Pauline Baird Jones's Blog

My blog post about the book Becoming a Writer, called Daring to Act on Your Dreams sparked a small, comments discussion about fear, that prompted me to recall a wonderful essay on the subject called “Fear, I Embrace You” by Louise Plummer. ( Thoughts of a Grasshopper , p. 71)
I can’t recall when I first read this essay. I know it was first given as a speech at a women’s conference held at BYU. Thoughts of a Grasshopper, which includes the essay, was published in 1992, so it’s been a while and yet I can still recall parts of it when fear rears its ugly head in my life. The other essays in the book are fun, but even if all you read is “Fear, I Embrace You,” it’s worth the modest price for a used copy of this out of print book (.01 plus shipping). 
Plummer begins the essay talking about dreams, which is appropriate, because it is our dreams that fear seeks to kill. Plummer notes that “These dreams were my vision of a creative life.” Then she asks the question, “What keeps us from making our mark?” 
She goes on to summarize the story of Icarus and Daedalus who were prisoners inside the labyrinth. In order to escape, they made wings using wax to bind them together. They flew into the sky, but Icarus flew too close to the sun, his wax melted and he fell to his death. It was often used as cautionary tale about not heeding the advice of the wise. 
Plummer shares part of a poem called “To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph,” a poem that “focuses on the exhilaration of flight and not the fall.” 
Who cares that he fell back to the sea? See him acclaiming the sun and come plunging down while his sensible daddy goes straight into town.”         (The Complete Poems [Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1981], 53)
Plummer goes on to point out that sometimes the creative dreams scare those who love us, that we fear they will “melt [their] wax and fall into the...lake.”
Plummer points out that much of the risk of living creatively, of making our mark only “feels life threatening. The risk is not death but disapproval...humiliation feels as scary as drowning.” In the essay, she details her fight to overcome fear and make her mark. It’s very inspiring and I love that she admits that she is still afraid; that she has learned that limiting herself “is more like drowning in an ocean than confronting fear...” 
She writes: “Fear does not kill; it only gives you diarrhea....the really big fear makes me gag, or worse, throw up. I have lived through that, too, and...it’s good for weight control. Fear, I have to realize is my companion for life, and I embrace her. Fear has become the force that drives my creative energy.” 
And at the end, she points out that when she is living the life she wants to live, she can allow others to live theirs. She doesn’t need to control or manipulate them into fulfilling some dream that she can’t fulfill herself. 
Thanks to Plummer, when I feel fear rise inside me, I remind myself that it only feels like dying--that it isn’t actual death. That my dreams are worth the fear. I’m lucky that I’ve had the support of my family and many friends who cheer me on, but when I face the fear beast (in my case, the blank page of a new book or attending a new convention or sending a book out for those first reviews), that the cheering helps but I have to do it myself. No one can make my dreams happen for me. 
So, fear. What are your thoughts on the subject? What's inspired you? Kept you pushing forward? And to show my thanks, anyone who comments on a blog post in the month of May will be entered into a drawing for a $10 gift card from AnaBanana's Bath & Body Treats. 

Perilously,Pauline
Pauline Baird Jones still has to fight fear and yeah, it sometimes makes her sick, but she remembers Icarus and straps on the figurative wax wings, then opens up a file and starts making things up. Hey, its scary! To find our more about her you can visit www.paulinebjones.com There be book there. Brave books about brave people. 

I was sure I'd never, ever forget a single moment of my journey to becoming a "real" writer. Oh, there are things I do remember, like the very, very first encouraging letter. It was sent to me by an actual theater creative director and he said that "...one can appreciate the playwright's word choices..."

He called me a playwright. I still feel the sense of wonder at that moment of "realness." He also commented on my characterization. It was a confidence boost I needed right then. I pinned it to my bulletin board, where I could look at it when needed that boost again. That letter carried me over a lot of rejections.

Box of memoriesLike the one from Playgirl Magazine. I expected the rejection, but was hoping for a more interesting letter. You can't imagine my disappointment when it arrived rigorously bland. Okay, I should have expected it, but if I ran an,,,interesting magazine, I'd make sure the rejection letters were more fun. (grin)

I remember the highs and the lows of the last, well, let's just say its a lot of years, but what actually prompted this blog post wasn't the things I remember. I pulled out an old box filled with research material for my Lonesome Lawmen books, thinking I'd do a blog post on something from it. Wow. Take a gander at the now useless floppy disk and, yeah, that is a video tape. It's a tape of the hubby filming the environs of my story for me (and almost getting arrested, which is another blog post).

