Tuesday Treats & Titles: Ghosts & French Muffins

Posted on April 7, 2026 by Silver James

I had to dive back into today’s featured title, GHOSTS & THE ANCIENT STONES, to figure something out in ARIEL’S DANG BOOK and I remembered this recipe. I’d meant to feature it back when I was doing the whole new release thing and it somehow got lost in the shuffle. I’m glad I found it because these muffins are yummy and pretty quick to go from making to serving. 

French Breakfast Puffy Muffins
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 30 min
Makes 12 muffins

INGREDIENTS
Muffins
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter softened
1 large egg room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk

Cinnamon Sugar Topping
1/2 cup granulated sugar*
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoon unsalted butter melted

INSTRUCTIONS
1 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or line a 12-portion muffin tin and set it aside.
2 - In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened unsalted butter and ½ cup granulated suagr until light and fluffy.
3 - Add the egg, mixing until incorporated.
4 - Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon in a small bowl.
5 - Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry. Mix well after each addition.
6 - Portion batter to fill each of the prepared muffin tins, filling each about ⅔ full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7 - Combine the remaining ½ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. While the muffins are still warm, dip the top of the muffin into the melted butter and then into the cinnamon sugar blend until coated. Serve warm.

TIPS
1. *Sugar - For the topping you can use sanding or raw sugar to give a bit more "crunch" and it makes the muffins look extra special.
2. For REALLY smooth batter, shift the dry ingredients together rather than just mixing them.
3. Do NOT over beat the batter. Do that makes for a denser texture.
4. These are best when served warm but you can reheat them in the microwave for 15-30 seconds, depending on your wattage.
5. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or the fridge for one week (7 days). You can freeze them in either an airtight container or a zip-top freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and then pop them in the microwave to heat, but make sure they are thawed completely! (Personally, the only reason they’d get frozen in my house is if I was making them waaaay ahead of time.)

I actually have no idea if these muffins are truly French or not. All I know is that they are light, yummy with coffee (or tea or cocoa), and that Sade thinks they are French. She likes them. She doesn’t make them because we are talking about Sade here. And…I’ve just decided that I’m going to add them to the breakfast buffet at the hotel in Rochester (again, ARIEL’S DANG BOOK) where the Scooby Gang is currently heaquartered. Or they will be once Sade checks in, and then Caleb and Sinjen show up. Sade is currently enroute from the airport. At the moment, Ariel and Nikos are the only ones there. But back to the muffins, they are good for a mid-afternoon reading break. Or a midnight snack when you have just one more chapter. Obviously, they are perfect for breakfast, brunch–they do pair well with mimosas…just sayin’…–and a light dessert after lunch or dinner. And yes, the punctuation in that last sentence is crazy but I wanted folks to realize that this blog is NOT written by AI. Yeah, yeah, no mini-rants. I’ll save it for another day. Mainly, I just want folks to buy my book and enjoy a light snack while reading it. So, click on any picture with the cover or the title up there in the first paragraph. The link will whisk you off to Books2Read to find your favorite on-line book seller. You can grab GHOSTS & THE ANCIENT STONES in either digital (ebook) or paperback. Let me know if you try the muffins! I hope you enjoy both the title and the treats!

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Easter Monday

Posted on April 6, 2026 by Silver James

The Monday after Easter should be a holiday to so we can all reamin in our chocolate/sugar comas. Of course, that’s about as likely to happen as the Monday after the Super Bowl. Of course, one of the perks of being “self-employed” and working from home is you get to make up your own holidays

In other news, I’ve had this meme for like…ever and it never fails to make me laugh. I know a couple of the Wolves who would totally play the Easter Wolf for the kiddos.

I really don’t have a lot of news to report. We got rain twice last week! The second round brought severe weather though that missed us for the most part. We got downpours and some small hail but none of the hurricane-force winds or the swirling things that “spot dropped” across the southern part of the metro. The redbud tree that I thought was dead because it didn’t bloom now has leaves. Other things, like the golden oaks, are also greening up. I think Spring is finally here, though I did have to turn the heater on yesterday. It’s off today and we should get a week of normal Spring temps where neither heater nor AC is required. Yay. The utilitiy bills can use a break!

