To help stir up interest in The Ranger’s Dog Tags, I’ve been reading snippets from each of the previous books in the Harmony Duprie series. Unfortunately, the files are too large to post here, so I thought I’d share the links. (sorry, they point to Facebook.) I’ll add new links as I have them.
Let’s talk about book descriptions. Do you write yours before or after you write the story?
I’m what is known in the writing world as a pantser. That means I write my stories by the seat of my pants. I may have a beginning and an end in mind. but everything in between is up for grabs. My characters determine what happens – and sometimes they change everything!
As a result, book descriptions have to wait until I’m done writing the story. Then they go through any number of revisions. I’ve never gotten it right on the first try. Truth is, I made a revision to the tagline of my newest book, The Ranger’s Dog Tags, less than a week before I started uploading files to the various ebook stores.
Here’s how it ended up:
Tagline: It isn’t the first time Eli Hennessey has disappeared. Is it the last?
Eli Hennessey has vanished.
His house in Oak Grove is in flames, his cell phone is out of commission, and friends in Florida can’t find him. It’s up to Harmony Duprie to track down her missing lover before her life shatters and his ends.
Harmony’s first discovery: Eli tricked her into signing paperwork putting her in charge of his company. Had he planned his disappearance?
The answers won’t be found in Oak Grove. Harmony hightails it to Florida in search of Eli and the truth.
The Ranger’s Dog Tags, Book 6 of the Harmony Duprie Mysteries, is the final book of the series.
It seems so simple now, but I lost sleep over it. (That’s only a slight exaggeration.) There were several nights I brooded over the wording before falling asleep. Once I was mostly satisfied with it, I shared it with fellow writers who told me what I’d done wrong and helped me revise it again. And again. And then a different bunch of people switched it up yet again. It’s a lot of work.
It’s a good thing I didn’t write the description before I wrote the book. I had plans for Harmony that never made it into the story. Plus, I knew at least one person was going to die. I just didn’t know who. Or how many.
I know other authors who are plotters. They have their entire book outlined before they ever start writing. They could do the descriptions first. I don’t envy them – it’s more fun to ‘discover’ the story along the way, in my humble opinion.
Let’s find out if anyone on this hop writes their descriptions before they write their books. It’s easy. Just follow the links below.
Until next time, please stay safe!
April 19, 2021
Let’s talk about book descriptions. Do you write yours before or after you write the story?
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.
They’re making an action figure of you. Describe the toy and accessories. (Do you have a catch phrase? Favorite items, clothes, hair style?)
Nobody wants an action figure of me. Maybe back in the day, when I was living a minimalist lifestyle, growing my own food, cutting wood to burn in our wood stove, and freezing and canning food, but not now. I’m afraid I’m not very active any more. Too much time spent in front of a computer.
My wolf shifters were the obvious choices to fill in for me, but they refused to be part of this post because they don’t want to be outed. Luckily, Harmony Duprie ‘volunteered’ to come to my rescue. She didn’t think she was worthy of an action figure either, but I talked her into it. Her adventures are more what you’d expect from an action character.
She made it easy because the original covers for her stories were cartoon-like. Remember this? This is the original cover for The Marquesa’s Necklace. Brown hair, always in a bun, little or no makeup. The only thing missing is her thick glasses. She broke down and wore contacts for date night in this picture. Of course, the red dress would be a one time only adventure. More likely she’d be wearing a nice blue blouse, dress slacks, and a pair of black flats. (But we’ll include the dress and necklace as part of her accessories)
Other accessories are easy, too. A stack of books and her laptop bag. There will be two cars sold separately. One is a pale blue Ford Pinto and the other one is a red Jaguar.
And yes, Harmony has a catchphrase. “I don’t believe in coincidence.” It’s not as catchy as “I’ll be back” or “Hasta la vista, Baby,” but it’s perfect for her. (The closest thing I have to a catchphrase is “Supper’s ready!”)
I can see kids getting Harmony into more trouble than she already does, or maybe as their hero as they take pretend adventures of their own. She’d help them outwit the villain and save the day.
How about you? Would you like to gave an action figure of yourself? I’d like to see if the other authors who write on this hop want one of them! Let’s find out by following the links below.
And, until next time, please stay safe!
April 12, 2021
They’re making an action figure of you. Describe the toy and accessories. (Do you have a catch phrase? Favorite items, clothes, hair style?)
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.
Welcome to another month of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. April 7th’s question, if you’d like to answer it, is: Are you a risk-taker when writing? Do you try something radically different in style/POV/etc. or add controversial topics to your work?
I’ve taken a lot of risks in my life. Go read the blog post from Monday…I won’t cover them again here. https://www.pjmaclayne.com/?p=6254. But when it comes to my writing, I play it safe. Unless you count the fact that I’m an Indie writer, and that’s a risk in itself. Heck, writing and putting it out there for the world to see is a risk.
My writing style is pretty traditional, and I’m okay with that. I’m writing fiction, (mostly almost-cozy-mysteries) and there’s only so many risks you can take in that genre before you lose your audience. Some folks believe even the use of strong language breaks the rules of that genre.
I prefer to present controversial topics in subtle ways, as part of the story and not the main plot. I might sneak in a casual reference in support of the legality of marijuana or have a minor LGBTQ character. My female main characters can stand on their own against a male villain. To me, those topics aren’t radical, although I’m well aware that other people feel differently.
One thing I do that almost seems controversial is that although I’m not writing ‘sweet’ stories, I don’t include sex scenes. Many readers these days expect sex scenes, but I don’t feel the need for them in my stories even if they have a romantic subplot. I figure most of my readers know how it’s done, and don’t need the details. Will that ever change? Sure, it could, if the right story came along.
But I doubt my overall writing style will ever change. Topics may, characters may, but I don’t see myself ever being on the cutting edge of a major writing shift. That just isn’t me.
Thanks for stopping by. Don’t forget to take a look at what some of the other Insecure Writers have to say by following the links below. And, until the next time, please stay safe.
April 5, 2021 What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?
I won’t put you at risk by listing some of the shady websites I’ve visited. Or send you down the deep holes of the dark side of the internet. Or bring you to tears by linking to the saddest videos i’ve watched in the name of research. That’s right, most of my current research is done on the internet. I’ve taken a lot of risks in my lifetime, and now I’m playing it safe. Mostly.
I’ve had a few adventures on my lifetime. Like dangling from a cliff while practicing mountain climbing rescue techniques. That was about four months after getting a concussion and broken collarbone in a bicycle accident. Ot the time I was approached by what I suspect was a sex trafficker while waiting to change busses in the Cleveland bus terminal. Obviously, young and innocent me was smart enough not to fall for the bullshit he was telling me.
I haven’t used either experience in any of my stories. Maybe one day.
I’ve also spent hours watching videos on self-defense techniques and driving stunts. Some of those have earned a place in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries. I would never dare attempt Harmony’s favorite maneuver, a Bootlegger’s 180, especially in my Jeep. Check out this video. It’s safe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-voVITL-4I
Here’s Harmony’s take on it from The Ranger’s Dog Tags. (Coming April 22nd) She normally only attempts it on empty country roads. She breaks the rules in this clip:
Vanessa sucked in a breath as we blew past a string of cars in the right lane. “Slow down. I’m not wired. There’s a tracker app on my phone. That’s all.”
I didn’t ease off the pedal. “Who has access to it?”
“My boss.”
“And?”
“Richon.”
“And?” I glanced at her. Under her Florida tan, her face had paled. I pushed Dolores to go faster. “And?”
“Putnam and his agency. Will you slow the fuck down?”
I did better. It was a gift from the heavens. A spot with no traffic. And a paved strip between the two sides of the interstate for law enforcement use only.
I slammed on the brakes—
Feathered the clutch—
Shifted down—
Cranked the steering wheel—
I ended up facing the opposite direction. The perfect bootlegger’s 180. My favorite maneuver.
Oh, and Harmony’s penchant for visiting less-than-upscale bars in the name of undercover research? Yeah, I may have lived that experience. Not the undercover part, but the visiting the bars part. Heck, once the hubby and me, for an adventure, stopped at a girly bar while on a road trip. They wanted to charge him the entrance fee and let me in free. And even though I was fully dressed, I was getting more eyeballs on me than the nearly-naked girl on the stage. We didn’t stay. We’ve also had drinks at the bar where Eileen Wuornos, the first well-known American female serial killer, had hung out before her arrest.
But I will take credit for Harmony’s interest in self-defense techniques. Although I’ve never taken more than a few very basic courses, I’ve had a fascination in the martial arts since high school. Anyone remember the 1970s TV show Kung Fu? That’s where my interest started.
These days I’m happy sticking to my computer screen. But that might not be true for the other authors on this hop. To find out what they are sharing, follow the links below,
And, until next time, please stay safe!
Dear readers: I know the format of this post is weird. I haven’t been able to figure out what’s different from every other post. Please bear with me, while I try to fix it…or until I give up on it and hope it doesn’t repeat on my next post!
April 5, 2021 What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?
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.
March 29, 2021 If you weren’t an author, what other art would you likely pursue?
Some of you already know the answer. I’ve mentioned it here several times. I may even find time for it again once I’ve retired from my day job and have the time.
I love doing various kinds of needlecraft. Embroidery, crewel, needlepoint. I tried knitting and crochet back in the dark ages, and never caught the urge to get good at them.
But give me a needlepoint canvas or crewel cotton fabric and let me go to work. I’ve created some heirlooms.
I’ve also embroidered baby quilts for my kids and grandkids, as well as several nieces and nephews. There are pillows and tablecloths and various other projects out in the world that I’ve given away. There was a time when I did projects for a local gift and handicraft shop. There’s no way of knowing where they ended up.
Frankly, I’ve run out of room to display additional examples of my work, and I’ve put aside doing more. But I miss it. I’m itching to find a project I can do without taking too much time away from my writing. But I tend to go for large and complex designs. Like this one. It’s one corner of a tablecloth that took about five years to complete. With the stitches I used, each flower petal took about half an hour to do.
I wonder what type of art our other authors do? Come with me as I find out my following the links below.
And, until next time, please stay safe!
March 29, 2021 If you weren’t an author, what other art would you likely pursue?
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.
It’s on its way—the sixth and final book in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries—The Ranger’s Dog Tags. Coming April 22nd.
Eli Hennessey has vanished.
His house in Oak Grove is in flames, his cell phone is out of commission, and friends in Florida can’t find him. It’s up to Harmony Duprie to track down her missing lover before her life shatters and his ends.
Harmony’s first discovery: Eli tricked her into signing paperwork putting her in charge of his company. Had he planned his disappearance?
The answers won’t be found in Oak Grove. Harmony hightails it to Florida in search of Eli and the truth.
Watch this space for the upcoming cover reveal.
While you’re waiting, here’s a short excerpt.
I didn’t anticipate being greeted by a brick wall of a man with deep brown skin when I opened the door. And if I wasn’t mistaken, that was a gun in a holster under his left arm. And a police badge attached to his belt.“Miss Harmony Duprie?” he asked with a voice as mellow as a ray of springtime sunshine. “Do you sing?” I blurted. It was the first thing that came to mind. A slow smile spread across his face. “Not in public, ma’am. You are Harmony Duprie, right?” “Yes. And you are, Detective …?” I let my voice trail off. The smile got bigger. “Horace. Detective Timothy Horace. Orlando Police Department.” I stepped aside to give him room to get by. He needed a lot of room. “You’re out of your jurisdiction, aren’t you, Detective?” “We have a mutual aid agreement with the locals.” I didn’t think his smile could get any bigger, but it did. “Although it’s pretty one-sided.” I could imagine. “I’d offer you something to drink, but I’m not set up for guests.” “No worries, Miss Duprie, I won’t be staying long.” “Are you the official welcoming committee? Or the bearer of bad news? What do you know about Eli? Was he in that car they found this afternoon? Is he all right?” The words poured out of me, along with my fears.
March 22, 2021 Whose perspective do you like to write from best, the hero (protagonist) or the villain (antagonist)? Why?
As she drifted back to sleep, another burst of explosions and light brought her to an upright position. She reached over and raised the blinds so she could peer out the window. The red-orange glow that colored the night sky had nothing to do with a celebration or the rising of the morning sun. The months she served overseas rushed back to her.
It took every ounce of Lori’s self-control to fight back the instinct to shift and join the battle. Fully awake now, she realized the long truce between the Jaegers and the Destins had ended. Whose side was she on?from Wolves’ Gambit
If you’ve read any of my published books, you know that I write from the protagonist’s view. I identify with the good guy. What may not be clear is that I sometimes identify with the antagonist. Not the villain, necessarily, but I enjoy seeing things through the eyes of the bad guy. It helps me understand their motivation.
And then there’s Jake from The Harmony Duprie Mysteries. He was supposed to be a throwaway character, only mentioned in The Marquesa’s Necklace, the first book in the series. Then he took over the second book, Her Ladyship’s Ring. I hadn’t planned on that. He continued to make appearances in the subsequent stories. I saw him as Harmony’s alter-ego, but never understood what was behind his bad-boy facade. He wouldn’t “tell” me.
That changed a few months ago, when he allowed me to peek behind the curtain and gave me a glimpse of who he really is. A villain to be sure, but one with ethics. He’ll take money from a drunk guest at a wedding, but won’t consider stealing the bride’s jewelry. He’ll take jewelry from a wealthy woman’s home, but makes sure he locks the door when he leaves. Here’s an unedited snippet:
At the end of the evening, he ended up with an unneeded invitation to join the second cousin at an after-hours bar, a silver ring in his pocket, and a high-quality pearl necklace in his shoe. Not heritage jewelry, but not bought in the last two years, either. All it took was offering to help the lady in question slip on her sweater when a chilly breeze blew in off the lake and didn’t matter if he broke the thin chains. The gold would get melted down for scrap at one pawn shop and the pearls sold individually at several others. Not a big take, but it scratched the itch. The gold and ruby tie tack he lifted from the cousin’s best friend was a bonus. Not bad for a week’s work. From Jake’s Story (working title)
I’ve had a lot of fun with Jake in this story. Even if I don’t know what I’m going with it, I feel privileged to have been invited in behind the doors he keeps closed to everyone else. I’ve also joked that I’d make an excellent villain if I hadn’t chosen to be on the side of good, and Jake has allowed me to explore that. Perhaps he’s my alter-ego?
Back to the question-which do I prefer to write? I can’t answer. It changes from story to story, depending on what that story needs. At least I’m not confined to one or the other. What I am sure of is that an antagonist is necessary to make the story interesting.
What about the other authors on this hop? I can see a few of them writing from the villain’s point of view. Let’s find out by following the links below.
And, until next time, please stay safe.
March 22, 2021 Whose perspective do you like to write from best, the hero (protagonist) or the villain (antagonist)? Why?
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.
You’re going on a road trip: where are you headed? With who? What are your snacks? Music? Plans?
It’s been too long. And we all know why. Weekend road trips were one of the things we enjoyed previously. Just short trips to explore close to home. But it looks like things will loosen up soon and we maybe able to consider a quick trip soon.
Where to go? There are so many places we’d like to visit that this post could get far too long. So, I’ll try to contain myself.
For a warm-up trip, we’ll head up to Walden, Co. We haven’t been there since the shutdown and the last year’s forest fires. I need to see what survived and what didn’t, since so many of my favorite landscapes were in the path of destruction. Plus, I wonder how many of the small business in town have stayed open. (At least one of them has changed hands.) Follow that with a trip to Estes Park. Problem with that is our favorite place to stay was sold and is under new ownership, and we’re looking for a new base camp.
If we’re heading into the mountains, John Denver is going to be on my playlist, along with classic rock. Did you expect anything different? And munchies? I should be good and take dates and raisins. HA! More like peanut butter cups and some form of chocolate.
Now, let’s say we’ve got unlimited time. I’ll need a minimum of three or four weeks for this trip. First stop is to visit my mother in Pennsylvania. It’s been a couple of years since my last in-person visit. Then we’ll travel down to Florida to visit my daughter and her family. A trip that long will allow for a variety of music and unhealthy eating. (The entire trip will be 3000+ miles.)
Now, how about a fantasy trip? Head south, take I-70 west over the Rockies, figure out a route to get to HWY 101 just north of San Francisco, follow 101 north to Washington state, and come back through Montana. Take all the side trips we want, stop wherever we want., stay in one spot as long as we want. I can see the trip taking several months. We’d explore mountains reaching for the sky, redwoods that bridge the gap between the ground and the clouds, rocks tumbling into the ocean, sandy beaches that glisten in the sun. That’ll take several months. I can dream, right?
Let’s find out where everyone is dreaming of traveling to my following the links below. And, until next time, please stay safe.
March 15, 2021
You’re going on a road trip: where are you headed? With who? What are your snacks? Music? Plans?
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.
His house in Oak Grove is in flames, his cell phone is out of commission, and friends in Florida can’t find him. It’s up to Harmony Duprie to track down her missing lover before her life shatters and his ends.
Harmony’s first discovery: Eli tricked her into signing paperwork putting her in charge of his company. Had he planned his disappearance?
The answers won’t be found in Oak Grove. Harmony hightails it to Florida in search of Eli and the truth.
I’m still trying to figure out the actual release date, but I couldn’t wait to share this with you!
