#OpenBook - P.J. MacLayne

Snack of the Day #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne August 27, 2023 August 27, 2023 Open Book

August 28, 2923

What snack do you like with your cuppa (coffee/tea?)?

Many of you may know that I don’t drink coffee. Not that I have any objection to it, I just don’t like it. I tried to learn to appreciate the flavor so I could have a cup of coffee in the morning with my husband, but it never happened. I’d still make him a pot, but I wouldn’t drink it. Now that we are retired and have a single-serve coffee maker, he makes his own.

Tea is different. I enjoy the occasional cup. Flavors may vary, depending on my mood, the weather, and what is currently in my cupboard. But a morning cup isn’t part of my daily routine. When I have a cup, it is a treat by itself and I don’t have snacks to go with it. Water, plain, boring water is my current daily drink.

That’s not to say I don’t give in to the munchies during my day. As much as I like to pretend I eat healthy, chocolate in various forms is my downfall. Yes, I keep my fridge stocked with a variety of cheeses, but they aren’t as satisfying as good ‘ol chocolate.

Although I’ve gotten choosy about my chocolate. No more of the big US brands. The market has become saturated with at least one of my old favorites, and I rarely buy it anymore. It feels like the quality has gone done. Or I’ve become pickier. I’m even tired of some of the better quality brands—or my willpower is getting stronger.

I’ve never been much for salty snacks, either. Chips don’t thrill me. I’m okay with pretzel sticks in limited amounts.

But I’m no saint. I eat what is handy. The trick is buying only the ‘good’ stuff. I fail at that regularly.

Oh, I don’t limit my characters to my beverage peculiarities. Coffee earns frequent mentions in my stories. For example, from “Her Ladyship’s Ring”

It threw me for a loop when I woke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Even in the days when Jake and I were together, I’d always been the first one up. I pulled on my robe, put my hair into a ponytail, and went to see what he was up to.

Greeted by a scene of domestic tranquility, I wondered if Jake had been replaced by a house brownie in the middle of the night. Last night’s dishes, including the cups we’d used for hot chocolate were washed and drying in the rack. Two mugs sat on the table, along with the sugar, and a spoon neatly placed on a napkin beside each. Jake was nowhere to be found.

How about you? Do you have a snack to go with your daily beverage? Let’s see what the other authors on this hop drink by following the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe!

August 28, 2923

What snack do you like with your cuppa (coffee/tea?)?

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.

Beta Readers – Another Step in the Process #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne August 20, 2023 August 20, 2023 Open Book

August 21, 2923

Do you use beta readers? Have they been useful in improving your writing?

My books get seen by lots of eyes before I ever release them to the world. And some of the eyes are beta readers.

But they are more than readers. I am part of an on-line group that critique each other’s works. Not the same people all the time, and some of them may read several selections and not stick around for an entire book. The setup can be both enlightening and frustrating.

Enlightening because it’s helpful to get fresh eyes on your writing in the middle of the book. If the new readers don’t get the gist of your story from a synopsis and the selection itself, it may indicate the plot needs tightened. If those new readers fall in love with the writing, it can be a great compliment.

Another benefit is that the site attracts users from a variety of skill levels, different writing types, and from around the world. So, while getting a variety of opinions, there is also the opportunity to learn from the stories that the others share.

The frustrating part is finding someone whose opinion you respect and they disappear after a few chapters. It’s the nature of the platform—people come and go as they have their own work that needs critiqued, and don’t stick around at other times.

What I don’t have are readers that I can send a complete manuscript to for general impressions. I’m not sure how useful that would be. It’s just not my style.

How about our other authors? Do they use beta readers? Find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

August 21, 2923

Do you use beta readers? Have they been useful in improving your writing?

Icebreakers – And Not Of The Cocktail Variety #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne August 13, 2023 August 13, 2023 Open Book

August 14, 2923

What is your favorite icebreaker (meetings, parties, dates, socials)?

Back when I was involved with training, I had a plethora of icebreakers in my ‘toolbox.’ Many of them would break today’s rules of personal space when done in mixed-gender groups. I wouldn’t dare suggest using the one where you stand in a circle, close your eyes, and reach to the middle of the circle to find someone else’s hand. (One for each hand, of course.) Then, as a group effort, the resulting knot must be untangled without ever letting go of the other hands. The results can be hilarious and anything but welcoming to lots of people. Yes, there was much close contact and occasional shenanigans needed to accomplish the goal.

Now, icebreakers are like ‘Introduce the person sitting next to you,’ and ‘Tell us two truths and one lie about yourself.’ I’ll have forgotten most of the names from the first one before I ever leave the room, depending upon how large the group is. And I like to keep my home life separate from my work life, so I make the answers to the second as basic and boring as possible.

Do I have a favorite icebreaker? Stop at my booth at a community event and tell me about your favorite author or ask me about my writing. Or tell me about yours. I’m happy to encourage a budding author or trade ideas with other writers on where to sell our work. In the last two weekends, I have developed a small list of potential spots to sell my books.

What this boils down to is that I despise ‘artificial’ icebreakers. How about the other authors on this hop? Find out by following the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe.

August 14, 2923

What is your favorite icebreaker (meetings, parties, dates, socials)?

A Fateful Meeting In The Woods #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne August 6, 2023 August 7, 2023 Open Book

August 7, 2023

What is your author origin story? (Or make one up.)

Be aware – this story may or may not be true. I will neither confirm nor deny the reality.

At the age of seventeen, I met a Celtic god.
I didn’t know that was what he was, of course. It took a long time for me to understand what had happened.
Which was basically nothing. It was a late summer day, and I was on one of my strolls through the fields and woods near my parents’ home when I bumped into him. Not literally, of course,
There wasn’t a path to where I’d wondered, a house and property that had been bought for a new park. The home had been torn down, but the old stone foundation remained. I was in search of a small spring rumored to be nearby.
And there he was, on the other side of the overgrown lawn, the largest “deer” I’d ever seen, with a huge spread of antlers. My first thought was that I was glad it wasn’t hunting season, and I didn’t have to report it to my dad.
We stood there for a long time, staring at each other, neither of us blinking, me hardly breathing. Then he was gone. I don’t remember him leaving. I continued my walk, forgetting to continue my search for that spring.
It was after that encounter I started writing more. I’d experimented with essays in school, but never contemplated taking my writing further than that. After the moment, my attempts at writing poetry became more frequent and intentional.
There was another benefit to the contact. I’d broken my collarbone in a bicycle accident a few weeks earlier. At my next checkup, it amazed the doctor how quickly it was healing. It healed fast enough that by fall, I was scaling cliffs as part of a mountain climbing class.
What was a Celtic god doing in the forests of Western Pennsylvania, USA? I have no theories, but it makes more sense that the researcher who is convinced Bigfoot roams those hills. I keep thinking I should make a return trip to the spot to say thank you. Can someone in the comments tell me what an appropriate offering to leave behind would be?

How did the other authors in this group get started? Check out the links below to find out.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

P.S. Aengus is the Celtic god of youth, love and poetic inspiration. He has the ability to shapeshift.

August 7, 2023

What is your author origin story? (Or make one up.)

Sunflowers In A Full Moon #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne July 30, 2023 July 30, 2023 Open Book

July 31, 2023

A field full of sunflowers on a bright morning? Or rolling hills on a clear, full moon night?

I hate these kinds of questions. I don’t believe in shades of black or white. Well, they exist, but answers to problems often aren’t strictly defined.

Have you ever seen a field of sunflowers in the light of a full moon? A lifetime ago, I was on a bus trip halfway across the United States when I woke in the middle of the night. I’m not even sure what state we were driving through, and it took me a while to figure the scene outside the windows, but on either side, there were fields of sunflowers. The moon was playing hide-n-go seek in the clouds, and, aided by the bus’s headlights, I’d catch glimpses of individual flowers.

It was a long trip, and before too long, I drifted back to sleep. I slept a lot on that trip, in the days before cell phones and tablets, especially thru desolate landscape of Nebraska. But I ended up in the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains., so it was worth the trip.

I once came across a cluster of wild sunflowers in the mountains of Colorado after a rainstorm, their heads rotating to seek out the sunshine as the storm clouds moved away. I guess I’ve been honored to experience several versions of the answer.

Now I have returned to the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, where the trees can get in the way of the scenery. I don’t do much driving at night anymore, because my eyes aren’t as good as they used to be. But I love the soft sounds of the night. The quiet bird calls, the soft hum of insects, the whisper of the evening breeze.

Back to the original question—a field of sunflowers or rolling hills? I’ve made my choice. How about our other authors? Check the links below to see what they choose.

Until next time, please stay safe.

P.S. Don’t forget I will be at the Pleasantville PA Community Festival Aug 3-5. If you are joining the fun, stop by and say hi!

July 31, 2023

A field full of sunflowers on a bright morning? Or, rolling hills on a clear full moon night?

Chug Chug! Puff Puff! Ding Ding! #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne July 23, 2023 July 23, 2023 Open Book

July 24, 2023

If you were a beloved children’s character, which one would you be?

There’s an entire world of beloved children’s characters that I know nothing about. Many have been added in the last decade. So, I am going to go old school. Really old school.

Sometimes, I’m the one everyone depends on. Getting things organized, making sure there’s food in the house, and bills get paid. Even when I’m burnt out, I keep pumping. Yep, I’m The Little Engine That Could.

The basis for the most popular version of the story was written in 1902, although the book most if us are familiar with was published in 1930. That predates even me. The story has gone through many revisions to bring it up-to-date, and I have, too.

Like the Little Engine, sometimes I get tired and want to give up, but with another Chug and Puff, somehow I keep going.

What children’s character are you? Tell us in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the other authors on this hop by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

July 24, 2023

If you were a beloved children’s character, which one would you be?

My Most Favorite Cover #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne July 16, 2023 July 16, 2023 Open Book

July 17, 2923

Post your favorite cover from your books and explain why it’s your favorite.

One? Just one? I’d offer you my entire gallery of book covers because I’m in love with my cover artist’s work. (Shout out to you, K.M. Guth.) Can I pick one and a backup?

I’ve learned a lot watching her do her magic. Not enough to duplicate her results, but at least I understand what she is doing and why. I can even offer intelligent suggestions! She may shoot them down, but rarely, I come up with something worthwhile.

Back to struggling to pick my favorite. Here it is.

I love the ferocity in the model’s eyes. She looks like she could tear you apart with just a glance. It fits my main character’s personality completely. What really amazes me is that at least three different pictures have been combined to create this image.

And I’m no artist, but I love how the background colors draw attention, and how those colors are reflected throughout the cover. To my eyes, the cover is a work of art.

I will confess that Lori, the main character of Wolves’ Gambit, is also one of my favorites, and that may have influenced my choice of cover.

Here’s the blurb.

Wolf-shifter Lori Grenville was rescued from near-slavery and a brutal pack leader by the Free Wolves. To pay back the favor, she’s dedicated her life to helping others in the same situation, leading shifters to safety and a new start, risking her life in the process. She’s faced down alphas and has no qualms in undermining pack structure.

Now she’s challenged with the task of restoring an alpha to his rightful place. If she gets it right, she can stop a war from ripping apart two packs and spreading across an entire state. If she fails, she’ll be among the first to die.

There’s still the option of walking away and letting the Jaeger and Destin packs destroy each other. That means she’ll fail in her original mission of rescuing the daughter of the Jaeger alpha before the girl is forced into marriage for political gain.

Lori hasn’t failed in a mission yet. This one may be the exception.

Because I can, I’m going to reveal my runner-up cover. It’s a totally different style. Which makes sense, because the story is nothing like Wolves’ Gambit.

I am going to include a gallery of covers below. While I love all the covers in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries, seeing them together heightens the impact.

What are the favorite covers of other authors on this hop? Find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

July 17, 2923

Post your favorite cover from your books and explain why it’s your favorite.

Over The River And Through The Woods #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne July 9, 2023 July 9, 2023 Open Book

July 10, 2023

What do you order from your local Chinese restaurant? Do you order it every time or mix things up?

What do I order from my local Chinese restaurant? Clutch your pearls, I don’t really have a local one. The nearest one is over the river and through the woods and down a hill; not necessarily in that order. In the year since we’ve lived here, I haven’t ordered from it.

There’s a reason for that. I drive by it on my weekly trip to the grocery store and no matter what time it is; the place is never busy, which makes me assume the food isn’t very good. Even if people were getting takeout, there’d be cars in the parking lot, and the most I’ve seen even at suppertime is two. That’s not encouraging. (And they don’t deliver to my area.)

How does a place like that stay in business? What are they selling out the back door? And what does that have to do with the mystery the private investigator in my work in progress is involved in? I can’t wait to find out!

It won’t be the first time I’ve used Chinese food in one of my stories. There’s a pivotal scene in The Rise of Jake Hennessey that takes place over a meal of Chinese takeout. Typical stuff – fried rice, lo mein, sweet-n-sour chicken.

That doesn’t mean those are the food I would choose. I like to experiment. I may not try any of the really spicy recipes, but I’m good with anything from mild to medium. It really depends on the restaurant, but put me in front of buffet and I will make several trips. I may not leave room for dessert!

What are my favorites? Honey chicken and pepper chicken. You can’t find them everywhere. I’m also fond of a good combination fried rice.

Oh, as a sidenote. I don’t use chopsticks. I’ve tried, and never got the hang of it.

How about the other authors on this hop? Find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

July 10, 2023

What do you order from your local Chinese restaurant? Do you order it every time or mix things up?

