I’ve been waiting a long time to share this video series trailer. MJ Nightingale, one of the authors, put this together for us and I’m so dang impressed that I just keep hitting replay. 😆 Want a hint of what happens? Click play! Have a great weekend, everyone. And remember…25 days and counting!
The Universe dropped into my inbox with a good question. Having a writer’s brain, I usually translate these messages into something to do with writing romance. And if you know me, you won’t be surprised to learn that I’m a firm believer that there’s romance in every genre, so there! Pbbbth 😛 As a writer, I’ll admit that I fall in love with my characters. Even the bad guys. This is what the Universe has to say on the matter:
Who will you re-fall in love with today, Silver?
Whe-e-e-e-e-e…
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com®Or you could start from scratch, Silver, and pretend it’s for the first time.
I want to get to know my characters, to get into their heads, to understand them and why they do the things they do. Why? So they become real. Characters should be like the Velveteen Rabbit. They should be friends and lovers, family and neighbors, so that a reader wants to spend time with them. I want my characters to be real and the only way to do that is for me to love them and make them real from the very first time they pop into my head. They shouldn’t become less in translation as they travel from my imagination to the story I’m telling about them. So who am I going to fall in love with today? Amy and Harjo, Rudy and Izzy, Mac and Hannah, Liam, and all the Moonstruck Wolves.
Curious cat here. What fictional character do you wish was real and alive and sitting down with you for a visit? I’d love to have a beer and a steak with Eve Dallas–partly because I’d love to pick her brain and mainly because wherever Dallas, Roarke won’t be too far behind. 😉
I do love making memes! Mostly. It’s a great way to procrastinate and to share favorite lines. In this case, not only is it a line, but the scene. Pops is about to make his move on Elena and has invited us along for the ride. 😉
****
He flipped on his blinker and let go of her hand to turn into the parking lot at Randy’s. A few cars were parked near the entrance. The place was always packed on the weekends, but this was a weeknight. People in these parts worked for a living and that usually meant rising early so late nights were rare. He parked, swung out of the truck and hustled around to open Elena’s door. She’d learned to wait on him after their first foray to the grocery store in Bandera. Pops grinned. That had been quite the disagreement. His pretty Elena was a feminist.
“Why are you grinning?” she asked.
He wisely shook his head and held out his hand to help her step down. She’d changed into a dress with a flirty skirt and heels. She had some great legs and he let his admiration show. She snorted and rolled her eyes.
“Men,” she muttered.
Holding her hand, he led her inside. Randy, the owner, occupied the space behind the bar and Pops gave him a head nod in greeting. Several of the regulars turned to check out the new arrivals. He escorted Elena to a table and held her chair. “You trust me?”
Elena gave him a side-eyed look. “About what?” That got her another grin. She liked it when she got that grin. “Fine. I trust you.”
“Good.”
He swaggered off to the bar and Randy met him. “Two chili cheeseburgers, fries, and Coronas.”
Randy eyed Elena before returning his attention to Pops. “You know what you’re doing?”
Laughing, he shook his head. “Not a clue, man. Not a clue.”
While Randy ducked into the back kitchen to place the order with his cook, Pops went to the jukebox and studied the song selections. He found a Marc Anthony song and hoped it would have the right beat. Then he plugged in Dierks Bentley and finally, a Jason Aldean. By the time those three songs were over, their burgers would be ready. As the notes of the first song drifted from the speakers, he moved to the middle of the cleared space that doubled as a dance floor. Then he looked at Elena and extended his right hand. When she simply stared, he curled his fingers in invitation.
With a nervous smile, she pushed back the chair, stood, and walked toward him, her steps hesitant. When she reached him, she placed her hand in his and he drew her close—right as the salsa beat hit. And just as Rosie had said, dancing was just like riding a horse. Once you learned, you never forgot how. The moment Elena figured out he could dance, she was all in—hips melded to his, body swaying, feet moving. When he swung her out, that flirty skirt lifted in the breeze and the glimpses he got of her thighs were enough to make him consider getting their food to go.
****
This is one old dog that doesn’t have to learn new tricks–he just needs to remember how to do them. 😆 Y’all know the drill. CLICK HERE to preorder while you’re thinking about dance moves. Writers, do any of your characters dance? Readers, what’s your favorite dance?
It’s finally here! The project six writers have been working on since last spring! Welcome to Tarpley, Texas, home of the guys and gals of the Tarpley VFD. The authors each have a story to tell about someone in, or dear to, the VFD. Six different voices sharing the lives and loves of six couples, all brought together by a dedication to serve and the “storm of the century.”
I’m happy to announce that my book, FIGHTING FOR ELENA, leads things off, followed by five more awesome books. They are all available for preorder now and they all release on February 18th. That means you can binge read them when they go live 28 days from today! Want to know what FIGHTING FOR ELENA is about?
Volunteer firefighter, fierce protector, foster dad…
Fire Chief David “Pops” West doesn’t mind being all those things, but when an attractive, young social worker blows into his life like the backdraft from a raging inferno, he’ll acquire another distinction he’s not totally comfortable with—silver fox. Duty, loyalty, responsibility? Check, check, and check. Attraction and dating? Oh, hell, no. It’s been ten years and he’s so out of practice they probably changed the rules on him. The Tarpley, Texas Volunteer Fire Department, his ranch, and the young folks in town are his life. And they’re all he needs. Except when he wants more…
Dedicated advocate, tenacious social worker, wrangler of runaways…
Elena Rodriguez knows certain people think she cares too much. But helping kids, especially the forgotten ones trying to survive on the streets of San Antonio, is her life. To the exclusion of all else. Sure, she has no social life, but that’s never been a problem. Until a sizzling hot fire chief comes to her rescue. Who cares if he’s older? She’s ready to socialize. Too bad fate has other plans…
Fighting for Elena…
When a young teen stumbles out of the path of outlaw bikers and into their lives, the silver fox and the woman who cares too much will team up to protect her—as their attraction for each other explodes. Whether battling wild fires, wicked weather, or outlaw bikers, Pops will do whatever it it takes to keep Elena.
****
While Pops might be human, that doesn’t mean my Wolves aren’t around. Mac, Nate, and Boomer, along with Hardy, Gravedigger, Smoke, and Rook (from the Dallas chapter) all make appearances. Also, there’s a new Wolf in town, who will be making his appearance in the next set of Tarpley VFD books. Yeah, yeah. I’m being a big ol’ tease, I know.
In case y’all want to know how this miniseries came about, Susan Stoker introduced five volunteer firefighters in the big climax to JUSTIC FOR ERIN. One of her readers asked about the guys and she threw out the idea. Several of us who write in her world jumped on it and voilà! Six books now and six more books about new couples in the Tarpley VFD coming in 2021.
While you’re waiting for the books to go live, be sure to watch for teasers, trailers, and fun times between now and release day. Also, HEAD HERE to check out the other books in the series! Psst. There’s a rumor going around that there might just be a release-day party with all the authors: me, Deanndra Hall, Haven Rose, MJ Nightingale, TL Reeves, and Nicole Flockton.
Yeah, it’s that time again. Have I mentioned that Life is pretty boring at the moment? This is a good thing, except when trying to be witty and entertaining while blogging. Last week was just a week. Stuff got done. Not enough stuff, but stuff. There was Jammie Time with Stormageddon, as there will be today.
Which is MLK Day. Which is a holiday. Sort of. See, it’s…optiona. And there’s a problem with optional holidays. Some people are off work, some aren’t. Baseball Boy is in school, Stormageddon isn’t. That means he’s coming over here for the day. Fun times!
FIGHTING FOR ELENA will be going live soon. There will be a cover reveal and teasers and lots of begging for people to pre-order. Less than a month now before it drops into readers’ hands. Authors always go a little weird–worrying and nervous and anxious and…yeah. Y’all know the drill.
Speaking of writing, MOONSTRUCK: BETRAYAL work continues. It’s shaping up that the extra added new material will come at the end. I think. I haven’t hit the middle yet, though there will be a little extra in the middle.
We’re less than a month away from Pitchers and Catchers. Yay! I do love me some baseball.
I could almost cancel all my cable channels but for A&E, National Geographic, and Animal Planet. Oh, and C&I. I’m easily entertained if it has to do with almost any form of first responders.
Did I mention that last week was pretty boring? Yeah…it was. So was the weekend. It was cold. I’m lazy. And this is short. Lucky y’all. What’s up in your world?
Happy Friday. 🙂 Remember yesterday’s Thoughts on ideas? Yeah…add one more to the list. I tumbled across this video and while the song/singer is cool, it’s that mountain scenery and the horse that caught my attention. I’m tucking this one back for further review. I have a hero in mind–a Wolf who is a Crow cop (as in American Indian). The question becomes, do I want to set the story in another author’s world or my own? Decisions, decisions. Have a great weekend! Got any fun plans?
Ideas. I have them. Sometimes, too many of them. I have a white board on the wall next to my desk. Okay, I have three–one huge, two smaller. I also have one big and two smaller bulletin boards. I can’t see the forest for the scribbles, Post-It notes, and bits of paper. I have one liners–lines thought of and plan to use somewhere, like “He was a poster boy for tall, dark, and dangerous.” I have random ideas for plots, like “Idea: Her enemies are left for dead at her door. Who? Why?” Yeah, I TOTALLY want to figure that one out! I’m thinking one of the Moonstruck Mafia/Mob books. I have lists of possible titles. I have character names. I have grammar cheat sheets. But mostly, I have the jetsam and flotsam of half-formed ideas and lines that my brain wants to turn into stories. They’re all small. Now. But someday? Like the Universe says…
Big ideas almost never seem like big ideas, at first.
So, Silver, be on the lookout for little ideas that seem kind of ho-hum, ain’t no big thang, let-me-floss-first kind of ideas.
Really,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®I don’t really care if you floss, Silver. I don’t.
This is true, but sometimes, “flossing” is just the activity needed to boost those small ideas into full-blown scenes or characters or books. Stories I can write. Stories you can read. So yeah, welcome to my brain. It’s a very untidy place on a good day, but like an attic full of bins and boxes, suitcases and trunks, it’s kinda fun to poke around in. 😉
Dead end. End of the line. The End. End of the road. High end. Split ends. Light at the end of the tunnel. End times. The possibilities are endless. 😉 So this is probably my last #1lineWed entry though Wednesday Words will continue because…teasers! And snippets! And me showing y’all that I am making progress on current WIPs. 😀 There’s a long story there but it isn’t apropos to things here. Anyway, in just over a month, FIGHTING FOR ELENA goes live. And since a certain fan is all about Joy and Liam, I thought I’d tease her with this snippet of a conversation between Joy and Pops, who is our intrepid hero. He’s just been granted emergency custody as a foster parent and she’s being stubborn about contacting her parents–or anyone who might be able to help.
****
Memories of her life in the lab made her tremble. She curled up even more. Wolves were secret. Had to remain secret. Bad men wanted to do bad things to them. Which is why she had to keep running. She had to protect the Wolves and their mates, Protect Liam and Micah and Gracie. Little Sally and Sally’s big brother Cody, though he didn’t carry the gene. She couldn’t let them be experiments like she’d been.
Trust was fragile, like a dandelion. Trusting Nate just came naturally. Sort of like Mr. West. Could she trust him?
“Yes,” he said, like he could read her mind. “You can.”
She sucked in a breath. Mind reading wasn’t possible. Okay, sometimes the Wolves and their mates had like a Mr. Spock mind-meld thing going on but this? No way. But…
“Pops.”
“Excuse me?” She glanced over at him still, a little freaked and a whole lot confused.
“Most folks call me Pops. Like I mentioned back in the sheriff’s office, been a whole passel of kids pass through my house for one reason or another. Some only stayed the night. Others lived there for a few years.”
He sounded—and looked—sad. Because the kids came and went? Or was there another reason. He offered her a half smile as his eyes returned to the road. “Last ten years, most the kids have been short-term on an emergency basis. Sorta like you.”
She couldn’t help herself. She had to ask. “Why’s that?”
“My wife died.”
She sucked air into her lungs in a loud whoosh. He’d lost his wife. And he’d loved her. She could tell by the way his face went both soft and stoic. But not blank. Not like the Wolves. She rubbed at her chest. She missed her family. And she was positive they’d be going ballistic and crazy because she’d been taken. Yeah. When she took off, she’d have to leave a note so he could call her dad. Or maybe Mister Mac because Mister Mac was scary, but he wouldn’t be as scary crazy as her dad. Except he would. Liam told stories about what it was like when he was kidnapped by those Black Root people. Mister Mac and Miz Hannah—Liam’s mom and dad—went hunting with all the Wolves. That’s how everyone ended up in Louisiana. That’s how they found her. Liam. She blinked away tears. Liam was her…something. Just like Black Root wanted her DNA, they’d wanted Liam’s. All the Wolves.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, returning her attention to the man driving her to his home. “About your wife. My dad would go crazy if something happened to Mom.”
“He loves her.” Pops kept his voice soft.
“Yeah.” The word sighed out. “She’s his…one.”
****
I hope you enjoyed this little hint at events. Writers, got any end words to share? Readers, what book or series were you sad to see come to an end?
This recipe is reminiscent of shepherd’s pie but with a western twist. I do like me some BBQ sauce on my red meat. 😉
Total Time: 45 Min.
Prep Time: 10 Min.
Cook Time: 35 Min.
8 servings
Round up the family for a delicious Cowboy Meatloaf and Potato Casserole! The cowboys and cowgirls will come running for this BBQ cowboy meatloaf dish.
What You Need
1 lb. lean ground beef
3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onions
1/3 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup JACK DANIEL’S Barbecue Sauce HONEY SMOKEHOUSE
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp. chili powder
1 pkg. (24 oz.) ORE-IDA STEAM N’ MASH Cut Russet Potatoes
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 can (5 oz.) evaporated milk
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup OSCAR MAYER Real Bacon Bits
1/4 cup french-fried onions
2/3 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Shredded Four Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA
Let’s Make It
1 – Heat oven to 375ºF.
2 – Mix meat, yellow onions, bread crumbs, barbecue sauce, egg and chili powder just until blended; press onto bottom of 9-inch square baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
3 – Bake 20 to 25 min. or until done (160ºF).
4 – Meanwhile, microwave potatoes as directed on package; place in medium bowl. Add butter, milk, parsley and garlic powder; mix well. Gently stir in bacon and French fried onions.
5 – Remove baking dish from oven. Heat broiler. Spread potato mixture over meat mixture; top with cheese. Broil, 4 inches from heat, 3 to 5 min. or until cheese is melted.
Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Serving Suggestion: Serve this main dish with a mixed green salad for a quick-and-tasty weekday meal.
Tip 2 – Serving Suggestion: Serve topped with additional barbecue sauce.
Tip 3 – Substitute: Prepare using your favorite KRAFT Mexican Style Shredded Cheese.
As always, CLICK ON OVER to My Food & Family for all the details. While Dr. Jacey Randolph might have grown up in the middle of Indian Country, she’s something of a cowgirl and enjoys BBQ just like the rest of us. This hearty dinner is tasty, filling–important when feeding a Wolf–and she’s been known to double it because her mate Nate Connor has been known to let strays* follow him home for dinner when they find out she’s fixing her Cowboy Casserole. Jacey and Nate’s adopted daughter Joy plays a big role in my upcoming release, FIGHTING FOR ELENA, but if you’d like to discover Jacey and Nate’s love story first, check out HUNTER’S MOON.
*Hannah McIntire insists that Mac and Liam showing up on Jacey’s doorstep is just coincidence. 😉
Why is Friday the 13th considered bad luck? Wouldn’t it make more sense if Monday the 13th carried that superstition? 🤔 Something to ponder. In the meantime, we’re almost halfway through January. I don’t think there’s enough coffee in the world to get me through. There’s not much to update on from the past week/weekend so this will be short. I know y’all are breathing sighs of relief. Let’s get to it.
I’m sending FIGHTING FOR ELENA off to the publisher today. I had to do some shifting of a couple of scenes to help out one of the other authors in the series. Not a big deal but I had to figure out how to shift and bridge between scenes. I ended up with a few more words in the total word count so that’s a yay. It should come up for preorder soon. I’ll also be revealing the cover and the series trailer, hopefully sometime this week. Next project–at least for the moment–is MOONSTRUCK BETRAYAL. I have BRIDE’S MOON and ROGUE MOON set up in Scrivener, along with a couple of cut scenes. I’m rereading and editing because…dude! BRIDE’S was publishing in 2013! Where’s the time gone?!?! *flail*
I finished off Anne Bishop’s The Others series. I ❤ those books. They make me sad but happy and…and…I recommend them highly for fantasy/urban fantasy/alternate history fans. There's a bit of romance, a lot of intense emotion, some violence so read the descriptions and maybe some of the reviews if you're interested in giving it a try. Bishop's worldbuilding is incredibly detailed and expansive. Like I said. I love the books and the characters–the good ones, anyway. The bad ones are totally hiss-worthy! I'm currently listening to Jennifer Ashley's PRIDE MATES, book 1 in her Shifters Unbound series. She has some very interesting worldbuilding and twists on shifters. And her heroes are pretty darn hunky. It's a re-listen for me but it's been a couple of years and I've read/listened to so many intervening books that it's almost new. 🙂
How many days until Pitcher/Catcher? 😂
Thank goodness for A&E's crime week. 'Nuff said about TV.
Had some fun Jammie time with Stormageddon this weekend. Only and Baseball Boy headed out for a romantic rondevous to celebrate their anniversary. Stormy came over Saturday afternoon determined to "do chores." Worked for me. Literally. 🤣 When Lawyer Guy got home, the boys watched the remake of Willy Wonka, we had dinner, and then it was bedtime. This morning. LG slept in, Stormy and I did his reading homework and watched Alvin and the Chipmunks movies. Once LG (aka Big Daddy) got up, they did "science" stuff–cracking open some geodes. Fun times.
And, that, my friends, is that. See? Short. You can now return to your regularly scheduled Mondays–right after you check in with your own updates. 😉 Have a great week!
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