Last Monday

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Silver James

Wow. How is it even possible? This is the last Monday in 2021. I am sooo ready to leave this year behind. It feels like time has been interminable. Yet, at the same time, days and weeks and months have zipped by. As the Doctor would say, “People assume time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff”

So, there was a week and a holiday weekend. I was busy but managed to get most of my Christmas shopping and wrapping done last Monday. Then Baseball Boy tested positive (despite being vaxxed) and there was a scramble to change plans. Instead of the James Gang being all together Christmas Day, we split into our 3 subgroups and celebrated separately. That meant three separate pans of cinnamon rolls. It was still a nice, laid-back day, though we missed getting to watch Stormy open his gifts. The good news is, Only and Stormy have tested negative so far. 🤞🏼 We had turkey sandwiches and pecan pie. I’d bought 3 Butterball turkey breasts in a bag, to cook for the entire gang. Now I have two left for later. Yay. I like turkey sammiches! After all is said and done, Santa was good to me this year. I got lots of goodies. I hope he was good to you and yours as well.

In writing news, my books continue to come off Kindle Unlimited. Last week, it was BRIDE’S MOON. I got ready to open and update the backmatter and that’s when I discovered a big ol’ OOPS! I could NOT find a .doc version of the manuscript. I had the Amazon uploads that was a web version (boy, the hoops we had to jump through back in the earlys of self-publishing. Anyway, it was basically starting from scratch with formatting. And then I discovered that the italics didn’t transfer. Resigned, I set it asside until I had time and mental space to reread the whole thing. I got done and then discovered where I’d saved copies–to my computer hard drive in an obscure file folder, NOT Dropbox in the cloud WHERE EVERY OTHER BOOK IS LOCATED. 🤦🏼‍♀️ So, just to be sure, I pulled up the original .doc and compared. It’s all good and now uploaded. Updated version on the ‘Zon and the wide version uploaded to Draft2Digital. They’ll be back in the office tomorrow so it’ll start popping up in other on-line bookstores over the next few days. I have two more books coming up this week–CAFE MIDNIGHT tomorrow and BLOOD & FIRE on Wednesday. Hopefully, no SNAFUs with either of them. 🤞🏼

Since it was a busy week with lots of together time, I didn’t get much book listening in. Looking for something fun and keeping with the season, I’m delving into Kristen Painter’s Jayne Frost/Nocturnal Falls series. They are fun paranormals and Jayne is Santa’s niece. I still need three more books by Friday midnight to meet my yearly reading challenge. I should be okay.

Discovered a new-to-me show on Discover: The Repair Shop. It’s British. It’s a thatched barn converted to a multi-function repair shop for family heirlooms. It’s amazing to see the items and learn the stories. If you can catch it (it evidently streams all the time on Discovery+), give it a look-see. It’s perfect for this time of year. I’m also attempting to clear out the DVR’d shows so we can start the new year fresh.

Sports. It’s bowl season. One game was canceled, one scrambled to get a replacement team. Stupid panic on this version of the beer flu. OU plays Wednesday and OSU (the REAL OSU, not that other place that insists on using “the” in front of their name) plays on New Year’s Day. I’m thinking NYD is going to be a brisket kind of day.k

LG and I have come up with a new TV “game”– BBQ&B or W&C (Bar-b-que & Beer or WHINE & Cheese). If someone comes on that you’d like to sit down and talk to, they’re a BBQ & Beer person. Someone else hits the screen (like certain talking heads in the mainstream media), they’re pretty much automatically WHINE & Cheese–meaning you wouldn’t be caught dead in the same room because they’re just that irritating. Yeah, we’re weird but at least we’re weird together.

That’s pretty much the stuff in my world. Did y’all have a good holiday? Good company? Good food? Good presents? Good times? Any books or TV shows that’ve caught your eye? Enjoy your week as we roll towards the new year. Question of the day: New Year resolutions? Yay or nay?

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Friday Sinema: Christmas Memories

Posted on December 24, 2021 by Silver James

Christmas Eve Gift!

My first car was a 1969 Chevrolet Impala convertible. Mine was yellow with a black top and back interior. I remember heading out Christmas night after my dad hooked up my brand-new 8-track player that Santa brought. I picked up my friends, we put the top down despite the frigid temps, and we cruised the strip in my hometown, the 8-track blaring. When I saw this commercial? Well…lots of Christmas memories. Warning: Tissue Alert.

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Knowing

Posted on December 23, 2021 by Silver James

Tis the season, y’all. Today is Christmas Eve’s Eve. People are scurrying to get those last minute things done. Family and friends are gathering. And yet there is so much…wrong out there in the world. It seems like the darkness is closing in. But look! There are smiles. There are Christmas lights. There are people greeting each other. There’s hope, and what a shining light it is admidst the darkness. I fount this message from the Universe perfect for today.

Met up with the dearest, little angel over the weekend, Silver, but she was really sad.

She asked, in the sweetest of angel voices, how there can be so much love in the world, yet so few feel it. How there can be so much beauty, yet hardly anyone sees it. And how there can be so many miracles, yet most are ignored.

So, Silver, I reminded her of something far more important. I reminded her that whether or not one knows of the love, they are still bathed in it. Whether or not they see the beauty, they still add to it. And whether or not they recognize the miracles, they still perform them, every single day.

Then we both just beamed.

Tallyho,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

And Silver, whether or not these things are now known, they will be.

Time to know, folks. Look for the love. Look for the beauty. Look for the light.and the joy and the every-day miracles. They’re there. Thanks for being little miacles in my life. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. No matter what you celebrate, CELEBRATE with a happy heart.

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Wednesday Words: Christmas Gift

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Silver James

It’s the Wednesday before Christmas and I promised y’all a Christmas story to keep up my yearly tradition. I finished up late last night so if there are typos or other goofs, don’t look a gift story in the editing! Also, today’s #1lineWed theme is **GIFT** so there ya go–my gift to you. Below is the prologue and then click on the last line. That’s the link  to the page with the rest of the story. Merry Christmas to All!

Psst. If any writers want to drop some gift words in the comments, yay. Also, readers, did you like your gift?

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
Penumbra Papers #5.25

Prologue
It’s Beginning to Look…

Stars glittered like snowflakes in a snow globe. The moon, looking slightly smushed, decorated the horizon as the sleek private jet banked for landing at the New Orleans Lakefront Airport. The dark waters of Lake Ponchartrain rippled below. Sinjen reached over and took Sade’s hand, giving it a little squeeze. For a woman so fearless in every area of her life, it amused him that she was always tense on landings and take-offs. Still, it was a good excuse to be a little romantic.

A red fireball flashed by the window and the jet suddenly nosedived. Curses spilled from Sade in a torrent so rapid every cuss word ran together in a long string that lasted as long as she had breath. The plane righted, banked slightly in the opposite directly and leveled out.

The pilot’s apologetic voice came over the loudspeaker a few moments later. “Sorry about that, boss. Whatever the hell that thing was, it took the tower, us—” He broke off as radio traffic chattered in the background. He returned to his announcement a couple of minutes later. “That sucker took regional air traffic control by surprise too. General consensus is that it was a real UFO. Welcome to the weird that is New Orleans.”

Only then did Sade breathe again. “Damn fuckin’ lucky that he’s a werewolf.”

Sinjen smiled. “True dat,” he agreed, getting into the NOLA spirit. Most magicks had better reflexes than humans and werewolves had excellent ones.

“And so much for a week of rest and relaxation. It’s going to take me that long to get my heart rate back to normal.”

He squeezed her hand. “I’ll see what I can do to distract you.” He leaned in, captured her mouth and continued to kiss her through the pilot’s announcement that they were making the runway approach a second time, followed shortly by “We’re on the ground.” Sinjen broke the kiss as the engines whined down to nothing and the flight crew opened the hatch for them to descend into the balmier temperatures of December in New Orleans.

The historic art deco terminal was festooned with Christmas lights as they walked down the steps to the tarmac. A black Suburban, with a big red nose on the hood and reindeer antlers attached to the roof, idled close by. Luggage was transferred quickly and they were soon ensconced in the back seat.

The drive to the French Quarter was uneventful though colorful. New Orleans was always up for a party and Christmas was a big one. White light glowed around the main entrance to their hotel. The doorman, spiffy and matching the season in his tailored green coat, opened the back door with white-gloved hands.

“Welcome to the Hotel Monteleone.”

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Forgotten Cookies

Posted on December 21, 2021 by Silver James

It’s almost Christmas. For today’s treat, I thumbed through my own recipe book to pull out a Christmas favorite from my childhood. These cookies are so easy, I could make them all by myself when I was a little kid. I will warn you, if you are looking for instant gratification, these are not the cookies you are looking for.” *intoned in my best Obi Wan Kenobi voice* Also, you can do lots of variations for whatever holiday you want to celebrate. See the tips below. Also, don’t freak over the total time.

Total time: 8-10+ hours
Prep time: 15 mins. (approximately)
Makes around 24 cookies (could be more)

Ingredients:
3 large or jumbo eggs (you only need the whites)
1 – 12 oz. package chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla

How to Make:
1 – Preheat oven to 350
2 – Separate eggs, whites into mixing bowl, yolks elsewhere*
3 – Beat egg whites until stiff
4 – Add chocolate chips, pecans, and vanilla, stir gently until mixed.
5 – Line cookie sheets with foil. Drop mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls.
6 – Turn off oven. Put all cookies sheets in oven, staggering on two racks if necessary.
7 – Leave in oven overnight with oven door closed to retain heat.
8 – Store in air-tight container.

Kitchen Tips
1 – Chocolate chips: You can use regular size, mini-size, and different flavors. I often use the mint chocolate chips at Christmas. You can use white chocolate, peppermint, dark, semi-sweet, milk.
2 – Color: You can add red or green food coloring for pink and light green meringue. This can be for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, St. Paddy’s Day, Easter (add yellow to the mix), do batches of red, white and blue for the 4th of July, Halloween or Thanksgiving (orange), or blue along for Hannekah. And that brings us back to Christmas. FYI, they are pretty just left alone as white.
3 – Use the nuts of your choice but whatever you use should be chopped pretty finely.

4 – *Egg yolks: If you have a pan of boiling water on the stove, you can drop the yolks in and cook them for bite-sized munchies while you’re prepping the cookies. Again, this is a family thing, but way better than just tossing the yolks.

Note: Chips and nuts “float” to the bottom of the cookie as the maringue bakes.

No link to check out the nutritional details because I have no idea. My grandmother made these cookies. So did my mother. And me. I just make and bake them. I don’t pay attention to how long it takes or how many cookies. My bad. I’ve given them as gifts, I’ve shared them at office Christmas parties, and I’ve made them just because they are tasty and I was feeling nostalgic. I’m not the only one. Kathleen Tate, mother of the Tate boys of Red Dirt Royalty fame, loves these cookies too. It might be an Oklahoma thing. The boys call them foo-foo cookies but they sure stuff their mouths with them. Trust me when I say that Kathlenn ensures all her daughters-in-law can make these cookies to continue the tradition. This includes Quin Kincaid. Our intrepid Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper admits she could scorch water and if it can’t be microwaved, she can’t cook it. Guess who’s making the Forgotten cookies for this years family dinner on Christmas Day? And yes, All the Tate boys, their wives, and their cousins, the Barron brothers, and their wives, will all be there to celebrate. If you’d like to find out how country music superstar Deacon Tate hooked up with Quin over one snowy Christmas, grab THE COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS PROPOSITION. Just click on any pic with the cover or the title. The link takes you to the book’s landing page on Harlequin. You can get it there or find links to all the on-line bookstores where you can snag your copy of this sexy and fun Christmas tale.

What about y’all? Do you have a favorite family recipe for this time of year?

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Twas the Monday Before Christmas…

Posted on December 20, 2021 by Silver James

…and all through the house, the cat was staring at the tree trying to find a mouse. Okay, not really, but I needed a rhyme. Loki ignores the Christmas tree. Twinkling lights and shiny ornaments aren’t his catnip. So…Christmas is Saturday. Five days. I think I’ve got this. Or I will once I return from Wallyworld this morning. I’m heading out as soon as it’s light, in hopes of missing any crowd. Normally, early on a Monday morning, it’s pretty quiet. Jake and I get to see the brand stockers that we’ve come to know, the associates who always give Jake pets, and I can get in and out in about an hour. Today though, means real shopping.  Not that shopping for groceries and critter food isn’t like real shopping. I have a few presents left to get, and a handful of stocking stuffers.

I have to doff my Santa hat to Lawyer Guy. He’s really pitched in this year and has done the bulk of the Christmas shopping and buying. Not only that, he’s WRAPPED what he bought! Okay, he stuff the presnts in gift bags but hey! No wrappign for me! It’s a win all the way around. I think he had some fun–and it got him out of the house, plus it took the onus off me. I’m all for that! Anyway, I have to get some stuff for him and one present for Baseball Boy and those stocking stuffers. Jake and I will be more than ready for Starbucks by the time we’re done.

