Thursday Thoughts: Universal Senses

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Silver James

An instructor of a creative writing class I took one time insisted that every scene needed to have all five senses represented or it wasn’t a complete scene. I dutiful covered all the bases with each assignment. My characters smelled things, and tasted stuff. The things they touched had texture. They saw and they heard. I was all about my character licking the satin slide of melting chocolate cream while watching glittering fireflies dancing on the night breeze whispering through pine needles clustered on branches before fleeing at snap of a dry branch. Hey. I was 13, okay? I have the feeling the Universe is in tune with my 13 yo self.

Oh, Silver, how I love the morning dew on my face, the midday sun on my skin, and the fragrance of jasmine wafting at twilight. The sight of dragonflies darting, the sound of owls “hoo-hooing,” and the infinite perfection conveyed by all my physical senses at every moment of every day, even now.

Thanks, Silver, because if it weren’t for you, such ecstasies I would never know.

Work that body,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

Silver, just “make sure you don’t hurt nobody” (Sugar Hill in the house).

Song? Movie? Character? I’m obviously not clued in to the above “Sugar Hill” reference, but it’s a good thing to remember–that whole don’t hurt nobody thing. But I digress. Let’s get back to today’s topic–senses. And using them in writing. I find as I grew older and more experienced, my descriptions tended to mirror the particular genre in which I was writing. Fantasy/urban fantasy/paranormal? Oh yeah. Because worldbuilding! Thrillers and mysteries? Yeah, need to touch on the five senses but probably not in such florid extravagance. Thrillers and mysteries need to be tight, taut, and tingling but still atmospheric. Right?

And then there’s romance. Oh, I do have a love/hate relationship with heavy-handed descriptions in romance. Writers, dudes are NOT going to notice the style, brand or know the cost of the heroines shoes! They WILL notice that high heels make her legs look awesome. I’ll amend that. The gay best friend would but the alpha hero? That’s a big ol’ negatory! (And yes, I read TWO different books by the same author where the main narrative voices were alpha-male MC-member heroes who were total fashionista divas where their heroines were concerned. Why?!?! Because this particular author normally writes in the heroine’s POV and she’s known for the details like that. Anyway…

So, I have an uneasy relationship with descriptions. And it’s a fine line deciding what’s too much, what’s too sparse, and what’s just the ticket. I’m open to discussion on this, from writers and readers both. How much is too much? When do you crave more? What leads you to tiptoe through the tulips as you skim through pages to get to the good part? I’m listening…

Posted in Craft, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Wednesday Words: Free Write

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Silver James

Another Wednesday and I actually have new words! Yay. Today’s #1lineWed theme is a non-theme. The prompt is **FREE-FOR-ALL** which basically means there’s no theme. I decided to take last week’s **PINK** prompt and carry on with that scene, in case anyone is curious as to what happened. There’s still more questions than answers but that’s what makes a good suspense, right? You should recognize the first two paragraphs as the end of last week’s snippet. To refresh your memories: Jack, Justice, and Brooke (FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE) are taking a Christmas break in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Brooke has gone out on a solitary hike and comes across a wolf caught in a trap.
****
“Don’t get snarly with me. And I should warn you, when I said Uncle Jack is special? I mean that he’s about three times your scrawny size when he shifts so I wouldn’t be giving him any shit.”

“Language, young lady,” Aunt Jussie corrected over Uncle Jack’s chuckle. Brooke had been so focused on the wolf, she hadn’t heard them coming.

Justice cautiously approached the wolf but Jack caught her arm and held her in place. Their eyes collided in a moment of understanding. Jack crouched, staying about six feet away. Justice stood quietly behind him. Brooke stayed back, reminding herself to breathe.

“Got’cherself in quite a fix there, young’un.” Jack studied the trap, anger radiating from him though his voice remained calm. It had been placed close to this path intentionally and could have caught any unsuspecting hiker. Justice. Brooke. And this wolf pup. “You’re hurt,” Jack continued, as he stood and moved a few steps closer. “And pissed.”

The wolf snarled.

Jack shook his head. “That’s not the way this goes, pup. We can do it easy or we can do it hard. Your choice.”

The wolf’s muzzle remained curled but he pricked an ear toward Jack.

“Easy is, I come over there, pry that damn think off your leg and carry you down the mountain so my mate can fix you up.” He waited for a reaction. When the wolf offered none, he continued. “Hard is, I take you down, my mate struggles to get the trap off and I drag yore sorry ass down the mountain, put you in a muzzle, and then my mate fixes you. Your choice.”

Brooke almost giggled at the indignant look on the wolf’s face, but she sobered when the hair prickled on the back of her neck and her arms, despite her sweater and coat. Uncle Jack was doing his alpha woo-woo stuff. The wolf whined and pawed at his nose. She almost felt sorry for him.

The wolf lowered his head and very carefully rolled to his side, not quite belly up.

“There might be hope for you yet, young’un,” Jack said quietly.

Holding out her hand, Justice ordered, “Give me your scarf, Brooke.”

She might have argued but she realized her aunt would need it for a possible tourniquet and a bandage at the very least. Brooke whipped it off and passed it over.

Justice knelt on the opposite side of Jack and spoke to the wolf. “It’s going to hurt worse when Jack relieves the pressure on your leg. I’m going to have to touch it to wrap it up. That will prevent further injury and cut back on the blood loss. Okay?” She smiled, her gaze focused on the wolf’s as she asserted her own form of alphaness. “I’m a paramedic on top of being a wildlife rehabilitator. I can’t promise not to hurt you, but I will promise I’ll be as gentle as I can. Deal?”

The wolf, wary of Jack’s narrowed gaze, carefully stretched his muzzle and nosed Justice’s boot.
Jack studied the trap, looking for the spring mechanism. He could pry it open by force but that would likely cause more damage. He finally located what he searched for and said, “Here we go.” He didn’t give the wolf time to even blink. He sprang the steel jaws of the trap, lifted it away from the mangled flesh and jerked its anchor out of the ground. His eyes flashed red as his wolf rose to the surface.

Justice went to work immediately. She wrapped Brooke’s scarf around the wound then used two short branches to brace the leg before continuing to wrap the scarf around the wolf’s leg to secure it.

Brooke’s heart broke a little as the wolf whimpered. When Justice was done, Jack squatted, gathered the injured wolf gently into his arms and stood as Justice stabilized the leg.

“Little darlin’, can you carry that trap down?” Jack asked.

Brooke eyed the thing, disgust evident in her expression. She nudged it with her boot toe then bent and hefted it. “Ugh. Heavy, but yeah. I can get it down the mountain.”
****
And there it is. Nothing special but words are words. It’s moving forward with the story. I’m behind on my goal but I’ll take any progress I can get. Writers, have any words to share? Readers, how do you feel about snippets? 👍🏼 or 👎🏼 ?

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tuesday Treats and Titles: America’s Favorite Grilled Cheese

Posted on June 29, 2021 by Silver James

“What the…?” You are probably asking that  question about now. “Everyone knows how to make a grilled cheese sandwich,” you say. “Don’t they?” Well…maybe. Maybe not. Personally, I make mine with Texas toast bread, double slices of cheese, a swipe of Miracle Whip dressing, lots of butter on the griddle and then a quick trip under the broiler before I slap the top and bottom together, cut and serve. Those of you who are connoisseurs can skip straight to the tips!

Total Time: 10 Min.
Prep & Cook Time: 10 Min.
1 serving

Learn how to make America’s Favorite Grilled Cheese with this how-to video. Discover the magic of crispy buttery bread and creamy KRAFT Singles. This America’s Favorite Grilled Cheese recipe will be used by your family and friends for generations to come.

What You Need
2 slices white bread
2 KRAFT Singles
2 tsp. butter or margarine, softened

Let’s Make It
1 – Fill bread slices with Singles.
2 – Spread outside of sandwich with butter.
3 – Cook in skillet over medium heat 3 min. on each side or until Singles are melted and sandwich is golden brown on both sides.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Use Your Air-Fryer: Heat air-fryer to 370°F. Assemble sandwich as directed; place in basket in air-fryer. Cook 8 min. or until Singles are melted and sandwich is golden brown, turning after 4 min.

Tip 2 – Serving Suggestion: Serve with 1/2 cup baby carrots and 1/2 cup grapes.

Tip 3 – Grilled Cheese for a Crowd: When preparing sandwiches for a crowd, place buttered sandwiches on baking sheet. Bake in 400°F oven 6 min. on each side or until Singles are melted and sandwiches are golden brown on both sides.

Tip 4 – Variations: Prepare as directed, using one of the following options: Bacon & Tomato: Add 2 cooked slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon and 2 thin tomato slices between the Singles. Easy Tuna Melt: Spread bread slices with KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise. Cover 1 bread slice with 1 Singles, 2 Tbsp. drained and flaked canned tuna, second Singles and remaining bread slice. Spread with butter and cook as directed. Cheesy Cinnamon-Raisin Grill: Prepare using cinnamon-raisin bread. Zippy Grilled Cheese & Bacon: Substitute MIRACLE WHIP Dressing for the butter and add 2 cooked slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon between the Singles. Double-Decker Grilled Cheese: Add a third bread slice between the Singles.

Tip 5 – Bacon & Tomato: Prepare as directed, adding 2 cooked slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon and 2 thin tomato slices between the Singles.

Tip 6 – Easy Tuna Melt: Spread 2 bread slices with KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise. Cover 1 bread slice with 1 Singles, 2 Tbsp. drained and flaked canned tuna, second Singles and remaining bread slice. Continue as directed.

Tip 7 – Cheesy Cinnamon-Raisin Grill: Prepare using cinnamon-raisin bread.

Tip 8 – Double-Decker Grilled Cheese: Prepare as directed, adding a third bread slice between the Singles.

Tip 9 – Special Extra: Prepare as directed, adding a layer of chopped fresh veggies, such as mushrooms, peppers, green onions, artichokes or roasted red peppers, between the Singles. For added flavor, sprinkle vegetables lightly with dried oregano leaves before covering with second Singles and bread slice.

Want to see the video and get the nutritional details? Click on MY FOOD & FAMILY. Why am I featuring something as simple as a grillec cheese sandwich? Because I’m still poking people to buy my latest book, GHOSTS & THE ANCIENT STONES and there’s a grilled cheese story in the book. No. Really. Caleb is telling tales on Sade. Much to Sinjen’s amusement. Mostly. 😉 Anyway, I was amazed at the ideas in the kitchen tips so yeah, I’m hawking a book and grilled cheese. Pick any of the Penumbra Papers books. They’re all widely available. Want to read Sade’s…trouble with grilled cheese? Just click on the cover or the title and grab your copy of GHOSTS & THE ANCIENT STONES.

What about y’all? Do you like yours plain? Fancy? Any tips to add?

 

Posted in Books, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Monday Comin’ Slow

Posted on June 28, 2021 by Silver James

coffee-Monday happensJune is almost at an end. Mid-week, we start a new month. Time keeps slip-slippin’ away. My brain being firmly stuck in procrastination gear doesn’t help much. Ah well. I have a goal for this week. We’ll see how that works.

I’ve discovered that when time slips past, it’s mainly because nothing much is going on. I’m not “in the game,” as it were. Stormy was here for lunch and afternoon “building.” LG got him several model kits so they would sit at the diningroom table after lunch, LG on the computer and Stormy building very cool stuff–without help. He read the instructions and he built the B-25 bomber, the space shuttle rescue vehicle, the star drone, and two moon bases.

I’ve been marathoning A. Zavarelli’s Boston Underworld series. The characters are Irish and Russian mobsters and it’s set in Boston. There’s just something about her choice of words and the cadence of the story that, when I’m in the right mood, suck me in. These books are dark and dirty so not for everyone. I have one more to go and I’m not sure where I’ll turn next. There’s a few books on my wish list coming next month. We’ll see what appeals.

I’m ignoring sports. Moving on. Same with TV. Ah well. I remember when summer meant nothing but reruns so… *shrug*

Writing is…a chore. Talk about not the right head space. I did get almost 1K done on the Christmas novella that’s due ASAP. And I took a flash fiction challenge and came up with 250 words that are totally random. I think they belong in a SciFi, but I don’t write SciFi. It’s tucked away for another day.

I mentioned a goal for this week. I’d really like to get the novella finished. We’ll see. I’m hoping either completing it or getting a good start on it will get me unstuck. Summer doldrums. I hate them.

One last note. Weather. We had some. We got over 7 inches of rain over the weekend with more due though this week. We managed to miss the wind but Only and Baseball Boy lost two sections of fence. That’s fixed now and LG was up on the roof yesterday caulking around the flashing on our chimney. That’s a know drip and we think it’s fixed and it is until we get 7 inches of rain in two days. 🙄

And that was my week and weekend. Nothing exciting but hey, that’s life. This week is three days of Stormy coming for most of the day. And writing. That’s the goal. Eyes on the prize and all that. What’s up in your world?

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Friday Free For All, Video Version

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Silver James

Yeah, yeah. I’m sucker for cute critters and lol memes. And yes, I follow I Can Haz Cheezburger to get my daily quota of them. Today, instead of my standard “sinema”, I’m, posting this link so you can head over there to see their TOP SEVEN DERPY ANIMAL VIDEOS and scroll through the post. Trust me, you want to do this. It’s the best couple of minutes you’ll spend this week. Have a great weekend!

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: Universal Happy

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Silver James

When I started writing, I did it because I had a story I wanted to tell. It was my story, one I wanted to read. Then I kept writing the stories I wanted to read. Eventually, someone convinced me other people might want to read those stories too. I dabbled at getting published and got a few nibbles along the way. They loved my “voice.” They just weren’t sure how to market what I wrote. Back then, books and stories had be nice round pegs that fit into their nice round holes. Even then, I was something of a square peg in a round world.

The first book (series) I attempted to get into the hands of a publisher was an action adventure with some romance. The difference was that my MC and her–yes, HER–team were all female. They did exciting things like take on male SpecOps teams in order to test hi-tech weaponry. They flew helicopters and rappelled from them and did all those SpecOpy things. The publisher didn’t believe men would want to buy it because it starred women, and women wouldn’t want to buy it because it was action-adventure, but hey, they loved my writing so feel free to send something else. I did. I wrote a romantic suspense. It had too many characters and the plot was too complicated but they loved the romance and my voice. Really?

So I quit. And went back to writing for myself. I obviously didn’t know what made others happy but I could make myself happy. I have to admit, I smiled a little when this message from the Universe popped up in my inbox:

You simply cannot know, Silver, what will make others happy.

But you can always know for yourself.

Go for it,
The Universe

©www.tut.com
And they will speak of you in awe, Silver, after you turn and walk into the crowd, woods, or nearby mall, saying, “Whoa, what a firecracker…”

They say, “Write to the market.” I’m not even sure what that means now, much less what it meant then. I once dreamed of being a best selling author and when self-publishing came along, I gave it a try and did okay. Nothing spectacular, but hey, I got a check each month! And I landed a contract with Harlequin, so life was pretty good. I sold some books so someone liked what I wrote. But I never quite clicked with the wide range of readers. I look at a few authors who are mega-sellers and I shake my head. I can’t get through the first chapter of their books without resorting to alcohol. (And I don’t drink very often, just sayin’!) Yet every. Book. They. Put. Out. Goes to the top of the charts. And they have rabid fans that defend them to the point of bullying. How? Why? What am I missing? Well, besides writing to that market, obviously. *shrug* I’m not sure I’ll ever figure it out. And I need to stop letting it mess with my head because doing so dams up my creativity and quells the desire to write. I know others struggle with this too. I totally get it.

