Tag: #OpenBook

Living and Loving the Dream #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

December 7, 2020

If you had unlimited money to start and maintain a business, what would it be?

Nobody says the business has to be conventionally successful, correct? Because I have all the money to maintain it? Including a salary for me?

Then this question is too easy. I want a combination bookstore (new and used)  and needlepoint supplies business. The best of my addictions in one spot.

I loved when I used to shop for needlepoint yarn at this  shop that had drawer after drawer of yarn in various colors and textures. Then there was more draped from hooks on the walls. How much fun could I have recreating that feeling and sharing it with others?

And the books? I could open up the shop to the many authors I’ve met. Not only the locals or the big names, but everyone like me who is struggling to find a place in the literary community. I propose readings once a week, with a small donation requested to help cover the cost of refreshments. Maybe I could mix the middle list and big name authors with the lesser known ones. Two authors at each reading. The readers would get a favorite and a new favorite.

The shelves would also have lots of books on the art of needlepoint, along with patterns for my crafters. Big, soft chairs for the readers to enjoy as they browsed through books.  I’d love to have some shop cats, too, but that might be a problem with all the yarn. 

What else? Music playing in the background and a few CDs for sale. Native American, Celtic folk songs, local musicians, whatever struck my fancy. And I’d be open to my customers suggesting new styles to add to the mix.

I’d better not forget a small play area for the kiddos, so mamas can have a little extra time to browse books.

I think that will do it! Got any suggestions to add to my shop? I’m open to ideas! And tell me about your dream business in the comments. I’m waiting!

Don’t forget to check out the other authors on this hop by following the links below,

And, until next time, please be safe!

December 7, 2020

If you had unlimited money to start and maintain a business, what would it be?

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

 

Writing in the Time of Covid #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

November 16, 2020

Has the pandemic affected your writing? If so, how? Have your writing habits changed in reaction to the ‘different’ world we are faced with?

I started working from home way long ago (back in March, but it seems like forever).  My first thought was it would be ‘interesting,’ but was happy to think of all the extra time I’d get to write because I didn’t have to travel back and forth to work. All I had to do was walk downstairs to my computer.

At first, it was true. Sure, I missed the face-to face-interactions with my coworkers, but we got our work done, despite all the extra things thrown our way.  What I didn’t count on was the pandemic lasting this long.

But here we are, nine months later, with things getting worse and no end in sight. Although I’m still writing, I’m finding myself become more reflective about the words I’m putting on paper. That might be because I’m working on the last book in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries and I want to make it the best of the series. Or maybe because I don’t foresee having the opportunity to participate in book signings, so I’m not in a rush to meet a deadline.

And I’ve given myself the month of November to ‘play.’ If you’ve never heard of it, November is NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month. The idea is to try to write 50,00 words in one month. It’s tougher than you might think, especially for someone with a full-time job. I’m writing a story from Jake’s point of view (Jake in the anti-hero in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries) and he’s full of surprises. I don’t foresee there being a market for the story, but I’m writing it anyway.

The biggest difference I see in myself is that I’m finding it harder to keep my focus, in my writing, in my work, and in my personal life. And  I miss interacting with potential readers at events. I should have been in Estes Park last weekend, at the Deadly Realities book show. And next weekend, I should have been at the Steampunk event in Loveland. Hey y’all, how are you?

What does all this mean for me when we get to the other side of this crisis? I don’t know. I hate making predictions. No promises, but I should have a new book ready for you.

And because I’m having fun with it, here’s a totally unedited snippet from Jake’s story, with an early interaction between him and Harmony. Please excuse any and all typos and mistakes.

“Can I at least get a goodnight kiss?”
He hoped she’d step off that final stair so they’d be on solid ground, but she stayed where she was. Instead, she took his face between her hands and stared into his eyes. At the moment when he couldn’t take it anymore and was ready to pull her into his arms, she brought her mouth down to meet his. It was a soft kiss, lips only, but it set his senses on fire. Her flowery scent enveloped him, the softness of her hands soothed him, the sweetness of her lips made him hungry for more. He wasn’t ready for the moment when she pulled away. 
“Good night, Jake,” she said as she turned and ran up the stairs. 

Any other woman he would have followed, but not her, Jake thought, as he swirled his bottom-shelf whiskey in the chipped glass.

Let’s find out how everyone else is doing by following the links below.

And, until next time, stay safe!

November 16, 2020

Has the pandemic affected your writing? If so, how? Have your writing habits changed in reaction to the ‘different’ world we are faced with?

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 Eyes Have It #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

November 9, 2020

What would be the hardest thing for you to give up?

It’s one of my deepest fears. That someday I’ll go blind. Oh, I know that I’d be able to “read” books on audio, and even train myself to “write” using one of the dictation programs out there, but they wouldn’t make up for the loss of sight.

I can’t imagine never seeing another snowfall glittering among the pine trees. Or watching my grandchildren grow, even if it is by internet calls in these days of distancing. It would be hard to be unable to create another needlepoint piece or even sew a button back on a shirt.

Image by Helmut Strasil from Pixabay

It hurts to wonder what it would be like to never gaze upon the glory of the mountains or experience the joy of stumbling upon a field of mountain wildflowers. To feel the warmth of sunshine on my skin but never see the light. To live in darkness.

I can’t imagine the sadness of lying by my husband, to feel him, to touch him, to smell him, but not to see him.

The hardest thing for me to give up? My eyes.

To find out what our other authors don’t want to give up, follow the links below.

Until next time, stay safe.

November 9, 2020

What would be the hardest thing for you to give up?

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

 

Let It Snow! Fires and Halloween #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

October 26, 2020

Halloween/Fall is coming, do you celebrate? What does that look like? Is it different this year? 

My answer for this week’s prompt has changed today from what it would have been yesterday. You see, after a glorious but short fall, winter is already here.

Growing up in Pennsylvania, a light snowfall before Halloween was part of the tradition. Our costumes would allow us to wear light jackets or sweaters when we made the rounds through the neighborhood. Ghosts were a popular choice. 

As an adult, the years I spent in Oregon and Florida were different. Costumes were more elaborate and kids and parents put more effort into them, (Or spent more money on them!) and I loved handing out treats and taking our children to collect theirs. The biggest worry was was the rain. Luckily, umbrellas are a thing.

Here in Wyoming, the weather is a guessing game.  After warm temperatures earlier this week, we’re in the middle of a winter storm, with 10 inches of snow predicted. I think we’ve received closer to a foot, (the drifts make it hard to tell) and it’s supposed to snow for a few more hours. I shoveled out the driveway this morning to take my son to work, but by later afternoon, it had already filled back in.

I’m not complaining about the snow. We have several major forest fires in the area, and the snow will help get them under control. The fires have shut down Rocky Mountain National Park, required evacuations, and many people have lost their homes. If you haven’t heard of them, check out the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome Fires. I mentioned a few weeks ago about some of my favorite parts of the world burning, and it’s only gotten worse.

Back to Halloween. The hubby and I were discussing whether to participate this year. (The city hasn’t shut it down.) But the numbers of people infected with the virus-that-shall-not-be-named is skyrocketing locally, and we never got that many kids anyway. 

So, sadly, this year we are skipping Halloween. Oh, I’ll keep a bag of candy handy in case some brave kids stop by, but I suspect we’ll end up eating most of it. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. Maybe by next year, things will settle down and we can enjoy the holiday again.

How about you? How are you handling Halloween this year? You’re welcome to share in the comments. I’ll be waiting for you! In the meantime, you can also check out what our other authors are doing by following the links below.

Until next time, stay safe.

October 26, 2020

Halloween/Fall is coming, do you celebrate? What does that look like? Is it different this year?

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

 

 

Creating a Series Book Bible #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

October 5, 2020

When writing a sequel or series with the same characters, do you ever have to refer back to your first book because you forgot what you wrote about a certain character?

When I started writing The Marquesa’s Necklace, I didn’t expect for the book to turn into a series. Even halfway through the first draft, when I had an inkling there might be a second book, I didn’t expect to ever need to refer back to the first book. When Harmony convinced me to write a series, I had no idea what I was in for.

The second book, Her Ladyship’s Ring, wasn’t bad. Sure, I had to go back and verify descriptions here and there, but the first book was still fresh on my mind, so it wasn’t a lot of extra work.

But the third book in the series, The Baron’s Cufflinks, was interrupted by a story in the Free Wolves series. Tasha, from Wolves Pawn, demanded I write her story. Immediately. So, I did. And by the time I got back to Cufflinks, I’d lost track of details, and I had to refer back to books 1 and 2 on a regular basis. Things got complicated.

By the time I hit the fourth book in the Harmony Duprie series, I wished I had a book bible – a list of characters, descriptions, which books they were in,  whether they were good or bad. It was getting harder to keep track of names I’d used for minor characters. (I didn’t want to repeat them.) I started a list, but it wasn’t comprehensive. I added some to it working on The Samurai’s Inro, book 5, but it still wasn’t complete.

And here I am on book 6, The Ranger’s Dogtags. I thought it would be easier because I took Harmony out of Oak Grove and away from most of the continuing characters. But in typical Harmony fashion, things didn’t go as expected, and a character I thought I was done with from book 1 showed up.  And yes, I had to go back and look up the name and description.  You’ll have to wait to find out who.

But this is the last book in the Harmony Mysteries, (Well, for now) so I haven’t worked on the spreadsheet.  But, lesson learned. When I start my next story, I’ll keep track of characters as they come along.

Now, let’s find out what the other authors on this loop have to tell us. Just follow the links below.

Until next time, stay safe!

October 5, 2020

When writing a sequel or series with the same characters, do you ever have to refer back to your first book because you forgot what you wrote about a certain character?

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

 

A Tribute to Scenery Lost #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

September 28, 2020

Show us a photo (Or photos) you took that you’re most proud of. Tell us about it (them).

It’s been a bad year for forest fires all over the world. There are a couple burning in my neck of the woods right now. I can’t get to where some of these pictures were taken because the roads are closed. So, I’m using this week’s prompt as a tribute to those places.

 

This was taken at a small lake near Walden, CO several years ago. I believe it’s not in the way of any of the current fires. There was a fire nearby a couple of years ago, but it didn’t reach this spot. Anyway, I love how the mountains reflect in the lake.

This one was taken on the way to Red Feather, CO. I’m pretty sure those mountains in the back are part of the territory covered by one of the active fires. The wind was blowing snow off the mountains the day I took the picture.

 

If I was standing here now, one of the fires would be behind me. There was a mist hanging in the air that day. This is at an elevation of almost 10,000 feet.

 

I’ve added these two photos not because they’re all that great, but to give you an idea of what makes fighting these fires so hard. See all the deadwood on the left? That was caused by pine bark beetles. Little bugs that burrow under the bark and kill trees. They are mostly gone now (the bugs), but the trees they destroyed are what fuels these fires. The one of the right gives you an idea of the miles and miles of forest where the fires are burning with nothing to stop them.

 

One more picture because I want to leave you with an image of beauty. Why I chose to live where I do.

Now I’m off to see what pictures everyone else has posted. You can to, by following the links below.  Until next time, stay safe!

September 28, 2020

Show us a photo (Or photos) you took that you’re most proud of. Tell us about it (them).

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

 

Creating Business Goals for Writing #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

September 21, 2020

Do you set business goals as a writer? What are they for the How to write 4th quarter, and have you started planning 2021?

I learned all about the fine art of setting goals years ago.  How to write them in such a way they looked good for the bosses and yet meant the raises they promised were in the bag. About stretch goals versus SMART goals versus whatever  the powers that be decided to use that year.

I understood the process. And I’ve never bought into it. 

I know it’s supposed to be motivation. It didn’t work for me. What it felt like was a tool for bad managers who didn’t know how hard their employees worked. Or lazy ones who didn’t try to find out.

Oh, not all of them. There are exceptions. My current boss being one of them.

But we’re here to talk about writing. And I set goals for my writing the same way I plot out my books. I don’t.

Here’s the deal. Life has thrown me under the bus too darned many times. I choose to no longer live with the guilt of not meeting some artificial goal. I just do the best I can every day. Sometimes that means I write 1500 words in a day. Some days it means I only write 200.

That doesn’t mean I don’t have general goals. I wanted to get the first draft of The Ranger’s Dogtags done two months ago. I finished it last week and finished typing it today. And I don’t feel any guilt. The book turned out to be 20,000 words longer than any of my previous stories. Those extra words deserved the extra time they needed to come to life.

My next general goal is to get through a couple of rounds of editing. i haven’t set a target date for publication yet. Life could get interesting in the next few months, and I don’t want to rush things. I want to give this book the attention it deserves.

And that’s my goal. To make each book as good as possible and just keep writing. It’s not SMART but I don’t care.

But that’s just me. I’m sure we’re going to get a variety of opinions from the other writers on this hop. Follow the links below to find out.

Until next time, stay safe!

September 21, 2020

Do you set business goals as a writer? What are they for the 4th quarter, and have you started planning 2021?

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

 

Falling In Love with My Own Writing #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

September 14, 2020

Tell us what you love the most about your work in progress.

I wrote The End today (Sunday). It felt really good to finish this first draft of The Ranger’s Dogtags.

I started way back in March and I didn’t expect it to take this long. I also didn’t anticipate that the story would be as many words as it is. I’ve been writing it by hand, and I’m guessing it has ended up in the 90,000 word range. That’s about 20,000 words more than any of the other books in The Harmony Duprie stories.

It’s the last book in the series. What do I love about it the most? 

I love how elements from other books in the series became part of this story. Things I hadn’t planned on including reached out and said “use me.” I can’t give you major examples because they would be spoilers. But if you’ve read the series, you know Harmony hates the idea of shooting at center mass.  That plays into the climatic scene. And here’s a quick (unedited) snippet of another reference.

Once upon a time and far away, we practiced yelling in the self-defense course. I drew on that memory now. Filled my lungs. And screamed.

My shout echoed in the night. His throw faltered. The light arched through the darkness. Bounced against the house. Landed in the juniper bushes that lined the front. He bolted towards the neighbor’s yard and beyond.

I had two choices. Chase after the arsonist. Put out the fire. The bushes were expendable.


Do you recognize the reference? 

And I love how Harmony adapted and changed after I took her out of her familiar surroundings and still managed to retain her character. I was worried about it.

Oh, and I got to kill off a character that’s been in the entire series. I didn’t plan on it, but it turned out to be the right thing to do. No hints. Just don’t hate me.

What don’t I like? I’m worried that I have too many characters and that \readers will get lost. I haven’t figured out who I can cut yet. Too many last names begin with the letter ‘s.’ That’s an easy fix. I need to make the villain more villainous. That should be fun.

Normally editing comes next. Not for this book. Since I wrote it by hand, I still have several paper tablets that I have to transcribe. I’d like to get them off my desk. Once that’s done, I’ll probably take a couple of weeks off to catch up on reading. I have let too many books pile up. Chances are I won’t have it edited before next year. There’s a lot of tweaks I’m already planning.

I wonder how the rest of our authors are doing. You can find out by following the links below.

Until next time, stay safe!

September 14, 2020

Tell us what you love the most about your work in progress.

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

To Write Or Not To Write: Finding The Joy #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

September 7, 2020

Even if you knew you would never sell another book, would you keep writing?

I’ve asked myself that question more than a few times. I’ll look at a particularly bad month of sales and ask myself why I’m putting myself through the agony. Then I offset my bad mood by reading a good review and get my emotions back in balance.

When I first started writing poetry, back in the Dark Ages, I knew nothing about publishing. I wrote for the joy of stringing words together into a thing of beauty. That joy was only slightly dampened by the work that went into reaching out to magazine editors to try to get published. 

I had to relearn publishing when I started writing fiction. I’m still learning. And I’m not very good at it. Perhaps that’s why the sales of my books are so close to non-existent.

But someone has described writing as a hunger. I’m hungry to get these stories out of my head, into book form, and share them. I can’t force anyone to buy them. But if I don’t put them out there, no one can take a look and decide to give one of them a chance.

The “experts” say that if one book flops write another one. And another one. Write a series. I’m up to eight books now and two series and I still haven’t “found” my audience. Or they haven’t found me.

 I haven’t given up. I’m almost done writing the first draft of my ninth book now. With lesser expectations than the last eight. It’ll need a lot of cleaning up, but the story line is good, and it’s a great way to wrap up the series. Will it sell? I don’t know. Will I publish it? Yes.

 I already have another series in my head. No, I lie. I have four possible series in my head. Make that five, now that I think about it.

So, would I stop writing if I knew I’d never sell another book? Not likely. I’m more worried about running out of time than I am running out of ideas. Even if no one ever buys another of my books, I get a great sense of personal satisfaction out of writing them. And joy. 

Image by inno kurnia from Pixabay

 

I’m curious as to what the other authors on this hop feel about this. You can find out by following the links below.

Until next time, stay safe.

September 7, 2020

Even if you knew you would never sell another book, would you keep writing?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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.

 

Writing the Ridiculous #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

Aug 31, 2020

Does anyone write stream of consciousness or capers anymore, or has the Hollywood hero’s journey ruined that?

I admit it. I had to look it up. What capers meant in a literary sense. I had an idea, but I’ve never studied the form and wanted to make sure. What I found was “an activity or escapade, typically one that is illicit or ridiculous.” In a literary sense, “The caper story is distinguished from the straight crime story by elements of humor, adventure, or unusual cleverness or audacity.” They usually focus on the bad guys. Think Oceans Eleven or The Sting. 

But then I got thinking about a few of the ‘interesting ‘ situations Harmony has gotten herself into. Of course, they are all on the side of good. 

I giggled as Lando adjusted the support stockings. They hid the thick bandages he had wrapped each leg with to make them appear fatter. “Luckily it’s getting chilly outside,” he said, handing me a heavy sweater. “The more layers of clothing you wear the less you resemble yourself.”

With the foam form strapped around my belly, I thought I had plenty of padding already. It was designed to give a man the concept of the extra weight women carry when they are pregnant, but mostly it made me look fat. The over-sized dress with the huge Hawaiian flower pattern exaggerated the effect. Under all the foam and extra layers of clothing, it wouldn’t be long before I started to sweat.

The gray wig was a nice touch too. It was hard getting all my hair to stay under it, and thank heavens the curly hair hid the lump my bun made. Lando worried the makeup he had applied didn’t fill my face out enough, but he did the best job possible with his limited supplies. He hoped the huge glasses he’d found would help. The plain thick glass meant I still needed my contacts. The ugly white nurse’s shoes were a size too big, but with the thick socks they fit just about right.

A cane was the last accessory. To put any weight on it, I had to lean forward. He stood back, nodding and admiring his work. “Well, I think that’s it, Aunt Martha,” he said grinning.

I smiled back and pointed the end of the cane at him. “That’s enough out of you, sonny.”

He got thoughtful. “I almost forgot!” He dug into one of the bags. “Teeth!” he said. They were some of those fake ones that slip on over real teeth. I put them in and ran my tongue over them. I wouldn’t be able to eat corn on the cob, but an ice cream sundae would a possibility. “Try talking now,” he said.

I tried but it wasn’t easy. It reminded me of when I lost both front teeth at the same time as a little girl. “It’ll take some practice,” Lando told me. “But in the meantime you don’t sound like you and that’s a good thing.” He crooked an arm. “Shall we go show Eli?”

Walking slightly bent over was harder than I anticipated so I appreciated the arm he offered for extra support. I shuffled more than walked to the far room.

“Aunt Martha, meet my friends Eli and Scotty. Guys, this is Aunt Martha.”

From The Marquesa’s Necklace

All of that to go out for supper. And to take a walk in the park. Visit the Post Office. Innocent, right? But when I think about it, they all share one or more elements of humor, adventure, or unusual cleverness or audacity

I don’t claim I can write an entire story as a caper. I pull off a scene here and there for the fun of it. Harmony likes going in undercover to places she shouldn’t be. Lando didn’t know what he started when he taught her how to use theatrical makeup. 

But then there’s Harmony’s ex-boyfriend, Jake. Jake won’t reveal his secrets to me. Maybe because I take him too seriously. His alleged history as a gentleman jewel thief would be the perfect setup for a caper. He has the right mix of irreverence and seriousness, and the ability to charm himself out of almost any situation. I’ll have to think about it.

And there are a few capers out there. One I read recently was Hook Dead to Rights by Melissa Snark. It may not be a caper in the traditional sense of the genre, but it comes close.

On the stream-of-consciousness part of this question. I do. Write that way. Frequently. And I’m betting there’s a few others on this loop that do as well. (Richard and Lela, I’m looking at you.) Let’s see who owns up to it by following the links below.

Until next time, stay safe!

Aug 31, 2020

Does anyone write stream of consciousness or capers anymore, or has the Hollywood hero’s journey ruined that?

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