My Favorite Fruit Dish #OpenBook Blog Hop

October 12, 2020

What is your favorite fruit dish? Can you share a recipe for it? Do you include food in your stories? While we’re talking about food, pumpkin, yea or nay?

Throw a bunch of different kinds of fresh melons (cut up in chunks) into a big bowl. Add some blueberries and a sliced-up  banana. Skip the grapes. Scoop out enough to fill an average cereal bowl. There you go. We’re done.

Oh, You were looking for an actual recipe? Well, I was going to reveal the secret to this great ‘pie’ made with blueberry and cherry pie fillings, and  cream cheese and a other goodies, but it’s been a few years since I made it and I can’t find the recipe. 

So, let me tell you about Mrs. Sherman’s Berry Cobbler.

Mrs. Sherman was this sweet little old lady my hubby and I rented from for a few years. None of her kids lived nearby, and  we kind of adopted each other. We helped her with her yard work, she’d give us a break on rent. We helped her with her vegetable garden, she gave us space to grow our own veggies. We maintained her apple trees and got to share in the fruit.  Come harvest time, we swapped the results of our efforts. Sometimes, we’d invite her for supper and she’d fall asleep on our couch watching TV. Anyway, this was a recipe she shared.

Image by Beverly Buckley from Pixabay

Mrs. Sherman’s Berry Cobbler (Best made with the wild blackberries that grew alongside the edge of the garden)

preheat oven to 350°F

1/4 cup soft butter (Can use shortening but the butter is better)

1/2 cup sugar

Cream together until light and fluffy.

1 cup sifted flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Sift together and stir into butter/sugar mixture, alternating with 1/2 cup milk. Beat until smooth and pour into a greased oblong pan.

Over this batter, spoon 1 1/2 cups washed and drained berries of your choice. (or more, if you want, depending upon the size of your pan.) Sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar over the berries, then pour 1 cup berry juice over the whole thing. Bake about 45 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Enjoy!

Now, do I include food in my stories? Absolutely. I haven’t shared any recipes, but so much of my dialogue occurs over meals or snacks, it’s only natural. That, and Harmony, my main character in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries. does a lot of cooking for herself to save money. The food she had pre-made and frozen for her meals  became a minor plot point in Her Ladyship’s Ring.

Almost cheerful after talking to Eli, I headed home. My stomach growled as I unlocked the door to my apartment and pushed it open, reminding me the only thing I’d eaten at the Flamingo were peanuts. The package of frozen lasagna thawing in the fridge awaited me. Although leftover lasagna always tasted better when I rewarmed it in the oven, the microwave would have to do for once.

After flipping on the light, tossing my purse on the easy chair and hanging my coat on the coat tree, I headed towards the kitchen. As I filled a glass with water from the pitcher I kept in the refrigerator, I hesitated. Where did the package of lasagna go? I was sure I’d put it on the second shelf, right under the water.

“I must be losing my ‘friggin mind,” I muttered and set the glass on the cupboard to free my hands. Either that, or I was still asleep and dreamed the whole thing. Not like I believed either one. Still, I moved aside everything from the front of the shelves and opened every drawer, and didn’t find what I was looking for. I did find an out-of-date yogurt container, which I promptly tossed in the garbage, but no lasagna.

Puzzled, I opened up the freezer. Maybe it had been just my imagination. But no, there was an empty spot right where the package had been.

I considered the mystery as I warmed up a can of tomato soup, even checking the garbage to make sure I hadn’t accidentally put the lasagna there. Sitting on top of the cereal box I’d emptied at breakfast, I spotted the balled up foil, all that remained of my lasagna.

While my soup cooled off, I rushed through the apartment, looking for something, anything, out of place or missing. I should have called 911 but experience told me they would find nothing. I certainly did. Even the ring was untouched and it was in plain view on my dresser.

Although I wasn’t hungry anymore, I couldn’t waste the soup. After reheating it, I sat at my kitchen table and ate the soup straight from the pot. No sense in dirtying another dish. Whoever had been inconsiderate enough to eat my supper had been considerate enough to wash their own dishes. The contradiction puzzled and annoyed me.

Find out more about Her Ladyships Ring here:  https://www.pjmaclayne.com/?page_id=245

As for pumpkin? Sure, in small amounts. It gets old fast.

Now, let’s go check what everyone has to say. Just follow the links below.

Until next time, stay safe!

October 12,2020

What is your favorite fruit dish? Can you share a recipe for it? Do you include food in your stories? While we’re talking about food, pumpkin, yea or nay?

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

 


Am I a Working Writer? #IWSG

 
 
 
October 7 question – When you think of the term working writer, what does that look like to you? What do you think it is supposed to look like? Do you see yourself as a working writer or aspiring or hobbyist, and if latter two, what does that look like?

If you followed the link from the Insecure Writer’s Group blog post to get here, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of me. And you haven’t read any of the eight books I’ve published so far. But that doesn’t make me any less of a working writer.

I’m not making a living off my writing. Heck, I’m lucky if I break even when it comes to the end of the year. The number of people following me on any of the social media is low. But none of that diminishes the fact that I sit down at my computer on a regular basis and work to put words on paper.

And that’s what it takes for me to consider myself a working writer. I’m trying. Well, I’m more than trying. I’m doing. I wrote four books before I wrote one I considered good enough to publish. And I didn’t feel any less of a writer while I was writing them.

Maybe you don’t write books. Maybe you write short stories or poems or blog posts. You’re still a writer. A working writer.

Not all of us will ever be traditionally published. Some of us don’t want to be. And that’s okay. That’s no longer the definition of a writer. The world is a lot bigger now. (And, at the same time, a lot smaller.) 

So, I go back to my previous statement. Are you putting words on paper? (Or the computer equivalent?) Congratulations. You’re a working writer.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

The awesome co-hosts for the October 7 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pett, Beth Camp, Beverly Stowe McClure, and Gwen Gardner!
 
 
 

Creating a Series Book Bible #OpenBook Blog Hop

 

October 5, 2020

When writing a sequel or series with the same characters, do you ever have to refer back to your first book because you forgot what you wrote about a certain character?

When I started writing The Marquesa’s Necklace, I didn’t expect for the book to turn into a series. Even halfway through the first draft, when I had an inkling there might be a second book, I didn’t expect to ever need to refer back to the first book. When Harmony convinced me to write a series, I had no idea what I was in for.

The second book, Her Ladyship’s Ring, wasn’t bad. Sure, I had to go back and verify descriptions here and there, but the first book was still fresh on my mind, so it wasn’t a lot of extra work.

But the third book in the series, The Baron’s Cufflinks, was interrupted by a story in the Free Wolves series. Tasha, from Wolves Pawn, demanded I write her story. Immediately. So, I did. And by the time I got back to Cufflinks, I’d lost track of details, and I had to refer back to books 1 and 2 on a regular basis. Things got complicated.

By the time I hit the fourth book in the Harmony Duprie series, I wished I had a book bible – a list of characters, descriptions, which books they were in,  whether they were good or bad. It was getting harder to keep track of names I’d used for minor characters. (I didn’t want to repeat them.) I started a list, but it wasn’t comprehensive. I added some to it working on The Samurai’s Inro, book 5, but it still wasn’t complete.

And here I am on book 6, The Ranger’s Dogtags. I thought it would be easier because I took Harmony out of Oak Grove and away from most of the continuing characters. But in typical Harmony fashion, things didn’t go as expected, and a character I thought I was done with from book 1 showed up.  And yes, I had to go back and look up the name and description.  You’ll have to wait to find out who.

But this is the last book in the Harmony Mysteries, (Well, for now) so I haven’t worked on the spreadsheet.  But, lesson learned. When I start my next story, I’ll keep track of characters as they come along.

Now, let’s find out what the other authors on this loop have to tell us. Just follow the links below.

Until next time, stay safe!

October 5, 2020

When writing a sequel or series with the same characters, do you ever have to refer back to your first book because you forgot what you wrote about a certain 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

 


ChatAndSpin Radio Interview

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.

logo

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

 

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!

Click here to enter

 


Creating Business Goals for Writing #OpenBook Blog Hop

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

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.