It’s no secret that I’m a big Lindsey Stirling fan. I love her music and her innovative videos. Here’s a new one–at least to me. Enjoy it while you’re pretending this isn’t Friday the 13th. 😉
Yesterday was the anniversary of one of the most horrific events in history. The attack was carried out in hate. And the response? An overwhelming outpouring of love.
Love always wins, Silver.
Kindness always prevails.
And smiles always disarm.
Touché,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®
And there can be as many winners as players, Silver. Life rocks.
As a romance writer, I get to ensure that love wins. At least in my books. That no matter what bad stuff happens, there will be at least a Happy For Now though I’m rather partial to a Happy Ever After for my characters. The Universe insists that Life rocks. And I have to agree, even when Life is rocky, it still beats the alternative. So love wins, life rocks, and today is a new day. What are you going to accomplish today? Me? I’m going to get some new words written, in between loads of laundry. Nothing glamorous but my little part to make my little world spin a little smoother.
Today is always a hard day, even so many years removed. Today’s #1lineWed is particularly apropo. This is an odd little snippet that I pulled out of the files. Originally written for a flash fiction challenge, it will find a home when I get around to the Moonstruck Mafia series.
****
She was a sucker for places like this—little shops tucked out of the way. The store had no name, just a sputtering neon OPEN sign. She slipped inside. Dust motes danced in murky sunlight drifting in through dirty windows. Books and kitsch occupied shelves and every flat surface . Old glassware. Tea cups. Clocks. Delicate vases shaped like women’s faces. A mannequin, wearing harem pants and a cropped jacket, occupied a weirdly curved plastic chair. She laughed when she saw what covered the thing’s hair.
“A genie in a beanie. All righty, then.”
Prowling through the shop, she found a wooden box containing a tangle of cheap jewelry. Carefully sorting the bits, a glint of faceted jewels caught her eye. She separated out chains until she held a beaded one with a stylized key topped with a semicircle of stones. Sapphire. topaz, peridot, garnet, emerald. September: their first date. November: moving in together. August: his birthday. January: her birthday. And May. The month they planned to marry.
“The key to my heart,” she’d said, when he opened it at Christmas. He’d carried it. Until he didn’t. Her heart lurched remembering how he’d never said goodbye, how she’d come home from work to find her suitcase packed and her few belongings tossed into a cardboard box and the scent of cheap perfume—the scent not hers—wafting through the open window, along with the sounds of vigorous sex.
Her breath hitched as she inhaled.
“Some brunette brought that in,” a gravelly voice said. “Her boyfriend gave it to her. Thought it was cheap. Didn’t tell her it was sterling. Gave her five bucks.”
Good to know she wasn’t the only one taken for a ride. “Figures,” she said glancing up at the man.
He was old. Grizzled. Shaggy gray hair and unkempt beard. But his eyes were kind. And knowing.
“I’ll keep it for you, until you’re ready to give it away again.”
“It’ll be awhile,” she admitted. “If ever.” The last came out as a mutter under her breath.
“I’ll be here.”
****
What about you, writers? Any goodbye words to share? And readers, do you have a favorite scene in a book or movie where goodbyes are said?
It’s September. The Great State Fair of Oklahoma opens in two days! Y’all know what that means, right? Of course you do! FAIR FOOD! And funnel cakes are right at the top of my list.
Prep and Cook Time: 45 min.
Servings: Makes 12
Skip the fair but not the fair food when you follow this recipe for Homemade Funnel Cakes! Learn how to make this crispy treat today!
What You Need
1-1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 tsp. CALUMET Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 egg s
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
oil, for frying
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Let’s Make It
1 – Sift flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and baking soda into large mixing bowl; set aside. Beat eggs, milk and vanilla in bowl with whisk until blended. Add to flour mixture; mix well.
2 – Heat about 3 inches oil to 375°F in large saucepan or deep fryer. Slowly pour about 3 Tbsp. batter into hot oil in a free-form lattice pattern. Cook 30 sec. on each side or until golden brown on both sides. Drain funnel cake on paper towels. Repeat with remaining batter, allowing oil to return to 375°F between batches.
3 – Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Make it Easy: Use a plastic squeeze bottle to pour the batter into the hot oil. Cut the tip wide enough to form a steady stream of batter for shaping the funnel cakes. (Or you can use a cookie press with an icing tip.)
Tip 2 – Cooking Know-How: Be sure to use a thermometer to check the temperature of the oil. Frying at too low a temperature will cause the funnel cakes to absorb too much oil, while too high a temperature will cause burning.
