Month: September 2022

It’s A Small, Small, World, But It’s A Big Universe #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

September 26, 2022

Do you want science to find aliens or find that we are alone in the universe? Does it scare you to think there are likely other beings out there?

Despite hours spent watching the stars, I’ve never seen a UFO or a UAP or whatever you want to call them, but I have friends who claim they have. I don’t take that as proof they exist or they come from another world, because I consider the sightings more likely to be of some unknown military equipment. I am a logical person imbued with a heavy dose of skepticism.

But it’s a big universe we live in, and the world is a speck in the expanse. Logic tells me that the possibility of other forms of life out there is huge, but it’s not something I can prove.

Do I want scientists to prove they exist? (It’s an impossibility to prove they don’t exist.) I’m torn.

I’d like to know if ‘aliens’  exist. The big thing is that I don’t think humans (as a collective entity) have reached a level of maturity that would allow us to interact with a different form of intelligent life. Just look at the world we have. Wars, racism, poverty…you get the concept. 

We’ll never be perfect, but I would hope we could become better before making contact with life from another world. I worry that the knowledge that aliens exist would send shockwaves through human society, and we aren’t ready to deal with the changes it would cause. We are, on the whole, resistant to change. Can you imagine how the knowledge would affect religion, politics, and other societal institutions?

Then there would be the debate about whether they are good or bad. Are they looking to destroy the earth (we’re doing pretty good at that already) and enslave us? Or will they be saviors with advanced knowledge to fix all of our problems? Or a bit of both? Are we smart enough to know the difference?

Do I believe there are other civilizations out there? Absolutely. Do I want scientists to prove it? Nope. I’m happy waiting until “we” are better.

We have authors on this hop who write science fiction and fantasy, and I’m really looking forward to what they have to say about this topic. You can find them by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

September 26, 2022

Do you want science to find aliens or find that we are alone in the universe? Does it scare you to think there are likely other beings out there?

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

 

 

It Takes A Village #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

September 19, 2022

Share your tips for world-building, even if it’s only a village.

When I started writing The Marquesa’s Necklace, I knew the action would take place in a typical American small town fallen on hard times but clinging to respectability. It would be filled with a mix of grand old Victorian, typical ranch stye homes and everything in between, from brand new to falling apart. The residents reflected that mix, too.

I’d grown up in a town like that, so I didn’t have to research what it would be like. But creating that feeling on paper was a different matter. I didn’t want to spend page after page describing the town I created, so I revealed it in small steps. For example, here’s a description of the lobby of the police station:

Officer Felton left me in the barely furnished lobby. It was a place you don’t want to stay in too long—several hard plastic chairs, a beat-up fake wood end table and a few old magazines scattered about. It smelled like stale cigarettes and appeared not to have been cleaned for weeks. I perched on the edge of a chair and put my hands between my knees to keep from touching anything.

And the information about the battered women’s shelter:

“If I could put you in a safe house, I would, Harmony,” he said softly. “But the town doesn’t have one. Hell, everyone knows where the home for battered women is.”

He’s right. It’s on the corner of Chestnut and Pine. But the angry-looking, black-belt wearing, .45-packing, six foot tall lady who mans the front desk at night is enough of a deterrent to keep most upset exes away.

Or the description of the house that is featured in the series, The Aldridge House

I researched its history when Jake bought the place. The house had been built by Harold, the son of one of the original settlers in Oak Grove, Joseph Aldridge. During the Pennsylvania oil boom, Harold had made big money. When he got married in his mid-forties to a much younger wife, he had the house built as a wedding present for her. Their plans, according to the reports I dredged up, were to fill the house with children. Unfortunately, Harold died in an accident in the oil fields while his wife was pregnant with their first child. She raised the child alone and never remarried, so the big house remained mostly empty. Other families lived in the house after that, but it hadn’t been occupied for years.

Along the way, I learned what really made the town what it is was were the people. Harmony’s overly protective landlords. The smokers huddled outside the back door of her favorite restaurant, and Al, the owner. Freddie, the sometimes-friendly police detective. Harmony’s closest friends. With each book, the list grew. For example, Mrs. Axcel:

Lots of folks in the neighborhood tried to help her keep the place up. She fed me milk and cookies too because she was just happy to have someone to talk to. She told me she wanted to stay in the house as long as possible. It’s the house she and her husband bought when they were newlyweds and they raised all three of their kids in it.

And that’s how I built my world. One person, one building at a time, until the town had become as much of a character in the books as any other. My readers are welcome visitors. Maybe the cousin from out of town, or there for the bird watching festival.

To find out how other authors build their worlds, follow the links below. For now, as always, until next time, please stay safe.

 

September 19, 2022

Share your tips for world-building, even if it’s only a village.

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 Fame! The Glory! The Money! #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

September 12, 2022

If your book took off tomorrow with enormous worldwide interest and sales, are you prepared for all that entails?

We dream about it, amirite? One of our books skyrocketing into major success. NYT bestseller list, here we come. But are we ready?

I’m not. I just moved onto a new house in a new state and the new experience of being retired from my day job. Shoot, I only got my office pulled together last week. The concept of not having a daily schedule to follow has thrown me for a loop. But, slowly, I’m getting a handle on my changed life. Having it tossed off course so soon would stretch me in ways I’m not prepared to handle.

After all, I am a one-person show. There’s no one else to answer my emails, take phone calls, or keep up my social media pages. Sure, I could rope my husband into helping, but that would take a lot of coaching at first. When would I find time to write?

Then there’s the travel required. Once upon a time, I did a lot of travelling all over the US for my job (that was before I started writing fiction) but I haven’t been on a plane for several years. I could do interviews over the internet, but book signings would require in-person appearances.

I know an author or two who do personal assistant work to help support themselves, so as soon as money started coming in, I could hire them to help. (It takes 60-90 days to get what you’ve earned from Amazon.) There would be other business expenses to plan for, along with a separate bank account to handle them. And taxes. I’d have to restructure my financial setup to cover income taxes.

Could I make the changes needed? Not overnight. Truth is, while it’s a sweet dream, it’s nothing I expect to happen, so I don’t have to worry about it.

Some of the other authors on this hop have had more experience with writing success than me. Find out how they handled it by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

September 12, 2022

If your book took off tomorrow with enormous worldwide interest and sales, are you prepared for all that entails?

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 The Detective #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

September 5, 2022

Interview one of your characters (not your main character.) How do they feel playing second fiddle to your main character?

Note to those folks who have read the entire Harmony Duprie series: Chronologically, I have placed this interview around the time of the Contessa’s Brooch. 

I met with Detective Frederick Thomason of the Oak Grove Police Department at Mama D’s, a local restaurant, for lunch. It was the first time he’d ever agreed to be interviewed that wasn’t connected to a case. He ordered spaghetti, and I opted to try the chicken parmigiana.

I expected him to be bigger-than-life based on the stories I’d heard, but  in real-life I wouldn’t have picked him out as anything but average, except for the cop haircut. While we waited for our food, we chatted about the weather and the local high school sports teams to break the ice. Once we had settled into our meals, I transitioned to the interview.

Me: “To catch my readers up, I’ll ask a few basic questions, Detective, if you don’t mind.”

Him: (with a grin} “I’m off duty. Call me Freddie.”

Me: “Thank you, Freddie. How long have you been with the Oak Grove Police?”

Him: “Almost fourteen years. I got accepted to the force right out of college. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time. A couple of older cops were getting ready to retire, and the chief was looking to hire locally to gain points with the City Council. Shoot, I had a job before I had time to get all my stuff moved out of my parents’ home and into my own apartment.”

Me: “My research suggests you rose through the ranks in record time.”

Him: (taking his time to finish chewing a forkful of spaghetti before answering) “Another case of good timing. Having grown up locally, I knew where all the hangouts were, who I could trust, and people knew they could trust me. As a result, I closed more cases and when a detective position was added, the chief picked me over some other patrolman that had been around longer.”

Me: “It caused some resentment, according to the rumor mill.”

Him: “Sometimes, the rumor mill gets things right. Those officers mostly chose to look for other opportunities once it became clear I knew what I was doing.”

Me: “Was Harmony Duprie around at that time? The rumor mill also suggests she has something to do with your success.”

Him: “Harmony’s contribution to the police is a closely guarded secret, per her request. However, she’s five years younger than I am, and we didn’t go to school together or move in the same social circles. In fact, I believe she was still in college when I made detective.”

Me “But you dated?”

Him: (raising an eyebrow) “You’re a bit of a detective yourself, aren’t you? Yes, we dated. Briefly. With disastrous results. I couldn’t turn my inner cop off when she needed a friend. I made the mistake of searching some of her private papers, trying to solve a case in which she was a victim, and lost her trust. But one good thing came out of that disaster—Harmony introduced me to my girlfriend.”

Me: “Yet she continued to assist the police?”

Him: “That’s privileged information.”

Me: “Do you resent that the rumor mill gives her credit for your success?”

Him: (Putting his fork down midway through loading it with pasta) “Excuse me?”

Me: “She takes away from your success in the eyes of the local citizenry. How does that make you feel?”

Him: (Leaning across the table) “Despite our difficulties, Harmony has proven herself to be a good friend and an asset to this community in more ways than one. Ways that I shouldn’t know about and can’t reveal. Anyone who suggests I resent her has no idea what they are talking about. I can’t speak for other officers on the force, but I know the Chief feels the same way as I do. We would do anything to protect her.”

Me: “I apologize. I also heard she has a way of attracting people’s loyalty. I should have realized it would include you.”

Him: (Chuckling) “That’s not all she attracts. She gets into more trouble than any one person ever should. It’s not that she does anything to attract it, but trouble has a way of finding her. The department Has been able to handle things, but she keeps us on our toes. I’ve never told her about the reputed car thieves we’ve caught eyeing her fancy red Jaguar. She calls it a cop magnet, but doesn’t realize it’s also a bad guy magnet.”

The detective’s phone beeped. He glanced at it, pushed his chair back, and stood. “Sorry, but we’ll have to cut this short. Work calls. At least it has nothing to do with Harmony this time. You can email me if you need additional info for your article.”

Me: “Thank you for your time. Stay safe out there.”

September 5, 2022

Interview one of your characters (not your main character.) How do they feel playing second fiddle to your main character?

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