February, 2023 - P.J. MacLayne

Tackling Turmoil in Writing #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne February 26, 2023 February 27, 2023 Open Book

Feb 27, 2023

Do you tackle current political turmoil in your stories or avoid it? Tell us why.

Truth is, I have avoided delving deeply into current political topics. I may touch on an issue here and there, but I’m writing to entertain my readers, not to push a political agenda. So yes, I’ve mentioned marijuana and women’s rights as part of a storyline, but it’s rarely more than a mention.

There is another reason for doing that. It dates the story. For example, in several of the Harmony Duprie Mysteries, I mention that one of the characters was arrested for a marijuana offense. The arrest was valid at the time I wrote the book. Now, the laws have changed and what my character did would no longer be an arrestable charge. I don’t think the difference will jar readers, and I don’t plan to update the book to reflect the new rules. Who knows what changes will happen in another ten years that will leave the story behind again?

That’s created some interesting conundrums in one of my works-in-progress. The Rise of Jake Hennessey is set 20 years in the future, and I tried to anticipate not only changes in technology but in laws. It’s not that far ahead, but think of all the changes that have happened in the last 20 years. I prefer not to imagine we’ll be in the middle of a apocalypse or a zombie invasion.

(Speaking of The Rise of Jake Hennessey- it’s off to my editor, but I haven’t set a release date yet. It depends on how much additional editing it’ll need. I’m thinking the middle of May. Here’s the current tagline:
Jake Hennessey: Bar owner (twice). Jewel thief (retired… almost). He’s a good guy, it’s just that his hobby is mostly illegal. Mostly. OK, completely.)

Would I ever include a political battle in one of my books? Sure, if the story demanded it. I just don’t see it happening soon. It’s similar to sex scenes—I haven’t felt the need to write one of those either.

I expect a different answer from at least one of the regular authors on this hop, but the only way to make sure is to go check them out. Just follow the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Feb 27, 2023

Do you tackle current political turmoil in your stories or avoid it? Tell us why.

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.

Movie With An Impact-Or Not #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne February 19, 2023 February 19, 2023 Open Book

Feb 20, 2023

Is there a movie from childhood that still holds a special place with you? (One you saw as a kid, but isn’t necessarily a kid’s film).

Movies did not play a big part of my childhood. Yes, our parents would load all of us into the station wagon perhaps once a summer and make a trip to one of the drive-ins in the area, but I couldn’t tell you what movies we saw. Except perhaps one – the classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Dick Van Dyke. Back then, the drive-ins had the speakers that needed to be slid over the car’s window. There was a snack bar with all sorts of goodies and a playground near the front of the parking area.

The first movie I remember seeing in an actual theatre was either Gone With The Wind or The Sound Of Music. I’m not sure which. I was more enthralled by the grand old theatre than the movies. Its magnificence is gone, but in its prime, it was a work of art. What I remember most about that outing was that is just my mother and us sisters – no boys allowed.

(Let me clarify something – I’m pretty sure Gone With The Wind was digitally remastered and re-released. I’m not that old!)

Anyway, I’m not sure what that means – that the movies didn’t impact me as much as the ‘experience’ did, but there you have it.

What movies do the other authors remember? Find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Feb 20, 2023

Is there a movie from childhood that still holds a special place with you? (One you saw as a kid, but isn’t necessarily a kid’s film).

A Rebel at Heart #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne February 12, 2023 February 12, 2023 Open Book

Feb 13, 2023

What grammar rules have you broken on purpose?

Oh, the hours I spent in high school learning the American rules of grammar. On the surface, it seemed boring, but I found pleasure in the music of how words fit together to form pictures and ideas. That’s how I found my way into poetry, where the rules don’t matter or matter even more, depending upon the form.

Writing fiction forced me to again pay attention to the rules and be selective about which ones I break. The big qualifier is that grammar doesn’t keep up with the spoken language, and it’s a battle between the two.

Sentence Fragments: I use with caution, but sometimes they are a great device to increase tension, and combat run-on sentences. (See below) How many I use varies from story to story. In my current work-in-progress, The Rise of Jake Hennessey, I can only think of two or three times when I’ve deliberately used a sentence fragment for emphasis. (Here’s one of them. “I’m a cop. A good one. I’m trained to see when people are lying. And every time she opens her mouth, she’s lying.”)

Run-On Sentences: I’ve seen books where half a page was one sentence. I’ve written a few with fifty words in my career, but they don’t make it through editing.

Ending a Sentence with a Preposition: Even grammarians have given up on this one for informal writing. The rule doesn’t work for our day-to-day speech, and I pay only minimal attention to it. (“That was Eli’s job.” Harmony held up her hand. “Don’t worry, the tears will wait. I’ve got my business face on.”)

One More-Commas: Commas are rough. Even grammar checkers can’t always decide whether a comma is needed. I fall back on the concept – do I want the reader to pause at a certain spot for emphasis? If yes and the grammar checker is unsure, I’ll add a comma. Heck, I’ve added a comma against the strict recommendation of a grammar checker!

That’s all I’ll confess to. To find out what rules the other authors on this hop break, follow the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe!