#HarmonyDuprie - P.J. MacLayne

There’s a Stranger in Town #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne November 29, 2020 November 29, 2020 Open Book

November 30, 2020

Every story starts with a stranger in town or a journey. “Pa, we’re takin’ the wagon to Virginia City,” every story ends with “Golly gee, Wally. I thought we were goners.” True or False?

I really wanted to say, ‘nope, that’s not the way it works.’ And if I dig hard enough, I can probably find examples to contradict it. But there’s lots of truth to the premise.

Let’s start with my Free Wolves series. It’s backwards from the theory because each of my main characters is the stranger that came to town. Dot, Tasha, and Lori are the outsiders trying to fit in and find their place. Here’s Tasha’s (from Wolves’ Knight) beginning:

Her tactical knife slid easily from its ankle sheath. With a curse, Tasha leaped out of the leather chair and slid across the wooden conference table, praying she’d make it in time.

Although the stories are from the same ‘world’ they feature different characters and each story can be read as a stand-alone. Each story introduces a new stranger and a new situation.

The Harmony Duprie Mysteries are different. The Marquesa’s Necklace, the first one, opens with the stranger in town.

I first noticed him at the other end of the row when I glanced up to find another book. I recognize most of the regular patrons, and he wasn’t one of them.

But because each story is told in the same world, the little city of Oak Grove, the villain may not be a stranger but someone from Harmony’s town. Perhaps someone she didn’t know well, or doesn’t know at all. Or perhaps it’s someone she thought was a friend. (I’m trying not to give too many clues!) The Samurai’s Inro is a good example of this. (Yes, a minor character is from out of town, but the book doesn’t begin with him.)

In the sixth and final book of the series, the Ranger’s Dogtags, Harmony becomes the stranger in town after going on a journey. I got both tropes covered there!

How about those endings? “Golly gee, Wally. I thought we were goners.” There’s lots of books that this doesn’t hold true for—I’m thinking mostly of women’s fiction and romances. For my own books, I’ll argue that one a technicality. My stories combine romantic elements with action and adventure. Yes, my characters are placed in life-threatening situations, but I wrap every story up with the romance. Because I believe in happily ever after.

The next thing I knew, he’d pulled me into his arms and his lips were devouring mine.

I may have been a wee bit distracted with kissing him back, but I swear my toes curled, birds sang, and fireworks exploded in the background.

And magic happened.

Let’s find out what our other authors have to say by following the links below.

And, until next time, please stay safe,

November 30, 2020

Every story starts with a stranger in town or a journey. “Pa, we’re takin’ the wagon to Virginia City,” every story ends with “Golly gee, Wally. I thought we were goners.” True or False?

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.

Laughing At Myself #OpenBook Blog Hop

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

November 2, 2020

Is humor an important element is your stories? Do you ever laugh at something you’ve written?

Once upon a time, I attempted to portray myself as a comedian in a school talent show. It didn’t go well. I’m much older now, and my sense of humor has changed and warped. I’ve learned well from some masters of sexual innuendo and dark humor.

But neither of those work for my Harmony Duprie mysteries. I have to rely on humor of a more subtle persuasion. For example, this selection from The Baron’s Cufflinks:

I take pride in being able to finish every book I start but this one tested my limits. I’d picked it up on a whim, but I couldn’t take the idea of a billionaire vampire dinosaur shifter as a hero seriously. That may have been the point, but I wasn’t in the mood for a romantic farce disguised as a cozy mystery.

Even drunk, I wouldn’t be able to read it, and I couldn’t foist it off on any of my friends with a clear conscience. I wondered if there was time to ditch it in the camper, buried in the bottom cabinet behind the pots and pans. If my friends ever found it, they’d never connect it to me.

Come on, tell me that’s a little funny. But thank heavens, I don’t have to support myself as a stand-up comedian.

The Harmony stories are the perfect tool for a touch of lightheartedness. Her friends believe she takes herself too seriously and try to get her to loosen up. It doesn’t always go well, but they try.

Here’s a quick example of Harmony overthinking life from The Marquesa’s Necklace:

The bus ride home seemed longer than the morning’s trip as I studied each person getting on for a potential threat. Was the little gray-haired lady with the oversize purse and shopping bag packing a handgun? Did the teenage boy wearing a long black coat keep ninja stars in his pockets? And the woman in her mid-twenties holding a little girl’s hand? Was the child was just a prop, borrowed for the afternoon, solely to throw off suspicion? In reality, was the woman a super spy waiting for a chance to drug me and cart me off to her remote hideaway?

