Open Book Blog Hop Archives - Author K. Williams

What Plans? Open Book Blog Hop #550

October 12, 2026 By Captain Maiel Leave a Comment

Topic #550

It’s only October, but stores are filling with Christmas merchandise.
Have you started to get ready for the holidays?

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Oh, wow. The leaves haven’t even fallen yet. I’m only thinking of Halloween and the fall fun. What plans? I’m a pantser. I’m not even sure I can make plans right now. It’s been super rainy and that makes my allergies spin out of control. Damn mold! I thought my head was still spinning from the rides and flight from vacation! I’m running on slow mode right now.

If I worried about the holidays too soon, my anxiety would pancake me. I’d get nowhere. However, I do shop for gifts for different holidays and birthdays throughout the year. I may get something for a loved one a year in advance, depending on what I bump into and when. I don’t hesitate when I find the perfect thing, or say I will do it later. I’ve missed out on a lot of great things by waiting. Adjusting the budget and putting off other unnecessary things is my preference.

I’ll admit, in my basement right now, there is a new Christmas decoration. Is that plans? It is a Costco buy that I stumbled upon in August. That tree was not going to be there in December if I waited (although, it is likely to be in excess now). Also, it was marked way down to mark the opening of the new store. It will add to the whimsy of my Peanuts and Seuss collection. I may put my Grinch and Max with it. Sounds good!

Other than that, not a thought about it. No plans. I will likely start to worry in November, closer to our harvest feast day at the end of the month. At that time, Mom takes us to get a real tree for her living room and our celebration. We check out the ornaments, treats, and get into the spirit. We may not do this in December. The past few years, the tree has not lasted, losing needles a few weeks before the holiday, and becoming quite fragile by the 25th.

Mom planned the meal for our gathering a couple weeks back. In addition, I did update my daughter’s wish list. I’ve been focused on planning a vacation since spring, that we just returned from this past weekend. It was HOT and poured rain nearly every day. The disappointment is subtle, because it disrupted our trick or treat night at Magic Kingdom. We were not able to see the headless horseman or the parade. Kiddo did get a big bag of candy, and her aunt gave her the one she collected with it.

Despite the rain, we managed to still have a good time. TSA stole my refillable cup when leaving, but we are home safe and made some great memories.

I wonder what plans the authors have. We can find out clicking on their links in the box below. Don’t forget to drop your email in the subscription box before you go. This way, the hop will arrive each Friday without the need to search for us. See you back here next week!

That Peaceful Easy Feeling – Open Book Blog Hop #548

September 28, 2026 By Captain Maiel 6 Comments

Topic #548

Outside the usual autumn stuff, what else does the season hold for you annually?

Autumn is apples, pie, spice, and crisp mornings and nights. The pumpkins and pumpkin tones dominate. Festivals and fun around the annual harvest run all over the hemisphere. Cozy time is here.

For some, the falling leaves create a frustrating, protracted project. Others only think of the long freezing to come. I get wistful. Something about the shift in seasons immediately cause a sehnsucht moment. If I could explain to you what this felt like, maybe the thing behind it would become apparent to me, too. It’s a puddle of longing, nostalgia, peace, joy, and sadness. The brilliant colors and the fun family activities all keep that sense going. The most poignant time is driving to my mom’s house, when the leaves left are brown and the sky is slate.

Is it a longing for my past? Could it be a epigenetic desire for something I don’t even know? If only I could tell. The bittersweet agony of it is here, another year. Could it be part of my depression? But, yet somehow I feel so much joy in it, and that causes me the pain. What a bizarre sadness, twined with the vines of joy.

As the days grow shorter, I feel more at home. Perhaps, it is tied to just that. Home. This time of year is the start of a long series of holidays. There’s a lot of memories, bubbling over with joy. From school days to the start of the New Year, that’s a lot of emotion. The longing to revisit family and friends lost to time may be that difficult thread wending it’s way through the cacophony. We can never recapture time past, just hold dear what we manage to recall. Wouldn’t it be fun to go back to being nine for a season? Watching my daughter at nine reminds me of all of those things.

