P.J. MacLayne

March 4, 2019

How do you recharge?


Anyone who has hung around with me on here for awhile already knows the answer to that question. I head to the mountains. Maybe i take a familiar road and stop at a different turnout, or maybe a take a side road I’ve never been on before. Either way, I’m always on the lookout for some fresh beauty.


I’ve posted many of these pictures here before, and some are fresh. I hope you enjoy them.

Near Estes  Park

Wild Flowers in the Snowy Mountains

There was a whole field of these wild flowers

Lake Cowdrey

Elk in a farmer’s field

Chambers Lake

Moose in the woods. These are big fellows!

And one more. An oldie, from when we lived near the land of the redwoods. It’s hard to do justice to a redwood tree.

And that’s how I recharge. Thank heavens for digital cameras, because I’d go broke if I had to take rolls of film to the drugstore to have them developed.

Now let’s find out what the other authors do!

March 4, 2019

How do you recharge?

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IWSG Day Question: Whose perspective do you like to write from best, the hero (protagonist) or the villain (antagonist)? And why?


The awesome co-hosts for the March 6 posting of the IWSG are Fundy Blue, Beverly Stowe McClure, Erika Beebe, and Lisa Buie-Collard!

I’d love to be able to write from my villian’s perspective, but he won’t let me!

Let me explain that statement. I’m currently working on a prequel to my Harmony Duprie Mysteries, and I’m trying to write the story of how Jake, my anti-hero, meets Harmony. I wanted to write it from Jake’s point of view. 

It didn’t work. I’ve tried four or five times to start the story, but never got past about 500 words. I tried different starting points, I tried a different opening scene, nothing worked.

But I finally figured it out. Jake has too many secrets he doesn’t want revealed. If I wrote the story from his side, those secrets might be slip out. So, he was blocking me, and I’ve restarted the story from Harmony’s perspective. It’s coming aong well, but slowly, thank you.

When I think about it, It’s true for all my books. I can think of only one instance out of the seven books I’ve written where I slipped (temporarily) into the mind of the bad guy.

So Jake’s secrets are still safe. Even I don’t know what they all are. He won’t tell me!


But the new covers for the Harmony Duprie Mysteries aren’t a secret. Have you seen them? Here’s the new cover for the first book, The Marquesa’s Necklace.

See that link over there —> that says My Books? Click on it and you can find out where to buy my books.

Feb 25, 2019

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




Does anyone remember the first Earth Day? Way back in 1970 when about 22 million people believed they could do something to make the world a better place.


I was part of the 22 million. The school I was attending organized events for the day, with most regular classes cancelled. Many of us already took buses to school, but, that day, some rode bicycles, carpooled. someone even rode a horse to school.(And this wasn’t in Wyoming!)

Most of the days activities were scientific based, on topics such as eco-systems  and other earth science topics. But we also went out and picked up trash from the neighborhoods around the school.


As a Girl Scout, I was also involved in environmental activities. The troop I was a part of was outdoor-oriented. We did a lot of camping, and as part of that, we did a lot to improve the areas we visited.


Litter still drives me crazy. After buying our Jeep, one of the first things I did was put a box of garbage bags and work gloves under the back seat. That way, when we are out exploring, I can pick up trash other people have left behind. Sure, it still ends up in a dump, but at least it isn’t as much of a hazard to wildlife or an eyesore.

Even when I go for walks in the neighborhood, I’ve been known to pick up plastic cups and haul them home to dispose of. I might even have been spotted chasing down and empty bag blowing through the Walmart parking lot so I can put it in the trash. And I always think- if everyone would pick up one or two pieces of litter on a regular basis, it wouldn’t be the problem it is today. As John Denver sand “Celebrate Earth Day, every day.”

So that’s my little contribution to making the world a better place. What’s yours? 

Feb 25, 2019

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

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Feb 18, 2019

What was your best drop the mic moment?

I had someone ask what a drop the mic moment is. According to the Urban Dictionary, it’s “A phrase describing the action performed after getting the better of someone, or calling someone out so hard that you just walk away indisputably victorious.”


This feels like an opportunity to do a little bragging!


Now, I’m normally a quiet, reserved kind of person. But I work with a great bunch of guys who appreciate the finer points of sarcasm. And every now and then, I come up with a great retort that causes them to stop , shake their heads, and then laugh, because it’s so unexpected. Can I tell you what any of those lines were? Not a shot. I don’t remember the words, only the feeling of satisfaction.

So, instead, let’s take a trip on the wayback machine to the year I was taking a speech class for a college degree. I was a fully functioning adult with a full time job at the time, and took the class because I figured it would be easy. After all, I’d faced down any fears of public speaking in several of the jobs I’d held. Not so for most of the college kids in the class, so I tried to set a good example.

From my point of view, the class was easy but many of my classmates struggles, even though we had a good teacher. AT the end of the semester, we had to do a 3 minute of longer reading. It didn’t need to be anything we created ourselves, and I chose to present one of Allen Ginsberg’s poems. 

We didn’t read in any particular order, and I held back until everyone who wanted to present had finished. After each speaker, there was a round of polite applause. I’d practiced the poem until I had it memorized, and held the book it came from more for comfort than from need. And I wowed the class with my presentation. When I finished, there was a long moment of silence and then the class rose in a standing ovation.


