#Characters - P.J. MacLayne

Characters Going Rogue #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne March 3, 2024 March 4, 2024 Open Book

March 4, 2024

How do you handle it when one of your characters starts going in a direction you hadn’t planned?

It happens to me all the time, since I am a pantser. (I don’t outline my story before I start writing it.) Characters, both major and minor, start pushing me to take the plot somewhere I didn’t expect. How do I handle it?

As is normal for most of these questions, the answer is ‘it depends.’ There are a lot of variables. Is it a minor character or a major one? Are they trying to head down a path I think holds merit, or are they wasting my time? Do I even like the character?

For example, take Evan Bluffs from the book ‘The Samurai’s Inro,’ one of the Harmony Duprie Mysteries. My original intention was for him to be a ‘throwaway’ character, a short-lived red herring. I’d written him as unlikeable, at least from the local sheriff’s point of view, but he didn’t want to stay tucked away in the corner where I’d left him. He showed up again. I foresaw two potential story lines for him. One a redemption subplot, the other making him even more unlikeable. The second option was more fun, and that’s the way I went.

The situation in Wolves’ Knight was different. I had a nice little romance plotted out for Tasha Roeper, the main character. She’d been through some rough times in a previous book, and deserved something good to happen. I even mapped out a love scene for her. It never happened.

No, Tasha got into my head and revealed I was writing her incorrectly and hooking her up with the wrong man. Then she revealed the bombshell of who the right man was. It took the story down a different path, one that strengthened it. Best part, it took only a few revisions to fix what I’d already written.

But the character that threw me for the biggest loop was Jake Hennessey.

He was originally envisioned as a throwaway character in The Marquesa’s Necklace, then showed up in Her Ladyship’s Ring and took a major role. I tried to write him out of The Baron’s Cufflinks, but he insisted on being part of the plot. I gave up in the next three books of the series, and let him have his moments.

With the series completed, I was ready to move on to a new project. That’s when Jake revealed his true goal. He wanted his own book. I ended up writing two — the Fall of Jake Hennessey and The Rise of Jake Hennessey. They provide ‘bookends’ to the mystery series, although they are more crime/suspense.

I should give tribute to the picture that gave Jake his personality. I found it on Pixabay, and it was provided by Ambroo (Zafer) . The results of a Tin Eye search show it’s been used many times. I believe my graphic artist figured out who the model is, but I can’t locate the information.

Image by Zafer from Pixabay

Everyone who writes stories has to develop a method for keeping their characters in line. My method is listening to what they want to say and figuring out how to incorporate it into the story. How about the other authors in this hop? Check out the links below to find out.

This question came up in the middle of the night, and I’m hoping someone cam answer it. For those of you who write non-fiction, does the narrative ever get away from you? Take you someplace that you didn’t expect?

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

March 4, 2024

How do you handle it when one of your characters starts going in a direction you hadn’t planned?

Interview With The Detective #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne September 5, 2022 September 5, 2022 Open Book

September 5, 2022

Interview one of your characters (not your main character.) How do they feel playing second fiddle to your main character?

Note to those folks who have read the entire Harmony Duprie series: Chronologically, I have placed this interview around the time of the Contessa’s Brooch.

I met with Detective Frederick Thomason of the Oak Grove Police Department at Mama D’s, a local restaurant, for lunch. It was the first time he’d ever agreed to be interviewed that wasn’t connected to a case. He ordered spaghetti, and I opted to try the chicken parmigiana.

I expected him to be bigger-than-life based on the stories I’d heard, but in real-life I wouldn’t have picked him out as anything but average, except for the cop haircut. While we waited for our food, we chatted about the weather and the local high school sports teams to break the ice. Once we had settled into our meals, I transitioned to the interview.

Me: “To catch my readers up, I’ll ask a few basic questions, Detective, if you don’t mind.”

Him: (with a grin} “I’m off duty. Call me Freddie.”

Me: “Thank you, Freddie. How long have you been with the Oak Grove Police?”

Him: “Almost fourteen years. I got accepted to the force right out of college. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time. A couple of older cops were getting ready to retire, and the chief was looking to hire locally to gain points with the City Council. Shoot, I had a job before I had time to get all my stuff moved out of my parents’ home and into my own apartment.”

Me: “My research suggests you rose through the ranks in record time.”

Him: (taking his time to finish chewing a forkful of spaghetti before answering) “Another case of good timing. Having grown up locally, I knew where all the hangouts were, who I could trust, and people knew they could trust me. As a result, I closed more cases and when a detective position was added, the chief picked me over some other patrolman that had been around longer.”

Me: “It caused some resentment, according to the rumor mill.”

Him: “Sometimes, the rumor mill gets things right. Those officers mostly chose to look for other opportunities once it became clear I knew what I was doing.”

Me: “Was Harmony Duprie around at that time? The rumor mill also suggests she has something to do with your success.”

Him: “Harmony’s contribution to the police is a closely guarded secret, per her request. However, she’s five years younger than I am, and we didn’t go to school together or move in the same social circles. In fact, I believe she was still in college when I made detective.”

Me “But you dated?”

Him: (raising an eyebrow) “You’re a bit of a detective yourself, aren’t you? Yes, we dated. Briefly. With disastrous results. I couldn’t turn my inner cop off when she needed a friend. I made the mistake of searching some of her private papers, trying to solve a case in which she was a victim, and lost her trust. But one good thing came out of that disaster—Harmony introduced me to my girlfriend.”

Me: “Yet she continued to assist the police?”

Him: “That’s privileged information.”

Me: “Do you resent that the rumor mill gives her credit for your success?”

Him: (Putting his fork down midway through loading it with pasta) “Excuse me?”

Me: “She takes away from your success in the eyes of the local citizenry. How does that make you feel?”

Him: (Leaning across the table) “Despite our difficulties, Harmony has proven herself to be a good friend and an asset to this community in more ways than one. Ways that I shouldn’t know about and can’t reveal. Anyone who suggests I resent her has no idea what they are talking about. I can’t speak for other officers on the force, but I know the Chief feels the same way as I do. We would do anything to protect her.”

Me: “I apologize. I also heard she has a way of attracting people’s loyalty. I should have realized it would include you.”

Him: (Chuckling) “That’s not all she attracts. She gets into more trouble than any one person ever should. It’s not that she does anything to attract it, but trouble has a way of finding her. The department Has been able to handle things, but she keeps us on our toes. I’ve never told her about the reputed car thieves we’ve caught eyeing her fancy red Jaguar. She calls it a cop magnet, but doesn’t realize it’s also a bad guy magnet.”

The detective’s phone beeped. He glanced at it, pushed his chair back, and stood. “Sorry, but we’ll have to cut this short. Work calls. At least it has nothing to do with Harmony this time. You can email me if you need additional info for your article.”

Me: “Thank you for your time. Stay safe out there.”

September 5, 2022

Interview one of your characters (not your main character.) How do they feel playing second fiddle to your main character?

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.

Saying Goodbye to Friends #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne June 26, 2022 June 26, 2022 Open Book

June 27, 2022

Do you miss a WIP (work in progress) when you’ve finished writing it?

That’s easy. Absolutely I do. In fact, I miss them before they are gone.

By that, I mean I find myself putting off writing the final few chapters. I know what those chapters need to accomplish, but I am reluctant to put the words on paper. It feels like saying goodbye to friends, even if I’m already plotting the next book in a series. The hours upon hours I have spent getting to know the characters—or getting to know them better—have made them not just people in a story, but my friends. A part of me will be missing when they are out of my brain and tucked into the pages of a story.

Still, I love writing the happy for now endings. No cliffhangers for me. I hate reading them so I refuse to write them.

A benefit of slowing down at the end? It gives my characters a chance to surprise me. Almost every book, as I reach the end, a new plot twist reveals itself. I think it’s my mind working overtime to put off that final scene where the story wraps up.

I have a confession to make – I have been known to go back and read my own books to reconnect with the characters. It’s like meeting up with old friends to share a meal and chat. They even manage to surprise me when a detail I forgot about reveals its importance to the story I’m currently writing.

Even the characters in books that I’ve written but never published will come back to hang out with me once in a while. Are they hoping to get me to take another look at their story? Whatever their motive, I enjoy their visits.

How about the other authors on this hop? Do they have a hard time saying goodbye to their stories? Find out by following the links below.

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

June 27, 2022

Do you miss a WIP when you’ve finished writing it?

Clamoring for Attention – Secondary Characters #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne March 20, 2022 March 21, 2022 Open Book

March 21, 2022

Do you have a favorite secondary character in your books? Or a favorite sub-plot?

I have a problem. It’s a good problem to have, but it complicates my writing. The problem is secondary characters who want to take over my stories and tell their own. And the stories deserve a book of their own.

Take Tasha, from Wolves’ Knight. She was a secondary character in Wolves’ Pawn, and was written out of the story half-way through the book. And since I’d written Wolves’ Pawn as a stand-alone urban fantasy, I thought she was out of the picture for good. I was wrong.

I was busy writing The Baron’s Cufflinks, the third book in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries, when I needed a bogus name for a book. Only it wasn’t a real book, it was a fake one that was used to store old jewelry. The name I picked was Tasha’s Tale. Then I was stuck.

See, Tasha wanted me to write her story. And she didn’t want me to finish The Baron’s Cufflink’s first. She wanted it now. (She is strong-willed!) That’s where Wolves’ Knight came from, and what turned a stand-alone story into a series.

Lori from Wolves’ Gambit has a similar story, but at least she didn’t interrupt me in the middle of writing a different book. She waited patiently while I finished The Baron’s Cufflinks (finally!) and politely asked for her turn. Which I gave her. Now, she and Tasha have teamed up on me, but I’m holding them off. For now.

Because the most consistent of all my secondary characters has my full attention. Jake Hennessey.

Jake was meant to be a throwaway character. He was part of Harmony Duprie’s past, and he was supposed to stay there. When he showed up in Her Ladyship’s Ring, I decided to humor him and let him stay. Big mistake.

I thought I got rid of him in the third book. Sent him off to Chicago and sent Harmony to West Virginia. Done deal, right? Nope, he showed up in West Virginia, and intruded in Harmony’s life again. So, I put him to work and let him help Harmony solve her mystery. I could always write him out of the next book. Or the one after that, or the last one. One thing I can say for Jake, he’s persistent.

When I finished the series with The Ranger’s Dog tags, I was ready to move along. Maybe write that book for Tasha and Lori. Or the female PI series.

But nooo. Jake decided he wanted me to write his story, that he’d stayed in the background (more or less) long enough. Now, I’d tried to get him to tell me his backstory several years ago and he wouldn’t talk. I was fine with that, everyone deserves their secrets.

Still, Jake is Jake, and he decided that now was the time. Only what he asked me to write was a prequel to all the Harmony stories. That meant I knew a lot of the guidelines for the story, and how it ended. What I didn’t know were Jake’s motivations. For a change, he made them very clear from the beginning.

Caged in its gold setting, the deep-green emerald glowed in the dim light. Jake didn’t stop to admire the ring before slipping it into the hidden pouch on his waistband. There’d be time for that before the new owners claimed the prize. It wasn’t a stunning ring, but its ties to the French monarchy made it priceless to a collector.
The Fall of Jake Hennessey, coming April 2nd, 2022.

But Jake isn’t ready to let go of me yet. Not yet. I’m working on a sequel, both to Jake’s book and all the Harmony stories. It’s quite an adventure, trying to write a book placed in the future. That’s all I’m going to tell you.

I know that some of our other authors write secondary characters that have made an impact on them. I’m looking forward to finding out about them. You can too, by following the link below.

March 21, 2022

Do you have a favorite secondary character in your books? Or a favorite sub-plot?

Killing Them (My Characters) Softly #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne February 20, 2022 February 20, 2022 Open Book

Feb 21, 2022

What’s the worst wound (emotional or physical) one of your characters has ever had to deal with? How did you react to writing the scene?

I get attached to my characters, both the good and the not-so-good. But if I don’t hurt them, there won’t be a story that anyone wants to read. I also have to consider whether killing off a character for the sake of the storyline will turn readers off and make them stop reading.

That’s the dilemma with every story. How far can I go and remain true to the characters?

For example, I considered killing off Eli Hennessey, Harmony’s love interest, before I started writing the last book in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries. I felt like the series was getting stale and needed either a radical reset or to end it. Killing Eli would certainly have reset things, but I didn’t feel it would be true to the overall tone of the stories. I decided to approach it differently.

I placed the phone on the table, then set my hands on my lap to hide them. I clenched and unclenched my fists. Clenched them again. My fingernails dug into my palms. I forced the words from my constricted throat.

“Eli is missing.”

From The Ranger’s Dog Tags

That set the scene for giving Harmony the worst time of her life. Sure, Eli had disappeared before, but instinct told her this time was different. He’d been at safely at home and in his bed, and then he wasn’t. And no one, not Harmony, not his friends, not his parents, not even the cops could locate him.

To make matters worse, Harmony found herself in charge of Eli’s company, putting additional pressure on her in a time of crisis. I’d love to tell you more, but I can’t without this post becoming filled with spoilers. You’ll have to go buy the book, if you haven’t already!

But I will give you a few hints. Eli’s houses (both of them) are set on fire. Harmony is stalked and ends up living with an ATF agent. She pulls a Bootlegger’s 180 in the middle of I-4, the interstate that runs east-west through the middle of Florida. Since it’s Florida, there’s the threat of a hurricane. (It wouldn’t be Florida without a hurricane, mosquitos, tourists, and humidity.) And a recurring character close to Harmony dies.

I had fun writing this book, but I also hated myself. The box of tissues on my desk had to be replaced more than once. I carefully weighed each torture I put Harmony through to decide if it was really necessary. Sometimes, I had to stop writing and give myself a day or two to gather the strength to continue—or figure out how to get it right. (At least that’s the excuse I could use when I had temporary writer’s block.) Knowing that I had the ability to give Harmony her happy ending is what let me feel free to put her through the tough times.

I suspect that’s true for most authors. We don’t enjoy writing the terrible things we write about. (Okay, there may be a few exceptions.) But don’t take my word for it. Follow the links below and find out what dreadful things the other authors on this hop have imposed on their characters. But before you go, I’d love it if you would leave a comment.

As always, until next time, please stay safe!

Feb 21, 2022

What’s the worst wound (emotional or physical) one of your characters has ever had to deal with? How did you react to writing the scene?

And The Second Runner Up Is #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne February 14, 2021 February 14, 2021 Open Book

Feb 15, 2021

Did you ever get picked last in gym or some other class? Have you used that in your writing?

I was never one of the popular girls in school. Too introverted, too nerdy, too weird, I guess. I had my nose in a book most of the time.

But I had the advantage of being from a large family with older brothers. Along with the neighborhood boys who were the same age as them, I joined in playing backyard sports with them. Baseball, touch football, basketball, or whatever else was the flavor of the day. So, I wasn’t afraid to be aggressive when we played sports in gym class. Even if I didn’t have finesse, I wasn’t scared to get in the way of opposing players, and that earned me a defensive spot on a team every time. Still, I wasn’t the top choice either, leaving me with a sense of insecurity until my name was called. (Why were the popular girls always chosen to be the team leaders by the teachers?)

Have I used this in my writing? Not directly, but the experience may have flavored the backgrounds of a few of my characters. Take Tasha from Wolves’ Knight, for example. She’s always trying to prove herself and drive herself to become better. No one asks her do it, it stems from an internal need.

Her lungs screamed from the lack of oxygen, her eyes burned from the sweat streaming into them, and she could no longer feel her legs. She was past pain and moving from sheer force of will. But she wanted to go farther. Her goal was the meeting of the southern and western borders. And past that if she could hold on that long. From Wolves’ Knight

Was Tasha chosen last in gym class? I doubt it. But the strong males of the pack would have been chosen first, if they were in coed classes. And Tasha wasn’t the type to have been one of the popular kids. She was too serious for that to happen.

Lori from Wolves’ Gambit had it worse. She was the runt of the litter, and was left out of everything. As a result, she operates with a chip on her shoulder, but has learned to use her small size as a tool, rather than it being a disadvantage.

“So, what kind of shifter are you?” Turtle asked.

“Wolf.”

“No, really.”

“Wolf.” Lori shrugged. “Even in wolf form, I’m small, but that’s the way it is.”

“Then why can’t we smell or hear you?’

She moved away the mental blocks that kept her secure. “Try now.” From Wolves’ Gambit

I’ve always had a thing for the underdog, having been one, and that’s reflected in my stories. How about the other authors on this hop? We can find out by following the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe.

Feb 15, 2021

Did you ever get picked last in gym or some other class? Have you used that in your writing?

Who’s the Boss? The Story or Me? #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne December 27, 2020 December 27, 2020 Open Book

December 28, 2020

Who’s the boss, you or the story?

Let’s switch this around a bit. Who’s the boss, you or the characters in the story?

I’ve said it before and nothing has changed – my stories are character driven. I can have a rough plot planned out and get a third of the way into the story, only to have the characters turn things around and tell me how the story is REALLY going to go.

One of my favorite examples of this is Tasha from Wolves’ Knight. (She played a minor part in Wolves’ Pawn, as well.) I had this nice little romance to a good-looking game warden all planned out for her. I even wrote out the scene of their first kiss. That’s when she stopped me. Told me it wasn’t going to happen; that she had her eye on someone else. (I won’t say who, you’ll have to read the book to find out.)

I went digging in my old files and found that deleted scene. It’s full of mistakes (it never made it into the first draft of the book) but this is the first time anyone but me has seen it.

The spray of the falling water made the cool air even chillier, and Tasha zipped her coat up part way. The bench was nothing more than a large old log that someone had sliced the bark from to create a flat area. It was low enough to the ground that Jaime had to rearrange his long legs several times to get comfortable. They sat side by side for a long while, not touching, and not saying anything. Yet the silence seemed natural to Tasha.

A patch of sky was visible through the trees, and she was watching the clouds skimming past the stars when a red streak flashed by. She pointed upward “Did you see that?”

“What?” Jaime asked, inclining his head towards hers to see what she was showing him.

“A meteor. It’s gone.” Tasha turned her head to find his barely an inch from hers.

“That’s okay. I found something else to look at,” he murmured. Then he closed the gap between them and lightly pressed his lips to hers.

Surprised, it took her a second to react, and by then he’d pulled away. “Sorry,” he said.

“Don’t apologize. It was nice.” Actually, it had been more than that, but Tasha wasn’t going to tell him. Not yet.

“Just nice?”

One side of her mouth rose. “I don’t know. Let’s see what happens if we do it again.”

This time she was prepared for the meeting of their mouths. And yes, she decided, the second time was definitely better, especially as she had the chance to return the gesture. “Hmm, better,” she said when the kiss ended. Much better. He tasted just like his musk aftershave and his kisses stirred a part of Tasha that she’d neglected too long.

“Practice makes perfect?” he asked with a grin, wrapping one arm around her waist.

“Let’s find out.”

That’s when Tasha started yelling at me. I only wrote a few more paragraphs before she stopped me and refused to cooperate until I listened to her. Then, I had to go back and make a few changes to set up the storyline she wanted. It worked out well, but it wasn’t what I planned. Jaime remained in the story, but in a different role. I still have a soft spot in my heart for him, but he wasn’t the man Tasha deserved.

And I can’t ignore Harmony Duprie, from my amateur sleuth series. (Which originally was planned as a paranormal romance and switched genres on me!) Harmony has a way of changing villains on me. I’ll have someone set up to be the bad guy, she’ll shake her head and poof! A new villain appears. I’ve learned to go with the flow. She did it again in my WIP, the Ranger’s Dogtags. I can’t give you any hints without creating a spoiler, so you’ll have to wait.

But here’s a short snippet to give you an idea of what the book is about:

Sorenson rubbed his chin. “In these days of patient privacy, hospitals won’t release any information to you. Especially because you aren’t the next of kin.”

Which gave me an idea. I texted Lando again. “Did you check his parents’ house?”

“Not there.”

Another theory shot down the drain. “Lando says he isn’t visiting his parents. Where else do we need to check?”

“You won’t like it.” Sorenson blew out a deep breath and looked me in the eyes. “It wouldn’t be the first time a man disappeared to spend time with a secret lover.”

Logically, it made sense. My heart screamed that it wasn’t true. My voice quavered despite my efforts to hold it steady. “Is there a way to check without access to Eli’s financial information?”

“Phone records. And we’d need a warrant for those. Which we won’t get, since he is in Florida and I have no jurisdiction. If we want to go down that path, he might have had a burner phone.”

I took another sip of my coffee. It tasted as bitter as the concept of Eli having a mistress. Or was I the hidden girlfriend?

I don’t have a release date for the new book yet, so stay tuned.

Back to the original question. The stories and the characters ore very much in charge when I write. I try to lead them where I want to go. Sometimes they cooperate, and more often, I have to adjust to their ideas to make the story better.

I’m trying to predict what the other authors on this loop will say. Let’s go find out by following the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe!

December 28, 2020

Who’s the boss, you or the story?

Art Imitates Life #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne July 26, 2020 July 26, 2020 Open Book

July 27, 2020

What elements from your life are woven into your latest book?

Spoiler alerts ahead!

Harmony Duprie isn’t me. The more of her stories I write, the more that becomes clear. But there are pieces of my life in her character.

Let’s start with a few things about her that are totally not me.

I didn’t want to go anywhere that required getting on a plane. Flying freaked me out.
I’d never had a bad experience on a plane—at least not that I can remember. But there’s something about hurtling through the sky at thirty thousand feet trapped in a tin can without a parachute that bothered me. If Eli lived on the West Coast, our relationship would have been doomed before it started. At least his place in Florida was within driving distance of Oak Grove.
from The Baron’s Cufflinks

Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I have no fear of flying. I used to travel for a job. I once made three trips from Florida to California in the same month. (A different place each time.)

But there are other parts of my life that Harmony echoes. Once upon a time, I wanted to be a librarian. I actually got to be a librarian for a while. But life happened to both of us, and she became an internet researcher while my life headed a very different direction.

The apartment that Harmony lives in? It’s modeled after the apartment on the third floor of a house an aunt and uncle owned. I never got to go there because they had the same renter the whole time I was growing up. So I created Harmony’s setup based on my interpretation of what it might have looked like. In fact, visiting Oak Grove is like visiting the town I grew up in.

Then there’s Harmony’s take on Florida.

Scotty handed my phone back. “We’ve been keeping an eye on the weather. If we don’t get out of here in the next few days, we’ll be stuck when the next system moves in. And our job here is done.”

“Besides,” Lando said. “I’m tired of the cold and snow. I’m ready to get back to sunshine and sandy beaches.”

“And tourists and mosquitos,” I joked, hiding my dismay.

“You can come play tourist any time. If Eli is gone, I’ll kick out my roommate and you can stay with me. I’ll take you to all the fun places he won’t. Like coleslaw wrestling.”

“Are you kidding me? Coleslaw wrestling?”

“Yeah. Women in skimpy bikinis fighting in a kid’s swimming pool filled with coleslaw. I bet you could beat any of ’em.”

He was right. Eli would never take me there.
from The Contessa’s Brooch

Harmony picks on Florida often. Like me. As I say, I lived there too long. Throw in hurricanes and humidity, and you have all the major reasons I don’t live there anymore.

Here’s the big spoiler alert. If you don’t want to read it, scroll to the bottom.

In the next Harmony mystery, I take her out of Oak Grove and plunk her down in the middle of Florida. Where she has to deal with all the above…maybe. I haven’t decided about the hurricane yet.

I felt like the Bandit in the Cannonball Run, except I headed south instead of West. I made the drive to Florida in eleven hours when it should have taken fourteen spread over two days. Partly because I started while it was still dark and missed rush hour traffic through Pittsburgh. Partly because I stuck as much as possible to the interstates and didn’t do any sightseeing along country roads going through West Virginia. Partly because I didn’t run afoul of any officers of the law.

Dolores helped, sensing my urgency. Each time I pressed the gas pedal, she responded with a growl of joy. And I swear she used less fuel than normal, because I didn’t have to make as many stops as expected to refill her tank.
Coming soon, The Ranger’s Dogtags

And that’s another way Harmony and I are different. I would never speed. Never.

There’s plenty more ways Harmony has borrowed from my life, but that’s enough for now. Let’s head over and see what parts of their own lives the other authors on this hop incorporate into their stories. Just follow the links below. (And don’t forget to leave a comment, if you are so inclined.)

Until next time, stay safe!

July 27, 2020

What elements from your life are woven into your latest book?

Not Your Usual Hero #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne June 21, 2020 June 21, 2020 Open Book

June 22, 2020

What are your favorite kind of characters to create? To read?

My door was securely locked with the rubber bumpers slid under it as far as they would go, the curtains closed, and my lights dimmed to make it seem I’d gone to bed.

I was about to break a rule, and I wanted no interruptions. Or witnesses. The plot was unethical at best and illegal at its worst. I planned to use my access to the Oak Grove Police Department’s records for personal gain.

From The Samurai’s Inro. Book 5 of the Harmony Duprie Mysteries

I fell in love with Harmony while I was writing her first book. She was a quiet, reserved person with an inner strength she didn’t know she had until she was forced to draw on it. It’s been fun watching her grow through the series, as she’s become more comfortable allowing that strength to shine.

I launched myself down the hallway. I’d be able to only take on one person, and my target was obvious. With a satisfying smack, I rammed into Annabelle’s back. The gun hit the tile floor with a loud clunk. She fell to her knees. Not good enough.

Jake should be able to handle Brent. I concentrated on Annabelle. An awkward and ill-timed kick landed between her shoulders. Although her hands hit the ground, she still wasn’t where I wanted her.

In the moment I got distracted checking for Jake, she recovered and rose to a standing position. She threw a hasty punch. It landed solidly on my shoulder. I staggered backward.

I’d been hit before. In practice. With gloves.

From The Baron’s Cufflinks, Book 3 of the Harmony Duprie Mysteries

I’ve always written Harmony as a someone who works within the law. Mostly. She’s been known to push the edges of legality. Never quite crossing over, but coming close. Except for in my current work-in-progress, The Ranger’s Dogtags. She’s pushing the line until it breaks.

And that’s how I like to write my characters. As works in progress. Constantly being challenged, constantly having to adjust.

And while that’s tough on Harmony, who loves routine, some of my other characters take to it easier. For example, there’s Lori Grenville, my main character in Wolves’ Gambit, from The Free Wolves adventures. She moves from one pack of wolf shifters to another, changing her name and her appearance, on a mission to help female shifters break free from traditional pack structure.

When the fangs dropped and claws sprouted, she forced herself to stay calm and made a show of adjusting her backpack. These men were the elite, and they only needed a moment to regain control of their emotions. When they were ready to talk, she would be as well.

“So, what kind of shifter are you?” Turtle asked.

“Wolf.”

“No, really.”

“Wolf.” Lori shrugged. “Even in wolf form, I’m small, but that’s the way it is.”

