Tuesday Treats & Titles: Lemon Blueberry Dump Cake

Posted on May 12, 2026 by Silver James

As I teased last week, here’s a recipe that I’ve actually tried and can vouch for. If you have the ingredients on hand, it’s five minutes prep and then you walk away from the crock pot. If you don’t have the ingredients, then it takes a little longet because…trip to the grocery store. Also, make sure you have either ice cream or whipped cream on hand. If not, add one or both to the grocery list.

Lemon-Blueberry Dump Cake

Recipe details
Yield: 8  servings
Prep time: 5 Minutes
Cook time: 3 Hours
Total time: 3 hr 5 min

Ingredients
2 (21 oz) cans of blueberry pie filling
1 box of lemon cake mix
1 stick of butter

Instructions
1 – Spray the crock with non-stick cooking spray.
2 – Add two cans of blueberry pie filling.
3 – Add cake mix
4 – Cut the butter into 10 slices and place them spaced out on top of the cake mix.
5 – Cook on high for 3 hours, or low for 5-6 hours.
6 – Served topped with ice cream or whipped cream.

Tips
1 – Be sure to spray the crockpot with non-stick spray. This will make it a lot easier to serve the blueberry lemon cake. It also makes clean up a lot easier.
2 – If you are serving this to a group you can easily double this recipe but make sure to watch the cooking time.

NOTES:
1.  Aftr emptying the cans, I added a little bit of water to the first can of blueberry filling and swished it around to get the “leftover gooey.” Then I poured it into the second, swished, and added to the filling in the pot, stirring it a little. I’m talking less than 1/4 cup and it didn’t seem to change things one way or another.
2. Watch your bake time. I probably overcooked mine a but but stuff happens.
3. The cake part seemed a little “thin” but that might have been due to the size of my crock pot. I may play around size and amounts since I have smaller inserts in my fancy crocker. I might all add a bit more butter. 
4. It ain’t pretty but it dang sure is tasty!

Izeta Cordero was once a CIA assassin. Now she lives on an island in the Outer Banks when she isn’t sailing the ocean blue on her Wolf mate’s boat. Zeta doesn’t cook. I mean like Hannah and Sade are proficient in comparision. And Zee is okay with that. Her brain doesn’t work like most of ours. That said, she is pleased to announce that even she can make this cake. Her mate is former SpecOps soldier, Brody “Babel” Buchanan and he loves this for dessert, breakfast, midnight snack, whenever. And using the crock pot means Zeta can make it when they’re at sea in the boat. Their meeting wasn’t a typical romantic “meet cute.” She was sent to Brazil to assassinate him. 👀 I know, right? If you want to find out how this all came about, grab UNDER THE ASSASSIN’S MOON. Just click on a pic or the title and zoom off to Books2Read to find your favorite on-line seller. Zeta and I hope you enjoy the cake if you give it a try.

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May Elevenses

Posted on May 11, 2026 by Silver James

And don’t forget about elevenses! Which always reminded me of the old Dr. Pepper logo of 10, 2, and 4, said times being ideal for imbibing the good doctor’s elixir. I was a big DP fan back in the day. Did you know it’s made with prune juice? Or it used to be. And yes, I am rambling, why do you ask?

Okay, in all seriousness, it RAINED! Water dripped from the sky from late Saturday night all through Sunday, which was Mother’s Day. Rain was the best present ever! It was also my only. It’s okay! I wasn’t expecting any, didn’t/don’t need any, and life is busy. S’all good. Promise.

So, Only graduated Friday night. As the college in-person event was over 2 hours drive away, we sdtay home for…reasons. The Kids went, obviiously. We watched the live stream and it was cool. This is her 4th degree. She already had a masters in History/Museum Studies. This masters is in Education. Specifically, MA.Ed: Special Educaiton – Challenging Behaviors and Autism and Developmental Disabilities – with Honors. Long story short, due to the lack of teachers, the state offers a special certification for anyone with a degree, but they have to get education hours to keep the certification. She not only got her hours, she went for the gusto. They spent the night down there, drove back up here for a morning soccer game then drove up the turnpike for a late afternoon game…match…whatever. Then the drove back home, arriving just before the rain hit. Needless to say, they were pooped and stayed in and quiet yesterday. I totally get that! FYI, the pic below is her getting “hooded.” Backing up to my long story, since museum jobs are scarce and her corporate archivist gig was stressing her out, she put her name into the teaching pot. A school called, asked if she’d be interested in middle school SPED. Since she has ADD and Stormy has ADHD, she figured that since she’d been there, done that, and still wears the T-shirt, she’d give it a shot. She interviewed, they hired her and she walked into things cold last year. And here she is with a shiny new masters under her belt coming up on the end of her second year of teaching. To say I’m a proud momma is an understatement. I’m proud of both my “kids”–Only and Baseball Boy too. And definitely Stormy!

In other news, it rained!

In sports, Stormy’s team won one, lost one. My OSU Cowgirls got knocked out of the Big 12 Championships in the quarters, as did OU at the SEC tournament. As of my typing this, the selection show for the WCWS regionals and super-reginals has not aired. I’ll update OSU’s placement when I know it. UPDATE: OU came in #3 and has a reginal and super regional. OSU came in #13 and they have a regional but will have to go somewhere else for supers.

I’ve neglected my reading/listening. My bad.

I made a Lemon Blueberry Dump cake. It will be featured tomorrow. The joy of being old is that we can eat weird. The night I made it, neither LG nor I could decide on anything for dinner. We defaulted to the cake. It was warm. And covered with whippy cream. Yum!

That’s pretty much it for me today. Like last week, this week involves peopling. Mostly with doctors. Just check ups but still…peopling and dogging in the car which always leads to Fun, Travel, and Adventure. What’s on your agenda this week?

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Friday Sinema: Unexpected

Posted on May 8, 2026 by Silver James

Here it is Friday again and for some reason, I keep finding these AGT videos of acts that turn out to be completely…not what they appear to be. If I met these guys walking down the street…well…yeah. But turns out, looks might be deceiving. Have a great weekend, all!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Waltz

Posted on May 7, 2026 by Silver James

I’d planned on a different message for today but then the Universe dropped the following into my inbox on Tuesday. There I was thinking about it being both Taco Tuesday and Cinco de Mayo and wondering if I had a meme for that while scrolling through my emails, weeding out the spam and scam and boom. The Universe popped up, as it does every day. I ignored it at first then finally opened it and…boom. And yes, I am typing and setting this up on Tuesday, well in advance but hey, that’s how I roll sometimes.

To heal, correct, rebound, settle, restore, and prevail, Silver, are your nature.

Gifts that need not be opened or figured out to be used.

It’s the same for leading, creating, soaring, gliding, loving, and waltzing.

As always, let logic stand aside, have no fear, spirit will emerge… and so will your wings.

Love that look on your face right now –
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. Oh, you can waltz, Silver. You taught Matilda.

To be honest, I’m reading along and thinking to myself, “Self, isn’t that first line a perfect prescription for a character arc? Oh, good. The Big U is giving me fodder for a craft post.” I get to the third line and I’m thinking, WOOT! and BINGO! With a bonus for the line right before the usually rather clever/funny sign-off. I’m thinking I’ve really scored with this message because that last line is meant to enourage all us writers when we get tangled up in the weeds. I mean, score! We can find our wings. I’m pretty sure the look on my face was a happy grin. Then I got to the P.S. *blinkblink* Uhm… So…long story.

MANY years ago, I wrote a book titled SHADOW DANCE. Set in New Orleans, it’s a romantic suspense involving family secrets long buried and ghosts. Then time passed, other projects and events happened. More time passed and suddenly, the book would have to be semi-historical (70s/80s) or completely rewritten which would change things. The heroine, instead of a late-night radio talk show host would have to be a…well…a podcaster, I guess, but that secondary time was even before podcasting becamse a thing. Then, in 2005, Katrina hit and I got a new idea about buried bodies of victims of a serial killer literally popping up out of the ground. This heroine, a police detective is the daughter of my original protagonists. A dualogy! Yippee! I started writing it in my free time, of which there wasn’t much. I was working full-time, had a kid in high school/college who was a full-time athlete. And other stuff happened. The title of that second book? And this is where the long story finally comes around to the point. The title…it’s WALTZING MATILDA.

I’m not sure what to do with the Big U’s message. Now it seems rather up close and personal. I will say that I’m tempted to chuck Ariel’s book for now, despite it being basically 2/3s on its way to word count, so I can dig out those two previous books, work on them and get them published. I’m not going to. Not yet. Ariel first and THEN, yes, I may go off the rails to work toward publishing those two books. Honestly, I was thinking a trilogy but the third book never got much further than concept.

Anyway, writers, when it comes to your writing, take what you will from the Universe’s message. Readers, take the message to heart and go find your wings.

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Wednesday Words: Worse Things

Posted on May 6, 2026 by Silver James

Wednesday’s child is full of woe. I always thought that sucked for them but the rhyme rather fits Aisling, the heroine in Ariel’s book that has no name beyond what I (via Sade) have declared it. Anyway, it is Wednesday and it time for new words. The judge in last week’s Thursday Threads opted to pick a winner and then leave comments on the other entries. This can happen when not many of us participate. I, for one, appreciate any feedback. The judge had this to say about my words: Clean. Engaging. Well done ensemble dynamics with a grounded emotional core. Real talent. I especially appreciate that last bit because that ol’ Imposter Syndrom bugaboo keeps rearing its ugly head. Moving on. The prompt for last week is: *”That might be worse.”* Imma just gonna toss this one out there because where it falls in the story? Yeah, that should remain a mystery for the moment. And no, it’s not because I have no clue! 😆

****
Light spilled from the stone arch that had appeared in the middle of the forest. Sade stepped toward it but Sinjen jerked her back. She snarled at the vampire. He simply stared at her until she rolled her eyes.

“Fine.” She pivoted and looked at the other men gathered in a semi-circle. Dragon, werewolf, baby fae. “Which of you has a better plan?”

Nikos and Caleb met her gaze at least. Druic stared at the grass growing just beyond the toes of his boots. None of them spoke.

“Sinjen?”

“No.”

“No what? No plan? No clue? No interest in rescuing Ariel?”

“No, you cannot got through that doorway.”

“Because I’m human? I’ve been dragged into and out of more realms in my lifetime than—”

“None of them were charmed.” Druic’s soft voice cut through her tirade. His eyes flicked up to meet hers for a fraction of a second. “It is Fae and not even I can pass through.”

Sade wanted to hit something…or someone. Curses sputtered on the end of her tongue and she finally cut loose with a string that had all four Magicks blushing. She wound down and finished with. “I can’t leave him there.”

Nikos sighed. “There is possibly a…” He glanced at Caleb. “What did you call it?”

“A back door.” Caleb shook his head at Sade. “That might be worse.”

“Ask me if I care.”

His voice tinged with resignation, Sinjen said, “You will go anyway.”

“He’s my friend.”

That explained it all.
****

Sade sometimes gets ahead of herself but she is nothing if not loyal. And Ariel is a friend. She might want to pin him back by his pointy ears on occasion and both Caleb and Sinjen enjoy the quiet when Ariel isn’t around, but she would no more abandon him to some terrible fate than she would Caleb or Sinjen. The same holds true for Roman, but the gargoyle is busy taking care of business down in New Orleans. As for Nikos? He tends to play things close to the vest. Writers, do your “worst” with the prompt. Readers, I hope you enjoyed this snippet. Aaand our question of the day–for everyone–is…🥁… What’s the worst thing that could happen if Sade walks under that arch?

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Snickerdoodle Pie

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Silver James

I seem to be torn between cookies and pie these days. Choices, choices. It’s so hard, but… When you can combine the two, I consider that a win for the home team! I love chocolate chip cookies. Peanut butter. Oatmeal. Oh…who am I kidding? I love all the cookies. Except maybe fig newtons. I don’t like mincemeat pie either and those two sort of remind me of each other. But chocolat pie? Lemon meringue. Pecan. Chess. Apple. All the pies! But when push comes to shove, my favorite cookie is a big ol’ soft snickerdoodle. And yes, I just so happen to have a pie for that!

Snickerdoodle Pie

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes (including 30 minutes to cool)
Servings: 10

Ingredients

Crust:
1 unbaked 9″ pie crust (premade or from scratch)
1 Tablespoon raw or coarse sugar
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Teaspoons melted butter

Syrup
1/2 Cup packed brown sugar
1/4 Cup butter
3 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
1/4 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon vanilla

Filling
1/4 Cup softened butter
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1/4 Cup powdered sugar
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Teaspoon cream of tartar
1 egg
1/2 Cup milk
1 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour

Let’s Make It

1 – Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9″ pie pan with pastry crust. In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp. raw sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Brust the melted butter over the crust. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. of cinnamon-sugar mix. Set aside.

2 – For syrup, combine brown sugar, butter, water, corn syrup and cinnamon in a sauce pan. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil gently for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Set aside.

