I'm participating in my first-ever actual Event on Facebook! The Fantastical Reads Event starts Feb. 1, continues through Feb. 8 and features giveaways and the opportunity to meet up with a great group of writers. I feel like I'm in stellar company with the likes of M.E. Lord, Elise Stokes, David C. Cassidy ... eight writers in all with an awesome lineup of books.

I'll be giving away free copies of all four of the books in my Portals urban fantasy/detective/light romance series: two copies of Shadow Path, featured on the poster. One copy each of Stormcaller and Deathtalker, books 2 and 3 in the series. And two copies of Sister Hoods, book 4 in the series, released just last fall. In addition, Sister Hoods - which is currently priced at $5.99 - will be available for $4.99 next week.

My hope is that, during the coming week, I'll be able to host some of my fellow-
Fantastical Reads authors here on my blog, and post excerpts from their featured books. If you'd like to see what the event's all about, here's a link: https://www.facebook.com/events/205889079615386/208999475971013/ (At least I hope it will work; as my friends already know, I'm notoriously low-tech and inept about this stuff ...)

But I am hugely jazzed about this event, and it's exciting for me just to be among these folks! So I hope you'll stop by (or find us, if that link doesn't work). Just remember
Feb. 1-8, and check us out!

Here it is! I am soooo excited! The new
cover for the new Sister Hoods!

 Have I mentioned how excited I am?

If you've already read the print version of
Sister Hoods, I hope you'll get the ebook, because … well, there are changes. Especially in the relationship between Kat Morales, the human cop, and Tevis, her elf partner.

The ending of the book has changed too. So if you haven't read the print version, I'm hoping you'll get the ebook instead.

I had my fingers crossed when I sent the revised manuscript to my publisher – Studio See Publishing LLC, by the way – but thank
God, she understands me. When I told her I was making changes, she laughed and said, “Okay.”

And … She loves the new Sister Hoods! So do some readers who have already received “sneak previews” of Sister Hoods, the ebook.

 A sampling from the book's first three reviews:

“Between the front and back cover, you'll find intrigue, love, and a mix that makes for believable interactions between humans and magical creatures. The logical but surprising conclusion will leave you feeling emotionally full on a feast of fantasy.” - Jean Kilczer

“This is a very enjoyable read with lots of plot twists and surprises. Still, the growth and development of the characters is the best part of the story. This book is fantasy adventure done right!” - Linda Walker

 “I am not going to go into great detail, because I do not want to give away any spoilers. One of the things I love about P.L. Blair’s writing is her ability to transport me into her worlds. I am so immersed in the story that at times I have to shake myself to remind me
that I am in this mundane world.” - Ch'kara SilverWolf

My thanks to these three lovely ladies, authors themselves as well as regular reviewers for Amazon, who took time from their own busy schedules to read Sister Hoods in manuscript form.

 Ummm … Have I mentioned that I'm excited?

Okay … yes … I am excited. I have the release
date from my publisher for the ebook version Sister Hoods – book 4 in my
Portals urban fantasy/detective/romance series. October 31 – Halloween! I love
it!

A “few” details remain to be completed. My
publisher – Studio See Publishing LLC – is still working on cover art. Fortunately, she's still amused by me calling her every single day to ask, “Is it ready yet?”

I have a very understanding publisher. She
realizes that I am at least borderline OCD as well as weird, and that I am turning into a puddle of anxiety as the release date draws closer …

Heck, she was even okay with me making some significant changes between Sister Hoods, the ebook, and Sister Hoods, the print version – including a new ending … And, by the way, if you've read the print version, I hope you'll get the ebook because it changes
the dynamics a lot between my main characters, human Kat Morales and her elf partner, Tevis.

 And – just a hint – here's the blurb from the upcoming Sister Hoods:

A bank robbery in Rockport, Texas, sends Corpus Christi police detective Kat Morales and her elf partner, Tevis, in pursuit of a band of nymphs and satyrs. The answer to their initial question – why nymphs and satyrs would rob a bank – only leads them into a deeper mystery in an enchanted woodland on the South Texas coast. And while he and Kat try to save the woods from an evil wizard and a deadly wyvern, Tevis finds himself engaged in a personal struggle with potentially disastrous consequences: He is deeply,
irrevocably in love with his partner …

So … coming Oct. 31 – Halloween – to a Kindle and Nook near you … Sister Hoods, the ebook.

One of the banes of writing is the dread Writer's Block. That point at which everything in your book comes to a screeching halt while you struggle with the terrifying question:

 What Comes Next?

On those occasions when I hit the end of a scene – and find myself wondering where to go from there – I frequently turn to my
villain and ask, “What are you doing?”

Especially in my Portals books – a mix of urban fantasy with police procedural with romance – a lot of the plot is action/reaction. A crime is committed. My main characters, Kat Morales, her elf sidekick Tevis and their allies, step in to investigate. The perpetrator moves on to whatever he/she intends to do next …

For me, knowing what the villain – the antagonist – is doing is as critical as knowing what my protagonists are up to.

You don't have to write scenes from your antagonist's point of view – although I've done that in my more recent Portals books, and it can be a heap o' fun! But … I think … you need to have an idea of what that individual is doing, and whether you can use his/her
actions to bring your protagonists either closer to enlightenment or deeper into a swamp of confusion.

I'm a pantser in my writing style: I get a flash of an image in my head, a bare germ of an idea, and I sit down and start writing chapter 1. But at some point past that first burst of writing energy, I start thinking about the back story. Why has this happened? Who is the perp? I start getting a handle on the villain.

Sometimes that isn't immediately obvious. Sister Hoods, book 4 of my series – soon to be released as an ebook – starts with a bank robbery committed by a band of Nymphs and Satyrs. That leads to the question of why Nymphs and Satyrs would rob a bank …

And that leads to the discovery (yeah, us pantsers have to learn these things the same way as our readers) that the Nymphs and Satyrs aren't, in fact, the villains. They're just trying to save their home …

 That brings up the question of who the real villain is, and what he's after …

For me, the plot of a book is a kind of dance, all of the characters revolving around each other in moves that can be as deceptively simple as a waltz, as intricate as a ballet, or a complicated mix of steps that pull first one way, then another. Sometimes the dancers move seemingly independent of each other, but they are always bound to one another,
their position on stage dictated in part by their relationship to the other dancers.

 That's what helps me when I get stuck in a plot. What's the villain up to? The answer nearly always leads to new discoveries.

  As the frog said to his friends, Time's sure fun when you're having flies.

Well, time has definitely gotten away from me the past couple of weeks, and I'm not sure yet whether I've got a good handle on the situation.

But there's good stuff happening!

I'm wearing a new hat these days – not instead of but in addition to my book-writing. I'm back doing reporter-type stuff for a new online publication …

The Sheridan Scene (http://www.thesheridanscene.com), currently Internet-only, focuses on the city of Sheridan, Wyoming – where I've lived for more than 25 years. It's a mini-newspaper/news blog (with some opinion pieces as well) aimed at providing comprehensive news coverage online (and, so far, free) for residents of Sheridan County, Wyoming – including the city of Sheridan, towns of Dayton, Ranchester and Clearmont, and points in between.

In the meantime, Studio See Publishing LLC – publisher of my Portals urban fantasy/suspense series – has commissioned new photos for my book covers. Over time (but hopefully soon), all of the books will have new covers that tie the series together. (Boy am I awaiting those!!!!)

As soon as my publisher gives permission, I will start revealing some of the new cover images.

I'm also plugging away at rewriting Sister Hoods, book 4 in the series, for ebook release. The rewrite is a significant revamp of the print version, so if you've already read the print version – be prepared for some major changes.

The first three books in the series – Shadow Path, Stormcaller and Deathtalker – have all been well-received (got some pretty decent reviews), so I'm happy about that.

And … just for the fun of it … today I've posted a photo of my “jackrabbit terror” – one of the trio of furry K-9 kids that I share my life with.