Author: P.J. MacLayne

Foreseeing The Future #IWSG

  By IWSG

The awesome co-hosts for the November 5 posting of the IWSG are Jennifer Lane, Jenni Enzor, Renee Scattergood, Rebecca Douglass, Lynn Bradshaw, and Melissa Maygrove!

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

November 5 question – When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like?

Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?

I started off writing poetry, back when next to no poet made money from their work. So, I expected nothing beyond being published in national magazines, and maybe get some notoriety, but that was about it. Back then, I hadn’t dreamed of writing fiction. That didn’t happen for many years.

After writing my first book, my expectations changed. Or rather, my hopes did. I dreamt of people loving my books, sharing them with their friends, and becoming maybe not famous, but at least semi-famous.

Well, famous I’m not. But I’ve found a small group of folks who enjoy my writing and share it with others. I’ve sold books at festivals and met up with readers in parking lots to sell them the next book.

It’s not what I expected from my life as a writer.

My life in general isn’t what I plotted, either. I didn’t imagine I’d spend hours in front of a keyboard struggling to find the right words. Writing a blog was not a thing. And social media? Ha! 

But you know what? There are days when this is enough. I may never be famous. Sill, I thank everyone who has read any of my work and enjoyed it.

By the way, I have a new short story being released November 11th, part of an anthology in support of K9s for vets. Watch this space for more info on Defending The Moonlight.

 

While you’re waiting, check out some of the others sharing the dreams by following the links below. And, as always, stay safe until the next time.

 

Most Interesting Person #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

November 3, 2025

Who is the most interesting person you’ve ever met?

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many amazing people in my life.

Sure, part of that is due to the variety of jobs I’ve worked and places I’ve lived. Do I talk about the landlady who lived next door and treated us more like grandkids that renters? She’d bring supper over, or we’d cook and have her over, and she’d fall asleep on our couch watching TV.

Maybe the ex-military men I’ve known. The uncle who was serving in Hawaii during the Pearl Harbor attack and never spoke of it. The neighbor, who was a Green Beret in Vietnam during the war and may have taken part in exercises in Cambodia. My father, who served at the end of WWII, who was always tinkering with electronics, and took up music after retirement.

Or maybe the nuns who taught at the high school I attended? The ones who signed anti-war petitions (In the Vietnam days) and led the school in celebrating the first Earth Day? The one who wrote a symphony or the other one who has spent years working for social justice? How about my coworker who had a photographic memory but was also paranoid about life. After I moved, I lost track of him—he doesn’t do social media although he was a computer genius.

How about any of the computer geniuses I worked with at my last job?

The ones that could out-think, out-code, out-program most of the vendors they work with. The one that had a wealth of stories to share from his military days, but also got up at two in the morning for several weeks trying to help an overseas company make their program work for us. Or the one that raised livestock on the side?

But I’ll pick on a former supervisor. I’ll call him “Pete” to give him some semblance of privacy. I watched him grow into a fine supervisor and then struggle with the responsibilities. At first, he worried about meeting one-on-one with me. I suspected his reason, even though he never voiced it. Eventually, he changed his mind. When his church, which he was actively involved in, got a new pastor and changed the way they worshipped and served the community, he left to find a different path.

Eventually, he left the company we both worked for. (I had retired by that point.) He found a job that allowed him to work remotely and travel at the same time. It’s not quite the van life he’s living as he has a home. he and his wife also started a you tube page.

What makes him interesting? Not everyone is willing to follow their dreams. I admire him for taking the risks he has, and not taking the easy way out. I suspect he is happier for it. (If you’re reading this, “Pete,” hello!)

I’m looking forward to seeing who the other authors on this hop talk about. You can find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

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November 3, 2025

Who is the most interesting person you’ve ever met?

 

Bigfoot & Giants & Red Eyes, OH MY! #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

October 27, 2025

What is the best known cryptid in your area?

Or your favorite one? (A cryptid is an animal whose existence is disputed or unverified by science, known only through folklore and anecdotal evidence like eyewitness accounts )

I’m lucky enough to be on a committee with local Paranormal Enthusiast/Cryptovania’s Data Wrangler, Jason Trost. He’s been researching phenomena in the area for a decade.

The closest to a local cryptid that he could identify is Red Eyes. Not the Red Eyes from other localities, this one seems to be related to Bigfoot. What is more interesting is the ties to specific locations, especially the historic Miller Farm area. (Which is now part of the Oil Creek State Park.) A group of teenage boys who saw a creature described it as all white, over 6 feet tall, with arms, legs, and glowing eyes. The encounter was documented in a local newspaper.

And then there are giants.

Which I find more interesting. The theory is that there was a race of giants that lived in the area and were responsible for creating mounds in both Pennsylvania and Ohio. There is also speculation that they created the pits that were enclosed by timber and served as a way to collect oil from the local waterway, today known as Oil Creek.  (Because when white settlers moved in, there was so much oil in the ground that it actually coated the surface of the water in the creek. The Native Americans used it for hair care and medicinal purposes.) Note: This area is the home of the first commercial oil well.

The mounds in Ohio have been explored and various items, including copper sheets, have been found. There is controversary among scholars about the builders. The Native Americans tribes who inhabited the area don’t have stories about it. (Or don’t share.) What I find most interesting is that there is overlap between the arrival of the first European settlers and the end of the era of the giants.

How about our other authors? What cryptids do they want to share? Check out the links below to find out.

And, as always, please stay safe until next time.

October 27, 2025

What is the best known cryptid in your area? Or your favorite one? (A cryptid is an animal whose existence is disputed or unverified by science, known only through folklore and anecdotal evidence like eyewitness accounts )

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

 

Best Recent Line #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

October 20, 2025

What is the best line/s that you’ve written recently?

I’ve recently returned to the first draft of a book I started over a year ago.

It’ll be the second book in the Edwards Investigations series. I took a long break from it to write a short story for an anthology. (The anthology will be released mid-November. Stay tuned for more information!)

I’m at a point where I’m trying to decide whether my second victim is going to live or die. It’s still up in the air. I’m not sure which will serve the plot better.

So, I went back to the beginning to look for my best lines. Please remember these lines are unedited.

I’m fond of the first paragraph, but knowing how first paragraphs go, it’ll change.

Another night, another cheating husband, but the bar, The Squirrel’s Nest, was a repeat. From her stool, Annie McGregor nursed her mug of Iron City beer and a hamburger as she tracked Wayne Zabrinski in the mirror. He was having no luck getting the attention of the gaggle of college-aged girls who inhabited two of the tables.

But that isn’t my favorite.

This is. It is so characteristic of Annie (my main character, a female PI in Pittsburgh, PA in the mid 1980s) that it sets the tone for what comes next.

It wasn’t the first time that Annie had sat on a curb waiting for the cops to interview her, but at least this time she wasn’t in handcuffs. In fact, her hands were tucked into her coat sleeves, trying to keep them warm. A pile of crumbled tissues lay on the sidewalk beside her; she’d used them to scrub as much blood as possible from her hands.

There you have it. Makes me want to get back to my work in progress.

What do the other authors have to share? As good as they are, I’m looking forward to their work Check out the links below.

And, as always, until next time, please stay safe.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


October 20, 2025

Quilting Together The News #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

October 13, 2025

Do you think the rise of independent media is taking over from corporate media?

For instance, the news is increasingly going independent, providing a level of legitimacy to written independent media.

Back in the dark ages, when I was in high school, each week we had a front-page news quiz based on the local paper. It would be basic questions like, where is the hurricane predicted to hit? Or who is the president of Ghana? Just the news, no commentary. The local paper covered international, national, and local news. Just the news, no commentary, except on the editorial page. Of course, there was always Walter Cronkite, delivering the evening news.

When CNN first started as a news channel, it was the news. Twenty-four hours a day. Back then, it covered both national and international topics. I had it on all day, every day, as background noise as I went about my life.

But independent news was happening on a small scale. Community organizations passed out flyers on street corners. Nationwide, alternative groups produced magazines that were distributed by subscription and on newsstands.

Then, the internet happened.

It wasn’t an immediate change, but text-based channels spread different points of view from the mainstream companies. At first, they couldn’t be trusted, as much of what was posted was from unreliable sources. Then, the big companies started filling in the gaps, and we didn’t have to wait for the paper or the news on TV to get information. But the mistrust we’d developed for anything on the internet extended to the big companies.

The news today (at least in the US) is a mess. It’s all filtered through political leanings. No one source can be considered trustworthy. Not only do people need to research the topics they are interested in, they have to look into the reputation of the people posting it. So much of what can be found is no better than a bit of information that has been put through a game of telephone—rumor and innuendo. If it hasn’t been made up entirely.

Do I think that independent news is taking over from mainstream media?

Short answer – no. I believe we’re in a transition phase, trying to find a balancing point between the two. I’m unsure of what the current state of the news will morph into. At some point, I suspect the smaller sources will fall away, just like so many small newspapers have closed. And when was the last time an organization handed out a newsletter on the street corner? (Has social media taken over that function?)

There’s also new technology to consider in the equation. How will a site’s algorithms affect what news you see? When will someone create a tool to defeat them? And with AI creating news, not just reporting it, how can we be sure what we read is accurate?

Now, how does this translate to media in general? As far as music and movies go, there’s so much money involved that I don’t know how independents can break the barriers involved. As authors, we know how that works. Without the money to buy publicity, or the right connections, it feels like a battle we can’t win. Yet many of us keep trying.

How do the others on this hop feel? Find out by following the links below.