3 – In mixing bowl, beat softened butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Beat in granulated sugar, powdered sugar, baking powder, salt, and cream of tarter until well comined. Beat in egg and 1 tsp vanilla. Gradually beat in milk until combined. Beat in flour until mixed, making sure to scrap sides. Spread batter evenly in pie pan.

4 – Slowly pour the syrup mixture over the filling. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cover the edges with foil or a pie ring.

5 – Bake pie for 25 minutes. Carefully remove foil/ring. Bake about 20 minutes more or until the top is puffed and golden brown, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes on wire rack. Serve warm.

Tips:

1 – Serve with ice cream if that’s your catnip.

2 – The pie will keep for about 4 days after baking. Seal in plastic wrap. You’ll want to enjoy warm so re-heat in the microwave 30-60 seconds before serving.

I happen to know a certain DHS investigator who likes pie. A lot. Unlike FBI Agent Dale Cooper of Twin Peaks fame, Derek Alexander is not that fond of cherry pie but put a snickerdoodle pie in front of him? He might just ask you to marry him. Or he would if Katherine “Kit:” Carson weren’t his one and only. Kit, an ARFF with DFW, makes a mean snickerdoodle pie. The guys at the firehouse are partial to it as well but they know not to get between a Wolf and his pie…or his mate. If you’d like to read about how these two met in the middle of a plane crash invovling human traffickers, grab CRASH & BURN, a Moonstruck Wolf stand-alone to grab a copy from your favorite on-line seller. Just click on either pic with the cover or the title and you’ll whisk away to Books2Read where you will land on CRASH & BURN‘s page. Enjoy your trip!

For those who might wonder, ARFF stands for Airport Rescue Firefighter and DFW is the FAA designation for Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport.

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A Monday In May

Posted on May 4, 2026 by Silver James

Oh, who am I kidding? This is me EVERY morning before coffee. Have I mentioned that the single-serve function on my coffee maker has started working again? I’m happy. Making a full pot is a pain because the hot plate cuts off before I’m done and I end up luke warm coffee. YUCK! The last cup is okay because I’ll often make a Frappucino knock-off and if it’s cold, I don’t have to use as much ice in the blender.

In weather news, it’s nice outside and we still haven’t had to turn on the AC! That’s a win in my book. Normally, we can get 4-6 months out of the year where we don’t have to run HVAC which means lower utility bills. Considering the fixed income, this becomes a really big deal. We won’t talk about my book sales. I made $4.85 at the ‘Zon last month and hey, I’ve made a whole 35 cents this month! The thing about publishing is rather like higher level academics–publish or die.

Moving on. Sports! They were crazy this weekend with ups and downs. My Cowgirls took 2 from Kansas and are the 2nd seed in the Big 12 Tournament, which starts Thursday. Fingers crossed they stay high in the RPI and get a Regional, but they have to get through the Conference Championships first. OU won the “outright” SEC title. I have no idea what the SEC bracket looks like or when it starts. I should look into that. Stormy had soccer matches this weekend. They won some, lost some but are in second place in their league so yay!

I did a little writing last week. I also did some jiggling around of the puzzle pieces so that they fit into the frame better. It’s not much, but it’s progress. I hope that with the pieces falling into better places I’ll stay BICHOK and get some real work done. Sadly, my reading seems to be as stalled as my writing. I did finish LETHAL RIDER and I’ve moved on to ROGUE RIDER. I have one more to go, REAVER, until I’ll be ready to start the new trilogy. I might take a break though, before starting the next gen.

I found a new dessert recipe and I plan on trying it this weekend. I have to grocery shop first. It won’t be featured tomorrow because I want to actually see how it turns out before I share. Maybe next week. Dang. Mother’s Day is Sunday. Time. It’s flying. Not much else exciting has occurred.

Now it’s your turn. Reading a good book? Watched a good movie/TV show? Did something fun? Creative? How are your sports teams doing? I’m nosy!

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Friday Sinema: Directions

Posted on May 1, 2026 by Silver James

Okay. At first, Simon and I were like…what? *head scratch* Then the intro, then…well, you just need to watch it for yourselves. I lived through the whole Boy Band™️era with Only. I even took her to a Backstreet Boys concert. And then I found this video. These guys are the modern Village People and I think I kinda love them. Have a terrific weekend!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Returns

Posted on April 30, 2026 by Silver James

I was a teen of the 60s and 70s. “We’re the best, beat by none, Sr. class of ’71.” It was a crazy time but we all lived and breathed by inspirational posters. Well, and rock/movie star posters. There’s one that I still remember. There was a graceful hand lifted toward the sky. A butterfly hovered on one fingertip. The caption read: If you love something, let it go free. If it comes back to you, it’s yours. If it doesn’t, it never really was. I can’t tell you the number of broken hearts that poster got me through. It’s a thought that more often than not also turns up in some form in some of my books. When I opened a recent message from the Universe, it immediately came to mind.

No one loses anything, Silver, that doesn’t eventually come back.

Love, grins, and horseshoes –
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. And usually, Silver, it comes back bigger, better, and zippier.

In addition to the inspirational quote, it also struck me that the Big U might also be speaking to the hearts of us writers. I can’t speak for all of us but I can for myself and I know how some others feel. Writer’s Block is a real thing and it walks hand-in-hand with Imposter Syndrome. Neither is fun and both happen far more often than most of us like. Writer’s Block happens when we start to doubt our story. Imposter Syndrom happens when we doubt ourselves.

I don’t know of any writer who hates telling stories. Our imaginations are ingrained in our DNA. I have a meme that says “Anyone can be a writer, writers can’t be anything else.” Even when we think we can’t write, the ideas are still there nudging and pushing until we start writing again. This is the difference between my teen poster and the Universe. Writers don’t lose what we’ve set free. It comes back to us, for better or worse. The ideas, the characters, the compulsion to tell the story. It may take a while, and sometimes we might need to go look for it, but the desire will return bigger, better, and zippier.

This is a subject I know a lot about. I’ve been struggling for two years now, ever since the health situation that almost took my life. It’s been hard but the Universe’s message hit home this week. I’m waiting for the love, grins, and even the horseshoes. It’s getting closer. If I close my eyes, I can sense it hovering out there just out of reach. In the meantime, I’ve quit beating myself up if I don’t write and I celebrate when I do. There’s hope. And we shall survive.

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Wednesday Words: Attention Please

Posted on April 29, 2026 by Silver James

Winner, winner chicken dinner! Yes, I won last week’s Thursday Threads. I admit that I had a bit of fun with the weekly prompt and will have more as I expand the scene. Here’s what the judge had to say: I loved the suspense and panic that Aisling brought to the tale. Who cares about what’s worse than rats, that was it time to pack the bags and go back. I loved it. The emotion was excellent and made me feel like I was standing next to them. Thank you, this was a joy to read. Color me all gooey! Are you wondering what the prompt is? It’s a short one but gave me so many ideas it took a while to pick one. Here it is: *”Just pay attention.”* This scene happens not too long after Ariel and Aisling meet and agree to…”investigate” the mysterious goings on.

****
Aisling stared down the long, dark tunnel waiting for her eyes to adjust. She glanced at the man standing beside her. “Are you sure about this?”

“Just pay attention. Watch your step. And…” Ariel’s voice trailed off.

“And what?” Pleased her voice didn’t quaver, she gave him a pointed stare.

“And whatever you do, don’t freak.”At her glare, he added, “How do you feel about rats?”

Choking on the saliva suddenly filling her mouth, she managed to squeak, “Rats?”

“Yes. These tunnels are part of Rochester’s sewer system. There’s no telling what actually lives down here.”

“Rats?” Aisling asked again, her voice stronger and far more strident.

“Yes. Rats. Plus other things.” He paused, added. “That might be worse.”
Eyes wide, she took two steps back putting more space between them. “What’s worse than rats?” She all but screamed it and her last word echoed into the distance. As the sound faded away, other noises took its place—the skittering of tiny claws and high-pitched squeals.

“No-no-no-no,” she chanted, then she turned and fled.

Ariel dropped his chin to his chest and sighed. He’d known this excursion was a bad idea but Aisling insisted on being included. Then he heard her scream. Sprinting, he arrived at the entrance just in time to duck. “It’s me, Caleb,” he snarled then glowered at the woman next to Aisling.

Aisling looked panicked. “You know these people?”

Sade beat him to the introductions. “Agents Sade Marquis and Caleb Jones, FBI. And you are?”

“Aisling Goodnight. Librarian.”
****

Sadly, I think I may have used that last line before. I’ll have to look for it and if I have used it, figure out the context because…frankly…I crack a smile every time I hear Aisling say that in my head. I can just see her chin jutting even as her glasses slide down her nose and she pushes them up. Never underestimate a librarian! Hope you enjoyed today’s snippet, readers. Well, you writers too. Hope you can find some inspiration in the prompt. Would you go explore tunnels under a city?

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