Author: P.J. MacLayne

Some of you know that I’ve been working with a wonderful group of authors to put together a collection of short stories for your summer reading pleasure. What made it a challenge is that we “borrowed” each other’s characters and worked them into our own stories. I’ll be hosting a series of interviews with some of those characters. Here’s one that isn’t in my story, but that I’m looking forward to meeting.

1. Q. What’s your super power?

A. That’s easy. Can’t believe you haven’t guessed. My charisma. My charm. Women and men alike are dazzled by my good looks . My looks are like honey to bees…fragrant, tantalizing and sweet. People are drawn to me by my looks and bewitched by my charm. I’ve never lost a friend.

2. Q. On what occasion, do you lie?

A: I need to clarify before I answer this question. In my business, I negotiate. I manage five bands. My job is to get my peeps the best gig I can get. Representing them well can be tough especially at times when they may be competing for the same tour date. Getting that best deal is not always easy. I have to do what I have to do. I hate it especially when I have to undercut one of my bands for another. It can get tricky. You just have to understand the business. And I do.

3. Q. When and where were you the happiest?

A. Strange you should ask. If I had been asked this question last month, I don’t believe I would have had an answer. Just recently though…a few weeks ago, I ran into a childhood friend on a cruise ship. She was hosting her baby sister’s bachelorette party. Hadn’t see her in years–since high school. We had a few drinks on the ship. Some late night conversation. I had such a great time. Makes me wonder what my life would have been like, if I’d settled down with Shelby. Hmmmm.

4. Q.What is your biggest regret?

A. Wow! You’re not going to believe this but my biggest regret is not having children. Of course, with my life style, it’s probably for the best. But I use to imagine myself with twins. A girl and a boy. Blakely and Duncan. They’re beautiful. Curly , deep copper colored hair and hazel eyes. And of course, they both love music. She loves to sing and has such a range. And Duncan dominates the keyboard–like a Brian Culbertson.

5. Q. What is your motto?

A. Love this question. I have a wall hanging in my music room that says: “For all of you who gossip about me: Thanks for making me the center of your world.” I don’t know to whom I should attribute the quote but I use it all the time. It’s the story of my life. I love what I do. I love my artists. Music. And traveling. I love cutting that deal. I mind my business and wish those who speculate about my success, to leave me the H alone–pardon my French.

6. Q. Clothes in the hamper or on the floor?

A. My clothes go from the dry cleaner, to my suitcase, to my body and then, the floor. How’s that?

7. Q.Where do you see yourself in five years?

A. Five years older. Still charming. Haha. I’d like to think I’d be ready to settle down. Find me a special somebody–who loves music and maybe travel. Without the somebody, I see myself doing more of the same…traveling with my bands.

Stephany Tullis Bio

My spirituality is the force behind my being. In my world, there is no life without writing, traveling, family, music and my love of politics. My loves and interests are central to my writing.

I published my first novel The Master’s Plan, A Novel About Purpose in November 2013 and my first Christmas novel, 48 Hours ‘Til Christmas, in November 2014.

BLUE LADY (a short story), published in February 2015, launched my first series, The Angelica Mason Series. The first full installment in this series, entitled BLUE LADY’S Sweet Dreams is scheduled for release June 2016 to be followed by BLUE LADY’S Mission Impossible in the Fall 2016.

Beach Baby Blues is a part of the Anthology entitled, Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea…11 Beaches where anything can happen.

You can find me on:

Stephany Tullis Website

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

Take a peek at Stephany’s cover for Beach Baby Blues.

You can pre-order the collection

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop, where a group of authors discuss a variety of topics. This week we’re exploring how a hobby has made us better writers.

When I first saw the topic, I thought this post would be tough to write. I couldn’t figure out how needlepoint made me a better writer. Then I realized I was overlooking the one thing that most people consider a hobby that I see as a part of my life—reading.

I’m one of those people who will read at the table—but not if I’m in the company of other people. Heck, I used to read cereal boxes growing up. I wasn’t the only one, my sister and I used to swap boxes when we got done with ours.

During grade school and high school, I read all the time, and I was a fast reader. So fast, my mother didn’t believe I could read a book as quickly as I did. I’ll admit, I may have skimmed over dry, boring parts, but I was retaining the important parts of the stories. And it wasn’t just fiction, I loved biographies.

So, I hear you asking, that’s nice and all, but how did that make you a better writer? Well, let me tell you.

All those books I read as a kid were more than entertainment, as are the books  I read today. I may not be thinking about it, but subconsciously I was learning how to write—and how not to write. I’ve read everything from classics to erotica, from dinosaur romance to Dr. Zhivago, from a child’s biography of Betsy Ross to the Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time to Ivanhoe. (Only one dinosaur themed story, I promise you! And I barely made it through the whole novella! And then promptly erased it from my Kindle!)

And all that reading and all those lessons impacted my writing. I have an idea of what works and what doesn’t work for me, and what will work and won’t work for my readers. I understand the chances I take if I choose to break an unwritten (or written!) rule. While I’m writing, I look at what I’ve put on paper from the eye of a reader—would I keep reading?

But not only has my style of writing been formed by all those books, they’ve also helped to shape what I write about. For example, Harmony Duprie, the main character of my Oak Grove books, was influenced by James Bond. And my favorite alpha wolf shifter, Gavin Fairwood, has roots in several heroes written by Barbara Cartland.

So yes, my writing has been improved (I hope!) by my reading. To find out what other authors have to say, follow the links below.

“May 9, 2016 – How a hobby has made you a better writer.
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#JamesBond #BarbaraCartland #Reading #Books #Writing

It’s happened to all of us. Something didn’t work out the way you wanted, the way you hoped, the way you planned. It might not have been your fault, but it’s still a failure. And it hurts.

The big question is, what’s next? Do you give up or try again? Or do you switch to a new goal?

I’m not a big fan of giving up. But I’m also a believer in picking my battles. Experience has taught me that I can’t win at everything. So I examine the problem, seek the advice of others, and try to determine whether the gain is worth the effort. Not everything is.

But if I decide to try and still fail, now what? I’ve also learned that I have to allow myself to feel bad. I don’t have to be bright and sunny all the time. Sadness is a valid emotion. I embrace it, but don’t let it control me. Now it’s time to take a second look at my original goal.

What did I do wrong? Or did I do anything wrong?  Maybe it wasn’t my fault that things didn’t work out the way I’d hoped. Circumstances beyond my control might have caused the failure. The garden I was going to plant this weekend? I bought the seeds and the garden soil. And then it snowed. (Yes, we had snow Friday and Saturday.)

So the plan failed, but I didn’t. There’s a difference. The seeds and the soil will wait until next weekend.

Or maybe I’ll change the plan. Analyze what went wrong and revise based on experience. Knowing the local weather, we could get hail several times during the month of May. So instead of planting the seeds outside, I’ll start them in pots in the house. That way on nice days I can set them outside, and on bad days I can bring them in for protection. Once I’m pretty sure it’s actually summer, I can transplant them I want to.

Not all failures are as easy to fix as flowers. If you’ve heard of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) you know the goal is to write a book in one month. 50,000 words or more. The first year I tried, I failed. I only got 49,000 words written before I hit the end of the story and the end of the month. ( I think I’ve shared this before.) But I don’t really count this as a failure, because I accomplished something I’d never tried before. I wrote most of a novel. And I went on to revise and expand and finish that story, although I doubt I’ll ever publish it. (It’s not that good, folks.)

But occasionally I’ve had to give up on a goal. And giving up hurts worse than failing but knowing you’ll try again. Depending upon how important the goal was, it can feel like losing a piece of yourself. It can be hard to pick up and keep going.

But that’s what I had to do. Mourn and move along. Find a new goal and try my damnedest to make it happen. Maybe start small and allow myself something easy before tackling another large goal. Allow myself the satisfaction of a small glory before going after a  large one. Because giving up isn’t an option. Not according to my rules for myself.

To find out what the other bloggers have to say, follow the links below. And feel free to tell me about how you deal with failing in the comments.

“May 2, 2016 – What to do if you’ve failed at the goals you set?
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I admit it. I’m a hoarder. But only when it comes to office supplies. (And computer parts and pieces, but that’s another story.) A few days ago, someone asked to borrow a pen. I knew I had several in my purse, so that was easy. Then someone else needed one. That was easy too. But when someone asked how many pens I was carrying, I had to figure it out. After about the fifth pen, the giggles started. By the tenth pen, it was no longer funny. Yep, ten pens. In one purse. All neatly stashed in one pocket so they could be retrieved without a problem. The only problem was deciding which to use.

And these weren’t fancy pens. These were all your basic freebie giveaways. The kind you pick up from a hotel or a bank. I keep my “good” pens stashed away in their fancy boxes tucked away in a drawer.

On my writing desk at home, I have one large mug and one small pen holder filled to capacity with writing implements. Pens, pencils, markers, a paint brush or two. (I don’t have any watercolor paints anymore, but the paintbrushes are still here.) No telling how many of those pens still write.  I also have nine pens laying on the top of my desk.

Now, let’s move along to scratch pads. I do better there, because I actually use them and throw away the scribbled on pieces of paper when I’m done with them.  I only have two on my desk currently, but I carry two in my purse as well. I’m not entirely innocent when it comes to notepads however. Somewhere, I still have a small “memo book” from my college days with a list of books I wanted to read.

But let’s talk classic stationary. You know, those finely crafted pieces of paper that our ancestors used for communication. Back in the day when people wrote these things called “letters.” Companies sold stationary in a variety of sizes , shapes, colors and designs, with matching envelopes. You remember envelopes. Maybe you’ve even received a card or two in an envelope through snail mail.

I admit to being old enough to have written a letter or two in my time. I used to own stationary with matching envelopes. And in my best hoarding fashion, I still have an unopened package of stationary with a dragon design that was a gift from a dear friend. (Thanks, Kathleen!)

Of course, where would I be without organizational supplies? Folders and binders and paper clips and pushpins and binder clips and manila envelopes and highlighters? Oh, and labels and stickers and rubber bands and pads of lined paper? They all hold a place of honor in my system (or lack thereof.) They come in all sorts of colors and sizes and it’s hard to resist the lure of a unique color or pattern in the store when it calls to me. But I’ve learned to pick them up and admire them and then put them back into their place for someone else to fall in love with.

           
It all breaks down to the fact that I’ve never met an office supply gadget I didn’t like. I’m looking forward to finding out what everyone else on this hop thinks about office supplies. You can find out too, by following the links below!

“April 25, 2016 – Review your favorite office supplies.
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#OpenBook #Pens #Writing

I don’t know that I ever truly thought about giving up writing, but there was a time frame when writing gave up on me.

As many of you know, my first love in writing was poetry. Although I never considered myself great, I did feel some of what I wrote was pretty darn good. Good enough that I’ve been published in literary magazines in both the U.S. and Canada, and won a few small awards.

For a long time, I couldn’t imagine ever not writing poetry. Snatches of poems came to me easily, and although they all didn’t get developed into a full-fledged poems, it was enough for me to develop the habit of always keeping a notepad and pen handy so I wouldn’t lose the bits and pieces. One of the first things I did when we bought a new truck was put a clipboard and tablet under the front seat so paper would always be handy. I have binders and boxes filled with my poems.

But somewhere along the way, and I can’t pinpoint the exact time, my muse left me. My scratchpads remained empty and the words disappeared. I believe it was partly tied to changes in my career, which demanded very logical thinking. The more time I spent focusing on my job and training to move to the job I wanted, the less time and energy I had for creative thinking. I might have written one poem every six months or so and I felt as if I’d never recapture the writing spark.

I’d lost an important part of who I was.

Three things happened in close proximity that changed that.

First, I was passed by when an opening came up for the job I wanted. Twice. I had a choice to make. Either stay with my current employer and pursue a different segment of the field or go elsewhere. I chose to stay, which ultimately turned out to be a good decision. It also opened up some spare time for me.

Second, I heard about NaNo. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, it’s National Novel Writing Month. That’s right, it’s a challenge to write 50,000 words or more during the month of November, basically an entire novel. The concept intrigued me.

Third, I ran across some fan fiction in an old forum that drew my interest. I tracked down an entire story from old posts that spanned several years. It sparked the desire to try writing a book myself. So November rolled around and I did. Try, that is. I wrote 49,000 words and ran out of story and time. But I didn’t give up. I rewrote that book and expanded it so it was over 50,000 words. And by the time I was done with it, another story waited for me. (Which was good, because the first one wasn’t very good.) And I haven’t stopped writing since.

You can find links to my books HERE  (Oh come on, you didn’t think I wouldn’t sneak in a promo?)

So my muse really wasn’t gone. It was just transforming. I’ve now published four books and am working on the fifth. And a sixth is rolling around in my head. Now I have more story than I have time.

To find out what our other authors have to say, follow the thinks below.

“April 18, 2016 – Write about the time you almost gave up writing for good
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#OpenBook #Writing

This week we’re talking about things we’ve learned since writing our first book. I’ve learned a lot, but two things immediately come to mind that I’d like to share.

The one that surprised me the most was the wide range of reactions from the on-line critique group I use. What one person loved, someone else thought needed changed or deleted. The  description I worked so hard to create? Someone would think it needed shortened and another wanted it expanded. The unique turn of phrase that came to me at midnight? There’d be at least one person who didn’t understand it. At all.

Which meant I had to learn to trust myself. Did I think the description needed fixed? Then I’d fix it. If I thought it was perfect as it stood, I wouldn’t touch it. It was my story and my writing: voice, The old line that says “you can’t please everyone?” Writing is like that. No matter how hard you try, someone is going to find a flaw. It takes a certain skill to learn to ignore them.

Of course, the flip side of that is that I had to know when to listen. What seems obvious to me as the writer, is not always obvious to the reader. I’ve learned that I have to be open to suggestions if I want to improve my writing.

The next lesson I learned was that no matter how many eyes have reviewed a piece, no matter how many programs you’ve run it through, no matter how many times you’ve looked it over, you’re going to miss something. Maybe a quotation mark at the end of a sentence, or a comma added where you don’t need one. Or you forget a “the” in a sentence. Then there’s always the dreaded “its” versus “it’s.” Easy mistakes to make and hard to catch, no matter how good your editor is.

One way I use to help find those missing words or words I’ve repeated to closely together is to listen to my book. I load the document on one of my devices that will read it to me. It’s not like listening to an audio boo, the voice reading it is monotone and expressionless. Which is perfect for catching mistakes that I’ve missed previously. So while my newer books are still not perfect, but there are fewer errors

I’m eager to see what some of the other authors have learned. You can to, by clicking on the links at the bottom of the page. And if there are any lessons that you’ve learned and would like to share, please leave a comment!

Just for fun- the first person who finds an error in this post (sentence fragments don’t count) and leaves it in the comments will receive a hot-off-the-presses Oak Grove postcard.

April 11, 2016 – Lessons Learned. If you have written a novel, you have done what millions aspire to but few ever accomplish. What have you learned along the way—about writing, about publishing, about marketing—about yourself. Tell us so we don’t have to learn the hard way.
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#OpenBook #Writing #Editing

     This week we’re talking about our first memory of books or reading. Spoiler alert: I can’t remember ever NOT being around books. Being the fourth child in a family of nine, and having a mother who loved to read, books were always present in the house.
     Even before I started school, I played “school” with my older sister. I would have been three or four at the time.  And I remember both my sister and my two older brothers  reading to my mother as part of their homework. Those sessions normally took place in the kitchen as my mother washed the supper dishes. Obviously, I stuck around and listened but I can’t tell you if I learned anything.

   
   I can tell you exactly when I started reading myself. First grade. I didn’t go to kindergarten, but started first grade when I was five. And we learned to read using the standard Dick and Jane books. See Dick run. Run, Dick, run. No kidding. And I can’t forget the dog, Spot, either,
     So soon those sessions in the kitchen included me practicing. And ever since, I’ve always had books around. During grade school, I helped the librarian with checking out and returning books. I was reading a book a day at that point, and not easy books either. If memory serves me correctly, I was reading at a tenth grade reading level when I was in sixth grade.
     I thought I’d get a degree in library science in college, and even majored in library science one semester, but life ended up sending me down another road. I did spend several years working at the library in the small town where I lived after getting married. In my spare time, I did what came naturally—read. I wasn’t always the first person to read new books when they came in, but I had an inside shot at it!

    I suppose it makes sense that eventually I started writing my own books. Although I didn’t expect that the first book I’d release would be a paranormal; romance—and the romance wouldn’t be the primary story line! My first attempts at writing were standard romances. Then I figured out I was better at writing action than romance.
   So thank you, Mom, for always having books in the house and encouraging us to read.  And thank you Dick, Jane, and Spot. And thanks to all the teachers along the way that recognized my love of reading and helped me develop it further. (Including teaching me how to open the school library without a key on the days the librarian was running late.)  My life has been fuller and richer because of all of you.

To find out what other authors remember about books, click the links below. And feel free to tell me your story in the comments.

#Books  #Reading

“April 4, 2016 – Your first memory of books or reading.
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Presenting- Wolf’s Blade and Clare Dargin. I had the pleasure of reading this book several weeks ago, and if you like erotic shifter romances, I think you’ll like it too!

Blurb:

Samantha Dixon rescues a wounded wolf shifter in the woods near her home … and unwittingly gets drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a murderer. Callum Blake is on the trail of an evil man who would be king of all wolf kind, no matter the cost … it’s up to Callum to stop him. How can Callum fulfill his duty to protect his pack and save the woman who is destined to be his mate?

Excerpt:

Callum Blake growled and grabbed his forearm. He opened his clenched fist as the nails on his hand morphed into long dark claws. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes as he fought the urge to shift. He pounded the tree and glanced up at the night sky and prayed in agony to the wolf goddess. He pleaded for help. He’d take anything she had to offer if it would provide even the smallest amount of relief.
Nothing. The pain continued. He shook his head and grimaced in an attempt to remove the fog that was starting to shroud his mind. He silently cried out to her again.

Why are you silent? You’re the reason I took this mission and now you’re allowing me to suffer?
His frustration mingled with his physical pain, adding to his misery. The beast fought its way to the surface. He opened his mouth and howled. A mixture of a roar and a yell, it relieved some of the tension within him, but it did not drive away the urge to shift. Leaning against the tree, he dug his claws into the bark, burrowing deep grooves as he exerted his strength against the muscle contraction. His pulse pounded in his ears as sweat poured down on his face. Unlike his wolf self who resided peacefully inside of him, his lycan did not have the same kind of placating nature. It yielded only to the strongest of commands exerted to it from his mind. It was supposed to live in harmony just as his inner wolf, but it refused.

For wolf shifters, their human and wolf self were like two individuals abiding in one nature. One innately human, sharing some of the same abilities and desires as regular people only with keener senses and more powerful instincts. The other, their wolf side was wild and untamed. It acted on a gut responses, using its innate sixth sense to interact with the world around it. The wolf freely gave into its passions, choosing strength and cunning over calculated reasoning.

The lycan, however, was a being whose nature lived far beyond that of the wolf. Not present in all wolf shifters, it was like a curse of their wolf self causing them to revert to a primitive version of their wolf self. Acting on impulse and rage, the lycan did not use reason or soft emotions like joy, love, and happiness, it understood violence.

—-

Buy Links-

Amazon- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019VS3IZK?redirect=true&ref_=s9_simh_gw_g351_i1_r

Liquid Silver Books- http://www.lsbooks.com/wolfs-blade-p1090.php

–

Author Bio

Clare Dargin is a multi-published romance author. She has written for several publishers in different genres, including erotic romance, military romance, contemporary, paranormal, and sci-fi. She lives in the mid-west, and when not surfing the web, she is hard at work writing her next romance novel. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and Amazon.

Web Links-

Clare’s Blog 2 The Haven- http://claresblog2thehaven.blogspot.com

The Embraced: Scribal Love- http://theembraced.blogspot.com

Facebook- www.facebook.com/clare.dargin

Twitter- www.twitter.com/clare_dargin

Google + https://plus.google.com/u/0/113201930657713285351/posts/p/pub

Author Page:

http://www.bookstrand.com/clare-dargin

Thanks and Happy Reading!

-Clare Dargin