#Mystery - P.J. MacLayne

Songs of the Times #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne October 15, 2023 October 15, 2023 Open Book

Oct. 16, 2023

If your WIP had a soundtrack, what songs would be on it? Do you write with some sort of background noise or do you prefer silence? (We may have touched on this before, but it’s a great way to discover new music.

The mellow voice of Hank Jr. disappeared as she closed the door behind her.

That’s the current opening line of my WIP and it sets the soundtrack for the rest of the story. Unlike many of my stories, there isn’t a mention of John Denver in sight. Sure, I mention other genres of music, but the basis is hard luck country all the way. Not my normal standard, but I’ve been having fun delving into the songs of the times.

What’s funny, is that many of the artists who had top 100 songs aren’t artists I think of as country. George Strait is pure country, but Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is more folk, right? And I’m familiar with Alabama as Southern Rock, not country. Willie Nelson is country, but has crossed the lines between types of music many times. There are lots of artists in the top 100 that I don’t even remember. Eddie Raven?

On the soundtrack? Songs about lost loves, hard women, cheap whiskey, guns and pick ’em up trucks. And good ‘ol dogs, of course. How about “A Fire I Can’t Put Out” by George Strait? Or “José Cuervo” by Shelly West?

It’s one of the many rabbit holes I’ve gone down while working on this story. I spent an hour finding the songs used for Jazzercise (and then didn’t mention any of them!) I spent another hour listening to songs as I was writing this post! (Or not writing, because I was busy listening.)

Here’s one to add to your playlist, although it doesn’t match the mood I’m shooting for—George Jones and The One I Loved Back Then. https://youtu.be/uoGqL8_CU3s

These posts are always fun, and I’m looking forward to hearing new songs based on suggestions from the other authors on this hop. You can, too, by following the links below.

As always, please stay safe until next time.

Oct. 16, 2023

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

A Day In The Life #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne March 19, 2023 March 19, 2023 Open Book

March 20, 2923

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

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

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

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

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

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

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

March 20, 2923

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

It Takes A Village #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne September 18, 2022 September 18, 2022 Open Book

September 19, 2022

Share your tips for world-building, even if it’s only a village.

When I started writing The Marquesa’s Necklace, I knew the action would take place in a typical American small town fallen on hard times but clinging to respectability. It would be filled with a mix of grand old Victorian, typical ranch stye homes and everything in between, from brand new to falling apart. The residents reflected that mix, too.

I’d grown up in a town like that, so I didn’t have to research what it would be like. But creating that feeling on paper was a different matter. I didn’t want to spend page after page describing the town I created, so I revealed it in small steps. For example, here’s a description of the lobby of the police station:

Officer Felton left me in the barely furnished lobby. It was a place you don’t want to stay in too long—several hard plastic chairs, a beat-up fake wood end table and a few old magazines scattered about. It smelled like stale cigarettes and appeared not to have been cleaned for weeks. I perched on the edge of a chair and put my hands between my knees to keep from touching anything.

And the information about the battered women’s shelter:

“If I could put you in a safe house, I would, Harmony,” he said softly. “But the town doesn’t have one. Hell, everyone knows where the home for battered women is.”

He’s right. It’s on the corner of Chestnut and Pine. But the angry-looking, black-belt wearing, .45-packing, six foot tall lady who mans the front desk at night is enough of a deterrent to keep most upset exes away.

Or the description of the house that is featured in the series, The Aldridge House

I researched its history when Jake bought the place. The house had been built by Harold, the son of one of the original settlers in Oak Grove, Joseph Aldridge. During the Pennsylvania oil boom, Harold had made big money. When he got married in his mid-forties to a much younger wife, he had the house built as a wedding present for her. Their plans, according to the reports I dredged up, were to fill the house with children. Unfortunately, Harold died in an accident in the oil fields while his wife was pregnant with their first child. She raised the child alone and never remarried, so the big house remained mostly empty. Other families lived in the house after that, but it hadn’t been occupied for years.

Along the way, I learned what really made the town what it is was were the people. Harmony’s overly protective landlords. The smokers huddled outside the back door of her favorite restaurant, and Al, the owner. Freddie, the sometimes-friendly police detective. Harmony’s closest friends. With each book, the list grew. For example, Mrs. Axcel:

Lots of folks in the neighborhood tried to help her keep the place up. She fed me milk and cookies too because she was just happy to have someone to talk to. She told me she wanted to stay in the house as long as possible. It’s the house she and her husband bought when they were newlyweds and they raised all three of their kids in it.

And that’s how I built my world. One person, one building at a time, until the town had become as much of a character in the books as any other. My readers are welcome visitors. Maybe the cousin from out of town, or there for the bird watching festival.

To find out how other authors build their worlds, follow the links below. For now, as always, until next time, please stay safe.

September 19, 2022

Share your tips for world-building, even if it’s only a village.

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?

Books That Made Me Cry #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne January 9, 2022 January 10, 2022 Open Book

Jan 10, 2022

Do you remember the first book that made you cry? Or maybe the last one?

I’m getting old, and there’s a lot I don’t remember. Like the first book that made me cry. You don’t want to know how many years ago that was.

But here’s the thing. I’m not a crier. Well, I don’t cry at the expected moments. I hold my emotions in until they decide it’s time to let them go.

So, a book may move me, but that doesn’t mean I will cry while reading it. Or maybe I will cry at a part of a story when I am really crying about something else. I’m really good at compartmentalizing my emotions until I’m alone.

I remember crying while reading All the Weyrs of Pern by Anne McCaffrey. (Won’t tell you what part of the book did it.) Moonless Nights by Cornelia Amiri was another one that drew tears. Long, long ago, I remember crying when I read Ivanhoe. I doubt it would make me cry anymore, as I would be too involved in analyzing the change in social norms of the time.

I’ve also cried while I’m writing my own books. I figure I’m doing something right if my characters can draw me in far enough to pull out my deepest emotions. I can only hope that my readers get at least a glimpse of those feelings.

In my latest release, The Ranger’s Dog Tags, I tried to play with the reader’s emotions. The rest of the books in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries are on the “light” side, but I broke the standard as I wrote this one. I knew it would be the last story in the series, and I wanted the reader to experience a side of Harmony that she hadn’t had to deal with in the other books, and give her the ending she deserved. Did it work? I’m not sure. Sadly, no one has mentioned it. (Although I have received reviews calling the book the best in the series, and that’s worth something.)

How about you, dear reader? What books have made you cry? Don’t forget to check out what made the rest of the authors on this hop cry. Just follow the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe!

Jan 10, 2022

Do you remember the first book that made you cry? Or maybe the last one?

Dear Diary: Life from Harmony’s POV #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne May 16, 2021 May 17, 2021 Open Book

May 17, 2021

Dear Diary. Write a diary entry or a letter from your character’s point of view.

When I kept a diary as a pre-teen, it was boring, filled with details of my daily life. What we studied in school, what we had for lunch, who I sat with on the bus. The most exciting thing I did all week was go to my Girl Scout meeting. Perhaps that’s why I can’t imagine any of my characters keeping a diary.

But I could consider The Harmony Duprie Mystery series as Harmony’s diary. With that in mind, what would her first meeting with Eli look like in diary form?

Dear Diary:

Today was story hour at the library. I’ll never confess it to anyone else, but that’s one of the things I miss most about working at the library. I never worked directly with the little ones, but I love seeing their happy little faces. I keep dropping hints, but I don’t know if they’ll ever rehire me, despite the fact that I was innocent. There are a couple old farts on the Board of Directors (cough<Mr. Randall>cough) who still think I was selling drugs. I don’t know if I can wait for them to retire or die to get my job back.

I found the information I’ve been hunting for today, and got a menu from one of Rockefeller’s parties. Everything from oysters on the half-shell to turkey and ham and a variety of desserts. And booze. Lots of booze. And not the cheap stuff, from what I could tell. Rockefeller had money to burn. At least he spent some of it building this library.

My reward was making a trip to the shelves where the library stores historical books about the Victorian area. As I leafed through a book with lots of pictures, I dreamed of living in that era and wearing dresses that floated around me.. Oh, and a big hat with colorful feathers. I’d cling to the arm of my escort, a handsome gentleman with a mustache that curled up at the ends.

I decided to take it back to the table I’d claimed for the day. That’s when I ran into him. Nice looking guy, but with the palest blue eyes I’ve ever seen.

And when I say I ran into him, I mean literally ran into him. Almost fell down but saved myself my grabbing the closest shelf. Dropped my book in the process. He picked it up, handed it to me, and then walked away without giving me a chance to apologize. Man, how embarrassing.

He isn’t from Oak Grove – I would have recognized him. But the weirdest part?

He smelled like dirt. I don’t mean dirty. I mean how the ground smells when you’re planting seeds and the earth is still damp and it smells fresh? That’s what it reminded me of. I don’t know if it was his aftershave or my imagination.

I need to stop by the package store tomorrow. My order of craft beer from Colorado came in. I’m looking forward to trying the one that’s supposed to taste like summer sunshine.

That’s it for tonight, Dear Diary. I want to go read the book I bought about Queen Elizabeth. I wonder if I could learn to be a mechanic?

******

There you go. An entry from Harmony’s diary. I hope you enjoyed reading it. If so, you might want to read The Marquesa’s Necklace if you haven’t already! https://www.pjmaclayne.com/?page_id=232

And one personal note before I run off to check out everyone else’s entries for the week – Happy 93rd birthday, Mom!

The rest of you, until next week, please stay safe.

May 17, 2021

Dear Diary. Write a diary entry or a letter from your character’s point of view.

The Ranger’s Dog Tags is Live!

By P.J. MacLayne April 21, 2021 April 21, 2021 Uncategorized

The Ranger’s Dog Tags is finally here!

It isn’t the first time Eli Hennessey has disappeared. Is it the last?

In this, the sixth book of the Harmony Duprie series, Harmony faces her greatest challenge yet. And she has to do it without the normal support from her friends and the Oak Grove Police Department. Join her on her adventure in the search for Eli.

Book Description:

Eli Hennessey has vanished.

His house in Oak Grove is in flames, his cell phone is out of commission, and friends in Florida can’t find him. It’s up to Harmony Duprie to track down her missing lover before her life shatters and his ends.

Harmony’s first discovery: Eli tricked her into signing paperwork putting her in charge of his company. Had he planned his disappearance?

The answers won’t be found in Oak Grove. Harmony hightails it to Florida in search of Eli and the truth.

Here’s a short excerpt:

I’d reached cruising speed when I spotted them. Vanessa saw them, too. On the opposite side of the road. Two black sedans.
“Shit,” she said.
“Who are they?”
She bit her bottom lip.
“So, who am I going to piss off when I remove their tracker?” I asked.
“You won’t find a bug.” Her mouth quirked. “No matter how hard you look.”
The mile markers showed our progress, but my mind was going nowhere. The GPS wasn’t attached to Dolores, or on me. I’d been extra careful with my purse and checking my clothes each morning. Unless Vanessa sneaked into my room when I wasn’t paying attention?
Or…
“It’s you, isn’t it? You’re wired. You’ve been pretending to protect me when what you’re doing is trying to find evidence against me.” A sudden rage engulfed me. “I’ll move out tonight. Unless you plan to arrest me on some bogus charge first. You can keep the rent.”
I adjusted the rearview mirror to get a better long-range view of the cars behind us. She’d betrayed me when I thought we’d had a chance of being real friends. And she’d done it when I needed a friend the most. “Who are you answering to, Special Agent Salters?”

To join Harmony on her quest to find Eli, you can find the ebook at these retailers:
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092YTWBX1

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1563561154

B&N https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w?ean=2940162511434

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-ranger-s-dog-tags

Books2Read https://books2read.com/u/3R85NL

Introducing The Ranger’s Dog Tags

By P.J. MacLayne March 25, 2021 March 25, 2021 Uncategorized

It’s on its way—the sixth and final book in the Harmony Duprie Mysteries—The Ranger’s Dog Tags. Coming April 22nd.

Eli Hennessey has vanished.

Harmony’s first discovery: Eli tricked her into signing paperwork putting her in charge of his company. Had he planned his disappearance?

The answers won’t be found in Oak Grove. Harmony hightails it to Florida in search of Eli and the truth.

Watch this space for the upcoming cover reveal.

While you’re waiting, here’s a short excerpt.

I didn’t anticipate being greeted by a brick wall of a man with deep brown skin when I opened the door. And if I wasn’t mistaken, that was a gun in a holster under his left arm. And a police badge attached to his belt.“Miss Harmony Duprie?” he asked with a voice as mellow as a ray of springtime sunshine.
“Do you sing?” I blurted. It was the first thing that came to mind.
A slow smile spread across his face. “Not in public, ma’am. You are Harmony Duprie, right?”
“Yes. And you are, Detective …?” I let my voice trail off.
The smile got bigger. “Horace. Detective Timothy Horace. Orlando Police Department.”
I stepped aside to give him room to get by. He needed a lot of room. “You’re out of your jurisdiction, aren’t you, Detective?”
“We have a mutual aid agreement with the locals.” I didn’t think his smile could get any bigger, but it did. “Although it’s pretty one-sided.”
I could imagine. “I’d offer you something to drink, but I’m not set up for guests.”
“No worries, Miss Duprie, I won’t be staying long.”
“Are you the official welcoming committee? Or the bearer of bad news? What do you know about Eli? Was he in that car they found this afternoon? Is he all right?” The words poured out of me, along with my fears.

The Reason I Write #IWSG

By P.J. MacLayne November 3, 2020 November 3, 2020 IWSG

November 4 question – Albert Camus once said, “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” Flannery O’Conner said, “I write to discover what I know.” Authors across time and distance have had many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write?

The awesome co-hosts for the November 4 posting of the IWSG are Jemi Fraser, Kim Lajevardi, L.G Keltner, Tyrean Martinson, and Rachna Chhabria!

I don’t believe I’ll ever keep civilization from destroying itself with my writing. Saving the world is way beyond my paygrade. That won’t stop me from writing.

So, why do I write? I hope to distract my readers for a short time. Give them something to else to think about. Maybe give them a giggle or make them say “aha!”

Besides, I have all these characters in my head that want to get out. The only way to do that is write their stories. Take Tasha in Wolves’ Knight, for example. That was a book I didn’t plan. Tasha came to me while I was writing a different book, and said: “Here’s my story!” I acknowledged her, and tried to get back to my project. But she wouldn’t let me, and Wolves Knight (originally called Tasha’s Tale) got moved to the front of the list.

And take the book I’ve recently started. I don’t know if it will ever get past first draft, but the main character started talking to me after six years of being a secondary character in a series. I’m writing it from my anti-hero’s point-of-view, and he’s turning out to be more of a villain than I’d planned. I’m not fighting him about it, either. I think he’s got a hero complex and he’s hiding it from me. We’ll see.

So, maybe my writing as as much about entertaining me as it is entertaining the readers. I can live with that.

Don’t forget to check out what other insecure writers are writing about by following the links below.

And, until next time, stay safe!

Creating a Story Arc #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne August 16, 2020 August 16, 2020 Open Book

Aug 17, 2020

What is story arc to you?

There are authors that plan out their entire series before they start writing. They know how many books they want, how many words they want in each book, and the story line from beginning to end across the entire series. I’m not one of those authors.

When I wrote Wolves’ Pawn, I had no intention of making it into a series. The second book, Wolves’ Knight, came as a total shock when Tasha, the main character, forced her way into writing plans. Although the books share characters, they aren’t dependent on each other. You can read them in any order. The same is true for Wolves’ Gambit, the third book in the series.

But there are several underlying story lines in the series. However, I suspect not many readers see them, that they exist mainly in my head. I can see one of them developing into another book. I don’t know if I’ll ever write it, unless it’s for my own satisfaction, because the series didn’t sell well.

Then you have the mysteries. I knew before I completed the first draft of the first book that it had the potential to be a series. But I don’t believe in writing cliffhanger endings, so I made sure that I wrapped the story up nicely so readers would be satisfied.

And in Harmony’s case, the series is chronological. Although some of the books stand well on their own, I highly recommend they be read in order. There is a strong romantic subplot that evolves through each story. That, and Harmony’s personal growth is clearer. (She surprises me all the time!)

There’s no huge revolution in the mysteries. No overthrowing the evil king and saving the prince and the kingdom. No quest to return a ring to the forge where it was created. (Granted, there’s a minor revolution in the Free Wolves books.) Those aren’t requirements for a story arc, in my opinion.

All it takes is a continuing story. Harmony does more than move from one mystery to another. We get to share in her personal life—the changes in her jobs, her interactions with the police, overcoming her fears. The Harmony I’m dealing with in The Ranger’s Dogtags, my current work-in-progress, is not the same as she was in The Marquesa’s Necklace.

And I’m enjoying this improved version. She’s being forced into situations that make her uncomfortable, and she’s handling them like a pro. Everything she’s learned along the way come into play. Here’s a quick example.

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. Eli’s home wasn’t. I dialed 911. And grabbed the garden hose.

Originally unplanned, I am bringing in additional characters from The Marquesa’s Necklace into this new book. I won’t tell you who. Not yet. But they will tie into the story I told in the first book.

And that’s story arc. It doesn’t even have to be across a series. It can (and should) happen within one book. There’s a challenge, attempts to solve the issue, and a resolution. The basics of any story.

Don’t forget to check out what the other authors on this hop have to say. (You can do that by clicking on the links below.) And, until next time, stay safe!

Aug 17, 2020

What is story arc to you?

Tag: #Mystery