Month: April 2025

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Headed to the Fair #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

April 28, 2025

In the US and other countries, many areas are gearing up for festivals and fairs.

Do you have a favorite? Any specific part that you don’t want to miss? (exhibits, food, rides, animals, people watching?)

Now that winter is over, it’s not just spring, it’s close enough to imagine summer. That means it’s time for festivals and fairs. And for me to line up events to sell books.

My joy in riding roller coasters and other rides, (which started in my teens) faded away as my equilibrium worsened because of an inner ear injury. Now, I am relegated to vender booths, activities, and games. I’m mostly satisfied with being one of those venders.

I have plenty of events to choose from. Many old towns celebrate their history in some fashion. There are county fairs and even a balloon launch in a nearby town. One town has an apple festival in the fall. I have to choose which will have the kind of audience that will want to buy my books.

That means I don’t get to participate in the activities.

Sure, I might be close enough to listen to bands or watch face painters at work, but I’m mostly stuck at my booth. I’ll talk to nearby venders and check out their offerings, but since I’m a one-person operation, I can’t wander off too far.

So, I have to be content with people-watching when I’m not talking to a passerby about my books. Those two ladies running the hand-made jewelry stand—do they spend their nights together designing new items or is theirs strictly a business arrangement? And the gentleman with the eye-catching display of colorful clothing—is he longing for the winter when he can stay in one place for more than a few days?

I’m trying a couple of new events this year, so we’ll see how things go. (You can see my schedule on the front page.) 

What part of festivals and fairs is your favorite? let me know in the comments. And to find out what the others on this hop enjoy, follow the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe!

April 28, 2025

In the US and other countries, many areas are gearing up for festivals and fairs. Do you have a favorite? Any specific part that you don’t want to miss? (exhibits, food, rides, animals, people watching?)

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

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The Wandering Path #OpenBook Blog hop

  By Open Book

April 21, 2025

Do you write your stories start to finish, or do you write scenes out of order and then assemble them in the proper order?

Most of you know I’m a pantser.

That means I don’t plot my stories out before I start writing. I may know where I want to start and finish, but everything in between is uncharted territory. That contrasts with friends who have the storyline all figured out before they put pen to paper. (Or fingers to keyboard.)

So I write chronologically. Otherwise, I have no idea where my characters want the story to go. They’ll give me hints of what is going to happen, but take me there in their own time. I’m more likely to delete a scene than to work ahead.

But there are always exceptions. My next book in the Edwards Investigations (Still unnamed) is one of those. I wrote an absolutely kickass opening scene, and then realized it wasn’t an opening scene at all. It belongs later in the book. I’ve saved it, and will pull it out to add when the plot demands it.

And then there’s Jake.

Jake Hennessey, a secondary character in the Harmony Duprie series, loves to break the rules. After the third book, I attempted to write a short story about how he and Harmony met—it didn’t work. He wouldn’t reveal his secrets to me. So, when I’d wrapped up the series and moved on to other things, he surprised me by demanding I write his story. That’s how the prequel to the series got written after everything else. Talk about out of order!

But that wasn’t planned. And those anomalies don’t change what happens when I sit down to write.

Now, I admire the folks who can plot out their books. But I’m good not being one of them.

How about the other authors on this hop? Find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Do you write your stories start to finish, or do you write scenes out of order and then assemble them in the proper order?

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Farewell NaNoWriMo #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

April 14, 2025

It’s official. The NaNoWriMo organization (National Novel Writing Month) is shutting down.

What’s your reaction?

My first attempt at NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) was in 2011. I’ve talked about it before, but I didn’t “win” that year. The goal is to write 50,000 words in November, and I made it to 49,000 words, but the story ended and I didn’t have more words to add.

It was my first attempt at writing fiction, and I wasn’t satisfied. But I was also hooked. I rewrote that story four or five times, including changing point of view twice, before I gave it up. Not because it was bad, but because it was too derivative of someone else’s work. That story is archived now, and will never be resurrected.

I tried again the next year, and “won.” I made it to over 50,000 words and had an almost complete story. After finishing it, I started the process of revision. But the writing was stiff, and it needed a lot of work. I set it aside, ready to work on the next story that was tumbling around in my head. I’ve won several times, but eventually stopped participating because I had other writing to do.

It’s a shame to see NaNoWriMo come to an end.

The challenge helped a lot of people get a taste of writing, and the rewards for winning assisted writers in developing their skills. But all good things come to an end. I haven’t delved into the details, but I understand that it has to do with opinions on the use of AI in writing. (We’ve previously discussed that topic on this hop.) I worried about how AI would affect writers, but shutting down NaNo wasn’t part of it.

I predict there will be efforts to replace NaNoWriMo with something similar. Probably more than one. I can’t imagine any of them will be as successful as the original. (Think about the number of attempts to compete with Facebook.)

How do the other authors feel about NoNoWriMo shutting down? Find out by following the links below.

As always, please stay safe until the next time.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


April 14, 2025

It’s official. The NaNoWriMo organization (National Novel Writing Month) is shutting down. What’s your reaction?

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Make New Friends But Keep the Old #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

April 7, 2025

How do you know you’re going to become friends with a new person you’ve just met?

My criteria have changed as I get older.

It’s a matter of broadening my social circles, things I learned during the Covid crisis, and the political climate in the US.

It’s sad, but I don’t trust people as much as I used to. I’m friendly with lots of folks that I wouldn’t call a friend or seek a long-term relationship with. The fear of betrayal has grown, so I am more closed in revealing my deeper thoughts and feelings.

That may have stemmed from my involvement in computer security, and seeing how naive people are. Not only did I have to protect myself, I had to protect others as well. (And yes, I can take myself too seriously.)

But I have an escape in my writing.

It is also a shield of sorts. A safe topic. Even when people don’t truly understand what I do, it’s always an easy – and perhaps forgettable – subject of discussion.

So, back to the original question. How do I know if someone will be a friend?

You’d think at my age, the signs would be obvious, but I can’t give you a list. Despite my outgoing public persona, I’m an introvert. (Well, most of the time). True friendship grows slowly. And that’s on me. It’s even harder to maintain those friendships. I can be too clingy or too distant. Finding the right balance is difficult.

And the title? It’s from a song we used to sing around the campfire in Girl Scouts. (In rounds.) Even then, I didn’t quite fit in. The song advocates for a great philosophy, but it’s hard to follow when age and miles keep you apart. (And that is on me as well. If you follow this blog, you may remember that I’ve moved all over the United States.) I’ve never gotten good at maintaining friendships over the internet.

How about the other authors on this blog? How do they know when a new acquaintance will become a friend? Check out the links below to find out.

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

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

April 7, 2025

How do you know you’re going to become friends with a new person you’ve just met?

Sharing A Beer With Kethry #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!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!
The awesome co-hosts for the April 2 posting of the IWSG are Jennifer Lane, L Diane Wolfe, Jenni Enzor, and Natalie Aguirre!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.

April 2 question – What fantasy character would you like to fight, go on a quest with, or have a beer/glass of wine with?
I’ve often remarked that I’d like to have a glass of ice tea with Harmony Duprie, my ex-librarian turned internet researcher. We’d sit on the bottom stairs leading to her third-story apartment in an old Victorian home, and  enjoy a quiet summer’s day. If I was lucky, she’d tell me all the things she didn’t reveal over the course of the six books in the Harmony Duprie Mystery series. Although I got to know her pretty well while writing her stories, I always suspected that there were secrets she kept hidden. Shoot, it wasn’t until the third book that I found out she was afraid of flying!
And then there’s Jake Hennessey – the bad boy of the series, who turned out to be a gentleman jewel thief. At least, on his good days. I don’t think I could get Jake drunk enough to reveal the dark corners of his story. The two books I wrote about him only touched on the harsh side of his life. And I couldn’t risk my own life going on one of his “adventures.” The possibility of getting arrested would be a constant worry.
But using one of my own characters is too easy. So, I’ll go back to a series that first got me interested in the sword and sorcery genre, the Valdemar books by Mercedes Lackey. Although Tarma and Kethry were partners in adventure, I always felt as if Kethry didn’t get the recognition she deserved.
When a was younger, I might have enjoyed being part of one of their quests. Now that I am much older, sharing a brew with Kethry and letting her entertain me with her stories sounds perfect. We’d sit by the fireside in a faraway tavern, listening to the winter wind howl outside, while I got her point of view of everything she’d done. Because., like Harmony and Jake, I’m sure she had secrets that weren’t revealed in the books.
There’s a long list of folks who take part in this hop. Please take the time to visit a few of the. The list is below.
As always, until next time, please stay safe.