Happy Friday. đ Remember yesterday’s Thoughts on ideas? Yeah…add one more to the list. I tumbled across this video and while the song/singer is cool, it’s that mountain scenery and the horse that caught my attention. I’m tucking this one back for further review. I have a hero in mind–a Wolf who is a Crow cop (as in American Indian). The question becomes, do I want to set the story in another author’s world or my own? Decisions, decisions. Have a great weekend! Got any fun plans?
Ideas. I have them. Sometimes, too many of them. I have a white board on the wall next to my desk. Okay, I have three–one huge, two smaller. I also have one big and two smaller bulletin boards. I can’t see the forest for the scribbles, Post-It notes, and bits of paper. I have one liners–lines thought of and plan to use somewhere, like “He was a poster boy for tall, dark, and dangerous.” I have random ideas for plots, like “Idea: Her enemies are left for dead at her door. Who? Why?” Yeah, I TOTALLY want to figure that one out! I’m thinking one of the Moonstruck Mafia/Mob books. I have lists of possible titles. I have character names. I have grammar cheat sheets. But mostly, I have the jetsam and flotsam of half-formed ideas and lines that my brain wants to turn into stories. They’re all small. Now. But someday? Like the Universe says…
Big ideas almost never seem like big ideas, at first.
So, Silver, be on the lookout for little ideas that seem kind of ho-hum, ainât no big thang, let-me-floss-first kind of ideas.
Really,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ÂźI donât really care if you floss, Silver. I donât.
This is true, but sometimes, “flossing” is just the activity needed to boost those small ideas into full-blown scenes or characters or books. Stories I can write. Stories you can read. So yeah, welcome to my brain. It’s a very untidy place on a good day, but like an attic full of bins and boxes, suitcases and trunks, it’s kinda fun to poke around in. đ
Dead end. End of the line. The End. End of the road. High end. Split ends. Light at the end of the tunnel. End times. The possibilities are endless. đ So this is probably my last #1lineWed entry though Wednesday Words will continue because…teasers! And snippets! And me showing y’all that I am making progress on current WIPs. đ There’s a long story there but it isn’t apropos to things here. Anyway, in just over a month, FIGHTING FOR ELENA goes live. And since a certain fan is all about Joy and Liam, I thought I’d tease her with this snippet of a conversation between Joy and Pops, who is our intrepid hero. He’s just been granted emergency custody as a foster parent and she’s being stubborn about contacting her parents–or anyone who might be able to help.
****
Memories of her life in the lab made her tremble. She curled up even more. Wolves were secret. Had to remain secret. Bad men wanted to do bad things to them. Which is why she had to keep running. She had to protect the Wolves and their mates, Protect Liam and Micah and Gracie. Little Sally and Sallyâs big brother Cody, though he didnât carry the gene. She couldnât let them be experiments like sheâd been.
Trust was fragile, like a dandelion. Trusting Nate just came naturally. Sort of like Mr. West. Could she trust him?
âYes,â he said, like he could read her mind. âYou can.â
She sucked in a breath. Mind reading wasnât possible. Okay, sometimes the Wolves and their mates had like a Mr. Spock mind-meld thing going on but this? No way. ButâŠ
âPops.â
âExcuse me?â She glanced over at him still, a little freaked and a whole lot confused.
âMost folks call me Pops. Like I mentioned back in the sheriffâs office, been a whole passel of kids pass through my house for one reason or another. Some only stayed the night. Others lived there for a few years.â
He soundedâand lookedâsad. Because the kids came and went? Or was there another reason. He offered her a half smile as his eyes returned to the road. âLast ten years, most the kids have been short-term on an emergency basis. Sorta like you.â
She couldnât help herself. She had to ask. âWhyâs that?â
âMy wife died.â
She sucked air into her lungs in a loud whoosh. Heâd lost his wife. And heâd loved her. She could tell by the way his face went both soft and stoic. But not blank. Not like the Wolves. She rubbed at her chest. She missed her family. And she was positive theyâd be going ballistic and crazy because sheâd been taken. Yeah. When she took off, sheâd have to leave a note so he could call her dad. Or maybe Mister Mac because Mister Mac was scary, but he wouldnât be as scary crazy as her dad. Except he would. Liam told stories about what it was like when he was kidnapped by those Black Root people. Mister Mac and Miz HannahâLiamâs mom and dadâwent hunting with all the Wolves. Thatâs how everyone ended up in Louisiana. Thatâs how they found her. Liam. She blinked away tears. Liam was herâŠsomething. Just like Black Root wanted her DNA, theyâd wanted Liamâs. All the Wolves.
âIâm sorry,â she whispered, returning her attention to the man driving her to his home. âAbout your wife. My dad would go crazy if something happened to Mom.â
âHe loves her.â Pops kept his voice soft.
âYeah.â The word sighed out. âSheâs hisâŠone.â
****
I hope you enjoyed this little hint at events. Writers, got any end words to share? Readers, what book or series were you sad to see come to an end?
This recipe is reminiscent of shepherd’s pie but with a western twist. I do like me some BBQ sauce on my red meat. đ
Total Time: 45 Min.
Prep Time: 10 Min.
Cook Time: 35 Min.
8 servings
Round up the family for a delicious Cowboy Meatloaf and Potato Casserole! The cowboys and cowgirls will come running for this BBQ cowboy meatloaf dish.
What You Need
1 lb. lean ground beef
3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onions
1/3 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup JACK DANIEL’S Barbecue Sauce HONEY SMOKEHOUSE
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp. chili powder
1 pkg. (24 oz.) ORE-IDA STEAM N’ MASH Cut Russet Potatoes
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 can (5 oz.) evaporated milk
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup OSCAR MAYER Real Bacon Bits
1/4 cup french-fried onions
2/3 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Shredded Four Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA
Let’s Make It
1 – Heat oven to 375ÂșF.
2 – Mix meat, yellow onions, bread crumbs, barbecue sauce, egg and chili powder just until blended; press onto bottom of 9-inch square baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
3 – Bake 20 to 25 min. or until done (160ÂșF).
4 – Meanwhile, microwave potatoes as directed on package; place in medium bowl. Add butter, milk, parsley and garlic powder; mix well. Gently stir in bacon and French fried onions.
5 – Remove baking dish from oven. Heat broiler. Spread potato mixture over meat mixture; top with cheese. Broil, 4 inches from heat, 3 to 5 min. or until cheese is melted.
Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Serving Suggestion: Serve this main dish with a mixed green salad for a quick-and-tasty weekday meal.
Tip 2 – Serving Suggestion: Serve topped with additional barbecue sauce.
Tip 3 – Substitute: Prepare using your favorite KRAFT Mexican Style Shredded Cheese.
As always, CLICK ON OVER to My Food & Family for all the details. While Dr. Jacey Randolph might have grown up in the middle of Indian Country, she’s something of a cowgirl and enjoys BBQ just like the rest of us. This hearty dinner is tasty, filling–important when feeding a Wolf–and she’s been known to double it because her mate Nate Connor has been known to let strays* follow him home for dinner when they find out she’s fixing her Cowboy Casserole. Jacey and Nate’s adopted daughter Joy plays a big role in my upcoming release, FIGHTING FOR ELENA, but if you’d like to discover Jacey and Nate’s love story first, check out HUNTER’S MOON.
*Hannah McIntire insists that Mac and Liam showing up on Jacey’s doorstep is just coincidence. đ
Why is Friday the 13th considered bad luck? Wouldn’t it make more sense if Monday the 13th carried that superstition? đ€ Something to ponder. In the meantime, we’re almost halfway through January. I don’t think there’s enough coffee in the world to get me through. There’s not much to update on from the past week/weekend so this will be short. I know y’all are breathing sighs of relief. Let’s get to it.
I’m sending FIGHTING FOR ELENA off to the publisher today. I had to do some shifting of a couple of scenes to help out one of the other authors in the series. Not a big deal but I had to figure out how to shift and bridge between scenes. I ended up with a few more words in the total word count so that’s a yay. It should come up for preorder soon. I’ll also be revealing the cover and the series trailer, hopefully sometime this week. Next project–at least for the moment–is MOONSTRUCK BETRAYAL. I have BRIDE’S MOON and ROGUE MOON set up in Scrivener, along with a couple of cut scenes. I’m rereading and editing because…dude! BRIDE’S was publishing in 2013! Where’s the time gone?!?! *flail*
I finished off Anne Bishop’s The Others series. I †those books. They make me sad but happy and…and…I recommend them highly for fantasy/urban fantasy/alternate history fans. There's a bit of romance, a lot of intense emotion, some violence so read the descriptions and maybe some of the reviews if you're interested in giving it a try. Bishop's worldbuilding is incredibly detailed and expansive. Like I said. I love the books and the characters–the good ones, anyway. The bad ones are totally hiss-worthy! I'm currently listening to Jennifer Ashley's PRIDE MATES, book 1 in her Shifters Unbound series. She has some very interesting worldbuilding and twists on shifters. And her heroes are pretty darn hunky. It's a re-listen for me but it's been a couple of years and I've read/listened to so many intervening books that it's almost new. đ
How many days until Pitcher/Catcher? đ
Thank goodness for A&E's crime week. 'Nuff said about TV.
Had some fun Jammie time with Stormageddon this weekend. Only and Baseball Boy headed out for a romantic rondevous to celebrate their anniversary. Stormy came over Saturday afternoon determined to "do chores." Worked for me. Literally. đ€Ł When Lawyer Guy got home, the boys watched the remake of Willy Wonka, we had dinner, and then it was bedtime. This morning. LG slept in, Stormy and I did his reading homework and watched Alvin and the Chipmunks movies. Once LG (aka Big Daddy) got up, they did "science" stuff–cracking open some geodes. Fun times.
And, that, my friends, is that. See? Short. You can now return to your regularly scheduled Mondays–right after you check in with your own updates. đ Have a great week!
I’ll admit I am waaay behind on Lucifer. I still have 3 episodes on DVR from the last season on “regular” TV and I haven’t made time to watch the new season on Netflix. Mainly because I have to take time during the day to watch Netflix either on the TV in the family room or on my computer and I just haven’t done it. Maybe my weird headspace this past year. Or maybe I worry it won’t be as good as I remember. But when I was scrolling around looking for a video for today, I stumbled on this. Yeah…I gotta make the time, even though it might tear at my heart because Lucifer and Chloe? Yeah…theirs is a love story…
There’s not much to muse about today’s wisdom from the Universe. This pretty much says it all. And it’s very true. I can’t please everyone. Trying is just an exercise in futility. I can’t be anyone but who I am, mo matter how much someone wants me to change. And I can’t expect others to be who I want them to be, even if I think they are…well. No. Because the Universe is right.
You can only be your best self, Silver, not someone else’s.
My best self,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ŸAnd however to the contrary it may seem, Silver, therein lies your happiness, being your best self while letting others find theirs.
So I’ll make a deal. Y’all be your best selves and I’ll be mine and we’ll all just get along. We don’t even have to shake on it. We’ll just be our best selves. Okay?