The Free Wolves stories are different. There may be moments of humor, but I don’t try to include it as a major part of the books. Like Harmony, the characters in the books take themselves seriously. And for good reason. They’re trying to save their piece of the world.

So, back to Harmony. In The Ranger’s Dogtags, the book in progress, opportunities for humor are slim. I didn’t even try to be funny, and rely on secondary characters to supply breaks from the action. Harmony is in over her head in this story, (more than usual!) and I’ve tried to make the writing reflect that. I’m hoping my readers will forgive me for the change.

About the second half of the question. Do I ever make myself laugh? Truth is, it takes a lot to make me laugh, but next to nothing to make me smile. And yes, Harmony and her friends make me smile. I hope they make the reader smile, too.

I’m hoping Phil is going to throw some outrageous piece of prose at us and make me grin. It’ll be interesting to see what everyone else on this hop shares this week. You can find out by following the links below.

Until next time, stay safe!

November 2, 2020

Is humor an important element is your stories? Do you ever laugh at something you’ve written?

He Said, She Said: Embracing Dialogue #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne October 18, 2020 October 18, 2020 Open Book

October 19, 2020

Do you embrace dialog or narrate your way around it? Why?

“Evening, Ms. Duprie,” he said, as he took the brim of his hat between his thumb and index finger for the briefest of moments. “Welcome back.” from The Marquesa’s Necklace

And welcome (or welcome back) to all of you!

I couldn’t resist. Despite recently coming across a “rule” that you should never start a book with dialogue (does that count for blog posts, too?) I had to do it. Open with dialogue, that is.

Because yes, I’ve fully embraced dialogue in my stories. Because no matter how well-written, it’s hard to read page after page of prose with long paragraphs and few breaks. For me, anyway. I used to be able to do it, but my mind doesn’t work that way anymore. And if I can’t read it, I certainly don’t want to write it.

That doesn’t mean I ignore narrative prose. I also don’t want to read page after page of dialogue, like reading a script for a play. The trick is in finding a balance between the two. And using that balance to move the story along.

The first thing I noticed when walking into my apartment was the afghan I kept on the back of the recliner. It was on the floor and hadn’t been like that when I left. “So who’s been sitting in my chair?” I asked. “Eli?” I called hopefully to no response.

Then I noticed the dirty dishes in my kitchen sink. “So who’s been eating my porridge?” I whispered to myself. Surely a thief wouldn’t have stopped to make himself a sandwich.

I tip-toed down the hallway, holding my breath. The bathroom was empty, but my bedroom door was partially closed. I carefully pushed it open and peeked inside. A familiar head nestled on my pillow. “So that’s who’s been sleeping in my bed.” from Her Ladyship’s Ring

That was a fun scene to write. Even though the dialogue was one-sided, it moved the plot forward.

It can be tough to write dialogue for more than two people in the scene. The standard “he said” or “she said” dialogue tags don’t work when there’s more than one he or she. That’s when the use of actions and descriptions come into play.

“You waiting for someone?” a gruff voice asked to my right.
“My ride,” I answered blandly, without looking up. I didn’t want to show any interest.
“The night is young,” came a second voice from my left.
I was in trouble. The voices held no hint of helpfulness. “And I have an early morning. So it’s time for me to go home.”
“Don’t you want to party with us?” The smell of alcohol lingered heavily on the first man’s breath.
“No thanks.”
The man on the left reached out and grabbed my arm. “Sure you do.” from The Baron’s Cufflinks

The rules are different for non-fiction and screenwriting, of course. We have at least one screenwriter in this group and I’m looking forward reading to her post. (You can follow the links below to find the other posts)

One more thing before I go. I checked twice, and either dialog or dialogue are acceptable spellings according to the grammar police. So, let’s not start that argument!

Until next time, stay safe!

October 19, 2020

Do you embrace dialog or narrate your way around it? Why?

My Favorite Fruit Dish #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne October 11, 2020 October 11, 2020 Open Book

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?

Creating a Series Book Bible #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne October 4, 2020 October 4, 2020 Open Book

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?

Falling In Love with My Own Writing #OpenBook Blog Hop

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

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.

To Write Or Not To Write: Finding The Joy #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne September 6, 2020 September 6, 2020 Open Book

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?

Writing the Ridiculous #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne August 30, 2020 August 30, 2020 Open Book

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?

The Form Found Me #IWSG

By P.J. MacLayne August 4, 2020 August 4, 2020 IWSG

August 5 question – Quote: “Although I have written a short story collection, the form found me and not the other way around. Don’t write short stories, novels or poems. Just write your truth and your stories will mold into the shapes they need to be.”
Have you ever written a piece that became a form, or even a genre, you hadn’t planned on writing in? Or do you choose a form/genre in advance?

The awesome co-hosts for the August 5 posting of the IWSG are Susan Baury Rouchard, Nancy Gideon, Jennifer Lane, Jennifer Hawes, Chemist Ken, and Chrys Fey!

I’ve told this story many times, but when I started to write what became The Marquesa’s Necklace, it was supposed to be a paranormal romance. My main character, a librarian, was supposed to fall in love with a handsome ghost that haunted the library. The original title was The Ghost Who Loved me.

Except Harmony, my librarian, didn’t like that. Not one bit. And the book turned into a mystery with a romantic subplot. And then became a series. And the ghost became a living, breathing man. But I didn’t erase all traces of the original story. In fact, I’ve paid tribute to it in each following book, in the form of a ghost living in an old Victorian house.

Here’s a snippet of one of their early meetings.

That’s when I ran into him the second time. I was doing my normal thing of walking through the 940’s with my nose in a book and I almost bumped into him. A sudden rush of cold air made me stop in my tracks and look up into a pair of eyes such a light blue they were almost gray.

“Oops, sorry about that.” I reached out to stop myself from falling, but he backed away. I managed to latch onto a shelf instead, so I didn’t end up with my face on the floor. My book did fall, and he bent over and picked it up. Without so much as a smile, he handed it to me and walked away without a word. Annoyed, I stood there with my mouth open and watched him turn the corner and vanish from my view. As I returned to my book I smelled the most unusual thing. I don’t know if it was his aftershave or what, but it made me think of freshly-turned dirt.

I’m currently writing the sixth (and final) book in the series, The Harmony Duprie Mysteries. Then I’m going to start on a new mystery series, unless the characters decide to make it something else.

Don’t forget to check out some of the other posts this month. There’s a whole big list to pick from!

Until next time, please be safe.

A picture is worth 1000 words #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne August 2, 2020 August 2, 2020 Open Book

August 3, 2020

Do you draw your main characters so that a forensic sketch artist could put them on the cover, or do they belong to the reader?

As most of you know, I’m a pantser. I don’t outline my stories ahead of time, they are written as my characters reveal the story to me. That extends to their descriptions, as well.

Sure, I know if they are male or female or wolf or fox or slim or heavy. or athletic. I’m pretty sure what color of hair they have. I have an idea how tall they are.

But I couldn’t tell you the shape of their nose or how far out their ears stick. I don’t know if they are flat-footed or walk with a limp. I may figure out these things if they become important to the story, but only if the characters tell me about them. So, for most of the book, I have only have a vague idea how what my characters look like.

But, in the case of my Free Wolves series, that changes when it’s time to work on the cover. I give my cover artist the details I know, and we get to work on finding images that suit the book. It can be tough, because my female leads are not your standard shape-shifter women. But here’s a shout-out to K.M. Guth, because she’s got a knack for finding the right picture or pictures we need. She’s able to translate the bare details into works of art.

I have made small changes to my characters to match the final covers. Tasha, from Wolves’ Knight, started off with brown eyes, but when we found the picture that ended up being the cover, the model had blue eyes. Rather than make K.M. try to change them, I made it a minor plot point how unusual it was for a wolf shifter to have blue eyes. By the way, I love the intensity in Tasha’s gaze (Wolves’ Knight) and the determination in Lori’s. (Wolves Gambit.)

Now Harmony, my main character in the Harmony Duprie Stories, had a different evolution. The first covers were more cartoonish, a deliberate ploy to emphasize the light-hearted nature of the books. When circumstances dictated a change in covers, we opted to go a different direction. Not real-life, but more stylized.

With the second cover, the reader’s imagination is free to decide to what Harmony looks like. I’ve built in the basics: the brown hair worn in a bun, the brown eyes, and the glasses. the rest is up to the reader. Of course, she loves to change her appearance and that’s the fun part. Next, I had to plan out who I’d be. I closed the curtains, fired up my laptop, and hit up the makeup tutorials. I had several ideas in mind but had to make sure my limited skills were up to the challenge. From The Samurai’s Inro

So, two different series, and two different ways of creating my characters’ descriptions. As a reader, which do you prefer? Feel free to tell me in the comments.

Don’t forget to check out how the other authors develop their characters’ descriptions. Just follow the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe.

August 3, 2020

Do you draw your main characters so that a forensic sketch artist could put them on the cover, or do they belong to the reader?

Tag: #HarmonyDuprie

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