AI (Artificial Intelligence) It’s Not As New As You Think #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne July 2, 2023 July 2, 2023 Open Book

July 3, 2023

Have you played with AI in your writing? Tell us what you think about it.

This article was not written with AI – or was it?

I read about it everywhere. How AI (artificial evidence) is writing blog posts, term papers, articles, and entire books. I’ve seen dozens of FB pasts proudly heralding the fact that a book was not written with the help of AI.

But we need a definition here. What is AI? The widely accepted meaning from Artificial Intelligence (courtesy of the website TechTarget) is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems.

The question becomes, how deep does this go? Does something as simple as Microsoft’s built-in spell-checker count? (Which was part of Office 2003.) How about sites like Grammarly, ProWritingAid, Scrivener or a dozen more? Rytr or Jasper?

I’ve been using basic spelling and grammar checking sites for years. I’ve also used the option of looking for synonyms using the built-in capabilities of whatever document creation program is available to assist with tightening my writing. Does that mean I am using AI?

Shoot, ProWritingAid and Grammarly have added ‘suggestions’ to fix phrasing errors and bad writing into their standard functions. (I’m sure other systems have as well, but those are two I am familiar with.) Is that using AI? Will I run this entry through ProWritingAid before I post it? You bet your sweet bibby. And will I change things when it says bibby isn’t a word, or the phrase is a cliché and should be revised? Nope.

Does that mean I’ve used AI to produce this blog? Technically, yes. Do I believe this counts as an AI generated post? No. Absolutely not. I’ve poured a lot of energy into this entry. No computer wrote it for me.

What it comes down to is that I think we need new terminology. Just like a square is a rectangle, but a rectangle is not necessarily a square, we need terms that denote the differences between AI assisted and AI generated. And at what percentage is the dividing line? I will leave that discussion to others.

Would I consider using AI to generate a blog post? sure, I’d consider it.

It’s been considered. My magic 8 ball says it’s unlikely.

It’ll be interesting to see what the other authors on this hop have to say about Ai. To find out, follow the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

July 3, 2023

Have you played with AI in your writing? Tell us what you think about it.

My Dream Writing Space #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne June 25, 2023 June 25, 2023 Open Book

June 26, 2023

Describe what your dream writing space would look like.

There’s a log cabin with a wrap-around porch facing a lake near the top of a mountain. The bedroom-turned-office has a picture window facing the lake, and deer and elk wander by. Two of the walls are lined with bookshelves that are overflowing. My cup of hot chocolate never goes dry-at least, when I empty it, my husband brings me more. When it snows, the roads don’t close and the high-speed internet never goes down. Of course, the words flow like water in the springtime snowpack melt..

Okay, so that will never happen. But I’m pretty darn happy with what I have right now.

We’re living in a small town- more like a village-in the hills of Appalachia in northwestern PA. I have a room all to myself as an office. It’s on the second floor, and the two windows overlook our yard and the well-maintained empty lot next door. There are no elk, but deer drop by for a visit sometimes. Then, there is a nice assortment of birds. Plus, I’ve counted over fifteen varieties of wildflowers on the properties.

The room itself is comfy and peaceful. It’s like a warm blanket I can wrap up in on a chilly day. Everything I need is handy, from a bookshelf for reference materials and whatever books I am reading, and a stereo for background music. The two windows face east, flooding the room with light on a sunny day.

Best part is the quiet. No constant sirens. Little traffic. It’s rare to hear an airplane. I can actually hear the birds sing.

Oh, and the internet connection, while not perfect, is somewhere between pretty darn good and excellent.

(I took this picture before I’d finished decorating, but this is close to what it looks like now- just add dragons.)

Words still aren’t flowing like the springtime snowmelt in the Rockies, but I’m moving along on my WIP.

To read bout more dream writing spaces, check out the other authors on this hop. Just follow the links below.

And, as always, please stay safe until the next time.

June 26, 2023

Describe what your dream writing space would look like.

Tag: #OpenBook

Snack of the Day #OpenBook Blog Hop

Beta Readers – Another Step in the Process #OpenBook Blog Hop

Icebreakers – And Not Of The Cocktail Variety #OpenBook Blog Hop

A Fateful Meeting In The Woods #OpenBook Blog Hop

Sunflowers In A Full Moon #OpenBook Blog Hop

Chug Chug! Puff Puff! Ding Ding! #OpenBook Blog Hop

My Most Favorite Cover #OpenBook Blog Hop

Over The River And Through The Woods #OpenBook Blog Hop

AI (Artificial Intelligence) It’s Not As New As You Think #OpenBook Blog Hop

My Dream Writing Space #OpenBook Blog Hop

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