Blog-Mountain Musings - P.J. MacLayne

New Release – The Contessa’s Brooch

By P.J. MacLayne May 15, 2019 May 16, 2019 Uncategorized

It took more than a year to write this book, but it’s finally here. Harmony is back at it, tracking down a firebug. It started as a simple data analysis project for Police Chief Sorenson, but when Harmony is involved, nothing stays simple. But this time, she has company, in the form of Eli, Lando and Scotty.

I had fun hanging out with Lando and Scotty. They helped Harmony keep her spirits up when things get rough.

Even Jake gets involved. What’s he up to, anyway?

If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the official blurb:

A firebug is stalking Oak Grove and internet researcher Harmony Duprie is on the case. It starts as a simple data analysis project for Police Chief Sorenson, but things get personal when the house she renovated is targeted.

The arsonist is in it for the glory, posting videos of his exploits on social media. So, Harmony calls for backup from her favorite computer hackers, Eli, Lando, and Scotty. Complications arise when Fiesker, a fire investigator with a chip on his shoulder, is brought in to unmask the culprit and put an end to the fires. Then there’s the mysterious emails being sent to the town’s firefighters. And who is leaving a trail of Celtic brooches behind?

Harmony finally gets a break when Jake, her ex, stumbles across information that might lead to the guilty party.

Can Eli, Lando and Scotty help Harmony track down the pyromaniac before someone gets hurt? Or, worse yet, killed?

You can pick up the ebook at all the usual places. Paperbacks should be available soon.

No Sleep #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne May 13, 2019 May 13, 2019 Uncategorized

May 13, 2019

If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?

Ah, the gift of time! Eight hours worth. Well, maybe seven and a half. Or just seven, depending upon how quickly I fall asleep.

What would I do with that time? That would partly depend upon whether the other person in my house didn’t need to sleep either. It might be hard to find quiet activities while he slept.

Reading would be on the top of my list. So many books, so little time. Hopefully the library would stay open late.

On the opposite end of that, think of all the additional time I’d have for writing! Maybe I could write more than one book a year. There’s that gritty female private eye I owe a book (or more) to.

Publicity! I could spend more time on publicity and connect with more readers. Sell more books.Sounds like a plan.

You’ve probably noticed that nothing I’ve mentioned costs money. That’s deliberate. The last thing I want to do with my extra time is put more hours in at my job. (If you’re reading this, boss, sorry, but did you expect anything different?)

Sure, I’d probably spend some time doing housework, or going for a walk, or catching up on those little projects that pile up-—you know what I mean. Maybe I’d even watch a TV show now and then.

The number one thing I’d do? Take time to sit back, listen to some tunes, and relax. I never seem to allow myself that luxury.

Before I close, speaking of publicity, check out my rafflecopter. It’s your chance to win a $10 Amazon gift certificate or signed copies of the first edition, first three paperback books from my Harmony Duprie Mysteries. here’s the link for you to check it out! Rafflecopter

If you got here by way of the contest, hello and thank you!

Now, let’s find out what our other authors are “up” to!

May 13, 2019

If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?

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.

COVER REVEAL!

By P.J. MacLayne May 9, 2019 May 9, 2019 Uncategorized

I’m so excited! The next book in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries is almost here! The release date is May 15th, although it might show up sooner on some platforms. While you’re waiting, here’s the books description:

Harmony finally gets a break when Jake, her ex, stumbles across information that might lead to the guilty party.

Can Eli, Lando and Scotty help Harmony track down the pyromaniac before someone gets hurt? Or, worse yet, killed?

And here’s the cover! Courtesy of my wonderful cover artist, K.M. Guth.

And a bonus! Just for those of you who follow this blog, here’s a quick snippet from the book, with Harmony in her usual form:

Like a wayward teenager, my anxiety levels rose every time Chief Sorenson showed up, even if I hadn’t done anything wrong. It was no different when he strode into the library Monday morning even though he was on my turf. Since I was busy helping Mrs. McCartney track down information on problem pregnancies in goats, I nodded his direction and inclined my head towards the office. I didn’t want to make him hang around the front desk while he waited.

