Category: Uncategorized

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Open Book Blog Hop, where a group of authors share their ideas on random topics. This week we’re making predictions about how changes in technology will
affect us as writers.

I’m going to start with one easy prediction, then move on to something that’s more in the out-on-a-limb realm.

Smart watches are the upcoming technology. And they’re useful for many things, like tracking the weather and stock market, but can you imagine reading a book on that little screen? So my prediction is that someone will develop an app that will read the books in your e-book library to you—without needing it to be in an audio book format. And then tie that same technology into Amazon’s Echo Alex speaker system (and similar products.)

Alternatively, there will be a way to project the display onto a wall or whiteboard to make it easier to read. The technology already exists for laptops, so why not for smart watches?

As writers, the new technology may present formatting issues. We’ll need to adapt our existing books into a new setup so the watches can read them correctly, and format our new offerings for yet another market. Same goes for our blogs and websites. As always, the early adapters will get the lion’s share of the initial market.

Now onto a prediction that’s a long shot.

Remember in Star Trek how everyone could talk to everyone (almost) and understand what everyone was saying? Even though they were from different countries and planets and solar systems? The universal translator (that came in various forms in different shows and movies) searched for similar patterns that occur in many spoken languages and, over a series of words, and interpreted them for the hearer.

That translator only works for the spoken word. I predict someone will develop a translator to interpret the written word. Maybe that’s not such a long shot, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that capability already exists in super computer form. But how about in a hand-held device for the masses? Sure, you can go on line and find translations for specific languages, but what about a device that you can run over the page of a book and it will read the text to you in whatever language you select? Think of the possibilities that would open up to us as writers!

We’d immediately have our books available to a world-wide audience without paying for translators for every language. How great would that be? Of course, we’d need to change up our writing style or subject matter to fit more of the international audience. I’m not sure how wolf shifters would translate into a Hindi marketplace. Would readers from all over the world read our blogs if we didn’t write them to include topics of interest to a broad audience? We as writers would have to work a lot harder to make ourselves “attractive” to the new market.

So those are my predictions. What are your predictions? Feel free to share in the comments below. And to find out what other writers on the loop have to say, follow the links below.

Predictions Post – How changes in the industry, in technology or in the tools (social media, blogging, etc.) will affect your ability to earn a living or make your mark as a writer.
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.
WordPress:



Custom Blog:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Open Book Blog Hop, where a group of authors share their ideas on random topics. This week we’re making predictions about how changes in technology will
affect us as writers.

I’m going to start with one easy prediction, then move on to something that’s more in the out-on-a-limb realm.

Smart watches are the upcoming technology. And they’re useful for many things, like tracking the weather and stock market, but can you imagine reading a book on that little screen? So my prediction is that someone will develop an app that will read the books in your e-book library to you—without needing it to be in an audio book format. And then tie that same technology into Amazon’s Echo Alex speaker system (and similar products.)

Alternatively, there will be a way to project the display onto a wall or whiteboard to make it easier to read. The technology already exists for laptops, so why not for smart watches?

As writers, the new technology may present formatting issues. We’ll need to adapt our existing books into a new setup so the watches can read them correctly, and format our new offerings for yet another market. Same goes for our blogs and websites. As always, the early adapters will get the lion’s share of the initial market.

Now onto a prediction that’s a long shot.

Remember in Star Trek how everyone could talk to everyone (almost) and understand what everyone was saying? Even though they were from different countries and planets and solar systems? The universal translator (that came in various forms in different shows and movies) searched for similar patterns that occur in many spoken languages and, over a series of words, and interpreted them for the hearer.

That translator only works for the spoken word. I predict someone will develop a translator to interpret the written word. Maybe that’s not such a long shot, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that capability already exists in super computer form. But how about in a hand-held device for the masses? Sure, you can go on line and find translations for specific languages, but what about a device that you can run over the page of a book and it will read the text to you in whatever language you select? Think of the possibilities that would open up to us as writers!

We’d immediately have our books available to a world-wide audience without paying for translators for every language. How great would that be? Of course, we’d need to change up our writing style or subject matter to fit more of the international audience. I’m not sure how wolf shifters would translate into a Hindi marketplace. Would readers from all over the world read our blogs if we didn’t write them to include topics of interest to a broad audience? We as writers would have to work a lot harder to make ourselves “attractive” to the new market.

So those are my predictions. What are your predictions? Feel free to share in the comments below. And to find out what other writers on the loop have to say, follow the links below.

Predictions Post – How changes in the industry, in technology or in the tools (social media, blogging, etc.) will affect your ability to earn a living or make your mark as a writer.
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.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

No, you didn’t miss a post from me last week. I was out of town and had no internet access. It was great, but now it’s time to come back to real life.

This week we’re talking about things that matter to us. As my title indicates, I picked the broad topic of human rights. I considered narrowing the topic, but back in high school, when I was first being introduced to the politics of women’s rights, I decided that the rights of all people were important, and I haven’t changed my philosophy. If anything, my areas of interest have grown broader over the years.

The men’s rights movement was the breakthrough  that led me to explore beyond women’s rights. The concept that women were automatically considered better parents than men floored me because my own father was a wonderful and caring parent. Besides, if we were talking about women being equal, shouldn’t that extend to equality both good and bad? I couldn’t find the fairness in being considered automatically “superior” in any field based on sex alone. Isn’t that what the women’s rights movement was fighting against?

Gradually, my world perspective grew larger. The Civil Rights Movement was only the tip of the iceberg. The issues of Native Americans began making the news. Remember the occupation of Alcatraz?  The American Indian Movement and Russell Means? I don’t know too many people who do. Fascinating US history that I suspect doesn’t make it into history textbooks. 

Somewhere along the way, my interests became international. So many issues, so many causes. Women not being allowed to drive or vote or have any rights under the laws of many countries. Children being forced in prostitution or slavery or used to fight in territorial wars. Men and women not being able to have opinions that are in opposition to the “official” position of their government. The struggles of the LGBT community all over the globe. Usable food being wasted or deliberately destroyed while people go hungry.

What can one person do about all the many issues? Admittedly, not much, other than pay attention and educate themselves  about what is going on in the world. Sign a petition or two or three. Pick one or two causes to donate money to. And when the opportunity arises, share your knowledge with other people. If we work together, we can make a difference.

To find out what other authors care about, follow the links below.

July 11 Why ____________ matters to me. Share what you’re passionate about. Strong opinion pieces allowed.
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.
WordPress:



Custom Blog:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

No, you didn’t miss a post from me last week. I was out of town and had no internet access. It was great, but now it’s time to come back to real life.

This week we’re talking about things that matter to us. As my title indicates, I picked the broad topic of human rights. I considered narrowing the topic, but back in high school, when I was first being introduced to the politics of women’s rights, I decided that the rights of all people were important, and I haven’t changed my philosophy. If anything, my areas of interest have grown broader over the years.

The men’s rights movement was the breakthrough  that led me to explore beyond women’s rights. The concept that women were automatically considered better parents than men floored me because my own father was a wonderful and caring parent. Besides, if we were talking about women being equal, shouldn’t that extend to equality both good and bad? I couldn’t find the fairness in being considered automatically “superior” in any field based on sex alone. Isn’t that what the women’s rights movement was fighting against?

Gradually, my world perspective grew larger. The Civil Rights Movement was only the tip of the iceberg. The issues of Native Americans began making the news. Remember the occupation of Alcatraz?  The American Indian Movement and Russell Means? I don’t know too many people who do. Fascinating US history that I suspect doesn’t make it into history textbooks. 

Somewhere along the way, my interests became international. So many issues, so many causes. Women not being allowed to drive or vote or have any rights under the laws of many countries. Children being forced in prostitution or slavery or used to fight in territorial wars. Men and women not being able to have opinions that are in opposition to the “official” position of their government. The struggles of the LGBT community all over the globe. Usable food being wasted or deliberately destroyed while people go hungry.

What can one person do about all the many issues? Admittedly, not much, other than pay attention and educate themselves  about what is going on in the world. Sign a petition or two or three. Pick one or two causes to donate money to. And when the opportunity arises, share your knowledge with other people. If we work together, we can make a difference.

To find out what other authors care about, follow the links below.

July 11 Why ____________ matters to me. Share what you’re passionate about. Strong opinion pieces allowed.
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.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

Carlos: “I’d have to say cars. I can fix almost anything wrong with them. I’ve been hanging around my Uncle Jose’s garage since I was a teenager, and I’ve worked for him full time for over ten years. He’s the best mechanic there is, and he’s taught me everything he knows. So if it’s broke, I can figure out how to fix it.”

I currently reside in a rural area of the mid-west. After living in various parts of the U.S. and traveling abroad, I recently moved into the very same home where I grew up. I enjoy country living: ours is a small community, and everyone knows everybody. The culture of the city also draws me: the shopping, dining, and the opera and ballet. 

The Art of Getting Away is part of the Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea collection, currently available at the links below:

Carlos:
“I’d have to say cars. I can fix almost anything wrong with them.
I’ve been hanging around my Uncle Jose’s garage since I was a
teenager, and I’ve worked for him full time for over ten years.
He’s the best mechanic there is, and he’s taught me everything he
knows. So if it’s broke, I can figure out how to fix it.”

I
currently reside in a rural area of the mid-west. After living in
various parts of the U.S. and traveling abroad, I recently moved into
the very same home where I grew up. I enjoy country living: ours is a
small community, and everyone knows everybody. The culture of the
city also draws me: the shopping, dining, and the opera and ballet. 

The Art of Getting Away is part of the Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea collection, currently available at the links below:

Today I’m welcoming PJ Fiala to my blog. She’s going to interview Dot McKenzie-Lapahie, a wolf shifter, from my Free Wolves series. Dot is currently the CEO of Lapahie Enterprises, and mate to Gavin Fairwood of the Fairwood pack. So glad you could drop by, Patti, and glad to see you again, Dot. Now on to the interview.

1. Where were you when you heard about 911 and how has it changed you?

    I was waitressing at a little diner off the interstate in the middle of nowhere, North Carolina. What passed for breakfast rush was over, but we still had some truckers getting their morning caffeine fix. One of the truckers got a call from his manager to warn about the possibility of delays along his route and that was the first we heard about it. Hank, the boss, kept a small TV in his office and we all huddled around it to watch the news. I cried, I admit it. Up until that point, I’d never paid much attention to politics because I was too busy trying to stay ahead of whoever was chasing me, but that event changed everything. Now I understand how what goes on in the world around us impacts all of us for good or bad.

 2. How do you approach tough decisions?

   I’ve had to act on impulse too many times in my life, so I rely on instinct, Now that I’m running a business, I’m slowly learning to take the advice of people who have more expertise than I do in their specialties, but when it comes down to the final decision, I still rely on my gut.

3. Are you organized? If so, what do you do to keep yourself organized?

    It’s not hard to stay organized when you own next to nothing. Now that I’m running a company, it’s a lot different. Thank heavens I have an excellent assistant who keeps me in line. Still, all those lessons I learned from living minimally come in handy to help me stay organized even though I have more things to keep track off.

4.When was the last time you saw your family?

  It depends on your definition of family. My mother and stepfather are dead, and it’s been six months since I’ve seen my aunt, but the Fairwood pack is my family now, as well as the kids at the school and the staff at the business. I’m with the pack almost every day and at the school at least once a week and it’s an amazing how much support I get from everyone involved.

5. How do you spend your time in the summer months?

  Same way I spend the winter months. Working But at least in the summer I get to ride my motorcycle more often and that really helps me relieve stress.

6. What’s your favorite vacation spot and why?

   I haven’t had a real vacation in forever. Even when I was working in Florida, i rarely took time off to explore the state. Don’t tell Gavin because he’d want to drop everything and take me somewhere immediately, and I can’t leave right now.  But when I was a kid, my mother and stepfather took me to some caverns in the Smoky Mountains and they were really cool. I’d like to go back some day.

7. What’s your favorite drink and why?

    A glass of ice cold water. Nothing beats water fresh out of mountain stream during spring, when the snow is melting.

 8. If you could pick one person from history to share a meal with, who would it be and why?

      Wilma Mankiller, the first female chief of the Cherokees. She was an inspiration to her tribe as well as women everywhere. I’d love to talk to her and pick her brain for ways I expand the school and help even more shifters find a place in the modern world. Maybe she could help me figure out how meld the competing sides of my background—Native American, wolf shifter and a little bit of Irish heritage.

9. When you need a creative fix, what do you do?

   I’m not what you would call creative in an artsy kind of way. I never advanced much beyond the  gluing macaroni on paper stage. One of these days I’d like to learn how to crochet. It seems like such a relaxing activity and heaven knows, I’ve had more stress in my life than I like to think about.

10. Do you like to cook and if so, what’s your favorite dish? Care to share the recipe?

Despite all the time I spent working in diners, I’m not much of a cook. The places I worked didn’t serve haute cuisine. But I don’t have to be because Gavin is a meat eater and he cooks the perfect steak. I do make a mean tossed salad, but he only eats enough of his to make me happy.

But one of the favorite things I remember my mother making was chicken and dumplings. It was a pretty simple recipe. Cut up and wash a whole chicken and put it in a large pot. Add enough water to cover it, and bring it to a boil. Lower the temperature of the burner to keep in cooking but not boiling. Cook for a couple of hours, then remove the chicken and set aside. Add two cans of cream of chicken soup to the pot and continue cooking the mixture.

While that’s happening, cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add back to the pot. Now make dumplings dough according to your favorite recipe or from biscuit mix. Bring the mixture in the pot to a boil, and add wide egg noodles. The more you add the thicker the end product will be. Next drop spoonfuls of the dumpling dough on top and finish according to the dumpling directions. (It will probably be about twenty minutes for the dumplings to cook.) It’s as easy as that!

To find out what other characters reveal about themselves, follow the links below.

And don’t forget, tomorrow Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea goes live! Get your copy now!

June 27 Interview a character. Imagine you could step into the world of your novel and interview the characters like they were real people. What would you ask them? What would they say? (Alternative – if your novel were made into a movie, what famous actors would you have play the main roles?)
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.
WordPress:



Custom Blog:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

Today I’m welcoming PJ Fiala to my blog. She’s going to interview Dot McKenzie-Lapahie, a wolf shifter, from my Free Wolves series. Dot is currently the CEO of Lapahie Enterprises, and mate to Gavin Fairwood of the Fairwood pack. So glad you could drop by, Patti, and glad to see you again, Dot. Now on to the interview.

1. Where were you when you heard about 911 and how has it changed you?


    I was waitressing at a little diner off the interstate in the middle of nowhere, North Carolina. What passed for breakfast rush was over, but we still had some truckers getting their morning caffeine fix. One of the truckers got a call from his manager to warn about the possibility of delays along his route and that was the first we heard about it. Hank, the boss, kept a small TV in his office and we all huddled around it to watch the news. I cried, I admit it. Up until that point, I’d never paid much attention to politics because I was too busy trying to stay ahead of whoever was chasing me, but that event changed everything. Now I understand how what goes on in the world around us impacts all of us for good or bad.

 2. How do you approach tough decisions?

   I’ve had to act on impulse too many times in my life, so I rely on instinct, Now that I’m running a business, I’m slowly learning to take the advice of people who have more expertise than I do in their specialties, but when it comes down to the final decision, I still rely on my gut.

3. Are you organized? If so, what do you do to keep yourself organized?

    It’s not hard to stay organized when you own next to nothing. Now that I’m running a company, it’s a lot different. Thank heavens I have an excellent assistant who keeps me in line. Still, all those lessons I learned from living minimally come in handy to help me stay organized even though I have more things to keep track off.

4.When was the last time you saw your family?

  It depends on your definition of family. My mother and stepfather are dead, and it’s been six months since I’ve seen my aunt, but the Fairwood pack is my family now, as well as the kids at the school and the staff at the business. I’m with the pack almost every day and at the school at least once a week and it’s an amazing how much support I get from everyone involved.

5. How do you spend your time in the summer months?

  Same way I spend the winter months. Working But at least in the summer I get to ride my motorcycle more often and that really helps me relieve stress.

6. What’s your favorite vacation spot and why?


   I haven’t had a real vacation in forever. Even when I was working in Florida, i rarely took time off to explore the state. Don’t tell Gavin because he’d want to drop everything and take me somewhere immediately, and I can’t leave right now.  But when I was a kid, my mother and stepfather took me to some caverns in the Smoky Mountains and they were really cool. I’d like to go back some day.

7. What’s your favorite drink and why?

    A glass of ice cold water. Nothing beats water fresh out of mountain stream during spring, when the snow is melting.

 8. If you could pick one person from history to share a meal with, who would it be and why?


      Wilma Mankiller, the first female chief of the Cherokees. She was an inspiration to her tribe as well as women everywhere. I’d love to talk to her and pick her brain for ways I expand the school and help even more shifters find a place in the modern world. Maybe she could help me figure out how meld the competing sides of my background—Native American, wolf shifter and a little bit of Irish heritage.


9. When you need a creative fix, what do you do?


   I’m not what you would call creative in an artsy kind of way. I never advanced much beyond the  gluing macaroni on paper stage. One of these days I’d like to learn how to crochet. It seems like such a relaxing activity and heaven knows, I’ve had more stress in my life than I like to think about.


10. Do you like to cook and if so, what’s your favorite dish? Care to share the recipe?

Despite all the time I spent working in diners, I’m not much of a cook. The places I worked didn’t serve haute cuisine. But I don’t have to be because Gavin is a meat eater and he cooks the perfect steak. I do make a mean tossed salad, but he only eats enough of his to make me happy.

But one of the favorite things I remember my mother making was chicken and dumplings. It was a pretty simple recipe. Cut up and wash a whole chicken and put it in a large pot. Add enough water to cover it, and bring it to a boil. Lower the temperature of the burner to keep in cooking but not boiling. Cook for a couple of hours, then remove the chicken and set aside. Add two cans of cream of chicken soup to the pot and continue cooking the mixture.

While that’s happening, cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add back to the pot. Now make dumplings dough according to your favorite recipe or from biscuit mix. Bring the mixture in the pot to a boil, and add wide egg noodles. The more you add the thicker the end product will be. Next drop spoonfuls of the dumpling dough on top and finish according to the dumpling directions. (It will probably be about twenty minutes for the dumplings to cook.) It’s as easy as that!

To find out what other characters reveal about themselves, follow the links below.

And don’t forget, tomorrow Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea goes live! Get your copy now!

June 27 Interview a character. Imagine you could step into the world of your novel and interview the characters like they were real people. What would you ask them? What would they say? (Alternative – if your novel were made into a movie, what famous actors would you have play the main roles?)
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.
Wordpress:

Custom Blog:

Code for Link:

get the InLinkz code

This week I’ve got an interview with Fawke DeSantos from the story Dead End Beach. It’s one of the 11 stories in the collection Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea. I’ve got more information about our pre-order giveaway at the end of the post.

Now, here’s Cherime MacFarlane and her interview with Fawke.

Fawke: I get a huge belly laugh from the man and his dark eyes sparkle. “Riding is an interesting concept. A person can ride a lot of things; just saying. After all, isn’t life the wildest ride of all? As to my staying in Homer, the end of the season party on the beach may be when I get my answer. I’ll be sure to let you know. Are you going to be there?”

This week I’ve got an interview with Fawke DeSantos from the story Dead End Beach. It’s one of the 11 stories in the collection Stories of Sun, Sand and Sea. I’ve got more information about our pre-order giveaway at the end of the post.

Now, here’s Cherime MacFarlane and her interview with Fawke.

Fawke:
I get a huge belly laugh from the man and his dark eyes sparkle.
“Riding is an interesting concept. A person can ride a lot of
things; just saying. After all, isn’t life the wildest ride of all?
As to my staying in Homer, the end of the season party on the beach
may be when I get my answer. I’ll be sure to let you know. Are you
going to be there?”