Not So Super Monday

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Silver James

So…it’s Monday. We’re hitting the second week of Puxatawney Phil’s prediction of six more weeks of winter and man, did he hit that nail on the head. Ugh. I want to be this cat because we’re looking at frigid arctic temps this week–single-digit lows and highs below freezing at least until this coming weekend. 

As a result of the forecast, I did something weird. I made a Walmart order for “next day delivery.” I did it yesterday and it’s supposed to be delivered tomorrow. Close enough. I ordered dog food, treats, and new sheets for the bed. We’ll see. I’ll probably have to get out at some point and actually buy food. Or not. We’re pretty well stocked and I’ve run through what’s in the freezer and we have enough for dinner until next weekend–over which we usually do take-out anyway. We’ll see.

I did something out of my comfort zone last week. Okay, I did a couple of things but the one that affects this week concerns me sending copies of my latest Desire release to the head meteorologist, his studio weather crew and stormchasers. The package will be delivered today so I’ll have to watch the news to see if he makes any mention of receiving his copy. He’s got a HUGE personality so he might on the 4:00 afternoon show. Why did I send the books? David is mentioned specifically in the dedication, along with the weather folks, because I used them for inspiration for the heroine. Anyway…

Normally, I’d be ranking superbowl commercials today. I have to admit, I didn’t watch the superbowl or is it super bowl? Whatever, I didn’t watch. None of the teasers for the commercials seemed worthwhile and Budweiser, my whole reason for watching, didn’t do a Clydesdale (or any other) commercial this year. They did some for Bud Light but hey, NO CLYDESDALES! Ah well.

No other TV note. But, in sports, St. Louis Cardinals traded for Nolan Arenado, which is HUGE, and they traded away Dexter Fowler, which is okay by me. Arenado’s presence, along with the re-signing of Adam Wainwright almost guarantees that Yadier Molina will be back. YAY!

Saturday was 1st Saturday which meant pancake breakfast at the AL Post, followed by siren test, then family lunch at our fav Mexican restaurant. I made 2 of the 3. I didn’t go to siren test. Instead, Jake and I ran a few errands to get ready for the cold spell then met up at Alverado’s. Yummy stuffs!

Good book listening last week. I discovered that the first three books of a much-beloved series from my youth were available in audio. Andre Norton was my “gate-way drug” to SciFi and Fantasy, her Witch World series especially. I’m thrilled to discover that none of the books have lost their allure for me, and the 3rd–YEAR OF THE UNICORN–led to my life-long love of shifters. Currently, I’m relistening to SHADOWS IN DEATH because FAITHFUL IN DEATH arrives in my Audible app just after midnight tonight. I wanted a quick refresher on “current events” for the new entry.

Notice I haven’t talked about writing? Yeah, last week, that didn’t happen. No so much, anyway. A few words. Some research. I’m hoping that the cold weather will entice me to stay warm and write this week. We’ll see. Bad me!

On that note, time to move along. There are words that need writing, right? Write! What weekly plans do have? Anything interesting happen over the weekend?

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Friday Sinema: Who Let the Dogs In?

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Silver James

Okay. Turn about is fair play. Last week, we listened to the cats. This week, the dogs get their chance. And I need to win the lottery so I can hire this guy to narrate my books! Just sayin’… Have a great weekend.

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Desire

Posted on February 4, 2021 by Silver James

Okay, I’m all over this because…hello! Romance author!!! And I write for the Harlequin Desire line. Plus, I have a new Harlequin Desire book that just released this week. You know, in case you’ve missed all the announcements I’ve been posting hither, thither and yon for TWICE THE TEMPTATION. Anyway, you can probably guess that this little missive from the Universe warmed the cockles of my heart. 

Blazing desire, Silver, even when it’s all you’ve got, is all you’ve ever needed.

But mind you, if your blazing desire has not effortlessly thrown you into action — preparing the way, taking baby steps, and doing all you can — then it’s just a smoldering desire, and you’re thinking other conflicting thoughts as well.

Always hot for you,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

Desire, Silver, can take you anywhere.

But this message from the Big U cuts both ways. It takes the DESIRE to WRITE a book plus all the emotional bits sprinkled through the action to make the characters’ desire  blaze on the page. And don’t get me wrong. A romance doesn’t have to be in-your-face down-and-dirty sexy to portray desire. Desire is the wanting and the needing. And doesn’t that just describe about everything in life? Wanting something/someone. Needing someone/something. Desiring this, that, or another. Wanting, needing, desiring more. It’s what keeps us going, this drive for more. Or that’s the way it works for me, anyway. What about y’all? If you could have your heart’s desire, what would it be?

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Wednesday Words: Deja Vu All Over Again

Posted on February 3, 2021 by Silver James

Another hump day, more new words on the WIP. Not a bad trade-off. The #1lineWed theme for today offered up some snippets from previous books but also opened up the possibilities for new words so…yeah. Grab ’em while their hot! Yes, “deja vu” is one of the words, along with “prophecy” and “vision.” See? Totally matches the Penumbra world. 😉 Anyway, Sade and Caleb are in Paris for…reasons.
****
Sade didn’t move. Each breath she took was a very careful inhalation—slow, easy, small. For a moment, she couldn’t remember where she was. Paris. Hotel. Caleb in the adjoining room. What had tapped into her subconscious, waking her so precipitously?

She listened. Street noise. People talking. Footsteps. The narrow lane outside their hotel was closed to vehicular traffic. There. Off in the distance. There was the clamor of traffic.

Eyes still closed, she considered. Had she dreamed something? She wasn’t prone to visions of prophecy but déja vu reared it’s ugly head often in her day-to-day life. No memory of a dream. No unnatural sound. A faint, gray light teased her closed lids. Still daylight then, though likely coming on to evening. She needed to locate Caleb and get out on the streets. A light tap on the door between her room and Caleb’s caused her to open her eyes and sit up.

“Yeah?” she called softly.

The door inched open and Caleb peered through. “You’re awake.”

“Sort of. What’s up?”

“Roman’s here.”

Sade swung her feet off the bed and stood. “Here?”

“In Paris. Crevan ordered him to the Sanctuaire.”

“Verity?” Verity was the witch who’d saved Roman’s heart and become his mate during the battle for the souls of the gargoyle race, the Garregyion, as they called themselves.

“She’s with him.”

“Okay.” She drew out the word, thinking hard. “That could mean a couple of different things. Either things aren’t bad here and this is just a normal trip and he doesn’t want to be separated from her.”

“Or things in New Orleans aren’t safe to leave her there alone.”

“Jean-Louis hinted and things happening here, which is why we were requested to come. I suspect Roman just wants to keep her close.”

“We’re supposed to meet him at the Irish pub.”

Sade let out a short gigglesnort. “Sorry. What is it about us that we always find an Irish pub no matter where we go?”

Caleb laughed. “That’s true. We do tend to gravitate to those particular establishments.”

“I’m still trying to figure out why there’s an Irish pub in Paris.”

“Just be glad there is, especially one run by a leprechaun.”
****
One never knows who they’ll run into while traveling. And yes, there is an Irish pub in Paris. And one in New Orleans. Chicago. NYC. Tampa. San Diego. Denver. Louisville. Charlottesville. And a few other places I’ve been. Writers, any deja vu words to share? Readers, have you ever experienced a moment of deja vu?

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Tuesday Treats: Blue Baby Cakes

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Silver James

Producing a book is kinda like being pregnant and giving birth. Today is TWICE THE TEMPTATION’s birthday. To celebrate, I’m sharing this gender reveal cupcake recipe. It’s very appropriate since Britt Owens is expecting.

Total Time: 1 Hr. 29 Min.
Prep Time: 25 Min.
Bake Time: 1 Hr. 4 Min.
Serivings: 24

Make sharing your big news extra sweet with these adorable gender-reveal Blue Baby Cakes. Your loved ones will be so happy for you — and so glad you made these colorful Blue Baby (or Pink!) Cakes.

What You Need
2-1/2 cups COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (Do not thaw), divided
1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix
Few drops blue food coloring
3 oz. BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Let’s Make It
1 – Reserve 1/2 cup COOL WHIP; refrigerate until ready to use. Return remaining COOL WHIP to freezer. Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Remove 1 cup batter; tint with food coloring.
2 – Spoon 1 Tbsp. untinted batter into each of 24 paper-lined muffin cups; top each with 2 tsp. colored batter. Cover with remaining untinted batter.
3 – Bake as directed on package for cupcakes. Cool in pans 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.
4 – Meanwhile, microwave 2 cups frozen COOL WHIP and chocolate in microwaveable bowl on MEDIUM 2 to 2-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after each minute. Cool 30 min.
5 – Frost cupcakes with chocolate mixture. Spoon reserved (thawed) COOL WHIP into small resealable plastic bag. Snip off tiny piece from one bottom corner of bag; use to pipe COOL WHIP into question marks on tops of cupcakes.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Family Fun: These adorable cupcakes would make the perfect addition to any baby shower.

Tip 2 – How to Store: Keep refrigerated.

Tip 3 – Can use red food color to make pink for girls…or in Britt’s case, one each. 😉

I’m sure you want all the nutritional details for these yummy treats so be cure to CLICK HERE to check My Food and Family. As you get to know Britt and Cooper in TWICE THE TEMPTATION, you’ll understand why their relationship is a stormy one. And it doesn’t have anything to do with the fact they met during a hurricane. 😉 The ebook is available everywhere now, paperbacks will be out next week, or you can order your paperback from Harlequin! I hope you enjoy the wild ride that the duty-bound CEO Cooper takes with his daring stormchaser Britt. Just click on the cover or the title for buy links. Would you like to ride along with a stormchaser? I’ve been there, done that. I’ll stay home and watch it on TV. 😉

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Groundhog Monday

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Silver James

Tomorrow is Groundhog Day. I’ve always wondered how the “keepers” of Punxsutawney Phil have managed to predict whether the poor little guy sees his shadow or not given the massive display of lights set up by the media. While I won’t be watching, I’ll likely be awake. In my opinion, it doesn’t much matter. Mother Nature has her own way of doing things and it’s smart not to mess with her. That said, have you noticed how Mondays resemble “Groundhog Day” the movie? They keep showing up over and over and it’s pretty much the same ol’ same ol’.

Last week is mostly a blur. Thanks to some idiocy on my part, I spent portions of the week in bed dealing with an allergic reaction to a topical pain-relieve gel. Luckily, it didn’t affect breathing though it swelled up my face like damn and whoah! I was a sight to behold and could have sent small children screaming and running away. Mostly better now.

I did manage some writing, though most of it was over the weekend. I added about 10K words to the story and I at least got Sade and Caleb to Paris. A new character has arrived in the form of Jean-Louis Durand, a vampire Interpol agent. Drugs. I’m tellin’ ya! Anyway, most of the gang is assembled but I have to figure out if Sinjen is going to Paris this trip or will wait for the next one. Decisions, decisions.

TV was mostly non-existent. There’s just not a whole lot on that captures my attention. I’m having the same problem with reading. I was enjoying a reread of a series that I’ve enjoyed in the past and then about 1/3 of the way in book 3, I lost interest. I spent almost a day searching for something else to read/listen to. I finally discovered that some of the early Witch World books by Andre Norton were available in audio and if I got the Kindle version with my KU subscription, I could buy the audio for $1.99. I loved these books when I was much, MUCH younger and have almost all of them in the original paperback but they are OLD and a bit fragile. Besides, listening is so much easier on the eyes. So far so good. The story is holding up to the test of time. 🤞 it remains that way.

Good news on the sports front, at least for me. Adam Wainwright has signed a one-year deal with the Cardinals. This is likely his last year pitching and I’d love to see him go out as a Cardinal. This also means that the odds of Yadier Molina coming  back behind the plate are going up. Waino and Yadi are Cardinal legends. I just hope there is some semblance of a normal season this year! I miss baseball.

Let’s see, is there anything I haven’t updated? Oh. The world is still spinning on its axis. Mostly. The sun still rises in the east and sets in the west. I have coffee. I have a Loki cat staring at me like I’ve lost my mind. This is not unusual–him staring or me losing my mind. What’s up in your neck of the woods? Do you have a nostalgic favorite series you’d consider reading again? Punxsutawney Phil wants to know in case there’s six more weeks of winter coming… 😉

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Friday Sinema: The Cats’ Meow

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Silver James

Happy Friday! This month is almost gone. At the moment, I’m kinda glad time is moving on. I watched this video and am issuing a Liquids Alert. Also, I gigglesnorted. Often. And I had two takeaways: 1. Yes! I totally see why cats need a “brain witch.” 2. This guy could narrate the audio versions of my books Any. Time. He. Wanted! Have a great weekend.

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Thumbs Up

Posted on January 28, 2021 by Silver James

Writing is mostly a solitary occupation. We authors don’t perform on a stage or in a stadium. We sit at a desk (or someplace) with a computer and keyboard. We live in the worlds of our imaginations, peopling it with characters, building their lives, telling their stories.  And while we might be “mere mortals,” we hope our creations will be imbued with eternal life.

Well, Silver, by this point in the day, if my calculations are correct, I expect you’ve already begun thinking of yourself as “mere mortal.” Somewhat alone, a little bit confused, and responsible for figuring out how to make your life take off.

So… just thought I’d send you a reminder that at this very moment, there are a million eyes upon you, grateful for your courage; that you already know all you need to know; and that whether or not you can see it, you’re already soaring.

“Houston to Silver,” nice blast-off –
The Universe
©www.tut.com

Silver, bravo Maestro.

Well, Universe, by this point of the day, I’m ready for my next cup of coffee and the energy to open the WIP and find some words that make sense to the story. Those millions of eyes would better serve me by landing on the words in the books I’ve published. Heck, I would settle for thousands. Hundreds even. But good to know you have faith me. I need to remember to have faith in myself. So, time for more coffee and the countdown to takeoff. What about y’all? Do you plan to soar today?

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Wednesday Words: I’m Melting…

Posted on January 27, 2021 by Silver James

We’re headed toward the end of January and I can see Groud Hog Day and maybe a hint a spring on the horizon. In the meantime, this week’s #1lineWed THEME is **MELT**.  Most of the melting done in my current WIP is caused by Sinjen finding all the sports where Sade is concerned. That’s kind of boring. With that in mind. I went digging deeper and came across this snippet that was a bit of flash fiction and yes, it is filed and will appear in Nikos’s book. Promice! In the meantime, a bit of background: Meloni is a research MD with the CDC. She’s been…seconded to Nikos and Klan Kolikikos for…reasons.
****
The stench burned Meloni Karras’s nose. She wasn’t about to breathe through her mouth because she didn’t want that oily taste saturating her tongue. There wasn’t enough ouzo in the world to kill that taste.

“What’s that smell?” She inhaled shallowly through the impromptu mask of her hand pressed over the lower half of her face.

“Scorched goblin.”

“No really, what is it?”

“Scorched goblin. Really.”

She glared at the very sexy man standing beside her. Nikolas Constantine would make any woman’s motor hit the RPM redline. “Ha, ha. Very funny.”

“Miss—”

“Doctor,” she corrected.

“Doctor Karras, I assure you that you will know when I am joking.”

Mr. Macho, Muscled, and Mental ducked into a smaller tunnel. Mel had to follow. She would have serious words with the director when she got back to the CDC. She didn’t do field work. And she damn sure didn’t do it with hot-as-hades dragon enforcers.

“You think too hard, Doctor.”

Now the guy was a freaking mind reader? He chuckled and the sound washed over her like melted chocolate. Oh, now there was a thought—her dipped in chocolate and him licking her up like a Tootsie-Pop.

“That can be arranged, Meloni.”

His gravelly voice rubbed her the right way, all the way to her toes.

“Stop.”

He did. And she plowed into his back, her arms circling his waist in self-defense.

“When I start, you will beg me never to stop.”

Now there was a promise she’d make him keep.
****
And there you have it. Writers, who has melting words to share today? Readers, what Book Boyfriend/Girlfriend makes you melt? 😉

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Coffee Slushie

Posted on January 26, 2021 by Silver James
So, y’all know I’m big on Starbucks frappucinos. I’ve also done something similar at home using leftover coffee. Then Sade, who doesn’t cook–like at all dropped this in my inbox.
 
5 Min(s)
5 Min(s) Prep
2 servings, 1 cup each (Unless you’re Sade or me, and then it’s just ONE big glassfull! 😉 )
 
Make a refreshing Coffee Slushie, perfect for a hot summer day. This grown-up Coffee Slushie combines instant coffee, milk, sugar and ice cubes.
 
What You Need
1 Tbsp. MAXWELL HOUSE Instant Coffee, any variety
1-1/2 cups ice cubes
3/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp. sugar
 
Let’s Make It
1 – Place all ingredients in blender container; cover. Blend on high speed until ice is crushed.
2 – Pour evenly into 2 glasses.
3 – Serve immediately.
 
Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Mocha Slushie: Add 1 Tbsp. chocolate syrup to ingredients in blender before blending.
Tip 2 – Vanilla Coffee Slushie: Add 1/2 tsp. vanilla to ingredients in blender before blending.
Tip 3 – Special Extra: To serve in frosted glasses, store clean empty glasses in freezer. Fill with prepared beverage just before serving.
 
Note: Sade informs me that you can add more coffee if you want stronger coffee flavor. (ie. MORE caffeine. 😆 )
 
You can CLICK HERE to get all the details over at My Food & Family because you might be interested in the nutritional info. I find it interesting that Sade is being mostly reticent these days but broke her silence long enough to point me in this direction. Makes me wonder what she knows… The Scooby Gang, on the other hand, keep crowding in. That’s okay. I know where Sade and Sinjen are headed. She can run, but she can’t hide… Really? You forget, I carry a weapon for a living and I know where you sleep at night. Yeah, like that makes me nervous. 🙄 Anyway, if you haven’t already, y’all really need to check out the Penumbra Papers series. I’ve recently featured THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC and this week, it’s SEASON OF THE WITCH wherein Sade meets Sinjen. Pssst Can y’all keep a secret? 🤫 That scene is one of my all-time favorites! Just sayin’…
 
Anyway, you might want to try this one at home–the drink AND the book. FYI, all the Penumbra books are available from a wide-range of retailers. Just click on the cover or the titles. The links go to a universal landing page where you can find your favorite store.
 
Just out of curiosity, what’s your favorite flavor?

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