Besides, a few of the patrons would be unhappy if he spotted them. I saw Harry, one of Oak Grove’s small homeless population, duck behind the magazine racks in the reading room.

Once Mrs. McCartney was all set up with a search page, I returned to my office. The Chief had helped himself to a cup of coffee from the pot I kept on my credenza and was staring out the window that overlooked the alley. Not much happened out there most days except for a stray cat or two nosing around the dumpsters.

While this book holds no car chases, Harmony does battle some unusual opponents. But this is a spoiler-free zone, so you’ll have to come back for the buy links later!

P.S. And keep your eyes open for the Rafflecopter and a chance to win signed first-edition copies of the first 3 books.

Crying While Writing #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne May 6, 2019 May 6, 2019 Open Book

May 6, 2019

Have you ever made yourself cry (over what you did to a character) while writing a book?

I consider it a compliment to a writer if they can make me cry. Sure, i might allow a few tears to leak from my eyes when I’m reading a particularly sad scene, but crying is different. It takes a lot to make that happen. I have to be heavily invested in the characters.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

Maybe that’s why I can make myself cry when I’m writing. I know and even love my characters. When I write something that hurts them, I feel their pain, even though I know what’s coming. After all, I’m the one creating their pain!

Most often, it’s only a few tears. Once in a while, I find myself reaching for the nearby box of tissues. My newest book, The Contessa’s Brooch, fell into the few tears category. (To be released May 15th.)

But the first draft of the first book I wrote had me in full-out tears. (That book will never be released. It wasn’t bad, but it was too derivative of other people’s stories.) Anyway, by the end of the book, I’d killed off both of my main characters. I cried as I wrote the last chapter and cried more when I wrote the obit that was the epilogue.

I still think it was a great ending. I also think readers would have hated me for it. I changed the ending to a happily-ever-after one in the second draft of the book. One that didn’t make me cry. One that readers would accept. But I still prefer the first ending. I read bits and pieces of it as I wrote this post, and it still has the power to move me to tears.

Now that I’m done sniffling, I’m headed over to see what the other authors have to say.

May 6, 2019

Have you ever made yourself cry (over what you did to a character) while writing a book?

Unusual Expense #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne April 29, 2019 April 29, 2019 Open Book

April 29, 2019

What’s the most unusual expense you’ve had?

I live a fairly understated life. Simple, basic, although not boring. So, I really had to think hard about this one.

Was it the food dehydrator for drying fruit? Or maybe the ice cream maker? How about the supplies for drying and selling the straw flowers I grew one year?

I thought about it, and decided it wasn’t any one thing, but the pattern of purchases that counted. After all, how many people do you know who have grown Kentucky Wonder beans? (I think that’s what they were called. That was a lot of years ago.) This variety had a beautiful purple bean. I don’t remember that the flavor impressed me, but the rich color did.

Or how about the years we grew gold potatoes? They are more common now, but were a rarity back then. They were pretty to look at and tasted great.

One year we grew a plot of kale because it is supposed to be healthy. You’ll note we grew it one year and only one year. That should tell you what we thought of it.

Then there was the disaster with Brussels sprouts. No matter what we tried, we couldn’t keep the bugs away. We lost about 90% of the crop.

Image by Hans Benn from Pixabay

Remember the straw flowers I mentioned at the beginning of the post? We had a bumper crop. I sold bunches at a craft fair, made Christmas presents for my large family, and had plenty left over. The decorations I made with them lasted more than a decade.

Are any of these purchases unusual? Taken one by one, no. But there aren’t many people who have the space to experiment with different plants. Most people who garden grow the same thing year after year. And yes, we had crops we grew every year, but we also were lucky enough to be able to experiment.

So, that’s my most unusual purchase (or purchases.) What was yours? While you share in the comments, i’m going to hop on over and see what the other authors have bought.

April 29, 2019

What’s the most unusual expense you’ve had?

https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/37bb083154fb47689e7e57a307eff0b6

Is It Spring Yet? #Openbook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne April 22, 2019 April 22, 2019 Open Book

April 22, 2019

Many of us wax poetic at the end of winter and the return of spring. Let’s swap that around. What’s the one thing about spring that you can’t stand?

The chirping robins in the almost-green yard. The brightly colored daffodils gracing the front of the house. The soft suggestion of leaves peeking forth on the otherwise barren trees. The bipolar weather.

And bingo, we have a winner. I love winter, but this back-and-forth weather is seriously making me crazy. We had two bomb cyclones this spring and I’ve never heard the term before this! A balmy 65 degrees one day and snow the next?

I started the slow process of acclimating my geraniums to the out-of-doors and unfiltered sunlight this weekend when it was 70°. (I have one plant that is over a decade old!) Of course, with the possibility of light snow tonight and tomorrow, the process has been delayed. The flowers will live in my windows for a while longer.

This isn’t the old plant, but it’s blooming so I thought I’d share it.

What bothers me more is the apple blooms on the tree in the front yard. They are just beginning to form. I’m afraid the cold snap will kill them off before they have a chance to grace the world with their beauty, and there’s nothing I can do to save them.

What I’d like is a nice, even uphill slide from winter to summer. I know that’s not going to happen, so I’ll deal with whatever Mother Nature hands out.

Is there something about spring that you hate? Feel free to vent in the comments! While you think about it, I’m going to head over and see what the other authors dislike.

April 22, 2019

Many of us wax poetic at the end of winter and the return of spring. Let’s swap that around. What’s the one thing about spring that you can’t stand?

Make A Law, Any Law #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne April 15, 2019 April 15, 2019 Open Book

April 15, 2019

If you could write one new law, what would it be?

My first thought when I read this question was that we have too many laws already. Do we really need even one more?

But then I think of some of the new laws I’ve seen in my lifetime. Like the one that made it illegal to rape your wife. (Wrap your mind around that- it used to be legal.) or the one that made it illegal to aim a camera up a woman’s skirt without her permission. How about the one that required electric automobiles’ engines to make a loud sound so blind people could hear them coming? (That was proposed, I don’t know if it passed or not.)

Image by Sang Hyun Cho from Pixabay

So, it’s obvious that we need new laws to keep up with changing times and technology. But that also means that some old ones no longer apply. Like the one from Arizona that rules that donkeys aren’t allowed to sleep in bathtubs. Or Michigan’s law that makes it illegal to buy or sell vehicles on Sunday. (I remember not being able to buy groceries on Sunday.) How about South Carolina’s law that makes it illegal for a minor to play pinball?

Here’s my proposal for a new law. For every new law that is passed, at least one old one must be taken off the books. The first fifty or so would be a piece of cake, but after that I’m not so sure. Can you imagine the hours lawmakers and their clerks would have to put in to find laws to strike from the books? The thought fills me with glee. At least it would be a better use of their time than hours spent debating a state song or fish.

What law would you write? Tell me in the comments. Now I’m off to check out what the other authors have to say.

April 15, 2019

If you could write one new law, what would it be?

Trading Place #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne April 8, 2019 April 8, 2019 Open Book

April 8, 2019

If you could trade lives with anyone for just one day, who would it be and why?

I had to really think about this one. Easy answer is that i’d like to be a guy for one day. I’m quite happy being who I am, but it would be great fun to experience being male.

Of course, I’d have to put all sorts of qualifiers on that. No drug addicts or alcoholics allowed, and preferably not a guy who is gay. After all, what I want to experience is a day as a straight male, the opposite of me.

Since I’m using the process of elimination, I’ll stipulate i don’t want to switch with a guy under the age of 21. I want to remain a full-fledged adult. and healthy, please.

That still leaves what, about a third or more of the world’s population? So, to make it easier, let’s add in he needs to speak English. I don’t want to assume that knowledge of a different language comes with the switch.

What else? Oh, I don’t want it be be anyone famous. What a pain that would be. Nope, don’t want to deal with it.

So, that leaves me with a faceless male between the ages of 21 and 100. There’s still a lot of narrowing down to be done. Just because, I’ll say he’s either a writer or a techie. Now the field is getting smaller. And it can’t be anyone I know. Too complicated.

Now we’re getting somewhere. I don’t want to ruin this guy’s life forever, so I’ll stipulate that I can call in with a vacation day (as him) without getting him into trouble. That means he doesn’t have any urgent project deadlines in the next week or so. (Hey, if I’m going to take over his body, at least I can be considerate!)

Now I’m starting to have fun. So, let’s make this guy a little on the sexist side. Not an all-out-misogynist, but a guy who might learn something from being in a woman’s body for a day. (We are switching places, right?)

I think I’ve narrowed it down far enough. So, here’s to you, faceless Google drone. (That’s where I decided he works!) Enjoy your day away from the normal chaos. I hope you are up for an adventure.

Now, let’s find out who the rest of the authors are switching with!

Midnight bonus question: If you make love to the partner of the person you swapped places with, is it cheating?

One Wish for Writing #IWSG

By P.J. MacLayne April 3, 2019 April 3, 2019 IWSG

IWSG Day Question: If you could use a wish to help you write just one scene/chapter of your book, which one would it be?

First, lets thank our co-hosts for this month

Co-Hosts: J.H. Moncrieff, Natalie Aguirre, Patsy Collins, and Chemist Ken!

I thought hard about this question. Since I work so hard to craft my stories, the idea of having someone else help me write a scene or chapter doesn’t feel right.

And I thought about a sex scene. I’ve never written one because my stories don’t need them. I’ve been tempted to try one, but haven’t gathered up the courage. I’ve read so many bad ones, and I’m afraid mine would be worse.

I sometimes wish I had a magic wand for my opening chapter. In my current WIP, I re-wrote the first chapter at least four times. and that was before I started editing. I had to go back and change it as my characters revealed hidden parts of the story I hadn’t planned for.

But I can’t let someone else write the beginning of my book. Then it wouldn’t be mine.

I’ve been known to write a fight scene or two, and I struggle to get enough action without getting carried away with it. Especially when I write a fight between two wolf shifters. How many ways can I describe wolves trying to prove their dominance? Keeping fights fresh across the series is a challenge. I wouldn’t mind a different set of eyes helping me develop my scene.

So that’s my wish. Help with future fight scenes. I’m interested to see what everyone else asks for.

But before we go, I’d like to welcome you to my new website. I’d be honored if you would take a moment to look around. And even happier if you would follow me on here. See the subscribe box to the right? Yeah, that one. Go ahead, enter your email. That way you won’t miss any of my posts.

If not, I hope to see you next month for another #IWSG post!

Laughter Guaranteed #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne April 1, 2019 April 1, 2019 Open Book

April 1, 2019

What’s the one thing guaranteed to make you laugh?

If this is your first visit to my new website, welcome! I hope you’ll follow me here for my updates and news. plus, special members-only benefits! (Watch this space for details.)

There are lots of things that make me happy. My husband’s smile. Birds twittering in the tree at the front of the house. A creek gurgling away as the spring waters flow downstream. None of those things make me laugh.

How about today’s comedians? I’ve seen snippets of a few on TV. I’ve enjoyed Jeff Dunham and his ‘Achmed the Dead Terrorist’, and he usually can make me laugh, but not always. And I can’t think of another of today’s comedians that can consistently make me laugh.

How about the antics of Harmony Duprie, the main character in my mysteries.? While I admit I sometimes smile as I’m getting her into trouble, and I hope my readers chuckle, I doubt she draws any full-out laughs. And that’s okay. that’s not my intention.

So what is guaranteed to make me laugh?

Simple. A baby’s laughter. I think it’s the most joyous sound in the world. Who can resist laughing in response?

There are lots of babies laughing on the internet, but here’s one I hadn’t seen before today: (I love the father’s response, too.) Please forgive the ads.

Now that I’ve picked myself up off the floor, I’m going to head over and see what the rest of the authors are laughing about. But before you go, look to your right and enter your email into that little subscribe box so you don’t miss out on future blog posts! (thank you!)

P.J. MacLayne