It was also my first book nominated for a reviewer's choice award!No, this is a blog post about the things you forget when pushing toward a goal. It's easy to compare out progress to others and I'm as guilty as this anyone else. When you divide the number of years I've been writing by the number of published books, well, it is easy to feel like, not a failure exactly, but like I haven't reached the goal posts I'd eyed up when I admitted that I wasn't going to settle for being a writer. I wanted to be an author. And yeah, I wanted to be a famous, best-selling author, because who doesn't want that? But if you're in the business, you know there's a strong line of defense guarding those goal posts, even with all the recent changes in publishing.

So I'm sitting at, say the 50 yard line in publishing, and the seventy-five yard line in my life (not my age, it's a metaphor, okay?), thinking I could have done more, written more--run through those goal posts while I could still run. (I'm not at the point of tottering, but I have an agreement with gravity. I won't run and it won't cause things to jiggle.) So I'm feeling a bit...contemplative and then I opened this box to my writing past.

It wasn't all of my adventures in publishing, but diving into the box reminded me of those early inches and feet and yards I gained during those first years.

Out of the box I pulled first reviews for that first release, articles by me and about my work, contest announcements, information shared, networking, early promotion efforts, conferences attended, play scripts, movie scripts, and rough drafts. Well, if my adventures were a football field, that first half of the field showed a lot of movement as I learned the craft of writing, the business of writing, and built my support network.

I met some amazing people during these early days in my adventures in publishing, learned so much from them. It really helps to have a team moving in the same direction you want to go, players willing to share what they are learning with the people behind you. 
As I was rummaging through my boxes of memories, I also happened on this poster, made by son.  I'm not sure how old he was when he made this ad for me, since I neglected to add a date, but he wasn't very old. What you probably can't read is the penciled in details on the left. It reads "she is capable of making web pages, flyers, logos and much more." (The phone number no longer works, btw.) He rather over estimated my skills and I can't remember if he posted it anywhere. (This same son is now making an app of one of my books. My how times change!) But he was part of my cheering section, which includes my husband and wider family. The photos in the blog post aren't pin worthy and they are only of interest to me. Not even sure my kids would be that interested. I try not to make my blog posts all about me, because I know that writing books doesn't make a person interesting. I do know that this little trip into the past has been good for me. I didn't find everything that I began to remember from those early years, but I also didn't find anything I regret. I wasn't perfect on this journey, but I did my best and that's all anyone can hope.
And for you, dear readers, I hope that maybe this blog post will get you thinking, maybe wondering about the events in your life that you were sure you'd never forget. Is there a box of memories somewhere in your house? Or maybe you just need to rummage through your memory. Don't spend a lot of time at it, but do make sure that you're heading where you want to be, doing the things you love with the people who matter the most. And be sure to note your progress, because its easy to forget how far we've come if we don't look back every now and again.And if something bubbles to the surface, I'd love it if you'd share it. And to show my thanks, anyone who comments on one of my blog posts in the month of May will be entered into a drawing for a $10 gift card from AnaBanana's Bath & Body Treats. 


Perilously,Pauline
Pauline Baird Jones found more than memories in that box. Holy cow some of that stuff was a long time ago! She's been writing longer than she realized! To find out more about her and her adventures in reading and writing, visit www.paulinebjones.com 
My first published novel and first finished novel. :-)

I wanted to thank everyone who stopped by for the LDS Author Blog Hop. It was a lot of fun and I very much enjoyed the comments and was happy to let visitors know that yes, The Moonspinners is both a movie and a book! :-)

Now (drum roll) the winner of the digital edition of Out of Time is:

Books are Sanity
I have emailed my winner and hope she'll enjoy reading the book!
Remember that ALL comments in May count toward the $10 AnaBanana Gift Card drawing. That winner will be announced ONLY here in my June 4th blog post. (I don't have access to email addresses of visitors.)


Perilously,Pauline
Pauline Baird Jones is both an author and a huge fan of AnaBanana Bath & Body Treats. You can find out more about AnaBanana here. To find out about Pauline, visit www.paulinebjones.com

I was so thrilled to be picked out for this award by two wonderful bloggers, Sabrina Garie. Meet Sabrina:

Characters and worlds burst into my head demanding life. So I write, because life should be lived. Fueled by coffee. Love my kid. Wine helps.


How fun is that? And she managed to survive the A to Z Challenge, which I didn't even attempt! I'd urge you to click over and get to know this talented lady and not just because she honored me. :-)


And I was also nominated by Missy Frye. Meet Missy:  


Missy Frye began her writing career with a movie review column titled Cinematic Discoveries, which focused on independent and lesser known films. Now she writes fiction. 