This season provides me a nice reflective period. In a way, that is a harvest in itself. And, that lines up perfectly with when I find myself writing the most. Well–not right this minute, but historically. Getting into the chair is easier, and the comfort of the short days makes it last. I’m so ready for those mental adventures.

Moving from the emotional rollercoaster to the steel rollercoaster…

October, also, marks a time I love to visit one of the Disney parks. I grew up privileged to go. My parents worked their assess off for years to afford it. Being a parent myself now, it has become a goal of mine. Not only do I want to recapture the joy the parks gave me and commune with others of like mind, but I want to share that with my daughter. Let me tell you, I’ll never lose the image of her walking down the lane toward the Tea Cups and Pooh after getting all made up at the Bibbiddi Bobbidi Boutique. That was so special.

As a company, I doubt I would ever feel comfortable trusting them with my art, but I have really enjoyed the art they have produced. I fully understand why they are so iron-fisted, as protection of their brand, and a huge money maker. That has achieved a lot of good and bad. I don’t think I would treat my IP lightly either! However, in recent times, I’ve been watching the care slip. I don’t feel the imagineers or administration are as passionate at they used to be. Something changed and it is tied to greed.

Instead of fixing problems, they bury them. This is usually disguised with we’re bettering things. That is going to go about as well as when they refurbished the imagination pavilion at EPCOT turning it into a desolate shadow. Twice. Gahd help us.

Not everything needs refurbishing. Nostalgia is just as important as shiny and new. That’s what makes going back such a joy. The bittersweetness of seeing things slightly aged, but just as good, glowing in the eyes of your child cannot be replaced. When others destroy those things, you can’t revisit them. You can’t go back. The shine isn’t there. It’s incredible that this very basic thing, experienced by centuries of humans, continues to be ignored by the unwise and greedy. They talk a good game about generational fans, though. If only they heard us.

My next visit will be in the wake of removing an iconic feature. Losing Toad and Figments grand ride weighed heavily upon me. They were sorely missed. The joy never to be had again, except in memory or digging up someone’s video on YouTube. The change is too great to ignore, too. Not to mention that it sticks out between the Haunted Mansion (my favorite ride) and the new Tiana flume. My mood is already soured against what they’re putting in there–like it’s an overpriced cheap country fair.

The company has lost its ability to understand or care about the customer, and it has lost the drive to create innovative attractions. So many television screens in place of practical effects. A glut of cheap features. Shameful levels of degraded and unkempt grounds. Walt would commit murder about it. I’m glad he’s not here to see.

I still go. In fact, I’d like to check out those in other parts of the world: Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo. Still seeking that sweet feeling I remember from way back. So, that, too, explains the strange mix of emotions. Life is a rollercoaster of emotion. What can I say?

Check out the answers the other authors wrote in response to this prompt by clicking the links in the scroll box below. Before you go, add your email address to the subscription box on the top right (scroll down on your phone to find it). This will dump the hop into your inbox each Friday afternoon without searching for us. See you next time!

At The Library – Open Book Blog Hop #547

September 21, 2026 By Captain Maiel 6 Comments

Topic #547

What section of the library would we find you hanging out in?

Most of my time spent in the library, these days, is with my daughter, a nine-year-old. So you can imagine where I might be in the library. Do they have a fish tank? Is there a special event with animals? Or, is there any kind of special event?

Like her mother, my daughter likes to be in the non-fiction section doing her own bit of research. Whether that is our history or World War II history, that’s probably where you would find me. After that, I might be in the fantasy section. Correct! I write what I read.

I also really love hanging out with animals. If the library has an event with an emotional support animal or service animal, I love to check that out. Last time we went, they had one named Oatmeal that the kids could read to. That was a lot of fun for kiddo. They also had computers where she could make some art.

It’s also interesting to peruse the language manuscripts. Our library has a section for both adults and kids. The great part is we can see the cross section of cultures in our town. Delightful! It’s nice to know I can do extra studies in German and Mandarin via my own library.

