Okay so it looks like I fell off the planet. Promise - I'm still here. The last four years have been ... hard. There's no other word for it. Everything is fine. I'm fine, but I've been the caregiver of my mom who has Dementia. Between her needs, work, etc I seem to have lost control of my time. I am still writing and am trying hard to get back to my blog.

In case you weren't aware Phaze and HSWF which where under the Mundania Umbrella have closed. I was smart enough to get my titles back before all this happened. I'm happy to say the three books I sold to HSWF have been picked up by Melange Books and are available through their Satin Books imprint. I have even sold a new title to them called Magical Quest due out in 2022

I have also been lucky enough to find a publisher for my Vespian Way series. I'm now with Blushing Books under the name of Bethany Drake. I have five titles out with them right now and am close to submitting two more. There's Desire's Destiny, Desire's Duty and Desire's Promise. Then there is two in my werewolf series, Tears of the Queen and Legend of the Tears. I have just finished the rough draft of the third book in the series and have plans for a fourth one the moment I submit it.

I'll probably still be sporadic here on the blog. Unless I win the lottery and can hire someone to help me I can't avoid it, but know I'm still here still working hard in the background and am hoping to do better at keeping my blog alive.

Barb:)



Saturday, November 1, 2014

Welcome My Latest Guest: P.J. MacLayne!

I want to welcome P.J. MacLayne. First I’d love you to introduce yourself.

I'm a geek by day and a writer by night. I fell in love with the Rocky Mountains years ago, and although I've lived in various parts of the United States, I've finally come back to them.

Tell us about your latest release.

The Marquesa's Necklace started off as a romance but quickly turned into a cozy mystery.  I'm better at writing adventure than emotions, but mixing the two is great fun. It's set in an imaginary small town somewhere north of Pittsburgh and it feels like home to me because I grew up in that area.
Now I have a few questions for you – I have found readers do like to know fun things about us writers.

1.) Who is your favorite villain – it can be from a book (even one of yours), movie or TV show. And why?
Favorite villain? That's a tough one. I really appreciate some of the classic James Bond villains. If I had to pick one it would be Dr. Julius No not only for his dastardly plan but for the manner in which he dies, buried under a pile of guano.

2.) Who is your favorite character out of your books? Why?
I think that my favorite book is whatever I'm in the middle of writing, and my current favorite character is Harmony Duprie, the main character in The Marquesa's Necklace as well as my work in progress. I like her so much that her story has become a series. She's strong, independent, smart and feisty but still capable of making bad decisions.

3.) What do genre do you write? What made you pick that one?
I'm currently writing cozy mysteries. I wouldn't say I picked that genre, but rather that it picked me. It gives me the chance to mix adventure with real-life situations. Plus, I like figuring out both the mystery as well as the solution.

4.) What are you working on now?
My work in progress in tentatively titled Her Ladyship's Ring, and is the second in the Oak Grove series. I get Harmony into even more trouble than I did in the first book.

5.) What got you to start writing?
In sixth grade I was recognized for an essay I wrote about the Mafia. I got an award for a historical essay I wrote in eighth grade. In high school I became more interested in poetry, and I've had some poetry published over the years. A few years ago, I got the idea for a love story that I just couldn't shape into poetry. That book got written, but it's not good enough to publish, so it'll sit in a computer file until I decide whether or not to revise it. In the meantime, each book I've written has improved my ability to tell a story.

6.) Where do you get your ideas from?
My mother would like to know the same thing. In truth, I rarely remember my dreams, but when I do, they often hold the basis for a story.  And I like to observe people and try and figure them out. Other than that, I have a very active imagination.

7.) What would people who read your work be surprised to find out about you?
Which of my deep, dark secrets do I want to reveal? Although I am currently employed in IT, I didn't touch my first computer until I was over thirty years old.

8.) Do you have any special talents?
I needlepoint and I'm pretty good at it. It isn't that hard, but not very many people do it anymore.

9.) What was the one piece of advice you received when you were an aspiring author that has stuck with you? Why?
Write. Even if it's bad.   Why? Because you'll never get any better if you don't even try.

10.) If you could talk to any famous figure (present, past or fictional) who would it be and what would you talk about?
John Denver. I'd like to thank him. He's the reason I moved from Pennsylvania to the West and met my husband.

11.) What song would you say describes your life?
That's easy- Rocky Mountain High.

12.) If you could come back as any animal – what would it be?
I'd have to pick between a wolf and a dragonfly. Now technically, a dragonfly is not an animal, but I've always loved the way their wings shimmer in the sunshine. I've been known to rescue them from inside a building by getting them to land on me and taking them back outside. And the wolf because the first book I published was a paranormal romance titled Wolves' Pawn.





Blurb for The Marquesa's Neckace by P.J. MacLayne

Harmony Duprie enjoyed her well-ordered life in the quiet little town of Oak Grove—until her arrest for drug trafficking. Cleared of all charges, she wants nothing more than to return to the uneventful lifestyle of a historical researcher she once savored.

But when her beloved old car “George” is stolen and explodes into a ball of flames, it sets off a series of events that throws her plans into turmoil. Toss in a police detective that may or may not be interested in her, an attractive but mysterious stranger on her trail, and an ex-boyfriend doing time, and Harmony’s life freefalls into a downward spiral of chaos.

Now she has to use her research skills to figure out who is behind the sinister incidents plaguing her, and why. And she better take it seriously, like her life depends upon finding the right answers.

Because it might.

Buy Links:



http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-marquesa-s-necklace


Media Links: Facebook: https://facebook.com/pjmaclayne
            Twitter      https://twitter.com/pjmaclayne
            Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/P.J.-MacLayne/e/B00HVE8WZI


3 comments:

  1. Thanks for letting me drop by today, Barbara.

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  2. You're welcome - thanks for putting up with my questions!

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  3. Hello P.J., I also love the mountains and John Denver. Good luck with the book.

    ReplyDelete