Thursday Thoughts: Universal Relevance

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Silver James

Back in the dark ages, when I went to college, one of my classes studied “The Peter Principle,” “Parkinson’s Law,” and “Murphy’s Law.” There were books. And discussions. And the class was actually a study of government bureacracy, case you are wondering. *koff*Forty*koff*five*koff* years later, I can still recite those laws, principles, corollaries, etc. that we studied. I can’t remember my cell phone number but I can remember those darn sayings. Anyway, what does this have to do with writing? Since I normally relate the tidbits the Universe drops in my lap to writing. Bear with me. 

Silver, have I ever told you about, “The Law of Relevance”?

It goes like this, “No matter how scared, or tired, or ill you are; no matter how lost, or confused, or desperate you become; no matter how lonely, depressed, or cranky you feel… if you just do what you can, with what you have, from right where you are, IT WILL ALWAYS BE ENOUGH.”

Pretty good odds, huh?

Your legal beagle,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

Silver, do you think “cranky” should have been used like that?

I had to laugh at the “afterthought” because my current hero is a bit on the cranky side. Jack would argue that observation but it’s true. And that definitely describes me before at least two cups of coffee in the morning. Some days, it takes three. Anyway.

Here’s how it relates to writing–at least as far as I’m concerned. I have a constant battle with depression. For several years, I managed to lose myself in the stories I created in my head and wrote down. And some were bought and published by publishers, others I published myself. And then self-doubt hit. And I didn’t do much of anything for over a year. So I did what I could. And I felt guilty about it because it didn’t seem like enough. At some point, here recently, something clicked in my head. “Do what you can, when you can,” a voice said. So that’s what I did. And I got a book finished, edited and published. And now I’m almost done with another book, though it won’t be published until February ’21. But see…I gave myself permission to do what I could do, with no guilt. Okay, without much guilt. And then the Universe reinforced that voice in my head. Bottom line, do what you can, when you can. In the long run, it all evens out and IT WILL ALWAYS BE ENOUGH! Now, I’m going to start my second cup of coffee so I can tangle with my cranky hero. 😉 What are you going to do today?

Posted in Craft, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wednesday Words: Surreal Reality

Posted on November 18, 2020 by Silver James

Once again, we’ve arrived at mid-week and I’m thinking it’s UNREAL at how REALity is flashing by, making this whole time thing seem totally SURREAL. Have you guessed what the theme for today’s #1lineWed prompt is? This is a short snippet from FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE, my current WIP. It’s Halloween. There’s a “haunted hayride” sponsored by the local high school on Justice’s Wind Wolf Ranch. Jack has…well, I’ll leave it up to your imaginations. 😉
****
By the time dusk settled across the landscape, everything was in place. Three tractors ready to pull large, hay-filled wagons, their drivers dressed like demonic scarecrows, were lined up and ready. Justice pretended that a bunch of teens wouldn’t be snuggling into that hay, hugging and probably kissing between the scary stuff. The moon was almost full which cast an eerie glow across the land. There was a Freddie Krueger character. And since this was Texas, a guy in a bloody shirt with a real chainsaw. There were pop-up ghosts. And since the horses had been out in the sun all day, their painted skeletons absorbing the light, they looked terrifyingly real as they rambled around the pen munching hay. Brooke and Mia provided a bucket of carrots for people to feed them. The parking area was full, the tractors and wagons lined up ready for passengers to board, and a throng of people milled around admiring Halloween decorations, eating and drinking. Some took pictures of the horses.

Justice glanced at her watch. The only thing missing was…Jack. Surely he would have tagged her if he’d been called out. Then she heard it. Eerie. Echoing. Piercingly lonely. Everyone froze, including all the animals. The wolf howled again. The hair on the back of her neck prickled and every hair on her arm rose. And her phone pinged. She almost dropped the thing it startled her so bad. She opened the text app.

TEXT: Wolfman reporting for duty

She glanced around. People milled around, looking a bit nervous. She grinned and typed back. TEXT: Play the howl again. People are freaked.

Another howl ripped through the darkening night, a plaintive love song rising to the moon, turning a spooky night into something surreal. She had no idea where he’d gotten that recording but it was perfect.

