All Saints Monday

Posted on November 1, 2021 by Silver James

Welcome to November. And yes, I’m late. A little. I normally set up the blog a day in advance, ie. Monday’s blog is written and formatted on Sunday. Yeah…about that. I took a nap. Like four hours worth. And we all know what our brain looks like after we wake up.

So. It’s Monday. And All Saints Day. Which means we’re starting the month of November. Which means National Novel Writing Month. Yes. I’m participating. No, I’m not doing the Christmas novella. One, it’s way shorter than 50K words and two, there’s been a change in schedules so it will now release next year. Long story, but it’s part of an anthology so… Frankly, I’m muched relieved given the current state of my writing brain. So now, I’ll concentrate on what I’m calling MOONSTRUCK MAFIA: BOSTON. If anyone has suggestions for a better title, I’m open to ideas! I did mock up a cool cover (to me anyway) cover. So that checks writing off my update list. What else?

Sports. I was torn last night. It would have been cool for the Braves to win it all at home, but then the season would have been over. Yes, I always hope for a 7-game World Serious. So now Braves are ahead 3-2 and they go back to Houston for games 6 and 7, starting tomorrow. In college football, the REAL OSU won decisively and moved up from 15 to 11 in the polls. OU won and stayed at #4. Three of the four new teams coming to the Big 12 after OU and Texas exit for the SEC are also ranked so I’d say the Big 12 is getting the better part of that deal.

Reading. Or listening. Stupid eyes. I finished off Dannika Dark’s 2 series–Seven and the spin-off Black Arrow. Then I moved on to Lauren Dane’s Diablo Lake series about wolf shifters and witches, set in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. The first two are fun and the 3rd just dropped as a new release.

The semi-frost is on the pumpkin these days. I gave up and turned on the heater. Waking up to a 63-degree house and huddling in a hookie and fleece snuggly does not appeal. High is forecast for 54 and rain in the futher. Brrrr. And I have to make a Wallyworld run.

We celebrated Only’s b-day with the James Gang at local pizza place. I had a grilled chicken Caesar salad and like a full order of deep-fried mushrooms. Those suckers are addicting! It was fun to gather with us all because such gatherings have been few and far due to stuff.

Okay…I don’t think there’s anything else of note to share. Life is mostly boring. Anything exciting in your world?

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Friday Sinema: Weighing In

Posted on October 29, 2021 by Silver James

I saw this video yesterday. Most of y’all know my background. I back the Blue. And the Red. And all First Responders. Grab a hanky, courtesy of George Strait. Have a good weekend.

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Tuesday Treats & Titles (on a Thursday): Witches’ Hats

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Silver James

So…uhm…This is sort of a Throwback Thursday post, rather than Thursday Thoughts because…uhm…due to circumstances and on account of because, I didn’t post on Tuesday. So I’m throwing today’s blog back two whole days! So you’re getting treats and titles today. Otherwise, I have to wait an entire year so…yeah. Anyway, to help celebrate the season and all the witches out there, enjoy this quite and easy treat.

PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOL TIME: 30 minutes

Cover homemade or stove-bought cookies in melted HERSHEY’S Chocolate Chips and top them with HERSHEY’S KISSES Milk Chocolates to make decorative witch hats. They’re the spooky snack that kids will love this Halloween.

INGREDIENTS
24 HERSHEY’S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
24 fudge bottomed striped cookies
1 cup HERSHEY’S Milk Chocolate Chips
Decorating icing or gel in tube (optional)
Chocolate sprinkles (optional)

EQUIPMENT NEEDED 
Wax Paper
Tray or Cookie Sheet
Microwave-Safe Bowl
Microwave
Measuring Cup

DIRECTIONS
1 – Remove wrappers from chocolates. Place cookies with chocolate-coated bottom facing up on wax paper covered tray or cookie sheet.

2 – Place milk chocolate chips in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at medium (50%) 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at medium an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted and smooth when stirred. Dip bottom of chocolate kiss into melted chocolate and place in center of cookie. Repeat for all the cookies. Allow chocolate to firm before continuing.

3 – Pipe icing or gel around base of Hersey’s Kiss. Use chocolate sprinkles to make square buckle for hat, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tip
1 – Bottoms of homemade or store-bought cookies can be coated in melted chocolate if fudge bottomed cookies aren’t available.

I’m diverging from my usual source today because this recipe comes straight from the chocolate folks themselves! Head over to HERSHEY’S to get all the details on this fun Halloween goodie. As soon as I saw the pic, I knew I had to grab the recipe to help celebrate SEASON OF THE WITCH’s 8th birthday. Eight years ago yesterday, this book went live and Sade and Sinjen’s love affair began. Of course, Sade made her debut in THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC, but she didn’t connect with her favorite vampire until this book. SEASON OF THE WITCH answers that age-old question: Can a dedicated FBI agent find true love with her undead suspect in a series of brutal murders? Just click on the pics or the title to grab your copy of either book from Books2Read, which hooks you up with your favorite on-line bookseller. Happy reading and Happy Halloween!