She's done some recent blogs on goal setting and how to inject personality into your blog posts. She also does Six Sentence Sunday, which I have also wimped out on trying. 


As part of receiving this award, you are asked to share seven things about yourself and pass the award along to 15 bloggers that you read and admire. 


So, without further fanfare, here are seven things about me: 


1. I'm a wife of 37 years and mother of, well, four or five, depending on how you count them and whether you count the legal kids or the ones we just keep because we love them.


http://tinyhouseblog.com/2. I'm a hermit. It's not that I dislike people, but I'm an introvert, I'm basically shy, and a writer, so I tend to keep my head down and only pop out when I have to (or when lured from hiding by family or friends). Though I'm not quite ready for a tiny house. Not sure there is enough plumbing there to satisfy me.


3. Yeah, I like plumbing, though it has to be working. My dream, hermit house would have a really cool shower designed by Candace Olsen of HGTV. My characters in my books like plumbing, too, at least the smart ones. 


4. I like chocolate, donuts and Diet Dr. Pepper. And bacon. Need something salty to cut the sweet. 


5. I'm short and I can't seem to let it go. 


6. Almost the only time I got in trouble in school was for trying to read novels behind my textbooks. I love, love, love books. And I love writing my novels. 


7. I may be old, but I LOVE technology. I've built or rebuilt several desktop computers and I know just enough to be dangerous to my technology. I adopted digital reading in 1998 when I was one of very small band of digital readers/authors. I was one of those pioneers with an arrow in my back. 


Whew! I do not really like typing about me. If I were that interesting I most likely wouldn't be writing novels because I'd be out doing interesting things. Okay, on to next party of the meme. 


Here are fifteen bloggers, in no particular order, who I think are worth your attention as interesting and versatile bloggers:


1. Marlene Harris of Reading Reality - This librarian saw a need to highlight reviews by often overlooked digital presses AND she likes science fiction romance. Nuff said. 


2. Heather Massey of The Galaxy Express - Adventures in Science Fiction Romance is the tagline, but there's so much more here for the science geek.


3-6. Laurie A. Green, Donna S. Frelick, Sharon Lynn Fisher, and Pippa Jay  of The Spacefreighters Lounge  - this quartet brings to the blog an interesting mix of information and humor brings you a discussion of the "past, present and future." 


7. Veronica Sicoe - I only recently discovered this blog by "science-fiction writer with a penchant for aliens of all shapes and sizes" who has a "deep fascination for theoretical physics and applied psychology." What you get is thoughtful, entertaining posts and sometimes LOL artwork. 


8. Lorijo Metz, the scifiwritermom blogs here about books and things that engage her interest.  You have to click over to her website, too. It's a total hoot. 


9. Jaleta Clegg  and The Far Edge of Normal - She describes her blog as the "ramblngs of a deranged author" and "invites readers to "come enjoy the semi-insanity. She does book reviews, author interviews, recipes (yay), and the "occasional philosophical rant." 


10. Susan Whitfield - Susan is one of the most generous and giving authors I know. She uses her blog to interview authors and put together Killer Recipes, a cook book where all the proceeds go to charity. 


11. Garland and Gould - Funniest author interviews ever. Ever. Did I mention they are funny?


12. Natalie Hartford  and Life Out Loud blog - If you haven't discovered Natalie, you're missing out.  I don't know which is better, her Twisted Tuesdays or Urban Word Wednesday. I just know I subscribe and look for her posts to arrive, because who doesn't need more laughter in their lives? 


13. Copyblogger - I don't know how long I've been following Copyblogger, but its been a while. I can't tell you how much I've learned from this blog. 


14. Cindy Sample - Cindy is another one of those bloggers that just makes you smile as she shares her adventures in being an author. And you can see her dance in a sassy pink dress. 


15. Kristen Lamb - I probably won't be the first, or last, person to recommend this blog to you. If you're an author and haven't read it? Click and read now! 


What are your favorite blogs? Who do you just have to follow? Comment and to show my thanks, anyone who comments on a blog post in the month of May will be entered into a drawing for a $10 gift card from AnaBanana's Bath & Body Treats. 





Perilously,
Pauline


Pauline Baird Jones aka Perilous Pauline blogs here and has a website at www.paulinebjones.com 

Movie PosterWas there a book that made you fall in love with reading? I don’t remember the book that made me a reader (I do know it wasn’t Dick or Jane, no Dr. Seuss back then!), but I can pinpoint the book that made me want to be an author.

