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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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Appearances

Posted on June 18, 2020 by Silver James

Whenever I do a “talk” with readers, one consistent question that comes up is about creating characters. Where do I get my characters? How do I develop their personalities, backstories, arc, etc.? When this message from the Universe hit my inbox, I decided it wasn’t so much about me, though it is somewhat relevant. I think we all wonder about the questions the big U is asking. But as I read through it, I was struck that I often ask–at least subliminally–these same questions about my characters.

A coincidence?

Silver, do you think it’s just a coincidence that you look exactly as you do?

Do you think your height, the color of your eyes, or the sound of your voice were accidents?

Do you think your insights into life, your gifts of perception, or your sense of humor were the result of random genetics?

No. You are exactly as you now are, with every freckle, trait, and charm, because they all added up to how you could make the biggest difference with your life in time and space, while having the most fun.

In appreciation,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

And, Silver, you’re doing it.

Each character I create looks like they do for a reason. That reason depends upon their role in the story, in their backstory, and what I want them to accomplish between the first line of the book and me typing “The End.” Their personalities might develop during the course of telling the story but there is always a reason for each quirk, each emotion, each way they look at the world and the people around them. Coincidences are just accidents waiting to happen. 

There are no accidents when it comes to creating characters. Authors need to be dead certain about them–not only their looks but their motivations, their goals, and how they react to the conflict we, as authors, introduce into their lives. Our characters need to make a difference. They need to grow and change and become…more. Just like we do as authors. We need to stretch our abilities. Go deeper. Go wider. Try new things. We need to be the writers our readers want to read because they want to stretch their imaginations, go deeper, go wider, and try new things too. That’s how we keep them coming back for more and that’s why they want to come back for more. Bottom line, don’t just keep up appearances. Create your own style and imbue your characters with it. Mold it into their DNA. It’s a lot more fun that way. And isn’t that what readers–and writers–want? I certainly do. 

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Wednesday Words: Doom, Gloom, and a Boom

Posted on June 17, 2020 by Silver James

Today’s #1lineWed theme is rather apropos for the crazy that is 2020 so far. We’re almost halfway through the year and it feels like it should be 2022 already! Anyway, over on Twiter, folks are posting lines about **DOOM, GLOOM or BOOM.” When anything goes boom, I immediately thinik of Sean “Boomer” Donaldson from the Moonstruck series. He LIKES to blow stuff up. And with Black Root in the pictures, the Wolves and their mates have a lot of doom and gloom. Me, being the over-achiever that I am, I didn’t rest on my laurels. Nope. I wrote a rather long snippet incorporating all three prompts. Also, it let me start to play with my two new Cajun cop characters. Okay, technically, they are deputies but y’all know what I mean. Anyway, grab yourself a Pat O’Brien’s Hurricane, sit for a spell, and enjoy…
****
“Don’t pout.”

“I’m not poutin’.”

Luc Bergeron glanced over at his partner, his eye roll hidden behind the dark aviator-style sunglasses he wore. “Yeah, you are.”

“I don’t pout.”

“Yeah, you do.”

“How come you always get to drive?” Beau LeBlanc swiveled in the passenger seat of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office SUV to stare.

“Because I’m not the one who wrecked our last two vehicles.”

“Neither of those accidents was my fault.”

“Bossman said I drive until further notice.”

Under his breath, Beau carried on a muttered conversation with himself. They’d been partners for ten years and friends for life. Luc was used to this whole moping attitude, which always made him want to scratch his head. Beau was big, goofy, and had an unnatural love affai with Hawaiian-style shirts. Beau was flamboyant, generous to a fault, and tended to wear his heart on his sleeve. He, on the other hand, was most often described as “tall, dark, and broody.” But never to his face. If anyone should be muttering about doom and gloom, it’d be him.

Their radios crackled and Dispatch spat out a long string of information. Armed robbery. Small silver sedan, possibly a Honda with damage to the left rear bumper. Two men. No description, but both armed. Yada. Yada.

Rolling to a smooth stop at the traffic light, Beau and Luc exchanged a look after a small silver car, possibly a Honda, occupied two times and with damage to the bumper flew through the intersection right as the lights changed. Luc hit the buttons for lights and sirens, Beau called their location into Dispatch. The chase was on.

