Thursday Thoughts: Universal Magic

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Silver James

I’ve said this before. To be a writer, to tell stories, to write music or paint pictures or create anything, you have to have an imagination. And using your imagination is like working magic. I’m in the middle of edits and revisions and the story takes place in a world where Magicks interact with humans. Bad things happen to good people. Good people turn out bad. Stuff goes wrong. Just ask Sade, my main character. I should mention here that Sade is a little like me. Or I’m a little like Sade, depending on how you want to look at it. As a kid, I lived way too much in my imagination. It was a safe place. I was in control. Bad things might happen but I could ensure everything came out all right. As a kid, Sade lived in a world full of magic and she was one of the few humans who knew about it. Check out what the Universe has to say on the subject:

There’s a name for the magic, Silver, which transforms lives, connects dots, moves mountains, and orchestrates coincidences that shock and astound.

Imagination.

And there’s a name for all that stops you in your tracks, stirs fear, spins wheels, and leaves you wondering, “Hey, what’s up with that?”

Imagination.

Careful where you point that thing,
The Universe ©www.tut.com

And, of course, Silver, there’s a name for that candy that drives imaginations wild: Green M&Ms.

As an adult, I live way to much in my imagination. And it’s a good place to be even when it gets dark and dirty in there. I control the story. I can make good things happen after the bad. I control the magic. And it’s a good place to be. What magic have you seen today?

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Wednesday Words: Ticket to Ride

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Silver James

This ol’ sun keeps right on orbiting around the earth and days keep flying by. Yes, FB, I do realize that’s not how it works. Please do not send this through your truth storm troopers for verification. Our #1lineWed THEME is **RIDE** and we’ve all been on one lately, right? What a roller coaster Life is. Anyway, in this snippet, Sade is hot on the case and she’s gotta ticket to ride, she’s gotta a ticket to ri-i-ide, she’s gotta ticket to ride but she don’t care. And yeah, this is totally on the playlist for GHOSTS & THE ANCIENT STONES. And yes, I’m totally sitting here singing the whole song. FYI, “Ticket to Ride” is NOT the song for the chapter I copied this snippet from. Anyway…Sade and Caleb are in Paris. Stuff is happening. Here ya go…
****
“Sade?” Caleb appeared beside her, his cell phone in his hand.

“Hmmm?” The cat had her mesmerized.

“We have a problem.”

“Yeah?”

“Dead body.”

“Okay.”

“Burned beyond recognition.”

“So?”

He snapped his fingers in front of her face. “Sade!”

She turned her head and snapped, “What!”

“Burned body.”

“I heard you the first time.”

“Interpol says it was dragon fire.”

“Well, shit.”

“That would be my sentiment,” Ari agreed.

She whirled and stabbed a finger at the fae. “You stay out of this.”

“Too late, fair lady. I’m here and involved.” He flashed her an impish smile. “Need I remind you of the witch’s rescue?”

“Need I remind you that the perps are dead and their boss escaped?”

The three magicks exchanged glances that almost admitted their guilt.

“It’s not as if they gave us any choice,” Ari grumbled.

“I was diverted by the simulacrum.” Roman continued to stare at the cat in the garden. “I am…disturbed that I could not track it.”

Sade released a frustrated breath. “Yeah, if a gargoyle Sentinel couldn’t track the gawddammed thing, I’m not sure what could.” She turned from the window and squared her shoulders. “All righty then. Caleb, let’s go check out this body. Roman, you stick with Verity and check out the human connection. There’s got to be some magical muckity-muck who’d know about the simulacrum.” She stabbed a finger at Ari. “You go back to whatever rock you crawled out from and stay out of this.”

The cheeky fae just grinned at her before turning to glitter and disappearing. Caleb sneezed violently. Verity grumbled something under her breath as she watched the dancing motes of faerie dust settle onto the antique carpet. Sade closed her eyes and gave a little shake of her head.

She walked out into the soft Paris sunshine, Caleb at her side. “Where is this body?”

“Tuileries Garden, about six blocks from the Arc de Triomphe.”

“Cab, then.” Sade gave an exaggerated shudder to indicate her dislike of Paris cab drivers.

They quickly paced through the grounds of the Notre Dame complex and hailed a cab on the Rue de la Cité. In French, Sade gave directions. In English, the driver said, “You want we go fast?” Then he pressed the gas pedal to the floor and zipped into traffic.

