Friday Free-For-All: Critter Edition

Posted on August 8, 2025 by Silver James

TGIF! I promised some news. This has been quite a week. Let me back up to Sunday. Well, actually, I need to go back a little further. LG and I have been watching the local rescue pages. I mean, we’ve always kind of done that but it’s been a long time now since Boone crossed the rainbow bridge. Jake has been happy being an only dog, seemingly. But he is getting older and having a younger running buddy might be a good thing. We had no plans to actually adopt. We just window-shopped. The D&CDS has always been good to us, putting the right dog or cat in our path at the right time.

So…Last week, I saw a dog posted on the Neighborhood app. Someone had dumped a Great Pyrenees out at the lake and he ended up on the portch of a young couple that do fostering with a GSD rescue. The gal was posting in all the usual places. No microchip. No one claimed him. They then went knocking on doors. They found an elderly brother and sister (and by that, I mean even older than LG and me) who had started taking care of the dog and had him vetted. He’d already been neutered by they got his shots and had him tested for the usual. But then they had trouble confining him–short fence and he is a wanderer. When he didn’t come home, they figured something had happened. They admitted they couldn’t handle him, huge puppy that he is. So, the couple started looking for fosters and/or shelters.

I showed his picture to LG. We talked about it. I contacted the gal. We talked. He’s 1 1/2 years old. His potty trained. He’s heartwarm negative, has his shots, as mentioned neutered. Got along with their herd of GSDs and their cats. On Sunday, they brought him over to meet Jake. There was no dust-up. Thing was, LG had a procedure (upper GI scope) scheduled for Monday morning and I had to go with him. We didn’t want to leave the pup home alone with the cats until we were sure there’d be no dust-ups there. They agreed to keep him one more day and they’d deliver him back to us on Monday afternoon. Happy anniversay to us. 😂

This is Toby. He is sweet and goofy. He is also nosey. Very curious. He has to smell everything. I haven’t been able to get any “cute” pictures of him but you can get an idea from the two I’m posting. Pete is not happy but he’s only hissed at Toby once. Toby backed off. I’ve only seen Loki three times since Toby’s arrival. He’ll eventually come out and make friends. Jake has warned Toby off from being too curious about Loki. Click on the side arrows to see his other picture.

According to the vet, Toby is likely 1/2 Pyre and 1/2 Anatolian Shepherd. He’s already as tall as Jake but not as heavy. Jake is 130, Toby is only 90 at the moment. He’ll put on a little weight as he matures. I can testify that he is ALL muscle! Training him is going to be fun. 👀 He’s smart but stubborn. He is also a night owl. Any little noise outside and he’s on alert. BarkBarkBarketyBark. Last night between 11 pm and 6 am, I went out with him twice and LG went out three times. Hopefully, he’ll learn. If not, I see many daytime naps in my future.

In other news, the tests found nothing wrong–which is good, sort of–but that means we still don’t know what is causing his symptoms.

That’s all the free. What’s your week been like? Have a great weekend!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Journey

Posted on August 7, 2025 by Silver James

IYKYK

I’ll admit something here. I laughed out loud when I read this little tidbit from the Universe. Are y’all familiar with the above internet abbreviation? It stands for “If You Know, You Know.” It’s a way to share something of an insider’s joke without giving it away or going into a deep explanation. It pops up a lot on X. I’ll let you read the Big U’s message, then I’ll explain but some of you–especially those in the various writers’ communities on X–know.

The one thing all famous authors, world-class athletes, business tycoons, singers, actors, and celebrated achievers in any field have in common, Silver, is that they all began their journeys when they were none of these things.

Yet still, they began their journeys.

You are so poised for greatness,
The Universe
©www.tut.com 

P.S. One day, they’re going to name something big after you, Silver! Like a statue, a college… or a hurricane.