I don’t know about “them” (as in, you know, that amorphous they} speaking of me in awe, but I don’t know any other way to write than to do it in a way that makes me happy. And it’s time I remember that. Time to get back to writing the stories I want to tell in the way I want to tell them and hope that there are more people out there looking to read what I write. And here’s a serious question, what made you pick the first book of mine you read? And why did you buy the next one?

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Wednesday Words: In the Pink

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Silver James

Well, when I saw that the #1lineWed theme for today was **PINK**, I was sorely tempted to lift the “meet cute” (in a manner of speaking) between Wiz and Gen in NIGHT WISH. But I haven’t been writing new words and I have projects do, even if the flipping characters went on vacation and won’t take my calls. So, I decided to “free write” based on the word “pink” and these words tumbled out. Progress on the Christmas novella, which I think will be titled “Moonshine and Mistletoe.” Jack Riggs, from FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE, his mate Justice, and her neice Brooke are on a Christmas vacation in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. They run into Crow, who is my first hero in the new FILO anthology series with several other authors. The Christmas anthology is a way to introduce the new series. Anway, here’ what happened to Brooke one snowy morning…
****
Aunt Jussie and Uncle Jack were still in bed. It had snowed overnight and I wanted to be out in it. Snow in south Texas is like a non-thing and even when I lived in Oklahoma with my mom and dad before they got killed, snow didn’t come often. I pulled on my boots and puffy coat, wrapped a scarf around my neck and found my gloves in my pockets. Yay. I yelled up that I was taking a walk and would be back for breakfast.

“Take yer phone, darlin’.”

I rolled my eyes at Uncle Jack’s orders. I was seventeen. Of course I’d take my phone. Like d’uh.
Outside, the air was crisp but not that cold. These mountains didn’t get wind like we did on the ranch. Wind chill factor. It’s a thing. I looked up and down the road. No traffic. I looked downhill. It was pretty steep. Looking across the road, the hill didn’t seem so bad and I thought I saw a path.

My boots crunched through the fresh layer of snow and knowing that my footprints were the first on the path gave me a happy that didn’t make a lot of sense but hey! Take the happy where you can get it, right? I’d been steadily climbing for about fifteen minutes, following the trail as it make switchback turns higher and higher.

Thats when I saw a flash of pink through the trees. Intrigued, I sped up. I found little footprints but no sign of who’d left them. Then I heard a soft yelp followed by a whine. Peering through the forest, I caught that hint of pink again. Was that a little girl? What was she doing out here alone? And what the heck was making that awful noise?

I crept forward and froze when I came up on a clearing. Right at the far treeline, a wolf snarled and thrashed, his back foot caught in a steel trap. What the everloving fuck? This was one time Aunt Jussie wouldn’t get on me for thinking or saying that word. A little girl crouched just out of reach of the animal, tears running down her face.

“Baby,” I called softly. “Come here.”

The little girl whirled, paled, and took off running like I was Freddie Krueger or something. The wolf snarled and snapped at me when I tried to go after the child. Again, WTF?

“Stop that,” I ordered firmly. Aunt Jussie ran a wildlife rehab center and I worked with her getting the animals healed so they could be released back into the wild. I was surprised when the wolf snapped his jaws shut. I saw the pink-stained snow his struggle had churned up.

“Easy, boy,” I soothed but I didn’t get any closer because every time I took a step, he got agitated. “I just want to help. That thing has to hurt like the dickens.”

I studied the trap. It looked old and strong. I probably couldn’t open it even if the wolf would let me get close enough. I need reinforcements. Easing my phone out, I called my aunt.