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Wednesday Words: Ghost

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Silver James

Late this morning, but at least I’m checking in. Again, things are okay, just stuff still going on. The good news is, I have new words on the Christmas project that I’m going to try REALLY hard to get published before…you know…Christmas! It’s a short novella so if my brain and body will cooperate, it’ll happen. Anyway, the #1lineWed THEME today is **GHOST**. Appropriate for the season, yeah? I checked prevous new stuff but the only “ghost” was in a snippet I’d recently posted. After the storms rolled through last night, I slept fitfully but a scene occurred to me so when I finally got up and around, I got it wrriten down. FYI, the title of the Christmas novella is MISTLETOE AND MOONSHINE. Jack, Justice, and Brooke (from FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE) are spending part of Christmas break in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Brooke has a close encounter with a wolf caught in a trap. This scene takes place some time after that. Hope you enjoy…
****
Brooke sat perfectly still. Snowflakes that seemed the size of cotton balls gently accumulated on her shoulders and she had to blink them off her eyelashes. The snow collected on the fallen log where she perched. Transfixed, she watched the wisp of gray smoke float through the trees. Wolf, her brain said. Boy, her heart answered. Like a wraith, the animal drifted into the clearing.

She winced when she realized he still limped on his back foot. It was tricky treating Wolves. They could heal some by shifting and they healed faster than humans but they still bled and felt pain and bones took time to knit together. They were visitors in these parts so there was no doctor to call. The boy remained in his wolf form while Aunt Jussie treated him but he fretted. He wanted free and Brooke wondered about the little girl she’d seen.

Mystery surrounded this boy and she was determined to solve it before they left for home. She’d overheard Uncle Jack talking to the guy who’d bought the cabin they were staying in. He was some sort of special investigator or mercenary or something. She wasn’t sure, but he’d promised to look into things.

Wolves also didn’t involve the authorities in their problems—not if it could be helped. Uncle Jack being the sheriff was a big deal to the Wolves in Texas. She figured he was working his sheriff mojo on the situation too.

She blinked. The wolf was gone. Disappeared. She wanted to slap her forehead. She’d lost focus and she’d missed where he’d gone. When he escaped the cabin, Uncle Jack refused to let her go search for him. If her aunt and uncle found out she was pilfering roasts and steaks from the fridge to put out for him, she’d be grounded for life.

Something snuffled her back and her heart and lungs stopped working. A very cold nose poked the back of her neck and she choked back a squeal. She didn’t contain the shiver that made her feel like the last leaf on a bare tree at the end of autumn, fluttering in the wind. The wolf nosed the bag she’d set beside her. She halfway expected him to grab it and run but he didn’t. Reaching in, she pulled out a five-pound sleeved of hamburger meat and taking out her pocket knife, slit the plastic wrapper. She set it down on the paper bag on the log. The wolf sniffed before taking a very delicate bite.

“Well, aren’t you the polite one,” she teased.

A branch cracked in the distance and she swiveled her head that direction. When there was no further sound and no movement, she turned back to the wolf. He’d disappeared again.

“Ghost,” she muttered. “You’re like a freaking ghost.” And right then, she decided that’s what she’d call him.
****
There you have it. Literally hot off the presses written just long enough ago for me to set up this post and copy and paste. Writers, any ghostly words to share? Readers, do you believe in ghosts?

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Monday Blues

Posted on October 25, 2021 by Silver James

Yeah…I’ve been MIA. Stuff happens. Nothing terrible just a combination of issues and situations–computer, health, real life. So I’m taking some time away. No worries. Just getting stuff cleaned up, fixed, etc. However, it’s Monday. There was a week. Nothing exciting or extra good happened so y’all just hang out and I’ll be back soon. That’s a promise!

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Wednesday Words: Dazed and Confused

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Silver James

Wednesday, like Monday, just keeps happening each week. This week’s #1lineWed prompt left a lot of room to work. With the multiple choice THEME of *DAZE, DAZZLE, or DOZE**, I decided to be bold and see if I could incorporate all three words. I started out in sort of a “free write” exercise with no idea of which characters, and only a setting. Poor Shannon, but maybe this is the wake-up call Mick needs to get off his arse and claim the girl!
****
Sunlight glinted off the pond in the Boston Gardens and she blinked away the sparkles. An old man sat on a park bench, a bag of nuts in one hand. He dozed beneath the warm sun while two squirrels wrestled up the nerve to steal from the bag. She’d been walking for what felt like hours, lost in a daze of memories and emotions she couldn’t quite sort out. Up ahead, a sharply-dressed man approached and Shannon regretted she hadn’t grabbed her sunglasses when she’d run out of the bar. Of course, it had been dark then and now she had to squint. She would not shade her eyes to get a good look. Tall, broad-shouldered, close-cropped light hair. It’d couldn’t be…

She held her breath as the man neared and then he passed by her without a glance. The breath she exhaled could have been a sigh of regret or one of relief. A rustling sound caught her attention. The old man was awake and he shook his bag of nuts at her.

“Come sit beside me and feed these miscreants,” he invited, waving the bag at the chattering squirrels now perching on one arm of the bench.

She eyes him narrowly and he laughed. “I promise I’m harmless but you look like you’ve lost your last friend, girl. Come and sit. If these mischief makers can’t tease a smile back onto your face, then you can tell me why you’re in such a tizzy.”

“I’m not in a tizzy,” she groused but sat beside him.

“Man troubles?” he asked, looking at the squirrels instead of her.

“Not any more.”

“Ah.” That’s all he said before offering a peanut on the palm of his hand. One squirrel, bolder than the other, grabbed it and skittered off.

They sat in silence for several minutes. “It’s stupid,” she huffed out, as angry with herself as she was with Mick. “It’s not like we were together or anything.”

The man still didn’t speak or look at her, offering a second peanut to the shyer squirrel. He eventually set it down on the bench and withdrew his hand. After a moment of stare-down, the squirrel snatched it up and ran off.

“He made me no promises. I’m just mad that I was such an idiot. What would a man like him want someone like me anyway. I’m a waitress in his bar.” Shannon leaned her head back against the top of the bench, eyes closed, soaking up the sunlight. “But did he have to flaunt that bi—” She snapped her mouth shut. “Sorry,” she muttered. She sighed again. “Me and my girls, we got out of the neighborhood. Went someplace new. It was fun. Good music. New men to dance with. And then he walks in like he owns this place too. And that…that…” She sputtered, trying to come up with an appropriate word.

“Floozy?” the old man supplied.

She burst out laughing. “Yes. Floozy. She was all over him. I’ll bet he had to throw his shirt away because there’s no way to get that lipstick off.” She banged her head against the wooden slat a few times. “The nerve of him. He looked right at me and…and…”

“And what?”

Those two words in that deep, sexy voice sent liquid fire through her veins while at the same time she felt like someone doused her with a bucket of icer water. She opened her eyes and glared at the man who haunted both her dreams and her every waking moment. “And you didn’t didn’t do a damn thing.”

“Are you jealous?”

“No,” she lied. “And I suppose that now you’re going to dazzle me with your razzle.” She lowered her voice to mimic his. “Oh, sweetheart, she’s a nobody. Just a bit of fluff on me arm for the night. I was just out for a night with the boys and she latched onto me.”

Mick crouched in front of her, ignoring the old man. “She was business, Shannon.”

“You freaking paid her?” Her hand darted out and she slapped him before she could stop herself.
****
There’s more but this scene just kept rolling and I figured you didn’t really want almost a chapter worth of snippet. Still, it was good to get some words down. There’s hope for Iffy yet. 😉 Writers, any dazed, dazzled, or dozed words to share? Readers, any books left you dazed, dazzled, or dozed lately?

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: BAKER’S Cookie Brownies

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Silver James

Fall is in the air and that’s a big ol’ “YAY” from me. There are two things I love this time of year. Okay, there’s way more but this treat gives me two faves at one time–chocolate chip cookies and brownies.

Total Time: 1 Hr. 5 Min.
Prep Time: 25 Min.
Cook Time: 40 Min.
36 servings

Whip up a batch of these BAKER’S Cookie Brownies for your family. These fudgy BAKER’S Cookie Brownies are topped with a layer of chewy chocolate chips.

What You Need
1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER’S Unsweetened Chocolate
1-1/2 cups butter or margarine, divided
2-1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 eggs, divided
2 tsp. vanilla, divided
2-3/4 cups flour, divided
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped

Let’s Make It
1 – Heat oven to 350°F.
2 – Line 13×9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides; spray with cooking spray.
3 – Microwave unsweetened chocolate and 3/4 cup butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Stir in 2 cups granulated sugar. Blend in 3 eggs and 1 tsp. vanilla. Add 1 cup flour; mix well. Pour into prepared pan.
4 – Combine remaining flour, baking soda and salt. Beat brown sugar, remaining butter and remaining granulated sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add remaining eggs and vanilla; mix well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in semi-sweet chocolate. Drop large spoonfuls of cookie dough over brownie batter in pan.
5 – Bake 35 to 40 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool completely. Use foil handles to remove brownies from pan before cutting to serve.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Size Wise: These homemade brownies are perfect for sharing since this easy-to-make recipe makes enough to feed a crowd.