“Don’t lose ’em.”

“I won’t.”

“I wouldn’t lose ’em, you know, if I was drivin’.”

“Yes you would.”

“No I wouldn’t,” Beau insisted.

Luc chanced a side-ways glance. “Two wrecks, Beau. And two perps that got away.”

“You would bring that up.”

Rolling his eyes again, Luc concentrated on the traffic, the car they pursued and… “Shit. Driver tossed something out the window.” He recognized the pineapple-shaped object just in time to jerk the wheel to the right to avoid it, The SUV bucked as the grenade exploded.

“BOOM!” Beau yelled, his eyes gleaming with something dark and feral. “Those ol’ boys are playin’ for keeps.” Then he dutifully reported the explosion to Dispatch.

Fully focused on the chase, Luc cursed as the smaller car braked hard and cut through a parking lot onto a narrow street. He whipped the big SUV into the turn by sheer force of will. Beau continued broadcasting their position, all while keeping up a running commentary with Luc.

“You’re gonna lose ’em!”

Luc answered with a growl.

“Shit, Luc! Buuuuummp!”

The SUV went airborne but it was built with stronger shocks and a higher frame than the silver car. The smaller vehicle bottomed out when it landed, sending out a shower of sparks and a puff of smoke.

“Flat tire. They blew a tire back there. Watch out. Debris. Runnin’ on d’rim now.” Beau glanced at Luc. “Dis gonna be good.” His Cajun accent had a tendency to come out when his adrenaline spiked. Smoke poured from the muffler and from under the hood of the car. It made one more, shuddering turn—into a cul-de-sac. Beau had his seatbelt off and the door partially open as the driver and passenger flung themselves out of the still moving car and took off running.

“We be havin’ some real fun now, boys!” Beau yelled as he jumped out and took off after the passenger.

Luc took just enough time to pin the still-running getaway car to the curb with the SUV and then he was out and in pursuit of the driver. He stayed close on the man’s trail, which wasn’t hard to follow. Adrenaline, sweat, fear—the cloud of mixed scents left a trail so potent even a full human could follow it. Or not. Luc was not human. He was a Wolf. And once he and Beau had the scents of their prey, they might as well have been Royal Canadian Mounties. They always got their man. Or woman.

A hair-raising howl split the air. Beau had caught his. Luc stopped. The scent trail had changed. Oh yeah, his prey was close—too close to duck out of the way of the shots fired. Three peppered his bullet-proof vest, the fourth burned across Luc’s neck. Motherfuckin’ perp had to be luckiest bastard in the world. And now Luc was pissed.

“Drop your weapon and come out here now. If I have to come after you, I’ll rip out your fuckin’ throat when I catch you.” His eyes had gone to that of his wolf’s so he wasn’t surprised when the perp tossed out a gun and followed it with his hands in the air.

“What the hell are you?” the man asked. The scent of ammonia permeated the air. He’d pissed himself.

“I’m your worst nightmare,” Luc snarled in reply.
****
Welpers, that’s a lot longer snippet than y’all usually get. I hope you enjoyed this peek at the new characters. Writers, do you have any doom, gloom, or boom words to share? Readers, want to toss out some ideas for types of heroines for these guys? I have some ideas but I’m always looking for suggestions. 😉

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Tuesday Treats: Hummingbird Pound Cake

Posted on June 16, 2020 by Silver James

This recipe makes me glad I still have my Bundt cake pan! Ever wonder how this Southern staple got its name? The cake originated in Jamaica and is named for their national bird–the hummingbird. And now you know. 😉

Total Time: 2 Hr. 35 Min.
Prep Time: 20 Min.
Cook Time: 2 Hr. 15 Min.
18 servings

Add crunch to this fruity Hummingbird Pound Cake with toasted pecans. Your kids are sure to hover around the kitchen when they see you whipping up this Hummingbird Pound Cake.

What You Need
3 cups flour
1 tsp. each baking soda and ground cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups mashed fully ripe bananas (about 4)
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1-1/2 cups chopped PLANTERS Pecans, toasted, divided
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar

Let’s Make It
1 – Heat oven to 325°F.
2 – Combine flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Beat butter and granulated sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add bananas, pineapple and dry pudding mix; beat 2 min. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing well after each addition. Stir in 3/4 cup nuts.
3 – Pour into greased and floured 12-inch fluted tube pan.
4 – Bake 1 hour 5 min. to 1 hour 15 min. or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 20 min. Loosen cake from sides of pan with knife. Invert onto wire rack; gently remove pan. Cool cake completely.
5 – Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar until blended. Spoon into piping bag fitted with large round tip; use to drizzle icing over cake. Sprinkle with remaining nuts.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – How to Toast Nuts: Toasting nuts adds crunch and intensifies their flavor. MICROWAVE METHOD: Place up to 1 cup of nuts in a shallow microwaveable dish. Microwave on HIGH until fragrant and crisp, stirring every 30 sec. STOVETOP METHOD: Place nuts in ungreased skillet. Cook on medium heat until golden brown, stirring frequently. OVEN METHOD: Spread nuts in single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 min. or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Tip 2 – Variation: Prepare cake batter as directed. Pour evenly into 2 greased and floured 9×5-inch loaf pans. Bake in 350°F oven 1 hour to 1 hour 15 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool, then remove cakes from pans as directed.

Tip 3 – Mindful Eating: Set aside family time to connect and enjoy good food and good company while being mindful of portions.

To get all the nutritional details, CLICK HERE to go to My Food and Family. Hummingbird Cake is a quitessential southern thing. I’ve featured the original layer cake and mini loaves before. I’m also a big fan of pound cake so I grabbed this one when I saw it. Amy Rouse Harjo, the heroine of BRIDE’S MOON, also loves it. As does Joshua Harjo, her hero and true love. Y’all really need to read their whole story, along with Izzy and Rudy’s, which you can do by grabbing my new release, MOONSTRUCK: BETRAYAL. Just click on the title or the cover to head on over to the universal link page at Books2Read. You’ll find a link to your fave on-line book seller, hopefully.

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Half-way Monday

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Silver James

Sadly, this is very true. I’m giving blood to the “vampires” around noon so I don’t get my normal quota of the caffeine stuffs this morning. Sadly, I haven’t given blood in years and years. I’m doing it now because there’s a big shortage and their doing free antibody tests. I’d like to know if I’ve had the beer flue or not. In other news…

I’m pretty much boycotting TV. They’ve pretty much pissed me off for a variety of reasons. I really try hard not to get political around the intrawebz but that’s getting harder and harder. Canceling Live PD was about the last straw. FYI, in a former life, I carried a badge. In fact, I’ve carried two badges–one as an investigator with a suburban police department and the other as an airport rescue firefighter. Every time someone I know jumps on a particular bandwagon and mouths off that other lives don’t matter is like a slap in my face. Moving on.

I have a new book out! I probably should have started off this update with that news but well…not enough coffee and the thought of someone sticking me with a needle later today… Anyway, MOONSTRUCK: BETRAYAL is now live lots of places. Just click on the cover pic or the title and head over to the nice folks at Books2Read where all the retail links that are live are listed. Go forth and grab it. Please? Momma needs to buy groceries next month. 😉

I finished up my relisten of Nalini Singh’s Psi-Changling: Trinity series with the lastest release, ALPHA NIGHT. Good book. I enjoyed it. As nothing new grabbed my attention, I’ve returned to my re-listen of JD Robb’s In Death series. Dallas and Roarke are pretty much my chicken soup read.

In other writing news, two new characters have presented themselves and I’ve started the “research” on them. They are Cajun Wolves, partners in crimelaw enforcement, and they’ve informed me of their names. One wears “Hawaiian” print shirts and his favorite is pink flamingoes on a black background. 🙄 The other is tall, dark, and broody. Now I need to find approprite heroines. I have the feeling these two will be fun to write. Gosh, I even have the titles of their respective books and that SELDOM happens. I ususally don’t figure out the title until about half-way. If I’m lucky. Anyway…

Speaking of Stormy, he came to stay for most of Tuesday while his dad did an interview. Baseball Boy decided to stay at the school where he’s currently teaching and coaching. We had a fun day. Then their AC went out so Stormy came back Thursday while his dad stayed home to wait on the AC repair guy. Stormy ended up spending the night because AC dude couldn’t make it and it was hot. It got fixed Friday so all is good. During this time, we also had a second guest, Daisy. Daisy is a blue heeler pup that is terribly energetic and terribly submissive. My boys didn’t quite know what to do with her besides growl, which made her go belly up and pee. 🤦‍♀️ Loki is just now deigning to foregive me. Cats hold grudges don’cha know, and he decided the puppy being here was all my fault. It wasn’t! A friend of LG had an out-of-town funeral and the entire family was going, therefore no place to park pupper. And they live 45 minutes away so we weren’t making that drive. We ALL breathed a big sigh of relief when they picked her up Saturday evening.

Speaking of LG, I grabbed the mail one day and as he has taken over our dining room as his home office, I passed by waving a flyer we got in the mail and the conversation went like this:

Me: Good grief. McDonald’s is doing delivery.
LG: Seriously?
Me: Seriously.
LG: McDelivery. *laughter*
Me: How’d you know?
LG: What?
Me: That they’re calling it McDelivery.
LG: Seriously?
Me: Seriously.
At which point we both burst out laughing.

The weekend was fun–mostly. Lawyer Guy and a couple of guys from his Legion post helped a Viet Nam vet’s widow move on Friday. I went over to help after I got MOONSTRUCK: BETRAYAL uploaded. It was hot, sweaty work and he took a tumble so once we got home, I put him on the couch and made a burger run to Braum’s. Saturday was kid soccer. Stormy scored some goals and help set up goals for other members of his team. It was awesome to watch all those different kids play as a team and watching all those different parents and grandparents getting along. As it should be. Saturday night was quiet. Last evening, the Post had a flag retirement ceremony. It was really cool! The local fire department was there for “fire watch”–old and damaged flags are burned after being retired. There was Boy Scout troop, a church youth group, and some veterans from the post.

So that was all the excitement in my world. What went on your little corner of the world? Are you healthy? Safe? Surviving?

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Friday Sinema: Heckin’ Yeah! Chimkun!!

Posted on June 12, 2020 by Silver James

Saw this video. It made me smile and then it made me laugh. I guarantee that Jake would have absconded with the whole thing the moment I left the room. This good boy at least waited. Sort of. Happy Friday.

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Rethinking

Posted on June 11, 2020 by Silver James

Writing. It’s what I do. Okay. It’s what I used to do. For almost two years now, pulling words from my imagination and slapping them on a keyboard so that they appear on my computer monitor has pretty much been a lost cause. Depression sucks. It especially sucks when none of the usual “fixes” don’t fix things. I keep thinking that if I just sit down, all those stories and characters marching around in my head will miraculously transfer into a story. It’s always worked that way before. After all, writing is my job. It’s what I do. It puts groceries on the table and helps pay bills. I got up every morning–depressed or not–and went to work. Then I came home. I jotted down scenes at lunch and in the odd bits of spare time during the day and then transcribed into the computer at night after dinner, dishes, and good nights. Then stuff happened. And I was home, free to write all day. And what a joy it was! I wrote and sold COWGIRLS DON’T CRY. I wrote and self-published the Moonstruck series, Penumbra Papers, and more. And then…ugh.

So, for almost two years, I’ve gotten up every morning. I’ve come into my office, sat down at the computer and did my morning routine. Then I opened whatever WIP was hot. And stared at it.

Did I mention that none of the previous fixes worked? Well, this popped into my inbox on Tuesday. I’ve read it and reread it and the big U and I have had a couple of conversations.

Tell me, when you think of taking consistent action in the general direction of your dreams, Silver, do you imagine discipline, stamina, work, sacrifice, monotony, courage, and strategies?

Or…

Are you thinking adventure, discovery, new friends, excitement at the crack of dawn, magic, surprises, fun, laughter, and, on occasion, the Macarena?

Cool! Me too, “HEY!”
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®
Your chosen perspectives, Silver, change everything.

I suspect the Universe is onto something. Maybe it’s time to change the way I’m thinking about writing. Writing used to be fun, plotting an adventure. There was magic in words and my characters continously surprised and delighted me. Maybe writing ISN’T a job. It’s my dream. So dream I will, changing my perspectives as I go. And Universe, I only have one word for you: “MACARENA!”

What about y’all? Do you think too hard instead of looking on the bright side? Do you think I a bit loco?I probably am, but hey…if it means more words and books, I’m buying that ticket on the crazy train!

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Wednesday Words: Plausible Deniability

Posted on June 10, 2020 by Silver James

I won’t DENY that writing has been tough for awhile. And I’m probably in DENIAL about getting as many books written this year as I’d like, but hey, I can dream right? In the meantime, Twitter’s #1lineWed prompt has to do with denying denials. Or something like that. I pulled out this snippet from my current Nightrider WIP, NIGHT WISH. Things are not good in Wizard World. He’s waffling between douchehood and asshattery and poor Jen is getting whiplash. Theirs is a hard story and maybe that’s why I’m having trouble with it. Eventually, it will all come out. In the meantime, I won’t DENY you this snippet. Warning: Bad language ahead.
****
Jen
I couldn’t deny my feelings any longer. And I could no longer deny that I’d been so stupid. And wrong. All the evidence was right there in front of me. I braced, knowing what was to come would be bad. After everything that had happened, how could it be anything but?

Wiz paced the length of the room, stopping when he reached the far side. Muscles rippled beneath his T-shirt as he flung out his arms. “What else do you want me to say?”

He sounded so angry and there was no warmth in his eyes as he glared at me. What did I want him to say? That he loved me? That I was his…mate? Wasn’t that what the other old ladies called themselves? I’d told him I loved him and this was his response.

“I don’t have time for this, babe.” He turned his back on me and stomped to the door.

Evidently, I wasn’t worth more than a few moments of his time.

I’d waited too long to respond, hadn’t thought fast enough on my feet. He’d surprised me earlier and I’d just blurted out the words that brought us to this impasse.

“Did you ever care?” The words came from the very darkest bottom of my soul. “Or was I just a pity fuck?”

His lips pressed so tightly together a white line appeared around them. I caught that red glint in his eyes. My time was up. I sank my teeth into my bottom lip, hoping the physical pain would keep my face from giving me away. Wizard’s chest rose and fell, his nostrils flaring as he breathed deeply. And there it was. The same look of disgust on his face that I’d seen on my brother’s.

“Jen.”

“No.” I backed away. “I get it. Totally. Sorry to have bothered you. I won’t again.”

I whirled and ran, ignoring his voice.

“Jen!”

I kept going until his hand on my arm jerked me to a stop, spinning me to face him. My hand came up and I delivered a slap to his cheek with all my considerable weight behind it. I didn’t stop to think, I just reacted. Not sure who was most stunned, I stared at him, my eyes so wide I thought they might pop out. I’d never slapped anyone in my life. Ever.

Wizard stared back, his eyes narrowed, his lips a thin line, disapproval radiating from every pore in his body.

“Fuck it,” he growled. “I didn’t sign up for this bullshit.”
****
Poor Jen. She may decide that Wiz isn’t worth it when push comes to shove. And he will definitely need to work his butt off to redeem himself. I do so love to watch a bad boy grovel. *Bwahahahaha* Writers, any deny words to share? Readers, have you denied yourself anything lately?

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Second Monday and Second Breakfast

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Silver James

I’ve always thought the Hobbits had it right! We should all enjoy “second breakfast.” Of course, I’d put on more than the 10 pounds I’ve gained back since this whole isolation things started, so maybe I’ll just stick with second coffees. And thirds. Fourths. Whatever it takes. Anyway, it’s another Monday. Yippee.

So, I forgot to tell this story last week. When it happened, I made myself a note to use it and then promptly lost the note. Guess what I found?!?! The kids’ need some fence repair so a week ago, Lawyer Guy took his long tape measure to go up to see how many panels they’d need. Only has returned to the office so she wasn’t there. Baseball Boy and Stormy were. Stormy, as always, wanted to help. They got the measuring done, but on the way up, LG noticed some weirdness with one of the turn signals on his truck. He’d just replaced the bulb a few days previous. Anyway, as he had the hood up looking for the problem, Stormy offers to help. LG explains that he doesn’t have his tools with him and will need to go get them. According to LG, the conversation went like this:

Stormy: “I can help, Big Daddy.”

BB: “Stormy, Big Daddy said he needed tools. We don’t have what he needs here.”

Stormy: “What tools do you need, Big Daddy?”

LG: “Needlenose pliers and…” He names off a few other things that I don’t remember now.

Stormy: “Okay.” He wanders off, returns moments later with his tool bag (a Christmas present from us–a REAL bag with REAL tools because that’s what he wanted. He pulls out his pair of needlenose. “Like this, Big Daddy?”

BB head slaps, LG laughs, and says, “Exactly like that, Stormy.” And so they fix his truck.

Still having weird dreams–when I actually sleep. I don’t always remember them, often waking up thinking, “That was weird!” but no details. Then I had the one about an international writers group I belonged to. I let my membership lapse last month when it came time to renew for…reasons. Anyway, organization held their yearly conference in what was basically a deserted mall. There were weird hallways with rooms and there was a big store whre the staff was located. As this was my “last” conference, I went to say goodbye to some favorite staff members. They were all making boxes. Big boxes, like 18″ by 18″ by 36″. There were no goody bags to hand out. No lanyards with names. Just this huge pile of boxes. I got to hug my very frazzled friend and then I left, walking out of the mall without a backward glance. See? TOTALLY weird! Almost as weird as the one where the pigs with umbrellas were chasing my dogs.

Stormy had back-to-back soccer games Saturday. They picked up two new players from a team that dissolved, though the majority are from his private church school. Interesting microcosm of the world on his team. Stormy has blond hair and blue eyes but he’s also Choctaw and Muscogee-Creek. A brother and sister duo are Black, their parents are white. Yes, they were adopted, along with their other sister. Another little boy is Hispanic. Another mixed race–Black father, White mother. The other little boy looked to be all white. All the family groups camped on the sidelines, “socially distancing” between groups. All the families cheered all the kids–and the kids on the other teams we played. Parents and grandparents and siblings visited and played and teased and exchanged hugs. Screw social distancing when you can get a hug from a kid! THIS is how you change things, how you teach people how to get along, not dragging your kids to protests that can turn violent and teaching them to fear. One of the photos that DIDN’T make the majority of the news channels showed a cop who appeared to be White comforting a Black child who was scared and crying and looking for comfort, evidently because she’d gotten separated from her mother in the crush. THAT’s the narrative people need to remember. Anyway, moving on.

Speaking of cops… One followed me the other day and when I turned onto my home street, he bleeped his emergency lights, smiled and waved as he pulled around me. I have thin-blue-line stickers on my back window and I think that’s why. I was feeling pretty cool about it and told LG when I got home. He immediately went to check my brake lights and turn signals. “Cops’ll do that sometimes when they don’t have time to pull you over to tell you.” That’s LG. Always practical. FYI, all systems are go so it was totally a thank you for the support.

In other stuffs, TV and sports is all reruns, except the finale of “The Secrets of Skinwalker Ranch” was a whoah! Not much else on. Ah well. On the book front, I’m almost done with my re-listen to the last book of Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series and the opening books of the follow-on series, Psy-Changeling Trinity. The newest book, ALPHA NIGHTS, hits my Audible app tonight around midnight. Yay. New stuff!

MOONTRUCK: BETRAYAL is almost ready. 🤞 for later this week. I’ve got edits/revisions coming on Cooper’s story, #9 in my Harlequin Desire series. I keep saying this but it really is time to stop procrastinating and forget about all the BS, get lost in worlds of my own creations where I have control, and “git ‘er done!” I’m still working on that.

In the meantime, how are y’all doing? Still healthy? Still safe? Any good news? Any bad news? I’m here to cheer or commiserate.

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