I figure we all need a little laughter to end the week, right? Some of these made me laugh. Some made me snort. Some made me think. Some are punny. Some are groaners. Which one did you you like the best? Have a happy weekend!
Writing is hard. I don’t care how fast you write, how much prep you do, there will always be roadblocks. Real life intervenes. Ideas dry up. Characters act up. The plot goes off the rails. You write yourself into a corner and have no way to get out until the paint dries…
It’s a pain. Trust me. As y’all know, I got the rights to a book back but to republish it, I have to delete all mention of another author’s characters. This isn’t necessarily a big deal and I’m totally on board with this requirement. I’ve done this before with two other books but for some reason, I keep hitting roadblocks. Some things–like the unlikely local outbreak of October tornadows–I can’t change. Others, I just have to find a detour to follow. Currently, I’m stuck at a crossroads. I have a heroine that no one is aware of–besides a very select few. She needs to be guarded and our lone wolf hero no longer has anyone to turn to since originally, he turned to the now deleted characters. What to do, what to do, what to do?
Silver, there’s always another way.
Always.
Tallyho,
The Universe
©www.tut.comYeah, Silver, my way. HA! Just kidding.
I’ve come to a Y in the road. I can call in a “new” secondary character who can be briefed–at least partially–on the situation. I can call in a “new” character but I’m not sure what part he’s to play in the upcoming action. My solution? Keep reading. Make big DETOUR roadsigns in the MS, but keep reading. Once I figure out how the action is going to change up, I can make the right decision. See? I’m find a new direction. A new roadmap to follow. When it happens to you, writers, you just need to find the way that works for you. Readers, how do feel when a writer throws a big curve into the plot? Are you pleasantly surprised or all WTF?!?! 😉
Another seven days have passed and it’s time for more words based up the #1LineWed theme. This week, it’s all about the **NUMBERS.** In this case, it’s who you call in an emergency. Declan, the hot-shot attorney for the Boston Wolves and he’s being trying to figure out how to get Maggie O’Brien’s number. Not quite sure this is what he had in mind…
****
Declan gazed around. This wasn’t his house. Where was he? The door behind him opened and light spilled out across him. A feminine gasp and a familiar scent washed over him. He had watched her for weeks—from the moment the cab dropped her and her suitcases off on the sidewalk. Her comings and goings. Visitors—of whom there were very few. Lying on her stoop bleedin’ like a stuck pig didn’t go far toward makin’ a good impression on his new neighbor.
“You’re bleeding.”
“Ya think?” He’d been shot at least twice, beat to shite, and stabbed once and this damn sure wasn’t the way he’d planned on introducing himself to his new neighbor. The old lady who owned the row house next to his died but before any of the lads could snap it up, she showed up, lock, stock, and suitcases and moved right in. Ronan lived down the street. His brother, Mick, lived across the street. The others in the inner circle had apartments nearby but Ronan had a plan. He wanted everyone in houses spread up and down the block for tactical reasons. Declan’d been trying to get to his own place but obviously miscounted and here the pretty, little interloper was, squatted beside him smellin’ of honey and sweet clover with concern in those big blue eyes of hers.
“I’m calling nine-one-one.”
“The hell y’are.”
“Look you. I’m an ER nurse and I know gunshot wounds when I see—” He snatched the phone out of her hand and tucked it in the front pocket of his trousers.
“Don’t need the ER,” he insisted. Deck fished out his own phone because he wouldn’t stay conscious much longer. There was no way he’d end up in a human hospital. He stabbed out a number and heard a mumbled, “Fuck, Declan, you’d better be dyin’, boyo.”
Deck managed to grunt out, “I think I might be, Mick.” He caught the sound of a woman’s voice on Mick’s end but couldn’t make out her words. Yeah, he was fading fast. “I didn’t quite make it home but I’m close. Can ya give a mate a hand?”
The phone slipped from his fingers and clattered on the steps below him. Damn. He’d have to buy a new one, providing he survived. A door slammed across the street and then another. Before he slipped completely away, Mick and Sean were there.