And, as always, until next time, please stay safe.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

October 13, 2025

Do you think the rise of independent media is taking over from corporate media? For instance, the news is increasingly going independent, providing a level of legitimacy to written independent media.

 

 

The Lows and the Highs #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

October 6, 2025

Did you face any hiccups in your publishing this year?

How did you navigate that?

Confession: I haven’t published anything major this year – yet. Yes, I’ve posted on my blog regularly, but this year has been a mixed bag in my writing journey. I even tried taking my writing to Medium, but couldn’t get any traction there. It made me feel like writing was a chore, not a joy. 

The high point is that I’ve sold 90 books at festivals and book events. (And I have two craft shows scheduled before the end of the events.)

The low point is that I haven’t published a new book this year. And the book I published in November 2024 has gone nowhere, despite using a alternative route for publicity. (That didn’t work.) It didn’t help that the print copies of the Rimer Files were delayed and weren’t available for the last show of last year.)

On the bright side, I wrote a short story that will be part of an anthology to be released in November. The 10,000 words took me close to five months to complete. I rewrote the first 3000 words four times before I was satisfied with where the story was going. Once I finished, I was reluctant to let go of my protagonist, Amos Headley. There is so much more he could tell me.

Overall, it was a rough year.

At times, I felt like giving up. But my characters wouldn’t let me. Same for my readers. When one customer bought 9 of my books all at once, it gave me a needed push. But so did the readers who bought the entire Harmony Duprie series on line, all at once. Or one at a time, across one or two weeks.

But mostly, this year was a year of digging deep and staying with it.

How about all of you? How has your publishing year gone? I’ll be looking forward to the answers at the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

October 6, 2025

Did you face any hiccups in your publishing this year? How did you navigate that?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

My Favorite Piece Of Writing #IWSG

  By IWSG
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
The awesome co-hosts for the October 1 posting of the IWSG are Beth Camp, Crystal Collier, and Cathrina Constantine!

October 1 question – What is the most favorite thing you have written, published or not? And why?

The one I am currently working on.

I have to fall in love with my characters in order to do the best job telling their story. I struggle to write them well until I have become comfortable with their personalities. The last short story I wrote (to be released as part of an anthology in November) took me four attempts before i found the basis of the plot. I’m currently working on the second book in the Edwards Investigations series, and falling back in love with my cast of characters.

But if we’re talking about something that’s already been published, there’s one clear winner.

The Rise of Jake Hennessey stole my heart.

Jake is a gentleman jewel thief. I don’t claim he’s a great one, but he does okay. Most of the time. I got to know him through his interactions with Harmony Duprie, the protagonist of my Harmony Duprie Mysteries.  He tried and failed to win her heart, but remained her friend. At least, until the representatives of a number of legal agencies chased him off.

But The Rise of Jake Hennessey is his chance at a happy ending. And have fun along the way. Set twenty years in the future, I got to invent some unlikely situations to challenge him. Since he’s a morally gray character, I got to explore all aspects of his personality.

Jake had lived with a bulls-eye on his back ever since the time he got caught shoplifting a pair of expensive jeans as a twelve-year-old. Because he never made it out of the store, and it was a first offense, he had gotten off with a warning, but he had also made it onto the blacklist with the local cops. He learned a lot from that experience—about how to not get caught.

The first rule was never steal from a store where he’d need to shop later. As an adult, he’d extended that rule to include the city where he lived. Which meant Oak Grove was off limits, and local officials had no interest in his activities.

Once in a blue moon, a newly hatched FBI agent stumbled across old files and got the notion Jake was the path to establishing their reputation. None of them were more than an inconvenience until their superior called off the hunt. And Harmony had never been dragged into their wild goose chases before.

The Rise of Jake Hennessey

The Rise of Jake Hennessey

I love rooting for the underdog, and that’s part of what makes this book my favorite. Jake was the throwaway character who was never meant to have his own books. In fact, I never intended for him to appear as a speaking character. But he has a way of ruining the best-laid plans.

I’m looking forward to checking out the favorite stories of other authors on this hop. There are plenty to pick from! See the list below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

The Glories Of Fall #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

September 22, 2025

What do you look forward to as Fall comes up?

I’ve lived where there is no fall.

I grew up in the forest-covered hills of Northwest Pennsylvania, where the trees turned a marvelous multitude of colors each fall. Where we’d go for walks, shuffling our feet, and smelling the essence of the earth as the leaves crumbled beneath our feet. But that isn’t the only type of fall I’ve experienced.

I spent a decade on the Oregon Coast. Because of the off-shore water currents and frequent fog banks, the temperatures remained moderate most of the year. ( I only saw snow reach the shoreline once in the ten years we lived there.)  Most of the trees were evergreens, with no leaves to drop. I spent more time trimming my camellia bushes than raking leaves.

Then there was Florida. No fall there either. And no leaves to rake. But grass to mow all year long.

Wyoming’s fall was short, but at least offered hillsides of glorious gold aspen trees. (Confession: this spot was just south of the Wyoming border in Colorado.)

But here I am, less than twenty miles from where I grew up.

.And here we are, with fall hastily taking over. I wasn’t ready for it this year. The first hints of color graced the oak and maple trees in the first week of September. A reminder to hurry and finish the tasks I’ve put off all summer.

At the same time, I’m falling in love again with the little plot of land I call mine. Or rather, I like to think I’ve been given the privilege of taking care of it, even if for a short time. The maple behind the house has already turned orange, and when the morning sun’s rays hit it, it’s enough to make me stop and soak in the momentary beauty.

It won’t be long now until the hillsides turn into a patchwork of color. The tourists will arrive as well, to glimpse the wonder. But unless they take the right back roads, they’ll miss the best views.

So, my answer is simple. What do I look forward to? It’s the glory of the wooded hillsides, and the display Mother Earth shares with us.

How about our other authors? What do they look forward to? Find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

P.S. For those of you in the Lancaster PA area, Saturday the 27th, I will be taking part in the Books Books Books event at the Wyndham Expo Center Barn. I’ll be in spot 145. Stop by and say hi!

September 22, 2025

What do you look forward to as Fall comes up?

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Feelings in Flowers #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

September 15, 2025

Victorians had a whole language around flowers. Do you have a favorite bloom?

Do you know what it means? What does it mean to you?

At least he’d already sent Duprie a gift: an expensive bouquet that the saleslady assured him was correct for the occasion. Something about the language of flowers and pink camellias.
The Fall of Jake Hennessey

I’ve played with the language of flowers in several of my stories. Which was perfect for Harmony Duprie, as she was fascinated by the era. (She lived in a Victorian-era house and was remodeling another.)

What is my favorite bloom? It’s lilacs. I love the delicate blooms, the soft scent. There were four large lilac bushes on my parents’ property. (But they predated my parents’ ownership of the home.) I planted two of them when we moved into the home where we are now. They haven’t bloomed yet, but the one very old bush by the corner of the house has. (Not every year, but I’m hoping I can bring it back to better health.)

I looked up the meaning, and the results were confusing.

Some lore associates lilacs with young love and first loves, which makes sense as they are one of the first flowers of spring. But it was also common for widows to wear lilacs as corsage in remembrance of their deceased husbands. Some sites I researched indicated it was dependent on the shade of purple, others were mute on the topic.

What do lilacs mean to me? I associate them with spring and new beginnings. Plus, I love the way they make a room smell. Barely noticeable, but comforting.

What about the other authors  who join this hop? What is their favorite flower? Find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

September 15, 2025

Victorians had a whole language around flowers. Do you have a favorite bloom? Do you know what it means? What does it mean to you?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Great Websites for Writers #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Sept 8, 2025

It’s been awhile since we’ve done this. Have you come across any great new websites for writers?

Or maybe share an old favorite.

I have a confession. I’ve been slacking. Despite being “mostly” retired, I have less time than ever. It’s a “me” thing, and I can think of a million reasons to justify my behavior. Distractions are everywhere, and my resistance is limited.

Perhaps I’m burnt out. Too many people expect too many things. I had dreams of sitting under the old maple in my backyard to write, but it hasn’t happened. It took me over 4 months to write a 10,000 word short story. Losing my office space didn’t help, but it isn’t entirely to blame, either. Still, it’s hard to go into a writing trance when people are constantly walking by my desk.

And most “new” writing websites I stumble across seem to do nothing but regurgitate old information. Everyone’s an expert, and no one’s an expert.

So, I have no great revelation to share.

Most of the “new” websites I’ve discovered are research related. What federal agency was in charge of nuclear plants in the mid-1980s? What did the Pittsburgh Civic Center’s skyboxes look like? And in what year did Jethro Tull play there? (oops—rabbit hole!)

How about an old favorite?

I use ProWritingAid for the desktop weekly (or more.) With a lifetime subscription that was gifted to me, It’s my go-to for checking grammar, punctuation, and other writing elements. (Gotta watch their advice on commas. the software often gets confused.)

Bring your story to life image with knight and dragon coming out of a book

But I do have something to offer. Long ago, I signed up for emails from the magazine Writer’s Digest. Last week, they offered a list of top websites for writers. The link is below. Lots of interesting looking sites. I haven’t visited all of them, naturally!

https://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-101-best-websites-for-writers?utm_medium=email&utm_source=WDG+-+NL+-+Newsletter&oly_enc_id=0384C3289756G7O

I’m looking forward to seeing the pages our other authors suggest. Check out their posts by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Sept 8, 2025

It’s been awhile since we’ve done this. Have you come across any great new websites for writers?

Or maybe share an old favorite.

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter