#HarmonyDuprie - P.J. MacLayne

Lando’s Top Ten Bucket List #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne June 13, 2021 June 13, 2021 Open Book

June 14, 2021

Write a top 10 list in the voice of a character. Is your character a person making a bucket list? How about someone listing their greatest fears? What does the list they make say about the character?

I knew this one was going to be tough from the moment I posted it. Most of my major characters live for the moment and don’t make bucket lists, so I decided I’d do it from the voice of one of my secondary characters. Folks, meet Lando Soldati.

Lando is a tall, lanky programmer at Shifter Technologies, and one of the first employees hired by Eli Hennessey. He’s smart but doesn’t take life seriously, which makes him the perfect sidekick for Eli., who has a habit of overthinking things. Lando changes his hair color regularly, and his favorite accessory is a bright red mohawk hairpiece.

Now for his bucket list, in his words and in no particular order:

Win a prize at the San Diego Comic Con. I need to come up with something besides one of the Avengers because there’s so much competition. Maybe Warpath? Or Dr. Who?
Write a program that Eli can’t find any flaws in. No matter how good I think am, he always finds a way to make my coding better. One day, I’d like to match his skill.
Buy a house. Living in an apartment has its advantages – I don’t have to worry about maintenance – but I’d like to have a place where I don’t have to listen to the neighbor’s baby crying at 3 in the morning.
Travel to both the North and South Poles. Weird, but blame it on Mrs. Pascarella and learning about Roald Amundsen in fourth grade.
Find a woman who will put up with me. I never thought much about it until I saw Eli and Harmony together. I’d like to have that kind of relationship with someone.
Design a game. Not necessarily to sell, just to say I did it. Bragging rights. I love to play them, so why not create one?
Convince Harmony to go to a Comic Con with me. She’d make a great Spitfire.
Visit the Oregon Coast. The one time I was there, I was too busy working to enjoy it, and barely got to see the redwoods in Northern California. I’d like to drive the entire coastal highway.
While I’m at it, I should take a trip to Silicon Valley and soak up the techy atmosphere. Not that I’d want to live there, but it would be fun to visit. I wonder how much time off I can talk Eli into letting me take?
I can win any cops and robbers computer game that’s made. I spend all day writing code for police departments but I’ve never got to hang out with actual cops. Some day, I’d like to do a ride-along with police officers in real life and see them in action.

And that’s Lando for you. Sweet guy who hasn’t got life figured out yet, but is working on it. I’ve tried giving him his own love interest a time or two, but it’s never worked out.

Don’t forget to check out the lists from the other authors on the hop. You can find them by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe!

June 14, 2021

Write a top 10 list in the voice of a character. Is your character a person making a bucket list? How about someone listing their greatest fears? What does the list they make say about the 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 Want To Sell Me What? #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne June 6, 2021 June 6, 2021 Open Book

June 7, 2021

What commercial do you hate? What commercial is your favorite? (YouTube link us if possible) Have you ever gotten an idea for a story from a commercial?

DISCLAIMER: This is another post in the “Why did P.J. pick this topic?” category, because I don’t watch TV. One reason is because I HATE commercials. What I love to do is pick them apart, point out all the weak spots and generalizations, and ruin my husband’s TV watching experience. I have learned to ignore them even if I am sitting in the same room. I used that in my Harmony Duprie Mysteries. Harmony doesn’t watch TV either, except for the weather and the occasional documentary.

That doesn’t mean I’m not exposed to commercials. Yes, I see them from the corner of my eye even if I don’t pay attention to what they are selling. And hate is a strong word, but there are some that I strongly dislike. Sorry, Flo with Progressive Insurance, I’m side-eyeing you.

I get it. The commercials are supposed to be humorous. But they don’t make me laugh, and Flo’s ‘personality’ grates on my nerves. I’m amazed the advertising company keeps using the same setup, but it must reach the audience they want. I’d think lots of people would be tired of it, but I’m no marketing guru.

That’s part of my issue – how frequently a commercial is aired. Show it me me one time and I may be mildly amused. Play it five times in the same day and I’m over it. Done. Don’t want to see it again. I wasn’t going to buy the product anyway.

Are there any commercials I enjoy? Hmm. The only ones I can think of I caught on YouTube, and I’m not sure they’re being played on TV. They are from Realtor.com, and feature a series of monsters looking for new homes- and what happens when they find one. I’ve seen four different versions, and I like the vampire one the best. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5UPI8x70ag

The question about having been inspired by a commercial? I’m not touching that one with a ten-foot pole. I think you know the answer.

I’m sure there are creative commercials out there, so I wonder what the other authors will come up with. Let’s find out by following the links below.

And, until next time, please stay safe.

June 7, 2021

What commercial do you hate? What commercial is your favorite? (YouTube link us if possible) Have you ever gotten an idea for a story from a commercial?

And The Secret Is: #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne May 30, 2021 May 30, 2021 Open Book

May 31, 2021

Plot twists…do you have a favorite you can talk about (yours or someone else’s?)

Can a character be a plot twist? Because Jake, from the Harmony Duprie Mysteries, is not what I planned for him to be.

I first imagined him as a ‘throwaway’ character. He’d get a mention or two, and that was it. His role was to be a bad memory for Harmony, and that’s it. Well, those of you who have read the series know that isn’t the way things turned out. He basically took over Book 2, Her Ladyship’s Ring.

I tried to get rid of him in Book 3, The Baron’s Cufflinks. I sent him out of town to a job in Chicago. Or so I thought. But I was wrong. He showed up at a ratty little bar in West Virginia, the last place Harmony (or I) expected, and became a pivotal part of the book’s ending.

Tired of fighting with him, I gave him a key role in The Contessa’s Brooch, Book 4, and allowed him to play hero. Shoot, I even let him kiss Harmony. He didn’t mind at all.

Maybe that’s why he cooperated when I sent him out of town in The Samurai’s Inro, Book 5, and he stayed gone. Well, mostly. He came back for a quick cameo and that was it. Frankly, I was tired of him taking over the spotlight.

Then came the last book in the series, The Ranger’s Dog Tags. I finally had a story that I could tell without Jake butting in, and I couldn’t do it. Leave him out, that is. It didn’t feel right. Naturally, he took the minor part I’d given him and turned it into something much larger. You know what? It didn’t even bother me. Jake deserved his sliver of glory.

Back to plot twists – yes, I am a fan. I don’t want to know the book’s ending by the time I finish the first chapter. I once received a critique where I was criticized because the reader didn’t know who the villain was right away. Frankly, I took that as a compliment. And if Jake helps provide the plot twist in several of the books, I can go along with it.

To quote Oak Grove’s Police Chief Sorenson: “There’s one more thing that bothers me, Miss Duprie,” he said, as he stood, dismissing me. “How the hell did you manage to turn Jake Hennessey, the town’s villain, into a hero?”

I’m looking forward to hearing about other authors’ favorite plot twists. You can too, by following the links below.

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

May 31, 2021

Plot twists…do you have a favorite you can talk about (yours or someone else’s?)
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.

Dear Diary: Life from Harmony’s POV #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne May 16, 2021 May 17, 2021 Open Book

May 17, 2021

Dear Diary. Write a diary entry or a letter from your character’s point of view.

When I kept a diary as a pre-teen, it was boring, filled with details of my daily life. What we studied in school, what we had for lunch, who I sat with on the bus. The most exciting thing I did all week was go to my Girl Scout meeting. Perhaps that’s why I can’t imagine any of my characters keeping a diary.

But I could consider The Harmony Duprie Mystery series as Harmony’s diary. With that in mind, what would her first meeting with Eli look like in diary form?

Dear Diary:

Today was story hour at the library. I’ll never confess it to anyone else, but that’s one of the things I miss most about working at the library. I never worked directly with the little ones, but I love seeing their happy little faces. I keep dropping hints, but I don’t know if they’ll ever rehire me, despite the fact that I was innocent. There are a couple old farts on the Board of Directors (cough<Mr. Randall>cough) who still think I was selling drugs. I don’t know if I can wait for them to retire or die to get my job back.

I found the information I’ve been hunting for today, and got a menu from one of Rockefeller’s parties. Everything from oysters on the half-shell to turkey and ham and a variety of desserts. And booze. Lots of booze. And not the cheap stuff, from what I could tell. Rockefeller had money to burn. At least he spent some of it building this library.

My reward was making a trip to the shelves where the library stores historical books about the Victorian area. As I leafed through a book with lots of pictures, I dreamed of living in that era and wearing dresses that floated around me.. Oh, and a big hat with colorful feathers. I’d cling to the arm of my escort, a handsome gentleman with a mustache that curled up at the ends.

I decided to take it back to the table I’d claimed for the day. That’s when I ran into him. Nice looking guy, but with the palest blue eyes I’ve ever seen.

And when I say I ran into him, I mean literally ran into him. Almost fell down but saved myself my grabbing the closest shelf. Dropped my book in the process. He picked it up, handed it to me, and then walked away without giving me a chance to apologize. Man, how embarrassing.

He isn’t from Oak Grove – I would have recognized him. But the weirdest part?

He smelled like dirt. I don’t mean dirty. I mean how the ground smells when you’re planting seeds and the earth is still damp and it smells fresh? That’s what it reminded me of. I don’t know if it was his aftershave or my imagination.

I need to stop by the package store tomorrow. My order of craft beer from Colorado came in. I’m looking forward to trying the one that’s supposed to taste like summer sunshine.

That’s it for tonight, Dear Diary. I want to go read the book I bought about Queen Elizabeth. I wonder if I could learn to be a mechanic?

******

There you go. An entry from Harmony’s diary. I hope you enjoyed reading it. If so, you might want to read The Marquesa’s Necklace if you haven’t already! https://www.pjmaclayne.com/?page_id=232

And one personal note before I run off to check out everyone else’s entries for the week – Happy 93rd birthday, Mom!

The rest of you, until next week, please stay safe.

May 17, 2021

Dear Diary. Write a diary entry or a letter from your character’s point of view.

Prologues and Epilogues – Yes or No? #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne April 25, 2021 April 25, 2021 Open Book

April 26, 2021

Prologues and Epilogues. Yes or no?

This week’s blog hop question is simple. Are prologues and epilogues good writing? And my answer is a very firm and definite – maybe?

I’ve read prologues that were short and sweet and flowed into the story without a whisper. And I’ve read other ones that rambled on and on, building the entire world before the real story begins. Guess which one I prefer? I even wrote a prologue for Wolves’ Pawn, the first book I published. It’s a page and a half long. That’s it. As you can see, I tried for the first type.

I humbly think it worked. It was a short scene that set up the conflict for the rest of the story. It wasn’t long enough to make a chapter out of, and the way it was written, I couldn’t work it in as backstory. So, I included it even though I understood some people frown at prologues. It’s the only prologue I’ve included in any of my books and I don’t regret it.

Then there are epilogues. I use them frequently to wrap up loose ends and minor plot points. I hate leaving cliffhangers at the end of my books! I started checking, and I have used them in most of my stories. Some are fairly short, a page or two, and some fairly extensive. The one for the Ranger’s Dog Tags was about four pages long, basically a chapter. But the mystery had been wrapped up in the last chapter and I was tidying up the entire series, so I don’t feel bad. It’s what the book and the readers needed.

And that’s what it comes down to. What does the story demand? The writer has to listen to the story and figure it out. Both prologues and epilogues should be used with care, but neither should be avoided entirely. That’s my take, anyway. Let’s find out what the other authors think by following the lings below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

April 26, 2021

Prologues and Epilogues. Yes or no?

The Ranger’s Dog Tags is Live!

By P.J. MacLayne April 21, 2021 April 21, 2021 Uncategorized

The Ranger’s Dog Tags is finally here!

It isn’t the first time Eli Hennessey has disappeared. Is it the last?

In this, the sixth book of the Harmony Duprie series, Harmony faces her greatest challenge yet. And she has to do it without the normal support from her friends and the Oak Grove Police Department. Join her on her adventure in the search for Eli.

Book Description:

Eli Hennessey has vanished.

His house in Oak Grove is in flames, his cell phone is out of commission, and friends in Florida can’t find him. It’s up to Harmony Duprie to track down her missing lover before her life shatters and his ends.

Harmony’s first discovery: Eli tricked her into signing paperwork putting her in charge of his company. Had he planned his disappearance?

The answers won’t be found in Oak Grove. Harmony hightails it to Florida in search of Eli and the truth.

Here’s a short excerpt:

I’d reached cruising speed when I spotted them. Vanessa saw them, too. On the opposite side of the road. Two black sedans.
“Shit,” she said.
“Who are they?”
She bit her bottom lip.
“So, who am I going to piss off when I remove their tracker?” I asked.
“You won’t find a bug.” Her mouth quirked. “No matter how hard you look.”
The mile markers showed our progress, but my mind was going nowhere. The GPS wasn’t attached to Dolores, or on me. I’d been extra careful with my purse and checking my clothes each morning. Unless Vanessa sneaked into my room when I wasn’t paying attention?
Or…
“It’s you, isn’t it? You’re wired. You’ve been pretending to protect me when what you’re doing is trying to find evidence against me.” A sudden rage engulfed me. “I’ll move out tonight. Unless you plan to arrest me on some bogus charge first. You can keep the rent.”
I adjusted the rearview mirror to get a better long-range view of the cars behind us. She’d betrayed me when I thought we’d had a chance of being real friends. And she’d done it when I needed a friend the most. “Who are you answering to, Special Agent Salters?”

To join Harmony on her quest to find Eli, you can find the ebook at these retailers:
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092YTWBX1

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1563561154

B&N https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w?ean=2940162511434

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-ranger-s-dog-tags

Books2Read https://books2read.com/u/3R85NL

Welcome to The Ranger’s Dog Tags – Readings From My Books

By P.J. MacLayne April 20, 2021 April 20, 2021 Uncategorized

To help stir up interest in The Ranger’s Dog Tags, I’ve been reading snippets from each of the previous books in the Harmony Duprie series. Unfortunately, the files are too large to post here, so I thought I’d share the links. (sorry, they point to Facebook.) I’ll add new links as I have them.

The Marquesa’s Necklace https://www.facebook.com/100007362439366/videos/2720226481566073

Her Ladyship’s Ring https://www.facebook.com/100007362439366/videos/2720880144834040

The Baron’s Cufflinks https://www.facebook.com/100007362439366/videos/2721560298099358

Immortalized as an Action Figure #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne April 11, 2021 April 11, 2021 Open Book

April 12, 2021

They’re making an action figure of you. Describe the toy and accessories. (Do you have a catch phrase? Favorite items, clothes, hair style?)

Nobody wants an action figure of me. Maybe back in the day, when I was living a minimalist lifestyle, growing my own food, cutting wood to burn in our wood stove, and freezing and canning food, but not now. I’m afraid I’m not very active any more. Too much time spent in front of a computer.

My wolf shifters were the obvious choices to fill in for me, but they refused to be part of this post because they don’t want to be outed. Luckily, Harmony Duprie ‘volunteered’ to come to my rescue. She didn’t think she was worthy of an action figure either, but I talked her into it. Her adventures are more what you’d expect from an action character.

She made it easy because the original covers for her stories were cartoon-like. Remember this? This is the original cover for The Marquesa’s Necklace. Brown hair, always in a bun, little or no makeup. The only thing missing is her thick glasses. She broke down and wore contacts for date night in this picture. Of course, the red dress would be a one time only adventure. More likely she’d be wearing a nice blue blouse, dress slacks, and a pair of black flats. (But we’ll include the dress and necklace as part of her accessories)

Other accessories are easy, too. A stack of books and her laptop bag. There will be two cars sold separately. One is a pale blue Ford Pinto and the other one is a red Jaguar.

And yes, Harmony has a catchphrase. “I don’t believe in coincidence.” It’s not as catchy as “I’ll be back” or “Hasta la vista, Baby,” but it’s perfect for her. (The closest thing I have to a catchphrase is “Supper’s ready!”)

I can see kids getting Harmony into more trouble than she already does, or maybe as their hero as they take pretend adventures of their own. She’d help them outwit the villain and save the day.

How about you? Would you like to gave an action figure of yourself? I’d like to see if the other authors who write on this hop want one of them! Let’s find out by following the links below.

And, until next time, please stay safe!

April 12, 2021

They’re making an action figure of you. Describe the toy and accessories. (Do you have a catch phrase? Favorite items, clothes, hair style?)

Introducing The Ranger’s Dog Tags

By P.J. MacLayne March 25, 2021 March 25, 2021 Uncategorized

It’s on its way—the sixth and final book in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries—The Ranger’s Dog Tags. Coming April 22nd.

Eli Hennessey has vanished.

Harmony’s first discovery: Eli tricked her into signing paperwork putting her in charge of his company. Had he planned his disappearance?

The answers won’t be found in Oak Grove. Harmony hightails it to Florida in search of Eli and the truth.

Watch this space for the upcoming cover reveal.

While you’re waiting, here’s a short excerpt.

I didn’t anticipate being greeted by a brick wall of a man with deep brown skin when I opened the door. And if I wasn’t mistaken, that was a gun in a holster under his left arm. And a police badge attached to his belt.“Miss Harmony Duprie?” he asked with a voice as mellow as a ray of springtime sunshine.
“Do you sing?” I blurted. It was the first thing that came to mind.
A slow smile spread across his face. “Not in public, ma’am. You are Harmony Duprie, right?”
“Yes. And you are, Detective …?” I let my voice trail off.
The smile got bigger. “Horace. Detective Timothy Horace. Orlando Police Department.”
I stepped aside to give him room to get by. He needed a lot of room. “You’re out of your jurisdiction, aren’t you, Detective?”
“We have a mutual aid agreement with the locals.” I didn’t think his smile could get any bigger, but it did. “Although it’s pretty one-sided.”
I could imagine. “I’d offer you something to drink, but I’m not set up for guests.”
“No worries, Miss Duprie, I won’t be staying long.”
“Are you the official welcoming committee? Or the bearer of bad news? What do you know about Eli? Was he in that car they found this afternoon? Is he all right?” The words poured out of me, along with my fears.

Whose Story Is It, Anyway? #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne March 21, 2021 March 21, 2021 Open Book

March 22, 2021
Whose perspective do you like to write from best, the hero (protagonist) or the villain (antagonist)? Why?

As she drifted back to sleep, another burst of explosions and light brought her to an upright position. She reached over and raised the blinds so she could peer out the window. The red-orange glow that colored the night sky had nothing to do with a celebration or the rising of the morning sun. The months she served overseas rushed back to her.

It took every ounce of Lori’s self-control to fight back the instinct to shift and join the battle. Fully awake now, she realized the long truce between the Jaegers and the Destins had ended. Whose side was she on? from Wolves’ Gambit

If you’ve read any of my published books, you know that I write from the protagonist’s view. I identify with the good guy. What may not be clear is that I sometimes identify with the antagonist. Not the villain, necessarily, but I enjoy seeing things through the eyes of the bad guy. It helps me understand their motivation.

And then there’s Jake from The Harmony Duprie Mysteries. He was supposed to be a throwaway character, only mentioned in The Marquesa’s Necklace, the first book in the series. Then he took over the second book, Her Ladyship’s Ring. I hadn’t planned on that. He continued to make appearances in the subsequent stories. I saw him as Harmony’s alter-ego, but never understood what was behind his bad-boy facade. He wouldn’t “tell” me.

That changed a few months ago, when he allowed me to peek behind the curtain and gave me a glimpse of who he really is. A villain to be sure, but one with ethics. He’ll take money from a drunk guest at a wedding, but won’t consider stealing the bride’s jewelry. He’ll take jewelry from a wealthy woman’s home, but makes sure he locks the door when he leaves. Here’s an unedited snippet:

At the end of the evening, he ended up with an unneeded invitation to join the second cousin at an after-hours bar, a silver ring in his pocket, and a high-quality pearl necklace in his shoe. Not heritage jewelry, but not bought in the last two years, either. All it took was offering to help the lady in question slip on her sweater when a chilly breeze blew in off the lake and didn’t matter if he broke the thin chains. The gold would get melted down for scrap at one pawn shop and the pearls sold individually at several others. Not a big take, but it scratched the itch. The gold and ruby tie tack he lifted from the cousin’s best friend was a bonus. Not bad for a week’s work. From Jake’s Story (working title)

I’ve had a lot of fun with Jake in this story. Even if I don’t know what I’m going with it, I feel privileged to have been invited in behind the doors he keeps closed to everyone else. I’ve also joked that I’d make an excellent villain if I hadn’t chosen to be on the side of good, and Jake has allowed me to explore that. Perhaps he’s my alter-ego?

Back to the question-which do I prefer to write? I can’t answer. It changes from story to story, depending on what that story needs. At least I’m not confined to one or the other. What I am sure of is that an antagonist is necessary to make the story interesting.

What about the other authors on this hop? I can see a few of them writing from the villain’s point of view. Let’s find out by following the links below.

And, until next time, please stay safe.

March 22, 2021
Whose perspective do you like to write from best, the hero (protagonist) or the villain (antagonist)? Why?

Tag: #HarmonyDuprie