Blog-Mountain Musings - P.J. MacLayne

Not Your Usual Hero #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne June 21, 2020 June 21, 2020 Open Book

June 22, 2020

What are your favorite kind of characters to create? To read?

My door was securely locked with the rubber bumpers slid under it as far as they would go, the curtains closed, and my lights dimmed to make it seem I’d gone to bed.

I was about to break a rule, and I wanted no interruptions. Or witnesses. The plot was unethical at best and illegal at its worst. I planned to use my access to the Oak Grove Police Department’s records for personal gain.

From The Samurai’s Inro. Book 5 of the Harmony Duprie Mysteries

I fell in love with Harmony while I was writing her first book. She was a quiet, reserved person with an inner strength she didn’t know she had until she was forced to draw on it. It’s been fun watching her grow through the series, as she’s become more comfortable allowing that strength to shine.

I launched myself down the hallway. I’d be able to only take on one person, and my target was obvious. With a satisfying smack, I rammed into Annabelle’s back. The gun hit the tile floor with a loud clunk. She fell to her knees. Not good enough.

Jake should be able to handle Brent. I concentrated on Annabelle. An awkward and ill-timed kick landed between her shoulders. Although her hands hit the ground, she still wasn’t where I wanted her.

In the moment I got distracted checking for Jake, she recovered and rose to a standing position. She threw a hasty punch. It landed solidly on my shoulder. I staggered backward.

I’d been hit before. In practice. With gloves.

From The Baron’s Cufflinks, Book 3 of the Harmony Duprie Mysteries

I’ve always written Harmony as a someone who works within the law. Mostly. She’s been known to push the edges of legality. Never quite crossing over, but coming close. Except for in my current work-in-progress, The Ranger’s Dogtags. She’s pushing the line until it breaks.

And that’s how I like to write my characters. As works in progress. Constantly being challenged, constantly having to adjust.

And while that’s tough on Harmony, who loves routine, some of my other characters take to it easier. For example, there’s Lori Grenville, my main character in Wolves’ Gambit, from The Free Wolves adventures. She moves from one pack of wolf shifters to another, changing her name and her appearance, on a mission to help female shifters break free from traditional pack structure.

When the fangs dropped and claws sprouted, she forced herself to stay calm and made a show of adjusting her backpack. These men were the elite, and they only needed a moment to regain control of their emotions. When they were ready to talk, she would be as well.

“So, what kind of shifter are you?” Turtle asked.

“Wolf.”

“No, really.”

“Wolf.” Lori shrugged. “Even in wolf form, I’m small, but that’s the way it is.”

“Then why can’t we smell or hear you?’

She moved away the mental blocks that kept her secure. “Try now.”

Four voices flooded her brain and she held up her hands. “One at a time, guys!”

“How do you do that?” asked Turtle.

“Training. And it’s not perfect. A strong alpha can break through. Carlson can. But there’s no time for twenty questions. We need to get going.”

“Will you be able to keep up with us?”

Lori grinned. “You forget, I’m leading the way. You have to keep up with me.”

From Wolves’ Gambit, The Free Wolves Adventures

As much as I love writing strong women characters, I like to read them, too. And I want that strength to carry through the book. I once read a romance by a major woman author who, throughout the whole book, emphasized how the lead female character prepared to face the villain. But in the end, when the two were face-to-face, the major male character rushed in to save her.

Truthfully, it made me angry. After all the buildup, the ending was a disappointment. That book has been given away. No matter how well-written, it didn’t deserve a spot on my bookshelf. I don’t want my leading ladies to depend upon a prince to save them. I want them to rescue the prince sometimes.

What are your favorite kind of characters? Let’s talk about it in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the other writers on this hop. You can see what they have to say by following the links below.

Until the next time we get together, stay safe.

June 22, 2020

What are your favorite kind of characters to create? To read?

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.

Would You Believe? #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne June 14, 2020 June 14, 2020 Open Book

June 15, 2020

What’s the most unusual experience you’ve ever had? Have you included it in one of your books?

I’ve done some unusual things in my life. Some people might classify them as crazy. Like getting on a Greyhound bus to travel halfway across the country to go to a college I’d found in a book. (This was back in the days before the internet. All correspondence to/from the college was done by snail mail. ) Or dangling off a cliff for a basic mountain climbing course four months after breaking my collarbone in a bicycling accident. Or the time we (hubby and me) went camping in a wilderness area with our six-day old baby. (It was a wonderful experience!)

How about changing careers when I was over 40? Moving ourselves cross-country from Oregon to Florida? Or the decision to self-publish a novel when I was umpteen years old?

Go ahead. Pick one. None of them are in any of my books.

Not specifically, anyway. That doesn’t mean the life’s lessons I learned along the way haven’t influenced my stories. Harmony from my mystery series is never going to go mountain climbing, but my once-upon-a-time desire to be a librarian influenced her career. And the hills I went hiking and camping in provide a backdrop for two of my Free Wolves books.

It could happen in a future book. Maybe I’ll get one of my characters lost in the Rocky Mountains and they have to use their mountain climbing and wilderness skills to find their way back to civilization. (Did I mention the week-long survival training class I took in high school?) Or I can force Harmony to move from her beloved Oak Grove. How would she handle it?

Speaking of Harmony and her adventures, I received the first batch of paperbacks of The Samurai’s Inro, her newest story. Cross your fingers that the event I want to sell them at happens!

If you don’t want to wait that long, and want to purchase a copy now, you can find more information HERE

If you want to check out the unusual experiences of the other authors, you can follow the links below. And, as always, please sta safe until we ‘meet” again.

June 15, 2020

What’s the most unusual experience you’ve ever had? Have you included it in one of your books?

Her Ladyship’s Ring #MFRWorg Book Hooks

By P.J. MacLayne June 9, 2020 June 10, 2020 Uncategorized

Welcome to another edition of Marketing From Romance Writer’s Book Hooks, a chance for authors to highlight one of their books. I haven’t done this for a while, and I hope you enjoy it. This is a blog hop, so when you finish reading my post, and after you but the book, 🙂 check out some of the offerings from other authors (links at the bottom of the page)

From Her Ladyship’s Ring, Book 2 of the Harmony Duprie Mysteries (Amateur sleuth, almost-cozy mystery. Now on sale for 99¢)

Amazingly enough, no one extra showed up. So the four of us sat around my table and acted like we were old friends and nothing was wrong. Except I caught Freddie scrutinizing Jake when he thought Jake wasn’t watching. And Jake took every opportunity possible to touch me, and each time he did he let his fingers linger a moment too long. Sarah was the only one who didn’t feel the tension. Either that or she was a better actress than I’d realized.

“Did you hear about the snow sculpture contest in the park?” she asked.

“No,” I said. How did I miss that? “Who’s sponsoring it?”

“Oh, it’s unofficial.” She put more grated cheese on top of her spaghetti and passed the container to Freddie. “Started with some little kids building old-fashioned snowmen, and then a bunch of high schoolers got involved. Pretty soon parents got into the spirit of things as well. Now there are dragons and castles and all sorts of creations scattered on the shore of the lake. Makes me hope the cold weather sticks around so they last longer.”

“You and I should go see them tomorrow,” Jake said smoothly, touching my forearm.

I would have loved to go, but not with Jake. “I really need to go to the library tomorrow,” I said. “If I get too far behind, I’ll never catch up. I have a deadline coming up in a day or two.” I hadn’t even checked my email to see if I had any new requests.

Sarah sighed. “It’s not like you have to punch a time card. Sometimes you take yourself too seriously.”

We’d had this discussion before, and I had no desire to rehash it now.

But Sarah was on a roll. “You loosened up for a while, now you’re slipping back into your old habits.” She winked at Jake. “You were good for her, except for that whole drug and attacking the police stuff.”

Was she flirting with Jake in front of Freddie? She’d hardly touched her wine, so she couldn’t be drunk. Unless she’d been drinking before she and Freddie got to my place.

I glanced at Freddie. His expression was more puzzlement than anything else. He caught me looking, and barely shook his head. He didn’t know what she was up to either.

Jake, on the other hand, winked back at her. “I’ll try to change that.”

“Yeah, the whole long-distance relationship thing she’s got with Eli isn’t working out if you ask me.”

“Sarah!” I hissed.

Jake leaned towards her, ignoring me. “What makes you say that?”

“Do you know they haven’t had sex yet?” She giggled. “At least the last time we talked about it. But it might have changed when he was here a couple of weeks ago.”

My face burned as she reached for her wine.

Book Blurb

Harmony Duprie is back, and so is trouble in Oak Grove.

When a man is murdered in the back yard of the old Victorian house she is remodeling, Harmony is determined to locate his next-of-kin so he can be put to rest properly. But with her ex-boyfriend Jake out of prison, back in town and one of the suspects in the murder, she takes on the challenge of solving the crime.

With Eli, her current love interest, in Florida and Jake close by, old emotions come back to haunt her. Can Harmony clear Jake’s name and solve the mystery of her own heart?

You can buy Her Ladyship’s Ring at these retailers:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1121692446?ean=2940151639064

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id982884469

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/her-ladyship-s-ring

series: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072F4WBWH/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

Pilgrimage #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne June 8, 2020 June 8, 2020 Open Book, Uncategorized

June 8, 2020

Have you ever gone on a literary pilgrimage? If so, where and why?

Once upon a time, on a back highway in Florida, I saw a sign marking the road to Zora Neale Hurston’s home. I would have liked to take the road less traveled, but I had places to be and people to talk to. And although I took that road once or twice more, I never to make it to the house. In fact, I don’t which of the various houses she lived in the road led to.

Although I didn’t think of it as a pilgrimage at the time, I got to see the Mark Twain house in Hartford. Connecticut. I was visiting family who lives nearby, (Hi, Mary!) and we took a trip there for something to do. Back then, the home was still under restoration and a tenant lived on part of the third floor.

But the house was gorgeous. Beautiful dark woods throughout the interior. Marvelous staircases. Intricate ceilings.Wonderful details throughout the house. Truthfully, I don’t remember much about the exterior because I was so in awe of the inside.

If I was going to go on a literary pilgrimage, where would I go? I’m thinking Ireland. I’ve always figured that my Irish heritage is where I got my creative side. I’d love to wander the moors and hills of the countryside, explore castle and church ruins, and maybe talk to a fairy or an elf. See what came of it as far as inspiration for my stories.

If you were going on a literary pilgrimage, where would you go? You can share your stories in the comments. In the meantime, I’m going to check out where the others on this list have gone. Maybe I’ll get some ideas.

June 8, 2020

Have you ever gone on a literary pilgrimage? If so, where and why?

Writer’s Secrets #IWSG

By P.J. MacLayne June 2, 2020 June 2, 2020 IWSG

June 3 question – Writers have secrets! What are one or two of yours, something readers would never know from your work?

The awesome co-hosts for the June 3 posting of the IWSG are Pat Garcia, J.Q. Rose, and Natalie Aguirre!

Welcome to another month of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. This month I’m supposed to reveal one or two secrets. But if I tell you, they won’t be a secret anymore! So we’ll go with two things only a few people know.

In my Harmony Duprie Mysteries, I’ve made Harmony afraid of flying. Or, I should say, she told me she’s afraid of flying. I don’t think Harmony revealed it to me until Book Three, and I didn’t know why until Book 4. I’m currently up to book 6, and Eli, Harmony’s long-time lover, has figured out her fear, but she hasn’t told him why. Very different from me. I used to work a job where I traveled all the time. I once flew from Florida to various parts of California three times in one month. All the switching of times zones was rough, but I got to the point where, after boarding, I’d be asleep before the plane ever left the ground.

And for my other almost secret? I cut my writing teeth on poetry. I even had some luck getting published in literary magazines. At first, I tried to carry that over to my fiction, but it made for heavy reading. I still slip an occasional poetic phrase into my stories, but not near as many as I used to. My mysteries are light-hearted, and I don’t want to bog them down.

One more not-a-secret that many of you already know. I released the fifth book in Harmony Duprie Mysteries this past Monday. It’s called The Samurai’s Inro and trouble is chasing down Harmony again. Because how much trouble can one ex-librarian get into? You can find more information HERE.

There you go. Two almost-secrets and a bonus. Thanks go to our hosts for another great blog hop. You can check out the posts from other authors on the links below.

Until next time, stay safe!

Spiderweb #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne June 1, 2020 June 1, 2020 Open Book

June 1, 2020

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” That’s how I feel about my writing.

Because I didn’t plan it. When I wrote Wolves’ Pawn, it was a one and done. It was fun, and then it was time to try something else. If you’ve been following me for a long time, you know the next book I wrote was supposed to be a different kind of paranormal romance, one featuring a librarian and a ghost. It didn’t turn out like that, because the characters objected. Instead, it became an almost-cozy mystery titled “The Marquesa’s Necklace.”

But I didn’t abandon the original theme. There might be a ghost in there somewhere. As well as a reference to Wolves’ Pawn. You’ll have to read carefully to find it.

And I fell in love with Harmony, my main character, before I finished writing Necklace, and knew there would be more books in the series. In fact, the fifth book, The Samurai’s Inro, is being released today. And each story has a reference to either the ghost or what became the Free Wolves series, or both. And yes, the first book became a series because the characters demanded it.

For the most part, the Free Wolves books stand on their own. There are overlapping characters, but the books can be read in any order. That was done on purpose. Someday, I might write more in that series. There are a couple of ideas floating around in my head.

The mysteries are different. Although each book is a separate mystery, with no cliffhangers, there’s a strong underlying story arch, and I suggest they be read in order. (Especially books 1 & 2. The other books are more solo stories)

Here’s a teaser from The Samurai’s Inro to give you a hint about the paranormal reference:

I’m in the planning stage for another series. I have to finish the Harmony series first, but I can see the possibility of including references to Harmony in the new books, just for the fun of it. It may be a couple of years before you see the first of those books. I’ve got to finish The Ranger’s Dog Tags.before I start those.

If I can carry it off, it will be quite the spiderweb I weave. It sounds like fun to try!

Since this post is appearing on release day, I can’t pass up the opportunity for promotion. Head over HERE for more information on the Samurai’s Inro and where you can get a copy.

And I’ll be checking out everyone else’s posts during the day, to keep me from staring at my sales figures. You can join me by following the links below.

In the meantime, stay safe out there!

June 1, 2020

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

The Samurai’s Inro and a New Excerpt

By P.J. MacLayne May 29, 2020 May 29, 2020 Uncategorized

It’s almost Launch Day! So here’s another excerpt for you.

I followed my morning routine—coffee, shower, sit on the steps and read the paper—but the simple joy had disappeared. The biker was gone, but he wasn’t the problem. No, I still hadn’t heard from Eli. No requests for reports or research, not even a text to say hi. I missed him.

But he was more than my lover, he was my boss. Even if I didn’t have a new assignment from him, I still had research to do. The topic was up to me. I could do it anywhere with an internet signal, but I chose to stick with my routine and go to the library. If the biker showed up, I’d know and could keep an eye on him while he kept an eye on me.

With no excuse to build a wall of books, I took a chair in the periodicals area. With the setup of the room, I’d be able to watch anyone coming or going from it. There’d be no sneaking up on me.

At least, that was true as far as the public knew. There was a secret way in and out. Out mostly, because it was hard to slide the last set of shelves from the backside to get in. But I wouldn’t have to worry about getting stuck with no escape route.

Late morning, tired of lists and analysis of security vulnerabilities, I strolled through the stacks of the second floor to stretch my legs and give my eyes a break. I leaned against the balcony railing to survey the reading room below and gaze through the windows on the far wall.

That’s when I spotted him—or not. It was hard to tell from the angle. Plus, he didn’t look like a biker anymore. He’d adopted the persona of a frazzled businessman. White short-sleeved shirt, black pants, he looked like he came from the fifties. The beard was gone, too. I couldn’t get a good look at his face, but the hint of a tattoo peeking out from under the sleeve of his shirt gave him away.

From the second floor, there wasn’t a good place to study him further without exposing my presence. If I stood on the steps, I’d have a better chance, but they squeaked. If he looked up at just the right moment, he’d see me. I suppose it didn’t matter; he knew I was in the library. So, how to mess with him?

Trouble has a long memory and is stalking Harmony Duprie. The Samurai’s Inro, coming June 1st.

The Samurai’s Inro

By P.J. MacLayne May 27, 2020 May 27, 2020 Uncategorized

Trouble has a long memory and is stalking Harmony Duprie.

Don’t forget! The Samurai’s Inro, the fifth book in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries, will be available June 1st.

Here’s a quick excerpt just for you:

I cradled the pot with what remained of my mother’s African violet in my lap. They plucked every flower and bud and pulled off half the leaves. The plant would live—I’d make sure of it—but it would take a lot of effort.

Pages from my books lay scattered around. All my first editions survived, they’d only destroyed the more current ones. The latest Jack Reacher book. A biography of Queen Elizabeth. The popular-for-the-moment romance, The Pirate’s Nanny. At least I’d finished reading them.

They used a permanent marker to draw mustaches and beards on the framed picture of me and Eli kept on the end table, a middle school type of prank. Thank heavens the original was digital.

I sat in a kitchen chair and rocked, plotting my revenge. A stream of religious missionaries sent to their door. Dead fish mailed regularly. Confetti bombs. Putting a potato in their exhaust. Nothing legal seemed adequate.

It wasn’t a case of a mysterious suitor, of that I was convinced. It felt darker, bordering on evil. Like the culprit was taunting me. Someone who knew me. Someone I thought was a friend. How else would they understand where to draw the line in the damage they’d done?

But I couldn’t explain this to Freddie without sounding crazy. Either Joe or Luke had called him. The three of them were working on straightening out the furniture in the front room while pretending not to keep an eye on me. They had a right to be concerned. That didn’t make it any less irritating.

What I needed to do was jump in and start cleaning. What I wanted to do was grab my laptop and create a spreadsheet of potential suspects. The police were still questioning neighbors and so far, no one had any helpful information. Freddie, although he hadn’t been assigned to the investigation, was following it and keeping me updated.

The short mental list taking form made me hurt as I added each entry. Gary from the pawnshop. Luke or Joe. Big Daddy Al from the Pink Flamingo. That was, assuming they could hotwire cars, something we’d never talked about. And I bet every one of them had an unshakeable alibi.

Jake.

Eli.

Stay tuned for buy links and more information.

I See Dead People #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne May 24, 2020 May 24, 2020 Open Book

May 25, 2020

What are the ethics of writing about historical figures?

This is a tough question for me, because I work to make my fiction non-specific in its time frame. Sure, I mention modern technology, but it could be five years ago or it could be five years in the future. And I don’t use real people in my stories, either living or dead.

But there’s one exception. In my Harmony Duprie Mysteries, there’s a certain recurring reference to a historical figure. Just one or two mentions per book, and unless the reader is looking for it, they probably don’t even realize what I’ve done.

I’ll tell you who it is later. Some of you may not even recognize the name when you see it.

But back to the question at hand. What are the ethics behind using historical figures? In my opinion, it depends.

If I’m writing a fictional story based on actual events and real people, I need to honor the event and the people. I can’t make Abraham Lincoln blond and heavyset if I’m setting a story based on his Gettysburg Address. On the other hand, If I’m imaging him as a vampire hunter, (anyone remember that movie?) I have a lot more freedom. But he still shouldn’t be short and blond-haired.

Of course, someone less well-known gives the author more latitude in working with the character. Writing about Betsy Ross is going to be more challenging that creating a story with Molly Pitcher. And the further back in history the person is from, the harder it becomes to be accurate. How much of Helen of Troy’s story is history and how much is legend?

Back to Harmony Duprie and the one historical figure I mention. And he’s only historical because he’s dead. It’s not a stretch of the imagination to believe that, under different circumstances, he’d still be performing.

I’m talking about John Denver. He’s not an actual character in the stories, but his music is mentioned in the books. Harmony’s mother was a big fan, and Harmony has inherited her mother’s collection of his albums and her love of the music. ( I may know someone who resembles that.)

We have several authors on this hop who do write historical novels, and I’m interested in seeing what they have to say on the subject. That’s where I’m heading now.

Until you stop by again, stay safe out there.

May 25, 2020

What are the ethics of writing about historical figures?

Writing Mistakes #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne May 17, 2020 May 17, 2020 Open Book

May 18, 2020

What are your top five writing mistakes? Either mistakes you make or mistakes that make you cringe when you see them in print?

Eight books in, and I’ve learned a lot. I’m not perfect by a long shot, but I know what to watch for. That doesn’t mean I don’t slip and have to go back and correct myself, but at least I make the same mistakes less often. Here’s my top five.

Overusing “was.” The dog was. John was. The reason for my anxiety was. You get the drift. The word is unavoidable, but using it too much isn’t. I’m better, but still have to watch my words. And figure out how to find better words to use when I am editing.
Same thing with ‘sigh.’ I won’t bore you with examples. I challenged myself to write the current book without a single use of sigh. (The Samurai’s Inro, coming June 1st.) I need to go back and check, but I think I won the challenge.
Commas. I think the rules about commas were created to make us crazy. Heck, even the on-line grammar checkers can’t agree on commas. And I’m not talking about different grammar checkers giving different results. I’m talking about the same grammar checker giving different results at different times. Before you ask – Oxford commas are a yes in my book.
I’m a pantser. That means I don’t have everything all plotted out before I write a story. That also means I occasionally lose track of story time. It is Thursday or Friday? I have to go back to a known day and start counting. No one has ever called me out on messing up a day, so I think I get them right in the end.
This one is not me, but I cringe every time I see it in an on-line forum. In fact, I see it so often I’ve begun to doubt myself. People who are using barley instead of barely. Is autocorrect doing that? Or is it a matter of bad typing and not paying attention? I never noticed it until the last year or two. One is a grain, and the other is an adverb. How do you mix them up?

That’s my five. It won’t surprise me if there’s a lot of overlap with other authors on this loop. You can check it out by following the links below.

Until later, stay safe out there.

May 18, 2020

What are your top five writing mistakes? Either mistakes you make or mistakes that make you cringe when you see them in print?

P.J. MacLayne