#OpenBook - P.J. MacLayne

Who Is Your Favorite Artist? #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne January 26, 2025 January 26, 2025 Open Book

Jan 27, 2025

Who is your favorite artist? (Painting, photo, sculpture…)

You know what’s coming.

At least, if you have hung out with me for very long, you might figure it out. This artist is multi-talented. She practices painting, sculpture, and music, as well as other forms of art. Her followers find inspiration for their photos and poetry in her work. She is known worldwide, but can be found in your neighborhood.

She’s as old as the hills, and as young as a snowflake drifting from the sky.

I’m talking about Mother Earth, of course.

She’s the original.

And the one all other artists borrow from, but she willingly shares. Thanks to digital photography, although I’m an amateur, I have thousands of pictures I’ve taken from all over the US, from many years, stored on various drives. (and copies of copies). Trying to pick just one to share was an impossible task. But here is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.

I took this out my back garage door when I lived in Wyoming. (several years ago.) It’s all snow. I don’t know what the science is behind the formation, I just think it’s weird and amazing. If I remember correctly, it was created in an April snowstorm.

These are redwoods. (Not huge ones, as redwoods go.) But I wanted something to contrast with the snow picture.

One more. This one to share some of Mother Earth’s glorious colors.

Oh, if anyone asks about the music part. Have you ever listened to the wind whistling through the trees? Or water rushing down a mountainside stream?

There you have it. Mother Earth is my favorite artist.

How about the other authors on this hop? Follow the links below to find out. (By the way, if you’d like to add your own blog on the topic, use the InLinkz setup.)

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Jan 27, 2025

Who is your favorite artist? (Painting, photo, sculpture…)

11 Comments

Learning Something New Every Day #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne January 19, 2025 January 19, 2025 Open Book

Jan 20, 2025

What new learning do you have on your list for the upcoming year?

I don’t have any grand plan.

Instead, I’m playing it by ear. I’m never sure what my characters are going to throw at me and what I’m going to need to learn to make it happen. For example, for my current plot point, I need to know the difference between normal makeup, stage makeup, and the makeup people use for costumes and disguises. (And any other kind of makeup that might spring up.) As I don’t wear makeup, it’ll all be new to me.

And that issue came up in the first chapter and a half. Along with the need to know how accurate a handgun is when fired at a specific distance. (And also depends on what kind of ammunition is used.) The characters sprung that on me. So, I have to be prepared for other surprises that might show up.

There’s also my personal life.

This is an old house. It surprises me all the time. According to neighborhood lore, it was built in two sections. And it’s clear when looking at the details. That means when doing repairs and upkeep, I have to deal with two types of issues and resolutions. So, I am forever learning new things about home maintenance. (We actually have two electrical panels in the house. One runs the front of the house, one the back. Keeps life interesting.)

Then there’s the constant battle to grow flowers. The local wildlife isn’t predictable. The flowers they ignored for two years were targets this past summer. I ended up putting a fence up around the apple tree, and putting pots of flowers where they couldn’t be reached. (Put it this way – I have a red geranium I’ve had for over 15 years, and an orange one I just bought. The deer ate the orange one and ignored the red one. Some critter (deer, rabbit, squirrel, who knows?) snapped the electrical wire leading to a solar panel for a small string of lights. I’ll have to try something different this coming spring.

Learning is a constant adventure.

It can happen when you least expect it. It’s a joy and a challenge having my two grandsons living with us. I sometimes help them with homework before my daughter gets home from work. A few of the concepts they are learning surprise me. Have you ever heard of a controlling r in spelling and pronunciation?

So, even without a plan, learning happens.

How about the other authors on this hop? Do they have plans for specific learning? Find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Jan 20, 2025

What new learning do you have on your list for the upcoming year?

8 Comments

Changing Paths On The Fly #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne January 12, 2025 January 12, 2025 Open Book

Jan 13, 2025

How do you deal with a change in ideas halfway through your book?

Or do you save it for a sequel/prequel?

Those of you who have followed me know I am a pantser. That means that I don’t plot the storyline out ahead of time when I write. I start with a premise, and let my characters tell me where the story is going to go. After all, they are the experts.