“Brooke?” She sounded breathless and I didn’t want to think about what I’d probably interrupted. “What’s wrong?”

“Sorry, Aunt Jussie. I know you and Uncle Jack…” I trailed off and took a breath, doing my best to shove the pictures out of my head. “I…there’s a wolf in a trap up here. He’s hurt. I need your help.”

“Where are you?” Uncle’s Jack’s voice was calm but commanding.

I gave them directions and then I sat down on a tree stump and stared at the wolf. The little girl had been standing very close to him. I blinked. Holy moley. My brain went straight there.

“Are you a real wolf?” The animal lifted his lip in a snarl. “Yeah, yeah. You’re a wolf right now so that makes you real but are you a…wolf?”

He watched me closely then and I was pretty sure this wasn’t a wild wolf, but a wolf shifter, like Uncle Jack. “My name is Brooke,” I explained. “I called my Aunt Justice and Uncle Jack to come help get you free. Uncle Jack is sorta special. He’s the county sheriff back home in Texas and Aunt Jussie takes care of wounded animals. We’ll get you out of that trap and fixed up, okay?”

The wolf snarled out loud this time.

“Don’t get snarly with me. And I should warn you, when I said Uncle Jack is special? I mean that he’s about three times your scrawny size when he shifts so I wouldn’t be giving him any shit.”

“Language, young lady,” Aunt Jussie corrected over Uncle Jack’s chuckle. I’d been so focused on the wolf, I hadn’t heard them coming.
****
The snippet’s a bit longer than usual but hey, NEW WORDS! And this is sort of a good hook to end on. Who’s the trapped wolf? Why is he in a trap? Who’s the little girl who ran away? PLOT, people! I have a plot! Writers, any pink words to share? Readers, where would you like to take a Christmas vacation?

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tuesday Treats & Titles: Coffee Ice Cream Pie

Posted on June 22, 2021 by Silver James

So y’all know–or most of you–that I’m rather fond of coffee. I’m especially fond of coffee that is sweet and creamy. And then there’s pie. I especially like pie in the summer. So, coffee AND pie? I’m all over that!

Prep: 20 MIN
Total: 2 HR 35 MIN
Ingredients: 7
Servings: 8

Only six ingredients and no baking required! Here’s a frosty treat for a hot summer’s day.
By Pillsbury Kitchens

Ingredients
Crust
30 chocolate wafers, crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup coconut
3 tablespoons finely chopped cashews or macadamia nuts

Filling
1 quart (4 cups) coffee ice cream, slightly softened

Topping
1 cup hot fudge topping, warmed
Whole cashews or macadamia nuts, if desired

Steps
1 – In medium bowl, mix crushed chocolate wafers, butter, coconut and chopped cashews. Press mixture in bottom and side of 9-inch glass pie plate; refrigerate 15 minutes. Carefully spoon softened ice cream into chilled crust. Cover and freeze about 2 hours or until firm.

2 – Top individual servings with fudge topping; garnish with whole cashews. Cover and freeze any remaining pie.

Expert Tips
1 – To make cutting the pie easier, remove it from the freezer about 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

2 – Sprinkle each slice with chocolate-covered coffee beans.

This recipe comes from PILLSBURY so click on over to get all the nutritional details. When a friend pointed out to me that Sade would like this dessert, I commented that Hannah and Sade might go head-to-head over the last piece. Sade, the MC of the Penumbra Papers series, and Hannah, the…well…I guess she’s now the matriarch of the Moonstruck Wolves series, might give up their men for coffee. Probably not. But…maybe. 😉 Anway…

You can read about Sade in THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC, the first book in the Penumbra Papers and catch up on her lastest exploits in GHOSTS AND THE ANCIENT STONES. The beginning of Hannah’s story can be found in BLOOD MOON, or more fullin the MOONSTRUCK: SECRETS, though she’s pretty much covered in each of the Moonstruck books. Just click on the book cover or the title and you will zoom away to the links page where you can pick your favorite etailer. Anyway, what’s your favorite pie? Stay cool out there and just remember…COFFEE ICE CREAM PIE! FTW!!!

