Tag: #Writing

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Favorite Writing Quote #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

November 4, 2024

Do you have any favorite quotes about writing?

There are many good ones that encourage writers. “The scariest moment is always just before you start.” (Stephen King) A word after a word after a word is power. (Margaret Atwood)

But my favorite is one from Toni Morrison. I’ve seen the meme on social media many times. “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

I think that’s what most of us on this blog do. We’re trying to get the stories out that need to be told but don’t currently exist. The ones the characters in our head keep insisting need to be recorded. We hope we will earn some money from our stories, or at least break even on publishing costs, but we will write them no matter what.

At least, that’s my goal.

New York times

New York Times

Even writing these blog posts can seem like a thankless task if they don’t get the views we hope for, but several of us have been sticking with it for years.

Which is why I’ve already started writing the second book in the Edwards Investigation series, Annie McGregor, my main character, wasn’t satisfied with just one book. But I knew that before I’d finished the first book.

I guess this is a good place to remind you that the first book, Edwards Investigations – The Rimer File, is now available through on-line retailers. Here’s a link to the book’s page on this site.

https://www.pjmaclayne.com/?page_id=18282

Now back to the blog post.

When I’m out at various events, I frequently run into people who express their desire to write a book. Which reminds me of how many stories out there will be lost because no one ever wrote them.

Do you have a favorite writing quote? Feel free to share it in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the favorite quotes by others on this hop by following the links below.

In the meantime, as always, please stay safe!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

November 4, 2024

Do you have any favorite quotes about writing?

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.

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It’s Almost Here! Edwards Investigations – The Rimer File

  By Uncategorized

Only two more days until you can join Annie McGregor in her quest to become a private investigator.

 

 

It was time to turn the tables, go hunting, and to visit as many of Ian’s old haunts as possible. If anyone could track him down, it was she.

The man outside tossing a bag into the garbage bin looked familiar, but Annie couldn’t place him. There were lots of residents in the building she hadn’t met. She’d probably passed him in the hallway or shared the elevator with him. He spared her a sideways glance and a nod and nothing more. He didn’t seem to recognize her, either.

Nothing unusual happened on the stroll to the shop, but Annie didn’t allow herself to relax. If Ian had hired Lucky, he might have another accomplice in place. Her revolver tucked into the small of her back and covered by the oversize blouse was cold against her skin and reassured her she was ready for anything.

Annie had exchanged pleasantries with the elderly female clerk at the store on several trips, The lady, involved in her normal game of solitaire, studied the playing cards and barely gave Annie a glance. The store smelled like old people, and the racks held a colorful selection in styles Annie’s deceased grandmother had worn. Nothing she’d ever choose for herself, which made them perfect for the occasion.

The bell over the door rang, and from the far corner, Annie peered around a stack of brightly colored flowered blouses to check out the newcomer. At first glance, he looked like the man by the garbage can, but his silhouette reminded her of someone else. She ducked behind the rack. What the hell was Mike doing here?

She had two options. Three, when she thought about it. Slip out the rear door. Hide until Mike gave up, deciding she wasn’t there, and left. Confront him.

She slithered through the clothing racks until she was back-to-back with him as he held up a brown suit that appeared to be several sizes too small. “The brown isn’t bad, but it won’t hide that Dick Tracy profile, Mr. Edwards,” she said, pretending to browse through a rack of polyester pants with elastic waistbands.

“And you need to change your perfume, Ms. McGregor,” he replied.

Coming November 2nd to major e-book retailers.

Choosing A Color Scheme #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Oct 7, 2024

Do you favor certain color schemes for your book covers?

This will be a short post because I leave the design choices of my covers to my cover artist, K.M. Guth.

And I lost internet last night after a major thunderstorm blew through our area. Plus she is on vacation and overseas!

Anyway, I am always amazed at what she comes up with for my covers. There is a different scheme for each series.

The Free Wolves series features strong, bright, colors. Since the books feature action, the colors reflect that. And how she finds the perfect images for the cover models amazes me.