In other news, I’ve made headway on the decluttering and rearranging of my office. Boone is getting old and we worry about him. He gets…I don’t know. Confused? Weird? Both? He tries to get into small nooks and crannies where there is no room for him. I cleared out a space in the office closet (which still contains some things left behind by Only), so he’d have a dark, encolsed space with a small opening. We put a bed in there. And yeah, he does get in there sometimes. But then he decided he wanted to get to the bookcase that was blocked off by the Gazelle. Which is going to Only’s house eventually snce I don’t use it anymore. It’s now in the garage because Boone got all tangled up in the apparatus and almost brought down the entire bookscase. I spend about three hours in the morning dealing with him circling my desk chair and lying down in front of me (under my keyboard drawer) or beside my chair on one side or the other so that I can’t roll it. Kills my back and shoulders trying to work around him. But he’s old–14 going on 15–which is OLD for a giant breed dog. So we work around him and worry because the vet just says that  he’s old. We’ll all be there some day. Anyway, I cleared out some stuff, and have more floor space so I’m getting psyched to get to work again. A goal for the new year… Goal, not resolution. I don’t do resolutions.

Reading. Kristen Ashley’s newest Dream Team book finally dropped from the library. The first three books in series didn’t exactly blow up my skirts. DREAM KEEPER is covered in crazysauce and I actually enjoyed it. A lot. I still need to read 7 books between now and December 31st to meet my reading challenge for the year. Ilona Andrews has a new book out in their Kinsmen series. I’m currently listneing to the anthology that contains the first two novellas and a bonus short story and then I’ll launch into FATED BLADES. I’m hopeful. After that, not sure where I’ll go. I’m still stalling on the latest Nalini Singh Guildhunter/Archangel series. Not sure why but I am. I’m thinking I need to be in the right headspace and I’m not. Obviously. Since I’m stalling on it.

Writing. The Wolves are getting a little notice. Mostly, I’ve been dealing with an Elf who’s MIA, Sade and the Scooby Gang in New Orleans. I’m almost to edits, I might have a title, and I think I have the cover. Maybe. I’m over 5K words so I need to get it wrappted up before it’s too long for people to be interested. LOL

No baking, though roll making is in my future this week. So is turkey baking and pecan pie prep. We’re doing the James Gang go-straight-for-the-leftover goodies route this year. Cinnamon rolls, turkey sandwiches, pecan and pumpkin pies, plus chips, Only Crack Dip, and a relish tray of pickles, olives, and cheese. Easy cooking. Easy clean-up. Good food. Better company.

I did get some Christmas cards done and in the mail. Now, whether they arrive in time for Christmas? Who know? 🙄 Hey, I put out the effort.

That’s it for me today. As mentioned, as most of you are waking up to read this, I’m off for adventures in Wallyworld. What’s left on your to-do list? Or are you all set for the holidays?

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Friday Sinema: Christmas Carol

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Silver James

Here’s a little video to get you in the spirit of the season. Kudos to the “choreogpher,” vidiographer and video editor. Hat’s off to Lee County SO!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal More

Posted on December 16, 2021 by Silver James

Today’s message is pretty simple. I could wax on and wax off about how it applies to writing, to craft, to the genre I generally chose to write in, but given what’s going on in the world, and given the time of year, I think I’m just going to let the Universe speak for itself. It manages to be pretty right on and it’s a message that resonates with me, so I hope it als resonates with you. I mean, tis the season, afterall…

The more you love, Silver, for the fewest of reasons, the more reasons there’ll be.

You know, life, another, yourself, people, mornings, French toast, sunshine, rain… everything.

More maple syrup?
The Universe
©www.tut.com

Same goes for the more you laugh, smile and skip, Silver, but be very careful with waving, winking, and honking.

So go out and love today. And while you’re at it, laugh, smile, skip. Heck. Sing. Dance. Spread the good. We all need it.

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Wednesday Words: Spin Right Round

Posted on December 15, 2021 by Silver James

The end is drawing nigh… At least the end of 2021. Time marches inexorably on as this big blue marble spins on its axis and days between weeks. Months become years. Wow. You’d think today’s #1lineWed THEME was somehow deeply philosophical. It’s not. Our prompt today is **SPIN**, and if anyone is still watching the news these days, there’s a whole bunch of that going on. Which fit right in with where I last stopped on the Boston Wolves WIP. Anyway, here’s some fresh words on it. I think the scene is pretty much self-explanatory.
****
The huge black wolf stood in the stand of trees across the street. A sub-vocal growl rumbled in his chest. Neighbors had come out of surrounding houses and they gathered on sidewalks to speculate and gossip. The wolf ignored them. He’d been here since leaving Danny Boy’s warehouse in the pre-dawn dark. He’d covered the miles between there and here with a ground-eating lope. He hadn’t left. He watched these men approach his mate’s den. He’d seen her face and caught a faint whiff of sweet clover, her natural scent. What surprised him was the overlaying aroma of baby powder. Not the magnolia scent of sadness, not wet ashes and dead roses. No, she didn’t regret her husband’s death. Baby powder. Relief.

He cocked his head, curious now. Maybe the things his human half had thought were wrong. The wolf had understood but the man was too stubborn to listen. She was their mate. She was free now. And no one would ever hurt her again.

He settled into the underbrush, muzzle on his front paws. This sideshow would continue for some time. That was fine. He had no place else to be. He was content to be close to watch over her. He perked up when two men in uniforms with lots of gold braid and buttons crossed the street in deep concentration. They spoke in low voices, glancing around them constantly to make sure no one could hear what they said.

“The media will be all over this story,” the older of the two said.

“We need to be careful how we spin this.” The second man snorted and rolled his eyes. “I knew we’d have to cover up the fucker one day, but this?

They didn’t speak for several minutes, instead watching the circus occurring in front of the Gallagher house.

“Did you see her face?” the older said.

“Let’s hope none of the photographers were close enough to get a look.”

The first, who wore the most shinies on his uniform, spat on the ground. “We can’t pony her up for interviews until she heals.”

“That or a good makeup artist. We have to parade her in front of the media sooner than later, but we need a good story first.” The younger man watched another media van drive down the street. “We can say he went down in the line of duty.”

“We do that, there’s no fuckin’ way we can’t let pictures of his body leak. There’ll be no denying that was payback.”

The spin-artist lit up like a Christmas tree. “We need to stage a scene. ASAP. Get one of the working girls. Gallagher came to her rescue with a bad john and the john shot him. We’ll pay her off, ship her out to Providence or somewhere.” He paced off a few steps and then back. “Yeah. Yeah. That’s the ticket.” A grin split across his face. “We’ll finger someone for it based on her description.”

The older man nodded. “All right then. Get on it.”

The wolf had let the man’s consciousness come a little closer to the surface to make sense of the words. If the animal held sway, he’d just rip out the throats of everyone there and be done with it. The man? He had other ideas.
****
And there you have it. FYI, wolf and man is Devlin. That part came out in the previous chapter. Which is a big ol’ spoiler. That chapter, not that Devlin is a wolf. 😉 Ahem. Writers, you got any spin in your stories? Readers, would you rather spin on a merry-go-round or spin a top?

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Cool Whip Snickerdoodles

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Silver James

When a horde of hungry Wolves and their families land in your pasture, the smart retired Army wife hits her pantry and whips up cookies that go with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Talk about easy peasy! Five ingredients. Fifteen minutes to whip up, Fifteen minutes to bake. And then it’s time to make the yum!

Total Time: 30 Min.
Prep Time: 15 Min.
Cook Time: 15 Min.
21 Servings, 2 cookies each

Learn to make this COOL WHIP Easy Snickerdoodle Recipe for the holidays. This easy snickerdoodle recipe is a simple way to perfect a classic dish.

What You Need
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
1 egg

Let’s Make It
1 – Heat oven to 350ºF.
2 – Combine sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl.
3 – Beat remaining ingredients in large bowl with mixer until blended. (Dough will be thick and sticky.) Use 2 small spoons to drop dough, 2 tsp. at a time, into sugar mixture; toss until dough is evenly coated with sugar mixture.
4 – Place dough, 2 inches apart, on parchment-covered baking sheets.
5 – Bake 13 to 15 min. or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet 1 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Chocolate-Cinnamon Crinkle Cookies: Prepare using a devil’s food cake mix.

Tip 2 – Mindful Eating: Treat yourself on occasion to bite-size tastes of indulgent foods.

My Tip – I used a Betty Crocker white cake mix (NOT angel food!). The dough is VERY gooey but once you drop a ball of it in the cinnamon sugar, you can roll it around to coat and pick up and put on the cookie sheet with fingers. I’m a hands-on baker like that. LOL Lawyer Guy gives them 👍🏼👍🏼. Me, too.

My Food & Family always comes up with the easty treat that just hits the spot. so click over to their website for all the nutritional details. Wondering which character was referenced in my intro? That would be Nona Klaussen, wife of retired Army General Nick Klaussen, both of whom appear in the Wolves’ take on “Die Hard,” the Christmas movie. You can read the whole story in CHRISTMAS MOON. It’s still free to read with a Kindle Unlimited subscription, for a limited time only. Otherwise, grab yourself a copy as a present to yourself. Just click on the cover or the title to get yours. (Edit–see My Tip above!) I haven’t made these yet but the ingredients were on my grocery list so I’m ready to do some quick baking! I’ll let you know how good they are. What about y’all? What’s your favorite Christmas cookie?

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