Author: P.J. MacLayne

And The Second Runner Up Is #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Feb 15, 2021

Did you ever get picked last in gym or some other class? Have you used that in your writing?

I was never one of the popular girls in school. Too introverted, too nerdy, too weird, I guess. I had my nose in a book most of the time.

But I had the advantage of being from a large family with older brothers. Along with the neighborhood boys who were the same age as them, I joined in playing backyard sports with them. Baseball, touch football, basketball, or whatever else was the flavor of the day. So, I wasn’t afraid to be aggressive when we played sports in gym class. Even if I didn’t have finesse, I wasn’t scared to get in the way of opposing players, and that earned me a defensive spot on a team every time. Still, I wasn’t the top choice either, leaving me with a sense of insecurity until my name was called. (Why were the popular girls always chosen to be the team leaders by the teachers?)

Have I used this in my writing? Not directly, but the experience may have flavored the backgrounds of a few of my characters. Take Tasha from Wolves’ Knight, for example. She’s always trying to prove herself and drive herself to become better. No one asks her do it, it stems from an internal need.

Her lungs screamed from the lack of oxygen, her eyes burned from the sweat streaming into them, and she could no longer feel her legs. She was past pain and moving from sheer force of will. But she wanted to go farther. Her goal was the meeting of the southern and western borders. And past that if she could hold on that long. From Wolves’ Knight

Was Tasha chosen last in gym class? I doubt it. But the strong males of the pack would have been chosen first, if they were in coed classes. And Tasha wasn’t the type to have been one of the popular kids. She was too serious for that to happen.

Lori from Wolves’ Gambit had it worse. She was the runt of the litter, and was left out of everything.  As a result, she operates with a chip on her shoulder, but has learned to use her small size as a tool, rather than it being a disadvantage. 

“So, what kind of shifter are you?” Turtle asked.

“Wolf.”

“No, really.”

“Wolf.” Lori shrugged. “Even in wolf form, I’m small, but that’s the way it is.”

“Then why can’t we smell or hear you?’

She moved away the mental blocks that kept her secure. “Try now.” From Wolves’ Gambit

I’ve always had a thing for the underdog, having been one, and that’s reflected in my stories. How about the other authors on this hop? We can find out by following the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe.

Feb 15, 2021

Did you ever get picked last in gym or some other class? Have you used that in your writing?

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 are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

More Ideas Than Time #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Feb 8, 2021

Do you get story ideas that you know you’ll never write?

I took a nap this afternoon, and woke up from a dream about a Scottish lady returning to the Highlands after being held captive for many years, and deciding whether to go to war and seek revenge. There’s a book in there, but I probably won’t write it. I don’t know enough about the time period (in the way back days) or of Scotland to carry it off. Sure, I could change the location and the time, but then it wouldn’t have the same magic. And what genre would that fit in? Not romance, although I suppose it would be possible to wiggle a love story in there. I don’t see it as sword and sorcery, either.

I’ve got several ideas floating in my head attached to the Free Wolves series. Imagine a special unit of alpha wolves in the US military. They’ve got to find a channel for their aggression somewhere. Those stories would have their share of detailed sex, and I’m not ready to go there—yet. I still have to figure out the story of Counselor Carlson, who lives like a monk despite being the alpha of alphas. And Lori from Wolves’ Gambit has more adventures waiting to be told.

Have I mentioned that Jake from the Harmony Duprie Mysteries finally opened up to me? I thought I was done with the series. (Or will be as soon as I finish editing The Ranger’s Dog Tags and get it released.) What am I going to do with a prequel story written from the anti-hero’s point of view? Well, once I get done writing it. He’s getting impatient because I’m ignoring him and concentrating on Harmony’s last book.

Did I tell you the one about…okay, I’ll quit now. You get the picture. Ideas aren’t my issue. Well, they are because I don’t have enough time to write all of them. Or they aren’t right for me at the moment. I’m sure there are ideas I’ve had that I’ve forgotten. I’ve never made a habit of writing them down to come back to. There was one about a private eye on a cruise ship, chasing the bad guys over the hills of Italy….

Enough already! I need to quit while I’m ahead and go check out the other authors on this hop. Come with me by clicking on the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe.

Do you get story ideas that you know you’ll never write?

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 are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

More Than Sharing Stories #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
February 3 question – Blogging is often more than just sharing stories. It’s often the start of special friendships and relationships. Have you made any friends through the blogosphere?
 
The awesome co-hosts for the February 3 posting of the IWSG are Louise – Fundy Blue , Jennifer Lane, Mary Aalgaard, Patsy Collins at Womagwriter, and Nancy Gideon!
 
I don’t have a huge following on my blog. I watch the page views trickle in some days. Shoot, some days I avoid looking at the number of visitors because it’ll only make me depressed.
 
But I share a blog hop (not this one!) with a few other authors, and we’ve bonded over some of the topics we’ve discussed. We’ve written about places we’ve been and places we want to go. There was a post about the mistakes we’ve made in our writing. We’ve discussed marketing tips and what works for us and what doesn’t. Along the way, I’ve made friends.
 
Well, as much as “talking” strictly over the internet allows us to be friends. We don’t always agree with each other, but we try to be respectful of each other’s opinions. The group includes writers from a variety of countries and backgrounds, which can lead to interesting discussions in the comments. If you’re interested in seeing what do, scroll down to other posts.
 
If I were wealthy, and there wasn’t a world-wide pandemic, I’d love to meet these other writers in real-life. I don’t expect either of those roadblocks to change in the near future, so I’ll keep having conversations with them via the blogshere, or on the other social media we use to stay connected.
 

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

How about you? Have you made friends through your blog?
 
(Shameless plug: I’d love a few more followers. There’s a link to the right where you can sign up to be notified of new posts!)
 
Until the next time, please stay safe.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Someone to Lean On #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Uncategorized

 

Feb 1, 2021

Do your family and friends support your career as a writer?

This is a tough question to answer because the answer depends upon how I’m feeling at the moment. I’ll give it a shot.

First, the good stuff.

I have one talented sister who is a graphic artist. She’s responsible for making my covers come to life. She’s also been known to gently laugh at my feeble attempts to put together memes for advertising and lead me in a better direction. I appreciate her efforts and tell her so as often as I can. Thanks, K.M.!

Another sister is a faithful reader of this blog. She may not comment, but I’m thinking of her as I write each entry, trying to see it through her eyes. (She was an English major and worked as a technical writer. I’m looking for errors she might point out.)

I have a sister-in-law who is a big fan of The Harmony Duprie books, and I appreciate her quiet support. My mother doesn’t always understand some of the crazier things I include in my books, (the Free Wolves books aren’t her cup of tea) but she reads them, anyway. And comes up with amusing comments. “Joe and Luke (from the Harmony Duprie Mysteries) are “interesting,” aren’t they?”

Then there are my coworkers. They put up with me, and several buy my books even if they aren’t my target audience. One guy admits he’ll never read them, but has bought a paperback copy of each of my books as a way of supporting my efforts. My boss buys copies too, and even cracks them open in his spare time. And then there’s Jenny, who has done photo shoots for me when I needed new author photos. I appreciate it, Jenny, even if you’ve moved away and deserted me.

With all that support, some of you are probably asking how I can have anything to complain about.

Here’s the thing: I come from a large family. And my hubby is from a large family. (Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten to mention him. I’m saving the best for last.) If all of my extended family members bought my books on the day of release, I’d have a top 100 book each time. (Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but only slightly. The families are that big if you include cousins and nieces and nephews.) Most of them are vaguely aware that I am a writer, but I suspect they’ve never picked up a copy of one of my books unless they wandered across one at my mother’s house.

I will accept the blame for that. I moved far away from the rest of my family when I was 18 , and most of them have only met me once or twice. Or not at all, when you count in the spouses and great-nephews and great-nieces. (Geesh, I feel old now.) It’s not like they actually know me.

Not everyone is as lucky as me, so I’ll gladly take what I can get. The complaints stem from that fragile writer’s ego at work. I want everyone to love my stories as much as I do!

Back to the best stuff. My dear hubby. I can’t say he loves the hours and hours that I spend writing, because it takes time away from him, but he doesn’t complain about them either. (Well, not as much as he could!) He tries to understand how important writing is to me, and encourages me to keep at it, even when I’m feeling discouraged. I’m glad he’s stuck around all these years, I like having him around.

Now that I write it all, I feel lucky compared to some other writers I know. I wonder how the other authors on this hop fare? Let’s go find out by following the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe!

Feb 1, 2021

Do your family and friends support your career as a writer?

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 are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

The Action’s in the Back #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

Jan 25, 2021

What’s your best technique for working around backstory dumps??

The long-winded story of how two clans became mortal enemies. The intricate description of the landscape for miles and miles. The tale of the little girl and her imaginary best friend. Most writers know the pain of trying to figure out where the story really starts.

I’m guilty. I recently chopped off about 600 words from the beginning of The Ranger’s Dog Tags. They weren’t really backstory, but because I referred to the same info later in the chapter, I decided I didn’t need to tell the reader about it twice. It also allowed me to start the story at a more exciting point. 

The squad car screamed down the street, its red and blue lights tearing through the darkness. I feathered the gas pedal and waited for a second set of headlights that followed.

Because this is the sixth (and last) book in the Harmony Duprie series, I had to pay close attention to backstory. I never explained why Eli has a house in both Oak Grove, north of Pittsburgh, and in Florida, since it wasn’t important to the plot. (Eli is the main male character in the series.)

But what do I do when I have backstory to work in? I try to attach it to dialogue. Maybe not as part of the dialogue itself, but in conjunction with it.

“Your Chief Sorenson asked me to pass on a message,” Horace said. “Stephen Sallis is out of prison, on compassionate release. He has an untreatable cancer. Sorenson said to be careful.”

I caught my breath. Sallis was the minor crime figure with delusions of grandeur who’d been responsible for the disaster that played out after Jake gave me a replica of a stolen necklace. I’d had a minor part in his capture. Would he show up seeking revenge? “You think I’m in danger?”

Short and sweet. Then I moved on to advance the story. 

 It’s not always that easy. Sometimes I have to write several paragraphs of backstory. Stories from Eli’s time in the Army Rangers play a prominent part of the book. But rather than tell the tale all at once, I feed it to the reader in little bits and pieces. 

On the other hand, I’m toying with Jake’s origin story.  I don’t know what I’m going to do with it, but it’s been fun to delve into his history. In a way, the whole darn thing is backstory. (Jake is the anti-hero on the series. The book revolves around his relationship with Harmony Duprie before the events in The Marquesa’s Necklace.)

Anyway, that’s my trick. Try to intersperse dribs and drabs of the backstory throughout the story. Enough to give the reader a sense of the history without overwhelming them. Now, I’m going to follow the links below and see what everyone else does to slip in backstory.

P.S. I haven’t set a release date for The Ranger’s Dog Tags yet, but I’m getting closer. Stay tuned!

Until next time, please stay safe.

Jan 25, 2021

What’s your best technique for working around backstory dumps??

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 are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Tools of the Trade #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Jan 18, 2021

What software do you use for your writing? Bookkeeping? Artwork? Calendar?

I believe in sticking to basics, unless a piece of software really can do something exceptional. I’m also frugal, so this list will be short.

I do most of my writing in LibreOffice, a basic but free office suite.  It’s all I need to thrash out a story. It has the capability of doing more advanced functions, which I’ve never taken the time to learn. Not only is it a writing program, it also has a spreadsheet portion which I use for my bookkeeping. Again, I’m not using any of the advanced features, but I don’t need to. I have access to Microsoft Word, and will run my document through it to check margins, indents, and other formatting, but it isn’t my primary tool.

Artwork? I leave the majority of that to my graphic artist. Folks, I’m just not good at it. I can throw together something painfully simple using Canva, but I don’t have an eye for anything spectacular. Fonts? Spacing? Balance? Colors? Not my specialty.

First round of editing is done on ProWritingAid. I used to use the free version, and the character limit made it a struggle. I was gifted with a full version of it by my daughter, and it’s a world of difference. Yes, sometimes I disagree with the results and it occasionally skips a misplaced word, but overall, it does everything I need in a first-round check. One warning- it can get confused with commas in some cases, but don’t we all?

I use WordPress for blogging for one simple reason—the amount of documentation out there for help using it, and much of it free. Once I found the right template to use, I’ve stuck with it.

Calendars? I’ve got nothing. I’ve tried several things, and none “stick.” Of course, the past year, I haven’t needed to do much, and I’ve got most of the sticky notes cleared off my desk.

I’ve heard of a new tool called Fictionary. It’s supposed to help with plotting. There’s good “buzz” about it, but I’m waiting until I get my current WIP back from my editor before downloading the free trial.

Want to hear about more? Check out the Alliance of Independent Authors’ (ALLi) guide to ultimate tools and tech. It’s got everything from a favorite pen to distraction eliminating software. I didn’t even know that was a thing! You can find it here The Ultimate Guide to Tools and Tech for Indie Authors — Alliance of Independent Authors: Self-Publishing Advice Center.

Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay

Before I go, I should mention one more set of tools—the good old-fashioned paper and pen. Sometimes, that’s the only thing that will satisfy my creative urge. Scrawling words on paper and watching the loops and dots formed from the ink flow.

Let’s find out what tools the other authors use. Just follow the links below. And if you have a favorite you think I should try, tell me about it in the comments.

Until next time, please stay safe!

Jan 18, 2021

What software do you use for your writing? Bookkeeping? Artwork? Calendar?

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 are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Out of My League #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

Jan 11, 2021

Is there a genre you would never try to write? Why?

Let’s start with the genre that I can’t conquer.

Romance.

Oh, I’ve tried. I have three or four romances stored away on my computer, where they will stay. Frankly, they aren’t very good. Well, one has potential, but it’s written from the man’s point of view. Is that still considered a romance? I honestly don’t know. Perhaps someone reading this blog can tell me. Throw in the added complication that the story trends towards action-adventure and you have a book in search of an identity. Add the problem of the time frame—the 1980s—and there are too many issues to make reworking it feasible.

But I believe in romance, and romance will continue to be a part of my stories. It just won’t be the primary plot.

There is a genre I can’t see myself writing. Science Fiction. 

Don’t get me wrong. I love to read science fiction. Writing it? I don’t feel up to the task. The whole world-building thing seems like a project that’s out of my league. I can hear some of you say, “But P.J., didn’t you build a world for your wolves and another one for Harmony?”

Yes and no. I think of it adding layers to the world we live in, not creating a whole new one. And it’s really only one world. If you pay attention, the Free Wolves adventures bleed into the Harmony Duprie mysteries. Subtle references, they are there more for my amusement than for anything else. But I’m always hopeful a sharp-eyed reader will spot the line and it will make them smile. Has anyone noticed the name of Eli’s company?*

When it comes to science fiction, I feel the readers expect and deserve more than that. They should read of a fully-fleshed out world that is different than our own. The situations that the inhabitants face may bear similarities to our own, but there should be elements that make it not a carbon copy of how we live today. And I don’t feel I’m up to the task.

However, I’ve also learned never to say never. If some perfectly wonderful plot threw itself in my face, I’d be a fool to ignore it.

 And I am a writer in search of her next plot. As I wrap up the last Harmony Duprie mystery, I haven’t figured out what to tackle next. So many idea, but none are claiming time in my head. I’ve always thought Counselor Carlson from the Free Wolves had a story to tell, but so does Vanessa from The Ranger’s Dogtags. We’ll see.

In the meantime, let’s see what genres our other authors avoid. Yoy can too, by following the links below.

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

*For those of you who haven’t read any of my books, my wolves are shifters. And Eli, Harmony’s love interest from the mystery series, owns a company called Shifter Technologies

Jan 11, 2021

Is there a genre you would never try to write? 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 are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

It’s a Struggle to the Finish #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
January 6 question – Being a writer, when you’re reading someone else’s work, what stops you from finishing a book/throws you out of the story/frustrates you the most about other people’s books?
 
The awesome co-hosts for the January 6 posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse van Vuuren , J Lenni Dorner, Gwen Gardner Sandra Cox, and Louise – Fundy Blue!
 
Once upon a time, I prided myself in finishing every book I ever started. That included classics that everyone ‘had’ to read, but I thought were poor writing. Or stories we were assigned in class that didn’t make the grade in my point of view.  I can’t tell you when it happened, but at some time I reached a point where I decided to put my limited time for reading to only books I want to read, not ones I struggle to finish.
 
There’s no longer any guilt in closing a book full of grammatical errors and bad writing. Plot holes, especially, drive me up a wall. The main character had brown hair in one chapter and is blonde in another? She better be wearing a wig. The sheriff of a large county is making traffic stops? Not likely. That sort of bad writing makes me cringe.
 
I can forgive one misplaced their instead of they’re. But if an author gets them consistently wrong? That’s a book-closer. If the characters are flat and never make mistakes? Sorry, that doesn’t work for me. I’m not perfect, but I’m always trying to make my writing better.
 
Here’s the truth. I want to like the books. All the books. I really do. But I no longer have the desire to waste my time on bad books. So, I have given myself permission to close a book. I won’t give a bad review. I just won’t leave any review at all.
 
How about you? Tell me about it in the comments. Don’t forget to check out other authors in this hop by clicking the links below.
 
Until next time, please stay safe.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Writing to the Rhythm #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Jan 4, 2021

How you keep focused during long writing sessions?

My immediate reaction to this week’s prompt? Not very well.

I have a hard time staying focused, and it’s gotten worse as I’ve got older. Even writing this short post, my mind is going in scattered directions, thinking of the things I need to get done. Finish taking down the Christmas decorations. Cook supper. Or maybe splurge and get takeout instead. I’ve had a hankering for Chinese. Balance the bank account. Finish editing the last chapter of The Ranger’s Dogtags and get it ready for my editor. Don’t forget to redo Chapter One. Check my email. Worry about the big project at work in the morning. It’s Sunday, so I need to water my flowers.

I do hold on to a precious hour at the end of the evening to focus on writing. But one hour is not a long session, according to my definition.

Photo by Rodolfo Quirós from Pexels

Take me to a cabin somewhere in the mountains, where I can sit on the porch and watch for wildlife. Play some John Denver or classic rock. Give me a pad of paper and several pens. Let me sit and tune in to Mother Nature and find my voice.

That’s a lot to ask for, especially as we aren’t going anywhere these days. Those days will come again.

In the meantime, I’ll enjoy my late-night hour. I’ve been exploring Celtic folksongs as my background music. (If anyone has a recommendation for an artist to check out, please put it in the comments. I’d love your suggestions.) I’ll put on headphones, open my current writing project, and shut out the rest of the world. Balancing the checkbook can wait until tomorrow.

What can’t wait is checking out the other posts in this blog hop. You can, too, by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Jan 4, 2021

How you keep focused during long writing sessions?

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 are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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