Tag: #HarmonyDuprie

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All In The Family #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

March 30, 2026

Do you include your character’s family in your stories?

How much do they affect the storyline?

In the Harmony Duprie stories, I wrote Harmony as having lost her parents as a young adult. Their absence had a lasting impression on her life, shaping many aspects of her daily activities. Here’s the reader’s introduction to them:

My mother was a hippie—I learned from her you don’t need to spend money to be happy, but my father was an investment banker, and made a lot of it. I inherited a goodly sum when they died in a freak mountain climbing accident. I also inherited Dad’s financial adviser, and Keith knows what he is doing.
                                                                                                               The Marquesa’s Necklace

They show up throughout the series. It became a game for me to include a reference to John Denver songs and African violets in every book. (Both a legacy from her mother.) From her father, she learned how to read people.

But readers also discover how the trauma of their deaths comes back to haunt Harmony in unexpected ways. Her fear of flying. The loss of the woman who helped anchor Harmony through the grief process.

Family becomes the background for many of my stories.

The relationship between Jake Hennessey and Eli Hennessey — they are cousins — and one is the good guy while the other is the bad boy was fun to explore, but it went further. (Although sometimes I think it worked the other way around — that Jake protected Eli in hidden ways. Perhaps those are stories I didn’t explore and need to remain unwritten.)

But I can’t leave out the Free Wolves books. Because, after all, a pack is a form of an extended family, with the alpha in a patriarchal role. But the stories deal with those bonds being tested, broken, and reformed in new ways. And what is lost and what is gained in the process?

     “It is time for you to retire. You can either pass leadership of the pack and the business to me now, or I will call challenge in front of the pack and we can fight for it. The decision is yours.” Gavin had practiced the speech many times in his head, and thought it came out well.
  Henry laughed and said, “This is foolishness on your part.” Still, he detected a note of desperation in the sound. “You really think you can pull this off?”
  “For the good of the pack, I have to.” Gavin examined his father closely, and realized how old he was. “I’ve not been in a hurry to take over your position, but perhaps I’ve waited too long.” He stared at his father, and hoped the coldness of his heart would chill his father’s spirit. Henry blinked first.
  “The Elders will never back you up. The pack will never accept you.”
  “Empty threats. As always, the Elders will do what is best for the pack as a whole, even if they are your friends. That is their responsibility. A growing faction of the pack has urged me to do this for several years.   No, your time is past. It’s my time now.”
  “And what happens if I decide to fight?”
  “Do you think you can beat me in a one-on-one battle? It’s not going to happen. I’m too strong, and have fought many battles recently. You haven’t fought one for years.” Gavin tensed so the muscles in his arms and chest rippled in a subtle threat. “You still hold a good reputation with most packs. If you fight, you damage the pack and I’ll be forced to hurt you more than I already have. Retire now, keep your reputation, and let me keep my love for you.”
  Henry slumped into the nearest chair and glanced up at his son. “You don’t give me much of a choice, do you?”
                                                                                                              Wolves’ Pawn

I didn’t plan it that way, but families have become an important part of my writing.

Find out how other authors include families in their writing by following the links below.

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

Goal Update: I made it to 47000 words, adding over 2000. But I did more revisions on earlier chapters, so I lost words too. I’m headed towards the big finish.

March 30, 2026

Do you include your character’s family in your stories?

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Three Or More Is A Crowd #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

March 16, 2026

When you are writing scenes with more than two characters, how do you help the readers keep track of who is speaking?

I avoid it when I can.

Especially at the beginning of a story. Call me a coward. Or skilled at manipulating my stories until the readers (and me) are more comfortable with the cast of characters.

See, it’s hard to write a conversation between more than two people. When we talk to each other, we rarely take turns. Two people do most of the talking, with others trying to find opportunities to get a word in. The speakers may shift to another pair over the pair, but it’s rarely an equilibrium when there are over two.

Even with only three participants, the problem becomes how to keep one of them from being a silent observer, not a speaker with a distinct point of view. Identification is also a sticky point. The standard pronouns – he, she, they – can become useless for identification, and using names, repetitive.

We have adapted in our everyday speech.

Many of us attempt to draw others into our discussions. It can be done with simple body language: making eye contact can be the encouragement needed to draw someone in, or asking a simple question – “What do you think?” While these tactics work in real life, they can be difficult to translate into the written word.

I’ve gotten better at multi-person chats, but I still find it a challenge. In my current WIP, I have a scene with five people. Trying to make sure they all had a speaking role was nearly impossible. Two of them faded into the background most of the scene. (In fact, I am considering deleting one of them. He doesn’t add much to the story.)

