Monday at a Time

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Silver James

Monday. Again. And at the time y’all are reading this, I will have had only one cup of coffee, right before hitting the road. Family funeral. Not the kind of road trip to enjoy. ‘Nuff said. Moving on.

Last week was a week. Things happened. I shall now bore you by telling you all about them.

Writing: I’m updating the Nightrider books to go on wide distribution. They come off Kindle Unlimited on August 20th. I’m setting them up to go wide (hopefully) on August 21st. I don’t want Amazon mad at me by jumping the gun. The ‘zon’s Terms of Service are very explicit. Anyway, I have to remove all mention and links to the ‘zon. And I’m going through each book to clean up typos, and in some cases, rewording things. I’ve learned a lot since I first started publishing, and continue to do so with each subsequent book. Anyway, I’m making mostly minor changes but with the updating of the back matter, I hope that triggers an update at the ‘zon. What does that mean? It means that you’ll have a notice on your “Content and Devices page.” You can click on the “Update Available” and the newest version will be downloaded to your Kindle. 🙂 I periodically check that page to see if I have updates on books I own. Anyway, I’ll remind you again when it’s time. I’ve complete 3 1/2 books at the time I’m typing this. I might have finished that 1/2 book by bedtime last night. Anyway, within the next few days, I’ll begin the upload process and then I’ll get NIGHT FIRE and NIGHT FALL formatted for print, get Only to do the print covers for me and I’ll get them uploaded, hopefully by the end of the week. Busy times. If I get it all done, that means I can start new words next week.

Critter things: Loki got a booster for his feline vaccinations last week. Poor little dude was under the weather for about a day. Now he’s back to normal and terrorizing all and sundry. Jake, who has been my gentleman doggo (but for eating oatmeal cookies, bedtime munchy bone treats, and getting into the trash–all when left alone) decided to escape Saturday. Loud, noisy and possibly scary stuff was going on around the house, which might have contributed to his need to run. My BiL was here and we took off on foot while Lawyer Guy jumped in his truck because…if there’s one thing Jake loves, it’s to go for a ride. We chased over a block, then he came back our way. LG was there, stopped in the middle of the road, but Jake wouldn’t get IN the truck. Nope. He went under it. Good thing LG’s truck is a 4X4 so it sits higher off the ground! Anyway, we finally coaxed him out, got him in the truck and then safely back in the house. Bad doggo! But we still love him.

The reason for all the noise? We had a crew on top of the house chain-sawing and removing a HUGE branch that came down Thursday night at 2:15 a.m. during a series of thunderstorms. Jake, Loki, and I heard it hit the house. Adidas, Boone (who normally freaks over storms and loud noises), and LG slept through it. When I say HUGE, I’m not exagerating. The thin was the size of a regualar tree. The base of the branch was over 4 1/2 FEET around. And it was at least 40 feet long, if not longer. Needless to say, large men clomping about, chainsaws sawing, and large log thumping, the house shook more than once. I don’t totally blame Jake for making a break for freedom. Except it was hot. There are cars that don’t pay attention. And I wasn’t sure he’d find his way home.

Exciting times. Not.

There was baseball. The Cardinals mostly won but they’ve dropped back in both the division and wild card races. Still in contention and there are more games to play. They’ll really have to be on their game to pull off a championship. Pun mostly intended.

Reading/listening slowed down. I should go back and count my Nightrider books in my GR reading challenge because I’ve read these suckers from the title page to the final line of my book list in the back. By the time I stop for the night, my eyes are so blurry I have trouble even seeing TV much less reading so the book I started a week ago on my Kindle is still there, waiting patiently. My listening has slowed down too because I can’t listen and read and I’ve been sticking close to home but for said excursion to the vet with Loki and a couple of grocery runs. I did break down and take Jake to Starbucks one day but that was only about 20 minutes. Still, I’m on the last published book in Ann Aguirre’s Ars Numina series. There’s supposed to be two more books coming but I haven’t seen anything about release dates. I think I’m know what I’m going to listen to next, but that’s not for this week’s round-up.

So, are you bored yet? That’s my life and how I’m living it. So much glamour and excitement, right? *falls over laughing* What’s up in your world?

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Friday Sinema: Falling in Love with a Devil

Posted on August 9, 2019 by Silver James

Interesting what pops up when I plug in a search term on YouTube. “Being Bad” got me this video (newly released) by Avril Lavigne. I have no idea why but I’m glad it did. There’s just something abuot her voice that always catches my attention. Add in an intriguing title and a video to match? Inspiration! If this song doesn’t end up on a Penumbra Papers (Sade and Sinjen) playlist, then it might just be the inspiration I need to restart an old project–a “gas light” historical paranormal that’s sort of Dracula meets Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Only in England. 😂 Hope you have a great weekend!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Challenges

Posted on August 8, 2019 by Silver James

Sometimes, Life turns into just one challenge after another. Nothing goes right. Plans go awry. Murphy moves in and sets up his law office in the middle of your world. And you start to wonder why you even bother getting out of bed in the morning. Oh. Wait. That’s me. Not sure how the rest of y’all react. There’s that old adage that Life (aka the Universe, God, Goddess, whichever deity one looks to) never throws anything at you that you can’t handle. Yeah…but.

The reason for all challenges, Silver, is so that you can finally learn that none are bigger than you.

Winner,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®
None. Ever. You are destined for greatness, Silver.

Not sure what sort of greatness the Big U is referencing but I was reminded of something the other day. Life has been pretty tough lately. Losing loved ones. Career set-backs. Career changes. Lean times. The other night LG was telling me about his day full of frustrations and I related mine back. Misery loves company and all that. Then he mentioned a mutual friend who had called him to see if he could cover her at a meeting and make a report because she was following an ambulance–with her daughter inside–to the ER, after having brought her son home from the hospital just an hour earlier. We looked at each other and said all but simultaneously, “We need to be grateful for the good things we have.”

And we are, even if we grouse about the tough stuff. I’m still waiting for my superpower, Universe. 😉

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Wednesday Words: All Powerful

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Silver James

I finished Cooper’s book and it’s in my editor’s hands. And now it’s time for different words, all-powerful like the Wizard of Oz. 😉 Are there power hungry characters in your books? How about Girl POWER? POWER source? Flower POWER? POWER play? Absolute POWER? When this #1lineWed theme popped up on my radar for today, I did a search of my scribble file in the Nightriders workbook. I came across this snippet about a woman who had her power stripped and…well…just read it. Someday, I’ll know exactly who she is and which Wolf will claim her. The scene is pretty self-explanatory.
****
“There is no us so just forget me and whatever weird shit is in your head. Here, I’ll make this easy. Get lost, bitch.”

He’d turned on his heel and walked away. From me. Sliding into his damn Porshe, roaring away into the night. Forget him? Hard to do when he’d ripped out my heart, stomped on it, and left me empty. How could I forget? It had been real to me.

That was then. Ten years I’d fought to regain my equilibrium. To regain any sort of power I’d once had. Ten years to feel human again. Ten years to get up the nerve to leave it all behind and start over. Ten years of looking for…me.

And then my car died. On the side of a deserted road in the middle of the night and a big, scary biker was walking toward me. No, not walking. Stalking. I felt like…prey. I wanted to run, had no place to go, and he’d catch me if I ran. I knew that with complete certainty. Yes, running would be the worst thing I could do. With flight no longer an option, that left fight. Only…
Good grief. He was huge. Well over six feet tall, probably close to 300 pounds—all muscle. Shaggy hair. My flashers alternately washed his sculpted face with yellow followed by night.

“Problem?” His voice sounded like tires skidding on gravel.

“No. I always park on the side of the road at midnight with my flashers on.”

A grin tugged on his full lips and I suddenly wanted to throw myself into his arms and kiss him. Bad me.

“Babe.” While still rough, his voice smoothed to hot coffee.

I threw up my hands. “My car died. I have gas. Oil. The check engine light flashed on, the motor stopped, and let me tell you, fighting no power steering and going from seventy to zero is scary.”

“Pop the hood.”

He might as well have said, “Pop the buttons on your blouse.” Actions jerky, I did what he said, waiting for his verdict.

Dropping the hood, he leaned in my window. “Serpentine belt shredded. C’mon.”

“Excuse me?”

“Babe.” He said that word like I should understand ever nuance. I was probably dense that I didn’t. “Can’t leave you on the side of the road. Get on my bike. We’ll deal with your car tomorrow.”

Not stopping to think, I grabbed my purse. He took my keys, locked the car. I’d decided to move across country and now my best friend’s words echoed in my mind. Don’t waste another ten years. Get out there, find what completes you then love to your limit.

Okay. I could do that. Starting now. Except this wouldn’t be love. Just sex. With a scary biker. Who’d stopped to help. Wait. Did he even want sex with me?

“Babe. Thinkin’ too hard. Just get on the bike. I don’t bite.” Again with the grin. “Much.”

New me. Powerful me. Looking for real. Looking to stretch my limits to love. On the back of a stranger’s bike. If he murdered me, I wanted it to be worth the ride.

“I will be, babe.”
****
What about y’all? Any powerful words to share?

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Tuesday Treats: Anniversary Time

Posted on August 6, 2019 by Silver James

Happy Anniversary, Lawyer Guy. 36 and counting. Wow…

So I’m in a wedding kind of mood, which is why I enjoy writing my Red Dirt Royalty series for Harlequin Desire. There’s always a Happy Ever After and a wedding. Except maybe this current book. 😉 Ha! Gotcha worried, right? Anyway, when looking around for recipes, I came across this one, which is one I’ve made because this is a favorite cookie.

Total Time: 35 Min.
Prep Time: 20 Min.
Cook Time: 15 Min.
Makes 48 cookies

Try our Mexican Wedding Cookies Recipe now or forever hold your peace. These tasty treats use just five ingredients and need only 20 minutes of prep time. Say ‘I do’ to this Mexican Wedding Cookies Recipe.

What You Need
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, divided
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup finely chopped PLANTERS Pecans

Let’s Make It
1 – Heat oven to 350°F.
2 – Beat butter, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour, beating on low speed after each addition until well blended. Add nuts; mix well.
3 – Shape dough into 48 (1-inch) balls. Place, 1-1/2 inches apart, on baking sheets.
4 – Bake 14 to 15 min. or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool 5 min. on baking sheets. Roll warm cookies, 1 at a time, in remaining sugar in small bowl until evenly coated; place on wire racks. Cool completely.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Make it Easy: Use a blender or food processor to finely chop the nuts. Just be careful not to overprocess them or you’ll end up with nut butter!

Tip 2 – How to Store: Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

CLICK HERE to get all the nutritional info. Normally, this is where I’d feature a cover and a character from one of my books. But all my books have Happy Ever Afters (or Happy For Nows) so you can click on my book list and pick any of my books to read. Why do I write romance? Because 36 years ago, I married my best friend and found my own HEA. Wanna see what we looked like back then? I’ll never see that size 3 wedding dress again but hey, he still loves me so it’s all good. 😀

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A Week of Mondays

Posted on August 5, 2019 by Silver James

So…a new month. Another Monday. And life goes on. So does work. And critters. Reading. Etc. Lots of etc.

So, I’ve been back from NYC for a week. Stuff happened. Other stuff didn’t happen. Did I mention life goes on? 😉 Anyway, here’s the summary of past, present, and future.

Writing. Cooper’s story is done. Mostly. The first draft anyway. I’m wending my way through edits and should have it done by this evening. 🤞 Then it goes off to my editor in NY. So far, it’s turned out better than I ever thought possible considering how hard this book has been to write. I won’t bore y’all with the details. Suffice it to say that Life got in the way, big time. Anyway, it’s almost done and I’m liking it. Let’s hope my editor agrees. That opens the door for other projects. Two have been on the back burner–the next Nightrider book and the next Penumbra Papers book. I also have a project that’s due November-ish for a February(?) release. It’s part of Susan Stoker’s world and the hero is a silver fox volunteer firefighter who gets involved with a younger social worker. While the H/h are both human, the teenager they’re protecting is not wholly. She has ties to my Moonstruck world and that means the Wolves will be involved. 😀 I’m also going to get the Nightrider books–which is the most pressing project–ready for wide release. It’s a matter of updating the back matter and checking for typos I might have missed. They come of Kindle Unlimited on the 19th so I plan to have them all release on August 20th, but that means I need to get them done and unloaded to D2D.

Reading: I finished off a couple of series and started looking around for other books. My book budget is shot so I need audio books I could get from the library, Hoopla, or Audible Escape. I listened to an older Lisa Kleypas historical, SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME, about a Bow Street Runner. It was good if predictable. It put me in mind of a book I read ages and ages ago, also about a Bow Street Runner. To my delight, I discovered BLACKSTONE, by Richard Falkirk, had been re-released in KU. I grabbed it. It’s fun, like I remembered it to be, though slow reading because…eyes. I also discovered that Ann Aguirre’s Ars Numina series is available through Audible Escape. I’d read the first book, THE LEOPARD KING, for a contest several years ago and enjoyed it. Now I’m happily listening to it, and looking forward to the other books in the series.

TV: LIVE PD cracks me up.

Sports: My Cardinals are streaky. But they’re hanging in there in both the division and wild card races.

Critters: Gentleman Jake is still exhibiting a few signs of his abandonment syndrome. We now put all the stuff we normally leave on the counter–bread, buns, cookies, etc.–either in the upper cabinet or the fridge. He’ll learn, even though I try to take him whenever possible. It’s just too hot to take him when I shop for groceries. Loki is still the Kitten God of Mishchief and Mayhem. Especially early in the morning. Boone just doesn’t know what to do with the kit but they’re cute when Loki tries to play with him. Adidas has been up and down. Last week, she was down but over the weekend, she started walking better. We just clean up after her and go one. At almost 18, she’s entitled.

Food: There’s a new Asian restaurant in the neighborhood. A quick drive, good prices, huge portions, and good food. LG and I splurged Saturday night, after naps. He had to be up at 5:30 to help with the pancake breakfast and once I’m up, I normally don’t get back to sleep. Until it’s naptime. 😉 No siren tests. There were some small storms in the area so it was called off.

Family: A sad note. Baseball Boy’s mother passed Saturday after a short illness. It was expected, but still sad for everyone. Saying goodbye is never easy, even though the one who passed is in a much better place.

And on that note, Cooper and Britt are calling my name. Gotta get this puppy put to bed. What’s going on in your world?

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Friday Free For All & Sinema

Posted on August 2, 2019 by Silver James

It’s Friday. I’m THIIIISSSSS close *holds up hand with thumb and forefinger pressed together* to finishing Cooper’s story (RDR#9). Doing a final read-through before sending it off my editor in NYC. No time for musing today, just some fun or fascinating links. A new tab will open in your browser, taking you to a safe site to view all the stuffs. First up, some really cool buggy things, followed by some pupper gifs guaranteed to put a smile on your end-of-week face.

Jeweled bugs

Paper bugs

Puppers to make you smile

And finally, this short video of the trials and tribulations of being a baby elephant. I can relate. Have a great weekend!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Journey

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Silver James

I swear the Universe writes romance under a pen name. (If I hadn’t met her in person, I might suspect the Big U is actually Nora Roberts/JD Robb.) Today’s message explains how to write a novel in three lines with some encouragement in the middle.

It’s the final moments, Silver, that define a journey and the first ones that make it possible.

Both, you have total control over.

Whoop, whoop!
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

The middle moments, Silver, are for living, loving, and donut breaks.

****
Some writers find the hardest part of writing a book is sitting down and staring at the blank page (paper or virtual on a computer screen) and figuring out where to start. Some have trouble figuring out where to stop and what that last line will be. Some know exactly how their writing-the-book journey will end and have to backtrack to figure out the first steps they need to take to get to the final moment. Most of us despair over that “sagging middle.” After the novelty and excitement of a new journey wears off, we writers have to plug through the middle to get to the exultation and relief of typing THE END.

Personally, I like the idea of donut breaks. My characters will take care of the living and loving. 😉 And hopefully, they’ll entertain my readers while doing it. Writers, which is harder: First sentence or closing sentence? Readers, what’s your favorite part of reading a book: The thrill of diving into a new story, the satisfaction of the ending, or all that stuff that happens in the middle? (And no, that’s not a trick question! 🤣 )

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Wednesday Words: Season to Taste

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Silver James

Sweet or savory? Salt and pepper? Hot and spicy? Pick your flavor as we play #1lineWed with today’s THEME of **FLAVOR**. I actually didn’t think I have much flavor in this WIP, but guess what? I found some. 😉 This scene occurs very shortly after Cooper and Britt meet in Chapter 1. Remember, there’s a hurricane raging around them. She’s about to get trapped by the storm and shows up on Cooper’s doorstep, in a fashion.
****
She followed him to the office he used when in town. A thick air mattress, almost the height of an actual bed, sprawled in the open space between door and desk. It even had sheets and pillows. He grabbed a pillow and turned to leave. Britt blocked the door. Coop arched a brow, confused.

“Stay.” She sounded insistent.

“Not a good idea—” he began before she cut him off with a breathy, “With me.”

Oh, yeah. He wanted to do that. Which made it a really bad idea. “Look, Britt…”

She fumbled with the hem of the T-shirt she wore, twisting it in her fingers before she huffed out a breath, as if she’d made up her mind. She met his gaze. “I don’t want to sleep alone. Okay?”

She was adamant, despite the nervous movement of her fingers, and she sounded almost angry. Honestly? Coop didn’t want to sleep alone either. Which made him feel like a big ol’ wuss but those were the breaks. Curious about her reasons, he asked. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you want to sleep with me?”

She blinked at him—several times before a speculative look slid across her features. “Why not? You’re a good-lookin’ guy. I’m not exactly coyote ugly—”

That startled a burst of laughter from him. She was definitely not ugly. Her face suffused with color as her eyes narrowed and her lips thinned out. “Go ahead and laugh but…dang it!” She threw her hands up, beginning to pace the narrow confines of the office. “I watched my cameraman get slammed by flying debris today. He’s in the hospital. He could have died. I’ve reported the death toll and that number is only going to rise before this witch of a storm goes away. People have lost everything. Ev…ery…thing.”

She stopped right in front of him. “People died.” Her voice fell to a husky whisper, the edges still sharpened by anger. And fear. “There’s so much bad out there tonight. Is it wrong that I want something good? That I want to feel strong arms around me? To be kissed? To…” Her voice trailed off, her cheeks no longer pink as reality seeped back into her.

“I’m…scared, okay?”

His hand caught the back of her neck and tugged her against him. “I’m scared too, Britt.” Coop wasn’t sure why he could admit that to a stranger—no, not a stranger. To her. To Britt. Her forehead planted against his chest and her arms circled his waist.

“I’m not crazy. I’m not a…I don’t go pick up random men and proposition them.”

“Shh. Didn’t think you did.”

“Just so you know.” She was nothing if not persistent. Cooper smiled into her hair. Strands of the blonde silk caught in his scruff as she tilted her head back to look up at him. “I just want to feel something…real. Something life affirming.”

Cooper didn’t answer—not with words, anyway. He lowered his head, capturing her mouth. She tasted of grape jelly and peanut butter, and he swore that would be his favorite flavor from now on.
****
And who doesn’t love PB&J, right? Now I’m hungry and wondering if peanut butter goes with potato chips? Because I don’t have jelly, and I normally use celery sticks to eat peanut butter. What about y’all? Favorite flavors? And have any flavorful words to share?

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Tuesday Treats: Thoughts on Food When Traveling

Posted on July 30, 2019 by Silver James

I’m not a foodie. I–as a rule–don’t take pictures of my food and post it to Pinterest or Instagram. I like food, though. At least the food I like. I’m not big on trying unknown foods, partly due to food allergies and partly due to weird taste buds. For instance, I like fried okra. Stewed okra? Not only no, but HELL NO!!!

So, I go to New York City every 4 years for the Romance Writers of America conference. There’s hotel food. There’s Times Square food. There’s sightseeing food. Occasionally, I get lucky. Junior’s, an iconic NYC restaurant and bakery, is across the street from the Marriott Marquis Times Square where the conference is held. It’s got a large variety of entres, sandwiches, salads, and desserts. Cheesecake. Just sayin’! And their bacon cheese burger with steak fries (frites) and fried onion rings is awesome. So is their breakfast. Tradition is to eat at Junior’s at least once. This trip, Only and I had dinner there our first night and then we joined friends (waves at Ev and Mairi) who came down for the day and a couple of days respectively there for lunch.

Only and I had a cheese pretzel in Battery Park after touring both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It was a giant hot pretzel with cheese inside, rather than a cup of cheesy-whiz stuff to dip it in. Pretty yummy. Then my editor took us, after a tour of the Harper-Collins/Harlequin offices, to a place called Eatalia (I think that’s the name/spelling), which is an up-scale Italian grocery with little “kitchens” scattered around serving all sorts of foods, coffees, and desserts. It’s in this really cool mall place that also has subway stops and is across the street from the 9-11 Memorial. We had espresso and Italian desserts. Mine was sort of like a cream puff but fancier. It was totally yummy.

The other place of note we discovered was a little hole in the wall pizzaria called Patzeria, that was across the street and down the block on the other side of the hotel. You walk in, grab a drink from the cooler, pick a slice or two (New York style) of whatever selection of pizzas they have in the display case, pay, and go outside to stand on the sidwalk and grab your box from the window. Awesome pizza!

Our last night there, we had dinner in the Broadway Lounge at the hotel with our friends. I had the cheese burger and fries.

I did mention that I’m not a foodie, right? I also don’t travel as well as I did when I was younger. It takes longer to recover from the Travel Tireds and to get back into the swing of normal life and routine. I’ll get back to the posting schedule soon. In the meantime, when you travel, do you like to try new foods/local delicacies or are you unadventurous like me? 😉

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