She stepped up on a hay bale, cupped her hands and called out. “Who among you are brave enough to face the spirits haunting Wind Wolf Ranch? Know that the guardian spirit of this land will judge whether you are worthy.” She gestured toward the tractors. “Time to face your fates!”

Brooke, eyes rounded, grinned up at Justice. “That. Was. Awesome!”

And it totally was.
****
FYI, this is a first draft. I’ll edit out some of the redundant words, etc. Ignore typos. Yada yada. Also, the text messages will not have “TEXT” in front of them. That’s a note for the formatter so he knows to change the font. Anyway, a little late for Real Life Halloween but it’s Halloween in the book’s timeline. I hope you enjoy this surreal peek into both the real and unreal sides of this story. 😉 Writers, got unreal real surreal words to share? Readers, do you like an unreal touch of surreal or do you want everything real in your reading?

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Tuesday Treats & Titles: Cuban Sandwich Appetizer Squares

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Silver James

I do love me a good Cuban sandwich but I don’t always have the right kind of bread and other stuffs. Then I found this recipe. It is easy-peasy and yummy enough that we eat it as small sandwiches for dinner. Or for sitting around nibbling while watching TV.

Total Time: 45 Min.
Prep Times: 15 Min.
Cook Time: 30 Min.
16 servings (2 squares = 1 serving)

Finger food doesn’t get any more fun than Cuban Sandwich Appetizer Squares. With crescent dinner roll dough substituting for a sandwich bread and topped with a dill chip, Cuban Sandwich Appetizer Square aim to please. Try some at your next get-together.

What You Need
2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls, divided
1 pkg. (9 oz.) OSCAR MAYER Deli Fresh Smoked Ham
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Extra Thin Swiss Cheese Slices
5 oz. deli-style roasted pork loin
3 Tbsp. HEINZ Yellow Mustard
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/8 tsp. cracked black pepper
32 HEINZ Hamburger Dill Chips

Let’s Make It
1 – Heat oven to 375°F.
2 – Unroll 1 can crescent dough onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray; firmly press perforations and seams together to form 12×10-inch rectangle. Bake 5 to 6 min.
3 – Top baked crust with ham to within 1/2 inch of edges; cover with layers of cheese and roasted pork. Spread with mustard.
4 – Unroll remaining can of crescent dough as directed, except substitute sheet of parchment paper for the baking sheet. Flip dough and parchment over meat- and cheese-topped crust; remove and discard parchment. Press edges of dough together to seal, tucking under if necessary. Brush with butter; sprinkle with pepper.
5 – Bake 25 to 30 min. or until golden brown. Let stand 5 min. before cutting into 32 squares. Top each with pickle chip.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Substitute: Substitute KRAFT Provolone Cheese Slices for the Swiss cheese.

Tip 2 – Size Wise: Try using a smaller plate at parties to help manage portions of your favorite appetizer recipes.

Tip 3 – Note: If necessary, cover top of appetizer loosely with foil near the end of the baking time to prevent it from overbrowning.

My Tip – Note: The 5-6 minute baking time for the bottom “crust” is included in the prep time NOT the overall cooking time. Seems some folks found that confusing over on My Food & Family, which you can CLICK ON HERE to get all the nutritional details. 😉

I do have one heroine of Cuban descent but she…doesn’t cook. Much. She kills people. No, really. Well, she used to kill people, until her last assignment when she was sent to assassinate a rogue Delta Force soldier who also happened to be a Wolf. You can read Zeta and Brody’s story in UNDER THE ASSASSIN’S MOON, which is a standalone novel but has ties to other books. FYI, Brody does the cooking and he makes these when the guys come over to the watch a game. 😉 If you don’t have the book, just click on the cover or the title. You can read it for free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. Have you ever had a real Cuban sandwich? The kind that’s hot and pressed? Yum! FYI, this is also one of my favorite cover.<3

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Sweet 16 Monday

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Silver James

Another weekend by the by and it’s Monday once again. Why does this keep happening every week? Of course, if we got Mondays banned, that would just put an extra burden on Tuesdays. And I’d much rather get rid of Daylight Savings Time. Yeah? *nod* Today is the 16th. I checked the calendar because I needed to make sure of the day. It IS Monday. In addition to the weekend, there was a week. To update those who want to know…

I’m closing in on 40K words in FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE. On track and pretty pleased with the story so far. I get inspired at weird times so I’m relearning to go with the flow when it hits. The good news is that I AM writing every day and clocking in over 2K at day. I have every intention of keeping that up once NaNoWriMo is over.

Saturday was a fun day. A wonderful member of the American Legion family had her birthday at the Post on Saturday afternoon. There were fun games and good food and a part of her family came up from Texas, along with several members of the Post. She’s full of energy and love and hugs and…yeah. Good people. Sunday was a lazy day of listening to audio books and writing.

I did some catching up on the DVR list. Of note, the Snow Owls were revealed on The Masked Singer last Wednesday. I was holding out for Vince Gill and Amy Grant until I saw last week’s episode and the “smackdown” to see which contestant(s) moved on to the finals. I recognized the male voice but couldn’t put a name to him. They turned out to be Clint Black and his beautiful wife, Lisa Hartman Black. I was sad to see them go. The rest of the shows were ghost or weird stuff related and nothing spectacular to relate.

I finished off my marathon re-listen to JD Robb’s In Death series with the new-ish release, SHADOWS IN DEATH. Awesome book! But now I have to wait until February for the next new release. I was at a bit of a loss for what to pick up next–darn book hangovers (and yes, SiD is hangover worthy!) so I picked through some lists I’d made. I came up with a series about dragon shifters (Fire’s Edge) written by Abigail Owen. The prequel novella, THE MATE, was okay and since I hadn’t found anything else in my stacks that jumped up and down for my attention, I clicked over to Book 1, THE BOSS. Dragon shifters, fated mates, and they pose as a hot shot crew located not far from Lake Tahoe. I enjoyed that book and I’m on to Book 2, THE ROOKIE. One more, so far, in this series. There’s a companion series that has 3 books in it but they aren’t available in audio yet. I’m also reading SAVAGED DEVOTION by one of my all-time favorite authors, Jennifer Lyon. This is the final book in the SAVAGED ILLUSIONS series. Sadly, I can’t devour it like I want because–eye issues. I will say that I was out-and-out crying at the end of the first chapter. The final HEA is going to be AWESOME!

Bye week for both college football teams I follow. Next week is Bedlam, when they play each other. I’m trying not to fret over Yadi Molina and Adam Wainright, my two favorite players with the St. Louis Cardinals. They are both free agents. My whole sports outlook is pretty slim this time of year. Moving on…

Well…actually, moving out. 🤣 I’m done. There’s no other news of which to update you fine people. So, time to get to work. I have many words to write this week–The End being two of them, hopefully. What’s up in your world? Good? Bad? Indifferent?

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Friday Sinema: Wick’s Kitty

Posted on November 13, 2020 by Silver James

Okay. I can admit openly that I LIKE the John Wicks franchise. Gratuitous violence, gun battles, awesome fights. I worry about any dogs in those movies, though. That said, here’s the perfect pet for John. Trust me, this 45 seconds is worth the click. 🤣 Have a great weekend!

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: Universal Page 1

Posted on November 12, 2020 by Silver James

As y’all know, I’m just over half-way to my 50K minimum word count on my current WIP, FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE. We’re also 12 days into NaNoWriMo. I’d set myself a goal of 3K words a day. I actually hit that on Tuesday. The rest of the time, I’ve been logging in over 2K a day. What does this have to do with “Page 1” though? Think about. Before a book gets written, an author has to sit down and write the first page. It starts with the opening line, continues with a paragraph. Then another and another until about 450 words–more or less depending on dialogue and length of paragraphs–are written. That’s about a page. The thing is, we have to start that journey by writing that first line and getting to the end of page 1. The Universe dropped this into my inbox at just the right time.

When just starting out on a new journey, Silver, it’s only natural to feel vulnerable, like you have so much to lose.

But may I remind you that never again, at any other point in the same journey, will you have so much to gain?

I’ll take that as a “Yes.”

Tallyho,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

And, Silver, that barely hints at how profoundly “the game of life” is rigged in your favor. Go for it and keep going for it! (I’m “wanted” in Vegas.)

Whether you’re writing a book or starting a new project, even if it’s as mundane as doing laundry, raking leaves, or reading a book (and I’m always hopeful that book you pick up is one of mine!), you have to start that “journey” somewhere. And isn’t it nice to know that the Universe has rigged the game in our favor? But that means we have to take the first step. Write the first word. No matter how vulnerable we feel. No matter how much we think that first page sucks. We have so much to gain by taking the chance.

I wrote my first page and approximately 28K more words to add to the total. I took that chance and it’s going to pay off with a shiny new book here in a few weeks. What will you gain when you take that first step of your journey today?

Posted in Craft, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Wednesday Words: The Fortune of Luck

Posted on November 11, 2020 by Silver James

Today’s #1lineWed prompt should you need to utilize it to help toward your word count if you’re doing NaNoWriMo, is **LUCK or FORTUNE**.  I’m lucky and fortunate enough to have a snippet handy, though that means I’ll need other inspiration for today’s word count. Ah well. In the meantime, here’s your snippet for the day. Ignore typos, etc. cuz, 1st draft, people. 1st draft! Without too much of a spoiler, Jack accompanies Justice to her hometown to deal with a family emergency. And this happens…
****
The sound of growingly familiar boots clumped out in the hall. Justice expectantly turned toward the door. A perky female voice interrupted Jack’s approach.

“May I help you, sir.”

“Goin’ to room 512.”

“It’s not visiting hours yet.”

“It is for me.”

“What patient are you here to see?”

“Brooke McAlester.” Justice caught the hint of irritation in Jack’s voice and stepped closer to the door.

“Oh, You must be her grandfather. It’s so nice of you to come but I believe your daughter is already in little Brookie’s room and—”

Jack cut the babble off. “No…ma’am. I’m nobody’s grandfather.”

“But…”

Justice stuck her head out the door. “Jack?”

The young nurse’s head swiveled between Jack and Justice. “He’s not… You aren’t…” She blinked rapidly and backed away. “I…er…I’m…” She turned and all but jogged down the hall.

The older nurse, who’d walked up during all this, patted Jack on the arm. “Don’t hold it against her. She’s young yet and doesn’t understand.”

Jack arched a brow that was visible even under the brim of his Stetson. “Understand what?”

“That a good man is like a bottle of expensive whiskey. He just gets better with age.” The older woman flashed him a megawatt smile and winked at Justice. She walked past the door to Brooke’s room and mumbled, “Hope you understand ’cause you are one lucky woman.”

Justice stared after the older nurse, flustered. Oh, she totally understood. It didn’t matter how old Jack was. He was one sexy man and in ways that had nothing to do with his looks. She also noticed the woman touch Jack. And bat her damn lashes. Like a teenager or some movie vamp. She was not happy. Not happy at all. Jack was hers. She was even less happy as he approached her and she saw the regret in his eyes.

“What is it?” Her breath froze in her chest and she had to force out her next question. “Is it something about Brooke?”

He took her into his arms and she melted against his chest. “Shhh, darlin’. Easy now. Ever’thing’s fine. The lawyer has your cell phone number and he’ll call when he’s comin’ this way. But, I have bad news. I have’ta get back to Bandera. There’s been another missing girl reported.”
****
There it is. And just so y’all get the idea, Sam Elliott is who I see in my head when I’m writing Jack (though Jack is in his 50’s.) And for Justice? Amanda Righetti, with darker hair. Anyway, I’ve made myself cry and I’ve made myself laugh. I haven’t scared myself yet but I don’t scare easily. Neither do Jack and Justice. What about y’all? Writers, any luck or fortune words to share? Readers, make up a fortune from a fortune cookie to share. 😉

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tuesday Treats & Titles: Sangria Grapes

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Silver James

I’ve been saving this recipe thinking I’d use it in (and for) a book with a wedding shower or something. Instead, I have the perfect character for it. Sadly, she’s not mine. She was brilliantly created by a friend of mine and all the books in the series are on sale so…perfect timing! This so simple even a supermodel can make it. 😉

Ingredients:
1 bottle of red wine
2 lb. of red grapes
1/2 cup sugar
Zest of an orange
Orange wedges (for garnish)

Directions:
Combine red wine and grapes in a bowl.
Cover and let the grapes soak in the fridge for an hour or longer.
Drain in a colander and pat dry with a paper towel.
Mix sugar and orange zest with a fork on a plate.
Roll grapes in sugar until coated.
Serve cold and enjoy!

Like I said above, this is a pretty quick (and easy for those who don’t cook!) treat to serve your girl posse or those you’re trying to impress. And even a supermodel can indulge sometimes. Just ask Jeni Braxton. Since she was cursed with “the uglies,” she’s decided that snacking is the way to go. Her three-book tale A MODEL CURSE series is complete and the first two books are on sale for 99¢ each. And you can read them free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. Jeni’s been on quite a journey from the beginning to the end, one fraught with betrayals, unexpected loyalty, and growing up. Totally worth the read! Just click on the covers or the series title above to head over to Amazon to grab your copy. And enjoy your sangria grapes!

Posted in Books, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Just Another Monday

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Silver James

What a week. Today’s coffee meme is far too apropos. That’s all I’m going to say. I just want a quiet life. Writing books. SELLING books. Nobody bothering me, me not bothering nobody. We’ll see if it happens. Moving on…

The weekend was pretty good. Saturday morning was pancake breakfast at the American Legion Post with the kids. Yummy food and good company. That was followed by siren test and yummy-tummy lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, again with the kids. Stormy is 4’2″ now. **FLAIL** He’s only 6! Jake, of course, went with us. He met some new friends and loves being with his people. He’s such a good boy. Sunday was…Sunday. Loki was waiting for me when I swung my feet out of bed. We had five minutes of toe biting before I could hit the bathroom Fun times. 🙄 All the ferals are present and accounted for. Smudge is getting a little more independent which is good. Also, the mooch-cat from down the block is hanging around again. He likes pets so I pet him, which freaks out the ferals. I hope that shows them I won’t hurt them if I pet and they might actually like it.

Writing. I’ve done quite a bit! I hit over 20K on FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE yesterday. I don’t have an exact number because this was written yesterday and at the time, I was just over 20K by some hundreds but I wasn’t done for the day. I’m still hitting over 2K a day so I’m on track to type The End with time to edit and proof before deadline. I’m also kickin’ it for NaNoWriMo. That’s all yay.

I hit a snag in my reading/listening. I finished GOLDEN IN DEATH (In Death #50) and an audio book popped up on my hold list from the library. It was a SciFi romance by a very popular author and the premise sounded intriguing. Yeah…not so much. Anyway, it sort of bummed me out so I wasn’t sure I was ready to dive into SHADOWS IN DEATH, which is the newest In Death release and one I haven’t read/listened to yet. I wanted to be in the right “reader’s headspace” to enjoy it. I know, I’m weird.

So, good news on the writing front, eh on the reading. I’ve been avoiding TV for…reasons. Well, except for “Maine Cabin Masters.” Some shows on HGTV. “What on Earth” from the Science Channel. “Paranormal Caught on Camera,” though I’ve seen most of those episodes. I’m boycotting the news, even local, and timing it to catch the weather because this is the time of year when the weather can change on a dime. What does that even mean, anyway?

Sports. Both my college teams pulled it off this weekend–one by a squeaker, the other by big leaps but hey! My OSU Cowboys pulled it off! And the Sooners are back to overpowering weaker teams. I didn’t watch. I was actually plotting with another author in the miniseries and writing.

That’s pretty much my life at the moment. Limbs are still everywhere. Hopefully, the crew will come this week and get the yard cleared out. This whole deal of LG having to move his truck so I can get Drover out of the garage is a PITA, and I don’t mean the Greek bread.

Life is what it is. We all need to figure out what is best for us and our families and make the plans that need to be made. I plan to hide in my worlds for awhile. I can control what happens there and I can guarantee that the bad guys will get theirs. Hope y’all are making the best of things. I’m curious, how are you coping?

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Friday Sinema: To Hell and Back

Posted on November 6, 2020 by Silver James

I try to keep my social media politics free but today’s title pretty much sums up my outlook this week. That said, I’m writing a book. Yay! The heroine is a volunteer firefighter. Who falls in love with an older man. When I heard this song, I immediately thought of Justice. So, take a few minutes to kick back, relax, close your eyes (because there’s not much action in the video) and listen to the music. We’ll got through whatever happens together.

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments