Thursday Thoughts: Universal Exercise

Posted on July 2, 2020 by Silver James

Wow. Today’s message from the Big U could be taken so many ways, given the world right now. I’m seriously looking for a personal avatar icon depicting my head exploding because that’s sort of my natural state at the moment. Anyway…

Thoughts. And doing something. Writing. I’m all about the writing around here. Well, and reading too. But today, writing. Sadly, I haven’t been following the following suggestion. I’d blame it on my exploding head but that’s the easy way out.

Silver, there are those who absolutely think all the right thoughts. Yet if they’re not doing all they can, with what they’ve got, from where they are, then you can just guess what else they’re probably thinking.

And those other thoughts are busy at work, too.

You are my sunshine,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

Silver, start, stretch, reach, climb, go. Because just waiting for the magic… takes forever.

Waiting for the magic… Yeah, that’s something authors do a lot. We sit and stare, or surf the net, or tap out a sentence on our keyboard and then stare at the words and…yeah. Nuttin’, honey. I know better than to depend on inspiration though I’ll admit, when it hits, I’m doin’ the Happy Dance all over my office. Okay. Not really. I’m leaning back in my office chair all smug and stuff. But inspiration is few and far between. I do have ideas, thoughts, etc. It’s finding the gumption to follow through. And without that? Dude, no books get written. I feel like a broken record, but I’ve got to start listening to the Big U. Time to start, stretch, reach, climp, and go. Jeez, I need to do that to get off my fat arse, too. *ahem* But yeah, I need to do that stuff to make the magic happen. Because those books don’t write themselves and I’m the chief word wizard and magic maker. What magic are you going to make today?

And speaking of books, MONTANA MOON is still 99 cents unil the 4th and then the price starts going up. Grab your keeper copy now!

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Wednesday Words: Captain of the Pirate Sea

Posted on July 1, 2020 by Silver James

Happy 1st of July. Today’s prompt can be gleaned from the title and since MONTANA MOON is on a special Kindle Countdown deal for the next couple of day, I had to look hard to find a snippet to fit the theme. My other choices were something about “captain’s seats” in an SUV and sea salt on fries. 🙄 Anyway, mine is NOT the only book on sale. If you want to grab a bunch of the Brotherhood Protectors books, now is the time to snap them up. Check the graphics and links at the bottom! In the meantime, this snippet is mostly self-explanatory. Our heroine is running for her life and our hero has been tagged to rescue her. Hope you enjoy!
****
Lauren didn’t care much for people. She was far more comfortable in her stacks of historic material and her computer. That didn’t mean she didn’t spend an inordinate amount of time observing them. People fascinated her, even if she didn’t want to interact with them. She was geeky. Gawky. And a total klutz. Unless she was immersed in her job. She was aces at her job. She was not aces at running for her life. How had she not remembered she could be tracked by her cell phone? Her skin pebbled as a spurt of adrenaline shot through her at the memory of bullets shattering the window of her car. She’d been lucky the next exit held a giant truck stop.

Closing her eyes, she shoved those thoughts out of her mind. She’d found her way to Iowa, where Shooter had stepped in. She almost laughed, despite the dark memories. He hadn’t stepped in. He’d stomped in wearing a pair of worn cowboy boots, faded jeans, plaid shirt, and an implacable demeanor. When she opened her eyes, her gaze drifted back to him.

Shooter had a strong profile. The fine lines at the corner of his eyes and the deeper ones on his forehead and above the bridge of his nose spoke of age and experience, so yeah, he was likely in his forties. Still, he was hard-bodied and fit. He had to be to scoop her off the floor, toss her over his shoulder and make off with her like she was some pirate’s booty. No, she decided, her fingers itching to touch the scruff covering the lower half of his face. He would have been a Viking, or a Highlander maybe. She could definitely see him ravaging and pillaging, and why did her heart rate kick up a notch with that thought?

Heat flooded her cheeks and she turned to watch out the window again. “I’m not going to hurt you. People call me Shooter,” he’d said after cornering her in that roadhouse. She had not been reassured. What sort of nickname was Shooter anyway?

She blurted out, “So…do you shoot people? Or just bore them to death with your stoic refusal to speak?” Yes, that was definitely a growl. She revised her animal comparison. Not a bear. Something more feral, and to her, far more dangerous. Wolf. And her heart stopped. He knew about Black Root. Which implied he knew what Black Root had been doing. Which meant he might be working for them. Which meant she needed to get out of this truck right this instant.

“Yeah, I’ve shot people.”

She froze in her seat, eyes widening as the cold words washed over her, leaving her terrified.

“Breathe, Lauren.” His green eyes glinted briefly in the dash light as he flicked them her way. “I was a Navy SEAL.”

Well. That certainly explained a lot of things. She managed to inhale and when she exhaled, her chest loosened enough she relaxed against the leather seat, but she was still wary. “Were you like a sniper or something? Is that why people call you Shooter?”

A smile threatened the corner of his mouth but the lines between his brows deepened. “I’m called Shooter because the guys in my BUD/S class challenged me to a drinking contest after graduation. The challenge involved shots of tequila. I won.” He glanced at her. “Aren’t you going to ask how many?” She shook her head and he turned his head to watch her. “I’m not one of the bad guys, Lauren. I will keep you safe.”

Lauren attempted to believe him. Her life depended on it.
****
There it is. Writers, use your words. Readers, go forth and grab some books on the cheap! Happy Reading
Montana Moon by Silver James                                Grayson’s Angel by Linzi Baxter
Soldier’s Heart: Part One by Ilsa J. Bick                          Big Sky SEAL by Delilah Devlin
Hidden Danger by Desiree Holt                                         Catching Lana by Kat Mizera
Hot Colorado Nights by Paige Yancey                              Fractured Lives by Sue Coletta
Texas Ranger Rescue by Cynthia D’Alba                         Midnight Ranger by Kris Norris
Montana Marine by Debra Parmley                                 Ranger in Charge by Layla Chase
Rescuing Reya by Tiffani Lynn                                          Dylan by Regan Black
Falling for Her Bodyguard by Christine Glover             Rescuing Emery by Barb Han
Rescuing Montana by Kate Kinsley                                  Daniel’s Choice by Pam Mantovani
Mistaken iDOMnity by Lainey Reese                               Winter’s Last Chance by Stacey Wilk
The Marshal’s Protection by Kendra Mei Chailyn         Toxic Truth by Tina Donahue
Wish Upon a SEAL by J.M. Madden                                Elite Protector by Donna Michaels
Saving Evie by L.K. Shaw                                                    The Mechanic by Reina Torres
Wild Horse Rescue by Mary Winter                                 Broken SEAL by Margaret Madigan
Chasing Katie by Heather Long                                         Conrad by Anne L. Parks
Brand by Leanne Tyler                                                        Montana Gypsy by KD Michaels

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Tuesday Treats: Chocolate Chunk Coffee Ice Cream

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Silver James

Sometimes, you just gotta have ice cream. And there’s none in the house. And you haven’t had an ice cream churn since the Eighties. Welpers, here’s a treat that soothes the cravings of those who love ice cream, coffee AND chocolate. Y’all! It’s a triple threat treat.

Total Time: 6 Hr. 15 Min.
Prep Time: 15 Min.
Cook Time: 6 Hr.
6 cups

Make this the night before ! Treat your family and friends (and yourself!) to this amazing Coffee Ice Cream with Chocolate Chunks recipe. Requiring just four ingredients, Coffee Ice Cream with Chocolate Chunks is both simple and scrumptious!

What You Need
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup GEVALIA House Blend Cold Brew Iced Coffee Concentrate
2 cups whipping cream
1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped

Let’s Make It
1 – Mix condensed milk and coffee concentrate in large bowl until blended.
2 – Beat whipping cream in medium bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; fold into milk mixture.
3 – Spoon half the milk mixture into 9×5-inch loaf pan; top evenly with half the chocolate. Repeat layers.
4 – Freeze 6 hours or until firm.
5 – Scoop into dessert dishes to serve.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Mindful Eating: Set aside family time to connect and enjoy good food and good company while being mindful of portions.

My Tip – Any “concentrated” coffee will do. Just make sure you brew it strong and that it’s cold when you use it in the recipe.

Pretty sure y’all might want all the nutritional details on this one so CLICK ON OVER to My Food and Family. I’m still celebrating the release of MOONSTRUCK: BETRAYAL and I’ve featured recipes suggested by two of the heroines who figure strongly in the book. Today’s yummy treat is brought to you by Isabelle “Izzy” Fontaine, mate of Rudek “Rudy” Tornjak. The Cajun beauty and the rogue Wolf. What a pair, yeah? Growing up in the Louisiana bayous, where it stays hot and humid pretty much year round, Izzy is all about the cold and sweet. She’s also a big fan of cafe au lait and she says this tastes like a frozen version, only with chocolate. “What’s not to love, boo?” Izzy grins. “I’m lookin’ at you, B.E.”

MOONSTRUCK: BETRAYAL is available wide so just click on the cover or any of the places where I mentioned the title to head over to the page where you can find the on-line book store of your choice. 😉 The pressing question of the say is: What’s your favorite summertime treat? Psst. Mine’s a Sonic M&M Blast. Though this might be a close second!

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Is Monday Over Yet?

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Silver James

Forget just Monday. Are we done with this year yet? I’m ready for a do-over. Too bad we can’t do a Mulligan like in golf. Ah well. Welpers, there was a weekend. Stuff happened. There was also a last week. Other stuff happened. Can I go back to bed now? This is one of those mornings when there isn’t enough coffee in the world to make it all better.

So, we got lots of Stormy time last week. It was fun. T-ball, spending the night, and morning play. He’s growing so tall! And he misses school. The little bugger is way too smart. He loves spending time with his Big Daddy. I sorta get the feeling Lawyer Guy feels the same. Yeah, I’m smiling. No T-ball this week because his school is doing their yearbook signing at the same time as his game. There are lots of kids so it’s not like the team wouldn’t be able to play and since school closed early and he’s really been missing his friends, this is a great opportunity to touch base with them.

I did some organizational work on NIGHT WISH. Gah! Thank the writing gods that Scrivener has a bulletin board feature. I can make note cards with the action in a scene and then got to bulletin board mode. I can see at a glance what is going on and move the cards around to get them in the right order. Sometimes–like now!–I really wish I was linear writer. Ah well. The good news is, the stuff already written is better than I remembered. That’s a big yay. After today, I’m hoping real life will stop throwing curve balls and I can settle in to maybe actually getting some writing done. I have revisions on the Feb. ’21 Red Dirt book coming sometime in July and I have another Tarpley VFD book to write so I need to get WISH done and set free into the world. There are a couple of Cajun Wolves who are getting downright pushy about getting their stories done. 😆

TV is still a bust. I don’t really remember a thing I watched last week. It’s all just a blur of the same ol’ same ol’. Reading/listening is also slow. I did mention real life right? I’m back to my relisten of the In Death series. Can’t go wrong there but since I’ve done multiple rereads, I don’t feel any pressing need to zip through the story because I basically remember who did it. 🤷‍♀️ That’s okay. It’s my chicken soup series and I’m good with that.

Friday, we had a family funeral. We were glad to get home. Saturday, LG and I went to the Post to help another member clean up for a rental. I thought I’d be mopping a floor. Nope. I made the mistake of tossing in my rubber gloves and therefore drew bathroom duty. Hey, those suckers are shiny clean and disinfected–even the light switches, door handles, the the handicap bar. I’m probably there this morning as you’re reading this, waiting on the plumbers to come. Long story. LG has a zoom meeting, the gal vet taking the lead on all the restoration and reconstruction has a sick puppers. No one else could be arsed to come down and wait. I shouldn’t say that. There are a couple of them who would but their health precludes it. The healthy ones all have their thumps up their…anyway. I’m there until relieved. Then I hope to get some work done. I’m taking Jake with me and we’ll work on his basic commands because he’s ignoring them. Not to be a bad dog but because I haven’t worked on his training since the quarantine.

Sunday, I didn’t do a blasted thing but set up today’s blog, make a Starbucks run with Jake (I have stars expiring and darn if I’ll not spend them!), and debated on whether to take a nap. As of this writing, I haven’t answered the debate yet.

Life is definitely not exciting. We’re safe and healthy and that’s not too shabby, given the crazy times. I do wish I could figure out how to “save” my “personal” avatar sticker on FB. I want to use the head-exploding one as my profile pic. What’s going on–good, bad, or indifferent–in your life? Hang in there. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay the wonderful crazy friends that you are!

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Friday Free-For-All

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Silver James

Another week done. How can time both fly and drag at the same time? Tis a conundrum! The following items are just a few I’ve been collecting and storing up. I figured today was a good day to share the things that catch my eye, keep me awake at night, and occasionally make me bounce my head off my desk.

Random Thoughts:
If a group of cats is called a clowder, why isn’t a group of black cats called a cauldron? Askin’ for a friend…

If you eat a cookie and no one is watching, does the cookie still have calories? Askin’ for a different friend…

“You know what they say…” What I want to know is, who are THEY and why should I care?

Dang! I should probably proofread…
Headline on news app: Gov. [name] has signed a coast of living adjustment bill for state retirees. This would be awesome except this particular state is totally landlocked! 🤣

From a story on another news app: The man was identified as [personal info redacted] and he died at the hospital where he died. Good to know… 🙄

From a craft site: Measure out 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water into a large pot, and place on stove top to boil. Once boiling gently, and carefully, using your tongues, place the fabric you are dying into the boiling pot of vinegar water. Place a lid on the pot and turn off the heat. Let fabric sit in the water bath for 1 hour. Uhm…hell yeah, I’m gonna be careful because burning your tongue HURTS! 🤭 After an hour, remove the lid and let water and cloth cool. About an hour. Ring out the excess water well. That water must be full of enough metal to make a bell…
*Emphasis mine

Have some fun linky-dinks while you’re here:

And speaking of a cauldron of black cats, THIS COMIC about the little demon lords of mayhem is dead on! The artist obviously knows my Loki. 🤣

I found many comics in this series that made me laugh. Scroll through by CLICKING HERE to enjoy. You’ll totally get why if you are owned by/are familiar with cats!

I’ve taken a few art classes in my long and unartful life. The one “style” that I could do nothing with was 3-D art. When done well, it is amazing and awe-inspiring and when it’s street art with adorable animals? I’m soooo there! Take a moment to CLICK AND SCROLL through David Zinn’s masterpieces. I guarantee it’ll leave you feeling a bit better. 🥰

And hopefully, I’ve left you with a smile to close out this week. Have a great weekend. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Anybody got plans?

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Read

Posted on June 25, 2020 by Silver James

Books have always been my refuge. Whenever things got tough, I could open a book and get lost in someone else’s world. As a kid, it was the Black Stallion, or Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, even Tom Swift. Then I moved on to Mary Stewart and Andre Norton, Louis L’Amour, and others. I’d read a book and then I’d find a quiet place and pretend I was IN the book, having adventures that I made up in my own imagination. Eventually, I learned to create my own worlds and my own characters. And finally, I started writing the stories I made up down. And yes, I did split that infinitive. Or something. Whatever. I’m a published author. I get to make up my own rules, don’cha know! 😉 Anyway, 2020 is a year that everyone I know wants to hide from. We each have our own way of coping. When the Universe tossed this my direction, I was like…🤦‍♀️

Sometimes, Silver, life is like reading a book. Days, weeks, even years just repeat themselves… until you turn the page.

Tallyho,

The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

Silver, letting go isn’t giving up. It’s understanding that the best is yet to come.

Makes sense, right? We’re all “reading” the books of our lives. Some of us are writing them. I’m ready to turn the page and start looking for the best to come. Who’s with me?

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Wednesday Words: Gangland

Posted on June 24, 2020 by Silver James

While I don’t spend much time on Twitter, I do check to see if the #1lineWed theme is one I want to incorporate in my Wednesday snippet. If it’s interesting, I search my WIPs. If it shows up and I like the snippet, I post it. If not, sometimes the theme inspires new words. This week, I’m sharing from NIGHT WISH because… 🤞 …I’m getting back on track with it and I happen to love this scene. It never fails to make me smile. the scene doesn’t need a set-up. Oh, and today’s theme? GANG.
****
Jen
Wizard eyed the food court like he was sizing up a rival gang. I managed to hide my eye roll when he glanced my way.

“Babe, you can’t be serious.”

“It’s just the mall, Wizard.”

“Yeah, and?”

“Don’t you go to the mall?”

“Oh, hell no!” He growled. At me! I started to laugh but then I got a good look at his face. He was totally serious.
He was the one who insisted on coming with me. While I wasn’t a huge fan of shopping, there were some things a girl can’t get at the local Gas-n-Go or truck stop. Since this particular mall had a Victoria’s Secret, I planned to shoo Wizard into some guy-type store then duck into Vicky’s to buy something to wear for him as a special surprise. Why? Because this man made me—despite my extra padding—feel beautiful. I wanted to do something special for him. I mean, even bikers would like their women is something frilly and sexy from Vicky’s, right?

That was the plan. Except Wizard was a biker. No auto parts store or Harley shop in sight. I’d totally miscalculated. Plan B was to park him in the food court, head to the ladies room then sneak away.

“C’mon. I need food,” I said.

We got drinks, snagged a table and I made my excuses.

“No.”

“No? I can’t go to the bathroom?”

“Yes, you can go to the bathroom. No, you aren’t going alone. I’m going with you.”

I didn’t screech. Much. “You can’t.” All my plans were collapsing. I inhaled deeply, squared my shoulders and with as much dignity as I could muster, informed him, “I’m quite capable of walking from here to the restroom, strolling inside, doing my business, and returning.

He shook his head, totally adamant. “Nope. Not happening. You aren’t leaving me here alone.” He swept out his arm. “Teenage girls.”

“So?”

“They always travel in packs.”

Who knew? My big, bad biker was afraid of teenagers.

“And they’re staring at me.”

They were staring, like they wanted to eat him for dessert. Maybe I didn’t need sexy lingerie after all.
****
This might be a repeat but it’s been a long time since I shared it. I hope it brings a smile to y’all. Writers, any gang-related words to share? Readers, which of my “gangs” of characters would you like to party with?

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Tuesday Treats: Sweet Cinnamon-Bourbon Fruit Dip

Posted on June 23, 2020 by Silver James

Need something quick, easy, tasty, and perfect for a summer get-together? This Sweet Cinnamon-Bourbon Fruit Dip is just the thing. You don’t have to be an entertainment guru, chief cook, or master of anything to put this together for your friends–or yourself while you curl up in the shade with a good book. Like…well…uhm…maybe MOONSTRUCK: BETRAYAL. 😉

Prep Time: 10 min.
Total Time: 20 min.

Ingredients:
8 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/4 cup Log Cabin® Original Syrup
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons bourbon whiskey
4 cups assorted fresh fruit, such as strawberries, kiwi, cantaloupe and/or raspberries

STEP ONE
Blend all ingredients except fruit in medium bowl until well combined. Serve with fresh fruit. Also terrific for dipping animal crackers or graham crackers!

STEP TWO
Enjoy!

I grabbed this recipe from Ready-Set-Eat! so click and go check it out. Hannah was watching over my shoulder and declared that I’d finally shared a no-fail recipe–even for her. Of course, I won’t mention how much of the bourbon was left by the time she got through making it. And as for dipping animal or graham crackers? Those would be ADULT animal or graham crackers because the bourbon does NOT cook out of this one. 😆 Hannah McIntire appears in all the Moonstruck books but she has a few special scenes in MOONSTRUCK: BETRAYAL that don’t appear in any of the other books. Y’all need to grab this new release because…all the feels! It’s available almost everywhere and you can click on the cover or the title to head over to Books2Read for links to all the stores. Hannah admits she’s not big on fruit but the crackers are awesome. What about you? What would you dip?

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Monday Six-Two-Two

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Silver James

Or Too-Too, Tu-tu, or even to-to. Why yes, my brain is NOT firing on all cylinders, thank you very much. 🙄 That said, this IS the next to last Monday in June. For a month of only 30 days, this one has dragged. Any month with FIVE Mondays should be banned from the calendar. Just sayin’…

So, last week happened. So did the weekend. There is madness in the world that makes me cringe. And get angry. Stupidity in any form is a recipe for disaster. Moving on.

Intesting factoid: The summer solstice is also called mid-summer, and is technically, the first day of summer. So how could it be freaking mid-summer?!?! Welpers, back in the day–and I mean waaaaay back in the day like with Vikings and before–there were only TWO seasons–summer and winter. Hence, the longest day of the year aka the summer solstice was the middle of summer, hence the name Mid-summer. Shakespeare was obviously aware of this practice, hence his iconic “A Mid-summer’s Night Dream.” (A fave of mine, BTW.) Anyway, now you know.

I’m so desperate I started watching RUGBY! RUGBY, people!!! I don’t understand the sport. But…after getting a good look at some of the players in the replay of the Six Nations tournament (which Ireland won, FYI), I could become a fan! Regular TV was almost a non-thing before all the BS went down. Now I watch things like “What on Earth?” and “Mysteries of the Abandoned” and stuff like that there. Oh! “Mystic Britain” on the Smithsonian channel is a hoot. Regular TV? Forget it. The advertisers and TV networks aren’t getting anything from me. Moving on.

In a bit of a reading slump. I’m currently listening to the latest release in Ann Aguirre’s Ars Numina series. The hero is a monkish bear shifter who had to step up to take over the clan when his uncle was assassinated. The heroine is a lynx shifter with a magical voice. They can’t be together for…reasons and they are stuck in the bear clan home due to an enemy seige. It has a lot of my catnip and I totally dug the previous books but I’m not devouring this one. It’s totally me, not the book! Pretty sure it’ll get 4-5 stars once completed.

Hopefully, the reading slump will be a kick in the pants to Iffy and the myriad characters and words that have been eluding me. We’ll see. I’ve stopped holding my breath.

Speaking of sports, Stormy’s last soccer game of the season was Saturday. He played well and they got medals. Then he was off to a swimming-pool birthday party. Good thing T-Ball has started. 🙂

Yesterday was Father’s Day. The James Gang all gathered at a fave pizza place for card exchange, good food and better company. It was a nice evening and yes, we were all careful.

And that, my friends, is pretty much all there is to know. What’s good or bad in your world? This is a No Judgement zone so if you want to weep, wail, gnash your teeth, sulk, pout, scream, rant, or just sit and smile, I’m good with being here for you. Hope all is as well as can be expected in your worlds. Take care and here’s to a week full of new possibilities! ❤

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Friday Sinema: Gone Fishin’

Posted on June 19, 2020 by Silver James

I was figurin’ up the other day, when I was thinkin’ about my dad, that he’d be 103 on his next birthday. He’s been gone almost 25 years now. Dad tried golf but in his heart, he was a fisherman. When it came time to find a video for today, I used the search term “Fishing” and this video came up. Yeah…while Dad was in a pew at All Saints almost every Sunday, there were times that his mind would be on fishin’ and we’d be out on the pond, or the lake, or the stream. Go do something you love and have a great weekend!

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