On Sale! The Fall of Jake Hennessey

Have you read it? You should, before the release of The Rise of Jake Hennessey.

And it’s on sale for 99¢ for a short time.

Here’s a quick excerpt:

The flash of metal reflecting a blinking neon beer sign in the front window had Jake on his feet and halfway across the bar in a second.

“Settle down, Duane,” the bartender said, backing up a few feet.

Jake recognized Duane’s type. Too skinny, pockmarks in his face, scabs on his arms, shaking so hard Jake didn’t know how he remained standing. If Duane was crashing, he became doubly dangerous.

Chairs scraped as other customers moved out of reach of the steak knife Duane waved, aiming at everyone and no one. There’d be no happy ending to the situation, at least as far as Jake foresaw. He circled to get in behind Duane.

“Put down the knife,” said one of his friends from several feet away.

“Take it easy,” said the other.

Duane didn’t pay attention. The weapon traced aimless circles in the air. He advanced two steps closer towards the bartender. “Don,” he slurred. “Don cheat me.”

“Nobody’s cheating anybody,” the bartender said. “Put down your knife and go home and sleep it off.”

It was easy to predict Duane’s next move. Jake had seen it repeated too many times. The druggie lunged at the bartender, but Jake reacted first and grabbed his arm. A dangerous maneuver, because tweakers often found bonus strength out of nowhere. He’d been in fights where it took three bouncers to subdue one meth head. Fate was on his side this time. The knife clattered to the floor, and a kick to the back of his knee ensured Duane did, too.

While all hell broke loose, with everyone yelling at Duane and Duane’s friends yelling at everyone else, Jake slipped out the front.

Book Description:

Jake Hennessey deals in selling fine jewelry of an illegal nature. The thrill of getting away with it is his addiction. When he hears a rumor about a rare old book in the personal collection of a small-town librarian, he gets the urge to try a new game.

After all, even jewel thieves get bored.

But the librarian, Harmony Duprie, isn’t what he expected and the challenge becomes serious business.

In order to win, Jake’s going to have to play by a new set of rules—and make them up as he goes along—because this time, he’s playing for the rest of his life.

Available at retailers below

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-fall-of-jake-hennessey

https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1615685161https://books2read.com/u/3kLM9g

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fall-of-jake-hennessey-p-j-maclayne/1141380917?ean=2940161033050

Jake is Back! Cover Reveal

Retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be for Jake Hennessey.

For 22 years, semi-retired jewel thief Jake Hennessey honored his promise to stay away from Harmony Duprie. He has no plans to change that… until Special Agent Doan Houck saunters into Jake’s bar, claiming Harmony’s life is in danger.

She’s not the only one in jeopardy. Jake is run over by a motorcycle and is the target of a drive-by shooting. He doesn’t know who to trust. Not the feds Not the local cops.

Not even Harmony.

But Jake will do anything to protect his ex-lover. Even if it means matching wits with an FBI agent, revealing old secrets, or ending up in prison. Again.

If it comes down to saving his life or Harmony’s, there is no choice at all.

This book has been a long time in the making. Between retiring and moving, Jake had to be patient with me while I ignored him as I took care of my life. He deserved my full attention as he told me his story. It didn’t go as I expected, but it went the way it needed to. (Jake working with the FBI? Who would have expected that?) I believe that the Jake books bring a additional richness to the Harmony Duprie Mysteries. With this book completed, I finally am able to move on to something new.

And here’s the cover, thanks to K.M. Guth

The release date for the Rise of Jake Hennessey is May 17th.

New Release

 

For 22 years, semi-retired jewel thief Jake Hennessey honored his promise to stay away from Harmony Duprie. He has no plans to change that… until Special Agent Doan Houck saunters into Jake’s bar, claiming Harmony’s life is in danger.

She’s not the only one in jeopardy. Jake is run over by a motorcycle and is the target of a drive-by shooting. He doesn’t know who to trust. Not the feds Not the local cops.

Not even Harmony.

But Jake will do anything to protect his ex-lover. Even if it means matching wits with an FBI agent, revealing old secrets, or ending up in prison. Again.

If it comes down to saving his life or Harmony’s, there is no choice at all.

 

Welcome to The Rise of Jake Hennessey

I’ve finally decided on a release date for the last book in the Harmony Duprie world. Unless fate interferes, The Rise of Jake Hennessey will be released on May 17th.