Tip 2 – How to Bake as Individual Brownies: Prepare brownie and cookie batters as directed. Spoon brownie batter into 24 muffin pan cups sprayed with cooking spray. Top with cookie dough, adding about 2 Tbsp. to batter in each cup. Bake in 350ºF oven 24 to 26 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. (Do not overbake.) Makes 24 servings.

My Tip – I’m a nut. Well, I love nuts, especially pecans. So…I had 1/2 – 1 cup of chopped pecans to the cookie dough. Or I sprinkle them on the brownie batter before topping with the cookie dough. Or, if I’m feeling generous, I add them both places because…nuts! Feel free to substitute walnuts if that’s your jam. 😉

Want all the nutritional details? CLICK HERE to check out the recipe on My Food and Family. While quick and easy, this IS a “from scratch” recipe so I turned to Gemma West, one of my Oklahoma-grown heroines. She thinks these are the bomb and often whips them up, no matter the time of year. Good thing her mate, Lucas “Lucky” Malone is willing to share. You can read about how these two get a second chance at love in REMEMBER THE NIGHT (Nightriders MC 1.5) for only $1.99 and it’s available from lots of etailers. Just click on any pic with the cover or the title to head over to Books2Read to find your fave link. What about y’all? Are you fans of mixing flavors and textures like this? 🙋🏼‍♀️ if you are!

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Monday Midway

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Silver James

We’re a bit over halfway through October. October is a favorite month. Usually. Why? Because the weather changes. Days get shorter, nights get cooler, the World Serious (and I can watch all the play-off games because I don’t really care who wins, well…except for one team…), the sky seems bluer and I’m normally invigorated due to cooler temps.I’m not sure why I’m not feeling it this year. I have some ideas but…whatever.

Last week was largely unproductive. My head seemed to explode from the idiocy of the world and once that happened, I just never seemed to get back on track, despite my good intentions every day. I hit a snag in the revisions, bot bummed, and set it aside. I scribbled out less than 1K words on the WIP but they were mostly uninspired so I set it aside. When I do a writing prompt, I know I’m on to something when I hit the word count but I have more–either before the scene or after, or in the middle that I can expand. Last week? Not so much.

I took long naps. Not that I meant to, just that I’d lay down under the covers because I had a headache (see head exploding) or my feet got really cold. And I’d fall asleep for a couple of hours. That’s not good. That’s an avoidance technique that my brain uses. The only thing of even slight interest was the Close Encounter of the Skunk Kind the dogs and I had early one morning. Thank goodness the critter was on the back side of a large tree trunk, Jake recognized the danger and disengaged, but poor Boone had fallen and couldn’t get up. He’s almost 14 now and that’s ancient for a large breed dog. His back hips are both weak and if he sits or if he falls because he’s trying to move too fast, he can’t get back up. He caught a bit of the spray, though the skunk was fairly polite. He sprayed just enough to make us all wary and then he escaped under the fence. I still have two spots in the house (including my office–ugh!) where the scent is lingering. Fun times. Not!

Anyway…

OSU beat Texas. This gives me a big happy. My Pokes are not ranked 8th and 10th, depending on the poll. Talking heads that normally blow them off and now talking about how people need to show them respect. 🙄 OU also won after switching to a new quarterback. They moved back into the top five. Giants lost. I have several friends who are Giants fans. Sorry, folks. I’d say I was rooting for them but that would mean my jinx was active (which is why I sometimes can’t watch my Cards and/or Cowboys play). Yankees got beat. REALLY sorry about that because…Red Sox won. :p Now it’s Sox vs. Astros and Dodgers vs. Atlanta. Three out of four isn’t bac and I can watch the games with peace of mind re: my jinx. Good baseball, that’s all I’m asking for.

I’m relistening to a Dannika Dark series set in her Mageri/Breed world. I much prefer her books about the shifter Breeds. I just never got invested in the Mageri. Anway, I’m spending time with the Weston pack in the Seven series. It’s a good place to be–there’s angst, interesting characters, action, magic, and lots of finding the right one and winning them over.

Off to Wallyworld this morning. That can either get me back on track or derail me completely. 😆 Hopefully, I get on track. How about y’all? Are you on track? 

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Friday Sinema: Word Up!

Posted on October 15, 2021 by Silver James

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!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Detour

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Silver James

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.com

Yeah, 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?!?! 😉

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