Tag: #Writing

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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?

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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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To Start The Day #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

March 23, 2026

Are you a breakfast eater?

What is your favorite breakfast food?

I didn’t eat breakfast for many years. A simple large glass of orange juice (fortified with calcium and vitamin D) served as my daily opener. I don’t drink coffee, so I’d sip at my juice while going about my morning routine — and get my supplements at the same time.

During the Covid era, it became hard to find the “right” orange juice, and I never made a replacement habit (I’m guessing it was supply chain issues) and I found other ways to get my calcium. I can’t believe how large calcium pills are, and found a chewable form instead.

Back to breakfast:

Now that the grandkids have moved in, things have changed again. I don’t even think about food until I get them to school. When they’re gone, food isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, and I certainly don’t feel like cooking. By midmorning, I might get the munchies and go in search of something to eat. The easiest thing is a bowl of cereal. We keep a variety of cereals for the boys, but my go-to remains oatmeal.

What’s your favorite breakfast? Tell us in the comments. And find out what our other authors eat by following the links below.

In the meantime, please stay safe until the next time.

Goal update: I spent the week editing my early chapters and editing for a fellow author. I may have lost words, but I’m getting clarity on my ending. How do I explain computer networking to a 1985s audience?

March 23, 2026

Are you a breakfast eater? What is your favorite breakfast food?

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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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It’s All In A Name #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

March 2, 2026

There is an unwritten rule in fiction about not using characters’ names that begin with the same letter.

Do you have rules for naming yours?

When I started writing, I didn’t realize the power of names. My characters were named haphazardly, with whatever popped into my mind. Boring, white American names, because that’s what I knew. But the more I wrote, the deeper my understanding of what a simple name can do.

Then I transitioned to worrying about using “real” names. I’d spend hours scouring the internet, trying to discover if a name I had in mind belonged to a person I might meet on the street. If I was attached to it, I might change a few letters to avoid the duplication.

It wasn’t enough. I felt like I was missing something.

My research switched. I started playing with names based on various sources. Native American names. The Bible. The US census. That worked for a couple of books. (The Free Wolves series is a prime example.) For a while, I had access to the names of a medium-sized company, and I’d often come across unique names. Those made it into a notebook for later use.

By the time I reached The Ranger’s Dog tags from the Harmony Duprie books, I made another switch in my naming convention. The book had characters from a variety of backgrounds, and I tried to create names that would fit into their histories. As a bonus, the names worked to lead me to discover traits of their personality. (Always just the first name or the last, never both.)

As they will, my characters played games with me. For the Edwards Investigations, I used characters based on an over-decade old manuscript. There was no changing the names. Annie and Mike.

Now, I use a combination of all the above. I’ve also learned when it’s okay to break the rules. In the Edwards Investigations stories,  I have both an Annie and an Andreas. Annie because that was her original name from back in the day. Andreas because it pays homage to a founder of an early computer club, the perfect name for the character.

So what’s in a name?

A name can be an entire story in itself. Do our other authors have rules for naming their characters? Check it out by following the links below.

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

Goal update: I reached 40,500. But I wrote more and deleted 500 because I wasn’t happy with them.

March 2, 2026

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There is an unwritten rule in fiction about not using characters’ names that begin with the same letter.

Do you have rules for naming yours?

What’s For Supper? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Feb. 9, 2026

Did you try any new foods last year?

How did that go?

During the summer, I spend a lot of weekends at various community events. You’d think that would provide the opportunity to try a variety of new foods. But I don’t eat much during festival days because I’m afraid to dig into some messy dish just as a potential customer comes to my booth. Besides, I don’t want to have grease on my hands when I’m handling my books.

But there’s the rest of the year. And limited options in my local area as far as restaurants. In fact, this year we planned to try a new one for our anniversary. Walked in, and they had a sign that said “cash only” and were serving a limited menu. We ended up going elsewhere.

Now, I’ve tried new dishes in favorite restaurants.

But I don’t consider that as new food as they were still “American-style” dishes.

Here’s a confession: I’m bored with cooking and eating. The variety of dietary needs in the household makes meal planning difficult. We’ve fallen into a pattern of repeating the same dishes over and over. At times, I’d rather just munch on a variety of cheese, meats, and crackers than eat a full meal.

I hope your diet has been more adventurous than mine. Feel free to share the new dishes you’ve tried in the comments. And I’m hoping the other authors on this hop have more to share than I do. Find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe. (and warm if you’re in a freezing area!)

Goal update – I’m at 34,800 words. Not as far as I wanted to be, but the characters are switching the plot on me.

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Writing Tools I Want #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Jan 26, 2026

What is a tool that you would like to get to help you do your writing?

(Gadget/software, etc. – even a knickknack for focus)

I’m in pretty good shape as far as basic writing goes, with a decent computer, a program to write in, a website, and a great internet connection. I’ve got access to a program to help me with spell checking and editing’ and a talented and dependable cover artist. What am I missing?

Now that I’m retired, I’ve considered formatting my own stories for publication.

I have more time, and my original formatter has given up the business. I’m learned a lot, and am getting pickier about how my written version looks. (Why the heck is it different between KFP and Ingram when formatting a PDF?) Plus, the cost is harder for me to justify. As print prices go up, it takes more to recoup the cost.

I’m aware of several, and the most popular one, Vellum, is only good for Macs, which I don’t have. But that’s my question for all of you who format your own work. What program do you use, or which one do you recommend? Please share in the comments.

So, I don’t have an answer. Help me figure it out.

Perhaps one of the other authors on this hop will guide me in their post. You can find them by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe. If you’re in the path of the current storm, Fern, I hope you are staying warm.

Goal update: I only added 1300 words this week, However, I received several helpful critiques on Chapter 1, and returned critiques. So, even though my word could was low, I got a lot done.

Jan 26, 2026

What is a tool that you would like to get to help you do your writing? (Gadget/software, etc. – even a knickknack for focus)

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Writing From Revisions #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Jan 19, 2026

Have you ever taken something that you worked on very early in your writing journey and made it into a complete work later? Or do you plan to?

I didn’t come up with this prompt, but I feel as if it was written for me. (Thanks, K. Williams!)

If you follow me, you know The Rimer File, the first book in the Edwards Investigations, is a reworking of a book I wrote over a decade ago. (and never published.) That was back when I was trying to write romances. It was a good story, but not good enough, and I knew it. The language was stiff; the plot needed work, and most of the characters were not well-developed. The time frame was vague and dated without being historical.

I made several stabs at fixing it over the years. After each attempt, I put it aside, not satisfied. Finally, after I finished writing the Harmony Duprie series, I considered tackling it again. But I sat on it, letting it brew in my brain.

Then I realized enough real-time had passed that I could place the story in a semi-historical time frame. Time that I’d actually lived through, giving me inside information. Once that was settled, I knew I couldn’t place the original story in that period.

So now, I consider the original story as inspiration, and the new book is a tribute, not a revision, to that story.

The plot is different, and romance is a secondary part of the story, rather than a primary focus. The book is darker than anything I’ve written, but it’s true to the times.

The names of my two main characters remain the same, and a few other details carried over, but most of the story is new. Instead of being totally from my imagination, I researched to include historical places and events.

The 80s. Pittsburgh, PA. A man’s world. All Annie McGregor wanted was to nail a cheating husband and prove herself worthy of being more than a glorified bookkeeper. What she found when she opened the back door of the bar-of-the-night was so much more than she bargained for. A mutilated body that bore an eerie resemblance to her ex, and a stint in handcuffs.

I have one other story from my learning stage, back before I became published, that I still think about. Yes, it is a romance, so it would be a challenge. but I’m not ready to tackle it because I have other stories I want to finish first.

How about our other authors? Do any of their old works have a future? Find out by checking out their posts with the links below.

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

Goal update. I broke 30,000 words and have changed the title again. This one fits and I’m happier with it. (but I’m not sure about the last 500 words. I have to think about it.)

Jan 19, 2026

Have you ever taken something that you worked on very early in your writing journey and made it into a complete work later? Or do you plan to?

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Most Interesting Person #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

November 3, 2025

Who is the most interesting person you’ve ever met?

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many amazing people in my life.

Sure, part of that is due to the variety of jobs I’ve worked and places I’ve lived. Do I talk about the landlady who lived next door and treated us more like grandkids that renters? She’d bring supper over, or we’d cook and have her over, and she’d fall asleep on our couch watching TV.

Maybe the ex-military men I’ve known. The uncle who was serving in Hawaii during the Pearl Harbor attack and never spoke of it. The neighbor, who was a Green Beret in Vietnam during the war and may have taken part in exercises in Cambodia. My father, who served at the end of WWII, who was always tinkering with electronics, and took up music after retirement.

Or maybe the nuns who taught at the high school I attended? The ones who signed anti-war petitions (In the Vietnam days) and led the school in celebrating the first Earth Day? The one who wrote a symphony or the other one who has spent years working for social justice? How about my coworker who had a photographic memory but was also paranoid about life. After I moved, I lost track of him—he doesn’t do social media although he was a computer genius.

How about any of the computer geniuses I worked with at my last job?

The ones that could out-think, out-code, out-program most of the vendors they work with. The one that had a wealth of stories to share from his military days, but also got up at two in the morning for several weeks trying to help an overseas company make their program work for us. Or the one that raised livestock on the side?

But I’ll pick on a former supervisor. I’ll call him “Pete” to give him some semblance of privacy. I watched him grow into a fine supervisor and then struggle with the responsibilities. At first, he worried about meeting one-on-one with me. I suspected his reason, even though he never voiced it. Eventually, he changed his mind. When his church, which he was actively involved in, got a new pastor and changed the way they worshipped and served the community, he left to find a different path.

Eventually, he left the company we both worked for. (I had retired by that point.) He found a job that allowed him to work remotely and travel at the same time. It’s not quite the van life he’s living as he has a home. he and his wife also started a you tube page.

What makes him interesting? Not everyone is willing to follow their dreams. I admire him for taking the risks he has, and not taking the easy way out. I suspect he is happier for it. (If you’re reading this, “Pete,” hello!)

I’m looking forward to seeing who the other authors on this hop talk about. You can find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

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November 3, 2025

Who is the most interesting person you’ve ever met?