Since I’m in a “dragon state of mind”–thanks to Nikos making waves for Sade and Sinjen, I thought I’d share one of the first Linsey Stirling videos I ever watched. Enjoy your Friday, beware of dragons, and have a great weekend!
When you have a career in the “arts,” you are always waiting for The Call™. When you’re in the beginning of a relationship, you are always waiting for A Call™. When you are out of work and applying everywhere, you are always waiting for Any Call™. 2020 was a year when Life got put on hold, or the line was busy, or no one picked up on the other end. This message from the Universer has been tucked back in my files for a bit. I’m not sure this is the right time for the message but considering the world right now? I think maybe it is.
When you finally get that call, meet that person, walk that walk, and live that dream, Silver, do you think you’ll even care that there were a few dark and scary moments in a journey that made them all possible?
Trust me, you won’t even remember.
Keep walking,
The Universe
©www.tut.com
And, Silver, won’t you be glad you never settled for less?
Why should we settle for less? We should demand the best of ourselves and expect the best of those around us. These are dark and scary moments but we need to keep putting one foot in front of the other. If we don’t move forward, we stagnate or fall behind. I plan to keep walking. Actually, in the words of an old Yellow Pages commercial, I’ll “let my fingers do the walking.” I have a calling–to write stories to entertain folks. Each of you has a calling. Chins up. Shoulders square. It’s time to walk the walk and get back on the road of our personal journeys. The past is done. The future will bring whatever it brings. I can only affect the little space that I occupy and to do that effectively, I’m going to answer my call to arms. Because, you know, the finger bone is connected to the hand bone and the hand bone is connected to the arm bone and I need all three to type. 😉 Who’s calling you?
Another Wednesday. I’m ignoring TV today, preferring to get lost in new words for my WIP, with occasional forays into the words of favorite authors. Today’s #1lineWed theme is **DOUBLE**. How many of you are singing (or humming) the old Doublemint Gum jingle? 🙋🏼♀️ This snippet is fairly self-explanatory. At least I hope it is because truthfully? I’m not exactly sure what the Scooby gang is up to…
****
The gargoyle, feet planted on the sidewalk, partially sat atop the wall along the Pont de la Tournelle Bridge, his back to the view of Notre Dame Cathedral tourists lined up to see. Today, the walkway remained mostly empty. The cathedral, home to the Gargoyle Sentinels, had been partially demolished in the battle against the rogues. Seeing the magnificent architecture hidden by a spiderweb of scaffolding hurt in a way he couldn’t explain.
“You are sure he is here?” Roman asked the werewolf standing next to him.
Caleb’s eyes were focused on a barge making slow headway up the Seine. “Pretty sure.”
“Why would the dragon come to Paris? Athens is his demesne.”
“Where’s Sade?” Caleb glanced up in time to catch the change in the gargoyle’s expression as understanding washed over the other magick. “Yeah. That’s why.”
“Where is Sinjen?”
“That’s a good question. Back in Washington, I guess.”
“Washington and not Chicago?”
“Don’t ask, Roman.”
“Because you do not know or because you do not want to be in the middle?”
“Yes.”
“What about the fae?”
Caleb let out a long-suffering sigh. “You know Ariel won’t keep his nose out of this once he catches wind of it.”
“Of course not. We will bring him up to speed once he arrives.”
Caleb returned his focus to the barge, his action catching Roman’s attention.
“What do you find so fascinating down there?”
“There’s a witch on that barge. Casting a spell.”
Roman concentrated, eyes narrowed on the barge. “There is, yes.”
Caleb turned a sharp gaze on Roman. “Your witchling?”
“No. Verity is with Crevan.”
“Then who?”
“We should find out.”
Huge, leathery wings unfolded as Roman shifted into his real form. With one hard down beat, he lifted into the air and sailed out over the water in pursuit of the barge. Caleb raced across the bridge and scrambled down one of the bridge abutments to the walkway lining the Seine. He loped past moored barges, his eye on the prize. Suddenly, Roman halted in the sky hovering before turning around to double back in the opposite direction. The werewolf slowed.
“Stay with the barge!” Roman shouted as he passed. “Guard the witch.”
Guard the witch? What had Roman discovered that he didn’t know? Still, he trusted the gargoyle so he turned on the speed. Even in human form, he could run with the wind. He reached the Pont de Sully bridge ahead of the barge. Using a moored canal boat as a springboard, he vaulted onto the suspect houseboat. The cloying odor of fresh magic invaded his nose and lungs but he ignored it, focusing instead on the scent of fear wafted up from below deck.
Two burly men emerged, mirror images of each other. “Talk about double trouble,” Caleb muttered. The good news—they were human. The bad—one held a gun to a girl’s head. That’s when he caught the hint of sparkling glitter behind the man with the weapon.
“Better late than never,” he called out.
****
Three guesses as to who just showed up. 😉 Writers, any double words you want to share? Readers, what would you double up on, given the opportunity?
As most of you know, one of my favorite places in the world is New Orleans. And one of my favorite places to sit and watch the world go by is the Cafe du Monde just across the street from Jackson Square. People stand in line to grab a table during the busy times so I always tried to time my visits for off-peak hours so I could sit, drink my cafe au lait and indulge in their marvelous beignets. Surprisingly, they aren’t that hard to make at home. Messy, but not hard.
A French Quarter tradition since 1862, Cafe Du Monde beignets are probably the most famous beignets in the world.
Please Note: I’ve been asked by the website where this recipe was posted to remove the details. If you are curious, please click on the link below. Sorry for the confusion. Also, please note that the photo is my own, taken by me at Cafe du Monde.
The typical serving is three beignets heavily topped with powdered sugar on top.
On a side note, this recipe came from Todd Wilbur and he gives a step-by-step instructions, including pictures at his site so CLICK HERE to check it out. Now, as most of my readers know, I have a character named Sade Marquis who is a human FBI agent caught up in a world filled with Magicks. Like someone else we all know– 
–Sade spends a lot of time in New Orleans. In fact, she’s first introduced in THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC, which is set in New Orleans. And like someone else we all know, she hangs out at Cafe du Monde and a bar and restaurant called Deja Vu. I’m in a Sade frame of mind since I’m currently working on Book 5 in the Penumbra Papers series and Mardi Gras happens in about a month, so I’m also thinking about NOLA. Haven’t read the book? You can grab it from most on-line retailers. Just click on the title or the cover and head over to Books2Read to find the link to your favorite store. FYI, readers get to meet the “Scooby Gang”–a werewolf, a gargoyle, a fae, a dragon, and get a peek at a very sexy vampire. If Urban Fantasy and/or paranormal romance is your thing, go for it. If not, just enjoy your beignets and cafe au lait while you pretend to be in New Orleans. Anyone else love it down there?
Are we sure it’s 2021? I mean, I have new calendars up and they all say January 2021 but…I’m starting to wonder. Still, I’m keeping my head down. And my mouth shut. There’s so much I want to say but the people who need to hear the message will either ignore it or “kill the messenger.” 🤷🏼♀️ Moving on.
Stuff happened last week. Not much, but a few things. Sadly, I let current events get into my head, which got in the way of writing. Not gonna let that happen this week. Head down. That’s my motto. I got a few words written and did some backtracking. And some…frontracking. I know that isn’t a work, but it should be. Anyway, As y’all know, I’m a Puzzler. I’ve written scenes that occur in the last book of the Penumbra Papers series. I reread them. Wow. And there’s a line I need to insert into a scene in the current WIP. My brain works in wild and wonderful ways sometimes. When it works. I saw a meme the other day that said: I’m constantly questioning my sanity. It’s the only thing keeping me sane. Anyone else feeling the same? Goal for this week: Head down, new words.
I’m tired. Insomnia is a total PITA, especially when it cozies up and wants to be BFFs. Some mornings, there isn’t enough coffee in the world. This might be one of them since I also have to make a grocery run. Blerg. Jake has an earache so I’ll probably leave him home. That makes both of us sad.
Not much to report on TV, except I stumbled into a marathon about sinkholes. “Sinkholes, Buried Alive”? I never was sure of the title but dang if it wasn’t fascinating.
This time of year is a sports desert around here. I don’t do basketball and not a current fan of the NFL. I’d be counting down to Pitcher/Catcher but with the Chinese Beer Flu still rampant, baseball might be a pipe dream too.
I’m almost done with my relisten of Anne Bishop’s The Others series. It’s not for everyone and the books are either much beloved or DNF’d. I’m sort of tickled by some thoughts I’ve had this time around but unless someone has read the series and understands my headspace, discussion wouldn’t make much sense, but yeah, I’m sorta smug about it for…reasons. Anyway, do you have a comfort-read book, series, or author?
And…moving on to today’s duties. Life is what it is and whatever is going to happen will. Or not. There are words to write, books to enjoy, and groceries to buy. Can you guess which of these I’m really looking forward to? 😉 Hope your week is a good one.
We can laugh, cry, scream and yell. Or we can dance. It’s Friday. I vote for dancing. And this unlikely dude has the moves! Have a great weekend, y’all!
I’m trying to ignore reality. Oh, I know it’s there. And the noise of it all buzzes around my brain making me well aware of the chaos and insanity that’s out there. Call me an ostrich. I’m content at this point in time to keep my head down and hope this all blows over and more intelligent minds can figure out how badly they’ve screwed up. ALL of them. If not, the rest of us will stumble along. Still, I hope because of messages like this that filter down from the Universe…There are no accidents, Silver.If it’s appeared on your life’s radar, this is why: to teach you that dreams come true; to reveal that you have the power to fix what’s broken and heal what hurts; to catapult you beyond seeing with just your physical senses; and to lift the veils that have kept you from seeing that you’re already the person you dreamed you’d become.
And believe me, that was one heck of a dream.
Tallyho,
The Universe
©www.tut.comThere are no accidents, Silver.
Guess what? I finally wrote Chapter 1 in the current WIP. Of course, I already have 23K words written on the project. I just figured it was time to start the story in the right spot, which took awhile to figure out. Then came today’s #1lineWed prompt which gave participants a variety of suggestions for the theme. **POSITIVE – NEGATIVE** **PLUS – MINUS** **REAL – IMAGINARY** and for SciFi fans **MATTER – ANTIMATTER** As I had notthing that fit, I took up the challenge for the opening to Chapter 2.
****
Sade and Caleb sat in identical chairs in the reception area outside of FBI Director George Bailey’s office. His secretary, a tiny woman with knowing eyes, ignored them. Caleb slumped in the uncomfortable chair, eyes closed. Sade stared at the nameplate on the front of the desk. ALICE COOPER. She tried making different words out of the letters, without success.
The intercom on Alice’s desk buzzed and the director’s voice boomed, “Send them in.”
The two agents pushed out of their chairs and trudged toward the door that opened into the inner sanctum. It opened with a whisper. Someday, Sade would figure out just what sort of magic the director’s right hand wielded. She made sure Alice didn’t see the side eye flashed her way.
The door swung shut behind them and the two sank into only slightly more comfortable chairs arranged in front of Bailey’s desk. The dark surface always reminded Sade of an aircraft carrier. The director tapped an index finger on the one piece of paper on that massive desk.
“Not much of a report.”
Sade sat up straight, balanced on the front edge of the chair. “Not everything is black and white, sir.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Next you’ll talk about plus or minus and other shit.”
Yeah, the Old Man was not happy. “On the positive side, Agent Jones and I are still breathing and we have photographs.”
“And the negative?”“The perpetrator or perpetrators blew up the evidence, along with our official vehicle.”
“Your suspect?”
“Don’t have one.”
“It’s my understanding that the hand print in the minivan belonged to Clan Kholikikos’s Drakon.”
Sade glanced at Caleb. He offered her a look that spoke volumes—like “what was I supposed to do,” “I had to tell him,” and “the dude did call and distract you right before the mortar attack.” She returned her gaze to her boss and said, “According to Agent Jones, it did.”
“You have an alternative explanation?”
She wondered if she looked as shifty-eyed as she looked. “Maybe.”
****
I hope that whets your appetite for what happens in the opening chapter. Plus, progress! Writers, any words with those themes? Readers, are you feeling positive or negative today? 😉
Sometimes, a body just need the comfort of mac-n-cheese with a bit of spice. I’m a huge fan of Mexican food, even if it isn’t exactly traditional though I’ll eat more than my share of traditional goodness. 😉
Total Time: 40 Min.
Prep Time: 20 Min.
Cook Time: 20 Min.
6 servings (1 cup each)
Find a casserole that wows with this Taco Bake Casserole! Mac and cheese and traditional taco ingredients are a match made in casserole heaven.
What You Need
1 pkg. (14 oz.) KRAFT Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. (1 oz.) TACO BELL® Taco Seasoning Mix
3/4 cup BREAKSTONE’S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
3/4 cup TACO BELL® Thick & Chunky Salsa
Let’s Make It
1 – Heat oven to 400°F.
2 – Prepare Dinner as directed on package. While Macaroni is cooking, cook meat with taco seasoning as directed on package.
3 – Stir sour cream into prepared Dinner. Spoon half the Dinner mixture into 8-inch square baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with layers of meat mixture, 1 cup shredded cheese and remaining Dinner mixture. Cover.
4 – Bake 15 min.; top with salsa and remaining shredded cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 min. or until cheese is melted.
Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Healthy Living: Save 60 calories and 9g of fat, including 4g of saturated fat, per serving by preparing with lean ground beef, BREAKSTONE’S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream, and KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Cheddar Cheese.
Tip 2 – Special Extra: For extra crunch and flavor, bake casserole as directed, topping with 1/2 cup coarsely crushed tortilla chips along with the salsa and remaining shredded cheese.
There’s a video so be sure CLICK HERE to watch and get all the nutritional details. And today, I’m celebrating the release of FIGHTING FOR ELENA in audio book form. I’m excited. Elena is excited. Pops is excited. Also this is shhhh moment. Don’t tell her mama, but Elena admits to fixing this when she wants something easy, filling, ooey-gooey and still with a taste of her heritage. Her biggest fear is that her mama or one of her sisters shows up when she fixing or serving this dish. They all make everything from scratch–including salsa so this is all on the down low. 😉 If y’all want the audio book, it’s only $7.49 if you already own the Kindle edition. The links all go to the Amazon Kindle page and you can navigate from there so click on the title above or on the nifty little “ad” meme I made.
The world keeps turning and Monday keeps showing up on the calendar. Amazing how that works, yeah? So, it’s Monday once more and life goes on. A new week. A new chance to move ahead. After enough coffee, yeah?
Coffee. We’ve had some good stuff lately, from Black Rifle Coffee Company. Veteran-owned, veteran supporting. Good stuffs all around.
Words. I got a few written last week, though most writing stuffs had to do with reading, catching up, reorganizing, and figuring out WTH had I been thinking?!? 😆 Turns out there was some magic mixed in with the hot mess. So, Penumbra Papers #5 is my current WIP. A human FBI agent, a vampire, and a dragon walk into a bar… I have every intention of getting down to real work this week, now that the characters and story have decided to straighten up and fly right.
Only and Baseball Boy celebrated their 10th Anniversary over the weekend by staying at their favorite B&B in the area. I picked up Stormy after school on Friday and he spent the weekend with us. Friday night was a Shaun the Sheep marathon. Don’t ask. What has been seen cannot be unseen. Saturday, pancakes at the American Legion Post, postponed from the first weekend due to record snow. Good stuffs. Yay for Expedition Unknown because Josh Gates saved us from the sheep. Stormy and I read at various times. Okay, he read, I listened. He’s half-way through 1st grade and reading like a true bibliophile! Yay! He and his Big Daddy (Lawyer Guy) also built some Marvel superhero model trucks. His parents arrived before noon yesterday. There was a nap in my future.
As most of you know, I was/am a big fan of The Masked Singer. There’s a companion show out now, The Masked Dancer. Yeah…not sure about it yet, except I did get one dancer right and I’m pretty sure I know who a second is. That said, it just doesn’t have the same energy as the original concept. Ah well. That’s about the only new TV stuffs beyond Stormy shows.
I went on a book listening binge last week. I discovered that the first 6 original books in a once-loved series are now available in audio, and I could get them from Hoopla, which I get for free from my local library. The series? The Executioner. The author? Don Pendleton. The protagonist? Mack Bolan. Viet Nam hero, Army sniper, slayer of Mafia dragons. I loved this series hard long ago and far away, and I’m enough of a throw-back to still love them. There was a little weirdness–like stopping at gas stations for pay phones. 🙄 No cell phones back in those days. Anyway, the books are lushly sparse in their narrative, vivid and gritty, and Mr. Pendleton knew how to write extremely excellent pulp fiction. Okay. I’ll stop gushing. This books fit very few people’s tastes in this day and age. Totally not PC, and hey, I. Don’t. Care.
Moving on and looking back, last week and weekend was mostly…not much. It happens. And yes, I am ignoring the news then and now. So, looking foward, new words on #5, which sort of has a working title of LEATHER AND LACE, and will change in all likelihood because the book it’s turning into is not the book it started out. Which is good. Trust me! 😆
So, that’s it in my world. How’s your world?
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