So…Most social media sites are riddled with “bots.” Those are fake accounts (often trading on famous people) and they want to follow and be followed for things like monetization but mostly to “sell you their services.” This is especially true for writers. If you follow them back, they immediately DM you. And they usually have fewer and a couple of hundred followers while they follow thousands. The same goes for the sexbots but that’s a different post. 😲 Anyway. The writer bots. They all have an AI-scripted pitch. Their first line is often “How is your writing journey going?” Hence my LOL reaction to this week’s message. But the Universe is right. Until we start the journey–whatever our journey may be, we won’t ever achieve our goals. My goal today is to write another chapter. What’s your goal?

P.S. I’m far more likely to have a hurricane named after me than I am any of the other options. Just sayin’…

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Wednesday Words: Don’t Go

Posted on August 6, 2025 by Silver James

Well…it’s been a week. As one of my favorite memes says, “After Tuesday, even the calendar says WTF…” There’s stuff going on in RL. Not bad stuff, just busy stuff. There will be explanations soon. In the meantime, I am managing to get some new words, including today’s, which came from last week’s Thursday Threads. I did not win, place, or show but that’s okay. They were fun words that will nicely fit into the story when their time comes. Drumroll please…. The prompt is: *“He didn’t go with you?”*

****
“He didn’t go with you?”

Ariel jerked. “No. Why would he?”

“Isn’t he like your…your squire? Or something?”

“I’m not a knight of the Round Table, Sade.”

“Cut me some slack, Ariel. I was four the last time I was in the Summer Court and I wasn’t exactly in a position to take Court Hierarchy 101 as an elective.”

He almost smiled. Once upon a time, that statement would have been laced with swear words. He’d have to give Sinjen credit where credit was due.

“Druic is…” And now he was stumped. “Let’s just call him my intern.”

Coffee spluttered from between Sade’s lips as she’d just taken a big drink. Nikos reached over and slapped her back a few times. She choked, inhaled, coughed, and then took a big swig from her mug. She then managed to say, “Your…intern. Like he’s in Fae business school?”

Ariel exhaled, the breath sounding too much like a sigh but he didn’t care. “How do you think we train the young ones, Sade? We aren’t born knowing our magic.” He glanced at the dragon. “I’m surprised you have nothing to say, Nikos.”

“We have other…names for those such at Druic but you are correct. It is not like we send our young to a place like Hogwarts.”

Sade spluttered again but didn’t choke. “Stop it. Both of you.” She arched a brow at the dragon. “You do realize that Hogwarts is a fictional place, right?”

He arched a brow back at her. “Is it?”
****

There you have it. A fun little scene among “friends.” This book has been full of stops and starts but I’m making progress. Writers, take the prompt and use it, if that be your wish. Readers, how do you think Nikos trains his dragons? 😉

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Sade’s Faves

Posted on August 5, 2025 by Silver James

It’s Tuesday. There’s a lot going on. Sade is going to need a pick-me-up before the day is over. That’s the plan anyway. No words yesterday, but there were ideas as I sat in the waiting room at VA. Why are these Sade4’s favorite you might ask? Because they are CHOCOLATE COFFEE MUFFINS!

Yield: 12 MUFFINS
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 30 min

Ingredients
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream at room temperature
1 cup of milk at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons of instant coffee
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or chocolate chunks (plus extra for sprinkling on top of the muffins before baking)

Let’s Make ‘Em
1 – Preheat oven to 425.
2 – Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick spray or line with muffin cups.
3 – In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4 – In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, eggs, sour cream, milk, vanilla and instant coffee.
5 – Pour the wet ingredients into the `flour mixture and stir until just combined (about 20-25 stirs will be all you need)
6 – Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
7 – Divide the batter between muffin cups, filling each cup to the very top. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
8 – Bake at 425 for 5 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350 and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes. Check after 15 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean you’re done. If there is still batter clinging to the toothpick, put them back in the oven for another 5 minutes.
9 – Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then finish cooling on a wire rack.

Tips
1 – You can make 6 giant muffins instead of 12 standard. Just adjust the cooking time from 5 minutes at 425 then 15-20 minutes at 350 to 5 minutes at 425 and 20-25 minutes at 350.

There you go. Made from scratch goodness. I’ll admit I’m tempted to get a chocolate cake mix and follow the muffin recipe on the back to see if there’s any difference in taste. There probably will be because…HOME MADE vs. box! Anyway, if new folks tumble across this, try the recipe, grab the first book, THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC, to discover FBI Agent Sade Marquis’s obsessions with both flavors. And, of course, Hannah is jealous. *bwahaha* Just use the QR code or click to head over to Books2Read to find all the places you can get all the books in the series.

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Monday – One, Me – Zero

Posted on August 4, 2025 by Silver James

Actually, it’s not that bad. It’s the first Monday of the month. This is a crazy-busy week. I’m up and headed out the door with barely a sip of coffee. That’s going to make for a long morning.

First, I have declared this to be AuGoWriMo, which stands for August Go Write More Month. Which I guess–technically–should be AuGoWriMoMo. Anyway, while I have no word count goal–daily or monthly total–but I would like to have this dang book finished. That won’t happen unless I put my butt in the chair, stay off the interwebz and spit the story out of my imagination. To that end, I have written a little bit each day and I’ll write some today when I get back.

Today is VA day. LG is having a procedure done and they insist he have a driver. That would be me. It’s nothing serious but they will put him partially under. It’s just more tests as they continue to work on diagnosing some of his new symptoms. Jake and I will go and sit in the waiting room. I’ll try to listen to the book I’m currently listening to but because Jake will be with me, there will be lots of peopling involved. *shudder* But we all gotta do what needs to be done, right?

Also coming up this week is our anniversary. It’ll be number 42. We don’t have any special plans. We’ll talke about it at some point.

I’m currently doing a relisten of Thea Harrison’s Elder Races series. It’s been several years and I’m enjoying them. Again. DRAGON BOUND, the first book in the series is a lot of fun. I’m currently listening to STORM’S HEART, about a thunderbird and a dark fae. Next up is SERPENT’S KISS, about a griffin and the vampire queen. Fun times.

In nature news, I FINALLY saw a hummingbird at the feeder. I was excited. I know they’ve been there because I have to refill it but I’d only glimpsed what might have been. Yesteday, I saw one land and sip. Yay. We also had a brief cool-down over the weekend and a brief rainfall on Sunday morning.

This was also First Saturday weekend but plans for siren test and family lunch were rearranged. Only had a school workshop that was four hours on Saturday so someone else covered her siren. Since there was no family lunch as a result, I stayed home. It worked out because I did get a couple of scenes fleshed out and a chapter moved from “write it” to “needs edits.” That’s progress.

On that note, gotta get ready to head out. Hope y’all had a great weekend and that the work goes well for us all.

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Friday Sinema: War Dogs

Posted on August 1, 2025 by Silver James

Today’s video is a little darker than usual but I’ve always liked this song and well-trained K-9s are always fascinating. Here’s an interesting take on the Dogs of War to take us into the weekend. Tomorrow is First Saturday so siren test and family lunch for. What plans do you have?

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Unknown

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Silver James

This message from the Universe dropped in my inbox on Monday. I’d had a good writing day over the weekend followed by a so-so day followed by a “I am going to frickin’ write else” day on Monday. That was my thought as I opened my inbox and started sorting email. And found the following. It doesn’t really need much intro…

It’s not from the known, Silver, but the unknown that creativity and inventiveness are born.

Turn away from the predictable, cliché, and reliable. Brave the void where the darkness is greatest. Trust the quiet, find the stillness, feel the calm. Then steadily think, speak, and move as if you were led. Behave as if your vision were clear.

Anticipate the emotional rush that will come with your triumph. And as if by magic, as you raise your pen to write, you’ll find the words have already been summoned, flooded in light that was there all along, in a world that has just as anxiously anticipated your arrival.

Just don’t let them worship you, Silver.

Tallyho,
The Universe
©www.tut.com 

P.S. Metaphorically, Silver.

And just like it didn’t need an intro, it doesn’t really need a summary. Writers, I know you’ll *get* this message. At the same time, I hope that folks in general understand and apply it in their own lives. Hope your day is a good one!

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Wednesday Words: Belonging

Posted on July 30, 2025 by Silver James

So, as I mentioned on Monday(?)–I think it was Monday and that I actually mentioned it–there was no Thursday Threads last week. The person who hosts the challenge was under the weather. As a result, I had no prompt upon which to pen 250 words to share today. Have no fear! I will share words. Pretty sure y’all remember my gritching about the chapters not cooperating in the timeline and as a result, chapter five became chapter one and stuff was shuffled. I’ve decided to share the first part of chapter one now. This snippet is longer–400+ words.

**** Chapter 1
The scarred linoleum floor did nothing to mute the hollow echoes of Aisling Goodnight’s footsteps. The hallway stretching before her shimmered between light and shadow as the unreliable florescent lights flickered overhead.

Why had she come down here? On her first day, no less. She paused to consider the recent upheavals in her life. The Rochester Library had contacted her in Seattle based on her bio listed on a professional site. After a Zoom interview, they’d offered her twice her salary and a title. In just over a week, she’d packed up what little she owned, flown across country and now here she was, her first official day as the Curator of the Special Collections.

She’d reported to work that morning, filled out all the paperwork, received her employee badge and the codes to all the electronic locks. The head librarian showed her to her office and left her to settle in. Everything had been normal. Until now.

She’d toured the various rooms where special collections were kept. She’d visited the vault where the priceless items resided. She’d reorganized the viewing room where patrons could request a book and look at it. She’d retired to her office to make plans for tomorrow and review her day while waiting for it to end.

Then she’d heard the water. Not a drip. Not a trickle. Not exactly a roar. Special Collections was housed on the lowest level of the library. And yes, there was a river right outside, but that wasn’t the sound either. This was a shushing, a whisper of flowing water. She checked the bathrooms. Nothing. She checked the janitor’s supply room. Again, nothing.

A door she hadn’t noticed before drew her. The sound increased. There was no lock on the door. Odd. The handle offered no resistance when she pushed it down. The door swung open to reveal a set of stairs. Unable to find a light switch, she used her cell phone to descend. At the bottom of the short flight, another door blocked her way.

A little voice in her head said, “Turn back. We don’t belong here.” The inexorable lure of the unknown was stronger. She turned the door handle. Or tried. Nothing happened. She twisted it the other way. Again, nothing. It didn’t move. She pushed. The door was stuck. Then she pulled and almost fell up the stairs she’d descended just moments before as the door opened. ***

Realize, there is a prologue but this is the beginning of Ariel’s and Aisling’s story. For those of you who like to play along and use prompts, here’s one for you to use: *We don’t belong here.* Have fun with it if you decided to use it. Readers, I’d really like to know what you thin. Does this scene pull you in? Are you interested in what’s happening? Are you curious about Aisling and what happens next? Honestly, this book is bedevling me. I can’t decided if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Therefore, I’d appreciate the feedback. Please and thank you. Now it’s time for more coffee and then back to staring at the monitor in hopes of figuring out, “What next?” Happy Hump Day, y’all!

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Reading Slump Cake

Posted on July 29, 2025 by Silver James

Okay. Techinically, this is a chocolate dump cake but since we sometimes slide into a reading slump, and we know that chocolate cake cures all that ails us, I figured this was a good time to share the recipe. A second reason is that the other cure to a reading slump of the availability of thousands and thousands of books on sale free or at a deep discount. The Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale is drawing to a close. If there are any of my self-pubbed books you’ve been thinking about but haven’t grabbed yet, now’s the time when they’re 50% off. If you have all my books, then there are lots of other independent authors with titles just waiting to be discovered. You can pop this dump cake in your slow cooker and while you’re pursuing the selection of book bargains and make your decisions, this treat will be merrily baking away and ready to enjoy when you open your first title.