She went a totally different direction for the Harmony Duprie stories. Instead of repeating the background, she chose muted colors with subtle background pattens (you have to look closely.)

Then, for the Jake Hennessey books, although they are tied to the Harmony books, she designed covers that were reflective of the main character’s personality.

The cover of my new book, Edwards Investigations, The Rimer Files, hearkens back to the era in which is takes place. (1985-ish) I can’t show it here, but it’s coming soon. Let’s just say she did a marvelous job of picking elements of the story to add to the design.

I know a few of the authors on this hop design their own covers, so I am looking forward to their posts. Check them put by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe!

Oct 7, 2024

Do you favor certain color schemes for your book covers?

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Tales of the Dark #IWSG

  By IWSG
 

It’s the first Wednesday of October, and time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post.

 
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!
 
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
 
The awesome co-hosts for the  October 2 posting of the IWSG are Nancy Gideon, Jennifer Lane, Jacqui Murray, and Natalie Aguirre!
 

October 2 question – Ghost stories fit right in during this month. What’s your favorite classic ghostly tale? Tell us about it and why it sends chills up your spine.

 
I’m not a big fan of ghost stories. I’ve come close to the edge of the other side a few too many times to be comfortable with them. But the one that has always fascinated me is what I call the wanderer. Others may call him the walking man. The story has variations in many places across the United States, from Pennsylvania to Wyoming to Oregon.
 
But the basis is always the same. The man (well, almost all the stories I’ve heard make it a man, not a woman) seen on the side of the road. Sometimes he’s hitchhiking, many times just walking. He may be a figure of goodness, but most often he’s to be feared, a cautionary tale about not picking up hitchhikers. He’s always ragged, skinny, with wild eyes.
 
He’s been the basis for stories and statues. A solitary man, alone in the night, in the shadows, almost always older. One tale speculates he’s looking for his wife who was killed in a car accident. If you turn to get a second look, he’s gone. Seemingly, only a figment of your imagination.
 
What happens if you stop and talk to him? Offer a ride? The tales differ from place to place. Most often, he simply vanishes.  Or you do, and no one knows what happened.
 
He’s a modern-day ghost story and I’ve never heard what older tale he spawned from. If you know, tell me in the comments. Of course, some tales warn that even talking about him can be a bad omen. Does that extend to writing about him on the internet?
 
To hear more ghostly tales, follow the links below. And, as always, until next time, please stay safe.
 
 
 
 

My Favorite Word #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Sept 23, 2024

What’s your favorite word in the English language? Any other language?

What makes it my favorite?

I’m an author! I play with words almost every day. How can I pick only one? I fought with this for several days. Is it based on sound? How much I use it in my life? What it means?

I choose peace. 

It’s not the prettiest word in the English language, but the meaning is what counts. I’m not a big fan of confrontation, although for the right reason or cause, I will make a stand. But if there’s an option to choose peace, I will always choose peace. Well, at least I try.

It’s not always easy. But it’s always worthwhile.

I have a second choice.

No.

In my family, we were taught (by example) to do our best to help others. I’ve also worked a lot of jobs where I was expected to tell people yes, no matter how I felt about it. But at some point in my life, I discovered the joy of being able to say no. It’s a freeing feeling to turn someone down and not have the moment overshadowed by guilty.

It’s a word that must be used with caution. You know, the whole with great power comes great responsibility idea. You don’t want to overuse it, or it loses its impact.

You may think the two words-—peace and no—contradict each other, but I don’t believe so. After all, being able to choose peace means allowing yourself to enjoy it yourself. And sometimes that means saying no to demands,

In the comments, tell me about your favorite word. And then check out the other authors on this hop by following the links.

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

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Sept 23, 2024

What’s your favorite word in the English language? Any other language?

 

Writing Rules That Are Wrong #IWSG

  By IWSG
 
 
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
 
The awesome co-hosts for the September 4 posting of the IWSG are Beth Camp, Jean Davis, Yvonne Ventresca, and PJ Colando!

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

 

September 4 question – Since it’s back to school time, let’s talk English class. What’s a writing rule you learned in school that messed you up as a writer?

I’m really lucky. Through grade school and high school, I had excellent teachers who taught a broad curriculum. We were exposed to a wide variety of literature, not only from English and American culture, but from other backgrounds as well. They started from the basics—spelling, grammar, and sentence structure,— and moved into full essays with footnotes and bibliographies. (We used the MLA format.)

The difference was apparent when I got to college. 

The essays I needed to write for the first-year courses were a breeze, compared to the requirements of my high school senior assignments. Not all my classmates felt that way, and I was thankful for my previous classes.

 

Granted, the classes were aimed mostly towards non-fiction and literature. Still, the basics apply to fiction as well. I haven’t had to unlearn anything, but there was still plenty to learn when I started writing my stories.

So, there’s nothing I learned that messed me up. I got a great foundation for future writing. I may be a rarity, but we can find out by checking out some of the other posts on this hop.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

 

Obscure Writing Tools #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

September 2, 2024

What is your most obscure and favorite work supply for writing?

I will admit, this one had me scratching my head.

The tools I use are commonplace. The basics. Pen, paper, computer. Everyday stuff. Nothing exciting there. Even opening a clean notebook isn’t thrilling to most folks.

I could talk about the landscape that inspires and supports me., the hills and back roads of Pennsylvania. I spotted a bear running across the road going to town a few days ago, and have deer wander through my yard occasionally. (Much to the detriment of whatever flowers are in bloom.) But none of those count as tools.

So, I got to thinking harder. I took a walk outside to check my hummingbird feeder and the answer hit me. I use a tool called LibreOffice for my word processing (like Microsoft Office.) It’s free and has many of the same capabilities as the Microsoft product. 

Its development was a combination of the efforts of thousands of people. The list on their web page is amazing and too long to even screen shot and post here. Historically, it branched off a previous program called OpenOffice, which was the effort of even more people. (For those who love computer stuff, it’s open source software.)

As a side note, LibreOffice is more than word processing. It has additional components that mimic the entire Microsoft Office suite. I’ve mentioned it on this blog before, so it might not be as obscure as it used to be.

I’m excited to find out what obscure tools the other authors are using. You can too, by following the links below.

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

 

September 2, 2024

What is your most obscure and favorite work supply for writing?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Pushing Publish Too Soon #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Aug 19, 2024

Have you ever regretted ‘hitting publish’ on a work realizing you could have done more or tweak something to make it an absolute banger?

It was never an issue in the Dark Ages when I wrote poetry. Back then, publishing meant sending typewritten copies on higher-quality paper by snail mail to magazines or other paper publications. If I was lucky, they’d send the copies back along with the all-too-often rejection slip in the enclosed self-addressed stamped envelope. The advent of home computers and printers made life so much easier.

I’m always excited to get new work out to my readers.

Now, getting it out ‘too soon’ is another question. With my books, they get seen by so many eyes that I’m confident in releasing them. Sure, there are always tweaks that can be made, but once a book has made it all the way through the process, I like to leave it alone. It’s like setting a butterfly free. You wish it love as it flutters away.

I made small changes to The Marquesa’s Necklace after publishing it. A reviewer mentioned a word that was overused. They were right, and the changes were easy. It didn’t change the story at all. That’s the only time I’ve changed the contents of a book after release. (Covers don’t count.)

My blog is different. I normally write it a day before releasing it. I hit the publish button for this hop just before going to bed on Sunday evenings. Then, as I drift off to sleep, I’m thinking of all the minor changes I should have made or things I could have said. If I remember them in the morning, I can easily add them. (If I remember!)

Social Media posts are different playing field.

I often regret my infrequent comments on social media. Not because of the content, but due to the frequent typos I make, that I don’t spot until after I’ve pushed the arrow. Thank heavens for the ability to edit them. But it bothers me knowing other people have seen the errors.

I work hard to keep my actual posts on social media typo-free. I wait longer and triple-check my work before I publish them. If all else fails, I’m able to delete them and start over.

How about the other authors on this hop? Do they ever regret pushing the publish button? Find out by checking out the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Aug 19, 2024

Have you ever regretted ‘hitting publish’ on a work realizing you could have done more or tweak something to make it an absolute banger?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


What Makes Me Different? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

Aug 12, 2024

Tell us the quirkiest thing about you.

What makes me stand out?

I don’t think of myself as average, despite joking regularly about how generic my looks are. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been approached and asked “Do I know you?” or “Aren’t you so-and-so’s daughter/cousin/friend?” Once I was asked by a random man if I was his ex-wife! I should have kept a scoreboard, because I don’t know how often it happened.

But that’s not quirky on my part. Nor is the fact that I didn’t touch my first computer until I was almost 40, yet I retired as a systems administrator. How about the fact that I’ve lived on both coasts? Interesting but not quirky. (It goes deeper than that. I grew up in Pennsylvania, moved to Wyoming, then to Oregon, next to Florida, back to Wyoming and ending up here in Pennsylvania.)

How about the fact that I’m an author and have published eleven books? Now we’re getting somewhere. Still, there are plenty of other writers. So, we still haven’t hit the target.

But that leads to the fact that I have a ‘trademark’ when I go to books signing events.

It’s a hat I bought years ago in a tourist shop in Estes Park, Colorado. I’ve forgotten to take my hat once, and I felt weird signing books with a bare head. People have started recognizing me by the hat.

But the quirkiest thing about me? Purple steps. I decided the perfect color for the front step of our house is purple. Now, I tell local people when they wonder where I live to look for the house with purple steps. I need to repaint them soon, but that will wait until the grandkids are back in school.

Of course, I didn’t choose the color without consulting Priscilla first. Priscilla is the name of the front half of the house. Harold is the back half. Priscilla was build in the early 1900s, and Harold was built in the 70s. Oh, and the name of the house goddess – the whole house – is Penelope. The land it sits on is Henry. Somedays, it feels as if they are siblings who get along most of the time but have occasional arguments.

So, I’ve developed a few quirks along the way.  How about the other authors on this hop? Find out by checking out the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

Aug 12, 2024

Tell us the quirkiest thing about you…

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What Does Your Pet Think? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

July 15, 2024

Kelly Williams’ dog wants to know: “Why does she spend so much time at the computer and not scratching my ears?’ What does your pet want to know? (If you don’t have a pet, feel free to make up an answer.)

I’ve always been ‘pet adjacent.’

Of all the pets we’ve had over the years, none of them have been ‘mine.’ The dogs, the cats, the birds, the fish – none of them were mine. Even if I was the one responsible for most of their care, somehow they were more attached to other family members. (Except the fish. They lived in a small pond in the yard and didn’t really care who fed them. I can only guess what they thought.)

We currently have two cats in the house. Both are my daughter’s. They ignore me most of the time, and rarely even beg for food. (They will ask my husband!) I have no clue what they think of me. So, this is strictly a figment of my imagination.

We’ll call the cats Calico (Cal) and Tuxedo (Tux). They are rarely in the same room at the same time, so this conversation takes place over long periods as they wander from one place to another.

Cal: (As they change places on the cat tree) She’s still at it.

Tux: (Stretching) Staring at those light boxes?

Cal: Yeah. Does she ever get out of her chair?

Tux: (Later) Well, she played lifeguard when the noisy little humans were taking a bath outside (playing in the pool) and scaring off the birds you like to watch.

Cal: At least she’s good for something besides cleaning up our poop.

Tux: (Curling up on the bed) She feeds everyone else.

Cal: (Later) They ate. Time to go hunt for crumbs. And chase a fly. ‘Cause she’s staring at those light boxes again.

Tux: (Licking her paws) She’ll never even notice.

That’s how I imagine it.

The cats can deal with me as long as I stay out of their way. And I can put up with them, so it’s a fair trade.

I’m looking forward to hearing from other authors’ pets. Just check the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

July 15, 2024

Kelly Williams’ dog wants to know: “Why does she spend so much time at the computer and not scratching my ears?’ What does your pet want to know? (If you don’t have a pet, feel free to make up an answer.)

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter