Nineteen Mondays

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Silver James

Why yes, I did go to a calendar and count up how many Mondays have gone by so far this year. Hey…it’s HARD to come up with scintillating titles. Just ask any author…

So, there was a weekend. We had rain. The Big 12 decided to cancel the Big Twelve Softbal Tournament and just declare OU the champion. The only problem? OSU had already won both their bracket games and was set to play in the championship game. As of the time I’m typing this, NCAA regionals haven’t been announced. We’ll see if OSU gets screwed by the Big 12. In other sports news, OSU beat OU in baseball, taking 2 of 3 in the last Bedlam series between the teams. My Cards? Well…they’re running hot and cold. Ah well. It’s still early in the season.

Reading and/or listening. 😆 I worked my way through 21 Black Dagger Brotherhood world books. I have two more to go, but I’m on the wait list at the library for them. The next new book releases in August, with another in November. Since I’m waiting, I’m heading into a new-to-me author, Annette Marie, and series, though not under appreciated series. The first book, THREE MAGES AND A MARGARITA, is pretty clever so far. The series is called The Guild Codex: Spellbound. I got the first book on special and had an Audible coupon so it was free, and it looks like I can get the rest of the series on Hoopla so yay!

TV: Live PD FTW. Live Rescue is okay. Game of Thrones episodes are stacking up. Once the season (and series) is done, I’ll pull a marathon watch. Oh, and First 48. Police reality shows and baseball. That’s pretty much all that’s been on my screen of late.

Writing: Only minimal, which totally sucks. I’m determined to get back on deadline duty. Today.

And finally…

Life: It beats the alternative.

What’s going on in your world?

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Friday Sinema: Pina Coladas

Posted on May 10, 2019 by Silver James

Warning: Earworm ahead!

Okay, there’s a story behind today’s Sinema selection. A guy I follow (David Gaughran) for marketing advice used this song to illustrate a point in one of his newsletters. I had to go to YouTube to listen to it because…reasons! And I’d forgotten it was part of the soundtrack for “Guardians of the Galaxy.” So here. Chris Pine and an earworm for your TGIF fun! Have a great weekend. 😉 

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Conflict

Posted on May 9, 2019 by Silver James

While these “messages” from the Universe (via Tut.com) are meant to be life lessons of a sort for the individual, I so often find lessons that pertain to writing as well. Granted, my life certainly needs all the help it can get, and as a writer, I never want to stop getting better. Anyway…

So. There’s a thing when dealing with characters. Fiction writers take classes on the topic. What is it, you ask… It’s called GMC–Goal(s), Motivation, Conflict. Each character needs these three things in order to be interesting, in order for their story to be interesting and compelling, which keeps a reader reading. Some writers keep detailed notes, outlines, charts, etc. to make sure that each scene has its share of GMC. Lots of new writers want an easy way to understand GMC. To me, the Universe pretty much sums it up:

There’s never been a conflict, Silver, from which both parties didn’t have something very cool to learn.

That’s why we call them parties.

Gr-r-r-
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com®

Actually, every day’s a party, Silver, in time and space.

The last two lines before the Univers signs off is what sums it up for me. “There’s never been a conflict from which both parties didn’t have something very cool to learn. That’s why we call them parties.” The conflict between the parties (external conflict) leads to lessons (internal conflict) learned by the characters. And the party? That’s the Happy Ever After. Because I write romance. Gotta have the HEA. So question for both writers AND readers: Do you prefer the character’s internal conflict or is the external conflict your catnip?

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Wednesday Words: Unknown

Posted on May 8, 2019 by Silver James

Another Wednesday. More #1lineWed words. Today’s theme? Well…do you fear the UNKNOWN? Is there an Unsub (UNKNOWN Subject) in your future? Been to the Tomb of the UNKNOWN Soldier? Yup, our theme is **UNKNOWN**. Sadly, for Derek Alexander, the hero of CRASH & BURN, there are lots of unknowns in this snippet–Kit’s fate, who’s calling him, will he get to her in time? Hrmmm…

****
It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his wolf at bay. If Derek didn’t concentrate, claws, fangs, and fur sprouted spontaneously. He was sitting three cars back at a stoplight when a fire engine roared across the intersection, lights flashing and sirens blaring. More fire apparatus followed.

Derek! His lungs seized as his name echoed in his head. Kit. She was in imminent danger—and not too far away. His gaze followed the fire trucks and his gut clenched. He knew he was right. So did his wolf.

His phone rang. Unknown caller flashed on the screen. He answered but didn’t speak.

“The woman is going to die.” The deep voice was oddly accented, the English stilted. “If you drive very fast, you might save her. Or not.”

“What do you want, asshole?”

“You seem to know me so well. It is very simple, Mr. Alexander. I can save her, but I will need certain assurances from you first.”

You have a price on your head, literally. Smoke’s voice echoed in his head. And he caught the nuanced “can save her” as opposed to “will save her.” He clamped down on his emotions and leashed his wolf. “What do you want?”

“Your head.”

He laughed. “Yeah, right. I get someone to deliver my head and meanwhile my…the woman also dies. That’s not a bargain I’ll be makin’.”

“Ah well. We will play another day. In the meantime, I will watch your mate die.”

Derek caught the sound of sirens. The fire trucks. Oh, fuck. Kit was in danger of burning to death. But then the sirens faded, passing by the caller.

Laughter scraped his eardrum. “Big fires. Little fires. Both can kill. Too bad the firemen are going the wrong direction.”

“Listen to me, you motherfu—” The line went dead.
****
If you haven’t read C&B yet, just click on the book over over there on the right. Remember, the price goes up in a week or so. And if you have unknown words, share them!

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Tuesday Treats: BBQ Steakhouse Chili

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Silver James

Even though it’s spring time, sometimes the taste for chili is there. This is especially true around a firehouse. Just ask Kit.

Total Time: 7 Hr 30 Min
Prep Time: 30 Min
Cook Time: 7 Hr

This hearty BBQ Steakhouse Chili is made with tomatoes, beans and a pound each of beef top round steak and extra-lean ground beef.

What You Need

2 Tbsp. oil
1 lb. beef top round steak, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup A.1. Dry Rub Bold Original
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (16 oz. each) kidney beans, rinsed
2-1/2 cups undrained canned no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 bottle (18 oz.) KRAFT Hickory Smoke Barbecue Sauce
3/4 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Let’s Make It
1 – Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add next 5 ingredients; stir. Cook 10 min. or until meat is evenly browned, stirring frequently. Spoon into slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray.
2 – Add all remaining ingredients except cheese; stir. Cover with lid. Cook on LOW 7 to 8 hours (or on HIGH 4 to 5 hours).
3 – Serve topped with cheese.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Special Extra: Garnish with sliced green onions before serving.

Tip 2 – Special Extra: For easy cleanup, line slow cooker with plastic liner bag before filling with ingredients and cooking as directed.

Tip 3 – Game Day Tip: This is a great game-day chili since it both makes enough to feed a crowd, and can be prepared ahead of time. Refrigerate any leftovers, then reheat and serve spooned over split hot baked potatoes or cooked OSCAR MAYER Wieners.

Since the book with Kit and Derek’s story went live yesterday, she really wanted to share another tried and true recipe from her old department at Will Rogers World Airport where she was an ARFF. And yeah, she’s heard all the dog jokes, thank you very much. Kit’s very proud to be an Airport Rescue Firefighter but she sure didn’t expect to hit the ground running when she moved to the DFW International Airport Fire Department, nor did she expect to meet a sexy federal agent. FYI, Derek likes this version of chili. A lot. Because…it has meat. And lots of it. He’s a Wolf. What do you expect? You can grab their expanded story for $1.99 for the next couple of weeks or read free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. Price goes up to $2.99 in about 14 days. What about y’all? Chili year-round or only on chilly days? 😉

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A Monday In May

Posted on May 6, 2019 by Silver James

New month. New week. Same ol’ Monday. So…time to wax on about stuffs. Like…what I did this weekend, because I know y’all are bating your breaths to find out–or would that be baiting? 😉 Anyway, I have coffee in hand and I’m pretending this is Monday morning when it’s actually Sunday evening because that’s how I roll.

Writing news: CRASH & BURN is LIVE! CLICK HERE to grab your updated copy. It’s free to read with a Kindle Unlimited subscription, $1.99 to buy–for the next few weeks and then it’s going up to $2.99. There’s new material in a previously published book. So there’s that. Today is back to the RDR grind. Gotta get that puppy ruffed out because the Nightrider books are going into wide distribution the end of the month and I have to get updated copies done and uploaded to D2D for distribution. My KU page reads are down, as are sales in general at Amazon. Time to try something different.

TV: Live PD marathon. Like…d’uh. I’m refusing to watch the news and between baseball and Live PD, not watching much of anything else at the moment. Boring. *shrug*

Sports: Well, my Cardinals are doing better than anticipated, though they’ve dropped some games to some teams they should beat, like the *koffCubskoff* Still, they’re hanging in there at the top so no complaints. My Cowgirls got swept by OU but that’s not too surprising. OU is #1 in the nation and OSU is either #12 or #13, depending on the poll. I’ll take it! Speaking of the Stanley Cup, the St. Louis Blues have forced a game 7 against the Dallas Stars so that’s a yay, too.

Reading: The Black Dagger Brotherhood keeps growing. I’m up to the 18th book, THE CHOSEN. I grabbed a couple of audio books on sale for future listening: KILL THE QUEEN by Jennifer Estep. I’ve read the book and really enjoyed it. Grabbed the audio in preparation for release of the 2nd book in the series, PROTECT THE PRINCE, coming out soon. Also grabbed THREE MAGES AND A MARGARITA because…why not?!? There’s also some other books on my wish list coming out soon but I can’t remember them off the top of my head.

Miscellaneous: My bruises from the fall I took last week are sort of fading. I nailed my right arm. Ugh. The left knee has good days and bad days. I can’t sit for very long, still. I get stiff and stove up and it freaking hurts! Sucks to be old. 😛 Weather was cloudy and a bit chill on Saturday but beautiful Sunday. Now it looks like rain/stormy weather is moving back in today. Saturday was pancake breakfast at the American Legion post, along with a craft show, followed by siren test–which was call off due to “something in the atmosphere that might cause problems…oh, and the Edmond Arts Festival was in full force.” Most “spotters” were already in place. It meant that Only, Stormy, and I got to have early lunch at our favorite Mex restaurant. Lawyer Guy was doing Legion stuff at the Warr Acres Family Wellness Festival and Baseball was out-of-town with his team at regionals. They lost so he’s done. We also kept Stormy Saturday evening so Only could have a much-needed girls’ night out.

And that’s my news for the day. How about y’all? What’s going on in your worlds?

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Friday Sinema: Tornado

Posted on May 3, 2019 by Silver James

So, 20 years ago, the first tornado officially measured with winds of 300 mph occured here in central Oklahoma. I responded with the SAR team I volunteered with. Our first duty was to clear the cars and debris under an overpass on I-35 at Moore. After the two Bethany firefighters I was with, along with OHP officers and others, cleared the area, we used my Blazer to load up some injured motorists to take them over to the command post set up at a big Baptist church. I ended up running Resource Command for the duration. The May 3, 1999 tornado caused an “upgrade” in the Fujita Scale. As y’all know, I have a macabre sense of humor. Which is why I’m posting this video. Happy Friday.

FYI, Iffy wants to turn this video into a story. Figures. 🙄

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Thursday Thoughts: Finding Universal Love

Posted on May 2, 2019 by Silver James

Guess what!?! I write romance. Yeah, yeah. Those of you who drop by here have figured it out. I just thought I’d pass that piece of information along to any newcomers.

So anyway, I was in a social situation recently and was asked if I was retired or still working. “Still working–mostly,” I replied. I added the mostly because there are drought periods of various lengths when I’m…working but only sitting at the keyboard staring at the screen–blank or otherwise, ie. words needing editing. “Oh?” this person asked. “What do you do?” “I’m a writer.” I got that weird smile people sometimes give when they ask, “Are you published?” “Yes. I’ve got almost fifty books out.” That always gets a blink-blink, an “oh” and is usually followed by, “Have you written anything I’ve read?” Uhm…how would I know?

Enevitably, it leads to me explaining that I write romance–for Harlequin and as a self-pubbed author. “Oh.” Usually said in a superior yet dismissive tone with an arched brow, and often followed by, “So, you write those kind of books. Damn straight I do! I guarantee my readers a chance to escape, to live in a world other than their own, and they know the characters they hopefully have come to care about will get their Happy Ever After.

So what does this have to do with today’s message from the Universe? It’s that whole “almost fifty books” thing. Creating new characters, new plots, new ways to meet, break-up, make-up and live HEA, gets tougher and tougher with each new book. So, I’m turning to the big U…

When you begin to find love, Silver, in people and places where you haven’t found it before, it’s always because you’ve grown.

You so rock,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

All there is to love, Silver, has been there all along.

I like to think that I’ve grown as a writer, and that I’m looking for love in people and places I have been before. If I can keep this is mind, I should be able to find my creativity, to keep writing books, and yes, they will be THOSE kind of books because, folks? This old world needs all the love it can get. FYI, I was nursing some physical ailments from a fall on Tuesday night. Wednesday Words will be back next week because I want to share the love. And yeah, I’m still stiff and sore but I’m healing. Such a klutz! So tell me, do you look for love in all the wrong places? 😉

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Tuesday Treats: Slow-Cooker BBQ Beef Stew

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Silver James

Firefighters are notorious for not only being good cooks but being jealous of their recipes. This is one dish that’s firehouse ready.

Total Time: 7 Hr 35 Min
Prep Time: 20 Min
Cook Time: 7 Hr 15 Min
Discover the secret to the mellow flavor of our delicious Slow-Cooker BBQ Beef Stew! Click on the link below to watch the BBQ beef stew video to witness the recipe in action.

What You Need
2 lb. beef stew meat, trimmed
1 Tbsp. oil
5 carrots (3/4 lb.), peeled, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
2-1/2 lb. small red potatoes (about 10), quartered
3/4 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce, divided
1 Tbsp. MAXWELL HOUSE Instant Coffee
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen peas

Let’s Make It
1 – Cut meat into smaller 1-1/2-inch pieces if necessary. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add meat, in batches; cook 8 to 10 min. or until evenly browned, stirring occasionally.
2 – Place carrots, onions and potatoes in slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray; top with meat. Pour 1/2 cup barbecue sauce over meat; sprinkle with coffee. Cover with lid.
3 – Cook on LOW 7 to 8 hours (or on HIGH 5 hours).
4 – Stir in peas and remaining barbecue sauce; cook, covered, 15 min. or until heated through.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1: Substitute your favorite frozen vegetable, such as green beans, for the peas.

Tip 2: For a milder stew. omit the 1/4 cup barbecue sauce added with the peas.

Tip 3: Substitute your favorite flavor of KRAFT Barbecue Sauce.

Tip 4: Nutrition Bonus – Since this warm and hearty main-dish stew is low in calories, fat and sodium, you can feel good about serving it to your family. And as a bonus, the colorful carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A.

To get all the nutritional information and to watch the prep video, CLICK HERE to visit My Food and Family, the rebranding Kraft/Heinz recipe site. Katherine “Kit” Carson, the ARFF heroine of CRASH & BURN, admits she snagged this recipe from Kraft and it was an immediate hit at her old department, Will Rogers World Airport Fire Rescue Department. Since moving to DFW Airport, she doesn’t work 24-hour shifts any more so she doesn’t cook for her colleagues. Derek Alexander, Wolf shifter and Homeland Security intelligence investigator gives it four thumbs up. 😉 You can read about their story later this week when I release their updated book. Links will hit the Moonstruck Wolf page once it’s live. In the meantime, good eating…and reading!

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Monday Dance

Posted on April 29, 2019 by Silver James

Today is the next to the last day of April. A hectic month because…dang! April Fool’s Day was just…four weeks ago. My how time flies and all that BS. So…a quick update and then some fun facts about today.

First, sports because YAY! My OSU Cowgirls are moving up in the ranks and they had an awesome weekend with come-from-behind wins over Texas Tech. They’ll be at least 2nd in the Big 12. Next up? Bedlam with #1 ranked OU. Orange and Black, baby, but at the same time, I’m excited that OU is number one. Regionals, super regionals, and the Women’s College World Series is going to be fun this year. Not that it isn’t. In college baseball news, the Cowboys didn’t do so good but hey… And my Cardinals! Dude! They are leading the NL Central and 2nd over all in the National League. Of course, it’s a long season but…they weren’t supposed to be this good so triple YAYAYAY!

Writing is getting done. Slowly, not exactly surely, but I hope to have a new/old book rereleased this week. CRASH & BURN was originally part of Paige Tyler’s Dallas Fire & Rescue series for Kindle World. When KW shut down, Paige reverted rights back to all of us who wrote in her world. I’ve been fiddling around–in the back of my mind and we all know how dark and dusty and twisty-turny it gets in there!–with how to update the book. I finally figure it out. The heroine’s backstory is changing a bit, she’s still an ARFF but DFW International Airport has their own fire department that’s seperate from Dallas Fire. There’s also a couple of scenes I want to put back in. So, that’s going. I also got the previous versions of RDR#9 put together, rehased, revised, and rewritten. I’m thiiiiis close to starting on new words. I still need to fiddle with chapter 3 to get it headed in the new direction and then I should be good to move forward. Keep your fingers crossed.

TV is all about LIVE PD these days. And there’s an 11-day marathon this week so woot! Also, baseball. I’m saving up the DVRs of “Game of Thrones” for a marathon binge when the series ends because…dude, I hate to wait.

Reading is a binge at the moment. Still wending my way through the BDB books. I found a reading-order list that incorporates the original series and the spin-offs so I’m reading them in time-line order. I’ll be finishing BLOOD KISS (Black Dagger Legacy) which is book 1 in Legacy and book 17 in the complete series. Up next is THE BEAST. There are 26 books so far, with 3 more coming in August, November and sometime in 2020.

And now to the fun facts. There are holidays to be celebrated today! Here’s the list:

National Heroes Day (in Barbados). Sounds like a fine thing to me, being a romance author and everything.

National Zipper Day. Because…romance novels need those suckers.

And finally, it’s International Dance Day. Here’s to waltzing through your day or tangoing with your hero/heroine. And our questions of the day are all related to the above: Who’s your hero? Zippers or buttons? What’s your favorite dance?

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