Author: P.J. MacLayne

Books That Made Me Cry #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Jan 10, 2022

Do you remember the first book that made you cry? Or maybe the last one?

I’m getting old, and there’s a lot I don’t remember. Like the first book that made me cry. You don’t want to know how many years ago that was.

But here’s the thing. I’m not a crier. Well, I don’t cry at the expected moments. I hold my emotions in until they decide it’s time to let them go.

So, a book may move me, but that doesn’t mean I will cry while reading it. Or maybe I will cry at a part of a story when I am really crying about something else. I’m really good at compartmentalizing my emotions until I’m alone.

I remember crying while reading All the Weyrs of Pern by Anne McCaffrey. (Won’t tell you what part of the book did it.) Moonless Nights by Cornelia Amiri was another one that drew tears. Long, long ago, I remember crying when I read Ivanhoe. I doubt it would make me cry anymore, as I would be too involved in analyzing the change in social norms of the time.

I’ve also cried while I’m writing my own books. I figure I’m doing something right if my characters can draw me in far enough to pull out my deepest emotions. I can only hope that my readers get at least a glimpse of those feelings.

In my latest release, The Ranger’s Dog Tags, I tried to play with the reader’s emotions. The rest of the books in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries are on the “light” side, but I broke the standard as I wrote this one. I knew it would be the last story in the series, and I wanted the reader to experience a side of Harmony that she hadn’t had to deal with in the other books, and give her the ending she deserved. Did it work? I’m not sure. Sadly, no one has mentioned it. (Although I have received reviews calling the book the best in the series, and that’s worth something.)

How about you, dear reader? What books have made you cry? Don’t forget to check out what made the rest of the authors on this hop cry. Just follow the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe!

Jan 10, 2022

Do you remember the first book that made you cry? Or maybe the last one?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

The Next Five Seconds #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Jan 3, 2022

It’s your book. The next five seconds are the most important. What happens?

First, I hope your new year hast started out well! Next, let’s talk about which book.

I thought I was done with the Harmony Duprie Mysteries. Well, I am done. But Jake, my anti-hero bad boy, decided it was time for him to reveal his secrets.

I’ve tried to get him to talk to me before, with no luck. Either he didn’t want to influence my perception of him, or he didn’t want me to reveal his secrets to Harmony. See, he’s not a good guy, but he plays one around Harmony. I’m currently planning to classify the story as either suspense or crime.

I haven’t finalized a name for this book yet, although I’ve played with several titles. Here’s my current one. I’d love to hear what you think of it. It may be too long.

The Thief and The Angel: The Fall of Jake Hennessey

Here’s the action leading up to the next five seconds:

She undid the buckle, then reached up and started tracing the same path from his forehead. “Tell me, Jake.”

“No.”

She stopped, leaving her finger on the tip of his nose. “Last chance.”

He didn’t dare break the spell by wiping the sweat beads from his forehead. “Or what?”

She placed her lips on his, then pulled his shirt together and started the slow process of fastening each button.

Jake broke. He grabbed her hands and pulled them behind his back. “It’s a way to turn around quickly. You start by going fast in reverse, brake, clutch and turn the steering wheel at the same time. You end up heading in the opposite direction.” He lowered his head and smashed his lips into hers. She didn’t object.

He reached to slide the pins out of her bun, but she pulled away.

“I accept the challenge,” she said. “But the coffee is probably cold by now. Do you want me to make more?”

“Where the hell did you learn to do that?” he asked, trying to catch his breath.

She grinned. “I read it in a book. Although the heroine took it further. She got the guy’s pants off.”

“What happened next?”

“If I remember correctly, she put a sleeping potion in the spy’s coffee and slipped away.”

And now, what happens in the next five seconds? 

.

.

.

Jake gulped, picked up his cup, and swirled the liquid in it, searching for traces of something that didn’t belong.

Harmony winked, took the coffee from his hands, sipped it, frowned, and wrinkled her nose. “Yep, cold.”

What happens next? I’m not telling. Before you ask, I haven’t determined a release date because I want to fix a problem in Chapter 19 first.

With the variety of authors we have on this hop, it’ll be interesting to see what happens in their 5 seconds. Just follow the links below. (And if you are an author with a blog, and would like to contribute to this topic, it’s easy. We’d be glad to hear from you.)

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Jan 3, 2022

It’s your book. The next five seconds are the most important. What happens?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Who’s Coming To Supper? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Dec 27, 2021

If you could invite anyone in the world to be your dinner guest, who would you invite?

This should be an easy answer. But sometimes I think too darn hard, and this is one of those times. Out of anyone in the world, who would I invite for dinner?

I started by eliminating a few people from the table. I wasn’t in the mood for a political discussion, so poof! Every politician was off the list. And for sake of efficiency, I decided to not include folks who are dead. There are a bunch of kids who I’ve worked with in the past, and I’d like to know how they turned out, or even if any of them remember me. But all I have to go by at this point are my memories and my imagination, so I’ll pass them by for this discussion.

Then I came up with a great idea. I’d love to throw a dinner gathering for all those wonderful people who helped me in my many careers along the way. I’m going to use fake names to protect the privacy of a few of them.  How much fun would it be to have ‘Ann’ who gave me my first job as a waitress in her little restaurant chatting with ‘Jerry’, my current boss in IT. (Okay, I know Ann died a few years ago. So, I am breaking my own rules. Oh, well.)

Or how about ‘Jane’ who insisted I come work for her in a law-enforcement field talking to ”Randy’ who hired me away from that agency? And ‘Jeanine’ who hired me to work with a youth organization hitting it off with ‘Paul’ who ran a local community newspaper back in the day?

Can I throw in some of my favorite coworkers from along the way? What a mix of people I’d have! The state-licensed alligator trapper ‘George’ and ‘Daryl’, who restores old cars in his spare time. I don’t know that I’d ever get a moment to eat, I’d be so busy catching up!

Who else can I add? The unnamed lady who made costumes for dead roaches and mounted them in displays? No, I think she needs to stay home and far away. Very, very, far away.

Well, now that I know who I’m going to invite, I have to figure out how to organize this little adventure. Actually, I think I’ll pass that on to someone else. The headache is starting just thinking about it!

Who would you like to invite to dinner? Let us know in the comments. (And you don’t have to play by my rules. 🙂 ) To find out who the other authors are inviting, just follow the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe. And have a Happy New Year1

Dec 27, 2021

If you could invite anyone in the world to be your dinner guest, who would you invite?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Favorite Furniture #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

Dec 20, 2021

Since we’re in the middle of holiday craziness, here’s an easy one. Do you have a favorite piece of furniture? Take a picture, show and tell!

Thank goodness I don’t have to think too hard about this one!

As usual, I’m giving you a two-for-one.  I couldn’t decide between them, and they both deserve a mention.

The first one is this papasan chair I received for a birthday present about twenty years ago. The cushion is a recent replacement, but the frame is original. It made with a wonderfully soft and cuddly fabric, with a cushion that’s perfect for sinking into to sit and read a book or listen to music. Getting out can be a bit harder. For days when I need a little added warmth, I keep a throw handy to cover up with. If I get ambitious, I can clean off a corner of the nearby bookshelf to hold a cup of tea or hot cocoa.

 

Second is the rocking chair my mother gave me when I was pregnant with my first child. There’s nothing extraordinary about it, but it’s been used to rock an assortment of babies to sleep, and for that alone it deserves a place of honor in my heart. It’s been long promised to go to my daughter when the right time arrives. (The crocheted afghan on the back was made by one of my sisters. I don’t know if it will get passed down with the chair or not!)

 

That’s it for now. May your week be easy and your spirit bright, and may whatever comes your way bring a little cheer.  Whatever holiday you choose to celebrate this time of year, may it be a good one. 

Don’t forget to check out what our other authors are showing off by following the links below.

Dec 20, 2021

Since we’re in the middle of holiday craziness, here’s an easy one. Do you have a favorite piece of furniture? Take a picture, show and tell!

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

When I Was A Child #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Dec 13 2021

How did you picture your life as a kid versus how it turned out so far?

When I was a child, I measured the world in a different way. How high could I climb up the oak tree? How far up the hill could I pedal my bike? How far could I go in the back pasture before I lost sight of the top of the willow trees beside the house?

I remember standing in the kitchen when I was 8 or 10, trying to figure out how old I would be in the year 2000. Couldn’t make the math work. Decided it didn’t matter; I’d probably be dead by then.

What I wanted to be when I grew up changed on a regularly. I had a short-lived fantasy of being a hermit. Then I was going to be a librarian or forest ranger. It upset my high school teachers that I had no desire to get into one of the science or math fields.

It turns out that the field I eventually excelled in didn’t exist at that time. Computers took up entire rooms. I discovered my passion for ones that fit under the desk. Now we hold them in the palms of our hands and call them phones. I can see and talk to my 93-year-old mother with a simple device that allows her to bush one button to communicate with her children and grandchildren across the country. We are living in the age of science fiction.

When I was a teenager, I had an accident on my bicycle and spent nearly a week in the hospital. One of my injuries involved my left ear. A few years ago, I was undergoing a series of test for vertigo, and the technician asked about my inner ear injury. I explained it to him, and he asked “Didn’t they do an MRI?” I smiled and said “MRIs didn’t exist back then.” We are living in the age of science fiction.

Once upon a time, authors laboriously wrote their books out by hand or typed them on a typewriter. Then they repeated the process to make corrections. Once finished , they stuffed the final copies into oversized manila envelopes or boxes to mail off to an agent or a company’s slush pile. Now they can see their edits on a screen and never have to touch white-out or correction tape. Instead of mailing them, the documents can go electronically to their destination. We are living in the age of science fiction, and there’s no going back.

I wouldn’t want to, either. Go back, that is. It’s not all roses and sunshine, but I have too many friends and family members who wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for the advances in science and medicine. Maybe I wouldn’t have made it to the year 2000 if it weren’t for the changes. My life doesn’t resemble what I expected as a kid, and I’m good with that.

What about you, reader? Has your life turned out differently from what you expected? Tell us about it in the comments. And to see how the other authors on this loop feel, follow the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe!

Dec 13 2021

How did you picture your life as a kid versus how it turned out so far?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Collaboration in Writing #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

Dec 6, 2021

Have you ever written fanfiction or a story that was part of some else’s ‘world’? How does it differ from writing a story entirely on your own?

Does writing fanfiction about your own stories count? No? Then I haven’t written any. The first book I wrote was terribly derivative of a story by someone else, but didn’t use the same characters. Its flaw was that it borrowed heavily from the plot. And that’s why it’s tucked away in a file, never to see the light of day. I don’t count it as fanfic.

But I have been part of an anthology, where 11 authors got together and wrote short stories of sand, surf, and sea, using each others’ characters. That was a challenge, as we worked together to make sure that the characters stayed true to the creating author’s image. We also had a very loose timeline, so the stories were presented in chronological order. I think I put almost as much effort into the story for that anthology as I do for my books!

That effort was organized in part by PJ Fiala, who also instrumental in creating this group…thank you!) 

The same group did a second collaboration,  but it didn’t have the same level of success as the first one. It happens. Those stories featured Lando and Scotty, two recurring supporting characters from the Harmony Duprie books. I hold the copyright on those stories, so maybe I’ll do something with them in the future.

Remember Amazon Worlds? I was invited to join one, but that was right after the two anthologies. I turned down the invite because my own stories were screaming at me to write them, and I had limited time for writing. (I think Amazon closed down the ‘worlds’ effort shortly after that.)

Would I ever join another ‘group’ effort? Absolutely. I loved doing it. Shoot, I might even try fanfiction, given the right story.

As for the fanfiction of my own stories…I’m thinking the story I’m working on now might qualify. It’s a prequel to The Harmony Duprie books, written from Jake’s point of view. I haven’t set a release date yet. Shoot, I still am fighting with myself about the title!

I have no idea how many of the other authors on this blog have worked on collaborative efforts or fanfiction. I’m looking forward to reading more posts. The links are below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe!

Dec 6, 2021

Have you ever written fanfiction or a story that was part of some else’s ‘world’? How does it differ from writing a story entirely on your own?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

 

 

Stresses and Delights: A Writer’s View #IWSG

  By IWSG

 

It’s the first Wednesday of the month, and time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post. This month’s topic:
 
In your writing, what stresses you the most? What delights you?
The awesome co-hosts for the December 1 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando, Diane Burton, Louise – Fundy Blue, Natalie Aguirre, and Jacqui Murray!
 
I’m going to bet that a lot of us are going to answer the first part of the question the same. What stresses me the most? Publicity! Well, publicity in general, social media more specifically.
 
I’m an introvert. I want to spend my times trying to make words sing. But I want people to read those words, so I have to make myself available to my audience. Some days it’s fine, other days I want to crawl into my writing cave and hide away, when I don’t have the mental stretch to skip past yet another Facebook ad.
 
On the other hand, I love doing in-person events where I can talk to people about my books and writing. I may be worn out at the end of the day, but it’ll be a good tired.
 
What delights me? A good review. Heck. almost any review. Knowing that someone cares enough about my story to take their time and share their thoughts with the world is a high compliment. And a 5 Star review can’t be beat. If you’re reading this, go review an author’s book. It doesn’t have to be mine. But hopefully, it’ll be one of the authors on this hop. You can find them in the list below.
 
That’s it for this month. I hope you’ll come back in January. Or sooner, to check out my other blog posts! Anyway, until next time, please stay safe.
 
 
 
What delights me? A good review. Heck, almost any review. Knowin

Favorite Young Reader Novels #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Uncategorized

 

Nov 29, 2021

What was your favorite young reader novel growing up?

Was that even a category back in the dark ages? I had to look this up, because the definition of young reader baffles me.

What does young reader mean?
 
Both middle-grade books and young adult fiction are for young readers. Middle-grade fiction is comprised of books intended for readers between the ages of 8 and 12, while young adult fiction targets readers between the ages of 12 and 18.
 
That’s from https://www.masterclass.com/articles/whats-the-difference-between-middle-grade-fiction-vs-young-adult-fiction#what-is-young-adult-fiction. And that’s a really broad spectrum of readers. The difference between the reading ability between an 8-year-old and an 18-year-old is light years.
 
Now, for your consideration. I read James Michener’s Hawaii the summer after eighth grade. That made me 14, probably. And I read it in one weekend. I was also devouring Nancy Drew books in that same time frame. And cereal boxes, if I had nothing else nearby. In other words, I read whatever I could get my hands on.
 
To make it cleaner, let’s eliminate the adult books I was reading and stick with the ‘approved’ ones. In eighth grade, I was still in my ‘read a book a day’ phase. I’d get a book out after school, read it on the way home and after my homework was finished, and return it to the school library in the morning. I was also reading a lot of bibliographies and historical fiction. I never thought of reading only from one category. I’d read whatever looked interesting or a book the librarian suggested.
 
Then there were the Reader’s Digest Condensed Books. I’m not sure how many years my mother bought them, but I’d devour them in no time flat. Sure, they might have ‘condensed out’ the more adult portions, but they introduced me to authors I might not have come across on my own.
 
So, that’s stacks of books, many I don’t remember. That doesn’t mean some small piece of them didn’t stick with me. But, I won’t claim any of them as my favorite. I don’t have one.
 
Back to where we started – I still can’t wrap my head around the young adult definition. A good book is a good book. I may be old, but I can enjoy a well-written story about teens, and I hope the opposite is true.
 
Let’s see what the other writers think.  Just follow the links below.
 
As always, until next time, please stay safe.
 
 
 
Nov 29, 2021

What was your favorite young reader novel growing up?

Rules:

1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Nailing The Beginning of a Book: #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Nov 22, 2021

Which part of your book do you spend the most time on? Beginning, middle or end? Something else?

Sometimes it seems that the more I think I know about writing, the harder it gets. That’s how I feel about writing the beginnings of my books.

The first couple of stories I wrote, I simply sat down and wrote. The opening was the opening. Things have changed. For The Ranger’s Dog Tags, I can document eight different versions of the beginning. Eight. And those are the ones I kept. I can’t tell you how many I started and then tossed.

You know what’s the toughest part? Finding the right place to start. I can throw all kinds of words on a piece of paper, but that doesn’t mean they are the right words. Or the right moment to introduce the reader to the adventure.

I dug out the earliest documented attempt to begin what became The Ranger’s Dog Tags. Here it is, in all its painful ineptness. “Four alarms blaring at the same time,” quickly changed to “Four alarms on my phone blaring.” I have one sheet of paper covered with variations on that theme. 

And how did the book start once it had gone through countless edits?

The squad car screamed down the street, its red and blue lights tearing through the darkness. I feathered the gas pedal and waited for a second set of headlights to pass. Dolores, my salsa-red F-type Jaguar, growled in anticipation.

Quite the difference. I lost 3/4ths of the beginning chapter in the editing process.

I’ve got two books in progress right now. (One is deep in edits, the other is only at about 7000 words- a long way to go.) In the opposite of what I usually experience, I actually added most of a chapter at the start of the first one. For the second one, I have shrunk my initial beginning from about 2000 words down to 450, and turned it into a prologue.

Not that the middles and ends aren’t important. I will fight myself over that last paragraph. I want to wrap up the story as well as I started it. The story may be over, but those final words are the what the reader will walk away with. That’s as true for these blog posts as it is for a book.

Want to find out which part of a story the other authors feel is the hardest? Just follow the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe. And if you are celebrating the US Thanksgiving this week, Happy Thanksgiving!

Nov 22, 2021

Which part of your book do you spend the most time on? Beginning, middle or end? Something else?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter