Thursday Thoughts: Universal Highs and Lows

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Silver James

There are good days and bad days. There are happy days and sad days. And then there are just…plain ol’ days. I’ve been stuck in a weird head space for several months now. Time is zipping by as quick as a blink of the eye. The more time that goes by, the harder it is to get in the head space that makes me want to change things. And then the Universe shows up in my inbox.

Low days exist to remind you that you still have choices.

High days, Silver, exist to remind you of how fast you rebound… among other things.

Boing,
The Universe

© http://www.tut.com ®
High days, Silver, also remind you that no matter where you’ve been, I can still reach you.

I need to boing. Okay, to be honest, I need a friggin’ bungie cord and a high bridge to get the boing back. I’m tired of the low days and would love to have a high day. I’m searching for it, eventually I’ll find it. And that’s about as optimistic as I can get at the moment. How ’bout you? How do you find your boing?

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Wednesday Words: Treasure

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Silver James

So…another Hump Day, another #1lineWed challenge on Twitter. X marks the spot as we search for TREASURE in our words. In answer to today’s them of **TREASURE**, I found this snippet from our favorite dragon’s POV. This scene is from LEATHER & LACE. I’m not quite sure where and when it happens, but the competition between Nikos and Sinjen definitely heats up in this book. I hope you enjoy…
****
Nikos was an idiot. This was one party he should not be crashing. The Mare Mascaradă was, to the vampires, as sacrosanct to the night kind as the Próti Ptísi was to the dragon clans. Still, when he’d discovered that Sinjen intended to bring Sade and introduce her to the Nysferanti court, he couldn’t stay away. If he was caught, the Nysferanti would be well within their rights to not only demand his death but to wage war against the Clans. He was the Drakon of Clan Kholikikos.

Pulling his glamour tightly around him, he stayed to the shadows of the upper promenade. Had his information been false? The ball was half done. The new vampires had been presented to the Vampyre Conclave. The more brutal events were over, the survivors of the blood games standing sentry around the perimeter.

What was it about the infuriating human that drew him so? It was a fascination that could be considered a betrayal if he went too far. Risking war by his presence was bad enough. To take her to mate would be to commit the ultimate perfidy. His Archon would demand his head and his hoard. Yes, he wanted to bed the woman, and claim her, but not as his mate. Bad enough that her emerald eyes reminded him of the jewel he coveted most, but the woman herself? She was…unique.

The crowd stirred, pulling his attention to the polished floor of ebony wood where masked dancers whirled in a kaleidoscope of colors. The massive doors opened at the hands of liveried attendants. The vampires were as bad the fae when it came to pomp and ceremony. The male entering drew his gaze immediately. Kristian St. John had been a warrior—a Templar knight. He’d sacrificed his life during one of the insufferable religious wars waged by humans only to discover that he’d been turned by the master vampire, Mathias De Vries.

Sinjen was tall for his age. Nikos choked back his humor. While his glamour would hide his form, it did not blanket sound. In the Twelfth Century, men were not tall. The vampire would have stood head and shoulders above his peers at the time. His dark hair and eyes the color of sapphires set in a face of sculpted planes turned heads of both sexes. He wore the black tuxedo like he’d been born to the garment. So many of the Nysferanti reveled in the formal attire of the past. Nikos had to give Sinjen props for not bowing to tradition.

But where was Sade? He stepped closer to the balustrade, leaned around the massive polished marble column he’d used to shadow his form, seeking her. She wasn’t there. He sought out Sinjen—who was staring up at him. Their gazes collided. Sinjen held out his hand. A gloved hand slipped into it. Nikos jerked his eyes to the glorious woman who could claim him if he let down his guard. The red satin dress caressed her long, lean body with loving care. Her hair was bound in a severe twist held by emerald combs.

Nikos swallowed hard. He was salivating like a dragonet stealing his first jewel. Sinjen’s eyes remained on him as the damnable man led the treasure that was Sade Marquis onto the dance floor. Music swelled. A tango. As he watched them dance, he realized that he could betray his kind to own this woman. It was time to go before he lost all honor.
****
Writers, do you have any treasure in your WIPs to share today? Readers, what books do you treasure?

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Tuesday Treats: Slow-Cooker Saucy Swiss Steak

Posted on January 22, 2019 by Silver James

When life gets busy and the temps are chilly, it’s time to drag out the Crock Pot and have a hearty meal like this one.

Prep Time: 15 min.
Total Time: 8 hr. 15 min.
Servings: 4 servings

Throw the fixings in the slow cooker in the morning, then enjoy a steak-and-peppers main dish simmering in a tomato-based sauce for dinner.

What You Need
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1 boneless beef chuck steak (1 lb.), cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained*
1/2 cup beef broth
1 green pepper, chopped*
2 cups hot mashed potatoes
1/2 cup shredded KRAFT Swiss Cheese

*I’m allergic to tomatoes so I leave them out but add onion slices along with the peppers because I ❤ onions. I add extra beef broth to compensate for the liquid.

Make It
Heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Meanwhile, coat meat with flour; gently shake off excess flour. Add meat to skillet; cook 2 to 3 min. on each side or until evenly browned on both sides. Remove from heat.

Combine tomato paste, tomatoes and broth in Slow Cooker.Add meat and peppers; cover with lid. Cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours (or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours).

Serve meat mixture over potatoes; top with cheese.

As always, to get all the details, head on over to Kraft Recipes by CLICKING HERE. Since BLOOD & FIRE has been updated, revised and re-released, with a heroine who is a busy EMT, this recipe is definitely in Celie Monaghan’s recipe box and she made it a lot because growing up in a pack town means lots of meat. She let me know that Rhys really likes this dish too. 😉 You can read their story–a stand-alone novel set in the Moonstruck World–for free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription or at the new release price of $1.99. That price goes up later this week so grab it while it’s cheap.

What about y’all? Do you rely on your slow cooker?

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Super Blood Wolf Moon Monday

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Silver James

So, who stayed up to see the Super Blood Wolf Moon last night? *raises hand* It was pretty cool. Even cooler is the sale I’ve got going on for BLOOD MOON and WOLF MOON. Also, BLOOD MOON is featured on BookDoggy today. CLICK HERE to check it out. When I last checked my rankings, BLOOD MOON had hit the top ten in Kindle Fantasy, War & Military, and Romance. Hopefully, all the free downloads will create sell-throughs on the rest of the series. Time will tell. WOLF MOON has moved up in rankings, and that’s good too. I’ll be interested to see my stats tonight after the ad and feature hit. If you want to grab BLOOD MOON for free, CLICK HERE. You can grab WOLF MOON is on a Kindle Countdown Deal so it’s between .99 and $1.99. By Wednesday, it’ll be back to its regular $2.99. CLICK HERE to buy it.

In other news…

Have I mentioned how much I love LIVE PD? And A&E’s MURDER SQUAD: ATLANTA. I must be in a criminal frame of mind.

That frame of mind seems to be sloshing over into my reading. I’ve done a marathon listen to Lani Lynn Vale’s Uncertain Saints MC series. They’re all law enforcement types who walk the shadowy side of the law. It’s set in Uncertain, Texas–a real place on the Texas/Louisiana line on Caddo Lake. I enjoyed the characters but struggled to get over the somewhat blatant disregard of actual LEO/legal practices. I got all the audio books either through my Audible Romance package (subscription service) or the library. I also got my list of books to read for the RWA RITA award. I’m excited. I’ve already started on the first, but as they’re digital, I can’t read all the way through like I’d prefer.

Sports: Wow. The Saints got beat. And it’s 22 days until Pitcher/Catcher. I care far more about that than the NFL. I’ve only watched the Superbowl for the commercials the past several years.

Writing: Yeah…no.

Weather: It got colder that brass…well, y’all know the old saying…over the weekend. I hauled out the sheepskin ranchers coat. Warm and snuggly. I worry about the feral cats I feed in this weather. I have “houses” for them on the porch, mostly out of the wind, definitely out of the rain, snow, and ice. I feed them on little rugs to help their feet from getting cold. The set hanging around may or maynot be using the shelters. The ones who definitely used them have moved on–death or adoption or just passing through.

So, it’s a new week and I have new goals set. What about y’all?

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Casting

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Silver James

Those of you who read yesterday’s snippet in Wednesday Words will know the character I’m referring to. If didn’t read yesterday’s post and you want to, CLICK HERE, then come on back. 🙂

So anyway…Maks. I have no clue where he came from. Y’all know I do several #flashfiction challenges. Participants are given various types of prompts and then write a scene that’s anywhere from 250 to 500 words. In my process, those scenes usually get expanded and used in a book. From time to time, I toy around with the idea of writing and releasing three serial novels. Three Wolf “packs” whose members are mobsters, basically. Irish, Russian, Italian. Multiple characters, each Wolf getting his mate, overall story arc in the book. It will take far more preliminary plotting–I have a weird process but usually the plot and character arcs fall into place as I write.

