July, 2026 - P.J. MacLayne

Are You In My Stories? #OpenBook Blog Hop

By admin July 26, 2026 July 26, 2026 Open Book

July 27, 2026

Have you modeled any of your characters on a real person?

How do you disguise them (if needed?)

I’ve been tempted. A few people out there have irritated me to the point of earning my eternal wrath. I won’t mention any names. Or tell you where I lived when the incident happened. Or what the person in question did. It’s fun to make that person a model for a villain.

Of course, I always change the name. And the color of their hair. Or if they have hair or are bald. And if my characters have anything to say about it, their personalities will change, too. (My characters ALWAYS have something to say about it.) They end up being nothing like the people I originally wanted to insult.

I’ve also honored a few people in my writing. A good boss. A coworker who went above and beyond. Someone I admired for whatever reason. I may give their first name to a minor character who helps the protagonist.

But mostly, my characters create themselves. And it may take time for me to figure them out. For example, it took until book 4 of the Harmony Duprie Mysteries to understand why Harmony drove everywhere. That didn’t come from anyone I knew. (No, I’m not going to tell you. You have to read the books to find out.)

So, I mostly don’t base my characters on real people. How about our other authors? Follow the links below to read their responses.

As always, please stay safe until the next time.

July 27, 2026

Have you modeled any of your characters on a real person? How do you disguise them (if needed?)

The Way It Is #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne July 19, 2026 July 19, 2026 Open Book

July 20, 2026

What are you working on right now? (as far as writing goes)

What’s going right? What’s going wrong?

I haven’t done much writing this weekend. Instead, I had a booth at the Waterford Heritage Festival, pushing my books. It wasn’t a great time. On Friday, we were under a cover of smoke from the Canadian fires. Saturday provided us with threats of thunderstorms, hail, and potential tornadoes. Obviously, we closed up early. All my books were returned to their plastic storage containers and stored under my table and several layers of tarp. Good thing, because the high winds and heavy rain broke the frame of my canopy. So, now it’s time to go shopping. (The old canopy was probably close to ten years old, and wearing out, anyway. The part that broke isn’t replaceable.)

As far as writing goes, I am deep in edits for my new book, The Edwards Investigations: The Donovan File. It’s my second or third edit, depending on how you want to count. I pulled 500 words out of a chapter a few days ago. It was the setup for scene that never happened. Maybe a different book in the future. I don’t have a cover or a blurb yet, but they are on the agenda. Here’s a quick excerpt:

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

I’m trading edits with Cornelia Amari, as she works on her own new book. We’ve been trading edits for years now. I don’t want to reveal her premise, but it’s a challenging project.

In the meantime, I’m trying to figure out what my next story will be. One of these days, I need to find the plot for another of the Free Wolves books. I’ve only started and rejected three beginnings. And I need at least one more addition to the Edwards Investigations series.

How about the other authors on this hop? What are you writing? Readers can find out by following the links below.

As always, until next we meet, please stay safe.

July 20, 2026

What are you working on right now? (as far as writing goes) What’s going right? What’s going wrong?

A Tiny Symbol #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne July 12, 2026 July 13, 2026 Open Book

July 13, 2026

Is there a childhood toy or book or item that you wish you still had?

How about two?

The first is a 1964 Kennedy Silver half dollar. For those of you who don’t know, that’s a United States coin that was issued to honor John F. Kennedy, the assassinated president of the US. I don’t remember where I got mine – it may have been gifted to me by a customer at the small diner I waitressed at during high school. Or it may have been a birthday gift. I wasn’t into coin collecting, but I recognized it as something special, and kept it in my desk and not with the rest of my money.

When I left for college, the coin stayed home, tucked away in my desk drawer. Sadly, when I returned home at the end of the semester, the coin was gone. Vanished. Poofed.

Now, I can’t guess which of my younger siblings confiscated it for their own use. Or if they recognized its significance. But I’d like to have it back.

I can’t blame the second item’s disappearance on anyone but myself.

It was a mustard seed necklace, popular back then as a symbol of faith. I believe it was a Christmas gift. Or maybe it was for my confirmation. About the only time I wore it was to go to church. And not every Sunday. (Even back then, I didn’t wear a lot of jewelry.) I don’t know when or how it disappeared. Knowing me, I took it off and laid it where it didn’t belong. And by the time I looked for it again, it had been sucked into a black hole.

The necklace wasn’t valuable; similar ones are still available. But I remember how special I felt receiving and wearing mine. (I may be wearing it in this picture.)

What item from your childhood do you wish you still had? Tell us about it in the comments. And to find out what our authors wish for, follow the links below.

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

FYI – I got looking at the picture of me, and that’s not my mustard seed necklace.

Goal update: I’ve finished the first of my edits and started the second. I’d hoped to have the book ready for release for the Waterford Festival but that’s next weekend, so I won’t make it. I won’t rush the editing process.

July 13, 2026

Is there a childhood toy or book or item that you wish you still had?

Making The World A Better Place #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne July 5, 2026 July 5, 2026 Open Book

July 6, 2026

Here’s a blast from the past – Feb. 2019 to be exact.

What have you done to make the world a better place?

That was 7 years ago. I had to go back to check if I’d even taken part in that hop, and I had. Back then, I’d written about taking part in the first Earth Day and continuing environmental activities ever since. That topic was the first one I planned to use this week until I checked the old files. Naturally, I feel compelled to pick a different topic.

Some of you may know that I’m working part time at a local convenience store. Luckily, most customers are wonderful to work with. Yes, we have our share of shoplifters, but they are discreet. And polite. And our senior population (which feels weird to write, since I’m older than some of them.) And our younger kids, who are counting out change to buy their candy bars and soda.

Sometimes, a customer comes up short of money to pay for their purchase. Maybe their card isn’t working. Or they miscalculated the total including tax. They’ll dig through the items to choose one to leave behind. Or run out to their vehicles to look for cash. I feel bad for them, but I can’t fix every one.

But I can help a few.

I’ve taken to carrying a small amount of change with me. If a customer is short, I’ll dig into my pocket and pull out a nickel or dime. It inevitably brings a smile to their faces. That’s all the reward I need. I’ll take their thanks, and tell them to pass it on.

The gesture is nothing big, certainly not world-changing. It’s about as important as picking up one piece of litter from beside the road. But it’s something I can do without thinking twice.

How have the others in this hop changed the world, or a part of it? Find out by following the links below.

As always, please stay safe until next time.

Goal Update: I’m working on editing Chapter 22. It needed more than simple spellcheck; I’m redoing several scenes.

July 6, 2026

Here’s a blast from the past – Feb. 2019 to be exact.

Month: July 2026

Are You In My Stories? #OpenBook Blog Hop

Have you modeled any of your characters on a real person?

How do you disguise them (if needed?)

The Way It Is #OpenBook Blog Hop

What are you working on right now? (as far as writing goes)

What’s going right? What’s going wrong?

A Tiny Symbol #OpenBook Blog Hop

Is there a childhood toy or book or item that you wish you still had?

How about two?

I can’t blame the second item’s disappearance on anyone but myself.

Making The World A Better Place #OpenBook Blog Hop

Here’s a blast from the past – Feb. 2019 to be exact.

What have you done to make the world a better place?

But I can help a few.

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