Ron’s eyes. He was traumatized by what he saw. Ron told him he moved George’s wrist, and his hand fell making a pile of yellow ashes on the floor.”

            “Dear God.” Gloria sat down at the dining room table feeling nauseous.      Jim wiped his eyes. “I don’t know how Ron and Lottie will ever forget this nightmare.”

TBR: What inspired you to write about the theme?
J.Q.: After the sale of our floral and greenhouse business, full-time RVing was the next life adventure. We followed the sunshine across the country seeing new places and making new friends while working on various projects. This fantastic lifestyle afforded many opportunities for writing travel articles and stories on the RVing lifestyle. My mystery, Sunshine Boulevard, is the result from living in a Florida retirement community during the winter season.

TBR: Are you a plotter or pantser?
J.Q.: I believe I fall somewhere in-between, perhaps a “plotser”? I always scribble down a few ideas before I begin writing. I usually know the main character, the mystery/crime, and a vague idea of the ending. Then somewhere from that beginning the story evolves.

TBR: How do you develop your characters?
J.Q.: My characters are made up of bits and pieces of people I know. I take a mannerism from one person, a physical description from another, quirks and favorite sayings from others and stir them together to make up a whole character. So much fun!

TBR: Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to share?
J.Q.: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

TBR: While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned?
J.Q.: In Sunshine Boulevard, I was surprised at what motivated the killers. For most of the story I had no idea. I think the reader will be surprised too.

TBR: What's next for you?
J.Q.: I am just finishing another murder mystery. Now talk about surprises. The murderer is NOT the person I planned in my plotser way of writing. Then I continue work on a book very close to my heart, a non-fiction book for middle grade girls. I hope it will inspire and empower girls to reach for their dreams.

TBR: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
J.Q.: Most of the folks who know me are so surprised that I wrote a “horror/mystery.” I guess I must mask that side of my personality and just bring it out on paper.

TBR: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
J.Q.: My new favorite is Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants. The story, the writing, the character development blend together for making a can’t-put-it-down novel. At present I am reading Bad Girls of the Bible and my crit partner Tess Grant’s fantastic YA werewolf hunter story, Trajectories. I discovered a few years ago I really like YA stories. They are full of action and adventure.

TBR: Where can readers find you on the web?
J.Q.:  Readers can hop over to the J. Q. Rose blog at http://jqroseauthor.blogspot.com and/or visit my author page at http://jqrose.webs.com I am also on Facebook and Goodreads.

TBR: Readers, J.Q. Rose will give away Gloria Hart’s The Garden for Eatin’ Recipe Book, an e-book with easy recipes using garden fresh vegetables to any commenter who would like to receive one. Just leave your email address so she can contact you or send your request to jqrose02 at gmail dot com.

Thanks for visiting TBR, J.Q. Best of luck to you.