Due to the weather, Stormy’s soccer tournament was canceled. As it was out of town. we hadn’t planned on going anyway. In other family news, Only is about to finish off her SECOND masters, this one in Special Education. She’ll graduate in May. Proud of the Kid. While history and museums are still a main love, she’s found a place she really enjoys as a SPED teacher. The administration and other teachers at her middle school love her. That doesn’t surprise me at all. That’s the kind of person she is. And no, I’m not taking credit. She’s pretty much been that from the beginning.

In other sports news, my Cowgirls had a bye week. The Cowboys swept their games, and I couldn’t tell you about the Cardinals. We did–FINALLY–get to watch one of their games on Peacock. I refuse to pay for any more streaming when I’m also paying for cable and their games was supposed to be part of the cable package. They say they are being televised on a dedicated channel on AT&T U-verse. U-verse doesn’t recognize that chennel. It doesn’t even show up in their channel guide. I’m too lazy to try to chase down which of the streaming services we do subscribe to might be carrying one of their games, or the games of any other team we might want to watch. MLB and NFL are really mucking things up with their current broadcast practices.

Mini-rant over.

I finished up the first 5 novels in Larissa Ione’s Demonica series. It’s been a looong time since I read/listened to them. I have four more to go to set me up for the three new ones in the next-gen spin-off. The 3rd book releases in just over a month so I’ll probably put off getting back into the series until closer to release. I’m currently listening to Ilona Andrews’s new release, THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME, which is the 1st book in their new series, Maggie the Undying. It’s been interesting so far but I have to admit that I’m not driven to listen to it. There are a couple of twists that I suspect will come, though not sure they will happen in this book. Ilona and Gordon are sneaky like that.

Side note: Saturday was my WordPress anniversary. I’ve had this blog 15 years. FIFTEEN! Wowser! That’s a lot of blogging, especially since I used to do it 7 days a week. Thanks everyone for sticking around. ❤️

On that note, it’s time for another cup of coffee, a quick surf through email and social media, and then I’m going to go slay some dragons, figuratively speaking. Nikos has nothing to fear from me. There are a couple of Ravens who might should be worried. The good news is, I did write with the prompt from last week so new words on Wednesday. I shall conquor ARIEL’S DANG BOOK yet! Have a great day, all!

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Friday Sinema: Hit the Road

Posted on April 3, 2026 by Silver James

Holy cannoli! This Aussie mum gives whole new meaning to pole dancing. Watching this is an amazing way to end your week. Trust me! Have a great weekend.

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Thursday Thoughts: Road Trip

Posted on April 2, 2026 by Silver James

It is Thursday. I have thoughts. My own, not the Universe’s. At least for this week. Today I’m going to talk about writing. Not so much the craft invovled, not about process or type of writer, ie. plotter, pantser, puzzler, etc. And I’m not going to talk about books in general but this book. Y’all know the one–the one with the working title of ARIEL’S DANG BOOK (that’s not what I call it in my head but keeping this safe for work. Anyway…

A short history lesson. I can’t remember when I actually started this book. Oh, wait…maybe I can. It was after I got out of the hospital. That was…what…two years ago? It was Ariel’s turn for a book. I’d set up the last Penumbra Papers book (GHOSTS AND THE ANCIENT STONES) with a book for Ariel in mind. I had a vague idea for his book–changling librarian, set in Seattle, Ariel sent to seduce her for…reasons, unclear at the time. Recovery took longer than anticipated. And I got distracted.

I’d been toying with a new book, had a full plot and characters and probably a third of the scenes already sketeched out. I concentrated on it and in Oct. 2024, I released MOONSTRUCK MAFIA: BOSTON. And immediately went back to work on Ariel’s book. At which point, I stalled out. Mostly.

As y’all know from my Wednesday Words posts, I write a lot of scenes from prompts. My weird brain has a way of making sense of them all and figuring out where they belong in the whole story. Except this time. I know the scenes have a place, but no real clue about the story beyond what I started with. Except.

I no longer wanted the book set in Seattle. For…reasons. After some research and deliberation, I picked Rochester, NY. Again, for reasons. Slowly, the pieces started to fall into place. Things were happening that made sense for the story but that became the rub.

Let me digress. As mentioned, I’m a puzzler. I start with all the straight pieces put together as a frame. I know the setting, the characters, the beginning and the ultimate end. Oh, not the precise details of the end, but I always know where the story is going. The pieces all fall into place on the journey there. And therein lies the problem with this book. I had no clue how it ended. Note the use of “had” rather than “have.”

Here’s the weirdly fun part. As a way to occupy my mind when I kept hitting writer’s block, I started playing Bubble Shooter on my computer. It’s a simple game. You “shoot” colored bubble at rows of bubbles, matching colors. It takes 3 or more bubbles to get a “hit.” They disappear when that happens. It’s mostly mindless. Or was. It’s a game of angles and numbers of same-colored balls. My brain works in mysterious ways. It started seeing things from the book–scenes both written and not–instead of the balls. I started dreaming about playing the game during those chimerical moments between sleep and wakefulness. Finally, as I was playing the game for real, things fell into play. I saw the end of the story. I saw the reason for it all. And now, ARIEL’S DANG BOOK–which still doesn’t have a real title–makes sense. I know where it’s going. I know why certain things happen and why certing things are important.

The only problem now is getting real life to cooperate. That and enough coffee to drink. I have a roadmap, I’m tanking up on my fuel of choice and with any luck at all, I’ll get to The End sooner than later. 🤞🏼

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Wednesday Words: Philosophically Speaking

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Silver James

First off, Happy April Fools Day. Have no fear, I will not prank today. Mainly because my brain is so befuddled I can’t think of any that are funny and cool. In other news…

So, no writing of note last week, not even my piddly 250 words for Thursday Threads, reason being was that I was the honorary judge last week. And dang but I did like the prompt. A lot! I copied it and pasted on the page containing last week’s entry on chaos because…questions. Then it sat there. Staring at me when I’d open Scriverer, thinking I had a moment to challenge myself. Then, Monday afternoon, with the house quiet and most of my tech issues conquored–at least for now, I had a thought. And things just kind of developed. Y’all get an extra long snippet today. This scene takes place right after Sade lands in Rochester and is picked up by a local FBI agent. And before I forget, the prompt is: *“Is this a philosophical question?”*

****
Marcella had started punching in numbers on the vehicles GPS system but paused, glancing over at Sade. “You want the quick way by interstate or the scenic route.”

“Let’s take the scenic route. I like to get a feel for what I’m getting in to.”

They rode in silence for a few minutes then Sade opened up the discussion. “How do you feel about Magicks?”

Paused at a stoplight, the other agent cut her eyes to Sade. “Is this a philosophical question?”

“Not really. I know how your boss feels. I’m just wondering who I’m working with, that’s all.”

Marcella snorted. “Yeah, right.” The light changed so she eased the vehicle forward with traffic. “I’m going to tell you a story not many people know.”

“Shoot. I’m all ears.”

“When I was growing up, there was this old woman.”

“Did she live in a shoe?”

Shooting Sade a glare, Marcella bit back a snide response. “No. It was a little house and she had no kids. My mom, she was sick a lot. My father wasn’t around much so it was just Mom’n me and my little brother and sister. Everyone called her Baba Jeza. She lived alone. Well, no humans lived with her. Every cat in the neighborhood hung out there. Anyway, all the kids thought she was a witch and that if she caught any of us, she’d cook us up and eat us.”

Sade snorted softly. “Shades of Hansel and Gretal.” She did not mention that Baba Jeza was another name for Baba Yaga because…yeah. That was one witch she never wanted to tangle with. “Does this story have a point?”

“Yeah. Like I said, my mom would get sick and there’d be a knock on the door. Nobody there when we opened it but we’d find a basket of food and a jar of nasty looking liquid. The note said to tell our mom to drink it. She would and would get better for awhile. The year before the Rip, some thugs got together on Devil’s Night.”

“Ah, you grew up in Detroit.”

“Yeah. I did. Do you want to hear the story or not.”

“Sure. Go on.”

“In the middle of the night, they did stuff to all the doors and windows so she couldn’t get out.” Marcella swallowed hard. “Then they set the house on fire. They all stood around laughing and chanting ‘The witch is dead.’ Nobody did anything. Not to try to save her, not to fight the fire, and nothing to those thugs. They never found her body.”

When the other woman remained silent for several blocks, Sade spoke up. “And?”

“And?”

“Yeah. And. It was implied there at the end of your story. Time to make your point, beyond the fact that an old woman people thought was a witch who helped your family and was murdered.”

“When no one was arrested, I decided then and there that I was going to be someone who could get that justice.”

“Okay. And?”

Marcella slowed the car and eased to a stop at a red light. “And every last one of those thugs is dead. Cancer. Car wreck. Drowning. Fall off a roof. Auto-ped. One guy choked on a chicken nugget. Then shit got weird. The ringleader and the DA who refused to bring charges were found sitting next to each other on a park bench. They each held a pistol that had been fired one time. They each died of one gunshot to the head. And there was a black cat sitting on the back of bench, right smack dab between them.”

Sade didn’t roll her eyes. The old woman might not have been the Baba Yaga, but she was likely kin. “So, you’re a believer?”

“In justice? Sure. The woo-woo stuff? Talk to my boss.”

“Yeah, about that. Your boss says Rochester is null space and magic free.”

Marcella made a sound very similar to Sade’s previous snort. “There’s magic here.”

“How do you know?”

“I can feel it.” Marcella glanced over. “Can’t you?”

“No comment.” Sade did feel it. Acutely. But the magic here was unlike any she’d ever encountered before. Her partner wouldn’t be happy that she was cutting his vacation short but it was time to call in the big guns.
****

Wow. I have to admit. It felt good to get the idea for this scene and then to have a peaceful bit of time to flesh it out, write it, and do a little editing on it. I think I caught all the typos. Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, progress! So, writers, grab the prompt and go. Readers, how do you feel about philosophical questions? Or rhetorical ones, for that matter. 😉

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Turtle Dump Cake

Posted on March 31, 2026 by Silver James

Who loves Turtles? 🙋🏼‍♀️I’m talking about the ooey-gooey pecan-y chocolate-covered caramel-filled candy. Okay, actual turtles are kinda cool too but this is Tuesday so that means treats. And a title. If turtles are your secret delight, you should try this cake. Just sayin’…

Turtle Dump Cake

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Bake Time: 30-35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients

  • 1 (3.4-ounce) box chocolate instant pudding
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 (15.25-ounce) box chocolate cake mix or chocolate fudge
  • 1/2 cup caramel sauce or syrup
  • 1 (10-ounce) bag dark chocolate chips divided
  • 1/2 cup pecans chopped
Directions
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add the instant chocolate pudding mix and the whole milk and whisk until the pudding dissolves and thickens, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the cake mix, the caramel sauce, and 1 cup of the dark chocolate chips to the pudding mixture and stir until combined.
  • Evenly spread the batter into the prepared baking dish.
  • Sprinkle the chopped pecans and the remaining dark chocolate chips on top of the batter.
  • Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with some moist crumbs clinging to it, about 30-35 minutes. The sides of the cake will be puffy and slightly pulled away from the sides of the pan.
  • Serve.

Leigh Daniels was an arson investigator down in the Dallas area. The last person she ever suspected she’d hook up with is Brian “Smoke” Jenner, arsonist, outlaw biker, lone wolf. In more ways than one. Should I mention that I made myself cry when I was writing some scenes in this book? It would have been nice to have a Turtle Dump Cake handy for snacking. It’s guaranteed to make things better–which is why Leighy always keeps the incredients on hand. Turns out her Wolf has a sweet tooth. You can read their story by clicking on either pic with the cover or here on the title, NIGHT FIRE. After you click, you’ll bebop over to Books2Read where you can find your on-line bookseller of choice. And now, I’ll ask once more…

Who loves turtules? 🙋🏼‍♀️

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Last Monday Mashup

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Silver James

So. I’m convinced that Mercury was in retrograde all last week. I spent at least a part of each day fighting with some facet of technology. There is a reason I am a technophobe, despite my conversations with Copilot, Grok, and my Google-fu with internet searches.

Due to one set of problems, we now have a new smart TV in the bedroom. I’ve yet to decide whether to move the bedroom smart TV to my office or just leave my “dumb” TV there. I’m very disappointed in Samsung. The bedroom TV is newer than the office TV but it’s glitching. I’ve done all the resets, updtates, and other fixes recommended. The screen still hiccups, freezes, pixelates, goes to black screen, sometimes individually, sometimes in order, sometimes various combinations. The thing is, it doesn’t always do any of that. I’ve put up with it probably far longer than I should have because deep down, I’m cheap. Walmart ran a big sale over the weekend and we got a 43″ (the biggest the TV cabinet can hold) with most of the bells and whistles, delivered same-day for under $200. So I hit buy yesterday. Due to getting it set up with all the passwords, etc., my afternoon was pretty much devoted to that, ie. no writing. Best laid plans and all that.

I did manage the laundry. That’s a win in my book.

Still doing the marathon relisten to Larissa Ione’s Demonica/Four Horsemen series. I’m hung up on the 5th book. Not sure why it’s not grabbing me as it always has before. My plan is to finish it, read the Four Horseman books then skip to Reapers book because evidently, the events in REAPER set up things for the new spin-off with the next gen kids getting books.

No soccer this weekend. Not sure why but with the weather swinging between winter and summer within 24 hours, just as well. I did watch a lot of softball. My OSU Cowgirls did well, even coming from behind to win. The Cowboys baseball won too. OU softball split their series with LSU. Evidently, the STL Cardinals are winning but I couldn’t swear to it because we still can’t watch their games without buying their $99 streaming package. Dear Pro Sports, y’all are really screwing things up with the broadcast rights. Just sayin’.

This is going to be a crazy week. LG has MD appointments that require a driver. We have Kid chauffeur (Only and Stormy) duties. I need an admin assistant to keep me on track.

Not much else going on around here. What’s going on around your neck of the woods?

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Friday Sinema: Triple Threat

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Silver James

Happy Friday. Sometimes, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Just sayin’… Have a great weekend, all!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Don’t Know

Posted on March 26, 2026 by Silver James

Since I messed up the title on Tuesday’s post and had to go back and fix it, I should probably totally confuse people and label this post TUESDAY THOUGHTS. I won’t, though. As I’m actually typing this on Wednesday (see why I get confused without copious amounts of coffee?), I am attempting to lose the headache I achieved on Wednesday morning. See, I have glaucoma and as a result, there’s significat damge to my optic nerves. The left eye is legally blink. I can see shapes and colors but not real distinguishing features–like text, pictures, etc. If I get my head in just the right, I can make out part of the first letter on the biggest row of an eye–at least enough to say whether it is curved or straight. The right eye is technically 2025/2030, or there abouts. That said, there are also blind spots in its vision. This is one reason I’ve gone almost exclusively to audio books. And yes, I am making a long story longer. I have real trouble with text. There are ways–allegedly–to make text thicker and/or “framed” so the letters are clearer. Copilot (Microsofts AI) and I spent four hours Wednesday morning trying to find a workaround because some versions of Windows 11 have done away with the easy way. Don’t get me started. This is not the first time I’ve tried to do something only to discover that what I wanted to do USED to be available in older versions but no longer is. Anyway, I gave up. and another day I’d planned on spending with Ariel’s Dang Book hit the dumpster. Headaches and frustration over tech are imagination killers.

So anyway. This missive from The Universe dropped into my inbox yesterday. I finally read it after I’d gotten through about 100 emails. And it struck a chord. Just becuase. So I’m just going to drop it here and let it stand. Y’all make of it what suits you.

Yes, Silver, it’s true…

There are so many things you don’t know. Things, quite frankly, that you can’t know.

About the magic, the unseen, and the miraculous logistics that can so swiftly change your life.

But then, Silver, one needn’t learn the mysteries of the wind to sail effortlessly around the world either.

Actually, you got a pretty good deal.

Land ho,
  The Universe
©www.tut.com 

P.S. Besides, Silver, isn’t it enough to know that in some forgotten time, together we shared these secrets? That even now, our march through eternity continues? And that before you know it, we’ll laugh like rolling thunder once again?

I’m really ready for some the magic. How ’bout y’all?

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Wednesday Words: What’s a Little Chaos Among Friends?

Posted on March 25, 2026 by Silver James

Here we are at another Wednesday. And once again, I’ve managed to create some new words. The following snipppet is something of a spoiler but not too much. Hopefully, y’all will have forgotten the details by the time I get around to getting this puppy out there in the wild. Here’s the prompt from last week’s Thurday Threads: *“Do you know what chaos is?”* The scene happens…well…at least half-way through the story. Or thereabouts. Stuff keeps happening that needs to happen and the story gets longer as a result. I don’d even want to think about editing this sucker. Why yes, I am doing mental muppet flails, why do you ask? Gotta finish the dang thing before that can happen. Right? Right! Anyway, here’s your weekly dose of words.

****
Titania erupted from the chair where she’d been lounging and stalked across the room. Everyone there was a predator in one form or another. Werewolf. Dragon. Master vampire. Human FBI agent, who was both armed and dangerous. It was Sade the fae queen stopped in front of.

“Do you know what chaos is?”

Sade snorted. “I’ve lived in the middle of chaos since the day I was born.” She angled one finger toward Titania. “My turn. Chaos happens every time one of you meddles in my world. When the Veil ripped and gave your kind free access to my world, everything went to shit. That is the essence of chaos.

Titania flushed, her eyes sparkling with angry magic. “Your world? Who died and made you queen?”

A slow smile curved Sade’s lips but her green eyes were as hard as broken bottle glass. “I could ask you the same question but you slept your way onto the throne.”

Before any of the men could move, Titania had her long, spidery fingers around the human’s throat. Then, inexplicably, her grip loosened and she released Sade.

“They don’t cost as much as silver bullets and I have a full magazine of iron ones.” She glanced down at the small round hole smoking in the silk of Titania’s blouse. “I’m done with you, your majesty. Your bitch sister has Ariel and the girl. You can help me get them back or get the hell out of my way.”

Titania growled. “Then why are we still standing here?”
****

There weren’t many participants last week so there was only a winner and then the judge very kindly gave his opinion of all the rest. This is what he had to say about the above: As always, I love the characters, and they always feel like a Crime Noir vibe set in a fantasy world. It’s romantic in it’s energy for adventure. Every time I get a boost like this, I can stifle the inner demons that whisper in my ear about how sucky this book is. Encouragement is a good thing. I haven’t managed to write every day so far but I have written so…progress! I’ll write more today and more tomorrow and hopefully on Friday too. Weekends tend to be Real Life Days™️so I’m playing them by ear for now. How about the rest of you? Writers, you’ve got the prompt. Writers and readers, don’t let the whispers get lodged in your head. Get out there and do your stuff! That said, what stuff are you doing?

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