Welcome back to a fellow blogger, friend and wonderful writer, JQ Rose who has a new Memoir Writing book out.
My husband and I are snowbirds. I’ve always thought we should be called sunbirds because we leave the cold, snowy north in the fall to enjoy sunny days in Florida. In the spring, we head back north for the sunny days in Michigan and to spend the summer with our two daughters and their husbands and our five grandchildren. Our family includes seven grand and great grand dogs, seven grand and great grand cats, and one great-grand bearded dragon and hedgehog. I stay out of trouble playing card games and Pegs and Jokers, a board game. I also love to travel, photograph the scenery and family, and always have a book or two to read on my Kindle.
Do you have a work in
progress?
No, not at this time. I
just released Your Life with Jesus: How to Spark Memories and Write Your
Spiritual Memoir, but I have plans for more writing projects in 2024.
What was the most difficult section/piece you ever wrote? What made it difficult?
In my memoir, Arranging a Dream, I wrote about my father who
passed away in March 1976. Losing him was one of the worst days of my life. I
wanted to write about the experience, knowing how so many people have suffered this
same loss. People grieve in different ways, but we all experience that hole
left in our hearts. I hoped to offer readers assurance they can get through the
sadness and have a fulfilling future. I also
wrote this chapter about Dad to acknowledge his kindness, generosity, and how
much he
cared about people. He appreciated the simple things in life like the beauty of
a spider’s web after a rain and sharing a cup of coffee with folks at Turner’s
Restaurant. He was a role model for me as a business person, friend, and
parent. But most of all, I wanted to teach our daughter, Sara, the same lessons
by example.
What sort of research do you do for your work?
Originally, I researched information about writing life stories to
prepare for my workshop presentations on writing life stories. And I have
studied the Bible all of my life. Probably the most difficult part of writing
this book was selecting only 40 verses to accompany the topics to write about. I
aimed for 40 topics because, as I discovered in my research, 40 is a
significant number in the Bible. Depending on what translation, it is mentioned
146 or 149 times. To be honest, there are more than 40 topics in the book because
I could not face striking them from the list. I guess that’s better than less
than 40! I include an invitation in my author’s note to readers to
contact me if they need more topics and writing prompts after using the ones in
the book.
Which books and authors do you read for pleasure? Is there an author who inspires you?
Lately, I have concentrated on reading memoirs for pleasure.
I loved Pat Conroy’s The Water is Wide and The Widow Wore Pink by Robyn
Dykstra. I began re-reading the Mitford Series this year. The first book was
published in 1994. I am enjoying them much more at this time in my life. Maybe that’s
because I can identify more with the 60-year-old Episcopalian priest who is the
main character in the stories. The series of 14 books, penned by Jan Karon, span
all the way through 2017. I aspire to write like Jan Karon. She captivates readers
with her wit and wisdom, quirky, lovable characters, and vivid scenes the
reader can see because of her rich storytelling.
Was there a person who encouraged you to write?
Yes, my grandmother, Maw, was my cheerleader. Beulah
Lee, my mother’s mother, was a schoolteacher. She loved reading and especially
loved reading her Bible. She’s the one who pointed out many verses to me and
directed me to the Lord’s Prayer in
Matthew 6.
We
connected in many ways, but mainly because we both loved to read. Her reading
probably spurred my love of reading which in turn developed my desire to write
stories for others to read. I began writing little stories when I was in second
grade and developed a writer’s bump on my middle finger from writing
constantly. (Did anyone else get that bump?)
By
seventh grade, I decided to tackle writing my first novel. The storyline was
about a horse and a girl due to my love of the book, Black Beauty. I wrote the entire book on lined yellow tablet paper
and showed it to Maw. Taking those scribbled sentences and typing them into a
manuscript became her major project.
Her
blue eyes sparkled with excitement when she handed me the typed pages. I almost
cried. I was overcome with the idea she had “published” my book for me. She got
a kick out of my reaction, but she also loved the story and encouraged me to
write more stories for more people to enjoy. From that day forward, I knew I
wanted to tell stories and have them published so I could share them with
readers.
I
wish Maw were here to be a part of my writing experience. I believe she is with
me in spirit. I can feel her big, loving hug embracing me now and see her blue
eyes shimmering with pride. I thank God for Maw being in my life for sixteen
years and for her encouragement to continue my writing.
