 Welcome to Matter of Inquiry! This week’s guest author interview features PJ MacLayne and her suspense/action novel, The Rise of Jake Hennessey, a Harmony Duprie Story. Why don’t we begin, PJ, by telling readers something about you?  Bio: Less than a year ago, I retired from my day job and moved halfway across the US, and am back in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, which has given me the background for most of my books. I am the author of the six The Harmony Duprie Mysteries, as well as the companion stories, The Fall of Jake Hennessey and The Rise of Jake Hennessey. I have also written The Free Wolves urban fantasy books. Tell us something that isn't in your regular bio: “I don’t wear makeup. Currently, I don’t even own any. I used to occasionally wear eyeshadow, mascara and blush, but that’s it. I’ve never owned foundation. The closest thing I have to makeup is clear lip gloss for my chapped lips. Makes my morning routine simple!” You can find PJ on various social media sites. Website: https://pjmaclayne.com Facebook https://facebook.com/pjmaclayne Twitter https://twitter.com/pjmaclayne Amazon http://www.amazon.com/P.J.-MacLayne/e/B00HVE8WZI BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/p-j-maclayne Newsletter http://eepurl.com/cL73Cz Instagram: https://instagram.com/p.j.maclayne INTERVIEW: JLB: Why did you choose writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job? PJ: I didn’t choose writing as a career-it chose me. I wrote essays back in the dark ages when I was in high school, as well as poetry. I’ve never attempted to support myself from my writing and have had a variety of other jobs. Now that I’ve retired, I still don’t write full-time. JLB: What inspired your featured book? PJ: Jake Hennessey started as a background character in the Harmony Duprie stories. In fact, he was barely mentioned in the first book. Once he made an appearance in the second book, Her Ladyship’s ring,, he wouldn’t let me write him out of the series. (And I tried!) Still, he never revealed his whole story, no matter how hard I tried to figure him out. But once I was done with the mystery series and was ready to start something new, he butted in and said it was his turn. That resulted in The Fall of Jake Hennessey, a prequel to the Harmony Duprie stories, and The Rise of Jake Hennessey, a sequel. I have to give credit to a former co-worker, Jenny. She was always a fan of Jake, and I wrote the books partly to give her the story she wanted. JLB: Do you use critique groups or beta readers? Do you find them valuable? PJ: I use an on-line critique group, Critique Circle, and I find it to be a great resource. Getting feedback from a variety of other authors helps me find plot holes and weak spots in my stories, as well as pointing out what works well for readers. The downfall is that you don’t always get the same people following the story the whole way through. JLB: Do you write from an outline? PJ: I am totally a pantser- I start with a beginning and end in mind, and discover the middle. My stories are driven by the characters and I make changes at their insistence. I’ve made major changes in my stories based on arguments I’ve had with my characters. JLB: How many drafts (revision passes) do you do on a typical book before submission to your editor/publisher? PJ: I usually do at least three drafts before sending it to my editor, and two after. (Including the changes my editor suggests.) My last revision is having the draft read to me by my computer in a monotone computer voice. JLB: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date? PJ: I’m working on a female PI story set in Pittsburgh, PA in the early 1980’s. That was the beginning of the digital age and the end of the steel mills in the area. It’s a much grittier tale than my previous mysteries and I am trying to make the background as realistic as possible. I don’t have a release date set yet, but I’m going to give it as much time as it needs. JLB: Which of the trivia questions did you choose to answer? PJ:
JLB: Thank you for visiting with us PJ. Before you go, please tell readers about The Rise of Jake Hennessey.  The Rise of Jake Hennessey Genre: suspense/action For 22 years, semi-retired jewel thief Jake Hennessey honored his promise to stay away from Harmony Duprie. He has no plans to change that... until Special Agent Doan Houck saunters into Jake's bar, claiming Harmony's life is in danger. She's not the only one in jeopardy. Jake is run over by a motorcycle and is the target of a drive-by shooting. He doesn't know who to trust. Not the feds Not the local cops. Not even Harmony. But Jake will do anything to protect his ex-lover. Even if it means matching wits with an FBI agent, revealing old secrets, or ending up in prison. Again. If it comes down to saving his life or Harmony's, there is no choice at all. Buy Links Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C59KDNNW Nook (B&N): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143484076?ean=2940161154397 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-rise-of-jake-hennessey Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id6449169609 Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/mdX7jE |
AuthorJ L Buck writes in the mystery genre, currenty enthralled with Regency-era England. She is multi-published in paranormal 
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