So…Maks. He appeared out of thin air, a Wolf and a member of the Russian mafiya/Vor. And something terrible happened to him. Yesterday’s snippet is a peek at the aftermath. It’s magic when a scene and a character appear from the mists of my imagination. Which is why this message from the Universe hits so close to home.

The world is filled with many colorful characters, Silver, one or many of whom would be absolutely thrilled to play along in any drama you’d care to create – romantically, socially, financially, comically – any.

You just have to let me do the casting – have to.

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

You decide what you want, Silver, physically move in its direction and I’ll “send in the clowns.”

This is a great summation of the writing process. Those of us who write fiction create imaginary beings and give them substance. We give them lives to live–romance, social activities, jobs. We give them laughter and tears, happingess and sorrow. We create the fabric of their existence and breathe life into them. If that isn’t magical, I’m not sure what is. It’s time for me to knuckle down and send my clowns out on stage. They’re all waiting for their chance. Have a little music to go with the magic and the clowns this morning. FYI, someday, this song will be my inspiration for a second-chance romance. 😉

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Wednesday Words: Fantasy

Posted on January 16, 2019 by Silver James

Another Wednesday and we’re already half-way through January. How is that even possible?!? I have this fantasy of stopping time so I can get everything done that I need and still sleep, eat, and other stuffins. Wednesday also means it’s time for Twitter’s #1lineWed and this week’s theme is **FANTASY.” This piece is a bit dark. And a lot off the wall. Old-timers will remember me talking about creating a three-book serial series, Moonstruck Mafia, with books centering on Irish Wolves/mob syndicate in Boston, Russian Wolves/Vors/Mafiya in New York, and Italian Wolves/mafia/mob in Chicago. Each book would be a complete story arc but there would be more than one Wolf finding his true mate during the course of the story.

Still with me? I still have this project on the back burner and when I get the occasional flash of inspiration, I jot the words down. Well, Monday, I had one of those flashes thanks to a flash fiction challenge. I wrote a terse scene of only 250 words (that’s part of the challenge), and I’ve since added some more. I know one of the characters (Mikhail is the Russian’s brother), but I don’t know who Maksim is. Not yet. But I will. And I want to work on this project. But I have others in front of it. Anyway, here’s an out-of-the-blue snippet that sort of fits today’s theme.
****
“Maks.”

His name whispered in the dark, enticing him to follow the sound. He didn’t move. As long as he hid in the shadows, no one could find him. He didn’t breathe for a long time as he listened.

“Maksim.”

Her voice. Sultry. Tempting.

“Maksim!”

Her voice. Strident. Taunting.

Lover.

Mother.

Both had betrayed him.and they weren’t the only ones. He’d been delivered into

The faces chased each other in and out of his memory. Beautiful. Ugly. Soothing. Horrifying. The memories blended together in the shadows of his mind until he could no longer separate them and he saw only an amalgam of their faces fused together.

“Maks.”

His voice. Mikhail. The one who found him. Who saved him so long ago. Who couldn’t save him now. No one could save him now.

“Come back, Maks.”

He didn’t want to. He had no place to go back to. It had all been destroyed. He’d been destroyed. Body. Soul. His brain…so fragile…like it was made of glass. If he opened his eyes, if he faced the world, he would shatter like crystal on jagged rocks. Better he stay in the Stygian depths of his madness. The voices silenced. Finally. Likely, his imagination had conjured them like a bitter fantasy of what could never be again. He was supposed to die.

Pain. So much pain. No. He would not remember. He would not talk, would not reveal the secrets he held. No matter what they did to him. They broke him. Over and over but he remained true to his brothers. To the Vor. He’d kept the secrets, no matter what obscenities those others perpetrated on him. More pain. Bones breaking. Joints popping. Skin splitting. The blackness swallowed him whole, and he welcomed it.

Floating. A sea of shadowed mist. The pain was held at bay

What was that sound? He listened. Considered. Skin brushing paper? Yes. Maybe. Was someone folding paper nearby?

“What are you doing, Katya?”

“Folding origami cranes, Uncle Misha. If I make one thousand cranes, my wish that Uncle Maks will wake up will come true.”

“Ah, Katya.”

He heard the heartbreak in Mikhail’s voice. In the child’s. Small hands patted his cheek. Sweet lips kissed his forehead. Then the sound of rustling paper once more.

“How many more, Katya, before your wish comes true?”

“Nine hundred and ninety-nine.”
****
There it is. If you’re curious about the prompts (there were three) CLICK HERE. You can also read my original scene. FYI, I won this week’s contest. 🙂 If you have some fantastical words to share, please do.

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Tuesday Treats: Easy Pudding Cookies

Posted on January 15, 2019 by Silver James

Everyone loves cookies, right? Cookie Monster certainly does and I have it straight from the Blue One’s mouth that he LOVES these pudding cookies. They’re easy to make and yummy to eat. Especially with a cup of coffee. 😉

Prep Time: 15 min.
Total Time: 27 min.
Servings: 42 servings, 1 cookie each

What You Need
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding
2 eggs
1-1/2 pkg. (4 oz. each) BAKER’S White Chocolate (6 oz.), chopped

Make It
Heat oven to 350°F.

Combine flour and baking soda. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add dry pudding mix; beat until blended. Add eggs; mix well. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing well after each addition. Stir in chocolate.

Drop tablespoons of dough, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets.

Bake 10 to 12 min. or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Cool 1 min. on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

CLICK HERE for all the nutritional details. Even Hannah can make these–just so long as she remembers they’re in the oven. 😉 With the Super Wolf Blood Moon arriving later this month, y’all might want to revisit Hannah, Mac, and the gang. You can start with MOONSTRUCK: SECRETS. Just click on the bookcover to hit the page with the links to all the places you can buy the book in all the formats.

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Half-Moon Monday

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Silver James

And, time to start another week. *sigh* Today might just call for two full pots of coffee. However, there was a week and a weekend passed to sum up so moving on, coffee mug firmly in hand.

Writing: I’m doing some. Sadly, mostly flash fiction bits and pieces on the WIPs, but even a few new words is a baby step forward. On a more hopeful note, I’m finally getting around to revising and updating the two Moonstruck Wolf novellas that were previously published in Kindle Worlds that I didn’t republish with the original licensing authors. I have the rights back and just haven’t found the time or inclination. They’ll basically remain the same story, but with references from the Kindle World characters and locales removed and with some additional insertions of Moonstruck characters, a few revisions and additions to narrative. I have hopes of having them published to Kindle this week. I have the revised covers back so I know at least one of them will be, provided I get through the rest of the editing. I’m about half-way done.

Sports: Clemson beat Alabama. More importantly, it’s only 29 days until pitchers and catchers report.

TV: I’ll admit to a new obsession. “The Masked Singer.” I’ve described it as a trainwreck with champagne on the side. Basically, celebrities dress up in crazy and elaborate costumes and compete head-to-head in a singing competition. There are hints and clues about who they are. The celebrity panel is supposed to guess the singer. At the end of the night, one is unmasked. So far, there’s been an NFL player and Tommy Chong. It’s insane, I know. I DVR it and watch when no one is around to catch me. Also, LUCIFER is “live” on Netflix now. I need to schedule a time to catch up on the last three episodes from last season and then binge watch.

Reading: I did some reading and some listening. Some new to me authors, some favorites, most of them dark-and-dirty mafia/mob type books. Not sure what that says about my headspace but it is what it is. There are some new releases coming up that I have on preorder–the next J.D. Robb, Anne Bishop’s next The Others book, Christine Feehan’s next Torpedo Ink entry (another dark and dirty–heh!), and…Oh yeah! Jayne Castle’s ORCHID, which is the last book in her St. Helen’s trilogy that were released a looong time ago. I believe she might have gotten the rights back–or at least the audio rights because she’s been releasing them lately.

That’s pretty much the sum total of my world of late. What’s been happening in yours?

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Friday Sinema: Danger Zone

Posted on January 11, 2019 by Silver James

I haven’t posted a PD Lip Sync Challenge video in a long time. I was listen to some songs while working on the playlist for the next Penumbra Papers novel and this one popped up in my Youtube suggestions. Because I ❤ the song–and San Diego–I clicked. And started laughing. Grab your favorite beverage, take ten minutes, and watch the video. You'll want to watch the "out takes" at the end. Trust me! Happy Friday and well done, San Diego CHP!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Soul

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Silver James

You know, there’s not much to say here. I mean, think about it. The Universe has pretty much boiled it down. Lead. Follow. Or get out of the way.

Baby souls follow.

Young souls lead.

But old souls, Silver, are just as happy to dance alone.

Not that I’m spying on you,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

Silver, your wisdom is showing.

The thing is, sometimes even old souls don’t have sense enough to get out of their own way. They can get wrapped around the axle just as easily as the young and dumb. We like to think that with age comes wisdom, but I promise…that’s not always true. Still, maybe I’ll go dance a little jig when no one is around. S’gotta be better than sitting around like a lump wondering WTF?, right? And who knows, maybe that jig will become a conga line and all my WIPs will line up and dance with me. Sounds like a plan to me. What about y’all? Where are you on the universal scale?

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