Tag: #OpenBook

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Writing The Senses #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Uncategorized

June 1, 2026

Which of the senses is the hardest for you to include in your writing?

As a writer, we’re told all the time to include all the senses in our writing.

That can be a hard job. It’s part of the adage “Show, not tell.” I can describe a snowy day -cold, windy, dark clouds, maybe even the smell of a storm moving is – but taste?

That’s my downfall. I’ll easily tell you about the Chinese food my characters are eating, but to describe the flavor of those dishes eludes me. How many words are there? Sweet, salty, spicy, chocolatey? I suspect that I am flavor-blind in a way. In real life, other people can taste basic flavors in food long before I can. Even something as simple as potato chips don’t appeal to me because I find them bland. Something has to be really salty before I can taste the salt. I once cooked a batch of biscuits with half the salt the recipe called for. I couldn’t tell the difference, but my mother-in-law could.

So taste is the hardest sense for me to write. How do you describe what a chocolate cake tastes like? What’s the difference between a strawberry and a blueberry? If you haven’t experienced a food or a spice, how do you describe it or understand the description someone else has shared?

But I guess that’s true for any of the senses. How do you describe a blue sky to someone who has lived in darkness? Or the difference between the smell of burnt feathers and daisies?

That’s our job as writers. It’s not always easy. Truthfully, it’s rarely easy. 

What do the other authors on this hop have trouble writing? Find out by following the links below. 

As always, please stay safe until the next time.

Goal update: I’ve broken 60,000 words. Unless the universe interferes, I should finish in a day or two!

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June 1, 2026

Which of the senses is the hardest for you to include in your writing?

 

 

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Words I Don’t Use #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

May 25 2026

We’ve talked about our favorite words.

Are there words that you despise and won’t use?

Some years ago, when I was starting a new job in a technology environment,  a current employee challenged me about the worst word I ever used. Now, you must realize I was a mild-mannered older woman, someone who didn’t fit into the typical male stereotype. What they didn’t realize was that as a wordsmith, no word was excluded from my vocabulary.

It took me a moment to figure out how I could push it when I answered. With no manager present, it opened up the boundaries. The only other woman in the workroom had already revealed her character in overheard telephone conversations. So, I went there.

Now, we weren’t in Australia, where this word loses its power. I looked him in the eye and proclaimed, “Cunt.”

I swear my questioner nearly fell over. Instead, after a few seconds, he shook his head and laughed. 

Words have power. That single word gave me entry into a fellowship I didn’t realize existed. After that, the gentleman felt free to include me in various conversations I might have missed out on otherwise. There was only one time when he asked me to leave the room when he had a discussion with the other (male) techs (that wasn’t work-related).

Writing is like that tech. It challenges us to use one of those words. Sometimes  a “wrong” word is the right word. It can be avoided, but that may be at the loss of the strength of the sentence. It’s a choice that writers have to make. Would the example I used above have carried the same meaning if I’d used a tamer word?

Now, I may use words in my writing that I don’t use in real life. Especially as my daughter and grandchildren live with us, and I watch my language around them. But I can type them to strengthen my story and not worry about sullying little ears.

So, there are no words I won’t use in my writing. There are words I think hard about before putting on paper. Words that, while their meaning is rough, the way they are used is rougher. Words that are meant to try to hurt people. In real life, I work hard to take away the power of those words.

Are there words our other authors despise? Find out by following the links below.

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

Goal Update: I made it up to 58,800+ words. I didn’t think the book would get this long. I am trying to wrap it up, but there was another shooting instead. 

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May 25 2026

We’ve talked about our favorite words. Are there words that you despise and won’t use?

 

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Joy in Nature #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

May 18 2026

Stolen from Deanna Martinez-Bey and Writer’s Digest: What is on your joy list?

How do I possibly make a list of all the things that bring me joy?

It’s endless. But let’s start with today. It’s springtime in Western Pennsylvania, and to a lover of Mother Nature like me, that provides moments of joy everywhere you look. The annual spring migration of birds passes through here, and many varieties stop in the area on their way to their summer homes.

Some stay here. The hummingbirds arrived this week, and I attracted one to my feeder within an hour after I hung it. I’ve never had one sit on my finger, but I have two of the feathers preserved in a plastic bag on my desk. Hummingbirds are joy in motion.

But I don’t have to see any birds for magic to happen. I can sit outside and listen to the chorus of songs from the trees and lawns that surround my home. I may not know which type of bird produces which sound, but I don’t need to. Pure joy in song.

The saying “April showers bring May flowers” was written for this area. When I moved in, I didn’t make any major changes to the yard. I wanted to see what came up as a volunteer. So, with no intervention from me (except for the addition of daffodils and black-eyed Susans) there are over twenty varieties of flowers here. This evening, forget-me-nots and buttercups are taking over. The Japanese iris (purple) are about to break into bloom. Add the baskets of flowers I got for Mother’s Day, the fresh green of the trees bursting into leaf, and its joy in color.

That’s just today and only a start. I could go on forever about finding joy in nature. How about the other authors on this hop? Find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe. And have a joyful moment!

Goal update: I’m sitting at 56,400. I didn’t realize this story would go this long. It threw another twist at me.

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May 18 2026

Stolen from Deanna Martinez-Bey and Writer’s Digest: What is on your joy list?

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Pie, Cake, Or Ice Cream? #OpenBook Blog hop

  By Open Book

May 11 2026

Do you prefer pie or cake?

Have you ever included either in your writing?

Orson held the door to the restaurant open for me. I nodded at the waitress, who, with a puzzled expression on her face, nodded back. I think she recognized both of us, but couldn’t place why. If I wanted to scream, this was my chance. But for whatever reason, I no longer felt threatened by Orson, and led the way to an empty booth. I slid onto the bench so my back was to the door, figuring he’d be more comfortable being able to watch who came in.

“I’m going to get dessert,” I told him as I took a menu from the holder. “Their pies looked delicious.”

“Ice cream or whipped cream?” he asked.

“Depends. Berry pies are whipped cream, apple are ice cream, and what goes with cherry changes with my mood. How about you?” This seemed more like speed dating than an interview with a famous thief.

“Ice cream. Always.”

Conversation lagged until the waitress came and took our orders. Blueberry pie and coffee for me while he got the traditional apple pie to go with his coffee. I mentally filed away the factoid that he took his coffee black. Orson watched with interest when another police car flew down the street in front of the restaurant. “Must have been an accident or something,” he said.
from: Her Ladyship’s Ring

I’m a cake person, despite the excerpt above. I like the flavor and texture of a good, moist cake. (Something I’ve never quite conquered.) A well-done frosting is a great way to top it off. You have to match the frosting to the flavor of the cake. I can’t imagine anything but a cream cheese frosting to go with carrot cake.

How about pie?

I used to have several great pie recopies. My apple pie was fantastic. And I make a light, flaky pie crust. But pies were never my choice when I’m out. (But I am a whipped cream over ice cream person when it comes to pie.)

How about ice cream?

Well, it isn’t included in the title, but ice cream — that’s always my first choice. None of that fake ice milk or dairy products. It’s got to be real ice cream. (It’s getting harder and more expensive to get it these days.)

And I have included ice cream in my stories. In fact, it became a major clue in the mystery of The Samurai’s Inro.

“The only items the Cookes identified as missing were a Japanese inro and the ice cream cones in the freezer. The culprit trashed the house, so they are still trying to get things cleaned up and figure out what else is gone.”

I tilted my head. “A bunch of kids broke into the house to throw a party and ate the ice cream. The what did you call it- inro?- is somewhere in the mess. And you want to blame Jake?”

How do our other authors feel about the choice of dessert? Find out by following the links below.

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

Goal update: I’m at 54800+ words. That’s 3000+ words. It’s hit the spot that I’m so close to finishing the book that I resent any other writing I have to do.

May 11 2026

Do you prefer pie or cake? Have you ever included either in your writing?

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Documenting My Life #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

May 4, 2026

Have you ever kept a diary? Are you still keeping one?

How often do you add an entry?

Many years ago—I’m guessing it was around 6th or 7th grade—I kept a diary. I still have one of those little books buried in a box. It’s been years since I looked through it,  As I remember, it was boring. My life wasn’t interesting back then. The highlight of my week was a Girl Scout meeting.

My daily adventures back then consisted of taking the bus to school, spending my day in the standard lessons of reading, writing, science, and arithmetic. The only thing that may have been different was that my teachers were mostly Roman Catholic nuns. Unlike the stores, they were wonderful and caring. After school came the time to do my chores and homework, play outside when the weather allowed, watch a little TV, and read. I read a lot.

So, there wasn’t much to document in my diary. My life was boring. I had no long-term plans for my life. I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I didn’t spend time analyzing my classmates or my relationships with them. I wasn’t part of the in-crowd, but was too smart and with enough friends to not be counted as part of the out-crowd. None of that was documented in my diary because it didn’t affect my life.

The worlds I invented in my head weren’t documented either. Back then, I didn’t write stories. (Although I created them in my head, I didn’t recognize that as a form of writing.) Or poetry. Or anything that didn’t have something to do with my education. I didn’t even note the name of each book I read. One book a night was my standard.

My attempts at keeping a diary didn’t last long. It never took hold, and I never tried again, not even as an adult. But in a way, my books reflect my life and the changes that have happened. 

I know that some of the authors on this hop do keep journals. It’ll be interesting to read their answers to this prompt. You can do that too, by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Goal update: I’m sitting at 51,700+ words. With any luck, I’ll break 52,000 tonight. I’m nearing the conclusion of the mystery, although maybe not the story.

May 4, 2026

Have you ever kept a diary? Are you still keeping one? How often do you add an entry?

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Settings As A Character #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

April 27, 2026

Do your settings become characters in your stories?

Easy Answer: All the time

I caught a flicker of movement in a second-story window as I pulled up to the Aldridge house. The last rays of the setting sun lit the exterior, making the fading and peeling white paint look pale pink. Once the weather warmed up, I would start the job of returning the wooden siding to its original deep blue color.
from Her Ladyship’s Ring

I introduced readers to the Aldridge house in book one of the Harmony series, the Marquesa’s Necklace. The old Victorian home soon became a pivotal setting throughout the entire series as Harmony’s attachment to the house grew. In its own way, it revealed Harmony’s mood and became her friend.

All along, the plan had been to sell the house after the renovations, but in the process of fixing it, I’d grown attached to it. I’d even toyed with the idea of living in it myself, but it really needed a happy family to bring it to life. I couldn’t provide that. And Eli, my boyfriend, and I hadn’t gotten to the stage of discussing long-term prospects for our relationship let alone children.
from The Baron’s Cufflinks

*****

“You didn’t remodel this room at all. Run out of cash?” Drew asked.

Behind us, Eli chuckled. He knew money wasn’t an issue in my life.

“It’s the ghost’s room. I didn’t want to touch anything.”

Drew swiveled on one foot. “Ghost?”

“It’s an old house. Of course, there’s a ghost. I’ve never seen it, but I hear it. If you watch, you can see these curtains move when no one is here. The windows are sealed, there isn’t a draft, there’s no logical way to explain it.”

Drew grinned. “You ever see this ghost, Eli?”

“It only shows up when Harmony is alone. She’s dared me to stay here by myself some night, but that’s never happened.” He wrapped an arm around me. “And I’m okay with that.”

“Well, a ghost isn’t responsible for what’s been going on, so I hope it doesn’t mind sharing the room for a day or two.”

I hoped the ghost would show itself and wipe that smile off Drew’s face. “It likes company. Just talk to it and it’ll settle down.”
from The Samurai’s Inro

But perhaps the setting that took on most of a life of its own was her car, Dolores.

That’s what she named herself. (The car) Not because she made Harmony sad, but because she would make anyone who tried to pass her sorrowful. Dolores and Harmony had their own method of communication. Harmony would pat the car before she got in and after she got out. Dolores would chirp and rumble and purr and hum or whatever other sounds she made. With her speed and fine handling, she saved Harmony’s life in almost every book.

There came a time when Dolores wasn’t enough of a shield to protect Harmony. I won’t reveal it here, but the scene made me cry when I wrote it. You’ll have to read The Ranger’s Dog Tags to find out what happened.

 How about our other authors? Do their settings become characters in their stories? Find out my checking out the links below.

As always, please stay safe until next time.

Goal update: I broke 50,000 words! It’s near the end, and I’ve thrown in another red herring! It’s small, so I don’t think it’ll surprise anyone. Except me.

April 27, 2026

Do your settings become characters in your stories?

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Changes In Draft2Digital #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

April 20, 2026

How many of you use Draft2Digital?

How will the new pricing structure affect you?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the company, Draft2Digital provides tools and distribution methods to independent authors. It started business a little over a decade ago and has been expanding the services it offers since then. It is one of the companies I chose to go with when I began my journey as an author. At that time, it cost nothing to join. The only fee was the cut the company took out of each sale.

This past week, Draft2Digital announced major changes. First, there is an activation fee. (Previously, joining was free.) The changes also include a yearly fee if an author’s proceeds fall under $12 in the past year. If an author brings in over $100, that fee doesn’t apply.

How does it affect me?

Well, since I’ve been with them since the beginning of my publication efforts, I don’t have to worry about the activation fee. Without using that terminology, I believe they use it as a way to keep out the manuscripts produced by AI bots. It’s a goal I support. The announced activation fee is $20 and hopefully isn’t enough to discourage beginning writers. (In contrast, it used to cost $45 to upload a single manuscript to Ingram Spark for printing.)

The annual fee will make a minor difference to my budget. I don’t make enough money to meet the $100 target for free servicing of my account. My sales reach is tiny, but Draft2Digital gets me into various systems that offer digital access to libraries, as well as Apple. I’d hate to lose those channels of sales and access to readers.

I’ll have to give it time to see if the new policy works. There is so much competition in today’s book market that I’ll likely never know if it works to fight AI garbage. But it’s a start.

What do other authors think? Hear from a few by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Goal update: I’m at 49,600 words. That’s after stripping several hundred from edits of early chapters. The tipping point is still eluding me. There’s four paths I can see, and I don’t know which to pick.

April 20, 2026

How many of you use Draft2Digital? How will the new pricing structure affect you?

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Is This The End? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

April 13, 2026

From your story’s point of view, how does it feel when you, the author, writes “The End?”

It’s been a long time coming.

She started out with high hopes, ready to discover where the story idea would take her. When she started, I knew better than to believe she’d found the right beginning. The other stories on the computer warned me she had a habit of starting and restarting her writing. They were right. She started this one three times, then set it aside to work on another story. I despaired that I’d ever get written.

But she got back to me – eventually. And she restarted from the beginning. It was better, in my opinion,  but it wasn’t easier for her. She struggled. If she got two hundred words in a day, she celebrated. Once in a rare while, she’d break 500 words. Then there were days she wouldn’t even open me up.

I didn’t like being ignored. So, every time she sat at the computer, I’d nag her. It was her fault, really. She put a shortcut on her desktop, after all.

Well, she got to the end – eventually. Or almost. The other stories warned me. She hates ending a story. She’ll hold off as long as she can. Starting the editing before ever finishing is her favorite way to delay. Still, she’ll get there.

And when she does, when she writes “The End,” she’ll push her chair back and take the clichéd deep breath. I will cheer for her – for us. It’ll take a while until she’s done with me. Rumors mentioned five rounds of editing. That’s alright with me. She’s brought me to life.

How do the stories of our other authors feel when she writes “the End?” Find out by checking out their posts by following the links below.

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

Goal update. I’m at about 49,000 words. I’m inching closer to the end, but there’s a lot of loose ends to tie up. I wrote a bunch of red herrings.

April 13, 2026

From your story’s point of view, how does it feel when you, the author writes “The End?”

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The Art Of Graphics #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

April 6, 2026

How many of your own graphics do you do?

Does anyone help you with them?

Those of you who have hung out here may remember that my sister is my cover artist. (And I love your work, K.M. Guth!) But she’s a busy woman, and she doesn’t have time for all the minor graphics needs I have. I’ve watched her work, and the amount of detail and care she puts into even a meme is amazing.

So, I’ve learned to do a few things on my own. Nothing as detailed as a cover—I’ve seen my sister combine five pictures into one design—but I can create a simple one-picture meme with text. Not with shadows and special effects, but enough to get the point across.

       Ethical debate side note here: I use free photo sites regularly. You may know that I am against the use of AI in writing. More often, I find AI artwork on those sites. Now, I pay nothing for those pictures. I’m not taking away payment from an artist if I use one of those submissions. Is it unethical to use AI in that situation? See an example below.

I need to do more.

I’m behind. My FB page needs updating. It’s several books behind. Even the graphics on my webpage are lagging. The gallery of my books is missing two of my covers. And I should post on social media more often, but I don’t have the energy to come up with new graphics daily or even weekly.

Here’s my confession — I’m jealous of her skill. And know my work will never live up to her standards. I don’t like to do things halfway, and I feel as if my work is just that — halfway.

So, I’m thankful that I have a great cover artist. It’s up to me to carry my own weight. How about the other authors on this hop? Let’s find out what they do about graphics by following the links below.

As always, please stay safe until next time. 

Goal Update: I’ve written some, but done more editing, so I only have a net gain of 500 words. Sigh. But I wrote one scene that took a lot of writing and rewriting.

April 6, 2026

How many of your own graphics do you do? Does anyone help you with them?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

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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