Chocolate Dump Cake
8 servings
Prep time: 5 Minutes
Cook time: 2 Hours
Total time: 2 hr 5 min

Ingredients
1 box chocolate cake mix
2 – 21oz cans cherry pie filling
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

Let’s Make It
1 – Pour the cherry pie filling into the bottom of the slow cooker.
2 – Sprinkle the cake mix over the pie filling.
3 – Add the butter to a small bowl and heat in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, until melted.
4 – Pour butter evenly over the cake mix.
5 – Cook on high for 2 hours.
6 – Serve hot with whipped cream or ice cream.

Tip
Dump cake can also made in the oven. Follow the same instructions, but use a greased 9×13 inch baking dish instead of the slow cooker. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Y’all, how easy is this recipe?!?! I mean, c’mon! Even Hannah can make it–provided she remembers to turn on the slow cooker. And yes, I said that out loud. She’s off somewhere herding Wolves. Anyway, there you have it. Give it a try, let me know if you like it. Buy my books. Just lick on the pic on or where I’ve mention the SMASHWORDS SUMMER/WINTER SALE. And please, for the love of your favorite authors, leave reviews when you’ve finished reading a book! 🙏🏼 😉

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Monday Marathon

Posted on July 28, 2025 by Silver James

Hello, world. It’s the last Monday in July. August starts the end of this week. Kids will be going back to school. Football starts. And then it’s September and maybe…MAYBE! 🤞🏼…the temps will start to cool off. All things considered, I can’t really complain about the temps in July. We didn’t hit a hundred actual temp. We did hit107 “feels like” temp once and several days of over 100 due to the humidity. Which was caused by a lot of rain. This is NOT me complaining about that. Anytime we can get rain in the summer, I’m all for it!

Last week is something of a blur. Thursday, Jake and I had a good morning at Wallyworld. We peopled with some nice folks. Jake helped a little boy on the spectrum get over some of his shyness about big dogs. It was a sweet moment. A lady in town for the Arabian horseshow and I shared a laugh over the quirky personalities of Arabs. I think I told both stories here or somewhere on social media so I won’t bore.

I’m about to finish off Nalini Singh’s ATONEMENT SKY, the latest release in her Psy-Changeling Trinity series. I 💖💖💖 this book. It is soooo good! Not sure what I’ll pick up next. If you haven’t dipped into Nalini’s Psy-Changeling world, it is well worth the trip.

So, last week, I was wrestling alligators in the weeds when it came to my own stupid WIP. I wish I could figure out a title–even just a working title–for it. I mean besides ARIEL’S BOOK. I mean, it IS his book but that just sounds so boring. Anyway, Saturday, I was bound and determined to break through the procrastination/word block wall and boy did I! I didn’t gt than many words written but I did enhance and then finish the chapter that’s been a big block to progress. In the process, a new characters walked in, pulled up a chair beside Aisling and introduced herself. I was like…all agog. No clue where she came from but I suspect I know why. I mean y’all have been hinting that it would be okay if I redeemed Bran, right? We’ll see but I have the feeling Carla has her own agenda. She also dragged in a whole crew of new characters–the people who live in the other apartments of Post House–the Queen Anne mansion-cum-apartment house where Aisling lives.

There was no Thursday Threads last week so I’ll just have to figure out something for Wednesday. I should have some new words to share and hopefully a prompt for anyone who might be interested.

Like I said, last week was pretty boring and other than writing and making tuna salad, I didn’t do jack this weekend. That’s okay. I’m writing. I’ve also agreed to a month-long writing challenge that starts Friday. With luck, I’ll have a finished book by Labor Day. On that note, I’m going to fix another cup of coffee, get the heck off the internet and wade into the weeds to find some alligators to wrestle. What’s on your Monday to-do list?

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