You can get all the nutritional details by CLICKING HERE. The good news is, these yummy treats are only 150 calories each. Along with the Great State Fair of Oklahoma, there’s also this big state fair down in Texas, which Celie Monaghan, the heroine of BLOOD & FIRE (A Moonstruck Wolf Novel) goes to every year. She also learned how to make them once she discovered her alpha Wolf mate Rhys Kendric had a sweet tooth. You can read their updated story for free with Kindle Unlimited or buy it for $2.99. Just click on the cover or the title to zip on over to claim your copy.
What about y’all? Do you like to go to the fair? What’s your favorite fair food? Whether you go or not! 😋
This feels like a month of Mondays yet it’s only the beginning of the 2nd week of September. I’m ready for something different. It’s still mid-summer hot and for this part of the country that means not just hot 😓 but frickin’ HOT! 🥵
There was a weekend. Sort of of. Saturday was good. Pancakes (despite flood damage to the post), siren test, and awesome Mexican food with the family, followed by naps. We fired Sunday.
Only did me up two gorgeous paperback covers for NIGHT FIRE and NIGHT FALL which she sent over Sunday afternoon. Stupid Amazon won’t accept the upload. Well…that’s not quite true. The KDP paperback portal accepted everything with the green check arrow until I got to pricing. When I click submit, it kicks back to that page with the message: [triangle with an !] Please fix the highlighted error(s) to finish. Seriously?!?! THERE ARE NO HIGHLIGHTS ON THE FRIGGIN’ PAGE!!! Not that I can find/see. So that means contacting them today. I miss Createspace. I never had problems with print copies there.
Additionally, the big screen we’d borrowed from the BiL when our big screen decided to go on the fritz (ours plays for about 2 minutes then automatically shuts off–this evidently is a known problem with Vizio and there’s no real economically-viable fix so don’t buy Vizios!!!) decided that it didn’t want to work anymore. (There’s a reason it was in storage so we could borrow…) And a new TV just isn’t in the budget this month–or probably next. Ah well. Life happens.
So, once again, technology hates me. Which is why I didn’t actually set this up yesterday so that it went live first thing this morning, which is my normal routine. I just…well…I’d had it with the world, technology and my life so I shut everything down. As you can see, my mood isn’t all that much better this morning. Oh, well.
The college football polls are out. OU and OSU got no respect despite massive wins. Typical. My Cards are hanging in first place of the NL Central, but they’ve got a head-to-head series coming up with the Cubs. Gonna be nail-biting time.
The only high note is that I’m listening to a WONDERFUL book! Karen Hawkins’ THE BOOK CHARMER. More about it when I finish. So far, though, I’m totally charmed!
And since that’s a high note, I’ll end my grousing here. Hope your Monday is tolerable and that you have a good week. As for me? I’m going back for another cup of coffee before I put on my “happy face” to deal with the clowns at the Big ‘Zon circus. What’s on your list today?
Nothing funny or musical or sexy today. Today’s video is all about hope for tomorrow and why one young man like Easton gives me that. THIS is why I want to win the lottery, so I can set up the Just Because Foundation, so when I see something like this, I can help finance it. If there was a Just Because Foundation, who or what would you nominate to receive a grant?
Have a great weekend! It’s pancakes and siren test for me tomorrow, work on Sunday.
I like magic. I especially like the magic of books. Tomorrow is National Read a Book Day. For me, every day is National Read a Book Day. I can hide in the words of a book, whether written by me or someone else. The book I’m writing now has the working title of NIGHT WISH. The hero’s name is Wizard. And I’m really hoping for some magic to get the thing finished. Needless to say, when the following inspiration from the Universe showed up in my inbox, I started in shouting all sorts of things, like “Accio!” and “Patronus!” and…and…words like those there.
Remember, Silver, you’re always granted lots of leeway, wiggle room, and tolerance when engaging life’s magic.
You pretty much just need to have a dream and show up, then wands start waving all over the place.
Abara-shazaam!
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®Aw-w-h… I love magic, Silver.
So, today–and tomorrow and the day after and so on and son on–I’m going to engate in life’s magic. I’m going to dream, show up and make the dream come true. And I’m gonna wave my wand all over the place. What magic is happening in your life today?
It’s Wednesday, which naturally means that it is time for #1lineWed on Twitter and a snippet here based upon a theme. Today, I’m doing something different. I have three–yes, count them! One, two, THREE snippets. They’re short. They were flash fiction pieces. They aren’t connected. There’s only one Wolf you might recognize–Totem, who is the Nightriders’ Montana Chapter Prez. One is just a bit of fantasy, and one will appear if I ever get around to writing the Moonstruck Mafia series. Anyway, I hope I’m not ALONE in my enjoyment of these bits and bobs of words.
****
What had I been thinking? Obviously not things through. Nope. Not me. I heard gunfire, saw the kids, and reacted. I snatched up the toddler, snagged the older kid’s hand, and ran. Now we were hiding behind a dumpster that stank of stale beer and rotten food.
“Were your parents in the store?” I hiss-whispered. The boy shook his head. “You were there alone?” He shook his head again. “Who were you with?”
Before my frustration bubbled over, he sniffled. “Uncle Totem.”
Had his uncle been shot? And why weren’t there any sirens? Surely someone called 911. Like an idiot, I’d left my phone in the car. I passed the toddler to her brother. “I need you to stay quiet and out of sight.” He gulped. “Can you do that?” A slow nod.
“Where’re you going?”
“To get help.” I hoped.
I peeked around the dumpster and came nose-to-nose with a giant dog. Nope, not a dog—a ferocious, pissed as hell wolf. I fell back on my butt and froze, not breathing as the animal nosed in, sniffing me. I heard the kids move and I braced, ready to fight.
Then stuff got weird. Popping bones and squishy noises. The wolf changed. A naked man—a totally HOT, naked man—crouched where the wolf had been. I didn’t do drugs so this had to be a psychotic break.
“Hi, Uncle Totem,” the kid said, grinning.
“I need a drink,” I mumbled right before everything went black.
****
My sister glowered at me. I like that word and personally believe more people should use it in conversation. The expression on her face totally fit the definition.
“You need to grow up.”
I started writing this scene in my head and added a dialog tag. “You need to grow up,” she groused.
She ripped the graphic novel I was holding from my hands.
“Life is not an anime comic book!” She was shouting now.
“It’s not a comic book, it’s a graphic novel.” And my life was so far away from anime that I wanted to laugh to keep from crying. No cute girls in sailor suits or kitten ears in my world, or fierce boys with wolf faces. I would happily live in that world—or any world besides this one. There’s magic in books. Escape. Romance. Adventure. In books, I didn’t hurt, and people didn’t pity me.
The nurse’s shoes squeaked as she came into the treatment room. She scowled—another word I loved—at my sister. “Keep your voice down and be civil or you’ll have to leave.”
Thankfully, she did. Leave. My sister hated me, hated the attention I got for being sick. If she only knew…
Two hours later, I walked out. Alone. The wolf sat across the street, waiting. I shifted my backpack—full of books and my Kindle. I had a decision. I could stay and die or I could walk away and live.
I smiled at the wolf and started walking.
****
Prisms glimmered in her eyes as the gentle sunbeam peeked through the window, touching those unshed tears. Small, all alone, people pushed past, engrossed in their own lives, their own pursuits and not one of them saw the woman with the broken heart.
He could smell it on her, the broken heart. A combination of scents, of regret and resignation, all wet ashes, dead roses, and almonds on the one hand and damp, moldy earth combined with the musty dankness of an abandoned house on the other. Broken hearts were like abandoned houses. And the grave. The smells were the same.
Smiling at himself, he wondered what the boss would think. He was not a Wolf known for his poetry. No. He was known for his swift executions. Still, this small human woman touched something inside him that up until the moment he’d laid eyes on her had remained encased in steel.
Her head bent, the pen in her hand once again scratched across the page of the notebook in her lap. His wolf watched, anticipating. Knowing. He approached when she paused.
“I saw you writing,” he whispered. “And wondered if the pen truly is mightier than the sword.”
“I don’t know.” Her thumb brushed across a tear-smeared word.
“Can words heal a broken heart?”
She looked up, eyes widening. “I…don’t know.”
He read what she’d written, understood the reason for her tears. “Goodbyes are always hard.”
She nodded.
“Hellos are better.” He held out his hand. “Hello.”
****
Writers, got any alone words you want to share? Readers, do you want to be alone when you read?
I’ll be honest. One of my favorite appetizers is hot spinach artichoke dip with pita chips. Sadly, the family fav restaurant which served my favorite version of the dip went out of business some time ago. I have an awesome recipe but it’s time and labor intensive. So, when I came across this one, I thought to myself, “Self, we need to try this one of these days.” Myself agreed, though we haven’t gotten around to it yet. Still, I wanted to share because I have a character who is all about the easy-cheesy!
Total Time: 30 Min.
Prep Time: 10 Min.
Cook Time: 20 Min.
Healthy Living! Enjoy the richness and flavor of your favorite appetizer, this Easy Spinach Artichoke Dip with Cheese! This easy spinach artichoke dip is warm and gooey for dipping.
What You Need
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, finely chopped
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
3/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
3/4 cup KRAFT Light Mayo Reduced Fat Mayonnaise
1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Let’s Make It
1 – Heat oven to 350°F.
2 – Combine ingredients.
3 – Spoon into 9-inch quiche dish or pie plate.
4 – Bake 20 min. or until heated through.
Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Special Extra: Substitute 1 env. (0.7 oz.) GOOD SEASONS Italian Salad Dressing Mix for the garlic powder.
Tip 2 – Awesome Spinach and Mushroom Dip: Substitute 1 cup chopped mushrooms for the artichokes.
Tip 3 – Makeover – How We Did It: This made-over version of the popular artichoke dip uses 3/4 cup KRAFT Light Mayo Reduced Fat Mayonnaise instead of regular KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise, and a blend of Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses instead of the 2 cups mozzarella used in the original recipe. These simple tweaks save over 50 calories and 5.5g of fat per serving when compared to the traditional artichoke dip.
Tip 4 – Serving Suggestion: Serve with cut-up fresh vegetables and/or your favorite crackers.
Want all the nutritional details? CLICK HERE. This is a perfect recipe for busy a busy arson investigtor who chose to become a Nightrider old lady. She doesn’t tell the guys that its the healthy version but the other old ladies thank Leigh Duncan for it! Leigh, of course, belongs to Smoke Jenner, who’s something of a club nomad. He’s also an arsonist. Yeah, y’all read that right. The arsonist and the arson investigator. What can possibly go wrong?!? 😏 If you haven’t read their story yet, you can hook up with Leigh and Smoke in NIGHT FIRE by clicking on either the title or the cover. Clicking takes you to page with links to all the stores where this book is available!
What about y’all? Do you like healthy alternatives for favorite recipes or are you “old skool” and just want cooks to leave well enough alone? 😉
Oh. Wait. It’s Labor Day. Here in the States, anyway. That means an extra day in the weekend so Yay! Except I need to work. I’m a writer. We don’t have holidays or weekends or 40-hour work weeks. We have deadlines. So…there was a week and a weekend and it’s Monday–even though it’s a holiday–so time for updates.
Writing. There was some. Not enough but some. There are times that if I didn’t do flash fiction challenges, I wouldn’t get any new words at all. I did spend time getting a bunch of random scenes in some semblance of order. That may be what I do today, rather than trying to dig for new words. I’ll get organized and get Wizard’s story all figured out.
Sports. LOTS of sports. My Cards are still in first place in the NL Central and they are playing…okay. I dnn’t want to jinx them by bragging on them. 😉 My Pokes beat those West Coast OSU Beavers 52-36. We have a pretty good offense but man…our defense runs hot and cold. They need to run hot for the whole game. OU played Houston last night, final score of 49-31. OU’s offense looked good but their defense got cocky and it cost them in the 2nd half.
Reading. I finished off my relisten to Ilona Andrews’ Hidden Legacy series and immediately dove into the newest edition, SAPPHAIRE FLAMES. I believe this story arc is a trilogy, so two more years (I haven’t heard of any release before 2020 of the next book) before we move on to the next Baylor sister. I’d love to have two or even all three books released in a year. That said, as an author, I know how tough that can be so I’m just expressing my desires as a reader. I’m also sort of stumbling through a Suzanne Wright series about demons in Las Vegas. The books are free on Hoopla, which I get through my local library system, so they make okay filler while waiting for new books on my wish list to drop later in the month and/or books on my wait list with the library. The next book I’m really excited about is Nalini Singh’s ARCHANGELS WAR which arrives the end of the month. I’ll do a relisten to that series beginning mid-month.
Deeders isn’t doing so hot. She’s not in pain, still eating, drinking, and stuff, but spends all her time in her bed. Loki is a demon kitten but I woke up this morning to find Boone sleeping beside the bed, Loki curled up around Boone’s front paws, one of which Loki was using as pillow. It was too cute and I wouldn’t have disturbed them but I really had to pee make my morning absolutions. I should get a picture of Jake's face when I tell him he can't go in the car with me. He has an "Emmett Kelly" face that's soooo pitiful I laugh out loud, which affronts his dignity. Ahh…the fuzzy critters. Life would be boring without them.
That's pretty much the story of my life. We're not lake or cabin people so Labor Day means staying home under the AC. I'm thinking Frito Chili Pie for dinner because it's Labor Day and we aren't cooking out and there's baseball on the tube. There might even be a nap on the menu. What's the story of your life today?
NEW RELEASE
NEW RELEASE
NOW AVAILABLE
Silver James 