“Then why can’t we smell or hear you?’

She moved away the mental blocks that kept her secure. “Try now.”

Four voices flooded her brain and she held up her hands. “One at a time, guys!”

“How do you do that?” asked Turtle.

“Training. And it’s not perfect. A strong alpha can break through. Carlson can. But there’s no time for twenty questions. We need to get going.”

“Will you be able to keep up with us?”

Lori grinned. “You forget, I’m leading the way. You have to keep up with me.”

From Wolves’ Gambit, The Free Wolves Adventures

As much as I love writing strong women characters, I like to read them, too. And I want that strength to carry through the book. I once read a romance by a major woman author who, throughout the whole book, emphasized how the lead female character prepared to face the villain. But in the end, when the two were face-to-face, the major male character rushed in to save her.

Truthfully, it made me angry. After all the buildup, the ending was a disappointment. That book has been given away. No matter how well-written, it didn’t deserve a spot on my bookshelf. I don’t want my leading ladies to depend upon a prince to save them. I want them to rescue the prince sometimes.

What are your favorite kind of characters? Let’s talk about it in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the other writers on this hop. You can see what they have to say by following the links below.

Until the next time we get together, stay safe.

June 22, 2020

What are your favorite kind of characters to create? To read?

Writing Characters of the Opposite Sex #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne June 10, 2019 June 11, 2019 Uncategorized

June 10, 2019

What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?

You know those silly on-line quizzes that tell you what superhero you are? Or which Star Trek character? Or whether you think like a male or a female?

So, according to those, I’m Spock and I think like male 70% of the time. Since I grew hanging around with five brothers, it doesn’t surprise me too much. I’m also employed in a field comprised mostly of males, and get along well with my coworkers. I guess that gives me an advantage when writing my male characters. It doesn’t mean I know everything that goes on in a male mind.

When a reviewer complimented me on how well I wrote my female characters, I was puzzled. So, I asked her about it. Turns out she thought I was a guy based on how well-written my male characters were! I’ll take that as a compliment.

Here’s the catch: I rarely write from a male point of view. I like strong female characters, and that’s what POV I write from. That means I don’t have to dive too deeply into the male psyche. The males are written thru the eyes of my women. I have plenty of experience in observing males in their natural habitat and can easily translate that to my books.

What I have to be careful about is making sure my men are not cookie-cutter replicas of people I know and that they each have their own personality. I have to make sure that their motivations and desires reflect what is right for the plot.

The hardest part is making sure my female characters react to each male character as suits their personality. Obviously, my female sleuth can’t respond to her friend , a police detective, the way she does to her lover. I also have to make sure the men don’t all treat her the same way. That wouldn’t be realistic. The most important thing to remember is that they are just people, too.

The one thing I’d have the most difficult time writing would be a man’s thoughts during sex. Obviously, my brothers and coworkers don’t talk about that to me! But I don’t write sex scenes, so I’m off the hook.

There’s one male character who I have a real hard time writing, and that’s Jake, my anti-hero in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries. Or is he a villain? I’m not sure, he has secrets he’s not telling.

Now, follow the links below to see what the others in the hop find the most difficult about writing their “opposite sex” characters.

June 10, 2019

What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?

Tag: #Characters

Characters Going Rogue #OpenBook Blog Hop

How do you handle it when one of your characters starts going in a direction you hadn’t planned?

But the character that threw me for the biggest loop was Jake Hennessey.

Interview With The Detective #OpenBook Blog Hop

Saying Goodbye to Friends #OpenBook Blog Hop

Clamoring for Attention – Secondary Characters #OpenBook Blog Hop

Killing Them (My Characters) Softly #OpenBook Blog Hop

And The Second Runner Up Is #OpenBook Blog Hop

Who’s the Boss? The Story or Me? #OpenBook Blog Hop

Art Imitates Life #OpenBook Blog Hop

Not Your Usual Hero #OpenBook Blog Hop

Writing Characters of the Opposite Sex #OpenBook Blog Hop

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