Dodging cars, buses, and pedestrians, the cabby kept up a stream of curses punctuated by descriptions of the historic sites they passed. As an added bonus, he drove them past the Arc de Triomphe before bullying his way back to their destination. He pulled to the curb on Quai François Mitterrand, ignoring the plethora of police cars blocking the street.

Caleb offered cash to the cabby, who grinned at him. “You fine Americans in Paris will need a ride back. I will wait. I am Francoise and I will be your driver, oui?”
****
I’m about 1/3 of the way through edits and revisions–so basically on track. Sade is taking quite a ride in this book–figuratively and literally. I can’t wait to get it into readers’ hands. In the meantime, y’all know I’m gonna ask writers to share a “ride” snippet and ask a question of readers in hopes of generating a conversation. Put your imaginations to work: What type of conveyance is Sade using in the chapter where “Ticke to Ride” is the theme song?  And I know you are totally singing the song too! Just say’n! 😉

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Easy Cream Puff Cake

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Silver James

When I was a kid growing up, my favorite treat to get at the bakery downtown was a cream puff. I’m still totally in love with the things–light and airy pastry/crust with creamy pudding goodness inside and a drizzle of chocolat on top. What’s not to love right? Except trying to make those suckers? Not as easy as they look. That said…here’s an easy variation on the theme.

Total Time: 1 Hr. 57 Min.
Prep Time: 20 Min.
Cook Time: 1 Hr. 37 Min.
16 Servings

Serve up something sweet and simple to prepare with our Easy Cream Puff Cake recipe. Our yummy Easy Cream Puff Cake takes only 20 minutes to prep.

What You Need
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup flour
4 eggs
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2-1/2 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
2 oz. BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Let’s Make It
1 – Heat oven to 400°F.
2 – Bring butter, water and sugar to boil in medium saucepan, stirring occasionally. Add flour; cook and stir 3 min. or until mixture forms ball. Spoon into large bowl.
3 – Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating with mixer after each addition until all ingredients are well blended. Spread onto bottom of 13×9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
4 – Bake 32 to 37 min. or until golden brown. (Dough will puff up along sides of baking dish). Cool completely.
5 – Meanwhile, mix cream cheese and milk in medium bowl until blended. Add pudding mixes; beat 2 min. Refrigerate until ready to use.
6 – Spread pudding mixture over cream puff crust just before serving; top with COOL WHIP.
7 – Melt chocolate as directed on package; drizzle over dessert.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Serving Suggestion: Sweets can add enjoyment to a balanced diet, but be sure to choose an appropriate portion.

Tip 2 – Make Ahead: Both the cream puff crust and pudding mixture can be prepared ahead of time. Store the cooled crust, tightly covered, at room temperature up to 24 hours before using as directed. Meanwhile, refrigerate the pudding mixture until ready to use.

As always, the wonderful MY FOOD AND FAMILY site has all the pertin3nt details. As for which of my heroines often makes this dessert, whatever you do, do NOT call her a cream puff. One, she’ll take offense and two, her mate Easy will fall over laughing. Those who’ve read NIGHT SHIFT know that when they first met, she was armed for bear–or Wolves, as it turned out. Their story is a dark one because the Nightriders live on the dark-and-dirty side of the Moonstruck world, but they get their HEA. If you haven’t already, grab the book from BOOKS2READ. Just click on that link, the title, or cover. That takes you to a universal landing page where you can pick out your favorite retailer to order from.

Pssst I’ll let you in on a little secret. One of the Wolves will totally eat the whole pan of this Cream Puff Cake all by himself. And he’s probably the last Wolf you’d expect. Any guesses? I’ll give you a hint, his roadname starts with an R and he has an accent. 😉

So what about y’all? Cream puff fans or not? What was your favorite treat from the bakery when you were a kid?

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Mondayin the Middle is Okay

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Silver James

monday morning coffee reachSo here we are. Another Monday, this one halfway throught the merry month of May. It rained yesterday. A nice, steady rain. Which we needed badly. And for awhile, the storm dragons came out to play. It was fun to listen to their rumbles off in the distance without the worry of severe weather.

Writing was awesome last week. I figuratively typed THE END on Saturday on GHOSTS AND THE ANCIENT STONES. I let it sit yesterday while I worked on some semi-writerly related projects. No words, but floor and site plans for a multi-author project coming next year. It was sorta fun. GatAS finished out at 87,717 words. That will change as revisions and edits hit. That’s okay. It’s a complicated story. Which it didn’t start out to be but hey, stuff happens when your Muse runs with scissors. Anyway, I think I’m really going to like it when all is said and done. I only hope that the readres feel the same.

Reading/listening pretty much stalled out. That’s okay. It happens. I pulled out an oldie t I’ve always liked and so far, it’s holding my attention and I’m halway done. Not sure if I’ll continue the series but maybe.

Sports were up and down but that’s also okay. Cards are still leading the NL Central. My OSU Cowgirls played in the Big 12 finals against OU. OU won. Regions for National Championship were announced last night. I need to go check to see if OSU got a regional. Cards have a travel day today. They’re outing against the Padres wasn’t impressive but that’s okay.

TV has been mostly sports. A few of my standby “reality” shows. That’s also okay.

Lots of things are okay today. And that’s okay too. Nothing wrong with just that. As for the upcoming week? Lots of edits and revisions and finalizing the play list for GatAS. Also, maybe some teasers for the book when I need a break from reading my own words and tearing my hair out. Anyway, I hope to have it in my editor’s and beta reader’s hands by the weekend. What’s going okay in your world?

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Friday Sinema: Turtle Soup

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Silver James

Happy Friday and yes, I’m back to critters because…well, I am. #ThisMadeMeLaugh because the female lion is all “Whatever…” and the male is “WTF?!?!?!” Have an awesome weekend. And be the turtle. 😉

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Implications

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Silver James

Every morning brings something new and oftimes crazy. Because that’s the world right now. In betwseen scratching my head and it exploding, I manage to get through the day by writing. This message from the Universe showed up not long ago and it struck a chord.

Silver, would there be any point in giving you the gift of imagination, the freedom to think as you choose, and dreams that set your soul on fire if even a single one of them couldn’t come true?

I think not.

I love you too, too much.

Tallyho,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

Silver, think of the implications.

My imagination is my saving grace these days. I can dive into my made-up worlds with my made-up characters and dream their stories, writing them down and making them sound cool so others might want to read their stories too. In addition, despite a huge effort by some, I still have the right and ability to think for myself, to think what I want to think. And I can dream. Oh, baby, can I!?! Not sure if they can still come true under current conditions. But hey, they’ll be there. They won’t die and maybe someday…the possibility is there. In the meantime, the implications are amazing!

This is part of the attitude that makes a writer. We don’t give up on dreams and thoughts and imaginations. In fact, we rely on them. And you know what? I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. Even on the really-REALLY bad days. So thanks, Universe. I love you too.

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Wednesday Words: Jumbled Up

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Silver James

Wednesday, Hump Day. Time-to-share-a-snippet day. Today’s THEME is a bit of a **JUMBLE** but I managed to JUMBLE a bunch of words together to produce a snippet for your enjoyment. As a set-up, I will only say that Sade and the Scooby Gang are on the trail of the bad guy…
****
Sade unlocked the door and pushed it open. Pistol in hand, she went high and Caleb went low. This was probably overkill, considering she was with the four monsterteers. Sinjen, Roman, and Nikos stood back, watching. And probably smirking. She didn’t care. She was in charge and they were doing this by the book. So by the book, their entry had been postponed until a federal judge signed the search warrant.

A few lights set at odd angles gave a ghostly glow to the space. She checked nooks and crannies, following Caleb’s lead. “Anything?” she whispered.

He shook his head. “Nothing. No one is here.”

Lights flickered on overhead. She glanced back. Nikos stood by a light switch. She’d been told this was an art gallery. What spread around them was a jumble of…stuff. Statues? Twisted metal…sculptures? She had no clue what to call half this stuff. There were paintings though. Stuff perched on shelves, pedestals, easels, the floor.

One painting caught her attention. She approached and stood about four feet away from it. Head tilting this way and that, Sade studied the painting—a surrealistic mishmash of…tulips? She glanced at the title card: Across the Atlantic. Well, that made sense. Not. What did tulips have to do with the Atlantic? What was most of this junk? Avant garde, she reminded herself. No one was supposed to understand this crap.

Roman’s voice drifted over. “She’s feeling guilty.”

“There’s no reason.” Caleb was quick to refute the gargoyle.

“Were you not attacked? While you were with your mate. Who is human and therefore vulnerable.”

“It’s not her fault.”

The voice of the werewolf, who was both her FBI partner and her foster brother, pulled her back to reality. They were rehashing a conversation they’d had on the drive over. Family. Damn straight she was pissed at Trane for going after her family.

“But you are not related to her,” Nikos said.

“Family isn’t blood. Not always. Sometimes, family is what we make it,” Caleb said.

“When did you get so fu-reaking sentimental?” Sade amended her curse before Roman or Sinjen could express disapproval. Jeez. Gargoyles could be so fucking judgmental and she was convinced Sinjen did it just to aggravate her.

A song played in her head. Gypsies, tramps, and thieves made for interesting family values. She’d learned that families came in all shapes and sizes. Her gaze hit this motley crew—vampire, gargoyle, werewolf, and that damned infernal dragon. The only one missing was the fae who drove her crazy. Why the hell did Nikos keep showing up? Beyond his desire to get into her pants. Sade snorted. Yeah, like that had a fucking chance in a hell frozen over. Where the hell was Ariel? He was always around when she didn’t want him underfoot. Except for now. She glanced at Sinjen, who stood aloof from the discussion. She caught her hand mid-gesture as it rose to rub the ache in her chest. Forcing the now-fisted hand into her pocket, she worked hard to shove the damn doubts and uncertainty from her mind. He’d left her but he came back, she reminded her heart.

None of this mattered. She had a job to do. Villains to catch and put in jail. Crimes to solve. People to protect—magick and mundane alike.

Family isn’t blood. Except it was. Blood. Sweat. Tears. And she would shed every drop of hers to keep her family safe. She knew what she had to do. The only obstacle to her plan involved the four Magicks who’d come to stand beside her, also staring at the painting until it began to resemble a stained-glass window. Glamour.

“Do you see it?” she whispered.
****
And there you have a peek into the current action. This is from Chapter 37 but there are no real spoilers here. Anyone familiar with the books knows how Sade feels. She’s like me that way. Family can be blood but it can also be by choice. The family we choose with our hearts is just as important as those we share DNA with. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. What about y’all? Writers, any jumble words? Readers, what book is on top of your jumbled TBR pile?

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Tuesday Treats: Creamy Shrimp Alfredo

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Silver James

I’m a huge fan of pasta. And shrimp. Add them together with a creamy sauce? I’m sooo there! This recipe is quick and doesn’t heat up the kitchen so it’s good for year-round enjoyment.

Total Time: 25 Min.
25 Min(s) Prep and Cook
4 servings 1 1/4 cup each
Learn to make a restaurant-quality dish with our Creamy Shrimp Alfredo recipe. This Creamy Shrimp Alfredo features hints of parsley and balsamic vinaigrette. Depth of flavor this good is not only achievable, but ready in less than half an hour. Success is delicious.

What You Need
1/2 lb. linguine, uncooked
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
1/2 lb. uncooked deveined peeled medium shrimp
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz. (3/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
3/4 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Let’s Make It
1 – Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.
2 – Meanwhile, heat dressing in Large Skillet on medium heat. Add shrimp; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until shrimp turn pink, adding garlic for the last minute. Remove shrimp from skillet with slotted spoon, reserving liquid in skillet; set shrimp aside. Add cream cheese and broth to reserved liquid in skillet; cook 3 to 5 min or until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Stir in shrimp and 3 Tbsp. Parmesan.
3 – Drain pasta. Add to shrimp mixture; mix lightly. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and parsley.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Healthy Living: Save 50 calories and 6g of fat, including 3g of saturated fat, per serving by preparing with KRAFT Lite Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing and PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese.

Tip 2 – Serving Suggestion: Serve with a mixed green salad and your favorite fresh fruit to round out the meal.

CLICK HERE to head over to My Food and Family to get all the nutritional details. Someone who is totally on board with this quick-fix yummy dinner is Geneva Pruitt, the heroine of NIGHT WISH. Even Wizard admits it’s pretty good stuff, but what would a wolf shifter know since it’s not beef? 😉 Gen is a curvy girl and reminds Wiz that her love of pasta is partially responsible. He just grins and stalks her across the kitchen. While life is good now, it wasn’t always that way. You can read their story in NIGHT WISH by clicking on the cover or the title. You’ll end up at Books2Read where you can find the link to your favorite on-line bookstore. What about y’all? Shrimp and pasta or do you prefer a different mix?

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Just Another Monday

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Silver James

today's goals Monday has rolled around again. Yesterday was Mother’s Day. That can be good or bad, depending. My mother passed years ago, and my mother-in-law years before that. That sort of makes me the matriarch of the family. Which is weird because I’m not much of that. My sister-in-law’s (the cool one on LG’s side) mom is still with us and she’s a hoot. We gatthered at the BiL/SiL’s yesterday for burgers and dogs and no stress/no drama. That meant only select members of the family attended but hey, it was good food, good company, and the drama llamas stayed home.

The only real news I have to report is that later today I’ll be doing a cover reveal on my FB author’s page. And speaking of writing, last week was a good one! Lots of words, lots of action, lots of the story moving toward the climax and The End. With luck–and if I figure out what to do with the villain when he gets caught–I’ll be ready for first edits later this week. Once that is done, it’ll go to betas and my editor. I’ll continued to tweak while waiting on their verdicts, plus getting it set up to format. I’m still thinking close to 85K words, which is about 1/3 more than I normally write. Anyway, fingers crossed.

In sports, my OSU Cowgirls defeated the #1 OU Sooners in the first game of their 3-game series. Sadly, OU cam back and won the next two games but the Cowgirls played them close. I was really hoping they’d win at least 2 of the 3 games, which would have handed them the Big 12 Championship. Ah, well. They’re still likely to get a regional and I’m really hoping to see them in the Women’s College World Series. In other sports news, the Cardinals are on a small streak. They’re leading the NL Central and swept the Rockies over the weekend. Up next is the Brewers on Tuesday.

Don’t have much to say about TV other than baseball! And softball! I keep falling asleep during other TV at night, and I usually don’t turn it on until dinner time and then after KP duty and time-for-bed time. Oh, on the family front, Stormy came over Saturday afternoon, spent the night, and went home after MD’s lunch at the in-laws. His new favorite streaming show is some Lego Ninja cartoon thing. I didn’t have to watch near as much as LG but at dinner, I said time for something different so we watched Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It was corny, had great cameos, and I cried at the end while laughing just a little.

Reading was slow too, mainly because new words on the WIP! And, partly because I’m in a weird headspace funk. I finally settled in with Katee Robert’s O’Malley family series. Set in Boston, it revolves around 3 Irish mob families, plus a Russian interloper from New York City. (New York City!?!?! It’s made in…. Okay, squirrel and Pace Picanti has probably scarred me for life. 🤣 ) Anyway, I’m about finished with the second book and I’ll head into the 3rd  when I’m done. Apparently, the last time I read them was like 2017-18. She’s an excellent writer when it comes to emotional arcs and some serious angst (as opposed to the teen-aged stuff that’s mostly just silly.).

So, that’s my world currently. How are things in your neck of the woods?

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Friday Free-for-All

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Silver James

What is a Friday Free-All-All? These are the Fridays when I share the interesting and sometimes odd things I’ve collected over time. There are picture layouts to click over to. There are not-so-deep thoughts to ponder. FYI, links open in a new tab on your browser so you can go look and not worry about finding the next link. Because I’m all helpful like that. 🤣 So, here we go with this week’s edition…

Things that keep me awake at night:

  • Why are there Interstate Highways in Hawaii?
  • Does the word “ambiguous” have more than one meaning?
  • Why is it called quick sand when it sucks you down slowly?

    • These photos are amazing. You definitely want to check them out. WOODLAND ANIMALS straight from a Disney movie.

    In keeping with the whole cute and magical theme, check out these FAIRY TALE SQUIRRELS.

    THESE FACTS (and awesome photos) about animals is important information. Trivia, but important!

    On a darker but fascinating note, CLICK HERE for the story of an adoptee who, while searching for her birth parents, helps solve a 40-year-old cold case. I’m tucking this into my files for future reference.

    Have any cool things to share? And deep thoughts to ponder? Have a great weekend! And Happy Mothers’ Day to all those who fulfill that role! ❤

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