I wonder where we’d find the other authors? Click their links in the scroll box to find out! Before you go, drop your email in the subscribe box on the top right (scroll down if you’re on your phone). The hope is that will arrive each Friday in your inbox without the need to search.

Hearing that Takes me Back – Open Book Blog Hop #546

September 14, 2026 By Captain Maiel 6 Comments

Topic #546

Setting music aside, describe some of your favorite sounds.

Sound is a powerful sense that can affect the human brain in numerous ways. The trend of ASMR took off because people respond well to sound. I mean, look at how much we enjoy music! Of course other sounds matter to us and cause ripples of emotion and memories, too. What a trigger! And, that’s not a bad thing.

The warm, comforting warble of a house wren takes me back to my childhood, napping in my room on a lazy Saturday afternoon, or just waking late in the morning. My parents had a little bird house at the end of the clothes line that these little guys used to build a nest in every year. They’re the sweetest little things and their song is matches that sweetness. An Irish symbol of poets and writers, it seems so apropos for me to have them right outside my window trilling me awake and comforting me. Are they here because of ancestors?

While we’re on the topic, to bolster the power of the wren song is the notable blue jay. Their squeaky wheel call comes hand in glove with that time, too. Whenever I was out enjoying a nice day, a jay would be nearby calling and just looking so lovely in their blue feathers. Did you know they’re in the corvid family? They are! So that tracks for me, along with the wren. Corvids are a strong favorite, and their calls warm my heart. Ravens and crows remind me of my excursions through the woods, the time I rescued one, and me trying to befriend them all. They are smart cookies and I miss having a flock of them to join my walks.

Another bird who I am obsessed with: the peafowl. Love it! The call is somewhere between a goose and a lady calling for assistance.

A napping dog who is having a dream fills my heart and soul with such warmth, I can’t tell you. It’s a lot of feelings. The other night, Fionn sleep barked, waking me from my near sleep. I patted and consoled him and drifted back off a content human. It feels like everything is right in the world when this happens. The same for the warm ripples of a kitty purr. Those little motors run me right off to sleep. If it weren’t for my Siamese back in 2001, I’d have not made it to 2026. The purr is lifesaving sound.

Let’s see what else brings peace, as we continue on. Dog tags tinkling as a dog moves around. A dog munching on a potato chip–cronch cronch cronch. A fun cartoon playing in the background, with all those foley works.

The soft to medium breath of wind and a stiff rain are relaxing sounds I enjoy, having lived and grown up in the countryside. Thunderstorms are a top sound which I find relax me to sleep. Very sexy. The soft hiss of a fire or the falling snow is another peaceful, meditative sound. Of course, that brings up such clear memories.

The rural childhood I enjoyed also provided the delicate white noise of the spring peeper, like a little alarm going off in the distance. On that same note, the distant train whistle and machinery carrying over the wind from miles away is a favorite night time relaxer. A warm rumble hum of a small plane is quintessential summer.

Let’s not pretend that all our favorite noises are peaceful, either.

While this might be a noisy one, it is filled with nostalgia. American Football has a number of sounds to delight the ear: whistles, crowd chatter and cheers, the calls of the quarterback, the announcer, celebrations, helmets cracking, bands… so much to hear. It sounds like fall at home. It’s just missing my mom calling the current NY Giants quarterback an f— idiot. Hahahaha! She so gets into it. A lot of fun memories around football.

Other noisy things…

virginia zoo peacock, (c) K. Williams — Photo by K.Williams – Virginia Zoo

Donkeys. No notes.

Every single sound in the Haunted Mansion is my favorite, too. Enough said on that. I made a cd out of the video that I linked and will literally watch it like a movie. Bob Gurr (he designed the doom buggy) and team did a fantastic job. No notes.

Things I like for a short stint and the right context (because horrifying at the wrong time): hum of a fish tank filter, and the bubbling of the water return. Tippy taps of feet (children or pets). Babies–their cries or chatter have always warmed my heart, but yeah, it can overwhelm the best of us if gone on too long. I must have gone through a CIA dark site to be able to endure.

I am also a fan of EDM. so…

What I hate: running water (sink of bathroom faucet, tub–anxiety inducing), footsteps while I am sleeping, car alarms, alarm clocks, asmr whispers, baby talk from adults to other adults (like on customer service calls).

Find out what the other authors said on their posts by clicking the links in the scroll box below. Don’t forget to subscribe before you go. The hop will land in your inbox every Friday without the need to search for us. See you next time!

Acting Out – Open Book Blog Hop #545

September 7, 2026 By Captain Maiel 6 Comments

Topic #545

Do you ever act out your scenes to immerse yourself and test them out, to be sure they really work?

Being multi-faceted as an author makes you a stronger writer. Don’t mistake that that means you have to be as good at the other things as you are at writing to make it matter. That is far from the truth. You can be the shittiest cabinet maker in execution, but if you know about the tools and the steps, and that ends up in your writing, then the authenticity is upped several notches. The same is true for those writing crime. No one is asking you to be a real dragon handler, however. There are things equivalent that can feed into the understanding of how handling reptiles would really go. If you love dragons, I’d be surprised you wouldn’t want a beardy.

girl on a mountain road with a map — ^{Photo by Daniel Gonzalez on Unsplash}

Writing what you know also means testing out your knowledge. Playwrights and screen writers both have a duty to examine their writing in the context of playing it out, so I am familiar with this tool. Most will think, oh, no, I’m not doing that! I’m no actor. You don’t have to be an actor. Do you have a way to record yourself (that nice phone, or laptop)? Read your chapter and play it back to yourself. You’re not just proofing when you do this. The writer should listen to make sure this makes sense.

Try it on!–In other words.

Do you write scenes where a character may attempt to shimmy through a window? Is there a sword fight or fist fight? Honestly, you should get out of that chair every hour to get the blood flowing again anyway. So stand up, parry and thrust that pencil. Get a Halloween costume sword if it makes you feel less silly. Make people question your sanity this way, not on the page. Because, trust me, they will question what you were thinking if that scene doesn’t read right. If you don’t try the shirt on, how can you be certain it fits?

Writers are already thought of as odd ducks. Don’t disappoint the onlookers. Not only will you get some movement in, you’ll have a little fun. The best part is, you’ll know that the movements you write down work!

Actors often talk about how writers don’t seem to get that the scenes they write don’t work in action. You don’t have to be writing plays or movies to write a scene that works for both. The more visually accurate your writing, the better your story will read for the audience. Don’t let not being an actor intimidate you. It doesn’t take performance skills to test your theories. Just get up and walk through it. You’ll honestly prefer feeling goofy over proven dense. None of us wants that for ourselves. If you can prevent embarrassment over something you wrote, do so.

Read More:
Writing Tips from an Actor
Book Fox

You won’t be alone in feeling uncomfortable with such exercises. We’re authors not actors. Still, it is a worthwhile exercise. Read your dialogue out loud, record it, and play it back. Get out of your chair and walkthrough scenes with movements, determine what is necessary and what is too much, or just wrong.

Other things you can do around this is watch movement videos for actors (expressions/body). You can watch fencing/swordplay instructional videos, or the like for other forms of combat if this comes into play. Read about care and behavior for animals (similar animals if you write fantasy). Research isn’t just about historical timelines. Research also encompasses the way someone puts their outfit together, loads a pistol/gun/musket, and how they care(d) for animals. Historically, people even carried their bodies in a way that is relevant to a scene due to multiple factors (shoes, dress, paving, social expectations).

Do I do this? I have been know to do this. All of this. It’s really important to think from the perspective of an actor, because that is closer to real life, in the head of a reader. If a scene fumbles in the head clearly, tangles up, the reader can’t see it. It will tire them and that annoys them. Do these exercises to gain an easy win for your writing. If movement is hard for you, do the best you can or ask a friend to help. It really is worth it!

To see what the other authors have to say about this week’s topic, click on their links in the scroll box below. Before you go, subscribe by dropping your email in the box on the top right. The hop will arrive Friday afternoons (EST) to your inbox without the need to search us out. See you next time!