Thursday Thoughts: Universal Challenge

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Silver James

I’m not sure there’s a lot of musing I need to do about this very simple message from the Universe. Of course, I’m not sure that peace is all that great. Oh, in a great, global sense, sure. But personally? I worry about that stagnation will set in without some sort of challenge. Of course, a whole heaping load of challenges back to back to back to back can wear a body down and send them into a stupor that might make one long for peace. But that isn’t peace, it’s–to use an old word–surcesase.

Funny, huh, Silver, how some folks think that avoiding challenges will bring them peace?

As if the peace they now know didn’t come from earlier challenges that were faced, and mastered.

OK – not really that funny,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

The more challenges one faces today, Silver, the more “Whoohooo’s!” “Yeehaaa’s!” and “Holy Batman’s!” tomorrow.

Sometimes we need to get bloody and beat-up to fight for what’s important to us, to find the peace that is ours by right. In writing, this is call conflict. There’s internal and external conflicts. There’s conflicts between characters, between character and setting, between hearts–if you happen to write romance. Which y’all know I do. Today’s thoughts didn’t actually form until…today. I usually set up a post in advance but I’ve been in a fog this week for various and sundry reasons and none of them are peaceful. I’m tired. Ready to throw up my hands and demand surcease. But I’m too stubborn and the alternative doesn’t look all that attractive at the moment. I’m caught in a “circular argument.* At the moment, I need to write–for reasons. But at the moment, I have no motivation to write becasue…ALL THE REASONS. So I sit and stare at the screen and worry about the reasons–most of which I have no control over so I need to get over myself and do my job. Except there’s a certain security (or peace) in the stupor, so there’s that.

Okay. See what I mean? Anyway. There are links below for a more precise explanation. Me? I need to get on with my day and see if I can actually get something done. FYI, y’all have been warned that the inside of my head is a scary place. What about you? What’s it like inside your head?

*aka a “circular reference” and or “circular reasoning”, depending on the application. I most often encounter the first dealing with spreadsheets but spend a lot of time headdesking due to the second when I’m writing. And you’ll notice I did not say “former” and “latter” because I can never remember which is which and always have to look it up and figure that everyone else has the some problem so I just call it what it is.

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Wednesday Words: Far From the Madding Crowd

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Silver James

It’s once again time for snippets and bits of words based on the #1lineWed theme. This week, words are being CROWD sourced and you know what they say, two;s company and three’s a CROWD. This bit started as a flash fiction challenge with the prompt “a fragile thing” and it was written shortly after the massive fire at Notre Dame. It’s a short one today because I haven’t expanded it but it is/will be the basis for a chapter in the next Penumbra Papers book.
****
Sade stood on the bridge over the Seine leading to the island where Notre Dame Cathedral stood encased in a steel skeleton, it’s steeple lying where it’d crashed. The fire, while devastating, hadn’t been catastrophic—at least not to the gargoyles. Roman, gargoyle sentinel, stood on her right. Nikos, Drakon of the Kholikikos Dragons stood on her left. One gave off the chill of carved granite, the other the heat of a volcano.

“Magic is a fragile thing,” Nikos said. “Like a human life.”

“But Magicks aren’t.” Bitterness shaded Sade’s voice.

“You are formed by the fires of your desires and longings, Sade.”

“Bullshit.”

“You aren’t exactly human.”

She opened her mouth to scald him, but Roman’s soft admonition stopped her, “He’s right, Lady Sade. You are driven by your viewpoint, by perceived injustices. You ingest it, push it deep, and then, when nothing makes sense and you are going under, drowning in the swirling brew of emotions, you explode.”

Excited shouting and laughter and what sounded like cannon fire captured their attention. A mob tumbled down the Qual de Conti and cascaded around the corner to dance along the Boulevard Saint-Michel toward the Eiffel Tower. A cannon fired again, the shell exploding above the crowd, raining pink powder down on them.

“Yes.” Nikos pointed to the throng. “You look just like them when you detonate, all pretty in pink.”

“You take that back!”

Nikos never saw her fist. Through a busted lip, he said, “I rest my case.”
****
What about y’all? Writers, have any crowded words to share? Readers, who else had Hardy’s “Far From the Madding Crowd” as required reading in high school English?

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Tuesday Treats: Tex-Mex Spaghetti Squash Boat

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Silver James

Total Time: 1 Hr.
Prep Time: 30 Min.
Cook Time: 30 Min.
Servings: 6 (1/2 cup each)

Think twice-baked potato, spaghetti-squash style! Mexican cheese, veggies and tender squash strands form a flavorful filling for a halved squash shell.

What You Need
1 spaghetti squash (2-3/4 lb.)
1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Shredded Four Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA
1/3 cup finely chopped red pepper s
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup OSCAR MAYER Real Bacon Bits

Let’s Make It
1 – Heat oven to 400°F.
2 – Pierce squash in several places with tip of sharp knife or fork; place in shallow microwaveable dish. Microwave on HIGH 10 to 15 min. or until squash is softened, turning every 5 min.
3 – Cut squash lengthwise in half; remove and discard seeds. Scoop squash strands into large bowl. Add cheese, peppers and onions; mix lightly. Spoon into 1 squash shell; place in shallow baking dish. Discard remaining squash shell.
4 – Bake 28 to 30 min. or until heated through, topping with bacon for the last 3 min.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Food Facts: Young early-season squash can contain a lot of water. For best results, drain the scooped-out squash in a colander to remove excess water before mixing it with the cheese, peppers and onions as directed.

Tip 2 – How to Keep the Filled Squash Shell Upright: To keep the filled squash shell upright in baking dish, form a sheet of foil into a ring, then place around bottom of squash to stabilize.

As always, CLICK HERE to head over to My Food and Family for all the yummy details. When you have kids, sometimes it’s hard to get them to eat veggies. Now that Lightfoot and Liz have Micah and he’s growing up, Liz has to get creative to find ways to get her “men” to eat healthy. She’s managed to convince Micah that spaghetti comes from squash. She’s been known to throw in grilled chicken or thin-sliced steak for her carnivors, in addition to the bacon. If you want to read their full love story, check out MOONSTRUCK: SECRETS, and get the bonus of Mac and Hannah’s story, along with Liam’s birth. Or, you can read the gist of Lightfoot’s and Liz’s story in BAD MOON for free if you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription. Just click on the book cover or the titles to zip on over to the buy links.

What about y’all? Veggies or no? And have you ever tried spaghetti squash? It surprised me and is pretty yummy.

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Just Another Monday

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Silver James

This is going to be a full-pot Monday. I basically took the weekend off, something I don’t do very often, always regret come this time on Monday, but don’t really care. It’s a circular argument.

So…

Stormy came for breakfast and toons for a couple of hours on Saturday morning while Only headed to the dentist, Basebally Boy attended a deal with the athletic director/head bb coach. Lawyer Guy was playing host at the American Legion post for a meeting of the Special Forces group. We watched Teen Titans. I have not watched Teen Titans before. I ended up having to explain Gilligan’s Island, the term “May Day,” and the fact that I used to be an ARFF, what an ARFF does, and that his momma got to drive an ARFF crash truck when she was just a bit older than him. Speaking of Stormy, last Wednesday was Grandparents Day at his school. While doing activities in between going to the book fair, the kids “iced” cookies to share with their grandparents. LG had to cut out early but I was still there. Stormy’s cup didn’t have a great deal of icing in it. The first cookie was slathered. The second? Not so much. He offered me the gooey cookie. I wanted the one with less. The look on the kid’s face made me laugh. I truly had to convince him that I wasn’t being “nice Jammie” but that I truly didn’t like icing all that much. He can be so sweet sometimes.

Loki continues to terrorize the dogs. He’ll flop in the floor near where they’ve flopped and ever so slowly stretch out with that ninja-cat sneaky grace until his paws are almost touching one of their paws. It takes like five minutes or I’d get a video of it. Time-lapse would negate the sneak. Anyway, he will watch until they go back to ignoring him and then he’ll touch their paw. Watching 100 pounds of dog leap up and dash shouldn’t make me laugh, but the look of confusion mixed with self-satisfaction on Loki’s face does me in every time. He really does just want to play with them and doesn’t understand why they freak. At the same, he enjoys the hell out of freaking them.

It’s hot. I’m ready for Fall.

I have a book recommendation. Karen Hawkins’ THE BOOK CHARMER. It’s sweet and funny and sad and romantic and…and… I’ve not read her before so I didn’t know what to expect but the premise intrigued me. I’m not sure how to classify the book–magical realism, women’s fiction, novel with romantic elements? Anyway, go check it out if you are looking for something different. Check out the blurb to see if it interests you. I not only gave it 5 stars, it went on my very short “Best Book of the Year” list. I’m currently doing a re-listen to Nalini Singh’s Guildhunter/Archangel series in preparation for the new release on the 24th.

In the James Gang sports news, OSU and OU both won handily. OU remains in the top 5, OSU is moving closer to the top 25, coming in at #27 in the AP. My Cards need to start playing with more consistency if they’re going to make it into the post-season race.

TV is consisting mostly off clearing off the DVR. LIVE PD episodes. Game of Thrones – yeah, totally disappointed in the last season. I still have Aquaman because…Jason Mamoa! The Moonspinners. Yes, the old Disney movie. I losed it as a kid, adore the book it is based on, and when I saw it listed, I taped it. Now to find time to watch. Something tells me I need to be in just the right mood and in a nostalgic frame of mind.

We won’t talk about writing.

And on that cheery note, I have a boatload of stuff to do today. I’m late getting this posted, I need more coffee before I attack website updates (not mine–the local RWA Chapter I belong to), and form updates for a contest the chapter runs. Oh, and groceries. Fun times. Any news of note from your worlds?

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Friday Sinema: Myth and Superstition

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Silver James

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. 😉

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Winners

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Silver James

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.

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Wednesday Words: Goodbyes Are Hard

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Silver James

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?

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Tuesday Treats: Funnel Cakes

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Silver James

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! 😋

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Another Monday Circling the Drain

Posted on September 9, 2019 by Silver James

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?

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Friday Sinema: Robocalls

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Silver James

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.

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