And that was my Drop the Mic moment. Let’s hop over and see what the other authors are sharing.

Feb 18, 2019

What was your best drop the mic moment?

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February 11, 2019


Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and your pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?


I don’t have any pets right now. Can I save two things? No? Okay, whatever.


I didn’t have to think about this one too hard. There’s a ton of things I’d like to save, but I can’t save everything. My needlepoint, the proof copies of my books, the rocking chair my mother gave me when I was pregnant with my daughter. None of those can be replaced and I’d mourn their loss but I can save only one item.


How about the binders of my poetry? I’ve never transcribed the majority of my work to digital format. I’d hate to lose those. (Note to self- add that to my to-do list!) But the notebooks aren’t what I’d save.


And I can’t take my computer. Remember, I only can snatch one item. In order to take my PC, I’d have to crawl on the floor and detach a bunch of cables. No time for that. 


But what I can grab is my backup drive. It’ll only take a second or two. And yes, I can hear you thinking, that’s an interesting choice, but why? Is it because you’ve saved your books on it?


Good guess, and a nice bonus, but wrong. The real reason is because of all the pictures saved to it. We’re talking old family pictures. Pictures of my parents’ families. pictures of my husband’s parents. Then there are all the pictures of the kids growing up- pictures I spent hours scanning from printed copies. Pictures taken before the invention of digital cameras, when film was used to capture memories. We have boxes of those, and in case of a fire, I’d never be able to save all the paper copies. But I’ve scanned many of them, and they reside on the backup drive.


Add in copies of all the pictures we’ve taken since we bought out first digital camera— it took pictures onto floppy disks!—and you get an idea of how much history ‘lives’ on that hard drive. For example, here’s a picture of my grandfather from WWI.

The pictures aren’t replaceable. And that’s why I’d grab the backup hard drive.


What would you take? You can tell me in the comments. In the meantime, I’m going to hop on over and check out what everyone else would save.

February 11, 2019

Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and your pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?

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It’s the first Wednesday of the month again, and time for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Today’s Question: Besides writing, what other creative outlets do you have?

Thanks to our Co-Hosts:  Raimey Gallant, Natalie Aguirre, CV Grehan, and Michelle Wallace!

Most of my spare time these days is taken up by some aspect of my writing- whether it’s actual writing, or publicity, or tending to social pages to get my name out there. But I have one other creative outlet that I’ve shared on here before- needlepoint and types of yarn art..

I think the reason I enjoy it is because there’s an almost mathematical precision to it that results in beautiful designs. It’s relaxing and exciting at the same time to watch yarn become art.

I did a blog post on this a couple of years ago, so a few of you may recognize some of my work.The pictures below may not be my original designs, but they are results of my hard work.

So that’s some of what I do besides write.

To find out what other authors do beside write, check out the other links

February 4, 2019

If you could make one change in the world, what would it be?

Is world peace too much to ask for? Unfortunately, I think it is. It’s overwhelming to consider all the pieces and parts that it would take to make that happen 

So, I’m going to go for something not so out of reach but still lofty. I’d like to see everyone in the world have enough to eat.

Experts say it’s possible. It would take changes in what we eat and how we eat. Just the twenty-five percent of food that gets wasted between farm and.consumption could go a long way to filling the gap. Just think about the food that gets thrown out by supermarkets because it isn’t perfect. How about everything that doesn’t get eaten at restaurants because the serving sizes are so large?

The trick is getting the otherwise wasted food to the people who need it. The infrastructure to make it happen doesn’t exist. Of course, there are also government regulations and competing interests that get in the way.

Then there’s the debate about land that could be used to grow food being used to grow crops to make fuel. And another debate about our insistence of eating tons of beef and the effort and land that goes into growing crops to support that habit. And that leads to the debate about how much of the world’s food problems could be solved if we all ate healthier.


I’m not wise enough or powerful enough to solve all those issues. But if I could change just one thing in this world, I’d wave my magic wand and make sure no one was going hungry, and that the food they had was good quality.

Now let’s hear from you. If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

February 4, 2019

If you could make one change in the world, what would it be?

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January 28, 2019

Are humans better at creating or destroying?

In nature, destruction and creation are part of a never-ending cycle. A forest fire helps ensure the health of a new forest. A dead flower contains the seeds for new plants. A volcano destroys existing land to build more. A wolf will take down its prey to feed its cubs.

But humans are different. We have the ability to destroy for the sake of destruction and we use it. We’ve given the world the atomic bomb and the holocaust. The responsibility for the disappearance of hundreds of species- the dodo bird, the California grizzle bear, the passenger pigeon and hundreds of others- rest on humans. Of course, there’s the current ongoing debate about global warning and its potential effect on human civilization.

On the flip side, humans are capable of creating things of great beauty. Powerful music that stirs our emotions. Books that make us laugh or cry, or both. Lovely paintings and other artwork that touch our souls.

So which are humans better at?  Destruction can be easy, thoughtless, and swift. Being creative takes thought and effort. It can take months for a musician to write a song, years for an author to write a book, a lifetime for an artist to create a masterpiece. 

So I’m on the side that humans are better creators. It’s harder, but worth the effort. Now let’s see what the other authors have to say.


January 28, 2019

Are humans better at creating or destroying?

Rules:
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