Angry voices floated just on the edge of his hearing but the words made no sense. The only things he was sure of was the press of a cool hand on his fevered brow—and didn’t that just sound all poetic—and the scent of honey and sweet clover filling his nose and calming his wolf.
****
At least he got her attention, right? Writers, do you have any numberbs to share? Readers, I need to win the lottery. What are your lucky numbers? 😉
Sorry, y’all, but pumpkin spice lattes are not my thing. Pumpkin is for pie. Maybe muffins. But not drinking. On the other hand, apple cider is for drinking. And while I haven’t actually concocted this–it’s just now getting cool enough–I’m probably going to give it a try once autumn weather settles in. I admit. I’m intrigued and with coffee and whippy stuff on top? That’s TWICE THE TEMPTATION. 
Total time: 10 Min.
Prep and Cook Time: 10 Min.
4 servings
Warm up this autumn with a delicious Apple Cider Latte! In fact, sip on an Apple Cider Latte any time of the year because they’re just so delihttps://silverjames.wordpress.com/wp-admin/index.phpcious.
What You Need
1 cup brewed strong MAXWELL HOUSE Italian Espresso Roast Coffee
1 cup apple cider
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 cups hot milk
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
1/4 tsp. apple pie spice
Let’s Make It
1 – Cook coffee, cider and sugar in saucepan on medium heat 5 min. or until sugar is dissolved and mixture is heated through, stirring frequently. Pour into 4 mugs.
2 – Add milk to 1-qt. jar; cover with lid. Shake until frothy; pour over coffee.
3 – Combine COOL WHIP and apple pie spice; spoon over lattes.
Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Variation: Prepare using fat-free milk and COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping.
Tip 2 – Substitute: If you don’t have apple pie spice, mix a dash each of ground cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice until blended before mixing with the COOL WHIP and using as directed.
I found this recipe at my usual place–My Food and Family so CLICK OVER to get all the nutritional details. Since we had a round of severe weather Sunday night and the forecast is for another round tonight, I thought immediately of my favorite storm chaster, Britt Owens. She’s not much of a cook (though her mother-in-law, Katherine Tate, is attempting to teach her 😉 ) but she’s all about the drink mixes, especially if coffee is involved. She likes this odd mix of coffee and apple flavors and is a big fan of the whippy stuffs. If you haven’t already and feel inclined to go storm chasing with Britt as she leads Cooper Tate on quite a chase of his own in TWICE THE TEMPTATION, you can grab the book from Harlequin by clicking on the title or either pic that contains the cover. The book page at HQN also has links to your favorite etailer, I’m sure. What about y’all? What’s your favorite flavor of drink as the weather cools off?
Coffee. There’s never enough come Monday. And it is Monday. Isn’t it? *checks calendar* Yes. It’s Monday. Which should have been obvious because I’m planning a Wallyworld trip. So. Monday. That means a follow up on last week and the weeked. Of which there was both.
Last week was lots of truck angst. Long story, I won’t make it short. I’ll simply say that you should ALWAYS get a second opinion when someone says you need a new engine. LG and Uncle Fix-It worked on the truck Saturday and there’s one more thing to fix (new sparkplugs) and that put the truck back in perfect running order. No new engine involved.
Speaking of LG, he has jury duty starting today. I suspect, as a retired attorney, that he’ll be as “attractive” to the case attorney’s as I was when I got called. Good news is, the truck runs so I have Drover back and can run my usual errands.
Stormy had 3 baseball games last week. They won some, lost some, and have two games left to play–tonight and then late next week. Its been fun being at the ball park again, even though the kids are pretty much playing Keystone Cop ball. In other sports news, my Cards lost to the Dodgers in the Wild Card game. Ah, well. Waino and Yadi will be back next season so there’s that to look forward to. We don’t really have a dog in this series now so we’re just hoping two teams we can either root for or against end up in the world series. In college football news, my OSU Cowboys had a bye week. OU had to hustle in a huge comeback to beat Texas. And ‘Bama got beat. Wow.
In TV news, I DVR’d the CBS show “Ghosts.” I’d seen the trailers and it looked amusing. I actually enjoyed it and will continue to record it to watch so I can skim through the commercials. Anymore, the commercials pretty much air the same amount of time as the actually show. The show’s premise is that a yuppie couple from NYC inherit a mansion in the Hudson Valley, which is inhabited by ghosts. The ghosts are mostly funny and the cast is big. We’ll see if it holds up. Not much else on the tube that’s caught my attention.
Hopefully, we have power this morning. (I’m actually typing this yesterday afternoon. Confusing, right?!?!) Weather forecast is for a big, honkin’ cold front to come crashing through yesterday afternoon and evening with a chance for big hail, high winds, and possible tornadoes. Fun times. We need rain but not the other stuff. I’ll check in on the comments.
For my reading/listening pleasure, I moved on from the Dark-Hunter/Were-Hunter books.after reading 7 of them. They were nostalgic fun. I’m currently defaulting to Dannika Dark’s Seven series. I finished SEVEN YEARS and currently listening to SIX MONTHS. I just did a listen to the series last December but there’s a new release, THE ALPHA, in her spin-off Black Arrow series. I figured I might was enjoy the full experience, right?
I have made progress with the revisions on MONTANA MOON. I got bogged down because there’s more involved than just pluggin in new names for characters. I hit a fairly big stretch of “Oh, $h!+, there’s a lot here that has to be changed.” That sounds easier to do than it really is. Still, I’m about 2/3’s the way through then I have to update front and back matter, recheck for typos, name changes, etc. and hopefully, my cover will be ready. Still anticipating reuploading it later this week. Amazon is showing it as “out of print” so that’s a good thing.
So, that’s what’s up in my world. What’s going on in yours?
I totally loved this clip and I will not apologize. My love for Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in “Dirty Dancing” knows no bounds and dang if these newlyweds didn’t totally nail it! Keep on dancin’ this weekend!
Australian Aboriginals, like Native Americans, have a special place for dreams. Down under, it’s called the Dreaming Time. Many native tribes here in the US refer to it as a vision quest. If writers are smart, will follow their examples. Creativity and dreams walk hand iin hand. I know that if my sleep is messed up and I don’t compensate by setting aside some dreaming time, then the words get stuck in my head, a jumbled mess that makes no sense. The Universe recognizes this too.
Dreams create their own pathways, if you don’t try to force things.
Taking action summons miracles, whether you recognize them or not.
And, Silver, it’s never too late in the day for breakfast.
Dream on, wild thing –
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®Maple syrup, please, Silver.
Breakfast is good anytime. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Midnight after a crazy outing with friends. And Dreaming Time is good always. I took some yesterday. There a book I have to revise before I can republish it. Part of the revision is taking out characters and settings belonging to another author who shared her world. I could just delete all those scenes but that would really cut into my plot. I could create some “throwaway” characters, meaning they’d be “one-off” characters in this book only. I could draft some characters from other of my books, though there are quite a few around already. Or I could dream up some combination of the two. Yesterday was one of those perfect fall days. Blue sky. Low humidity. Light breeze. Temperature at a perfect 72°. I went outside, sat in a chair, closed my eyes with face up to the sun. And I dreamed. What if… Lots and lots of what ifs. And then one of those what ifs became a this is. So now I have two new local characters, plus a sheriff’s K9 doggo. I have a character from an upcoming “anthology” series. And I’m 26 pages into revisions, currently staring at Chapter 5. Which I’ll get on as soon as I get back from a blood test I’m scheduled for. MONTANA MOON is a good story. I like Tait and Lauren and I’m glad I’m getting to add to their story. I may not get it republished quite as quick as I’d thought, but that’s okay. The Dreaming Time is working.
How many of you set aside some dreaming time?
Wednesday is synonomous with words in my mind after so many postings of snippets based on a #1lineWed theme. Today’s prompt is **GRACE**. As in “full of,” “fall from,” “saving,” and grace “period.” Or in today’s snippet, Princess Grace. As a set up, there’s a big charity deal. Ronan is there to keep an eye on some enemies. And then he sees… Well, you can read for yourself.
****
J. D. “Danny Boy” Moore was a jovial man. His eyes twinkled with humor. He got the joke and it was on everyone else. He wore expensive suits, drove fancy cars, and managed to always have a stash of Cuban cigars despite the embargo. He threw lavish parties for all the movers and shakers in the state and was a frequent guest of the governor.
He was also a scumbag. He was a bootlegger, gambler, and he ran a stable of call girls that put the models in “girly” magazines to shame.
Ronan hated the man. He watched Danny Boy from a shadowed corner as the man glad-handed the rich bastards who thought they were the movers and shakers in Boston. Brian and his wife, Glenna, were there, sitting at the head table, chatting with one of the city councilors. This event was a fund-raiser for some park or another. He didn’t know and didn’t care. He was here to keep an eye on Brian and Danny Boy. Another presence nudged his awareness. A blonde, looking as regal as Princess Grace of Monaco, walked along in the wake of Alex Crenshaw, the District Attorney. If she was his date, the man was being an even bigger arse than normal. Crenshaw approached Danny Boy. Ronan moved within hearing distance while still remaining in the background. He got into position just as introductions were made.
“J.D., have you met my…assistant, Maura Brannigan?” Crenshaw’s insinuating tone made the woman’s job description sound salacious.
Danny Boy lit up like Times Square. He grabbed the woman’s hand before she offered it and made a show of smoothing and squeezing her fingers as he lifted the hand to his mouth for a kiss. Ronan smiled as the woman’s eyes narrowed in both anger and revulsion. She didn’t jerk her hand away but she very deftly extracted it.
Crenshaw and Danny Boy launched into a robust conversation about nothing. Maura Brannigan stood, appearing to be enthralled by the conversation but Ronan knew better. Her mask was a good one but he could see through the cracks in her shield. She no more wanted to be here than he did. Her gaze shifted and focused on him like a laser. He stared back. Her nostrils flared slightly, her eyes widened just a tiny bit, and a look of interest flashed over her features before she hid it. He’d bet tonight’s take that her heart was beating a little faster and her breathing was a little shallower. He smiled. She didn’t smile back. That was okay. He had her in his sights now.
****
And there you have it. Ronan will tack the next step and it will send him reeling and falling and oh I do love it when a Wolf meets The One. Also, caveat, first draft so there will likely be typos, etc. Ignore, read between the lines, please and thank you. Writers, any grace to add? And readers, who’s your favorite real-life princess?
With the advent of cooler weather and looking forward to time spent with family and friends and my tummy turns to fondly-remembered comfort foods from my childhood. This particular dish holds memories of pot luck dinners at the church.
Total Time: 1 Hr. 5 Min.
Prep Time: 25 Min.
Cook Time: 40 Min.
6 servings, 1 cup each
Your family’s favorite chicken-and-rice dish just got a whole lot easier. The creamy sauce and crunchy topping make for a great weeknight casserole.
What You Need
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups cooked long-grain white rice
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup KRAFT Real Mayo
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
2 green onions, sliced
1 cup corn flakes
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
Let’s Make It
1 – Heat oven to 350°F.
2 – Combine all ingredients except corn flakes and butter.
3 – Spoon into 1-1/2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; top with combined remaining ingredients.
4 – Bake 35 to 40 min. or until heated through.
Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Healthy Living: Save 50 calories and 7g of fat per serving by preparing with reduced-fat reduced-sodium cream of mushroom soup and KRAFT Light Mayo Reduced Fat Mayonnaise.
Tip 2 – Serving Suggestion: Serve with a hot steamed vegetable, such as broccoli.
Tip 3 – Substitute: Prepare using chopped cooked turkey.
My Food and Family has all the yummy details. I’m not the only one who remembers this dish with fondness. Cassidy Morgan Barron grew up with this meal and when she needed something quick to feed Chance Barron shortly after they met, this is what she made. Some of you will remember Cassie and Chance, the heroine and hero of my first Red Dirt Royalty for Harlequin Desire. It’s fun to go back and get all nostalgic. If you haven’t read the book, you can either grab COWGIRLS DON’T CRY straight from Harlequin or from any of the other retailers listed on the book’s page. Just click on the title or either of the pics with cover. What about y’all…is there a childhood dish you remember with fondness?
October is here at last. It’s still a little warm but there’s a crispness to the air and the nights are cool. I love fall. I always have. The colors–from the leaves to the sky. The scents–wood smoke, spiced apples, cinnamon. Days get shorter. Nights get longer. Not that it makes any difference to my internal clock that snaps me awake at 5 a.m. 🙄 Still, I don’t miss the long, hot days of summer. Okay, enough waxing. Let’s wane now over last week and the weekend.
There was a week. I did some stuff. Nothing very exciting. There was some writing. Not much but some. Ande after a notice and some friendly emails (and the passage of 3 years that went by in a flash!), I now have the publishing rights to MONTANA MOON back. It won’t be available on Amazon (at least I think it’s in the process of being taken down) until I revise it and republish it. Originally, it was a Kindle Worlds book set in Elle James’s Brotherhood Protectors world. When KW shut down, some of the world owners offered contracts to the authors in their world. I went ahead and rolled MM over into Elle’s company. Term of the contract? 3 years. Which has expired. So now it’s mine again, as soon as I revise it and take out all reference to Elle’s copyrighted characters. I’m toying with the idea of either tying it into my Hard Target team series–with reference to those characters–or maybe to a new “anthology” series that I’ll be participating in. I should probably decide that like…ASAP. I could also just make up some new characters. The Helena Chapter of the Nightriders will remain in the book and most of the action will remain the same. But that’s my goal for this week, and also staying on top of Only to get the cover updated. In addition to that, I did get some words added to the Boston Mob Wolves so theres that.
Reading took a heartfelt turn with the Dark-Hunter book I just finished. It’s been a LONG time since I first read these books and other than a few basic things, I don’t really remember much about characters and plot. DANCE WITH THE DEVIL is the books I finished yesterday. It’s a hard book. SOOO much bad happens to the hero but he remains honorable–if a grumpy grouchy–man. Immortal. Whatever. There were some twists I’d forgotton and there’s a HEA that made me smile through the mads and the sniffles. The next book turned out not to be available from the library or Hoopla in audio so I’ve skipped ahead. The book aftter SEIZE THE NIGHT (my current listen) is the one I’ve been moving toward. There are a couple of upcoming releases that I’m waiting on, and have already preordered.
Sports. There was a bunch! Stormy had one game rained out last week so he has three games this week. Fun times. He came over for a “play date with Big Daddy” yesterday afternoon. They tossed a football to help him throw better and to catch better. And yes, it does translae into throwing and catching a bsseball. OSU (the REAL OSU) beat Baylor and have moved up to #12 in the polls. Yay. OU won. They dropped a little. Ah well. My Cards cinched the 2nd Wild Card slot and then won some and lost some in the final few games. Since they’d already clinched, these games were a time to give regulars a rest and bench players the chance to start. They play the one-and-done Wild Card game against the Dodgers on Wednesday. If they win, they’ll go up against the SF Giants. If they don’t, their season is over. Stormy has a game that night so I will be DVRing the Cards game. It’d be rude to watch it on my phone during Stormy’s game. 
TV has been mostly sports or like the Science Channel or NatGeo while I sleep. I really should pay attention to what’s on since baseball will be over this month. Sadly, shows I used to enjoy like Dancing with the Stars and The Masked Singer just aren’t doing it for me. Yeah, my head is not screwed on right at the moment. But I have audio books and so I’m good!
The weekend was gorgeous–storm dragons battled through the skies early Satruday morning and then moved off. Siren test and Mexican food followed, along with family time. I’m lucky to have a daughter who is also a friend, a son-in-law who’se pretty cool, and an awesome grandson. Oh, and LG. 😉 I’ve kept him around for a lot of years and there’s a reason for that.
So, that’s the summation. Goals this week: get MONTANA MOON revised and published (along with switching out links and advertising); watch a lot of baseball; and generally get on with life. What about y’all? Anything fun happen over the weekend? Anything you’re looking forward to this weekend?
NEW RELEASE
NEW RELEASE
NOW AVAILABLE
Silver James 