One of my favorite examples of this is the romance subplot in Wolves’ Knight. I’d planned a sweet little courtship for Tasha, my main character. I’d even started writing the scene where the first kiss between the characters would happen. It was a beautiful setting. Deep in the woods, at the top of a waterfall, late at night, with a full moon overhead. It never made the book, because Tasha started yelling. She wanted nothing to do with the suiter I’d created for her, having other idea about what should happen.

On the other hand, there’s my work in progress. I’d written a great first chapter, putting Annie’s life in danger in the first few paragraphs. But it doesn’t work as Chapter One. I’m hoping to use it later in the book, but we’ll see. The new chapter I wrote is sending the story in a different direction. Shoot, Detective Myers showed up, and I hadn’t planned for him to be part of this story.

Or maybe the original attempt will end up in a later book in the series.

It’s a game my characters play.

They let me sweat over my slow to non-existent progress and then hit me with the reason I’m having issues. Often, I go back to what I’d previously written and find out the clues were there, I just didn’t recognize them.

It’s not just the subplots that it happens with. I didn’t realize how fitting the title “Wolves’ Pawn” was until I was three quarters way through the book. I can’t talk too much about that without revealing more than I want to.

So here’s a taste of the next Edwards Investigations book. I don’t even have a title for it yet. But I wonder where this snippet will lead me.

“I’ll ask you the same thing I asked before and didn’t get an answer to.” Annie shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Was he undercover?”

“Not one of ours. I heard about your observations and understand your conclusion, but it’s not true, as far as I can find.” Myers grinned. “But the guys over there think you must be.”

Which at least partly explained the way she’d been treated. Hell, they hadn’t even confiscated her weapon. “Did they drag you here just to deal with me? You’re out of your precinct, Detective.”

So, how do the other authors on this hop handle abrupt changes in their plots? As always, follow the links below to read more great posts and find out.
And, as always, please stay safe until the next time.

Jan 13, 2025

How do you deal with a change in ideas halfway through your book? Or do you save it for a sequel/prequel?

10 Comments

Best Part Of 2024 #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne January 5, 2025 January 5, 2025 Open Book

Jan 6, 2025

What was the best thing that happened to you in 2024? (Writing or otherwise?) The worst?

Easy answers this week. Let’s start with the good.

Let’s start with the best thing that happened this year. I (finally!) released a book that had been in the works for over a decade, off and on. The Edwards Investigation, The Rimer File, was a departure from anything I’d written previously, and took a lot to write. I needed to dig deep to allow myself to explore the dark side of human nature. After writing the light-hearted Harmony Duprie and Jake Hennessey books, the challenge of The Rimer File was an accomplishment that was worth the effort.

It may not have become a best seller, but it brought me immense satisfaction. I feel good enough about it that I’ve started a second book in the series. (The new story doesn’t have a title yet.) I started a new opening chapter, (the first try was all wrong) and Annie, my protagonist, is already dealing with a murder. And the potential plot has changed since I began writing the story. (My characters have a way of telling me what’s really going on.)

It wasn’t the first time Annie had sat on a curb waiting for the cops to interview her, but at least this time, she wasn’t in handcuffs.

Now for the worst thing.

It’s not writing related, and I’ve mentioned it on here before. My beloved mother died at the beginning of 2024. It was expected, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. We were blessed, because she made it to the age of 95.

How about you? What was your best writing moment of 2024? To find out what the other authors on this hop accomplished, follow the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Jan 6, 2025

What was the best thing that happened to you in 2024? (Writing or otherwise?) The worst?

6 Comments

It’s Obligatory – Setting Goals #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne December 29, 2024 December 29, 2024 Open Book

Dec 30, 2024

Setting goals for 2025: what are your writerly New Year’s resolutions?

It’s that time of year.

Everyone will tell you so. If you haven’t done it already, you should set your goals for the New Year.

Bah. Humbug.

I hated the whole goal-setting thing even when I was in a paid position. Too often, the team goals were artificial and based on factors outside of our control. Yet, they were used to help determine our pay raises. So, why would I want to set goals for myself?

Sure, the idea makes sense. Goals can create a sense of accomplishment when they are reached. But they also carry the taint of disappointment and worse, self-deprecation if circumstances interfere with them. We all know life happens. And writing can be hard. We don’t need to put obstacles in our own path.

But I have things I plan to do.

I’ve committed to writing a short story for an anthology supporting K9s for Warriors. (service dogs for disabled vets). The second book of the Edwards Investigations is taunting me. (After writing the first chapter I was stumped, but I think I know where I went wrong. I started in the wrong place.) If all goes well, there’s another story in the Free Wolves series that is hanging out at the back of my brain.

I won’t finish all three. (That’s what is called a stretch goal and is doomed to failure.)

If I want to pad my goals, I could include this weekly blog hop post, the critiquing I do for other writers, and my social media involvement. I would include the numbers of festivals and book signings I participate in. (No goals on how many books I will sell. Experience shows it’s impossible to predict.)

So those are my hopes for 2025. Not goals.

How about the other authors on this hop? Do they set goals? Find out by following the links below. (New links will show up mostly on Monday, but could show up all week long.)

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

Dec 30, 2024

Setting goals for 2025: what are your writerly New Year’s resolutions?

It’s the Merriest Time of Year #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne December 22, 2024 December 23, 2024 Book Hooks, Open Book

Dec 23 2024

What My Characters Would Give (and Get) for the holidays?

It’s that time of year.

We’re doing the hop a little differently this week because of the upcoming holiday. Not all the authors may participate, and the ones that do may cover different topics. But I hope you’ll take the time to visit the other authors.

I’ve avoided writing holidays into my books. It wasn’t done on purpose, it just happened. I’ve considered trying to craft a Halloween story in my Free Wolves world, but it hasn’t come to life. Yet.

But what about the series I’m currently working on, The Edwards Investigations? What would Annie McGregor and Mike Edwards get for each other? (For those who haven’t read the book, the story is set in the mid-1980s.)

Annie would be easy to buy for. She’s lived a minimal lifestyle since her divorce, aware that her vindictive ex might force her to move again. Since Mike, her boss/mentor, has been there several times, he’s well aware of her lack of “extras.” Things like pillows for her couch or a set of matching glasses. Since they are friends as well as co-workers, he wouldn’t get her anything too personal.

So what would Mike get Annie for Christmas?

Knowing her fondness for Western books, Mike might buy Annie a collection of Louis L’Amour stories. She has an almost-empty bookcase, so they would be a welcome addition. Plus, it wouldn’t seem critical of the lack of personal touches in her apartment.

It might be tougher for Annie to figure out what to get for Mike. He lives a very private life, and Annie has never been to his place. But he has a Camero that is his pride and joy, and although it’s a very generic gift, getting him a gift certificate to a local car shop would be the perfect gift.

I wish buying gifts was always that easy to figure out!

Here’s wishing that you have a happy holiday or holidays. As always, please stay safe until the next time.

Dec 23 2024

What My Characters Would Give (and Get) for the holidays?

Mind Your Own Business #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne December 15, 2024 December 15, 2024 Open Book

Dec 16 2024

If your book had a soundtrack, what would be on it?

The old-term was country-western.

Now they call it country, but the music has changed.

Before I started editing the first chapter of The Rimer Files, I wanted to get in the mood. Since the story was set in the mid 1980s. I knew Annie McGregor, my protagonist, was not a rock-n-roll chick. With the opening scene in The Outlaw, a country-western bar, it made sense to continue that background music throughout the book.

George Strait, Hank Williams, Jr., and Willie Nelson all hold places on the playlist, along with Merle Haggard and Alabama. Not musicians I listen to on a regular basis, but perfect to inspire my writing. I found a playlist on YouTube of a 1985 top ten country music and set it to play in the background as I wrote. Of course, it included the supergroup “The Highwaymen.” With members Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash. (I think I still have one of the LPs in my collection. Willie is the only one still with us.)

There were women singers who made the charts but not my list. Reba McIntyre, The Judds, Dolly Parton. As I mention in my blurb, it was a man’s world—even in the world of country music.

As far as the title of this blog? It was a song originally written in 1949 and sung by Hank Williams. In 1986, Hank Jr. took it back to No. 1. How much more country can you get than that? (Reba sang it with him, but that’s just a side note in the articles I read. It’s a man’s world.)

Check out the soundtracks of other authors by following the links below. And, as always, until next time, please stay safe.

Dec 16 2024

If your book had a soundtrack, what would be on it?

My Best Line #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne December 9, 2024 December 9, 2024 Open Book

Dec 9, 2024

What’s the best line you’ve written recently? Or ever?

I’ve been toying with three different stories recently.

But I don’t feel as if I have a good enough handle on the characters to write great lines – yet. All three have potential.

So, let me share some a few from my previous writing. The first two are equal in my mind.

Here’s a selection from The Fall of Jake Hennessey. In fact, I turned it into a meme.

She paused on the last landing. He imagined the cogs in her brain whirling.
“We never decided on plans for tomorrow,” he said casually.
“No, we didn’t.” She descended the last few stairs as if each were a decision to be made.

The next one comes from The Ranger’s Dog Tags. FYI, Harmony Duprie (Whose point of view this is from) is known for being a bad shot and missing her targets.

I didn’t hesitate as I squeezed off that second round. I shoved it on its way with every ounce of pain that Eli had suffered, every bit of rage I carried. I prayed for it to hit. And hit hard.

But my very best line (in my humble opinion) comes from a poem I wrote eons ago after a trip to one of my most favorite places in the world, the Beartooth Mountains. I was going to quote a large part of the poem, but it’s old enough I don’t have it in digital format, and the storage boxes are buried underneath the Christmas totes. (which have taken over my house!). But the last two lines are the ones I want to share.

I taught myself to breathe again
Twelve thousand feet high

I’ve got other good lines.

I bet every writer out there has written words that are better than they get credit for. But these are the ones that stick out in my memory. What lines are the other authors going to share? Find out by following the links below.

As always, please stay safe until the next time!

Dec 9, 2024

What’s the best line you’ve written recently? Or ever?

Who I Write For #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne November 24, 2024 November 24, 2024 Open Book

Do you envision a particular reader when you’re crafting your stories?

There’s this older woman, medium height, short silver hair, who loves my books.

In fact, she compared me to Janet Evanovich. Then there’s a younger woman, probably mid-thirties, with long brown hair, who has bought almost my entire collection. (And is eagerly awaiting my new book.) I shouldn’t leave out an occasional mid-twenties guy who picks up one or both of my Jake Hennessey books. I write for all of them and none of them.

I used to write for my mother. There were subplots in my Harmony series that I didn’t explore in depth because I was worried about how she’d react. She passed earlier this year, but I still find myself wondering what she’d think about what I’m writing.

But I also write for my characters. They often reveal parts of the story I hadn’t figured out. We may argue about details, but most often, they win.

Mostly, I write for me,

and hope that those readers will enjoy the stories. Maybe that’s why I’ve slowed in the speed in which I write. I’m getting pickier in my old age and stress that I’m getting details right as I’m creating. That doesn’t mean my feelings don’t get hurt when my books don’t sell in the numbers I hope for.

Writing these blog posts is different. I suspect many folks in my audience are other writers. So, I try to to share my experience without trying to look like I’m an expert. I’m not. I’m just another struggling author. But If someone can find something useful on my meanderings, I’ll gladly share them.

How about the other authors on this hop? Who do they write for? Find out by following the links below. (Most authors post on Monday, so check the page for updates.)

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Nov 25

Do you envision a particular reader when you’re crafting your stories?

Who is your favorite artist? (Painting, photo, sculpture…)

You know what’s coming.

I’m talking about Mother Earth, of course.

What new learning do you have on your list for the upcoming year?

I don’t have any grand plan.

There’s also my personal life.

Learning is a constant adventure.

How do you deal with a change in ideas halfway through your book?

Or do you save it for a sequel/prequel?

It’s a game my characters play.

What was the best thing that happened to you in 2024? (Writing or otherwise?) The worst?

Easy answers this week. Let’s start with the good.

Now for the worst thing.

Setting goals for 2025: what are your writerly New Year’s resolutions?

It’s that time of year.

But I have things I plan to do.

What My Characters Would Give (and Get) for the holidays?

It’s that time of year.

So what would Mike get Annie for Christmas?

If your book had a soundtrack, what would be on it?

The old-term was country-western.

What’s the best line you’ve written recently? Or ever?

I’ve been toying with three different stories recently.

I’ve got other good lines.

Dec 2, 2024

What’s the best book you’ve read this year (besides your own)?

Confession: I haven’t read as many books this year as I should have.

Do you envision a particular reader when you’re crafting your stories?

There’s this older woman, medium height, short silver hair, who loves my books.

Mostly, I write for me,

Newsletter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Archives

Meta