Author: P.J. MacLayne

Genre Shaming – Are You Guilty? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Sept 27, 2021

Have you experienced or witnessed genre shaming, where readers/authors degrade a genre? If so, how do you deal with it?

I’m guilty, and I admit it. I can’t handle the concept of a dinosaur shifter billionaire US president romance. There’s one out there, somewhere, or at least there used to be. If I recall correctly, it was a novella, and I didn’t finish reading it.

I became aware of genre shaming years ago, when “experts” touted the concept that anything that wasn’t “serious” writing was not valuable. That including science fiction, action adventure, and of course, romance. (And heaven forbid that a comic book might be considered literature!) I didn’t know any better, and accepted it, but that didn’t stop me from reading and enjoying books from those genres.

Two things happened around the same time frame. I realized that the act of reading is more important that what genre is read, and I started doubting the experts. What’s wrong with reading to escape the real world for a few hours? Any story that opens a reader up to new ideas and new ways of thinking is valuable. There are benefits to reading what is comfortable and easy as well.

I’ve read poorly written “high literature” and well written Westerns. The storylines of comic book heroes resemble classic literature. While I may prefer vampires that smell like dirt over ones that sparkle, I won’t deride someone else for their choice. I’ll be glad to share my opinion on a particular book, but I won’t give bad marks to a story because of its premise. (Okay, I might make an exception in the case of that dinosaur billionaire shifter story.)

My response to people who genre shame? I ask them what’s wrong with reading paranormal or motorcycle club or an apocalyptical combination of the two? And who gets to define what “literature”? Today’s popular but scorned book may become the next decade’s classic.

I think I’ve rattled on long enough. Let’s find out what the other authors on this hop have to say. Just follow the links below!

As always, until next time, please stay safe. And read!

Sept 27, 2021

Have you experienced or witnessed genre shaming, where readers/authors degrade a genre? If so, how do you deal with it?

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

You Never Know Where It Will Go #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Sept 20, 2021
What is a side skill that has been useful in your life? Where did you learn it? Have you written it into any of your stories?

My career with computers started as a side skill. It began back in the dark ages, when personal computers were new to business and the bulky machines had less capacity that the smart phone you got rid of three years ago. Back when the only way to reach out to another computer was by dial-up. The company I worked for decided that I should have one of those bricks since I was stationed remotely. (Yes, even back then remote work was a thing.)

Unfortunately, the device they provided me was buggy from the get-go. Things didn’t always work the way they were supposed to. The organization was tired of me spending time on the phone with our supporting techs, so they sent me to classes so I understood more about the magic behind the system. That’s when I was introduced to the mystical and arcane language of DOS, and discovered I had an affinity for computers. I went on to take a variety of computer-related classes and eventually changed careers.

Does my career show up in my writing? Heck, yeah. I have no problem with casting my major characters as being in the computer industry; everything from your everyday techs to computer programmers to owners of software companies. Despite the prevailing stereotypes, there are plenty of folks in the field who are romantic hero or heroine quality.

Take Gavin, my hero from Wolves’ Pawn. I tried to figure out what how a wolf shifter pack could exist and survive in today’s world and stay hidden. Computer programming was the perfect fit. All the real work can be done in the background and only a few select people need to interact with the public. Although Gavin isn’t a programmer, he’s second-in-command of the company and helps keeps it running.

Then there’s Eli from The Harmony Duprie series. Not only does he own a computer software company, he’s the genius that writes the basic code for the company’s programs. And possibly hacks into other systems to help Harmony solve the mysteries she’s faced with. (Legally, of course. <cough>)

When I think about it, getting into the computer field may have influenced my desire to publish as an indie author. Since I understood, at a basic level, what goes into the process, I was comfortable with tackling it. 

So, there you go, That’s how a side skill ended up changing my life. How about you? 

Other authors are blogging on the same topic. You can find them by following the links below, And, until next time, please stay safe!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Sept 20, 2021
What is a side skill that has been useful in your life? Where did you learn it? Have you written it into any of your stories?

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.

 

I Fr*gg$n Swear #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

Sept 13, 2021
How do you feel about the use of profanity, either in your stories or in what you read?

Profanity is such an old-fashioned, polite term. Let’s call it like it is. Swearing. Cussing. Using bad language.

I was probably ten the first time I heard my father swear. Rightfully so. A car ran a stop sign and almost hit our station wagon, with the entire family in it. Even then, only one word slipped out and my mother didn’t even correct him.

That may have been the only time I was shocked by a curse word, and I don’t remember what word he used. I read well above my age level, so soon I was running into improper language in print and it wasn’t a big deal. (Okay, the words might have made me giggle when no one else was around.) By the time I graduated from high school, even the nightly news occasionally let a bad word slip through their filters.

The point is: ages and ages later, when I began writing fiction, I understood that the use of swear words was part of life. Realistic dialogue can create a character better than anything else. If I was creating a twenty-something male in who was a mechanic, or a plumber, or in IT, the use of swear words was important in fashioning the setting and the personality. I wasn’t writing sweet romances so, I made the decision to include curse words. But, in limited numbers, only. I didn’t have a point to prove. No paragraphs filled with long strings of harsh language. And, for the most part, only the milder swear words. 

I’ll confess, I broke that mold in The Baron’s Cufflinks, when a character’s continual use of profanities become a plot point. Some of the harsher words, too. I cringed as I typed them, but they were true to the character, Annabelle LeRoix. 

This is where I normally give you a clip of a story as an example. Not this time. Use your imagination. Or go pull the book up your kindle or off your bookshelf. (Is this a good time to mention that The Baron’s Cufflinks ebook is on sale for 99¢ at all retailers?) 

For Detective Horace in The Ranger’s Dog Tags, I went a different direction. A detective on the Orlando Police force might be expected to drop a few cuss words here and there, but he’s a church-going man. True to his faith, he doesn’t swear at all in the book.

I’ve lost a few potential sales to people staying true to their beliefs, and I’m okay with that. They’ll ask if my books have adult scenes or bad language, and I’ll answer honestly. If they want to stick with Christian fiction, that’s their choice and I’ll support it. (But I can’t imagine writing it.)

So, all of you who read this blog but never comment, here’s your chance. Talk to me. Tell me how you feel about the use of swear words in the books you read, including mine. While you are thinking about it, I’m going to check out what the other authors in this blog hop think.

As always, until next time, please  stay safe.

Sept 13, 2021
How do you feel about the use of profanity, either in your stories or in what you read?

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

 

Interview with SapphireJBlue

  By Uncategorized

 

I had the honor of being interviewed for SapphireJBlue blog radio on Thursday. We talked about the Marquesa’s Necklace, and the Harmony Duprie Mysteries.  It was fun and thought-provoking and we had a great time. If you missed it, you can catch it at the link below.

And this coming week, we’re going to do it again! On Thursday, September 15th, we’ll be discussing Wolves’ Pawn. Jeanette is a fan of the paranormal, so this should be interesting.

SapphireJBlue Blog Radio

Have Food Will Write #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Sept 6, 2021

Does food play an important part in your writing? How about sharing a favorite recipe of one of your characters, or maybe one of yours? (We haven’t done this in forever!)

None of my main characters are bakers or chefs or work in a restaurant. But food is an important part of my writing with many conversations happening over a shared meal. Here’s a bit from The Ranger’s  Dog Tags, in a scene between Harmony and Vanessa Salters, an ATF special agent.

She waited while Bea brought our food. The slice of meatloaf was so thick I wondered if I’d be able to eat even half of it. The rich aroma of the gravy alone made me realize how hungry I was. I’d have to bring Eli here someday. I put down my fork, my appetite suddenly gone.

Vanessa noticed but didn’t comment. “Now, about your living arrangements. You said you’re in a hotel? You aren’t staying at Mr. Hennessey’s place?”

I shrugged. “I’m not comfortable with him not being there.”

“Got it.” She chewed on a forkful of corn. I took a tiny bite of the meatloaf. It was better than what I make, so I took a second, bigger bite.

From there Vanessa goes on to outmaneuver Harmony into allowing Vanessa to become her bodyguard, (and Harmony hates bodyguards) but you’ll have to read the book for that.

I’m not going to give you the recipe  for the restaurant’s meatloaf—I don’t have it. Frankly, I suspect the real secret was in the way they made their gravy. Instead, here’s a recipe for Hamburger Soup. I love it because it’s so flexible and it makes a large enough of a batch that there’s plenty of leftovers for later. It’s great for a cold winter day, which we may be seeing sooner than we are ready for! (depending upon where you live, naturally)

Hamburger Soup

Ingredients

1 ½ lbs lean ground beef (or substitute ½ lb Italian sausage for an extra kick)

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cups shredded cabbage

1 sweet bell pepper, chopped

1 tbls minced garlic

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

4 cups beef stock ( I usually use more)

½ tsp seasoning salt

½ tsb basil

¼ tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, brown the beef, onions celery, garlic and pepper until the meat is no longer pink. Add the cabbage and cook together for a couple of minutes. Drain. (I find it easier to add most of the vegetables after draining the fully cooked meat.) Add the seasoning.

Transfer the meat and vegetable mixture to a stock pot, add the beef stock and tomato sauce. Mix. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30-45 minutes and serve. (I like it with shredded cheese on top.)

I’ve used both yellow and green peppers at the same time to give it some added color. I also like to add sliced carrots.

As a bonus, here’s one of my favorite food scenes from the book, when Jake gets Eli to eat hospital food.

“Here, let me help you,” Jake said, reaching for the bedside table.

Eli shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”

Jake lifted the covers from the various dishes. “Jello. Naturally. Some sort of broth. How original. No wonder you don’t want to eat. I need to sneak in some real food. A steak or a big juicy cheeseburger. Applesauce? What was I expecting? It’s sprinkled with cinnamon. That’s a good place to start.”

Eli shook his head and looked away. “I’ll pass. Save it until you leave. I don’t want to eat in front of you.”

Clear as day, he was lying. I crossed my arms and glared. “You love applesauce. Tell me the truth. Why don’t you want to eat?”

He rolled so his back was to us. “I can’t do it. Last time I tried, I ended up with food all over me. The nurse had to clean me up and change my gown, then feed me like a baby.”

“Hurt your pride, did it?” Jake asked. “Was she cute, the nurse?”

“If you go for the grandmotherly type.”

Jake snorted. “Okay, here’s the deal. Roll over. I’m going to help you. You hold the spoon, and I’ll guide it where it needs to go. Ready?”

Then I watched the most amazing thing ever. Jake propped himself on the bed, opened the silverware packet, removed the spoon, and placed it in Eli’s shaking hand. Together, they dipped out a spoonful of applesauce and, ever so carefully, Jake helped Eli put it in his mouth.

Not a drop spilled. In fact, Eli may have licked the spoon.

No recipe to go with this one – only a link where you can find out more. The Ranger’s Dog Tags

Now I’m hungry, so I’m going to check out the other posts in this hop and see what everyone else is cooking up.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Sept 6, 2021

Does food play an important part in your writing? How about sharing a favorite recipe of one of your characters, or maybe one of yours? (We haven’t done this in forever!)

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

Success! #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
September 1 question – How do you define success as a writer? Is it holding your book in your hand? Having a short story published? Making a certain amount of income from your writing?
The awesome co-hosts for the September 1 posting of the IWSG are Rebecca Douglass, T. Powell Coltrin @Journaling Woman, Natalie Aguirre, Karen Lynn, and C. Lee McKenzie!
 
 
I’ve answered this question before, long ago, but I can’t find that post to copy! So, I’ll make the answer short and simple.

Success is writing a book I’m satisfied with. Sure, it would be wonderful to become a best-selling writer, but I have no great expectations of that ever happening. I try to be satisfied with the few sales I do make. When I get one of those rare reviews that lets me know that a reader loved my story, that’s icing on the cake.

But the joy is in writing. Find the right word that I need in a sentence. Putting on paper the thought that has been eluding me for weeks. Writing “The End” and knowing I’ve accomplished something.  That’s success. And that’s what I strive for.
 
Find out what other authors define as success by following the links below. And, as always, stay safe until next time!

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

 
 

Why Do You Write What You Write? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book
 
August 30, 2021
“I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.” – Flannery O’Connor. Authors have many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write?
 
I can’t claim to write for any earth-shaking reason. I’m not trying to impart any deep message. I write because there are these stories stuck in my brain and the only way to get them out is to put them on paper (or the computer screen, if you want to get picky.)
 
I’ve told this story before, but the first piece of fiction I wrote was in eighth grade as a class assignment. I’d written essays previously, but this was my first attempt at a made-up story, and was inspired by a book I’d read recently. My teacher wasn’t thrilled, and I only got a C for a grade. But something inside clicked.
 
I didn’t write any more fiction for a long, long time. I wrote essays, articles for newsletters, and poetry—lots of poetry, some good and some bad—but no more stories. (Well, some poems were stories in a different form.) That was enough.

Then I ‘lost’ my poetry. I blame it on a right brain/left brain situation. But I also ‘found’ a story that wouldn’t become a poem, no matter how I looked at it. I tried writing it as a book and became addicted. Toni Morrison said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” That’s what I’m doing. Writing books I’d like to read.

See, I like my characters. Even the villains. I like discovering their stories. Yes, I go back and read my own books, trying not to cringe at things I could have written better, but enjoying the story.

 
I want other people to read my stories, too, and hopefully be entertained. That’s why I’m here and on other social media. Maybe, just maybe, someone will read a post and be inspired to give one of my books a shot.
Even if they don’t, I’ll keep writing. Jake Hennessey is bugging me. I’m trying to avoid him, but he’s gnawing at the back of my brain. So, I’ll get back to editing his story, in case someone besides me wants to read it.
 
Before I do that, I want to find out why the other authors on this hop write what they write. If you follow the links below, you can find out, too.
 
As always, until next time, please stay safe.
 
 
August 30, 2021
“I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.” – Flannery O’Connor. Authors have many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write?
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
 
 
 

Diversity in My Writing #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book
August 23, 2021
Do you write diverse characters? If so, how do you avoid cultural insensitivity?
 
Quietly. That’s how I write diverse characters. They’re people , first and foremost, and although their diversity shapes them, it doesn’t define them.
 
Take Luke and Joe, Harmony’s landlords. They are two older men who live together and share a passion for restoring an old Victorian home. Here’s a reader’s introduction to them:

It isn’t much of a place, but what I choose to afford, and the landlords keeps it in good repair. It’s the entire third floor of a three story home, and Luke and Joe have the bottom two floors. They are getting older so I help them out with basic maintenance and they keep the rent low. (from The Marquesa’s Necklace) 

Were they a couple? At that point, I wasn’t sure. But some gay men of their generation weren’t open about their relationship status. The neighbors could pretend they were “just” housemates, and ignore the implications. Sure, society has become more accepting, but if that’s the way Joe and Luke wanted it, I was glad to oblige. Their love of old houses is what defines them in the series, anyway.

 
In contrast, I wanted there to be no question about Detective Horace from The Ranger’s Dog Tags being a black American, because it would play into the story. (and he insisted on it.) I modeled him as a combination of several men I’ve worked with. Here’s his intro:

I didn’t anticipate being greeted by a brick wall of a man with deep brown skin when I opened the door. If I wasn’t mistaken, that was a gun in a holster under his left arm. And a police badge attached to his belt. (from The Ranger’s Dog Tags)

Again, I didn’t want Detective Horace to be defined solely by his skin color, and it never gets mentioned again. His position as a detective for the Orlando Police Department was the more important characteristic. That, and his size. His size gets mentioned throughout the story, almost as a running joke. For example, “I was afraid that Horace would break any of the furniture, all of which had seen better days.” That, plus Harmony’s nickname for him, ‘The Mountain.’

The second part of the question is easy and tough. How do I avoid cultural insensitivity? The easy part is by treating my characters the same as I treat my friends from similar backgrounds. But I’m not perfect, and I’ve been known to mess up. Phrase something poorly, or miss the point. I try to be cognizant of what I put in writing, and I think seeing the words staring at me help me to be more aware. (Plus, I have time to think about what I am saying, instead of blurting out the wrong words!) 

Over the years, I’ve interacting with people from a lot of different backgrounds, and learned a lot from them. I try to let that flow into my writing as I populate my stories. That way diversity happens naturally and isn’t forced. You know, like would happen in the real world under the best of scenarios. (Which, I’ll admit, don’t happen nearly enough.) 

Let’s find out what the other authors in this hop have to say. Hopefully, there will be links you can follow below. (This feature hasn’t been working right lately, and it’s making me crazy!)

Anyway, until next time, please stay safe.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
 
August 23, 2021
Do you write diverse characters? If so, how do you avoid cultural insensitivity?
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.
 
 

All I Want And More #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book
 
August 16, 2021
What do you wish you had an unlimited supply of?
 
 
Let’s skip the all too obvious ones—money and time, although I could use both—and dig a little deeper.
 
How about unlimited readers? Well, I guess they are out there if I could find them. Perhaps I should refine the wish. How about unlimited loyal readers? It would be nice to be a best-selling author.
 
Now I’m getting somewhere. Sure, that would lead to the money angle I ignored, but it would also provide me with the more important ego-boost of knowing my work is appreciated. The ego-boost that would encourage me to keep writing.
 
While it’s true that I write my stories partly for myself, I hope that other people enjoy them. But I won’t know that unless they tell me, and not many readers leave reviews. Perhaps if I had a more loyal followers I’d get more feedback? I can wish.
 
But as the old saying goes, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.’ I can wish and I can dream but I’m willing to work for what I want. I keep trying, but I certainly haven’t found the magic formula that draws in an unlimited supply of loyal readers!
 
What do our other authors wish for? You can find out by following the links below.
 
As always, please stay safe until the next time.
 
 
August 16, 2021
What do you wish you had an unlimited supply of?
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
 

A Favorite Piece of Literature #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book
 
August 9, 2021
Do you have a favorite piece of literature? What is it and why is it your favorite??
 
This will be a quick one, because I am on the road and writing from yet another hotel room.
 
I’m guessing that I can’t claim one of my own books. It would be hard to pick only one of them, anyway. Oh, you want to know?
 
I’d choose Wolves’ Gambit. It’s probably the book that has sold the least, but I think the plot and characterization is among the best of what I’ve written. (Although The Ranger’s Dog Tags comes in a close second.) I really like Tasha, my main character, but I have a fondness for the underdog. Which she is. I’ve considered writing another story featuring her, but it hasn’t happened – yet.
 
Now, on to my real answer.
 
Anne McCaffery remains one of my favorites, specifically the Harper Hall trilogy of the Dragonriders of Pern series. Yes, my favorites don’t include a dragonrider as the main character! I told you I have a thing for the underdog. By the time McCaffrey wrote this stories, she’d established her world and was able to concentrate on the plot more than the environment around them. Frankly, if you look back to her dragonriders as a whole, you can see how rough her first few books were, and how much smoother her later stories flowed. (I won’t include the books written by her son in the analysis – they don’t live up to her standards, in my opinion. Even including the non-dragonrider books McCaffrey wrote, The Harper Hall books remain my favorite. 
 
I’ll be dropping in on our other authors as time permits, but I hope you’ll go visit them, too. All you need to do is follow the links below.
 
That’s it for this week! As always, until next time, please stay safe.
 
 
 
August 9, 2021
Do you have a favorite piece of literature? What is it and why is it your favorite??
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