Month: April 2021

Prologues and Epilogues – Yes or No? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

April 26, 2021

Prologues and Epilogues. Yes or no?

This week’s blog hop question is simple. Are prologues and epilogues good writing? And my answer is a very firm and definite – maybe?

I’ve read prologues that were short and sweet and flowed into the story without a whisper. And I’ve read other ones that rambled on and on, building the entire world before the real story begins. Guess which one I prefer? I even wrote a prologue for Wolves’ Pawn, the first book I published. It’s a page and a half long. That’s it. As you can see, I tried for the first type.

I humbly think it worked. It was a short scene that set up the conflict for the rest of the story. It wasn’t long enough to make a chapter out of, and the way it was written, I couldn’t work it in as backstory. So, I included it even though I understood some people frown at prologues. It’s the only prologue I’ve included in any of my books and I don’t regret it.

Then there are epilogues. I use them frequently to wrap up loose ends and minor plot points. I hate leaving cliffhangers at the end of my books! I started checking, and I have used them in most of my stories. Some are fairly short, a page or two, and some fairly extensive. The one for the Ranger’s Dog Tags was about four pages long, basically a chapter. But the mystery had been wrapped up in the last chapter and I was tidying up the entire series, so I don’t feel bad. It’s what the book and the readers needed.

And that’s what it comes down to. What does the story demand? The writer has to listen to the story and figure it out. Both prologues and epilogues should be used with care, but neither should be avoided entirely. That’s my take, anyway. Let’s find out what the other authors think by following the lings below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

April 26, 2021

Prologues and Epilogues. Yes or no?

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 Ranger’s Dog Tags is Live!

  By Uncategorized

 

The Ranger’s Dog Tags is finally here!

It isn’t the first time Eli Hennessey has disappeared. Is it the last?

In this, the sixth book of the Harmony Duprie series, Harmony faces her greatest challenge yet. And she has to do it without the normal support from her friends and the Oak Grove Police Department. Join her on her adventure in the search for Eli.

Book Description:

Eli Hennessey has vanished.

His house in Oak Grove is in flames, his cell phone is out of commission, and friends in Florida can’t find him. It’s up to Harmony Duprie to track down her missing lover before her life shatters and his ends.

Harmony’s first discovery: Eli tricked her into signing paperwork putting her in charge of his company. Had he planned his disappearance?

The answers won’t be found in Oak Grove. Harmony hightails it to Florida in search of Eli and the truth.

Here’s a short excerpt:

I’d reached cruising speed when I spotted them. Vanessa saw them, too. On the opposite side of the road. Two black sedans.
“Shit,” she said.
“Who are they?”
She bit her bottom lip.
“So, who am I going to piss off when I remove their tracker?” I asked.
“You won’t find a bug.” Her mouth quirked. “No matter how hard you look.”
The mile markers showed our progress, but my mind was going nowhere. The GPS wasn’t attached to Dolores, or on me. I’d been extra careful with my purse and checking my clothes each morning. Unless Vanessa sneaked into my room when I wasn’t paying attention?
Or…
“It’s you, isn’t it? You’re wired. You’ve been pretending to protect me when what you’re doing is trying to find evidence against me.” A sudden rage engulfed me. “I’ll move out tonight. Unless you plan to arrest me on some bogus charge first. You can keep the rent.”
I adjusted the rearview mirror to get a better long-range view of the cars behind us. She’d betrayed me when I thought we’d had a chance of being real friends. And she’d done it when I needed a friend the most. “Who are you answering to, Special Agent Salters?”

To join Harmony on her quest to find Eli, you can find the ebook at these retailers:
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092YTWBX1

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1563561154

B&N https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w?ean=2940162511434

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-ranger-s-dog-tags

Books2Read https://books2read.com/u/3R85NL

 

Welcome to The Ranger’s Dog Tags – Readings From My Books

  By Uncategorized

To help stir up interest in The Ranger’s Dog Tags, I’ve been reading snippets from each of the previous books in the Harmony Duprie series. Unfortunately, the files are too large to post here, so I thought I’d share the links. (sorry, they point to Facebook.) I’ll add new links as I have them.

The Marquesa’s Necklace https://www.facebook.com/100007362439366/videos/2720226481566073

Her Ladyship’s Ring   https://www.facebook.com/100007362439366/videos/2720880144834040

The Baron’s Cufflinks  https://www.facebook.com/100007362439366/videos/2721560298099358

 

Book Descriptions – You Gotta Love ‘Em (Or Not) #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

April 19, 2021

Let’s talk about book descriptions. Do you write yours before or after you write the story?

I’m what is known in the writing world as a pantser. That means I write my stories by the seat of my pants. I may have a beginning and an end in mind. but everything in between is up for grabs. My characters determine what happens – and sometimes they change everything!

As a result, book descriptions have to wait until I’m done writing the story. Then they go through any number of revisions. I’ve never gotten it right on the first try. Truth is, I made a revision to the tagline of my newest book, The Ranger’s Dog Tags, less than a week before I started uploading files to the various ebook stores.

Here’s how it ended up:

Tagline: It isn’t the first time Eli Hennessey has disappeared. Is it the last?

Eli Hennessey has vanished.

His house in Oak Grove is in flames, his cell phone is out of commission, and friends in Florida can’t find him. It’s up to Harmony Duprie to track down her missing lover before her life shatters and his ends.

Harmony’s first discovery: Eli tricked her into signing paperwork putting her in charge of his company. Had he planned his disappearance?

The answers won’t be found in Oak Grove. Harmony hightails it to Florida in search of Eli and the truth.

The Ranger’s Dog Tags, Book 6 of the Harmony Duprie Mysteries, is the final book of the series.

It seems so simple now, but I lost sleep over it. (That’s only a slight exaggeration.) There were several nights I brooded over the wording before falling asleep. Once I was mostly satisfied with it, I shared it with fellow writers who told me  what I’d done wrong and helped me revise it again. And again. And then a different bunch of people switched it up yet again. It’s a lot of work.

It’s a good thing I didn’t write the description before I wrote the book. I had plans for Harmony that never made it into the story. Plus, I knew at least one person was going to die. I just didn’t know who. Or how many.

I know other authors who are plotters. They have their entire book outlined before they ever start writing. They could do the descriptions first. I don’t envy them – it’s more fun to ‘discover’ the story along the way, in my humble opinion.

Let’s find out if anyone on this hop writes their descriptions before they write their books. It’s easy. Just follow the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe!

April 19, 2021

Let’s talk about book descriptions. Do you write yours before or after you write the story?

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

 

Seven Days and Counting #CoverReveal

  By Uncategorized

I’ve been waiting for this since the day over a year ago when I first started writing what turned into The Ranger’s Dog Tags.

Tagline: It isn’t the first time Eli Hennessey has disappeared. Is it the last?

I changed the first chapter of the book three or four times.  Here’s how it begins:

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.

Thank goodness no one else was out on the streets of the small town of Oak Grove at three in the morning. When I let Dolores loose, I’d break traffic laws left and right on my way to the Aldridge house. Eli’s house. No matter how fast I drove, the fire trucks would get there first.

I pulled back onto the street as Lando’s voice came through my phone again. Anxiety bled through the speaker. “Scotty hasn’t heard from Eli either, Harmony.”

While we’re waiting for the official release date – April 22nd – here’s the first look at the cover. Thanks to K.M. Guth for another fine job.

And here’s one more look at the blurb in case you’ve missed it:

Eli Hennessey has vanished.

His house in Oak Grove is in flames, his cell phone is out of commission, and friends in Florida can’t find him. It’s up to Harmony Duprie to track down her missing lover before her life shatters and his ends.

Harmony’s first discovery: Eli tricked her into signing paperwork putting her in charge of his company. Had he planned his disappearance?

The answers won’t be found in Oak Grove. Harmony hightails it to Florida in search of Eli and the truth.

I hope you’ll join me in a week to get the answers!

Immortalized as an Action Figure #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

April 12, 2021

They’re making an action figure of you. Describe the toy and accessories. (Do you have a catch phrase? Favorite items, clothes, hair style?)

Nobody wants an action figure of me. Maybe back in the day, when I was living a minimalist lifestyle, growing my own food, cutting wood to burn in our wood stove, and freezing and canning food, but not now. I’m afraid I’m not very active any more. Too much time spent in front of a computer.

My wolf shifters were the obvious choices to fill in for me, but they refused to be part of this post because they don’t want to be outed. Luckily, Harmony Duprie ‘volunteered’ to come to my rescue. She didn’t think she was worthy of an action figure either, but I talked her into it. Her adventures are more what you’d expect from an action character.

She made it easy because the original covers for her stories were cartoon-like. Remember this? This is the original cover for The Marquesa’s Necklace.  Brown hair, always in a bun, little or no makeup. The only thing missing is her thick glasses. She broke down and wore contacts for date night in this picture. Of course, the red dress would be a one time only adventure. More likely she’d be wearing a nice blue blouse, dress slacks, and a pair of black flats. (But we’ll include the dress and necklace as part of her accessories)

Other accessories are easy, too. A stack of books and her laptop bag. There will be two cars sold separately. One is a pale blue Ford Pinto and the other one is a red Jaguar.

And yes, Harmony has a catchphrase. “I don’t believe in coincidence.” It’s not as catchy as “I’ll be back” or “Hasta la vista, Baby,” but it’s perfect for her. (The closest thing I have to a catchphrase is “Supper’s ready!”)

I can see kids getting Harmony into more trouble than she already does, or maybe as their hero as they take pretend adventures of their own. She’d help them outwit the villain and save the day.

How about you? Would you like to gave an action figure of yourself? I’d like to see if the other authors who write on this hop want one of them! Let’s find out by following the links below.

And, until next time, please stay safe!

April 12, 2021

They’re making an action figure of you. Describe the toy and accessories. (Do you have a catch phrase? Favorite items, clothes, hair style?)

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

 

Taking the Risk in Writing: #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
 
Welcome to another month of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. April 7th’s question, if you’d like to answer it, is:  Are you a risk-taker when writing? Do you try something radically different in style/POV/etc. or add controversial topics to your work?

Thanks to our awesome co-hosts for the April 7 posting of the IWSG! PK Hrezo,Pat Garcia,SE White,Lisa Buie Collard, and Diane Burton!

I’ve taken a lot of risks in my life. Go read the blog post from Monday…I won’t cover them again here. https://www.pjmaclayne.com/?p=6254. But when it comes to my writing, I play it safe. Unless you count the fact that I’m an Indie writer, and that’s a risk in itself. Heck, writing and putting it out there for the world to see is a risk.

My writing style is pretty traditional, and I’m okay with that. I’m writing fiction, (mostly almost-cozy-mysteries) and there’s only so many risks you can take in that genre before you lose your audience. Some folks believe even the use of strong language breaks the rules of that genre.

I prefer to present controversial topics in subtle ways, as part of the story and not the main plot.  I might sneak in a casual reference in support of the legality of marijuana or have a minor LGBTQ character. My female main characters can stand on their own against a male villain. To me, those topics aren’t radical, although I’m well aware that other people feel differently.

One thing I do that almost seems controversial is that although I’m not writing ‘sweet’ stories, I don’t include sex scenes. Many readers these days expect sex scenes, but I don’t feel the need for them in my stories even if they have a romantic subplot. I figure most of my readers know how it’s done, and don’t need the details. Will that ever change? Sure, it could, if the right story came along.

But I doubt my overall writing style will ever change. Topics may, characters may, but I don’t see myself ever being on the cutting edge of a major writing shift. That just isn’t me.

Thanks for stopping by. Don’t forget to take a look at what some of the other Insecure Writers have to say by following the links below. And, until the next time, please stay safe.

Risk And Reward in the Name of Research: #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

April 5, 2021
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?

I won’t put you at risk by listing some of the shady websites I’ve visited. Or send you down the deep holes of the dark side of the internet. Or bring you to tears by linking to the saddest videos i’ve watched in the name of research. That’s right, most of my current research is done on the internet. I’ve taken a lot of risks in my lifetime, and now I’m playing it safe. Mostly.

I’ve had a few adventures on my lifetime. Like dangling from a cliff while practicing mountain climbing rescue techniques. That was about four months after getting a concussion and broken collarbone in a bicycle accident. Ot the time I was approached by what I suspect was a sex trafficker while waiting to change busses in the Cleveland bus terminal. Obviously, young and innocent me was smart enough not to fall for the bullshit he was telling me.

I haven’t used either experience in any of my stories. Maybe one day.

I’ve also spent hours watching videos on self-defense techniques and driving stunts. Some of those have earned a place in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries. I would never dare attempt Harmony’s favorite maneuver, a Bootlegger’s 180, especially in my Jeep. Check out this video. It’s safe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-voVITL-4I

Here’s Harmony’s take on it from The Ranger’s Dog Tags. (Coming April 22nd) She normally only attempts it on empty country roads. She breaks the rules in this clip:

Vanessa sucked in a breath as we blew past a string of cars in the right lane. “Slow down. I’m not wired. There’s a tracker app on my phone. That’s all.”

I didn’t ease off the pedal. “Who has access to it?”

“My boss.”

“And?”

“Richon.”

“And?” I glanced at her. Under her Florida tan, her face had paled. I pushed Dolores to go faster. “And?”

“Putnam and his agency. Will you slow the fuck down?”

I did better. It was a gift from the heavens. A spot with no traffic. And a paved strip between the two sides of the interstate for law enforcement use only.

I slammed on the brakes—

Feathered the clutch—

Shifted down—

Cranked the steering wheel—

I ended up facing the opposite direction. The perfect bootlegger’s 180. My favorite maneuver.

Oh, and Harmony’s penchant for visiting less-than-upscale bars in the name of undercover research? Yeah, I may have lived that experience. Not the undercover part, but the visiting the bars part. Heck, once the hubby and me, for an adventure, stopped at a girly bar while on a road trip. They wanted to charge him the entrance fee and let me in free. And even though I was fully dressed, I was getting more eyeballs on me than the nearly-naked girl on the stage. We didn’t stay. We’ve also had drinks at the bar where Eileen Wuornos, the first well-known American female serial killer, had hung out before her arrest.

But I will take credit for Harmony’s interest in self-defense techniques. Although I’ve never taken more than a few very basic courses, I’ve had a fascination in the martial arts since high school. Anyone remember the 1970s TV show Kung Fu?  That’s where my interest started.

These days I’m happy sticking to my computer screen. But that might not be true for the other authors on this hop. To find out what they are sharing, follow the links below,

And, until next time, please stay safe!

Dear readers: I know the format of this post is weird. I haven’t been able to figure out what’s different from every other post. Please bear with me, while I try to fix it…or until I give up on it and hope it doesn’t repeat on my next post!

April 5, 2021
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?

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