Month: June 2026

If It’s A New Name, Is the Person Any Different? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

June 29 2026

If you had to choose a new author name, what would it be?

I started off as Bobbi Jo Aspen.

That was back when I was writing poetry. I even had a few poems published under that name. I still like it, but it doesn’t suit me anymore. Not in terms of my writing. There are non-writing occasions when it suits me perfectly.

My current pen name came from a failed snail-mail marketing campaign. The mail was misaddressed to the parents of ______ Mac Layne. Thus was born P.J. MacLayne. Having to change again would take more than a happy accident. There are so many factors to consider that I haven’t thought about before. Is the name already taken? (I am surprised by how many P.J.s there are when interacting with other authors. One who helped found this group.) How would the new name look on the cover of a book? Does the name carry a stigma?

How about an old-fashioned name?

I’ve always flirted with the name Gertrude. In fact, I wanted to use it for my Confirmation name (if you know, you know), but I was talked out of it. I don’t remember what I chose instead. Would it work as an author name? My fear is that potential readers would never take a second look, depending on the genre. Historical stories maybe, but science fiction or fantasy? As a side note, it’s likely too long to fit on a cover. 

Although I often slightly change characters’ names to avoid using an actual person’s name, I wouldn’t make a drastic change to a name to use as my pen name. Many people are put off by names that have too many vowels or no vowels at al. Again, the rules are different for fantasy and science fiction.

What would my new author name be?

Well, I can’t use Gertrude. Or Geraldine, my backup name.  What I can use is G.G.. And it isn’t against the rules, so I’ll retain the name MacLayne. That has a nice ring to it. G.G. MacLayne. Hmm. What genre should I write with it?

To find out what pen names the other authors would choose, please follow the links below.

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

Goal Update: I’m editing Chapter 20. I’m also fine-tuning some details of the story. There are 25 chapters, although I’m considering breaking the last one into two.

June 29 2026

If you had to choose a new author name, what would it be?

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To The Stars, Alice #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Do you wish you could travel the stars or the deep (oceans)?

As a teenager, I had a bicycle accident and ended up with an inner ear injury in one ear. As a result, I have a balance issue that gets increasingly worse as I get older. That means neither of the two destinations are in the realm of reality for me. Shoot, there are carnival rides I can no longer enjoy.

Let me add a third destination:

How about the heights? Those of you who have followed me for a while know that I have an affinity for the mountains. I loved my time living in the Rocky Mountains. But living here in the rolling hills of the Appalachians is not a bad choice.

I travelled to quite a few mountain peaks in Colorado, the highest one being Pikes Peak at 14,115 feet. Most of the time, however, I hung out in the North Park/Walden area. There, you can see a new mountain range in all directions. We got to explore dirt roads that led to isolated ranches and ford shallow outlets of mountain reservoirs. Then there was Estes Park, but the yearly influx of tourists limited our time there. The town sits at the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, and is home to a herd of elk that wander the streets (when they want!)

I could sit and stare at views like this forever. (Photo credit: PJ MacLayne)

I’m old now, and can no longer climb on mountain trails to the highest points of most mountains. So, if I make it out West again, I’ll have to stick to established roads. 

Where do our other authors long to go? Find out by following the links below.

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

Goal Update: I’m doing a first round edit of Chapter 15. That’s over halfway through the manuscript. I’ve removed over 1000 words in the process.

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Do you wish you could travel the stars or the deep (oceans)?

 

 

 

 

Where The Deer And The Bear Roam #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

June 15, 2026

Have you learned anything new this week?

(or recently?) Any topic.

I thought this would be easy. I try to learn new things all the time. I’m constantly turning to the internet to research topics I run across. This week, I looked up what bear poop looks like.

Let me set this up for you. I live in a rural area, in a community of under 1000 people, with wild animals spotted often. I’ve had deer eat flowers right off my front steps. And people are great at keeping their dogs in their yards or walking on a leash. I’m more likely to run across deer droppings than dog poop when I mow my yard.

At least, I assumed that what I saw was from a rare dog crossing the property. 

Then I heard a report of a bear sighting several blocks away.

I kept it in the back of my mind. Didn’t give it too much thought.

But a few days ago, one of my hummingbird feeders got knocked to the ground. Sure, a deer could have nosed at it and bumped it off the hanger and the bush it hung from. Except three out of four of the nodes that hummingbirds feed from were torn from the feeder. Not just bumped off, the plastic attachments were broken and the feeder couldn’t be fixed.

And when I got looking closer, the glass that held the nectar was scratched. Not just once. 

So, I’m assuming bear. And I’d seen a pile of something a week ago. Off to the internet I went, to look up bear poop.

Image by Brigitte Werner from Pixabay

I didn’t find a match. “My” pile was smaller than those I found online, so I’m not convinced that was the origin. I’m not convinced it was a dog either. Maybe it was a small bear. I’ll have to invest in a trail cam to find out.

Anyway, that’s what I learned this week. How about you? If you want to explore what the other authors learned, follow the links below.

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

Goal update: If you remember, I finished the book a week ago. Now I’m editing. I’ve removed about 500 words!

 

June 15, 2026

Have you learned anything new this week (or recently?) Any topic.

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A Picture Is Worth #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

June 8, 2026

Do you have a favorite site for free photos to use with your writing?

Or do you use paid photos?

When I first started writing blogs, ages ago, one of the first pieces of advice was to include illustrations. Back then, it could be hard for me to find a picture that wasn’t tied up in copyrights. It’s still hard depending on the topic, but not as hard as it used to be.

In forums along the way, I’ve come across several sites with royalty-free photos. I’ve lost track of some of them, and others shut down. That has left me with only two pages bookmarked.

The first is Pexels.com. It offers a mix of photos, drawings, and AI illustrations. It used to have a wide selection of illustrations, but these days it partners with IStock photos and the user needs to be careful about the pictures they choose.

The second is my favorite. Pixabay.com. It’s my go-to. It offers a wide selection of pictures and artists. Yes, users are requested to make a donation to the creator, but it’s not required. And pictures can be downloaded in different sizes, whichever fits the platform being used.

When it comes to covers, my cover artist uses paid photos. We’ve spent hours going through pictures, picking the perfect ones for her to use to create the design. Then she does her magic.

What sites do our authors use? Find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Goal Update! I did it! I have finished the first draft of the Donovan File, The Edwards Investigations. It took longer than I’d expected, but the it’s also longer than I’d plan. It ended up at just over 64,000 words. I’ll likely lose several thousand of those in my first attack at diting.

June 8, 2026

Do you have a favorite site for free photos to use with your writing? Or do you use paid photos?

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter