Author: P.J. MacLayne

ChatAndSpin Radio Interview

  By Uncategorized

My thanks go to Ron and Ian from ChatandSpin Radio for the great interview. If you missed it, I’ll be posting a link to the interview late  tomorrow (Saturday, Oct 3)  or Sunday.  In the meantime, you can take a listen to their station at ChatandSpinRadio.com. A great mix of 80’s music and a variety of guests. You can also follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/chatandspin.

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And here’s the link https://chatandspinradio.com/listen-again/. I’m at about the 1:55 mark for the second half of Friday’s program. Take a listen. 

A Tribute to Scenery Lost #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

September 28, 2020

Show us a photo (Or photos) you took that you’re most proud of. Tell us about it (them).

It’s been a bad year for forest fires all over the world. There are a couple burning in my neck of the woods right now. I can’t get to where some of these pictures were taken because the roads are closed. So, I’m using this week’s prompt as a tribute to those places.

 

This was taken at a small lake near Walden, CO several years ago. I believe it’s not in the way of any of the current fires. There was a fire nearby a couple of years ago, but it didn’t reach this spot. Anyway, I love how the mountains reflect in the lake.

This one was taken on the way to Red Feather, CO. I’m pretty sure those mountains in the back are part of the territory covered by one of the active fires. The wind was blowing snow off the mountains the day I took the picture.

 

If I was standing here now, one of the fires would be behind me. There was a mist hanging in the air that day. This is at an elevation of almost 10,000 feet.

 

I’ve added these two photos not because they’re all that great, but to give you an idea of what makes fighting these fires so hard. See all the deadwood on the left? That was caused by pine bark beetles. Little bugs that burrow under the bark and kill trees. They are mostly gone now (the bugs), but the trees they destroyed are what fuels these fires. The one of the right gives you an idea of the miles and miles of forest where the fires are burning with nothing to stop them.

 

One more picture because I want to leave you with an image of beauty. Why I chose to live where I do.

Now I’m off to see what pictures everyone else has posted. You can to, by following the links below.  Until next time, stay safe!

September 28, 2020

Show us a photo (Or photos) you took that you’re most proud of. Tell us about it (them).

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!

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Creating Business Goals for Writing #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

September 21, 2020

Do you set business goals as a writer? What are they for the How to write 4th quarter, and have you started planning 2021?

I learned all about the fine art of setting goals years ago.  How to write them in such a way they looked good for the bosses and yet meant the raises they promised were in the bag. About stretch goals versus SMART goals versus whatever  the powers that be decided to use that year.

I understood the process. And I’ve never bought into it. 

I know it’s supposed to be motivation. It didn’t work for me. What it felt like was a tool for bad managers who didn’t know how hard their employees worked. Or lazy ones who didn’t try to find out.

Oh, not all of them. There are exceptions. My current boss being one of them.

But we’re here to talk about writing. And I set goals for my writing the same way I plot out my books. I don’t.

Here’s the deal. Life has thrown me under the bus too darned many times. I choose to no longer live with the guilt of not meeting some artificial goal. I just do the best I can every day. Sometimes that means I write 1500 words in a day. Some days it means I only write 200.

That doesn’t mean I don’t have general goals. I wanted to get the first draft of The Ranger’s Dogtags done two months ago. I finished it last week and finished typing it today. And I don’t feel any guilt. The book turned out to be 20,000 words longer than any of my previous stories. Those extra words deserved the extra time they needed to come to life.

My next general goal is to get through a couple of rounds of editing. i haven’t set a target date for publication yet. Life could get interesting in the next few months, and I don’t want to rush things. I want to give this book the attention it deserves.

And that’s my goal. To make each book as good as possible and just keep writing. It’s not SMART but I don’t care.

But that’s just me. I’m sure we’re going to get a variety of opinions from the other writers on this hop. Follow the links below to find out.

Until next time, stay safe!

September 21, 2020

Do you set business goals as a writer? What are they for the 4th quarter, and have you started planning 2021?

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

 

Falling In Love with My Own Writing #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

September 14, 2020

Tell us what you love the most about your work in progress.

I wrote The End today (Sunday). It felt really good to finish this first draft of The Ranger’s Dogtags.

I started way back in March and I didn’t expect it to take this long. I also didn’t anticipate that the story would be as many words as it is. I’ve been writing it by hand, and I’m guessing it has ended up in the 90,000 word range. That’s about 20,000 words more than any of the other books in The Harmony Duprie stories.

It’s the last book in the series. What do I love about it the most? 

I love how elements from other books in the series became part of this story. Things I hadn’t planned on including reached out and said “use me.” I can’t give you major examples because they would be spoilers. But if you’ve read the series, you know Harmony hates the idea of shooting at center mass.  That plays into the climatic scene. And here’s a quick (unedited) snippet of another reference.

Once upon a time and far away, we practiced yelling in the self-defense course. I drew on that memory now. Filled my lungs. And screamed.

My shout echoed in the night. His throw faltered. The light arched through the darkness. Bounced against the house. Landed in the juniper bushes that lined the front. He bolted towards the neighbor’s yard and beyond.

I had two choices. Chase after the arsonist. Put out the fire. The bushes were expendable.


Do you recognize the reference? 

And I love how Harmony adapted and changed after I took her out of her familiar surroundings and still managed to retain her character. I was worried about it.

Oh, and I got to kill off a character that’s been in the entire series. I didn’t plan on it, but it turned out to be the right thing to do. No hints. Just don’t hate me.

What don’t I like? I’m worried that I have too many characters and that \readers will get lost. I haven’t figured out who I can cut yet. Too many last names begin with the letter ‘s.’ That’s an easy fix. I need to make the villain more villainous. That should be fun.

Normally editing comes next. Not for this book. Since I wrote it by hand, I still have several paper tablets that I have to transcribe. I’d like to get them off my desk. Once that’s done, I’ll probably take a couple of weeks off to catch up on reading. I have let too many books pile up. Chances are I won’t have it edited before next year. There’s a lot of tweaks I’m already planning.

I wonder how the rest of our authors are doing. You can find out by following the links below.

Until next time, stay safe!

September 14, 2020

Tell us what you love the most about your work in progress.

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

To Write Or Not To Write: Finding The Joy #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

September 7, 2020

Even if you knew you would never sell another book, would you keep writing?

I’ve asked myself that question more than a few times. I’ll look at a particularly bad month of sales and ask myself why I’m putting myself through the agony. Then I offset my bad mood by reading a good review and get my emotions back in balance.

When I first started writing poetry, back in the Dark Ages, I knew nothing about publishing. I wrote for the joy of stringing words together into a thing of beauty. That joy was only slightly dampened by the work that went into reaching out to magazine editors to try to get published. 

I had to relearn publishing when I started writing fiction. I’m still learning. And I’m not very good at it. Perhaps that’s why the sales of my books are so close to non-existent.

But someone has described writing as a hunger. I’m hungry to get these stories out of my head, into book form, and share them. I can’t force anyone to buy them. But if I don’t put them out there, no one can take a look and decide to give one of them a chance.

The “experts” say that if one book flops write another one. And another one. Write a series. I’m up to eight books now and two series and I still haven’t “found” my audience. Or they haven’t found me.

 I haven’t given up. I’m almost done writing the first draft of my ninth book now. With lesser expectations than the last eight. It’ll need a lot of cleaning up, but the story line is good, and it’s a great way to wrap up the series. Will it sell? I don’t know. Will I publish it? Yes.

 I already have another series in my head. No, I lie. I have four possible series in my head. Make that five, now that I think about it.

So, would I stop writing if I knew I’d never sell another book? Not likely. I’m more worried about running out of time than I am running out of ideas. Even if no one ever buys another of my books, I get a great sense of personal satisfaction out of writing them. And joy. 

Image by inno kurnia from Pixabay

 

I’m curious as to what the other authors on this hop feel about this. You can find out by following the links below.

Until next time, stay safe.

September 7, 2020

Even if you knew you would never sell another book, would you keep writing?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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.

 

Writing the Ridiculous #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

Aug 31, 2020

Does anyone write stream of consciousness or capers anymore, or has the Hollywood hero’s journey ruined that?

I admit it. I had to look it up. What capers meant in a literary sense. I had an idea, but I’ve never studied the form and wanted to make sure. What I found was “an activity or escapade, typically one that is illicit or ridiculous.” In a literary sense, “The caper story is distinguished from the straight crime story by elements of humor, adventure, or unusual cleverness or audacity.” They usually focus on the bad guys. Think Oceans Eleven or The Sting. 

But then I got thinking about a few of the ‘interesting ‘ situations Harmony has gotten herself into. Of course, they are all on the side of good. 

I giggled as Lando adjusted the support stockings. They hid the thick bandages he had wrapped each leg with to make them appear fatter. “Luckily it’s getting chilly outside,” he said, handing me a heavy sweater. “The more layers of clothing you wear the less you resemble yourself.”

With the foam form strapped around my belly, I thought I had plenty of padding already. It was designed to give a man the concept of the extra weight women carry when they are pregnant, but mostly it made me look fat. The over-sized dress with the huge Hawaiian flower pattern exaggerated the effect. Under all the foam and extra layers of clothing, it wouldn’t be long before I started to sweat.

The gray wig was a nice touch too. It was hard getting all my hair to stay under it, and thank heavens the curly hair hid the lump my bun made. Lando worried the makeup he had applied didn’t fill my face out enough, but he did the best job possible with his limited supplies. He hoped the huge glasses he’d found would help. The plain thick glass meant I still needed my contacts. The ugly white nurse’s shoes were a size too big, but with the thick socks they fit just about right.

A cane was the last accessory. To put any weight on it, I had to lean forward. He stood back, nodding and admiring his work. “Well, I think that’s it, Aunt Martha,” he said grinning.

I smiled back and pointed the end of the cane at him. “That’s enough out of you, sonny.”

He got thoughtful. “I almost forgot!” He dug into one of the bags. “Teeth!” he said. They were some of those fake ones that slip on over real teeth. I put them in and ran my tongue over them. I wouldn’t be able to eat corn on the cob, but an ice cream sundae would a possibility. “Try talking now,” he said.

I tried but it wasn’t easy. It reminded me of when I lost both front teeth at the same time as a little girl. “It’ll take some practice,” Lando told me. “But in the meantime you don’t sound like you and that’s a good thing.” He crooked an arm. “Shall we go show Eli?”

Walking slightly bent over was harder than I anticipated so I appreciated the arm he offered for extra support. I shuffled more than walked to the far room.

“Aunt Martha, meet my friends Eli and Scotty. Guys, this is Aunt Martha.”

From The Marquesa’s Necklace

All of that to go out for supper. And to take a walk in the park. Visit the Post Office. Innocent, right? But when I think about it, they all share one or more elements of humor, adventure, or unusual cleverness or audacity

I don’t claim I can write an entire story as a caper. I pull off a scene here and there for the fun of it. Harmony likes going in undercover to places she shouldn’t be. Lando didn’t know what he started when he taught her how to use theatrical makeup. 

But then there’s Harmony’s ex-boyfriend, Jake. Jake won’t reveal his secrets to me. Maybe because I take him too seriously. His alleged history as a gentleman jewel thief would be the perfect setup for a caper. He has the right mix of irreverence and seriousness, and the ability to charm himself out of almost any situation. I’ll have to think about it.

And there are a few capers out there. One I read recently was Hook Dead to Rights by Melissa Snark. It may not be a caper in the traditional sense of the genre, but it comes close.

On the stream-of-consciousness part of this question. I do. Write that way. Frequently. And I’m betting there’s a few others on this loop that do as well. (Richard and Lela, I’m looking at you.) Let’s see who owns up to it by following the links below.

Until next time, stay safe!

Aug 31, 2020

Does anyone write stream of consciousness or capers anymore, or has the Hollywood hero’s journey ruined that?

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

 

Race to the Finish #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Aug 24, 2020

Do you hurry through a first draft, or are you conscious of flaws as they go down? Has that changed over time?

Have you ever heard of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)? It happens every November, and the challenge is to write at least 50,000 words during the month. That’s considered the minimum number of words for a novel.

Well, the first book I wrote was part of the challenge. I wrote every free moment I had. At work, at home, planning while I drove. Still, I only made it to 49,000 words. Not only did I run out of time, I ran out of story.

But we won’t talk about that book. It’s buried in my archives and will stay there. However, I have made the 50,000 words in a couple of other attempts. It’s tough. 

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

I haven’t tried to compete in NaNoWriMo for a few years. I don’t know if I will try again. The plots of my mysteries are convoluted, and I have to pay close attention to ensure I tie everything together and don’t miss any potential loose ends. Plus, now I am paying more attention to grammar and word choice as I write. It slows down the initial process, but leads to less editing as I’ve already fixed minor errors 

Speed also varies depending upon whether I’m writing by hand on paper or if I’m typing. When I’m typing, and see the way the words look on the monitor, I do more immediate editing and it slows things down. When I’m putting ink on paper, it’s more of a stream-of-consciousness process and I go faster. (But have to do editing in the transcription process.)

The other factor that affects my speed is whether the characters feel like talking to me and telling me what happens next. I’m what’s known as a pantser—I make it up as I go along. I don’t plot out my stories before I start writing. I may know the beginning and end but everything between has to be discovered. Some days the characters are willing to spill their guts and some days, I have to drag it out of them.

There are authors out there that write a book a month. Month after month. Yes, they are pretty much formula-driven. I’m not one of them.  I challenge myself and my characters to break the mold. (including the mold I built them in!) For example, in The Ranger’s Dogtags, the next book in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries, I’ve pulled Harmony out of Oak Grove and plopped her down in Orlando. (And if you’ve read the books, you know she has nothing good to say about Florida!)

But back to the original question. Am I more conscious of my flaws as I write? Absolutely. I’m aware of every “was” “feel” and “had” that I drop into a sentence. I work to get rid of passive verbs and write more action. I spend time trying to figure out if I can redo the sentence to get rid of the offending word. Sometimes the fix comes to me, and sometimes I have to move along so I don’t lose my momentum. Yes, my writing is slower, but better.

And that’s why I doubt I’ll ever try to “win” NaNoWriMo again. I think I’d have to sacrifice quality for quantity, and create more work for myself in the end. 

What do the other authors have to say? Find out my following the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe. 

August 24, 2020

Do you hurry through a first draft, or are you conscious of flaws as they go down? Has that changed over time?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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.

 

Creating a Story Arc #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Aug 17, 2020

What is story arc to you?

There are authors that plan out their entire series before they start writing. They know how many books they want, how many words they want in each book, and the story line from beginning to end across the entire series. I’m not one of those authors.

When I wrote Wolves’ Pawn, I had no intention of making it into a series. The second book, Wolves’ Knight, came as a total shock when Tasha, the main character, forced her way into writing plans. Although the books share characters, they aren’t dependent on each other. You can read them in any order. The same is true for Wolves’ Gambit, the third book in the series.

But there are several underlying story lines in the series. However, I suspect not many readers see them, that they exist mainly in my head. I can see one of them developing into another book. I don’t know if I’ll ever write it, unless it’s for my own satisfaction, because the series didn’t sell well.

Then you have the mysteries. I knew before I completed the first draft of the first book that it had the potential to be a series. But I don’t believe in writing cliffhanger endings, so I made sure that I wrapped the story up nicely so readers would be satisfied.

And in Harmony’s case, the series is chronological. Although some of the books stand well on their own, I highly recommend they be read in order. There is a strong romantic subplot that evolves through each story. That, and Harmony’s personal growth is clearer. (She surprises me all the time!)

There’s no huge revolution in the mysteries. No overthrowing the evil king and saving the prince and the kingdom. No quest to return a ring to the forge where it was created. (Granted, there’s a minor revolution in the Free Wolves books.) Those aren’t requirements for a story arc, in my opinion.

All it takes is a continuing story. Harmony does more than move from one mystery to another. We get to share in her personal life—the changes in her jobs, her interactions with the police, overcoming her fears. The Harmony I’m dealing with in The Ranger’s Dogtags, my current work-in-progress, is not the same as she was in The Marquesa’s Necklace. 

And I’m enjoying this improved version. She’s being forced into situations that make her uncomfortable, and she’s handling them like a pro. Everything she’s learned along the way come into play. Here’s a quick example. 

Once upon a time and far away, we practiced yelling in the self-defense course. I drew on that memory now. Filled my lungs. And screamed.

My shout echoed in the night. His throw faltered. The light arched through the darkness. Bounced against the house. Landed in the juniper bushes that lined the front. He bolted towards the neighbor’s yard and beyond.

I had two choices. Chase after the arsonist. Put out the fire. The bushes were expendable. Eli’s home wasn’t. I dialed 911. And grabbed the garden hose.

Originally unplanned, I am bringing in additional characters from The Marquesa’s Necklace into this new book. I won’t tell you who. Not yet. But they will tie into the story I told in the first book.

And that’s story arc. It doesn’t even have to be across a series. It can (and should) happen within one book. There’s a challenge, attempts to solve the issue, and a resolution. The basics of any story.

Don’t forget to check out what the other authors on this hop have to say. (You can do that by clicking on the links below.) And, until next time, stay safe! 

Aug 17, 2020

What is story arc to you?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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.

Adverbs- Good or Evil? #OpenBook Blog Hop #Grammar

  By Open Book

 

Aug 10, 2020

Are adverbs really the devil? If they sneak in occasionally, does it mean the writer is lazy?

How many adverbs do you count in the subject for this weeks blog hop? It’s been a long time since I conjugated a sentence, but I count 2. Someone correct me if I’m wrong. Sure, I could change this to “Are adverbs the devil? If they sneak in on occasion, does that mean the writer is lazy?”

Now, when was the last time you used “on occasion” in your everyday conversations? The answer likely depends upon the last time you gave a formal speech. Which for me is more years ago than some of you have been alive.

I don’t know who came up with the rule that adverbs shouldn’t be used in writing, but it wasn’t me. I’m a firm believer that storytelling should echo the language of the listener. That includes adverbs.

Image by PDPics from Pixabay

The trick is to limit their use and find the proper balance. Overuse translates to boring, just like too much description or starting too many sentences with the same word.  Or using the same word too many times.

I do try to be aware of my use of adverbs when I’m writing. Sometimes, the only word that fits is an adverb. An author friend claims he wrote an entire book without using any, (I haven’t verified it!) and my first reaction was “Why?”

I run these posts through a grammar checker before I post them, and I got a kick out of one of the suggestions for this one. Way back at the beginning, when I switched ‘occasionally’ to ‘on occasion?’ The grammar checker wanted me to switch it back. So, even an “official” source approves of the use of the rare adverb.

That leaves me guilt-free to continue my sparse use of adverbs. I’m not lazy, I’m using all the possible tools to tell my stories. Let’s see if other authors agree with me by following the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe!

Aug 10, 2020

Are adverbs really the devil? If they sneak in occasionally, does it mean the writer is lazy?

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 Form Found Me #IWSG

  By IWSG

 

August 5 question – Quote: “Although I have written a short story collection, the form found me and not the other way around. Don’t write short stories, novels or poems. Just write your truth and your stories will mold into the shapes they need to be.”
Have you ever written a piece that became a form, or even a genre, you hadn’t planned on writing in? Or do you choose a form/genre in advance?

The awesome co-hosts for the August 5 posting of the IWSG are Susan Baury Rouchard, Nancy Gideon, Jennifer Lane, Jennifer Hawes, Chemist Ken, and Chrys Fey!

I’ve told this story many times, but when I started to write what became The Marquesa’s Necklace, it was supposed to be a paranormal romance. My main character, a librarian, was supposed to fall in love with a handsome ghost that haunted the library. The original title was The Ghost Who Loved me.

Except Harmony, my librarian, didn’t like that. Not one bit. And the book turned into a mystery with a romantic subplot. And then became a series. And the ghost became a living, breathing man. But I didn’t erase all traces of the original story. In fact, I’ve paid tribute to it in each following book, in the form of a ghost living in an old Victorian house.

Here’s a snippet of one of their early meetings.

That’s when I ran into him the second time. I was doing my normal thing of walking through the 940’s with my nose in a book and I almost bumped into him. A sudden rush of cold air made me stop in my tracks and look up into a pair of eyes such a light blue they were almost gray.

“Oops, sorry about that.” I reached out to stop myself from falling, but he backed away. I managed to latch onto a shelf instead, so I didn’t end up with my face on the floor. My book did fall, and he bent over and picked it up. Without so much as a smile, he handed it to me and walked away without a word. Annoyed, I stood there with my mouth open and watched him turn the corner and vanish from my view. As I returned to my book I smelled the most unusual thing. I don’t know if it was his aftershave or what, but it made me think of freshly-turned dirt.

I’m currently writing the sixth (and final) book in the series, The Harmony Duprie Mysteries. Then I’m going to start on a new mystery series, unless the characters decide to make it something else.

Don’t forget to check out some of the other posts this month. There’s a whole big list to pick from!

Until next time, please be safe.