Monday Labors

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Silver James

Okay, so tomorrow ISN’T Monday. Today is. But today is a holiday so tomorrow will feel like Monday for anyone who has to go back to work. Which is what we’re celebrating today. Today Is Labor Day, a national holiday here in the good ol’ USA. Today, lots of people are wrapping up a 3-day weekend. Unless they happen to be law enforcement, firefighters, health care workers, retail, food services…y’all know who you are. And thank you for working today so many others can stay home. Or chance going out somewhere. Stupid Covid. Anyway, to everyone who works for a living, thank you!

In other news, I’m working on line edits for TWICE THE TEMPTATION, my February ’21 Desire release. I’m also trying to squeeze in some new words on NIGHT WISH. I have the cover for WISH and I’ve seen the cover for Triple T. Good stuffs, bot of them, but I’m not ready to release the former and have to wait for final go ahead on the latter. I think y’all will like them. The covers. I hope you like the books too, but I’m never that sure. Silly writer insecurities!

Saturday was busy, as it was the first one in the month. That means pancake breakfast at the American Legion Post, followed by emergency siren test, and finally lunch with Only, Baseball Boy, and Stormy at our favorite Mexican restaurant because they are really-really open now. Yay! After we got home, I did a little bit or work-related stuff and then it was nap time. Because…baseball!

Speaking of, my Cards are playing baseball. Some games, they are playing really good baseball. Some games, not so much. Still, they are hanging in there and given their punishing schedule, I’m impressed. Even if they don’t make the playoffs, they deserve a standing ovation and a trip around Busch Staduim on the Budweiser beer wagon with the Clysdesdale.

Nothing really interesting to report on the reading front as I’m still mustering through my marathon of the In Death books. I haven’t done this–readh them from NAKED IN DEATH all the way through–including the novellas–since 2017. And the new book comes out tomorrow. I can’t decied whether to wait and add it at the end of the marathon or let it cut the line, so to speak. SHADOWS IN DEATH is #51 and I’m currently on #25, so basically about half-way through. I’ll probably start on the new one when I finish CREATED IN DEATH. I’ll just have to see.

I’m seeing the humming birds more frequently. I think they are “stocking” up for their migration south in a month or so. They may head out early given the weather forecast for this week. The weatherman is calling for a high of 55 on Wednesday, with lows in the 40s, starting Tuesday night. I am soooo ready!

Smudge and its sibling is coming over for food more often. They look a lot alike but I haven’t come up with a good name for the second kittencat. I know it’s silly to name feral cats but I do. There’s Shylock and Hi-Jinks. BeeGee (the lady across the street named him Bagheera and I just…can’t so BeeGee it is) and Lucifer/Lucy. Lucy is most likely Loki’s sire. There have been others that come and go–Cowboy and Sunshine, who I think are domesticated but come by to visit occasionally. There was Raja and Rey, the Siamese/Burmese brothers. One got hurt and slunk off before I could catch him and the other eventually wandered off. And Possum. I miss my little goblin cat. Not sure whatever happened to it. Still, I put food out every morning because I’m “that” old lady.

So that there is my unexciting life of the last week and weekend. Jake made friends at Walmart yesterday, but this is not unusual. I got a little work done. Have I mentioned I hate line edits? Makes my head spin and my eyes water but doing them is all about tightening up the story and quality assurance–for the story AND the typos. That’s pretty much my life this week, though we are gathering the extended family today to celebrate the August and September birthdays.

How are things in your world? Do you have to work? Are you hiding from the holiday crowds? Or are you like me–self-employed hermit writerly type who works every day (mostly)? Stay safe today no matter what you’re doing! Enjoy yourselves if you’re off. Don’t work too hard if you are. Stay cool, all y’all out West. And all rest of us will just hang in there. Right?

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Friday Sinema: Giddy-Up

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Silver James

The first time I saw this video, I tried to do the steps and ended up laughing at myself. Even so, I LIKE this song and Blanco Brown’s voice is awesome. Sadly, he was critically injured in a head-on collision this week. I’m sending him good vibes by sharing his video. Get up and dance because it’s Friday and you can. There are those who can’t… Have a safe and sane Labor Day weekend.

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Dreams

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Silver James

This. I don’t need to muse or babble. I just need to point at what the Universe has to say.

It’s not the dazzling voice that makes a singer, Silver. Or clever stories that make a writer. And it’s not piles of money that make a tycoon.

It’s having a dream and wanting to live it so greatly that one would rather move with it and “fail” than succeed in another realm.

You so have what it takes,
The Universe
credit and attribution to ©www.tut.com

At which point, of course, Silver, failure becomes impossible, joy becomes the measure of success, and fitting into the jeans you wore back-in-the-day, inevitable. Hubba, hubba.

It’s the dream that keeps me going. So here’s to you, Universe. Hubba, hubba! What keeps you going?

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Wednesday Words: Celebrate!

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Silver James

A new week, a new month, a new Wednesday and timefor new words. And they are new. I just wrote them yesterday so they haven’t been edited. Please to ignore any goofs. Today’s #1lineWed prompt is **CELEBRATION**. Of course, I’m singing the Kool and the Gang song while typing this. Welcome to my ear worm. I’m not sure how much of a setup I can give you on today’s snippet without some massive spoilers. Suffice it to say that a brother was killed and while Wizard had previously invited Gen to come up to KC–and she did, sort of but…spoiler–he also suggested she cut her stay short and go home, giving his mandatory attendance at the “memorial service” as his excuse for ditching her. Only Gen isn’t put off that easily. So…this happens.
****
Gen
I couldn’t just drive around Topeka looking for the local Nightriders clubhouse. I saw a police car parked at a convenience store and I considered pulling in to ask. Who better to know where the local outlaw biker gang was located, right? Except that was pretty stupid on my part. The club was holding a memorial service for a fallen brother, the emphasis on a rather than it being his brother, as I’d first thought. Once I understood the difference, I paid attention when Wizard explained all the reasons I should go home and forget about him.

On a wild hair, I did an internet search on my phone for Topeka Nightriders. I was astonished when I got hits, including a map. Wow. Deciding to give the map a try, I followed the route. Two blocks away, I came up on cars parked along both sides of the street. I drove past the building, rubbernecking the whole way. Two stories. Red brick. Historic warehouse surrounded by a tall chain-link fence. There appeared to be a parking lot along one side, plus a paved area between the street and the front of the building which currently hosted a crowded row of motorcycles. As near as I could discern, the property backed up to the Kansas River.

About a block further on, I found a spot Rascal would fit and parked. I got out and smoothed down my dark navy dress. Still smarting from the comments made by those women at Outlaws, I left my pearls at the hotel. A thin, gold chain highlighted the modest neckline of the dress. I wore the sensible navy pumps I’d packed for the office and a soft wool blend wrap in navy, rust, and beige. I almost went out to buy a black dress since this was a memorial but resisted. The navy was respectful enough.

Two men stood guard at the gate. Their gazes focused on me as I approached. I recognized the patches and relief washed over me. I’d found the right place.

“Hi,” I said before they could challenge me. “My name is Geneva. I’m looking for Wizard. Is he here yet?”

They exchanged a long look and one of them glanced over at the row of motorcycles. Evidently, he knew who belonged to which cycle because he nodded. “Yeah. He’s around back.”

“He know you were comin’?” the second asked.

How to answer that so they’d let me enter. “He told me he’d be here tonight. There was some question whether my meetings would wrap up in time.”

The gate swung open and I passed through.

“Keep walking that way,” the first man said, pointing. I knew he was trying hard not to laugh but I didn’t care. I could do this. And Wizard had seemed upset about losing his brother. With far more confidence in my step that I actually felt, I headed toward the grassy area behind the building. I could smell the river, along with wood smoke and beer. I turned the corner and stopped dead.

This wasn’t a funeral or a staid memorial service like I’d expected. This was a wild celebration, a drunken party much like the one I’d briefly attended over at the big compound.

“Oh my gawd!” A shrill voice cackled. “Look at her! What the hell is she doing here?”

Great. I recognized the gaggle of girls from last night. Just who I wanted to see. Not.

“What the hell, Pink?” Wizard did not look happy to see me.
****
Poor Gen is so out of her depths in Wizard’s world. As she says, “I’m in human resources. What do I know about outlaw bikers?” She’s getting a crash course, believe me! Anyway, that’s today’s snippet and I hope you enjoyed the peek. Writers, any celebratory words to share? Readers, what’s your favorite party song? *dancess off singing “Celebrate good times. C’mon. There’s a party goin’ on right here.”* Woohoo! It’s a celebration. 😉

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Tuesday Treats: Soft, No-bake Pita Bread

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Silver James

I love pita bread. The little Greek restaurant where we used to eat was sold when the original owners retired. The folks who bought it just didn’t have the touch and it closed. We haven’t found a replacement yet though I can occasionally find pita in the grocery store. Then I saw this recipe and decided to add it to my stash.

Recipe details
Yield: 16 Pieces
Prep time: 70 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 1 hr 20 min

Ingredients
BREAD DOUGH
½ tbsp instant dry yeast or active dry yeast
1 ¼ cups warm water
⅛ tsp sugar
3 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
¾ tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

ZA’ATAR PASTE (OPTIONAL)
2 tbsp green za’atar
1tbsp olive oil

Instructions
FOR BREAD DOUGH
In a small bowl, combine yeast, water and sugar, let it stand for 5 minutes until it’s frothy.
In a mixing bowl, pour in half of the flour and add the yeast mixture, mix it then add salt and olive oil. Add the remaining flour little by little and knead for about 6-8 minutes until it’s smooth and elastic.
Cover the dough and let it rise for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
Divide the dough into 16 pieces and roll into ½ inch thick circles. Brush each bread with za’atar mixture.
Heat a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat, place the flattened bread dough and fry until both side are no longer raw and sticky.

Tips: You can bake the pita in a 225°C oven for 8 minutes if you’d like. But before putting it in the oven you need to let the dough to rise once more after shaping.

This recipe came via Food Talk Daily so head OVER THERE for all the details. Peony “Peni” Comanescu, the heroine of DOUBLE TROUBLE, believes in spoiling her man, Nick Karras. She had to school me on what za’atar paste is (a mixture of various and lots of spices including marjoram and thyme and mixed with olive oil to form the spread). Nick is of Greek descent and like me, he prefers tzatziki sauce for pita bread dipping. Anyway, for those of you who want something differet to do at home, you might give this a try. And while you’re waiting for the dough to rise, you can read Peni and Nick’s story. It’s an exciting one! Just click on the cover or the title to head over to the universal link. DOUBLE TROUBLE is available all sorts of places and is set in Roxanne St. Claire’s Barefoot Bay world. What about y’all? Do you like pita bread? And what do you spread on it?

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The Last Monday

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Silver James

August is finally coming to a close. September looms ahead, for better or worse. Bye, August. Not really going to miss you but all in all, you weren’t that bad.

I didn’t “win” AuGoWriMo. My goal was to finish NIGHT WISH. I’m maybe halfway there. BUT…and yes, that’s a “big” but, I worte. Almost every day. Some days it was only a few hunded words. Some days it was a few thousand. I met my original word count but the story isn’t done and a lot of the words in that count are from snippets that either need to find a home in the narrative or be saved for a different book. Either way, wordz iz wordz. Right? The journey continues and I hope I break some speed barriers getting the darn thing to The End.

Last week’s pleasure audio book listening was awesome. I did a marathon re-listen to Ilona Andrews’s Hidden Legacy series for the new release, EMERALD BLAZE, which released last Tuesday. I was still finishing off a couple of the earlier books but it’s all good. Great series by fave authors and the new book is an awesome addition. Now I’m back to my re-listen of the In Death series. Hard to believe that it’s been 3 years since I last read or listened to the majority of the these books.

TV is still mostly boring. And my Cards are running hot and cold. Given their schedule, I can understand why. Yesterday’s game was a good, though. Starting pitcher Adam Wainwright (a favorite player!) threw a complete game in the 7-2 victory over the Cleveland Indian. It was also his birthday. You go, Uncle Charlie! (It’s a nickname thing. 😉 ) Sadly, the Cards are currently 3.5 games back in the NL Central division and a half game back of what would be a 4-way tie for the Wild Card, meaning there’s three teams already tied and if one or more of them lose and the Cards win, they could move back into the hunt for the WC. I know. Baseball TMI. It happens.

No Stormy time. He’s back in school and happy about it. Only and Baseball Boy are both back at work too. Busy lives. I totally get it.

And…that’s it. Live is boring. The most excitement I’ve had in a couple of days was when Loki realized there was a hummingbird at the feeder just outside the window. He freaked and it was funny. Jake is happy that he gets to travel with me again. He did go to vote with me and was named the official greeter of our polling place. We had run-off election and now the political silly season begins. Ugh. I hate politics but I vote. Always.

Moving on. To…nothing. Good grief. I’ve turned into the Jerry Seinfeld Show–which was a show about nothing. At least according to the star. Ah well. Here’s hoping your lives are much more exciting than mine. Drop a comment to let us know you survived the weekend and the month. I’ll be working on new words today. And waiting for the promised cold front for tomorrow. Have a great week, everyone!

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Friday Free-For-All, August Edition

Posted on August 28, 2020 by Silver James

Hey bartender! It’s TGIF. Grab a cup of coffee or the morning beverage of your choice. Get comfortable. Put your feet up. Today’s “melee” is brought to you by 2020. Those in the path of the hurricanes, please take safety precautions! I’m holding good thoughts for y’all! If you need a smile or just a little down time, I offer you two quick clicks and a video. Plus, to start things off, this: I get daily email newsletters with DIY projects. Some I tuck away on Pinterest for future reference–like I’ll ever actually do them 🙄 — but most I just look at and go, “Huh. Neat.” Then there are those that boggle me, like the back-to-school door wreath. Made by hot-gluing crayons to a wreath form. My first thought? How long before the crayons melt as it hangs on my front door? People, it’s HOT here in August when school starts. Instead of snow days, the kids get heat alert days!

I discovered I related to far too many of these comics to just save a few, sharing them one at a time over on FB. Here, enjoy the whole kit and kaboodle! Trust me, you’ll want TO CLICK.

You MUST CLICK HERE for a complete overload of CUTE! Do it. Don’t hesitate. I’m serious. *waits* See?!?! You can thank me now. 😉 You’re welcome.

And finally, our musical break for the day. You’ll just have to trust me again. Plus, it’s only 2 minutes of your valuable time. It’s a good way to start the day.

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Worldbuilding

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Silver James
One of my favorite parts of writing is the worldbuilding. As a kid, I was drawn to the fantastical worlds created by Andre Norton, the European locales featured in Mary Stewart’s mysteries, the rugged western landscapes of Louis L’Amour. Yes. I read across the board. Those books fired my imagination and set me on the path to creating my own worlds, and peopling them with characters I wanted to know…or be. Back then, it was pretty simple to create a world and the people who populated it. Then I grew up and started actually writing down all the stuff in my head. The stories I made up about those people in those worlds grew more complicated and I realized, that while my imagination was fertile, the worlds still needed to be logical. Like Real Life. So I studied books and courses and other authors. And I learned. A teen, intersted in writing his own fiction, asked me once about worldbuilding. My answer was close to this, but the Universe says it in a much more fun way.

Whoops… I did it again. Took a little nap, had a few dreams, and worlds were born. Planets spun and cooled. Continents rose and fell. And civilizations clashed and united.

Actually, it’s quite good fun. But I also dreamed I was you, Silver. And in that dream, for a spell, I didn’t remember I was also the Universe.

It was frightful, actually. Just about scared me to death until, as you, I slowly remembered who I was. And in those waking moments, it was as if the earth shook, the seas danced, and the skies rejoiced almost as much as myself. As if they were waking up, too. It was the most beautiful, sublime, intoxicating rush of pure joy I think I’ve ever known.

How I wish I could tell you more. But like a farmer eager for the new crop, any rush to harvest would spoil the yield. Besides, words would utterly fail me.

Fidgeting madly,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

Silver, oh-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h, Silver…

See what I mean? I do this a lot, even for books that I may never write simply because it is fun to dream, to create, to feel the earth shake, watch the seas dance, and all you have to do is look at a sunset to know the sky is rejoicing. Even if my books don’t have any of those things in them, I still want a solid world where my readers can picture themselves there, understand the logic in that place and time, and–with any luck and a bit of talent–they’ll want to hang out there while they’re reading my books. I hope y’all will come visit and stay awhile.
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Wednesday Words: Show, Don’t Tell

Posted on August 26, 2020 by Silver James

It’s the last Wednesday in August. AuGoWriMo–the unofficial writing challenge B.E. Sanderson and I have been doing–ends next Monday. I’d hoped to have NIGHT WISH finished. I don’t think it will be. Still, I’ve made progress. I’m closing on 50K words and decided to up my final goal to 60K because I have a whole bunch of snippets in search of full scenes. That’s both the good AND bad news. Still, I finished Chapter 13 yesterday. I’m telling you this because I can’t “show” you the fruits of my toil until the book is completed. I can, however, share this snippet. The #1lineWed theme is Show (not Tell). I hope this snippet shows you a bit of what is going on. To set it up, Wiz brought Gen to the compound and sort of dumped her in his room for…reasons. Now there’s a party and she’s not too inclined to join the merry-making outside in the courtyard.
****
Gen
I made it all the way to the front doors. The glass almost vibrated from the noise. Flames now danced in a fire pit in the center of the space and people gyrated around them. I scanned the crowd, looking for Wizard but couldn’t find him. My hand rested on the door’s push bar but for the life of me, I couldn’t put enough pressure on the thing to open the door.

“You just gonna stand there all night?”

I jerked and whirled to face the woman who’d snuck up on me. She eyed me up and down, taking in my appearance. I returned the insult. She wore heavy motorcycle boots, faded jeans that fit her like a glove, a red long-sleeved T-shirt with a Harley emblem on the front and that ubiquitous leather vest I was becoming far too familiar with. Long dark hair framed her pretty face and her brown eyes crinkled at the corners.

“You must be Wizard’s civilian.”

Civilian? What did that even mean. Evidently, my confusion showed because the woman continued. “Civilian is just that. Regular people who aren’t in the life.”

“Ah. Then, yes. I am most definitely a civilian.”

“And a bit overwhelmed, yeah?” She grinned and winked. “C’mon. I’ll help you find Wiz.”

Before I could protest, she hooked an arm through mine, pushed both of us through the door and all but dragged me over to the grassy area and the chaotic scene. She found a picnic table with space to sit, parked me on the bench and disappeared. So much for helping me find Wizard. Within moments, she was back with two plastic cups filled with beer. She handed me one and pointed her finger at me.

“Stay. Don’t talk to strangers. I’ll be back as soon as I find Wiz.” Then she was gone.

Don’t talk to strangers? Everyone here was a stranger and I had no reason to speak to any of them. I glanced around trying hard not to make eye contact with anyone. I didn’t see Wizard anywhere. A good-looking man sauntered my way and I quickly stared down at my beer hoping he’d take the hint. He didn’t. He straddled the bench. I could feel his eyes on me.

“Nobody’s ever gonna mistake you for a sweet butt.”

I jerked my head to stare at him. “A what?”

“A sweet butt.”

Shaking my head, I leaned away from him. “I don’t even want to know what that is.”

He grinned at me. “That’s because you’re Wiz’s civilian.”

Why did that term now sound so offensive. I was too aware that I didn’t belong here but they didn’t need to keep pointing it out to me. I’d gotten the hint and I planned on bolting back to my nice, normal, civilian life at the first opportunity.
****
I hope you enjoyed it. Show vs. Tell is a big thing in writing. Writers, is there anything your characters are doing you want to show us? Readers, is there anything you want to tell us about what you look for in a book? Do you want description? Action? Dialogue?

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Tuesday Treats: Boston Cream Poke Cake

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Silver James

I love Bavarian cream donuts. I love Boston cream pie. I love cream puffs. I love pretty much anything that has a creamy, vanilla pudding filling. This poke cake hits all my buttons and is super easy to boot!

Total Time: 3 Hr. 10 Min.
Prep Time: 20 Min.
Cook Time: 2 Hr. 50 Min.
16 servings

Be the star of your next get-together with our Boston Cream Poke Cake. Boston Cream Poke Cake is an exciting way to enjoy the flavors of your favorite pie.

What You Need
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 qt. (4 cups) cold milk
2 pkg. (4 oz. each) BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, broken into small pieces
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

Let’s Make It
1 – Heat oven to 350°F.
2 – Prepare cake batter and bake as directed on package for 13×9-inch cake. Immediately poke deep holes in cake at 1-inch intervals, using round handle of wooden spoon.
3 – Beat pudding mixes and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Immediately pour over warm cake. Refrigerate 1 hour.
4 – Microwave chocolate and COOL WHIP in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Let stand 15 min. Pour over cake.
5 – Refrigerate 1 hour.

CLICK HERE for all the nutritional details from My Food and Family. I haven’t visited with the characters from the Penumbra Papers lately and Adele McCoy, the heroine of THE DEVIL’S CUT poked me in the back and insisted I share her favorite dessert. Since I like it too, I agreed. If y’all aren’t familiar (or have forgotten), she’s paired up with werewolf FBI agent Caleb Jones. Calab is Sade Marquis’s partner and best friend. Oh, Adele is also a CSI with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. They’re after a real demon so if urban fantasy is your catnip, check out THE DEVIL’S CUT and all the Penumbra Papers books. Just click on the cover or the title for the Universal Book Link that takes you to a list of on-line bookstores.

What about y’all? What’s your favorite flavor of filling?

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