Book Description: 

For 22 years, semi-retired jewel thief Jake Hennessey honored his promise to stay away from Harmony Duprie. He has no plans to change that… until Special Agent Doan Houck saunters into Jake’s bar, claiming Harmony’s life is in danger.

She’s not the only one in jeopardy. Jake is run over by a motorcycle and is the target of a drive-by shooting. He doesn’t know who to trust. Not the feds Not the local cops.

Not even Harmony.

But Jake will do anything to protect his ex-lover. Even if it means matching wits with an FBI agent, revealing old secrets, or ending up in prison. Again.

If it comes down to saving his life or Harmony’s, there is no choice at all.

Watch this space for the cover reveal, coming soon.



Do Dragonflies Count? Animals in Writing #OpenBook Blog Hop

 
 
 

March 27, 2023
What is your favorite animal and why? Have you ever included it in one of your stories?

Do dragonflies count? They aren’t really animals, but if I have to pick my favorite non-human creature, dragonflies would be my choice.

I know there are people who are scared of them, but not me. I admire them. The way their mostly transparent wings flash in the sunlight, the variety of colors, the way they can effortlessly maneuver from spot to spot. I’ve been known to rescue one when it got trapped in a building. (That’s not easy!)

My favorite encounter with dragonflies was one warm summer day when an empty field near our home was filled with dragonflies. There were hundreds of them, darting from one blade of grass to another. They were only there for a short time, but I enjoyed the moment.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Have I ever used a dragonfly in a book? Surprisingly, no. I actually went back and checked several of them. (Note to me: figure out how to include dragonflies in a future book! Shifters maybe? Would their lifespan be a problem? )
 
How about our other authors? Do they include their favorite animal in their books? Follow the links below to find out.

Until next time, please stay safe.
 
March 27, 2023
What is your favorite animal and why? Have you ever included it in one of your stories?
 
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
 
 

A Day In The Life #OpenBook Blog Hop

March 20, 2923

Tell us about the day in the life of one of your characters.

 After a restless night, my morning routine soothed my frazzled nerves. Start the coffee pot, shower, towel dry my hair, slip into a comfortable pair of jeans and a random blouse from the closet, pour myself a cup of coffee, one sugar, no cream, run downstairs to grab the newspaper, and sit on the bottom step to glance through it. That was my summer routine anyway. I didn’t sit outside in the winter naturally. The local paper, The Herald, tried hard to cover local news, but not much happens in Oak Grove anymore. I’d been in it too much.
   Piper came to greet me, sticking his nose through the chain-link face. Most days, I brought a doggy-biscuit with me, but he doesn’t care on the rare days I forgot. He was happy to have me scratch the top of his head. Some days I swear he purred when I got it just right.
   I sipped the coffee and watched the sun rise.
The Marquesa’s Necklace

Harmony Duprie lives a quiet, routine life and likes it that way. Monday through Friday, she goes to work at the library, helping patrons, comes home, and reads. (She’s a research librarian, with a specialty in Victorian-era history.) Wednesdays nights, she goes out with her friends for supper and a few drinks. Thursday is her day to go grocery shopping, Saturday is her day to deep clean her little apartment, on the third floor of a Victorian-era home, and prep her meals for the next week. (She is somewhat of a neat freak.) Sunday is her day to relax, perhaps help her landlords in their garden, or go for a long car ride to nowhere in particular.

She dates occasionally, but the pool of bachelors in the small town of Oak Grove is pretty slim and she hasn’t found anyone that makes her heart flutter as much as finding a rare book in one of the town’s pawnshops does.

All of that changes when Jake Hennessey wanders into her life and she ends up getting charged for trafficking drugs.

That’s a day in the life of Harmony Duprie. To find out more,  go here:   https://www.pjmaclayne.com/?page_id=232 To get more days in the life of. . . from other authors, just follow the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

March 20, 2923

Tell us about the day in the life of one of your characters.

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

 


Perspective in Writing – Author’s Choice #OpenBook Blog Hop

 

 

March 6, 2023

Do you have advice for changing perspective? For example, switching from writing exclusively in third person and switching to first person? Or do you have a reason for staying with the perspective you do?

The first book I set out to write, (one that will never be published,) I rewrote four times before calling it quits. I changed perspective twice in that process. The first two versions were third person past tense, the third version was in first person, then I switched back to third person. It was a great learning process. Frustrating, perhaps, but publishing the story was never a consideration, so I could ‘play’ with how the characters interacted with no deadline to interfere.

What the experience taught me was that I can write in either perspective. Which one I choose is dictated by the story. For example, in its original form, what turned into The Marquesa’s Necklace started out in third person. I didn’t get very far into that version before realizing it was all wrong for the story that was taking shape, and switched to first person.

On the other hand, The Free Wolves’ books are all written in third person. They started that way and never changed. 

What advice do I have for writers wanting to switch? If you want to, do it! Yes, I know you’ll find readers who don’t like to read first person. You’ll also find readers that prefer it.

Something to consider—In first person, you can only see characters and action through one set of eyes at a time. As the author, you have to use dialogue or show physical cues from other characters to allow your main character to know what everyone else is thinking. I think that restriction is useful in helping to prevent head-hopping. On the other side, it may be a good tool for diving deeply into the internal thoughts of the speaker.

One minor thing: I’ve seen it done way too often. If you are writing in first tense, please, oh please, don’t have your main character look into a mirror or a pool of water or whatever to describe themselves. Just don’t.

What to be aware of if you’re moving from first to third person? I have to pay close attention to be sure I don’t head-hop for a sentence or two. It can also be easy to slip into the voice of an omniscient narrator. You, as the author, may know something that your characters and readers don’t know and it can be hard to not include it. 

I haven’t tried some of the lesser-used points of view, like second person and fourth person. (Yes, that exists, but it’s rare.) It’ll be interesting to find out if any one else in this hop has used them. To find out, follow the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

March 6, 2023

Do you have advice for changing perspective? For example, switching from writing exclusively in third person and switching to first person? Or do you have a reason for staying with the perspective you do?

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.


A Picture is Worth – You Know The Rest #IWSG

 
 
 
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

The awesome co-hosts for the February 1 posting of the IWSG are Jacqui Murray, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, and Gwen Gardner!

February 1 question – If you are an Indie author, do you make your own covers or purchase them? If you publish trad, how much input do you have about what goes on your cover?

Yes, I am an indie writer. It’s a decision I made back when I first entered the wild world of publishing. I knew from the beginning that I was not qualified to create covers. When it comes to fonts and color shading and perspective, I’m lost. Luckily, I had a resource that knew all that. She’s designed all my covers. Thank you so much, K.M. Guth!

Thanks to the joys of video conferencing, I’ve been able to watch her weave her magic. It amazes me, frankly, how she can morph things to suit her needs. She’ll ask for my input, but I normally defer to her as the expert. Now and then, I’ll spot something she missed, but that doesn’t happen very often.

Many of the covers she’s designed for me are below. 

Check out some of the other talented folks on this hop by clicking on the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe.

 


As Stealthy as Jake Hennessey #OpenBook Blog Hop

Jan 30, 2023

Are there other writers you ‘stalk’ on social media? Who and why?

First, let me explain the title of this blog post. Jake Hennessey is the main character in my WIP, The Rise of Jake Hennessey. Here’s a line from Chapter One.

“She hasn’t spotted me for twenty-two years, and I wasn’t going to let it happen now.”

Now, Jake doesn’t consider it stalking. He’s keeping a protective eye on Harmony, his cousin’s widow, that’s all. Oh, and the fact that she’s his ex-lover has nothing to do with it. (Yes, it’s complicated.)

Seriously, I don’t have the time or energy sink into that kind of drama. I barely keep up with the authors I follow on Facebook. (Although I blame FB for that. Too many ads, and not enough posts from the people I follow.) There’s one author I followed regularly who just dropped from my feed. (It took me a  while to realize it. And yes, I ‘followed’ her, not just liked her. ) Shoot, the algorithm doesn’t even show me everything my husband posts!

I also get newsletters from a number of authors. Too many, perhaps, because I get overwhelmed and don’t pay enough attention to them. We won’t even discuss my apathy towards Twitter, MeWe, and Instagram.

So, unlike Jake, I utterly fail at ‘stalking’ my fellow authors.  Let’s find out if anyone else on this hop is better at it. Just follow the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Jan 30, 2023

Are there other writers you ‘stalk’ on social media? Who and why?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.