Author: admin

October 29, 2018

What would you do if you found $50 on the ground (or substitute your local currency)

There was a time in my life that even finding $10 would have been a blessing. It would have fed my family for a few days or allowed me to buy a special treat for my little ones. Thankfully, those days are in the past, but I remember what it felt like.

I have found money once or twice, but the most I’ve ever come across is $20. I found it in the parking lot at work, and didn’t know what to do with it. It seemed silly to turn it into security because there were no identifying marks on it. And with the number of people that go through the parking lot on a daily basis, there didn’t seem to be any way to get it back to it’s original owner.

So, after discussing with my boss, I stuck it in my purse. Not in my wallet where it could easily get mixed in with my money, but in a separate compartment. I didn’t want to spend it on myself. I had other plans.

There aren’t a lot of panhandlers where I live. You’ll see an occasional one on a street corner or in the Walmart parking lot, but not everyday. And I know you can’t trust appearances, but some just seem more down on their luck than others. And that’s what I was waiting for. The right person who looked as if a measly $20 dollars would make a difference in their life.You know, the one with the dog that looks better cared for than the owner. Or the guy playing a guitar hoping someone will give him a smile and a dollar or two. or maybe the couple with the ratty old RV trying to get down the road a little ways. And that’s when the found money came out of my purse and got passed along.

Would I do it different with $50? Probably. I’d break the $50 into 2 $20’s and a $10 and spread the wealth out. Maybe I’d help buy groceries for someone who came out short at the cash register. It’s my way of paying back the universe for the help I received when I needed it. Besides, it makes me feel good.

Is there a chance I’d give it to someone who really didn’t need the help? Absolutely. Does it matter? Absolutely not. Remember, the money wasn’t mine to begin with.

So, what would you do with found money? I’m going to hop on over and see what the other authors’ plans are.

October 29, 2018

What would you do if you found $50 on the ground (or substitute your local currency)

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

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October 22, 2018

Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?

Trigger warning: Crime, abuse, cheating, etc.

There was a time in my life when, starry-eyed and naive, my answer to this week’s question would have been an instant yes. But life has hit me square between the eyes on a number of occasions, and now my answer is an unequivocal maybe. I’ve learned to see the world in shades of gray. (No, not the book.)

Does someone who shoplifts deserve a second chance? Sure. Oops, they’re part of a ring that travels from town to town ripping of small mom-and-pop-stores? Well, maybe not. Oh, that’s bad info, they are really a widow who’s husband died a month ago and the life insurance company hasn’t paid off yet and she needs diapers for their three month old baby. Second chance, of course!

How about the juvenile delinquent who was sentenced to a program for troubled youth for six months because he ripped off a carton of cigarettes? Oh, and it turns out the judge had a financial stake in the program the kid was sent to.

How about the husband who cheats on his pregnant wife? There are even pictures to prove it. Oh wait, he was roofied and raped.

See what I mean? Shades of gray. What seems like an open-shut case may turn out to have nuances you never imagined. Still, I’m human. You hurt my baby? I’ll never give you a second chance. You hurt me? We’ll see what happens.

The Irish rock group, The Cranberries, had a hit that says it well. “Forgiven, not Forgotten.”  If we carry around the hurt that people have inflicted upon us, we will soon be buried so deep under it we’ll never see the light of day. Forgiveness can ease the burden. That doesn’t mean we have to keep giving the offender chance after chance to hurt us again.

So, do I believe in second chances? Although I’ve never committed a crime,  I’ve been the recipient of a few, and I hope I’ve made good use of them. I’ve given other people a few in return and some of them have made needed changes and others? I’ve not forgotten.

I’d love to hear your opinion in the comments. In the meantime, I’m following the links below to find out how the other authors feel.

October 22, 2018

Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

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October 15, 2018

What do you think are the 5 most beautiful things in the world?

The hardest part about writing this post? Narrowing it down to only five things. There is so much beauty in this world if we just take a moment to look for it. My list comes in no particular order because beauty is beauty and we should appreciate each and every experience. (Sorry, I’ll get off my soapbox now.)

So, here we go.

The first flowers of spring. Flowers are marvelous any time, but there’s something special about flowers after a long winter. Especially when they are peaking out from under the remnants of the past snowfall.

The look on your lover/partner/spouse’s face when you return after an absence, short or long. I hope that sometime in your life you’ve been welcomed with that mix of joy and longing and love all wrapped into one.

A baby’s laughter. Surely one of the most beautiful sounds in the world.

And if you’ve been following my blog for very long, you should have expected this next one. Among the most beautiful things? Snow covered mountain peaks. Doesn’t matter what time of the year. Summer with the sun glinting from high snowbanks or winter with a storm swirling across the range, mountains speak to me. Add a mountain lake and you’ve got something close to paradise.

Last but not least, and I apologize in advance because  not everyone can experience it. The wonder of holding your newly-born infant in your arms. Sure, they are wrinkled and red and their head might be misshapen, but that baby, at that moment, is the most beautiful thing ever. And nothing will ever be more beautiful.

That’s my five. I’m looking forward to finding out what beautiful things my fellow authors talk about.

October 15, 2018

What do you think are the 5 most beautiful things in the world?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

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October 8, 2018
What’s the most useless thing you know how to do?

I had to really think about this and decided it depends upon your definition of useless is. What you find useless may be what someone three states or three countries away finds to be a valuable tool. For example, someone who lives in a New York City apartment may think the fact that I can start a fire out in the woods in the middle of winter with one match is interesting but nothing they’ll ever use in their life. Then again, the hunter in the northern part of New York State would think that’s a skill everyone should know.

And my ability to convert a standard base 10 number (the numbers you use in every day of your life)  to base 2 or base 16? (Binary and hexadecimal) You’re probably shaking your head and saying ‘What the heck is she talking about?’ It’s a useless skill to most  people, but in the computer field it’s the basis for inter-computer communication. (You know, the Internet.)

How about my needlepoint and embroidery skills? I’ve posted a few of my projects here in previous posts, and while they are great decorations, they don’t really ‘do’ anything besides look pretty. On the other hand, I’ve sold some of my work so that makes it useful.

Wiggling my ears might be a good one but I never figured out how to do that. Same thing for curling my tongue. Or whistling, which I would rank as a useful skill.

I suppose being able to recite the alphabet backward isn’t useful as I don’t plan to ever be pulled over for drunk driving. Being able to stand on one foot and hold the heel of the other in my outstretched hand doesn’t do me any good anymore since I no longer am able to work the balance beam. (And, I admit, I can’t do that anymore. Old people problems.)

So what skill do I have that’s useless? I use to make bell-bottom jeans and jeans skirts out of two pairs of blue jeans. I don’t foresee that fashion trend coming back during my lifetime. (Too bad, I still love bell-bottoms!) So that’s my useless skill.

And yes, somewhere pictures exist of me wearing bell-bottoms and sorry, I’m not going to share them here!

What’s your useless skill? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. While you do that, I’m off to find out what the other authors are skilled at!

October 8, 2018

What’s the most useless thing you know how to do?

Rules:

1. Link your blog to this hop.

2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.

3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.

4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.

5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

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October 1, 2018

What is the nicest thing someone has ever done for you or said to you? Why did this mean so much?

I’ve been extremely lucky in my life to have lots of good and supportive people around me. To pick out the nicest thing someone has done for me or said to me is impossible.

Do I call out all the folks who helped me get into my current career field? Because there’s a batch of them. There’s two of my college professors in particular who encouraged me as a non-traditional student in my studies and did everything they could to help me succeed. Or how about the guys in the field who took the time to mentor me as I transitioned from student to employee.

How about all the people who have encouraged me in my writing? From the days when I was finding my words in poetry to now, when my stories pile on top of each other in my head. I won’t name names because there are too many and I’ll miss someone. (Let alone the reviewers who are kind enough to leave nice words when they enjoy my books. They mean a lot.)

Sometimes kindness comes in small measures. The nurse who took extra time to adjust the temperature of the shower to the perfect level after I gave birth. The many kindness of the landlady who was more friend than landlady. The anonymous strangers who hold the door for me when my arms are full. The other authors who take a few seconds to click like or share on my FB posts.

There’s the kind folks who pulled us out of a ditch and wouldn’t accept any money as thanks. The co-workers who buy everyone’s morning coffee. So how do I pick one?

Simple. I won’t.

I appreciate them all, big and small. Big gestures are wonderful but sometimes it’s the little things that get you through a day.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has done for you? I’m on my way over to check out the other posts  while I wait for you to leave a comment!

October 1, 2018

What is the nicest thing someone has ever done for you or said to you? Why did this mean so much?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Blogger

September 24, 2018

What tools do you use to organize your writing life? Keep track of deadlines, blog appearances, guests appearing on your blog, etc.? What have you tried that didn’t work for you but might work for someone else?

If you’ve come here hoping I have the magic button to organize your blog visits, Facebook posts, and personal appearances, don’t hold your breath. I struggle with it too. Which amazes me, because I know how to organize. I once set up a three state,  twelve city business trip over the space of four days. That included flights and rental cars and hotels.  And accomplished it successfully. But keep track of a blog tour for a new release?

Now, I don’t do as many personal appearances as I would like, so they aren’t a problem. I welcome the opportunity to get out and meet people, even if I don’t convert them into new readers. And I’ve gotten good about keeping a stock of my books on hand so that I don’t go into a last-minute panic needing to order more.

But blog appearances are my downfall, especially multi-author ones that are several months in the future. I’ve tried a variety of methods to track due dates for both appearance on other blogs and people appearing here, but I can’t get it right. In fact, the last exchange I took part in, I tracked with a series of post-it notes stuck to my desktop. It worked, but it wasn’t very efficient.

I tried a spreadsheet another author designed, and it just didn’t ‘feel’ right. So, I tried designing one of my own. And it was better, but I found myself ignoring it. It wasn’t ‘in my face’, annoying me, so I didn’t have to look at it.

I tried a pocket calendar that I could carry around in my purse. The problem was, my purse never makes it to my writing desk. I keep it on a different floor of the house. So the calendar didn’t do me any good.

And I tried the calendar tied to my google account. I’d get the alerts reminding me of appointments when I was at work, not when I was at home. By the time I got home, I’d forget I had a task. And sometimes I didn’t get the alerts at all, or I’d set them wrong. Not helpful.

Why not try a wall calendar, you ask. Good question. The wall behind my desk is windows on the upper half. Covered my blinds. Can’t hang a calendar there!  And I don’t like desk calendars. I have this nice glass desk, and I hate cluttering it up. I like the feeling the clean open desk gives me. A desk calendar would make it feel too much like work.

So, I’m looking to my fellow authors and anyone who reads this blog. What am I missing? What haven’t I tried? If you’ve got a magic button, please tell us about it! Or if you are as frustrated as I am, you can tell us about that, too.

Now I’m headed over to read everyone else’s entry this week, in hopes of learning their secrets.

September 24, 2018

What tools do you use to organize your writing life? Keep track of deadlines, blog appearances, guests appearing on your blog, etc.? What have you tried that didn’t work for you but might work for someone else?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Blogger

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How do you see yourself vs how you think other people see you?

Have you ever had one of those moments? When someone compliments you and you stumble through a thank you because you can’t figure why they think you’re so (fill in the blank with whatever relates to you.) You know what I’m talking about. Those moments that make you feel like a fraud.

It’s the impostor syndrome.

A lot of us have it. We work hard but never feel good enough. So when we get a compliment, it’s hard to accept whether it’s in person or on paper.

Moments like that hit me all the time at work, in my personal life, and in my writing persona. If I allowed half the praise to sink in, I’d feel like some sort of super woman.

Here’s an example: A few weeks ago, a fellow writer praised me for all the help I advice I gave her on the business side of being an indie.I was astonished, because like most indies, I’m putting together the information a piece at a time, learning as I go, but always willing to share what I’ve gathered from other sources. It’s not like I’m coming up with the information myself. The fact that this writer viewed me as some sort of expert floored me. I didn’t scream ‘I’m a fraud!’ out loud, but I sure as heck thought it.

At times I find it amusing. Like the time a representative from the software company we  use at work asked me to be part of a focus group for new features being developed. Called me an expert. I thanked him, but internally I was shaking my head. I know the right questions to ask and how to get the answers, but I don’t know if it makes me an expert.

So how do others view me?  The experts will tell you it doesn’t matter, it’s how you see yourself. That sounds all very well and good, but you know you care. I do. So, when little ‘ol insecure me gets a compliment, I try not to let it go to my head. Instead, I look at what I did to deserve that compliment, and try to do whatever it was even better.

By the way, that means I absolutely pay attention to the book reviews I get, both good and the not-so-good. The good ones I read with pride, the others I search for the one thing I can take from them that will help me improve my writing. So if you enjoy my stories, and haven’t done so already, please leave me a review!

Now, let’s head over and see what the other authors have to say.

September 17, 2018
How do you see yourself vs how you think other people see you?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

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September 10, 2018

If a genie magically appeared, what would you wish for? (Just remember, no wishing for more wishes!)


The “rules” don’t say so, but I’m going to guess all the big ones are out of order too. World peace, an cure for all cancers, an end to homelessness. I’m afraid those would be out of an individual genie’s range of powers.

How about proper medical treatment for all veterans. Or more funding for public libraries. Ending child abuse. Still too big?

Let’s get personal. I have a number of family members with major medical conditions. I’d wish for the ability to heal people. Let’s say I could only heal one person a day.  If I started with my family, who would blame me? Then I’d move on to friends.

The trouble would be hiding my gift. If  word got out, can you imagine the chaos?  I’d never be able to go out in public without people accosting me, demanding I cure their loved one. I could charge extravagant amounts of money and hire security guards, but that wouldn’t make me happy. If I lived like a hermit, my ability would be wasted.

And how would I chose the one a day? My heart would be in curing children. But how could I cure a child and not cure the parents if they needed it?

So that’s my quandary. Maybe it would be easier to ask for a large sum of money. Millions of dollars. That way I could spread it out among many causes or give a lot to just one organization that was doing good work.

What would you wish for? You can tell us in the comments. In the meantime, I’m going to go see what the other authors have to say.

September 10, 2018

If a genie magically appeared, what would you wish for? (Just remember, no wishing for more wishes!)

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

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Question: What publishing path are you considering/did you take, and why?


For those of you who follow my Monday Blogs, welcome to the first Wednesday of the month. This is a new hop I’m participating in and we’ll see how it goes. There are a lot of other writers on this one, and I hope you’ll check out some of the other posts. (More on that later.)

As you can tell, this hop is focused on writers. This month we’re talking about our publishing path.

I didn’t start writing fiction until a few years ago. Before that, my focus was on poetry, and I’d had limiting success getting published by small literary magazines. I had notebooks tracking where I’d sent poems and when, which had been accepted and where, and plans for the next round of submissions. Frankly, it was a lot of work.

Then I went through a long dry spell with my poetry. At the same time, a story that couldn’t ever become a poem was bouncing around in my head. I’d heard about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and decided it sounded like fun. A 50,00 word story in 31 days? No problem.

Yeah, it didn’t happen. I got to 49000 words and ran out of story. But I was hooked. I rewrote that story three times before deciding it was a lost cause but I learned a lot in the process and got hooked.

It took three more books for me to decide I finally had one worth sharing with the world. I’d already started my research, and knew there were several options. Go the tradition route-find an agent and have the agent send it on to publishers or a more do-it-yourself option. Go Indie.

The decision, when it came down to it was easy. I wanted to control my own stories and not write them to someone else’s specifications. I wanted to be able to control my pricing and where and when my books would be available for sale. Sure, that meant I had to find an editor and formatter and cover artist on my own, but I was used to handling project planning.

But none of those were the biggest factor in my decision. When it came down to it, there was one more.

I’m not a spring chicken. I didn’t have time to wait for the traditional process to play out.  How many years would it take? Two? Three? And that’s if I got lucky. Going Indie, I could make it happen quickly.

So that’s what I did. I have published six books now, and I keep learning as I go. (You can find my books here https://pjmaclayne.blogspot.com/p/wolves-pawn.html ) Sometimes I look back and can’t believe I’m doing this, but I’m glad I did!

Now back to that ‘other posts’ thing I referred to at the beginning. There’s a lot of other posts by a lot of great people in this hop. You can check out some of them by following the links below.