Battle of the songs this week! First up, Tina Turner straight from the Thunderdome!
She’s taking on a Footloose Bonnie Tyler. What about y’all? Don’t need a hero or are you lookin’ for one? Have a great weekend whichever you choose.
One piece of advice that writers–especially romance authors–often hear is “Kill your darlings!” Now that doesn’t mean to actually off them in your book. Well, unless you are writing horor novel. Or a tragedy. Literary. Some women’s fiction. Okay. So some writers gleefully kill off characters with reckless abandon in order to further the plot. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all about the conflict–both internal and external. Killing off a character can ramp up both the emotion and the action. But, you can “torture” your characters too much. The hard part is finding the right balance and the Universe has thoughts.
For every setback, disappointment, and heartbreak, Silver, ask yourself:
“What does this create the opportunity for?”
And therein you will find its gift.
Everything has a reason,
The Universe
P.S. And if you look close enough, Silver, that reason will always be love, healing, or happy dancing, if not all three.
Setbacks, disappointments, and yes, even heartbreaks can add depth to a story and to a character’s arc. How they react, how they adapt, how they pick up the pieces and move forward makes for compelling reading.
True story. I read like crazy. I mean sometimes 300 books a year (at least back in the day, not so much now but still over 100). I’m alsways looking for new and different. I found a paranormal romance series that was fresh and different. I liked the main character and her sisters were cool primary characters. There was something of a love triangle but not really. Psst I hate triangles. I was fully invested in the book. The MC and Romantic Male Lead had their ups and downs but I hung in there. Until I didn’t. Everyone got their HEA or HFN, EXCEPT the main couple. They were torn apart at the end of every book. Just like that, I was done. The Big U is right. There must always be a reason for the troubles we cause our characters and in the end, those troubles MUST lead to love, healing, or happy dancing. Preferably, all three.
Happy Hump Day! We’ve arrived at mid-week once again. I can’t believe how fast time seems to be flowing. I swear I was typing out a post for this topic like…two days ago. Crazy. Anyway, it is Wednesday and in these parts, that means new words. I have them. Two hundred and fifty of them to be precise. I didn’t win, place or show in last week’s Thursday Threads but the judge did pick a favorite line from my entry. Technically, he piced a fave from several of the snippets. 😉
Anyway, the prompt was: *“You forget, I’m no hero.”* Once again, I’m not sure where in the timeline this occurs but it seems fairly self-explanatory to me.
****
The shadow-drenched path stretched into the distance. The two of them stood beneath arching branches dripping with lilac blooms. A spring breeze teased invisible fingers through the flowers, leaving rustling whispers in its wake. The purple blossoms’ gentle scent perfumed the air.
Ariel watched Aisling. Deep inside, he recognized the trembling nerves of a shallow youth. He almost laughed. He was over two hundred years old and held the title of the King’s Seducer.
“What are you going to do?” Her voice quavered, almost as if the breeze teased her words as they left her mouth.
“Nothing.”
“But—”
He cut her off before she could protest. “There’s nothing I can do.” At least not at the moment, he thought but didn’t say out loud.
“I need help, Ariel.”
He held his tongue and his body, both frozen at her plea. When his muscles thawed, he breathed, filling his lungs with air and blowing it out until they were empty again. He had orders. He knew what he had to do. Reminding himself of his duty over and over, he dredged up words he didn’t want to utter.
“You forget, I’m no hero.”
Aisling’s gaze settled on him, her eyes all but glowing in the sudden moonlight. The look in them almost brought him to his knees.
“I don’t need a hero,” she whispered. “I just need you.”
Her words slammed into him and it was all he could do to remain standing.
“Help me.”
“I will.” And that was that.
****
And…that’s that. Writers, write. Readers, tell me who your favorite hero is. Book, movie, TV. Whatever media. I’m curious.
I decided to go Old Skool today. It’s Fall but sometimes, in these parts, it can be hard to tell. Which is why this pie is perfect for the season. It has the flavor of Autumn but is no-bake (no heating up the kitchen with the oven!), cool and creamy for that last vestige of Summer that lingers.
Cowgirl No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie
Yield: 10 servings
Prep time: 5 Minutes
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Chill time: 1 Hour
Total time: 1 hr 20 min
Ingredients
1 8-inch chocolate cookie pie crust
For the Filling
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar sifted and divided into one 1/2 and 1/4 cup
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 oz cream cheese softened
For the Topping
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chopped
1/4 cup roasted peanuts chopped; for garnish
Let’s Make It
For the Filling
1 – In a large bowl of an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks have formed. Add the ½ cup sifted powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Whip until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to a separate bowl.
