P.J. MacLayne

December 17, 2018

Do you believe in true love?

True love. The territory of poets for hundreds of years. How can I doubt it? I come from a long line of people who have found true love. My husband and I got engaged after six weeks after we met, married after three months and have been together for forty-three years! My parents were together in love for 60 some years, and separated only by death. My grandparents on my father’s side were together happily for many years, again parted only by death.  

That doesn’t mean it’s been all sunshine and roses. We’ve had our rough spots, like most people. But we’ve never given up on each other, and I think that’s what makes it true love. We’re growing old together—not so gracefully—and I firmly believe we’ll live up to our wedding vow of ‘until death do us part.’

Romantic love isn’t the only kind of true love. Parents and children, siblings, even good friends can all know true love in different forms. And how about pets? The animals who choose to live with us can sense our feelings and know when we need an extra cuddle or a warm furry body that needs a head scratch. Because they demand so little in return, their love may be one of the truer forms of the emotion.

So yes, I believe in true love. And in the words of the old song

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone

Songwriters: Burt F. Bacharach / Hal David

Now I’m off to find out how the other authors feel about true love.

December 17, 2018

Do you believe in true love?

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December 10, 2018

We are writers. This is our time to shine. What are some of your favorite lines from your books?

This week is the dictionary definition of #humblebrag. Every now and then, I look at the line I just wrote and think “Wow, that’s a good one!” So here are a few of my favorites.

I think this series of lines is when I first fell in love with Harmony Duprie, the main character of the Oak Grove Mysteries. The concept of this level-headed, intelligent woman having such a illogical reaction to an everyday event really helped me form her character.

That’s from The Marquesa’s Necklace, if you haven’t read it. 


And here’s a selection from Her Ladyship’s Ring, the second book in the series.It’s a conversation between Detective Thomason, Harmony, and her landlords. 

Of course, I can’t forget the Free Wolves series. Here’s a quote from Wolves’ Pawn.

You can find links to buy all of my books here: My Books




And I lied. Here’s another short one from Wolves’ Gambit

Now I’m done, and off to find out everyone else’s favorite lines

December 10, 2018

We are writers. This is our time to shine. What are some of your favorite lines from your books?

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 IWSG Day Question: What are five objects we’d find in your writing space?

First off, thanks to this month’s co-hosts:  J.H. Moncrieff, Tonja Drecker , Patsy Collins, and Chrys Fey!

I recently re-did my desk, so it’s a lot cleaner than it used to be! The Harry Potter magic wands have been put in a safer location. And the stack of sticky notes have been trimmed down to almost nothing. But what’s still here?

First off is the computer. That’s a given. Although I have written books entirely by hand, I find I write cleaner if I type a story rather than compose on paper. I write slower on the computer but spend less time editing.

Second are my pens. It’s an addiction. I have more pens than I’ll ever need. Once I pulled a dozen
from my purse.

Third is a Thesaurus. I keep a physical copy handy. I’m good using an on-line dictionary, but when it comes to hunting down the perfect word, I get better results flipping trough the pages.

Next is the wolf sculpture my son bought me. I have a series of wolf shifter books and it serves as inspiration.

Last but not least? I confess, I didn’t get rid of all the stick notes. They’re a great way to keep track of the details on my WIP. What day it is, what last name did I give to that minor character who appeared six chapters ago? I just have to remember to get rid of them when I finish the story.

Now, I’m going to find out what the other insecure writers have in their writing space.

December 3, 2018

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

I didn’t even have to think about my answer. If I couldn’t fail, I’d be a full-time author. But what would that mean?

First off, I’d have to fully replace my current job and benefits. I’ve got other people depending on me and I can’t let them down. Or maybe it would be better to say that I’m not willing to risk letting them down. Then I need extra on top of that for some long-term financial needs.

Second, I want to be able to maintain my status as an indie author. I like the freedom to write what I
want to write and to control my own prices. Although I don’t necessarily enjoy the business aspects of being an indie, I like the control being an indie provides.

Third, I’m going to need an full-time editor. One who can help me get books released faster. I don’t think I can accomplish my goal when I’m only releasing one or two books a year. And if I had someone else helping with editing, I could write faster!

And of course, I’d want to make a best seller list or two. Or three. I’d also have to go to more reader/author events. I don’t mind traveling, so that  would be fine.

So, for those of you that are already full-time authors, what have I missed?

Now let’s hop over and see what the other authors would do.

December 3, 2018

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

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November 26, 2018

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

I’m one of those annoying people who believe that you should never stop learning. I earned a major new certification relating to my job last spring, despite being well into the ‘old fart’ range in terms of my age.

But I did something this past fall that I’ve never done before.

I took time off work to celebrate my birthday.

It doesn’t sound like anything major, but I’ve never done it before. I’ve always worked unless my birthday happened to fall on a weekend. Sure, we might go out for supper or celebrate in another way, but I’ve never taken the whole day for myself.

That changed this year. I took two days off and me and the hubby stayed in a nearby mountain resort town. We rented a better than average hotel room and took it easy. We didn’t make any plans but did things on the spur of the moment. Mostly, we just spent time together. Heck, the most ambitious we got was taking a long drive down some back roads. I didn’t even do any writing!

And the best part? I didn’t feel guilty about any it. Not the time off work, not the money we spent, not the temporary pause in finishing my current WIP. Oh, and we got to share the hotel with wild turkeys!

One more good thing- I bought some old Nancy Drew books – the yellow ones – at a used goods store we stumbled across and decided to check out. Maybe they’ll be the start of a collection to replace the ones I gave away when I went to college.

So that’s my newest new thing. What’s yours?

Now I’m off to see what the other authors are doing for the first time.

November 26, 2018

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

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Remember the Mystery Exchange? A few of the authors have teamed up to bring you some specials for the holidays or to fill that new tablet you just bought. Just in time for #BlackFriday!

What We Found, by Kris Bock

An All-Consuming Fire,

	Julienne has her ideal job as an event planner at a prestigious resort. During a luncheon event she coordinated, a renowned celebrity pastor is killed next to the buffet. All eyes turn to her as the suspect. If she wants to stay out of jail or even keep her job, Julienne needs all the help she can get to solve the crime.     She has her work cut out for her with a vengeful high school rival now reporter, the public demanding she be fired, plus family who knows what’s best for her, and a boyfriend who doesn’t understand her. She turns to friends and a new ally to uncover who wanted to put the pastor on ice.     Julienne goes undercover and investigates a local swingers group as she follows the trail of clues before they go cold. Can she gather enough suspects and motives to convince the police to widen their investigation? Can she do it before the killer sets his murderous sights on her? Will her personal life ever be as simple as unveiling a murderer? Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | GooglePlay | Overdrive | IndieBound |Audible
	Julienne is snow bound in the middle of the Rocky Mountains with a killer striking at will.     Julienne LaMere gets to attend a Resort Management conference at a prestigious ski resort in the Colorado Mountains.  What should be an enjoyable getaway attending workshops by day and shopping and enjoying the resort by night comes to a screeching halt when a loud-mouthed guest is murdered plus the roads and town shut down for an epic blizzard.     In addition to attending the conference, dodging a smitten teen boy, and seeking clues among the gossiping – and increasingly tense – guests, her best friend’s heart has warmed to an unlikely man and may get broken.  As if her mind isn’t already fully occupied, Julienne and her new boyfriend Mason are skiing down troubled slopes in their relationship. Will Julienne put the scant clues together and unveil the culprit before a murderer gets away? Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | GooglePlay | Overdrive | IndieBound |Audible
	A Private Investigator who is competing to be on the reality show “Real Investigators” dies under suspicious circumstances with Julienne’s business card on his body.  Her boss asks her to work to keep the resort’s reputation from taking another hit from a murder. She is more concerned with how her card got on his dead body than she lets on.  The investigator was playing with fire before he got poisoned, and Julienne is attempting to figure out who spiked his last moments.     She begins to look into the less reputable investigator to keep the Resort’s name, as well as her own, away from any suggestion of scandal for both their sake.  In the meantime, she is coordinating a last minute event and dealing with a handsome British gent who has his eye on her while still trying to work things out with Mason. Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | GooglePlay | Overdrive | IndieBound |Audible

November 19, 2018

If you had the option to know the date of your death, would you want to know?

Many years ago, I remember reading the description of a series where the premise was that a wizard could never achieve full powers until he/she learned the date and time of their death. Funny thing is, I don’t remember reading the book but the idea of knowing when you will die has stuck with me.

There was also a time in my life when I didn’t think I’d make it past the age of thirty. I’d had enough near-misses that I thought the universe was out to get me. It didn’t happen, and I’m well past that age, but I remember making decisions for my life based on that fear.

Now, I’ve hit the age where I need to start planning for my death. After all, one of the reasons I went indie when I started writing was because I didn’t have time to sit around and wait for agents and publishers. But that was six books ago, and I’m still going strong. Based on family history, I could get disabled in a few years. Or, I could keep going for another thirty years.

So, do I want to know when my life will end?

None of us have a guarantee that when we go to bed at night we’ll wake up the next morning. I’ve tried to live the philosophy of living each day like it’s my last. It wouldn’t make a difference if I knew the date of my death. I don’t think sharing the information would make my death any easier for family and friends, and it wouldn’t make what was left of my life any more meaningful. Plus, I refuse to live my life in fear, waiting for the moment we all dread.

That should help make my answer clear. No, I don’t want to know the date of my death. It will come in due time, and I’m okay with that. I’ve lived a pretty good life and I can face the inevitable with a certain sense of satisfaction.

Now let’s find out what the other authors think.

November 19, 2018

If you had the option to know the date of your death, would you want to know?

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Excerpt

November 12, 2018

What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a writer ?

It sounds easy, doesn’t it? “I want to write a book. Anyone can do that.”

And it’s probably true. With enough effort, anyone can get fifty thousand or more words down on paper. (Or saved to a computer file.) It might take years, and after the first five thousand the realization of how much effort it takes might sink in, but that’s okay.

But this is not an attempt to scare anyone off from the attempt. The satisfaction that comes with writing “The End” is hard to match.

So what advice to I have for aspiring writers?

I think the best thing I can suggest is to not worry about getting it perfect the first time. Finding the right wards can be next to impossible. Sometimes the word you thought was right doesn’t sound so good after a few more sentences.

But here’s the trick. There are these things called “first drafts” and editing. That means after the words make it from the brain to paper, they can be changed. And for those of us who aren’t total geniuses, changes will need to be made. Even total geniuses will need to go back and check their work.

But if the first draft isn’t completed. there’s no editing to be done. Well, that’s not quite true. I use editing as a way to help break writer’s block, but it’s a short-term solution. It helps to get my brain back into the story.

So, back to my advice. It’s like walking. You have to take one step at a time. Get out that pen and paper or typewriter or keyboard. Write that first sentence. Then write another, and another. Writing, like any other creative endeavor, takes practice. It may never become easy, but it gets easier. I’ve written several books that will never be published because I don’t feel they are good enough, but that’s okay. The time I spent writing them wasn’t wasted because it helped make the next book I wrote better.

Now let’s head over and see what advice the other authors have to share.

(And a side note. Wolves’ Knight, a book that went through several drafts before it was ready for readers, is on sale for 99¢ for a short time. You can find the links here:  https://pjmaclayne.blogspot.com/p/wolves-pawn.html  You’ll need to scroll down the page a little way to find it.)

November 12, 2018

What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a writer ?

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November 5, 2018

What do you want people to remember about you?

When I first saw this topic, I thought it would be an easy topic to write about. After thinking about it, I decided I was wrong.

Sadly, I doubt I’ll ever be remembered for my writing. No matter how hard I try, I don’t see one of my books breaking  into best-selling territory. That doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying, but I’m not planning my financial future based on that possibility.

And I don’t think my computer skills will earn me world-renown status. I work with too many geniuses to think I rank anywhere near the top.

So, what do I want people  to remember about me?

That I cared. Deeply. About them. About helping to make the world a better place, one kindness at a time.

Because sometimes that’s the most important thing.. A smile when it is needed. A helping hand when things go wrong. A kind word when it seems that there is only darkness.

I know it doesn’t sound like much. The beauty of it is in its simplicity. But it’s enough for me. If only I can be remembered that way.

Now let’s hop over and see what the other authors want to be remembered for.

November 5, 2018

What do you want people to remember about you?

Rules:
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