I was nine years old and watching a Disney movie called The Moonspinners (back then we could only watch movies in a theater--sometime I'm going to blog about that theater, its very cool!). It starred Haley Mills, who was one of my favorite actresses. 


As the credits rolled, I noticed the movie came from a book. (You can see it at 2:19 in the video!) 




I had to go to the library to get the book, which involved persuading the librarian I was old enough to read a book from the adult section of the library, btw. Later I bought my own copy and read that book to tatters. Not long ago I replaced it with the one in the picture. Mary Stewart is not just an inspiration-to-be-an-author read, but also one of my "comfort reads" that I pull out when I need something familiar.
I read--and eventually collected--all of Mary Stewart's novels. I wanted to be her when I “grew up." But somewhere on the way to becoming an author, I realized that I’d never be Mary Stewart. I could only be Pauline Baird Jones. And I couldn’t become Pauline Baird Jones writing the books someone else had already written. I needed to write books I wanted to read, books that hadn't been written yet.
Everything I've written is something I wanted to read, books no one else could write, because they weren't me. 


I’ve wandered a bit among the genres in my publishing journey. I’ve written comedy mystery (The Spy Who Kissed Me, Do Wah Diddy Die) , romantic suspense (The Last Enemy, Byte Me, Missing You, A Dangerous Dance), science fiction romance (The Key, Girl Gone Nova, Kicking Ashe), mixed some steampunk into my science fiction romance (Tangled in Time, Steamrolled), and action adventure romance (Out of Time). 
Me inside B-17
Out of Time was my sixth novel (I think), but it is the novel I’m giving away today and the novel I’d like to talk a little about for several reasons:  I think it would make a great movie. :-) It’s set partly during WWII and is my homage to the Greatest Generation, a generation that includes my dad.  I had an amazing time corresponding with WWII veterans while researching this novel, and who were so generous in answering my questions and sharing their stories. I wove some family stories and lore into the book. It’s family friendly (not as scary as my romantic suspense) and suitable for younger teens and adults. It’s about family and family is important to me.It involves time travel and I love time travel (though writing it is much harder than reading it!)It’s a book that I hope delights readers the way Moonspinners delighted me so many years ago. Maybe it will even spark a young reader with a desire to become an author. :-)B-17 is important to my novel, so I toured one!
When people ask me how long it took to write Out of Time, I tell them it took me ten years and four months. Ten years to think about it, learn enough about writing to write it, to research it--and four months to put tush in the chair and fingers to the keys getting words on the page. 
Each book I write is a unique experience, an adventure that is scary to begin with, wonderful (mostly) during the writing, and hard to leave when its finished. 
And then there are some, like Out of Time, that are just special. I felt so close to both my grandmothers--who sent their young sons to fight, one of whom didn’t return--as I was writing this book. I also thought about my mom, who saw two brothers go off to war and only one return. I thought about hope, bravery and love--both lost and found.
It is my hope that the readers, when they pick up Out of Time, will not only get a ripping good adventure tale, they’ll get a look into a time when fine, young men answered the call of their country and did what had to be done. It is my very small thank you to all of those--past and present--who daily risk their lives for my freedom, who are rightly called heroes.




What others have said about EPIC Book award winner, Out of Time:
"Out of Time has Oscar nomination written all throughout its very well written and adventurous pages. I can see this being turned into a movie because it is so fleshed out; details are so vivid and the dialogue matched true to the characters that they seem to jump off of the pages. Ms. Jones has a winner with this story and it’s going on my keeper shelf."  Long and Short Reviews
Looking at the nose art."Jones is back and taking on new genres and challenges in this high-intensity time-traveling war thriller. Love can truly span generations, as these soul mates born out of time prove. Adding in the drama of being trapped behind enemy lines ratchets up the tension and thrill factor! " Four Stars! Romantic Times
"What a great time I had reading...I can't express how much this book made me think of other folks' relatives who lived and died for our freedom."  Manic Readers
"Out of Time is a remarkable story that kept this reader glued to the pages...The reader is transported into yesteryear during a time of war where our heroes should never be forgotten in a war that costs so many their precious lives and loves, in a heart-felt story that spins with much creativity."  The Romance Studio
"...the story is magical, romantic, and funny..."  Over My Dead Body Reviews  
"In this homage to the Greatest Generation, Jones takes us on a wild and often poignant ride through time." Shirley Wetzel, DorothyL

Here’s the blurb for Out of Time:

A time travel/action adventure/romance. 
What happens when a twenty-first century woman on a mission to change the past meets a thoroughly 1940s man trying to stay alive in the hellish skies over war-torn Europe?
Melanie “Mel” Morton is an adventure reporter, who lost her grandfather in World War II. With no family left, she’s all about doing her job and finishing her grandfather’s biography.
Enter Jack Hamilton, sexy octogenarian, genius/scientist and former WWII bomber pilot. 
What he tells Mel sends her on her craziest adventure yet—straight into the past to save her grandfather’s life—and change Jack’s future, if she doesn't accidentally end it.
All Mel has to do is outmaneuver the entire German army--and not fall in love with Jack.

Unfortunately, eluding the German army is the easy part….
Links to more information about Out of Time:

My tour guide!As part of my original promotion of Out of Time, I posted some family recipes here. 
Behind the Book: The (mostly) true story behind the writing of Out of Time.

Out of Time book page on my website.

Read an excerpt of Out of Time
As a part of the blog hop, I’ll be giving away a digital edition of Out of Time to someone who comments on this blog any time between May 11th-17th. 


To continue the LDS Author Blog hop
In addition to the blog hop giveaway, anyone who comments on any of my May blog posts will also be entered into my May, comment love, giveaway. At stake is a $10 gift card to AnaBanana’s Bath & Body Treats. Winner will be announced in my June 4, 2012 blog post, so be sure to check back. 



Pauline Baird Jones is both LDS and the author of twelve novels of varying levels of mayhem and excitement. She blogs here twice a week and also has a website where you can find out more than you want to about her adventures in writing and reading.

I was browsing the Facebook home feed and found this funny tee shirt and had to smile and repost it. I've been short all my life, including during my grownup years when I hoped not to be short anymore. 
My husband is tall. His mom, sisters, dad, brother, all of them tall. My kids are taller than me. I have laughed when my nieces and nephew measure themselves against me, "hoping" to be taller than me. I told them they needed to aim higher. They did. Passed me like I was short. 

The tee shirt reminded me of Randy Neuman’s tongue-in-cheek song “Short People.” 

As is often the case with random things, it sparked the random realization of how often I imbue my characters with qualities and traits that I don’t have. People often ask me if my characters are based on me or someone I know. The short answer (pun intended) is that at least some are based on how I wish I was. In fact, you might take some of my characters as my “me” wish list. 
So I thought I’d revisit my leading ladies and see where they fit in my life: as real or wish list. 
Spy Who Kissed Me:  Isabel “Stan” Stanley describes herself as this way: Isabel. Picture someone petite, fragile and blonde, done is soft pastels, lusciously formed--and you’ll know how I don’t look. Most people find it less stressful to call me Stan when faced with a reality that is tall, lots of leg and colored in crayons in brown and pasty white. 
Obviously I’ve already given away the fact that the tall is on my wish list. Brown and pasty is kind of like me. Spy is my first, full length novel, so in a way, Stan is my first, full blown character, so it’s not really a surprise to find a bit me in there. I was just finding my way in character development. But like all good characters, in the end she became wholly herself. Her issues, her family, her everything are...hers. (Part real, part wish list)
Let’s see, next up in chronology is Luci from Do Wah Diddy Die. That girl is just plain crazy and not crazy like me, crazy like, well, her. So she is all made up except I used to have great legs, too. Just saying. (So a little wish list, not much real there. Grin)
After Luci, I “met” Dani in The Last Enemy. I like to think that Dani is more “everywoman” than me. While she is a bit understated (like me) she is a famous romance author (I’m not). What I loved about her is that was the best of the women I’d met in my real life, and the writing women I’d met online. She uses humor and determination to defeat the forces aligned against her and she’s happy to have a happy ending with the hero--but strong enough to have gone on if he’d been too chicken to man up and propose. I liked that about her. But she is a LOT braver than I’d be in the same circumstances. A lot. (Not much real me in this one.)
In keeping with that tradition, I wrote strong heroines for the brothers introduced in The Last Enemy. I’m not a thief or an uber-geek like Phoebe in Byte Me nor am I a genius like Amelia in Missing You. I will admit that I have to look hard to see much of me in either of them, and again, they are both tall. Do you see a theme developing here? (Not much real)
In A Dangerous Dance, Dorothy is, wow, tall and brave and sassy. I’m sassy on paper, but still short. (Tiny bit of real, mostly wish list)
Moving along to my next novel, Out of Time, we have Mel who is amazingly enough, tall. Sara in The Key  is a tall red-head (also on my wish list and I even tried it for while because you can change your hair color). She is fearless and flies space ships. Not me at all, though I would like fly/ride in a helicopter, which I accomplished fictionally in Tangled in Time...by a tall heroine named Olivia. (Do I need to provide an answer?) And Doc in Girl Gone Nova? Dangerous, deadly...and yeah, tall. (not much real here)
Let’s see, Emily in Steamrolled  is also tall. Ashe in Kicking Ashe? Tall. Even my short story characters are tall. (still not real)
What they aren’t is stacked. It seems my imagination isn’t quite good enough to imagine what that would be like, though I have tried. (And I can read and enjoy books about stacked heroines.)
As I’ve gotten older, I have found a few good things about being short. I can see stuff that the hubby can’t. When I fall down, I don’t have time to pick up much speed. They have petite lengths in pants now, so not so much shortening of hems. My husband thinks I’m cute. 
But there is no question that my height has had an impact on my writing. I’m pretty sure I would have written stories regardless of my height. I do wonder if the characters would have been different? And in the end, I’m glad they aren’t different, because my issues eventually ceased to matter as they began to live and breathe on their own. They became them and not my wish list anymore. Their height was part of their character and how they acted and reacted to their environments and the people around them. 
For a writer? That is a seriously cool moment, the pay off for when the writing felt more like bleeding, for the re-writing, the pacing, and the pondering. But it does make it complicated when people ask me if the characters are based on my life or me. Let’s face it, it all comes from my brain, though sometimes it doesn’t feel like it does. It feels like I”m watching it happen, like a movie or real life. So if I hesitate, that’s why. 
If you’re a reader, do you care if the heroine is tall? Or has red hair? Do you just “cast” the story how you want? If you’re a writer, is there a personal wish list in your character traits? (Please say yes, cause right now I’m alone out here.) And to show my thanks, anyone who comments on a blog post in the month of May will be entered into a drawing for a $10 gift card from AnaBanana's Bath & Body Treats. 

perilously,Pauline
P.S. In early drafts my characters are also always more patient than I am until I realize that’s just not realistic and turn them loose. And I hose them a lot, which would make a saint lost patience and I haven’t written a saint yet. 
Pauline Baird Jones is short, not a red-head and not very patient, despite years of trying to change all three. (Apparently a hair cut does not affect height no matter how often you ask to be taller.) You can “meet” her taller, much cooler heroines in her 12 novels or check out her website at www.paulinebjones.com  

I was browsing the Facebook home feed and found this funny tee shirt and had to smile and repost it. I've been short all my life, including during my grownup years when I hoped not to be short anymore. 
My husband is tall. His mom, sisters, dad, brother, all of them tall. My kids are taller than me. I have laughed when my nieces and nephew measure themselves against me, "hoping" to be taller than me. I told them they needed to aim higher. They did. Passed me like I was short. 

The tee shirt reminded me of Randy Neuman’s tongue-in-cheek song “Short People.” 

As is often the case with random things, it sparked the random realization of how often I imbue my characters with qualities and traits that I don’t have. People often ask me if my characters are based on me or someone I know. The short answer (pun intended) is that at least some are based on how I wish I was. In fact, you might take some of my characters as my “me” wish list. 
So I thought I’d revisit my leading ladies and see where they fit in my life: as real or wish list. 
Spy Who Kissed Me:  Isabel “Stan” Stanley describes herself as this way: Isabel. Picture someone petite, fragile and blonde, done is soft pastels, lusciously formed--and you’ll know how I don’t look. Most people find it less stressful to call me Stan when faced with a reality that is tall, lots of leg and colored in crayons in brown and pasty white. 
Obviously I’ve already given away the fact that the tall is on my wish list. Brown and pasty is kind of like me. Spy is my first, full length novel, so in a way, Stan is my first, full blown character, so it’s not really a surprise to find a bit me in there. I was just finding my way in character development. But like all good characters, in the end she became wholly herself. Her issues, her family, her everything are...hers. (Part real, part wish list)
Let’s see, next up in chronology is Luci from Do Wah Diddy Die. That girl is just plain crazy and not crazy like me, crazy like, well, her. So she is all made up except I used to have great legs, too. Just saying. (So a little wish list, not much real there. Grin)
After Luci, I “met” Dani in The Last Enemy. I like to think that Dani is more “everywoman” than me. While she is a bit understated (like me) she is a famous romance author (I’m not). What I loved about her is that was the best of the women I’d met in my real life, and the writing women I’d met online. She uses humor and determination to defeat the forces aligned against her and she’s happy to have a happy ending with the hero--but strong enough to have gone on if he’d been too chicken to man up and propose. I liked that about her. But she is a LOT braver than I’d be in the same circumstances. A lot. (Not much real me in this one.)
In keeping with that tradition, I wrote strong heroines for the brothers introduced in The Last Enemy. I’m not a thief or an uber-geek like Phoebe in Byte Me nor am I a genius like Amelia in Missing You. I will admit that I have to look hard to see much of me in either of them, and again, they are both tall. Do you see a theme developing here? (Not much real)
In A Dangerous Dance, Dorothy is, wow, tall and brave and sassy. I’m sassy on paper, but still short. (Tiny bit of real, mostly wish list)
Moving along to my next novel, Out of Time, we have Mel who is amazingly enough, tall. Sara in The Key  is a tall red-head (also on my wish list and I even tried it for while because you can change your hair color). She is fearless and flies space ships. Not me at all, though I would like fly/ride in a helicopter, which I accomplished fictionally in Tangled in Time...by a tall heroine named Olivia. (Do I need to provide an answer?) And Doc in Girl Gone Nova? Dangerous, deadly...and yeah, tall. (not much real here)
Let’s see, Emily in Steamrolled  is also tall. Ashe in Kicking Ashe? Tall. Even my short story characters are tall. (still not real)
What they aren’t is stacked. It seems my imagination isn’t quite good enough to imagine what that would be like, though I have tried. (And I can read and enjoy books about stacked heroines.)
As I’ve gotten older, I have found a few good things about being short. I can see stuff that the hubby can’t. When I fall down, I don’t have time to pick up much speed. They have petite lengths in pants now, so not so much shortening of hems. My husband thinks I’m cute. 
But there is no question that my height has had an impact on my writing. I’m pretty sure I would have written stories regardless of my height. I do wonder if the characters would have been different? And in the end, I’m glad they aren’t different, because my issues eventually ceased to matter as they began to live and breathe on their own. They became them and not my wish list anymore. Their height was part of their character and how they acted and reacted to their environments and the people around them. 
For a writer? That is a seriously cool moment, the pay off for when the writing felt more like bleeding, for the re-writing, the pacing, and the pondering. But it does make it complicated when people ask me if the characters are based on my life or me. Let’s face it, it all comes from my brain, though sometimes it doesn’t feel like it does. It feels like I”m watching it happen, like a movie or real life. So if I hesitate, that’s why. 
If you’re a reader, do you care if the heroine is tall? Or has red hair? Do you just “cast” the story how you want? If you’re a writer, is there a personal wish list in your character traits? (Please say yes, cause right now I’m alone out here.) And to show my thanks, anyone who comments on a blog post in the month of May will be entered into a drawing for a $10 gift card from AnaBanana's Bath & Body Treats. 

perilously,Pauline
P.S. In early drafts my characters are also always more patient than I am until I realize that’s just not realistic and turn them loose. And I hose them a lot, which would make a saint lost patience and I haven’t written a saint yet. 
Pauline Baird Jones is short, not a red-head and not very patient, despite years of trying to change all three. (Apparently a hair cut does not affect height no matter how often you ask to be taller.) You can “meet” her taller, much cooler heroines in her 12 novels or check out her website at www.paulinebjones.com  

I’ve kind of gotten in the semi-habit of highlighting books that have impacted my life. I call them my “tattered covers” books, though some are more heavily highlighted than tattered. Not sure why some hold up better than others, but the answer isn’t relevant to this blog post.
Today I’d like to direct your attention to a small, but powerful book called Flawless! The Ten Most Common Character Flaws and What You Can Do About Them by Louis A. Tartaglia, M.D. I found this book in 1999, not long after it released. 
Dr. Tartaglia begins this small volume by pointing out that we all have character flaws. Yes, there’s a (humbling) test, because of course I didn’t think I possessed any of them! Flaws? Me? I know I’m not perfect, but actual, large flaws? You must be thinking of another Pauline.
I have this highlighted in my copy: The common perception that good people have fewer flaws is wrong. It is not a matter of more or fewer flaws. It is the willingness to change them. He goes on to write that “...having character flaws is very human. Doing nothing about them is tragic.” 
What are these ten flaws? I’m glad you asked: 
1.   Addicted to Being Right2.   Raging Indignation3.   Fixing Blame and Nurturing Resentment4.   The Dread Seekers--Worry and Fear5.   Intolerance6.   The Poor Me or Martyr Syndrome7.   Self Regard Run Riot8.   The Excuse for Everything--Inadequacy9.   Hypercritical Fault Finders10. Chronic Dishonesty--The Trap
A quote from Tartaglia that I have used in motivational talks: Changing what you can is the courageous thing to do and life needs to be lived courageously . 
One thing that is particularly helpful about this book, he gives tactics on how to affect change in our own flaws and how to manage living with others’ flaws. (One of my mantras of life is to look at what others do--that tells what they believe much more clearly than what someone says.)  
This is not a comfortable read, particularly after taking his test at the beginning! But if you’d rather be happy, then I highly recommend it. And to show my thanks, anyone who comments on a blog post in the month of May will be entered into a drawing for a $10 gift card from AnaBanana's Bath & Body Treats. 
Perilously,Pauline
Pauline Baird Jones is still flawed, but she’d like to think she’s made some improvement since reading this book. You can find out more about her (but not her flaws) at www.paulinebjones.com  She's happy, however, to expose her characters' flaws in her 12 novels. 

Port Isabel Light“Wave-swept Towers: In determining the design of a lighthouse tower to be erected in a wave-swept position consideration must be given to the physical features of the site and its surroundings.”
Bishop Rock LighthouseI grew up landlocked, the only waves “sweeping” a shore close to me was out at the local pond. Even the wind couldn't kick up much wave action on that pond. Perhaps this explains my fascination with lighthouses. Or maybe it is their purpose--beacons in the storm--or it could be the way they look. There is just something very cool about lighthouses.
Bishop Rock Lighthouse: The lighthouse on the Bishop Rock, which is the westernmost landfall rock of the Scilly Islands, occupies perhaps a more exposed situation than any other in the world.
If I live long enough, I plan to write a story that involves a lighthouse. So you can possibly imagine my delight when I was browsing through my 1910 Encyclopedia Britannica and I found twenty-four, fact-filled pages dedicated to the topic of lighthouses. For a writer, it is the equivalent of finding the buried treasure chest filled with gold coins.
Galveston Jetty LightIn May 2000 the Galveston Jetty Light collapsed into the Gulf during a severe thunderstorm...
I’ve only ever seen lighthouses from the outside and would love to tour the inside of one, but until that happens, it is fun to get an encyclopedic peek inside the workings of lighthouses, and a historic look back at how lighthouses were perceived in 1910. Win-win for someone working on an alternate history, steampunk novel. 
Rothersand LighthouseRothersand Lighthouse: This lighthouse, off the entrance to the river Weser (Germany), is a structure of great interest on account of the difficulties met with in its construction.
I will admit I find the technicalities of the lenses is a bit daunting.
In 1825 the French Commision des Phares decided upon the exclusive use of lenticular apparatus in its service. 
But, my word, when you look at the size and scale of them, you can help but be impressed. Lighthouses were problem solving at its most basic, driven by the need to save lives. Or as my grandmother used to say: Needs must when the devil drives. 
Pharos of AlexandriaThe famous Pharos of Alexandria, built by Sostratus of Cnidus in the reign of Ptolemy II. (say that three times without breathing) was regarded as one of the wonders of the world. The tower, which took its name from that of the small island on which it was built, is said to have been 600 ft in height, but the evidence in support of this statement is doubtful. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the 13th century...the name Pharos became the general term for all lighthouses and the term “pharology” has been used for the science of lighthouse construction. 
 I was going to finish this off with some pithy words about the wreckers, people who put out false lights to lure ships ashore, but according to Wikipedia, these are false legends. Most ships captains were too savvy to be fooled because the lights didn’t look right and weren’t high enough. 
Catoptric System: Parabolic reflectors, consisting of small facets of silvered glass set in plaster of Paris, were first used about the year 1763...
So how do you feel about lighthouses? Do they grab your imagination? Know any cool lighthouse stories?
Disclaimer: I totally copied some of this right out of the encyclopedia (which is out of copyright and there's no teacher in sight!). And btw, I liked it. 
perilously,Pauline
Pauline Baird Jones finds her imagination grabbed by many things, including science fiction romance and steampunk romance. She has done “imagination dumps” into 12 novels and is working on #13, which she hopes won’t be bad luck. You can find out more at: www.paulinebjones.com  

You turn your back to work on a new book and poof! Ashe and Lurch (he had no choice, of course) snuck out for an interview at Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews! And they are hosting a giveaway of a gift card from AnaBanana's Bath & Body Treats!

I'm not quite sure how they managed it, but you can read the interview and excerpt here and be sure to comment to enter the giveaway! (It's a really fun giveaway and they totally stole the idea from me!)
Perilously,
Pauline (who will be back on Monday with a new blog post!)

Pauline Baird Jones reads across genres, so it shouldn’t have surprised when her writing went cross genre. Thankfully she does not need to understand cross genre-ing to do it, though she does concede it is a bit whacky for a confirmed hermit to write about crossing space and time. You can find out more about her, her books and her escaped characters at www.paulinebjones.com