2 – In the same mixer bowl (no need to wash it), with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and remaining ¼ cup of confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
3 – At a low speed, beat a ⅓ of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture until incorporated.
4 – Transfer the whipped peanut butter mixture into the prepared chocolate cookie pie shell. Gently smooth the mixture into an even layer with a spatula. Refrigerate the pie, uncovered, for 1 hour.
For the Topping
1 – Place the chocolate pieces, or chocolate chips, into a small bowl.
2 – In a small saucepan, bring the ½ cup of heavy whipping cream to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Once boiling, immediately remove the pan from the heat. Pour the boiling cream over the chopped chocolate. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for one minute. Remove the plastic wrap and whisk until a smooth chocolate ganache forms.
3 – Pour the chocolate ganache over the chilled peanut butter pie. Using a spatula, gently smooth the ganache until all of the peanut butter filling has been covered.
4 – Sprinkle the chopped peanuts along the outer rim of the pie. Chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours before slicing.
Store the pie in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days. If it lasts that long!
By Old Skool, I mean I’m going back to the beginning with the first book I sold to Harlequin, COWGIRLS DON’T CRY. There’s a long story about why I wrote this book and how it was contracted. Maybe someday, I’ll wax nostalgic, though most my readers have heard the tale. “The Call” came on Valentine’s Day. LG was in ICU at VA with a blood infection. My soon-to-be editor wanted the call to be special–hence the VD timing. I both laughed and cried during the call. Anyway. I sold this book and 8 more to Harlequin Desire. This is a pie that Cassie Morgan would make and she’d enjoy every bite of it. Chance Barron is fond of it too. FYI, their father’s hated each other so this is kinda sorta a Romeo and Juliet tale set in the ranchlands of Oklahoma. There’s even a cattle drive. I’ve linked to the Harlequin page because their ebook price is cheaper than the ‘Zon, though you can get a paperback copy from the ‘Zon. Just click on either picture with the cover or the title. Harlequin has links to other retailers too so you can buy from your preferred book seller. So, if you like a bit of spice in your romance, a fiesty cowgirl and a smooth-talking cowboy with a law degree, this might be the Old Skool fun you’re looking for. And don’t forget the pie!
Happy Fall, y’all! Today is the Autumnal Equinox, also known as the first day of Fall. Day and night will be equal. There’s an old wive’s tale about balancing an egg on its wide end on the equinox. I can’t tell you how many eggs my dad let me crack trying it. My dad was cool that way. It was a great way to grow up. There is a hint of fall in the air. Forecast highs are in the 80s and 70s this week. I’m in favor of 60s and 70s year round, but that’s just me. Still, much better 90s!
Sadly, we didn’t have piles of leaves like folks up in the northest get. We mostly just ran the lawn mower over them and they got sucked up into the mower’s bag. Even now, with all the oak, ash, and sweet gum trees dotting our yard, they mostly turn brown and crunchy. No fun for racing toward then diving into a giant pile. Still, it looks like fun in the movies.
It’s Monday. There was a weekend. No soccer. Football was a 50/50 mostly sucked proposition. I won’t talk about my Cowboys but I will ask about how long is it until softball starts. OU beat Auburn. They’re back in the Top 10 for the first time in awhile. My Cardinals won’t be in the post-season. Again. Talented players so I place the blame squarely on the front office and the manager. But what do I know? I’m just a fan.
Reading–or in my case, listening. I’m 5 books ahead of my yearly reading challenge. I lowered expectations this year to a measly 120 books. I normally read/listen to 200 or more. The Ilona Andrews writing team* released a Graphic Audio full-cast version of the second book in their Hidden Legacy series. LOVE the full-cast audio books. I haven’t listened to the series since like 2022, so after listening the dramatized adaptations of book 1 and 2, I slid over into the regular version of book 3 and the subsequent books. I’m still waiting for that last three in theries. There were reasons they didn’t finish and while I could overlook the reasons, I suppose there were those who would be upset. Yeah, yeah, that should mysterious but not my reasons. Anyway, I’m on book 4, which is the start of the 2nd plot arc. Good stuff.
I got a free Crock Pot to try out. It has two insets so I can cook two different 2.5 qt. dishes at the same time, or I can use the 6 quart main “bowl” without them. Now all I need are recipes for main dishes and side dishes that can be cooked at the same temp at approximately the same time. If you have any recipes, drop them in the comments! Warning, I AM allergic to tomatoes so nothing that calls for fresh or canned toms. I can do ketchup and sauce because no skin, pulp, or seeds. I cannot do tom paste. Yes, I’m weird. I am aware of this. 🙄
I basically didn’t do anything this weekend. I pretended to work on the book and did, in fact, get a bit of organization accomplished. If you aren’t familiar with the Scriverner writing program, it has a corkboard function. Smart writers make notes and summaries in the notecard section while writing in the text section. Then in corkboard, you can look at all the notecards and can move them around just like they’re sticky notes on a…wait for it…CORKBOARD! I know to do this but I don’t also do this so now I’m going back and doing this so I can get the dang ducks (aka snippets) in a row and get back to telling a story in the correct time and plot line. What happens is I get distracted, write more on the snippets and forget that I’m supposed to be organizing. My brain has too many tabs open and there’s music coming from somewhere while a couple of tabs are spinning the blue circle of death. This is me sighing. 😔
On that note, I need more coffee. I need to get OFF the internet. And, I need to get back to work. So how was your weekend?
*For those who aren’t familiar, Ilona Andrews is the pen name of wife and husband writing team Ilona and Andrew Gordon so when I say they/them, its because they are a them. Anyway…
A bit of personal history here. My grandfather had a new car dealership in a small town. Behind the garage area and across the alley, there was a long diner–the kind that had a counter and stools that ran the whole length on one side and booths that would fit two–one on each side of the table–on the opposite side. Each booth and about every 4th stool had a tabletop jukebox controller. It was called the White Rock. Grandad would take me to lunch there sometimes. I loved flipping through the song menu and Grandad always gave me a quarter. One of my favorite songs ever was/is “House of the Rising Sun” as recorded by The Animals. I got my quarter’s worth! Ah, the 60s…
So, skip to yesterday when I was looking for a video for today’s “sinema.” I tumbled across this one and bam! Bran has his theme song and I have an idea for his book, though it will be awhile. I have to get through Ariel’s first. And maybe Nikos’s. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Have a great weekend!
How can it be Thursday already? I mean…I know time doesn’t actually speed up but it darn sure feels like it. I look back at this week and I can’t remember anything I actually did. It’s all a blur. Well, except the new brand of tamales LG found. We had them for dinner Tuesday night. I remember that. They come in a cloth bag. Well, they come in a plastic bag that’s inside a cloth bag like an old-fashioned flour sack on not as sturdy. Obviously, it’s the weird things that make an impression.
Anyway. My brain takes off on weird tangents and this tendancy is currently getting in the way of doing any prolonged work on the dang WIP. I had every intention of writing lots of new words this week. Then I decided I needed to organize the “scrivening” folder by reading and making side notes on the snippets. That way, I can put the MS into corkboard mode and get an idea of what there and where each scene needs to go in the overall scheme of things. Guess what? I discovered a scene previously written that I “wrote” almost verbatim at a different time. 🤦🏼♀️ Then the Universe sent me this:
What if every unexpected delay, postponement, or redirect, Silver, only meant that at the very last second, right before the scheduled manifestation, I had an even better idea?
It happens.
The Universe
©www.tut.comP.S. Way, way better, Silver. We’re talking bunny slippers and all.
I get the idea I’m supposed to put on my flipflops (my current equivalent of bunny slippers), sit back sipping my coffee and letting the book just write itself. Yeah. I’m sure y’all saw that hard eye roll. But the Big U does have a point. I’m the one creating the delays, postponements (aka procrastination), and the redirects. I’m not sure, however, that my last-minute ideas are better. That’s why I have to…you know…actually write the words.
So, after I get back from the grocery run today, I AM going to get organized. I’m going to see what is already “manifested,” and then I’m going to see if better ideas come along as I get this tale told. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
It’s a new week and that should mean a new words in a snippet except…
Yikes. Two weeks in a row now. First, I judged Thursday Threads then last week, the writer hosting the challenge was out of town. Tomorrow, there will be a new prompt. In the meantime, I went back through my notes. I likely posted this one before but it was written long before I started officially writing Ariel’s book. Here’s the prompt: *”There is no rhyme or reason.”* I will only say that this is a dream.
****
He awoke under an ancient sweet gum tree. For a heart-stopping moment, he searched with all his senses. Where was he? Keeping time with his now pounding heart, toe-tapping music sprinted through the fog-drenched forest. A fiddle, mandolin, and guitar led the way for the country-tinged voice of a young male. He stopped to listen, catching the words. Ah, he thought A traveling song about a fox. Cheeky creatures, foxes.
The music faded into the distance. He waited, as still as the air surrounding him. No more notes to enliven his environs, or to give him a clue as to his whereabouts. A dilemma to be sure, and it would be of infinite benefit if he could remember precisely who he was.