PS: That same friend challenged me to write that scene between Sade and Hannah. Maybe I will…

Posted in Books, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Midsummer Monday

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Silver James

Today is the longest day of the year, aka the Summer Solstice. Yesterday was Midsummer’s Day. How does that even work? Because technically, today is the first day of summer. Yes, my brain explodes a little around this time of year. Also, it’s hot! Anyway, we all know that even though this is the longest day of the year, it still contains only 24 hours. The thing is, there is a longer period of daylight today. Tomorrow, we’ll lose a minute or two of light and that contines until the Autumnal Equinox, when there’s exactly the same amount of light and dark in a day until we get to the Winter Solstice, which is the longest night of the year. And then the cycle begins again, heading toward the Spring Equinox. Yes, I’m fascinated by this, why do you ask?

Anyway, there was a week and a weekend. We thought Stormy would be here most of the week. He wasn’t there was baseball camp and other things so he was only here Monday and Friday. This week, he comes for lunch and playtime until Baseball Boy arrives mid-afternoon to pick him up.

Saturday was a day of naps and laziness. Yesterday was Father’s Day. The James Gang gathered at a favorite pizza place for dinner and exchanging cards. It was nice. We aren’t a huge group, but we’re close. I also had a couple of cool things happen. I’d left feedback on a some beta testing on Goodreads and they contacted me about doing a Zoom interview. I agreed and spent a very enjoyable time with Sam on their support team. For my “trouble,” I’m getting an Amazon gift card. Yay! The other bit of good news meant winning a contest and now my name is in the hat for the grand prize. That’s all I’m going to say because I don’t want to jinx it!

That laziness I spoke of involved catching up on DVR’d shows. NIGHTWATCH makes me homesick for New Orleans and sad that I haven’t figured out any real plots for my two Cajun cop Wolves. THE SECRET OF SKINWALKER RANCH has gotten crazypants covered in crazysauce wild. I love that the scientists are all discombobulated at all the weird $h!+ going on! Yay for a few more episodes before the season ends! Also, EXPEDITION BIGFOOT had some wild times in Oregon. Next episode, they evidently get chased away by a forest fire. Bummer. Why yes, I do like the crazy stuff, why do you ask?

Last week was a decent reading week. I finished off the Elder Races series, along with the spin-off Moonshadow series. I read one of my own books–because!–and enjoyed NIGHT WISH a lot. Now I’m listening to the new release from Christine Feehan, SHADOW STORM. It’s…slow going. Oh well. Next up will probably be Sean “Sticks” Larkin’s book, BREAKING BLUE. It’s non-fiction. Sticks, of LIVE PD fame, just retired from Tulsa PD. And yes, I’m still made at A&E for so precipitously canceling LIVE PD.

No writing this week to speak of. I have characters, I just don’t have plots. Ugh! I’ve got a bit of an idea for the Christmas anthology novella that’s due…ASAP. I really need to get my butt in gear. At the moment, the only project with a viable plot is Ariel’s story in Penumbra Papers. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I need to get off my butt on all the rest, too.

That’s pretty much my world at the moment. Hope all the dad-types out there had a happy day, stay cool on this full-daylight day, and just remember that cooler days are headed our way. Very, very slowly, but coming. Psst I shouldn’t mention that it’s in the 60s & 70s here today. Yesterday it was close to a 100 so…sorry, not sorry! 😉 How’s your world going?

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Friday Sinema: Play Like a Girl

Posted on June 18, 2021 by Silver James

Even though my OSU Cowgirls were on the wrong side of some of these plays, my OU Sooners made up for it. Wanna know why I love softball and watch every chance I get? Take the next five minutes and see how hard and well these young women play! Have a great weekend. If you are under the heat dome, stay cool!

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments