Wednesday Words: Clothes/Clothing

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Silver James

Another Wednesday, another #1lineWed with a wide-open theme. I mean, everyone wears clothes, right? And clothing is often part of a narrative. Unless the characters are nekkid.

Anyway, keeping up with my weekly theme of introducing a Wolf, we click over to the next book in the Nightriders MC series, NIGHT FALL, which is Digger and Shy’s story. Digger was hurt and the Russian forced him to change into his wolf. Who then went crazypants and claimed Shy. Sadly, Digger was pretty much out of things so…GUILT! *bwahaha* Anyway, here’s a little snippet after all that happened. Digger will show up on FB the rest of this week so head on over to check him out.
****
“I want to see her.” My voice was still raspy and I wasn’t sure I could stand without help but I had to see her. My wolf had to see her. I was so totally fucked but I was too tired to fight the mating any more. I’d been pretty much out of my mind with pain when my wolf took over and charged into that room. I wasn’t sure what he’d done but evidently he’d claimed Shy. How, I didn’t know. It wasn’t supposed to happen that way.

The Russian’s hand fell away and then he and Hardy hauled me to my feet. It took a long fucking time to walk from the infirmary in the clubhouse, across the courtyard to the Barracks. Thank fuck my room was on the first floor. Domino was there, butt plastered to the dresser that held my big screen. I still growled. He held up both hands before pointing one finger to the bed.

Shy lay in the middle of my king-sized mattress, wearing what better be one of my T-shirts. Her hair was wet and that got a snarl. Then I caught the smell of wet leather and cloth. The clothes she’d been wearing and her boots were in my bathroom, soaked. Still, Hardy had to strip her down to put her in my tee.

“Medic,” Hardy reminded me.

And yeah, he was. He’d treated more than one mate, not that any mated Wolf was down with that shit but whatever. He always treated our women with respect. “Thanks.”

He flashed me a quick grin at how gruff I sounded. He helped me over to the bed and I sank down on the edge. Shy was on her side, one hand tucked under her pallid cheek. Hardy hadn’t removed the band holding her hair in that ponytail. Her other arm curved around her stomach, pale skin mottled with lines and bruises against the stark contrast of my black tee. Fuck. I’d done that to her.

Hardy squeezed my shoulder. “Sit here with her. Domino will go grab you something to eat. Then I want you to change back to wolf.”

I was afraid to touch her. I could smell a trace of the sedative Hardy had dosed her with but I didn’t want to wake her. Domino shuffled out then returned a few minutes later with a couple of half-pounder burgers. I scarfed them down, drank a liter of water, stripped out of the gym shorts I wore, and shifted. Someone had dragged in a huge dog bed. My wolf ignored it, climbing very carefully onto the bed and after turning around three times, we settled at Shy’s back, chin resting on her hip.
****
If you haven’t read the book and are interested, click on the book cover over there on the right. You can still read it free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription but I’m probably going to take them wide sooner than later. (Like in two days…but if you download it before it comes of KDP Unlimited, you can still read free.) Writers, do you have any dressed-up words to share? Readers, do you think I should take the Nightrider books wide? That means iBooks, Kobo, B&N, etc.

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Tuesday Treats: Bacon Buffalo Chicken Bites

Posted on February 19, 2019 by Silver James

Today’s treat is perfect for parties, snacks, and any occasion when you want spicy-good easy-to-eat yummies.

Total time: 1 Hr 3 Mins
Prep time: 35 Mins
Cook time: 28 Mins
Please the whole crowd with Bacon-Wrapped Buffalo Chicken Bites! Nothing better on game day than these awesome Bacon-Wrapped Buffalo Chicken Bites.

What You Need
1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 48 pieces
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cut into 48 pieces
1 pkg. (16 oz.) OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cut into thirds
1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Let’s Make It
1 – Heat oven to 400ºF.
2 – Top each chicken piece with cream cheese piece; wrap with 1 bacon piece. Secure with wooden toothpicks; place on foil-covered rimmed baking sheet.
3 – Bake 15 to 18 min. or until chicken is done. (Bacon will not be crisp.)
4 – Mix wings sauce and sugar until blended; brush onto bacon-wrapped bundles. Bake 8 to 10 min. or until bacon is crisp, and sauce is hot and bubbly.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1: Substitute HEINZ Tomato Ketchup for the wings sauce.

Leigh’s Tips: Set out a bunch of dipping sauces – bleu cheese dressing, bourbon BBQ sauce, regular BBQ sauce, and more wing sauce. The Nightrider’s prefer Franks Wing Sauce.

CLICK HERE for all the details over at Kraft Recipes. These yummies are courtesy of Leigh Daniels, the heroine of NIGHT FIRE and Smoke Jenner’s mate. She goes through pounds of chicken and bacon whenever there’s a party at the Nightrider compound. If you haven’t read the story of the arsonist and the arson investigator, click on the book cover and check out NIGHT FIRE. Free to read on Kindle Unlimited, at least for a little while longer.

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Presidential Monday

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Silver James

So…another Monday holiday. Presidents’ Day, here in the States. Sales, no mail, no banking, no courts. No school. Whooppee.

Okay, that sounds a little something. Not down, not pessimistic. Just…factual. Because many of the writers I know don’t do Monday holidays. Or most holidays when it comes down to it. If we aren’t actually writing, we’re editing. Or marketing. Or thinking about that next scene/book/character. That’s what I’m doing today. It’s like we work retail, only we don’t have to put up with crowds. We get the demanding and irate customers but they aren’t close enough to get in our faces. And we can wear our jammies to work. And don’t have to park at the far ends of the parking lot to get to our office. So there’s that. See? I’m smiling already. 😉

Anyway, there was a weekend. I had my local RWA chapter meeting. We did a little brainstorming. We did some free writing based on scenarios we drew out of a red heart-shaped box because, Valentine’s Day. We had chocolates. And laughter. A good day. And I got a little over 600 words on a story that will probably become a Romance Adventure or Moonstruck Wolf book. My set-up? A man is on a second date with a woman with whom he has no spark and no interest in pursuing any further relationship. Then he meets her sister, and there’s instant chemistry, sparks fly, and he knows that she is The One. Tailor made for a Wolf, right? Yeah, eventually, that one will get written. I never waste words.

I’ve also been doing a re-listen of Kristen Ashley’s two series, Dream Man and Chaos, leading up to the final book, FREE. Which I finished last night. OMGWTFBBQ crazysauce. Totally gets 5 stars for REASONS! (Psst. Some readers HATED this book for…reasons. Me? I’m definitely not one of them. I totally get the way KA writes and I ❤ her all the more for it!) Now I'm staring at my Audible library, along with my Kindle library to see what's next. I'm leaning toward NAKED IN DEATH (because I can't EVER read the newest JD Robb In Death/Eve Dallas book without starting back in the beginning, then probably listen to a couple of Top 5 favorites before settling into two or three of newest books to refresh my memory of "recent events' in Eve and Roarke world. Then I'll settle in with CONNECTIONS IN DEATH.

Once again, I'm not doing much TV watching. I'm just not really in the mood, beyond "Live PD" and "Murder Squad: Atlanta," which is a spin-off of "First 48." I'm totally hooked on LPD but I'm going to have to keep a notebook handy so I can scribble down the best lines of the week to share because…the dumb criminals are dumb and the guys in the studio (Dan, Sticks, and Tom) get all punny and they crack me up.

We're about a week and a half from the first Spring Training games. I'm soooo ready for baseball season. We've caught a couple of college games–baseball AND softball. Yay!

Nd that's pretty much my world at the moment. Weather's running hot and cold–literally. We have a chance of freezing rain tomorrow. I'll have to get my errands run today. I have all-wheel/snow drive on my Highlander. That does not mean that driving on ice is a breeze. Nope. Especially not with all the idiots out and about. On that note, I have things to do, places to be, coffee to drink, and words to write. How was your weekend?

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Friday Sinema: Awkward!

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Silver James

A cautionary tale for Valentine’s Day next year. Just sayin’… Have an awesome weekend, everyone.

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Romance Novel

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Silver James

Alphas. Bad boys. Billionaires. Betas. Boy next door. Bikers. Cowboys. Cops. Doctor. Firefighters. Ganster. Mafia. Soldiers. Sailors. Tinkers. Spies. Chefs. Forest rangers. PIs. The list is endless. When you read and write romance, it’s easy to fall in love.

The great thing about feeling deep, profound, earthshaking love, Silver, is that you can start with anyone.

Next,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

Everyone is worthy, Silver.

And yes, you can start with anyone. You can make him an awful person so unloveable that there’s question of whether he can be redeemed. And then, through the magic of words–and the love of the heroine–he becomes perfect. For her. Or you can start with a woman so broken that no man would waste his time on her, until he walks up to her and smiles.

Yes, I am aware that love–deep and abiding–isn’t confined to a man and a woman. But that’s what I write. It’s what I know. I’m not about to appropriate the grand romance story of someone else. There are awesome authors out there who write those stories. I’m not one of them.

Happy Valentine’s Day. Here’s wishing you a grand love now and always.

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Wednesday Words: Fly Me to the Moon

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Silver James

There was a bit of a FLY in the ointment this week. Flying under the radar turned into flying by the seat of my pants. See, several weeks back, I got this high-flying idea of using a Wolf for #TooSexyInHisShirt Wednesday on my Facebook author page, then again on Saturday for #ShirtsOffSaturday and finally, sharing his wolf on Sunday for #WeekendWolf. With those pictures would come sharing a snippet from that Wolf’s story. This week, it’s Brian “Smoke” Jenner from NIGHT FIRE. So, flying blind, I decided to write a totally unrelated scene from Smoke’s POV. Just for fun. And it was. FYI, Smoke is in Outlaws, the biker bar in Kansas City where the Nightriders sometimes go to hang out. I hope you enjoy…
****
Smoke

I leaned over the pool table and eyed my shot. The stack of twenties on rail should have been a distraction. A hellava lot of money was riding on me putting the eight ball in the corner pocket. Too bad I had three balls to by-pass before the cue ball could kiss that eight.

The front doors of Outlaws blew open, bringing the scent of a summer storm—dust and rain and ozone. I lined up my stick and exhaled, ready to make my shot. That’s when she strutted past the end of the table. I sucked in air and my lungs were seared by the scent of cloves and geraniums.

I don’t know how it happened. Reflex. My wolf. Something. But the next thing I knew, my arm twitched, the freshly-chalked tip of my pool stick hit the felt cover over the table and that damn cue ball went flying. The woman who caused the train wreck snagged that ball clean out of the air. Then she hitched a hip on the table and rolled that puppy into the corner pocket.

“I heard this place was a bit fly by night,” she said, her voice low, husky and sexy as hell. “Good to know they let the riff-raff in.” Her other hand other swept out and fisted the money as she flashed me a smile that turned my dick to granite and my knees to water. Her smile? She knew exactly what she was doin’ to me—and every other man standing there. Coming off the table in a move so smooth she could have worked the pole at Chasin’ Tail, she headed toward the bar. Half-way there, she paused.

I held my breath.

She turned her head ever-so-gawddamned-slowly I started to see stars from the lack of oxygen in my lungs.

“Well?” she said, arching a brow. “You comin’?”

Not yet I wasn’t, but once I got Leigh home, we both would. Come. Over and over. Damn but I loved my mate. “Yeah, baby. I’m gonna fly you to the moon.”

“Promises, promises.”
****
What about y’all? You have any fly words to share?

Pssst If you haven’t read the book, you can grab NIGHT FIRE and read it for free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription or buy it for $2.99 to keep.

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Tuesday Treats: Champagne Bites

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Silver James

I meant to share these for New Year’s, but hey, better late than never, right? And Thursday is Valentine’s Day…just sayin’… 😉

Total Time: 3 Hrs 15 Mins
Prep: 15 Mins
“Cook”: 3 Hrs
Pop some bottles of champagne for these Champagne Bites. They’re just what the adults want for the holiday season. Make these Champagne Bites for your next party, whether you’re celebrating a birthday, New Year’s Eve or just because!

What You Need
3 env. (1/4 oz. each) KNOX Unflavored Gelatine
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 bottle (750 mL) sweet sparkling white wine
1/4 cup white sparkling decorating sugar
**Please use alcohol responsibly.

Let’s Make It
1 – Combine gelatine and granulated sugar in large microwaveable bowl. Stir in wine. Let stand 3 min. or until gelatine is softened. Microwave on HIGH 3 min. or until gelatine and sugar are dissolved, stirring after each minute.
2 – Pour into 8-inch square pan sprayed with cooking spray.
3 – Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.
4 – Dip bottom of pan in warm water 15 sec. Unmold gelatine mixture onto cutting board. Cut gelatine into 5 rows, then cut each row into 5 pieces. Top with sprinkles.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Substitute parkling grape juice for the champagne.

Tip 2 – Prepare using any other color(s) of decorating sugar (like red for Valentine’s Day… 🙂 )

There’s a really short video to watch so be sure to CLICK HERE to head over to Kraft Recipes for all the nutritional details and info. These little goodies are a favorite of both the Bee Dubyas (the Barron Wives) AND the Moonstruck Mates. Hannah says even she can make these. The Mates send the kids off with the Wolves, make several batches of Champagne Bites and settle in with a good movie. Like…”John Wick.” Or “Last of the Mohicans.” If you’re interested in finding out what happens to all the original Moonstruck Wolves and their mates, grab MOON SHOT. It’s free to read with a Kindle Unlimited subscription, and not all that expensive to buy your own copy to keep. If you’re new to the series, you really want to start at the beginning because MOON SHOT is pretty much the Happy Ever After of ALL the Happy Ever Afters. Just click on the bookcover and zip on over to Amazon.

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I <3 Monday…Not

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Silver James

Thursday is Valentine’s Day. Just sayin’…

This is also the week that pitchers and catchers start showing up for spring training. Why yes, I do ❤ baseball, why do you ask? Someday, when I when the lottery, I'm taking the family to spring training. And opening day. And…well…you get the idea.

I suppose if I'm going to win the lottery, I should play it once in awhile, huh?

I haven't done much of anything lately. At least nothing remotely interesting. Such is life.

This is going to be a short post

TV? Live PD, baby.

Reading? Kristen Ashley. I finished off a re-listen of her Dream Man series (I do love me some Kane "Tack" Allen in MOTORCYCLE MAN), and now i'm embarking on a re-listen of the Chaos MC series because the final book in the series dropped this month. *sigh* There may be novellas and “sneak peaks” at the characters in the future, but for all intents and purposes, Kristen says the series is over. This gives me a sad. I really care about the characters and that says a lot about an author.

I’m still only writing in dribs and drabbles. Stupid depression. Working on changing that but it’s slow going. If it weren’t for Starbuck’s challenges, I probably wouldn’t leave the house. I mean, Walmart delivers. So does the cleaners. There’s just something about collecting those stars. 😆 I just wish I could figure out a similar marketing technique for my books.

Who had a fun weekend? Or a productive one? How many stayed curled up under the covers, hiding from the world with a good book? Who’s ready to face the week? Yeah, me neither but it is Monday so that means time to get our arses in gear. Vroom. Vroom.

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Friday Free-for-all

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Silver James

It’s Friday. So…yay? First a couple of fun things.

I was a big fan of Winnie the Pooh. Still am from time-to-time. I mean, who wouldn’t want to live in the 100 Acre Wood with Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga and Roo, Rabbit, and Owl. And of course, the silly old bear himself. A few weeks ago, the world celebrated Winnie the Pooh Day. I came across this list of Life Lessons from the Pooh.

As y’all are mostly likely aware, I am a HUGE fan of the J.D. Robb In Death/Eve Dallas series. There’s a long story about where I was in my head when I first discovered the books. Since that time back in 2005 (yeah, I came into the series about 10 years late), I’ve managed to add every books to my collection. I get them in hardback, digital, and audio because I’m that much of a fan girl. The 48th book in the series released this week. I came across THIS ARTICLE that presents of summary of CONNECTIONS IN DEATH in GIFs. I totally admire people who can do this stuff. 😆

So, moving on to other stuffs. Like…

Things that irritate the snot out of me:

People who check out library books and don’t return them as soon as they finish them when there’s a waiting list. Yes, I realize that I read/listen at a crazy rate but seriously? How the hell does it take TWO WEEKS to listen to an audio book that’s only six hours long? I wish the library apps had an auto return feature for books other readers have on hold. You hit 100% of the book? It stays for 24 hours–just in case–and then it automatically returns to the library to be check out by the next person on the wait list. Case in point: I’ve listened to SEVEN books, including FIVE books that come after the two books I have on hold. I HATE skipping ahead in series where they aren’t truly stand-alone. This is also a reason I go back and reread previous books in a series when a new addition is released. Grrrrr. And no, I don’t have the book budget to buy the books I’m waiting on.

People in the drive-thru who don’t pull up and/or leave more than a car-length between their vehicle and the one in front of them. I’ve noticed that Lexus and Mercedes drivers are particularly guilty of this. If you don’t pull up, I can’t pull up to the menu board and order.

People who are so busy talking/playing on their cell phones that they sit and idle in the drive-thru. This is a trait far too many people exhibit.

Can you tell I’ve been spending way too much time in the drive-thru?

In the what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-this-world category…

Some stupid professor has decided that “Mary Poppins” is a racist movie because the stars and dancers had soot on their faces in the dancing chimney sweep scene–all because Mary Poppins takes out her compact and powders her face with soot–a show of solidarity with the sweeps. 🙄 Are you fucking serious?!?!!! Someone needs to stuff that guy into a fireplace, open the flu, and clean the chimney. I get that black face is bad. Chimney sweeps get dirty. They do not put on black face paint. And typically, the New York Times published the idiot’s op ed. Swear to the Universe, the world has gone crazy.

On that note, my brain is officially blown. It’s the weekend. I’m going to chill out, maybe look for some writing mojo, definitely listen to some audio books. What are you gonna do?

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Autopilot

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Silver James

Every so often, I wish my brain would just go blank. I wish I could let stuff roll off my back like rain on my Newfoundland’s back–well, except when Cooper decides to camp out beneath the spot where the eaves channel the water. I look at how crazy the world is becoming and I find myself angry or disgusted, frustrated or a little bit fearful. I can hide in books–either the writing, reading, or listening of them. Every so often, like the Universe, I want to run on auto pilot and do what the Universe does. Also, it’s nice, as a writer, to take a pit stop and fuel up the ol’ imagination.

Every so often, Silver, I like to take time off. You know, go to theme parks, ride roller coasters, and people watch. Sit on the beach, walk through the forest, and listen to music.

Just kick back, relax, and let everything run on autopilot… considering, it already does.

Haven’t you noticed?

You’re in good hands,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

Silver, you deserve some “automatic pilot time.” The stage is beautifully set and I’m holding you with such care one might think you were a China Doll.

This is why I love and write Alpha Heroes. Not to say that a beta male can’t treat his heroine with care and concern, but that whole alpha vibe of, “Babe, I got this,” reassures me. Don’t get me wrong. I’m no China doll. In fact, I’m a pretty tough old broad who can take care of herself, but you know what? I think I’m gonna run on autopilot for a little bit. What about you?

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