The brush of fabric against leaves caught his attention. He faded closer to the sweet gum at his side. A sprite darted along a mostly invisible path winding through the trees. His nostrils flared. No, not sprite. Human. A human girl. This made no sense. There was no rhyme or reason for a human to be in the enchanted forest. Wait. How did he know this place was charmed?
Remaining hidden, he studied the girl. Thin, ungainly legs like a new colt stretched from beneath red and blue plaid shorts. A purple T-shirt with a huge sunflower on the front clashed with those shorts. She continuously glanced over her shoulder, as if something pursued her. She put on a burst of speed, flitting along the game trail and he saw it then, the dark shadow hunting along her trail. She hesitated as she saw him, eyes widening in fear. He held his finger to his lips, motioning her to go. He would deal with the dark. He understood his purpose now. And he remembered who he was, Ariel. The Fae King’s Seducer.
****
There is it. There is no rhyme nor reason for it. Or is there? Only the Shadow knows. And maybe Ariel. Or he will. Eventually. Writers, if you are inspired, write away. Readers, what’s your reason for rhyming today?
Yeah, yeah. I know. It’s a lame sign off. Gimme a break. I gotta end the post somehow. 😉
I can’t think of one of my book titles to go with a recipe and besides, y’all have either bought all my books or you aren’t going to. That’s okay. I’m not mad. The whole point of the Treats & Titles thing was to stir insterest in characters and their books with a bonus of food. I’ve only sold 2 books this month. Thank goodness for SS payments.
Bears have the right idea when it comes scratching backs. I always get an itch I can’t reach so I end up in the doorway doing the rubbing scratch against the edges of the door jamb.
Birbs. Birbs are weird. I buy the exact same brand of birb seed from the exact same store. One bag is devoured within days. The next bag, you’d think there was a cat sitting in the middle of the birb feeder. Granted, Pete is outside most days–especially now that Toby is here. And yes, the ferals/neighbor cats wander by but they don’t camp out at the feeder. I have no clue what the difference is.
Yes, I misspelled birbs on purpose. I’m in a birb sort of mood.
It is still ragweed season.
Bad puns are stll puns. Just sayin’. And yes, sometimes I’m punny without meaning to be punny. Sometimes I mean it.
Sarcasm is a lost art. That is all. I now return you to your regularly scheduled day. Who needs more coffee? 🙋🏼♀️
I am determined not to be a slug this week. I have every intention of meeting each day with optimism and perserverance. So far, so good.
Weekend. Saturday. There was afternoon soccer. We took both dogs. The trip up was an adventure in PITA Pup havoc! He spent half the trip with his butt on the center console.and the rest of him in my lap. Y’all, he is a very BIG dog. The first half of the trip was spent with me trying to keep him in the back seat so LG could drive. Jake sat like a gentleman and sighed a lot. Once we got to the soccer fields, Jake and I camped out under the “awning” on my camp chair and an umbrella. Toby and LG walked a lot and worked on “heel.” He’s much better on the leash. Sit, down and stay are still foreign concepts. *sigh* 😔 The boys won 4-1. Yay, especially since they were playing an opposing club’s gold team.
After the match, I had to hit the ladies so I took Toby. He needs to learn about stalls. He did pretty well until two little girls came in and he decided he needed to crawl under the door to investigate. It was touch and go there for a minute. 🙄 Coming home, Toby lay in the floor and Jake on the seat and they both napped. Needless to say, the trip home was peaceful.
In bookish news, I finished off Rachel Caine’s DEAD WITCH WATCHING. I’ll get around to book 2 eventually. I had other books on the TBR pile that were calling my name. WHITE HOT (Dramatized Adaptation), the second book in Ilona Andrews’s Hidden Legacy series dropped last week. I’m currently listening to BURN FOR ME, book 1 because…fun! And reminds me what’s going on because the series has an overreaching arc.
Sunday was laundry and…believe it or not…WRITING! I woke up yesterday determined to get back on track. And, believe it or not, a few posts on X were inspirtional, and boom. I got off the internet after listening to a couple of songs^ and I got about half-way through Chapter 9. I’ll finish it today. Or else. Yes, I’m shaking my mother finger at me, no mirror required. This book has dwaddled long enough. It’s time. So…writing. Every day. Good. Bad. Ugly.
Not much else is going on in my world. I’m going to fix another cup of coffee, spend about an hour on the internet and then shut ‘er down until I finish Chapter 9 and start Chapter 10. I will do this every day this week. What are you going to do?
^songs: Yes, they will appear on the soundtrack. Both are sung by Fleurie. That’s all I’m sharing. *bwahaha*
NEW RELEASE
NEW RELEASE
NOW AVAILABLE
Silver James 