How do I help readers keep track? I give each character a distinct role and personality. For example, one is the protagonist, the other the love interest, a third the antagonist. Using physical attributes is another way to distinguish each. The combination is the most effective way for me.

Oh, I should mention Harmony Duprie’s method. Throughout the series, she names everything. When she doesn’t know someone’s name, she’ll number them.

Outside, Oak Grove enjoyed a pre-Thanksgiving cold snap, but inside, the room was stifling from the warmth of all the bodies. The Chief of Police sat at one end of the table, with Officer—excuse me—Agent Felton seated right beside him. I don’t know how we all missed the signs that he was a Fed. Freddie came next and then Officer Smith. I sat on the other end, with Mr. Stangel beside me. Other men, including a couple more FBI guys up from Pittsburgh, stood around, leaning against the walls. I wondered if anyone was left to chase down the reports of backfires and kids skateboarding in front of the stores downtown. I started calling them by numbers in my head, because I hadn’t caught all the names.

How do other authors solve the issue?

I’m sure there are other methods that have been developed. What do our other authors use? To find out, follow the links below.

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

Goal update: I’m at 45,200. I thought I was close to the end, but the story threw a curve at me. Now I have to rethink my ending.

When you are writing scenes with more than two characters, how do you help the readers keep track of who is speaking?

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The Joys Of Researching #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

December 22, 2025

What person/place/thing did you enjoy researching the most?

Much of my research has to do with various types of weaponry.

So many of my books deal with firearms. Harmony Duprie has a revolver, the smallest one she could possibly use and still go damage. My wolf shifters are armed with various types of military style guns. Jake Hennessey didn’t carry a gun, but the law enforcement officials he dealt with did. It was interesting, and I got lots of advice from experts I knew, but it was “temporary” information and nothing I retained.

The research I’ve done for the Edwards Investigations series is different. I’m referencing places I knew and times that I lived through. But I’m not just remembering my personal stories; I’m putting my memories into a historical context, looking at them from a different point of view. It’s fascinating.

But reliving my experience with the dawn of the personal computer era is the most engrossing. I played the original arcade version of pong, and used 5 1/4 floppy discs. I had a camera that used 3 1/2 floppies to store files. My experience with computers started in the days of DOS and stretched all the way to the current domination of Windows. Being able to put that into exact years wasn’t possible without lots of research.

So, it made sense to make the advent of computers part of the movement of the stories.

I can use it exactly as history writes it, or I can smudge the edges as needed. It’s not the main plot point (or is it?)  but it gives readers something to hang their hats on. I can play loose with other areas of the history as long as readers feel comfortable with pieces they experienced. Or they can google something I mention to verify it. (Although cell phones haven’t made an appearance yet.)

Although I build a strong foundation in Book 1, I’m expanding on it for Book 2.  What was the role of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission? When was the last time you heard anything about it? You’ll have to stay tuned, dear reader, to find out.

Let’s find out what other authors have been researching. Just follow the links below.

As always, please stay safe until the next time. And have a good holiday, whichever one you celebrate this time of year.

December 22, 2025

-What person/place/thing did you enjoy researching the most?

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With A Touch Of Humor #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Sept 1, 2025

Share the funniest scene you’ve written.

Alternatively, the scariest scene.

I don’t write funny. What I write are humorous moments in the middle of serious business. And Harmony Duprie, my favorite ex-librarian turned internet researcher, is the perfect character for this.

Harmony is an intelligent woman who sometimes suffers from an occasionally lack of common sense. Her logic doesn’t always work the same way as everyone else’s. That results in unexpected fun and adventures.

Here’s the setup for my selection: Eli Hennessey, Harmony’s longtime boss/lover/partner, has been hospitalized for several months after a serious injury. She’s been trying to track down the person responsible for causing the auto accident. In this scene, she’s discovered an intruder in his room, holding him and two others hostage. Harmony is determined to upend the situation.

I gathered my weapons. The paperback book. The mirror. My purse. If I rushed into the room, there’d be additional items to grab. This wasn’t a precision operation.

But I wanted to start with a message.

I fought to pull off the chain around my neck with one hand. If I threw the dog tags to the right spot, Eli would see them and know I was there. Small enough comfort, but a ray of hope.

The bedframe was my initial target. I didn’t wait for the clang of metal against metal to tell me if my aim had been good. The paperback, thrown in Eli’s general direction, followed the dog tags. Next, the mirror and my purse.

By then, I was halfway into the room. I grabbed the closest stuffed animal and hurled it at the attacker’s head. Instinctively, he raised his right hand—his gun hand—to fend it off. He knocked it away, and it hit the floor and started singing ‘It’s a Small World.’
from ‘The Ranger’s Dog Tags’

On the face of it, it isn’t funny.

But when I imagine my slim, 30-something, glasses-wearing, brown hair in a bun, heroine facing down an unknown opponent, wielding nothing more than a stuffed animal, it makes me smile.

By the way, the stuffed animal makes another appearance in a conversation between Harmony and Eli..

“The minute my dog tags came flying through the door, I knew you were here. And when you followed them, I thought I was in a dream. Or a nightmare. But never tell my mother you used her latest stuffed animal as a weapon.”

“I hope that song haunts him for the rest of his life.”

“You should ask your cop friend to have it piped into his cell on a continuous loop.”

I grinned. “Tempting. But wouldn’t that fall under cruel and unusual punishment?”

“He’d deserve every minute.”

The whole book was fun (but tough) to write, but this scene is one of my favorites. (Obligatory self-promotion: You can find out more about The Ranger’s Dog Tags at https://www.pjmaclayne.com/?page_id=6458.

I’m looking forward to reading the excerpts from out other authors. You can find them at the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe! 

Sept 1, 2025

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Share the funniest scene you’ve written. Alternatively, the scariest scene.

Including Politics In My Stories #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

July 28, 2025

Do you avoid or actively include writing about the current political atmosphere in your stories?

Some folks view it as part of a writer’s job description; to write about politics.

But I write, in part, to give both myself and my readers a chance to escape from the real world. So politics, especially current-day politics, isn’t part of it. Also, including current events can date my work and make it less relatable.

That doesn’t mean I don’t include political references. For example, in the early books of the Harmony Duprie Mysteries, I mentioned that Jake Hennessey smoked marijuana. Once, maybe. When I wrote it, weed was illegal in the state the story was set in. That has changed, and if a reader picks up on the reference, they have to remember how things used to be.

I also skirted around politics in the first book of The Edwards Investigations, The Rimer Files.

Since it is set in the mid-1980s, many people won’t remember specific events from the time. Instead, I tried to create the mood of the era in Pittsburgh, where the story took place instead. Steel mills closing, rampant drug use, unemployment a major issue. Most people won’t be able to tell you who the president of the United States was then, although they might know who the Queen of England was. (Ronald Reagan, Queen Elizabeth II)

But the story more than touches on the issue of the changing role of women in society. It’s a major part of the plot, without going into details. What it doesn’t include are references to specific real people.

So, back to the original question.

Do I include politics in my writing? Like in so many things, I chose moderation. I don’t actively include politics, but I don’t avoid the topic either.

How about our other authors? Do they include politics in their writing? Find out by checking out the links below.

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

July 28, 2025

Do you avoid or actively include writing about the current political atmosphere in your stories?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Becoming Someone Else #IWSG

  By IWSG, Uncategorized
It’s the first Wednesday of March (already!!!) and time for another post in the Insecure Writer’s Support Group blog hop. Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

The awesome co-hosts for the March 5 posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse Van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, and Liza @ Middle Passages!

March 5 question – If for one day you could be anyone or *thing* in the world, what would it be? 

Describe, tell why, and any themes, goals, or values they/it inspire in you.

There are a few different jobs I wanted to be at various points of my life. But since this prompt calls for only a one day switch, I won’t touch on this. I’ll go for a radical change. But I really am happy with who I am, so this is tough.

Maybe I should be a tree. An old, tall and strong tree. It wouldn’t matter if it was in a park or in a forest somewhere. (As long as it wasn’t near a forest fire at the moment.)

Okay, I should pick something different. Or someone.

I considered the idea of being a forest ranger in one of the US National Parks. But with the current state of politics in the US, that would bring a whole world of stress that I don’t want to deal with.

So, for one day, I want to be a librarian in a major library somewhere.

(Yes, they have the stress of funding right now, but it isn’t as immediate as what the forest rangers are facing.) To be surrounded by books and other media, as well as other book lovers, would be a wonderful way to spend a day.

I’ve been a librarian in a very small town library and some of my characters were librarians, so it seems to be a natural fit. Now, if the swap lasted more than one day it would require living in a large city, and I have no interest in that. So, one day is enough.

What about you? Who or what would you be for a day?

Don’t forget to check out some of the other posts on this hop.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

In An Alternate World #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

March 3, 2025

If you had to become one of your characters, which one would you choose?

It isn’t who you think.

No, it isn’t Harmony Duprie From the Harmony Duprie Mysteries. Or Annie McGregor from The Edwards Investigations. Or even Jake Hennessey. I’ve put those characters through hell and back, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone (including myself.)

Now, I’d love to sit and chat with Harmony on the steps leading to her apartment. Or take a seat in Jake’s bar and drink a beer and shoot the breeze with the regulars. But the moments of peace that either have are limited. Plus, despite his outgoing nature and broad circle of friends, I see Jake as a lonely person. He has to hide who he really is, and has no one to confide in.

I don’t want to overlook my Free Wolves series. It’s fun to write a shapeshifter story, but I wouldn’t want to live that way, dealing with a patriarchal pack structure. Although I love my main characters in those books, I don’t want to be one of them.

And Annie McGregor from the Edwards Investigations? No, thank you. Now, it might be interesting to spend a day as Mike Edwards, her business partner. But I haven’t figured out his entire backstory yet, so I’ll wait.

I’ll take the safe route.

And pick one of my secondary characters. One of Harmony’s dearest friends, Janine Janson, is also a trained librarian like Harmony, and was hired as the chief librarian of the Oak Grove Public Library. She lives a quiet life, surrounded by books, friends, and as a respected community leader. I can see myself fitting into that life. In fact, there was a short time during which I pursued a similar career path. But I don’t see her ever writing books; she’s happy reading them.

Which characters would the other authors on this hop become if they had to? Find out by following the links below. 

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

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March 3, 2025

If you had to become one of your characters, which one would you choose?

 

My Best Line #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Dec 9, 2024

What’s the best line you’ve written recently? Or ever?

I’ve been toying with three different stories recently.

But I don’t feel as if I have a good enough handle on the characters to write great lines – yet. All three have potential.

So, let me share some a few from my previous writing. The first two are equal in my mind.

Here’s a selection from The Fall of Jake Hennessey. In fact, I turned it into a meme.

She paused on the last landing. He imagined the cogs in her brain whirling.
“We never decided on plans for tomorrow,” he said casually.
“No, we didn’t.” She descended the last few stairs as if each were a decision to be made.

The next one comes from The Ranger’s Dog Tags. FYI, Harmony Duprie (Whose point of view this is from) is known for being a bad shot and missing her targets.

I didn’t hesitate as I squeezed off that second round. I shoved it on its way with every ounce of pain that Eli had suffered, every bit of rage I carried. I prayed for it to hit. And hit hard.

But my very best line (in my humble opinion) comes from a poem I wrote eons ago after a trip to one of my most favorite places in the world, the Beartooth Mountains. I was going to quote a large part of the poem, but it’s old enough I don’t have it in digital format, and the storage boxes are buried underneath the Christmas totes. (which have taken over my house!). But the last two lines are the ones I want to share.

I taught myself to breathe again
Twelve thousand feet high

I’ve got other good lines.

I bet every writer out there has written words that are better than they get credit for. But these are the ones that stick out in my memory. What lines are the other authors going to share? Find out by following the links below.

As always, please stay safe until the next time!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Dec 9, 2024

What’s the best line you’ve written recently? Or ever?

 

When I’m Feeling Murderous #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

Nov 18, 2024

Have you ever regretted killing off a character? Or not killing one off?

No one died in my first mystery.

When I wrote The Marquesa’s Necklace, I didn’t kill anyone. There wasn’t a dead body to be found anywhere. On purpose. I wanted the story to be true to the nature of small towns, and that means there isn’t a murder a week, unlike what TV shows would have you believe. (Unless you count George, Harmony’s old car, a blue Pinto, who died a natural age-related death. Yes, he went up in flames, but if you know anything about the history of the Pinto, you’ll understand why I can claim it wasn’t a criminal act.)

There were a few murders in other books in the series, but they were always off screen. It wasn’t until I wrote The Ranger’s Dog Tags, the last book in the series, was a death a main part of the story. I killed off several characters in that story. (Including Dolores, the car that had replaced George.}

But I had considered killing off a major character before that. Around book 4, The Contessa’s Brooch, I started to worry about growing “stale.” I didn’t want to repeat myself over and over again. By book 5, The Samurai’s Inro, I was really over-thinking the issue. Did I want to continue the series? If so, I needed to switch up the overall premise.

But I didn’t want to kill Eli, which is what I was considering. I decided my wisest move was to bring the series to a graceful end.

But the thought gave me the plot for the last book

Spoiler alert: I didn’t kill Eli, but I put him at risk for the entire story.

I did kill off Eli later. Much later. Like twenty-two years later. (In story time) And off-screen.

It was right for the book I was working on, The Rise of Jake Hennessey. Although the death was in the past, it became a major plot point. I shed a few tears while writing the scenes describing the event, but never regretting making it happen.

My new book started off with a bang.

I killed off a character on the first page. And another one halfway through the book. I don’t regret either death. Edwards Investigations – The Rimer File, is darker than anything I’d written before. Frankly, the murder isn’t the worst crime that happens. (Have you picked up your copy yet? If not, find out more about the book at https://www.pjmaclayne.com/?page_id=18282)

Now, there were a few characters in the story I wished I’d killed off, (they deserved it!) but didn’t. It made more sense to allow justice to follow its sometimes slow course. I worried about making Annie McGregor, my protagonist, too quick on the draw.

 

I don’t want to leave out my Free Wolves series. There’s lots of killing that goes on in the three books. But what do you expect from warring packs of wolves? (In my “world,” the humans who are wolf shifters take on some characteristics of their ‘”other” forms.)

Don’t forget to check out the posts from other authors on this hop. You can find them by following the links below. (Most authors post on Monday.)

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Nov 18, 2024

Have you ever regretted killing off a character? Or not killing one off?

 

Which Book To Read First? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

July 29, 2024

Which book of yours do you recommend readers start with?

That’s not an simple question to answer.

It depends on your favorite genre. Technically, I write in three genres. Four, if you add in my work in progress, which is a semi-historical female private investigator story. If you consider only my currently published books, it narrows things down. Slightly.

Let’s start with my urban fantasy/paranormal series of  3 books, The Free Wolves.

Although there is an underlying story arc, each book is written as a stand-alone. The stories can be read in any order. The one I suggest you read first? Wolves’ Gambit, the last one I wrote in that series.

I’m proud of that story. But then, I’ve always been a fan of the underdog, and the book is filled with them, but they are strong enough that they demanded my original planned plot be changed. As a result, I defied all the expectations I’d set for the plot. Tasha, my main character, was a blast to develop.

For those of you who haven’t read Wolves’ Gambit. Here’s the blurb:

Wolf-shifter Lori Grenville was rescued from near-slavery and a brutal pack leader by the Free Wolves. To pay back the favor, she’s dedicated her life to helping others in the same situation, leading shifters to safety and a new start, risking her life in the process. She’s faced down alphas and has no qualms in undermining pack structure.

Now she’s challenged with the task of restoring an alpha to his rightful place. If she gets it right, she can stop a war from ripping apart two packs and spreading across an entire state. If she fails, she’ll be among the first to die.

There’s still the option of walking away and letting the Jaeger and Destin packs destroy each other. That means she’ll fail in her original mission of rescuing the daughter of the Jaeger alpha before the girl is forced into marriage for political gain.

Lori hasn’t failed in a mission yet. This one may be the exception.

Here’s the link for more info and where you can buy the book:  https://www.pjmaclayne.com/?page_id=224

The Harmony Duprie series and the Jake Hennessey books

These two sets of books are tied together, despite being different genres. The Harmony Mysteries are what I call almost-cozy-mysteries, because they defy the rules of true cozies. The Jake stories are crime/suspense, but Jake is an integral part of the Harmony timeline. Confused? It gets worse. The Fall of Jake Hennessey and the Rise of Jake Hennessey are a complete set, but they also serve as a prequel and a sequel to the six Harmony Duprie books.

So, which of the eight books to read first? I’d suggest The Marquesa’s Necklace, the first book in the Harmony mysteries. The stories are in chronological order but written as standalones, so it makes sense to read them in order. 

Here’s the blurb The Marquesa’s Necklace:

Harmony Duprie enjoyed her well-ordered life in the quiet little town of Oak Grove—until her arrest for drug trafficking. Cleared of all charges, she wants nothing more than to return to the uneventful lifestyle of a historical researcher she once savored.

But when her beloved old car “George” is stolen and explodes into a ball of flames, it sets off a series of events that throws her plans into turmoil. Toss in a police detective that may or may not be interested in her, an attractive but mysterious stranger on her trail, and an ex-boyfriend doing time, and Harmony’s life freefalls into a downward spiral of chaos.

Now she has to use her research skills to figure out who is behind the sinister incidents plaguing her, and why. And she better take it seriously, like her life depends upon finding the right answers.

Because it might.

And here’s the link for more info and where to buy The Marquesa’s Necklace: https://www.pjmaclayne.com/?page_id=232

So, that’s two starting points to my books. Now let’s go check out which books we should read from other authors on this hop. See the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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July 29, 2024

Which book of yours do you recommend readers start with?