Wednesday Words: He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Wolf

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Silver James

Today’s #1lineWed theme over on Twitter is **HEAVY.** You’d think in 31K words I’d have more than one reference. Nope. Just one. A heavy door banging against the wall. I should mention that this snippet continues words that are probably NSFW. The scene is pretty self-explanatory.
****
Growls. Chewy. Tait bolted out of bed. A scream. Lauren. Chewy. Lauren. His brain went to a dark and bloody place. Shit. He raced through the house, following the sounds. Chewy had been noticeably absent when he and Lauren arrived last night, and he hadn’t appeared when Tait took his midnight run. Damn wolfdog. And what the hell was Lauren doing up and out of bed? He’d left her asleep in the guest room. To be nice. To keep her safe. From him. But now Chewy! Who ate strangers. He should have tied her to the bed. He should have shot the damn wolfdog ages ago.

The heavy door banged against the rough-hewn logs of the house as he charged out onto the wide deck. Lauren was on the ground, Chewy straddling her body, his muzzle buried at her throat. Oh. Fuck. His wolf clawed to get out, desperate to get to Lauren, to their mate, to save her. His wolf wanted to challenge the other male, to taste his blood, no longer recognizing the fur brother who ran with him under the moon.

Tait was a heartbeat away from shifting when he recognized the sounds coming from Lauren weren’t screams of fear. Laughter? What the hell? She was shrieking in laughter.

“Stop it!” she ordered the wolfdog, breathless. “That tickles.”

Chewy licked her throat, her face, her arms. His muzzle nuzzled into her hair as her hands buried in the animal’s ruff. Tait’s wolf wanted Lauren to laugh with him, to pet him. Not the mangy half wolf. Him! And now his wolf wanted to slaughter the wolfdog for an entirely different reason. Jealous much? he chided his other half.

“Cheéte!” He barked Chewy’s Crow name.

Lauren pushed the wolfdog away and sat up. The animal immediately backed away, looking more than a little smug, and settled back on his haunches. Her mouth dropped open the moment she realized he was standing on the porch. Buck naked. Her eyes widened and her tongue took a long, languorous swipe over her top lip. His dick twitched and when those lips formed an almost perfect O, he almost went to his knees, ready to beg her to put that mouth on him.

Averting her eyes, she explained. “Sorry. I couldn’t sleep. I guess he’s…yours?” She blushed even as her eyes roamed over him from the top of his head to his bare feet and back up. Slowly. He didn’t believe it possible but his dick swelled larger and got even harder. He needed to fuck this woman. And fuck her now. His wolf was totally on board with that.

“Uhm,” she hummed softly. “Shouldn’t you…ah…maybe…get dressed? Or…something?”

Clothes. He needed some. Later. Because something sounded like a whole lot more fun than getting dressed. So yeah, he’d do that. Get dressed and stuff. Right after he claimed his mate.
****
Those are my weighty words for the day. I should have this puppy’s first draft done today. *crosses fingers* Then it will be time to edit. And revise. And edit some more. And proofread and send it to my betas and editor and…well, y’all know the routine. The question is, do any of you have heavy words to share?

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Tuesday Treats: Monte Cristo Bake

Posted on February 27, 2018 by Silver James

I have to admit that a Monte Cristo sandwich is probably one of my favorite things to order from a nice restaurant. There’s just something about the ham, Swiss cheese, deep-fried bread coating, and the sprinkling of powdered sugar that hits all my taste buds. When I first saw this recipe, I was a bit hesitant but said to myself, “Self, why the heck not?” So I added the ingredients to my grocery list and made it. And I said to myself after eating it, “Self, you were right! This is delicious.”

Prep Time: 15 min.
Total Time: 55 min.
Servings: 6 servings, 1 cup each

Discover this delectable Monte Cristo Bake. This awesome Monte Cristo Bake tastes like a mash-up of a Monte Cristo sandwich and a grilled cheese casserole.

What You Need
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups milk
6 cups French bread cubes (1/2 inch)
1 pkg. (7.5 oz) OSCAR MAYER CARVING BOARD Slow Cooked Ham, chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Swiss Cheese, divided

Make It
Heat oven to 350ºF.
Whisk eggs and milk in large bowl until blended. Add bread; stir to evenly coat. Gently stir in ham and half the cheese.
Spoon into 9-inch square baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining cheese.
Bake 40 min. or until center is set and top is golden brown.

A couple of things to note here. My grocery store is in the midst of getting rearranged so not all items were available. I substituted block Swiss cheese that I grated and Farmland Smoked Spiral Ham Slices and Pieces. The ham added a hint of sweet that was just right. Even with me having to cut up the bread and grating the cheese, this recipe was easy and oh-so-very tasty! You can CLICK HERE for the full details from Kraft Recipes.

I polled my characters and discovered a somewhat unlikely prospect who had this recipe in her repertoire. Adele McCoy Jones, wife and mate to Caleb Jones, from THE DEVIL’S CUT jumped all over this recipe. Turns out, I’m not the only one who hankers after the occasional Monte Cristo. She went further and got a bone-in ham, used the leftovers for the casserole and gave Caleb the bone on the next full moon. 😉 You can read their story in THE DEVIL’S CUT. Click on the title for the universal link to all book sellers. FYI, TDC and all my self-pubbed books will be on sale (from 99¢ to $2.99) beginning March 1st. My birthday present to all of you.

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Monday Oops…

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Silver James

Yeah…It’s Monday. All day. Normally, I set up my blogs the day before. Yesterday, I got distracted. SQUIRREL!

What can I say?

So, here’s a quick recap because I know y’all are fascinated by my life. (Add a smidge of self-deprecation there. 😆 )

BASEBALL! Thanks to switching to AT&T U-verse and their extra sports package, we get Fox Midwest directly, which means we get the St. Louis Cardinals baseball games, including some of the spring training games. Big yay! Now if someone would televise OSU and OU baseball and softball, I’d be a happy spring sports gal. High school baseball is starting too which reminds me to check with The Only to get Baseball Boy’s schedule for his high school team.

TV is almost non-existent in my world at the moment. I have it on as background noise but there’s very few shows I’m paying attention to–LUCIFER, THE ALIENIST (and boy is it DARK! I liked the Caleb Carr book the mini-series is based on, though), and LIVE PD because…Sean “Sticks” Larkin! I mean seriously. He should be a cover model for silver fox romance novels. No…he should be MY cover model! 😉

Writing. I’m doing some. I hit a crossroads yesterday evening, which is why I got distracted–well, one of the reasons I got distracted. The other reason is because I’m old and not always “smart.” Long story. Suffice it to say that it involved courtesy lights on Lawyer Guy’s truck. And getting them to turn off. Because I couldn’t figure out how I’d turned them on. Hey! I don’t drive his truck except on rare occasions. 😛 Still, I was laughing as he texted me instructions. 🙄 Anyway, I like the way Tait and Lauren’s story is coming together.

Reading. Other than B.E. Sanderson’s BLINK OF AN I, there hasn’t been much that’s caught my attention. I’m currently listening to Sherrilyn Kenyon’s BORN OF NIGHT, the first book in her SciFi series, The League. I’m also reading Lauren Smith’s GRIGORI, the first book in her new dragon series.

And that’s my life in a brief round-up on this sunny Monday morning. How was your weekend? Any big plans for the week?

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Friday Sinema: Cats

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Silver James

Who doesn’t want to watch cats on a Friday? Especially when they are doing that whole defying gravity thing. Have a great weekend!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Devil in the Details

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Silver James

I’ve been fighting a low-grade migraine so I’m a little late with today’s musing. And probably a little fuzzy in making logical leaps so please bear with my ramblings.

I hit a crossroads in my writing which made today’s tidbit all the more relevant. I don’t know many writers, even those who plot and outline and make notes and map out each action, who don’t ask themselves, “What if?” during the course of writing. Iffy, my Muse, quite often asks between paragraphs but then I’m a puzzler so that’s to be expected. FYI, I’m aware that Iffy is the personification of both my imagination and my internal sense of story. And the thing about asking, “What if?” There is no right answer. There are myriad answers, a whole bunch of rabbit holes, and twisty turns.

I have to agree to disagree with the Universe on limitations, though. Sometimes, the devil is in the details, especially when you tell stories for a living. But, at the same time, a variety of details can keep the reader guessing, the characters on their toes, and the plot moving forward. Which is sort of what the Universe is saying.

There’s always more than one right answer, path, possibility, nuance, or flavor – so insist upon none.

Insisting on details, Silver, always limits you.

Purple Moonbeam Chocolate, please –
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®
Coyote Ocean Cofferine? Double Chunky Banilla? Stop me, Silver… Desert Cactus Crunch?

Oh, that crossroads? I wrote alternative scenes. In edits and revisions, I’ll pick the one that moves the story along in the best way. In fact, I had an alternative scene from a previous book that fit perfectly into this one. No words are ever wasted. 🙂 I almost feel like I should add a disclaimer to my books: No words were harmed during the editing and revision of this story. And now, I think I’ll order up a Double Turquoise Snow-daynilla Cofferine. *stands at window staring out at two inches of sleet covering the driveway* Yup. I think I’ll do that. What about y’all? What decisions are you making today?

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Wednesday Words: Light as a Feather

Posted on February 21, 2018 by Silver James

How can it be Wednesday again? I can’t believe time is passing so fast. The good news is, it’s time for another #1lineWed over on Twitter and today’s theme is all about the lightness of being. Sort of. The prompt is **LIGHT**, and the picture is a feather. So…

As the past few snippets have been, here’s another one from MONTANA MOON. I’m up to almost 27K words now. There’s a little unfinished business–like making love, the black moment, some action, another black moment, and then the HEA. Because this is romance and the HEA is guaranteed. In this scene, Tait was hurt, yet he’s healed remarkably fast. Our intrepid couple have made it back to his cabin.
****
“A penny for your thoughts.”

He jerked his head up and focused on Lauren’s face. She was taking another bite of her omelet. She chewed and swallowed, motions he found far too fascinating and the movement of her throat made his dick throb. He needed to get away from her. He stayed where he was and said, “I’m thinking you need to tell me why you were running away.”

She blanched, reaching for a glass she’d filled with ice water. Lauren took a big, long drink and Tait decided that his dick might just break before it was all said and done. “There’s nothing to say.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Lauren flung her hands up, the gesture both overly dramatic and petulant. “What can I tell you?”

“How about the truth?”

Her eyes narrowed and the corners of her mouth pulled down. “The truth? That’s a two-way street, cowboy. Tell me your truth first.”

“You can’t handle the truth.”

Now her eyes went wide and a snarl curled her upper lip while her hands flailed around her head. The damn woman shouldn’t be so cute when she was angry. Tait folded his arms across his chest, waiting for her rebuttal.

She sputtered a few times, starting to speak then stopping as words failed her. She tried again. “You’re giving me bad movie lines now? Seriously?” Lauren stomped over, stopping directly in front of him. Her fingers curled into his T-shirt of their own accord, like they knew what to do even if she didn’t. “You think I’m some sort of lightweight? Ha! The stuff I know would curl your hair.” She blinked a few times as she considered his close-cropped thatch. “Well, it would if your hair was long enough.” Her voice caught on the last word and she looked away.

He tipped her chin up with a finger. “What is it, baby?”

Lauren thumped his chest, careful to land her fist closer to the shoulder opposite his injury. “You could have died, Tait. Because of me.” The words tumbled out, breathless and coated with worry and fear.

He tasted both on the tip of his tongue and inhaled the odors with each breath. Onions and ammonia. Not overwhelming. Yet. Her fingers clutched convulsively in his shirt but he fought the urge to wrap his arms around her.

“Why do you care, Lauren?”

Her lashes swept down to cover her blue eyes a moment before her head thunked against his chest. “I don’t know,” was her mumbled reply. “I shouldn’t. I don’t know you. And you don’t share anything about yourself. But—” She melted against him.

“We’ll talk, Lauren. Soon. I’ll tell you everything as soon as I know you’re safe.”
****
And with those words, methinks the man has tempted Fate just a little. So, do you have any light words to share? Any suppositions on where Tait and Lauren are going to end up after this scene?

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Tuesday Treats: VELVEETA Spicy Chicken Spaghetti with Bacon

Posted on February 20, 2018 by Silver James

I’ve made this. It is yummy. That is all. Well, almost all. 😉 This is perfect for a cold, drizzly day. Hot-n-spicy cheesy goodness.

VELVEETA Spicy Chicken Spaghetti with Bacon
Prep Time: 25 min.
Total Time: 1 hr. 25 min.
Servings: 10
Meat lovers will rejoice when they see this chicken and pasta bake on the table. Because yes—yes that is bacon swirled into the cheesy deliciousness.

What You Need
3/4 lb. spaghetti, uncooked
1 can (12 oz.) premium chunk white chicken breast (I use a 12 oz. bag of grilled chicken cubes)
3/4 lb. (12 oz.) VELVEETA, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I cheaqt and use the box of Velveeta Sauce – 3 4 oz. packets)
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) 98%-fat-free condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (10 oz.) RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Habaneros, undrained. For a little less spice use RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies. As y’all know, I don’t do tomatoes so I just use a small can of chopped green, chilis.
5 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked and crumbled (or the OM Bacon crumbles in a bag. Easy-peasy!)
1/3 cup milk (if you like a slightly thinner sauce, add a little more milk)
fresh cilantro for garnish (optional) I like the fresh cilantro so yeah.

Make It
PREHEAT oven to 350°F.

COOK spaghetti according to package directions, omitting salt. While pasta is cooking, add remaining ingredients to a skillet; cook and stir over med. high heat until VELVEETA is completely melted and mixture is well blended.

DRAIN spaghetti, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Add to chicken mixture and gently combine ingredients. Spread in a 13×9-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray.

BAKE 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with a little chopped cilantro. Ro*Tel is a product of ConAgra Foods, Inc.

As always, CLICK HERE for all the nutritional info. This recipe, it turns out is a favorite recipe to make for Isabelle “Izzy” Fountaine. She’s a Cajun girl and those cold winters in the mountins of West Virginia make her long for the hot-n-spicy. Good thing her mate, Rudy Tornjak, agrees. Though, as a Wolf, I think Rudy would rather there be some rare beef in the pot. 😉 You can read about them in ROGUE MOON.

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Prezday Monday

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Silver James

Today is a holiday. No mail. No banking. But lots of sales. I never have figured out why celebrating presidents’ birthdays is a reason to mark retail stuff down. I guess that’s why marketing isn’t my strong suit. So…it’s Monday again. Except I don’t get the day off. Writers are like cats in that regard. However, it is time for a follow-up of last week and a look ahead to this week.

So, there’s this thing called the Olympics going on. Do I care? Not really. I’m not big on winter sports except maybe the biathlon and you can bet the Peacock won’t show much of it. I did catch a video of a German figure skater and was surprised at how few people were in the venue. I’d heard attendance was all but non-existent. Sad, considering how much money a country spends to get the games and then to build the various venues. Makes no sense to me. Anyway… That’s my political commentary for the week. Oh, there’s a lot I could say because the stupidity is running rampant out there but nope… My blood pressure is under control and I’d like to keep it there.

Let’s get to the usual stuff. There was a week. It is over. There is a week. It is starting. That’s pretty much the story of my life. 😆 I got new words down last week. I got some cleaning/decluttering done. I did not get any naps. To further break it down:

Writing. I did some. Then the characters got a wild hare and I was all muppet-flail until I could rein them in. Progress is steady if slow. I’m at about 80% of my projected word count so I really need to get these two moving. Sadly, there’s only been one kiss and no canoodling. I must rectify that. ASAP.

TV. New LIVE PD Friday night and Saturday night. Yay! There were several intense situations where the police and deputies showed a remarkable amount of patience and restraint in face of incredible hostility and stupidity. Then I caught a news story about some stupid college kids in Tennessee protesting the cops on campus brought in to protect them during their protest. Seriously? WTF are the parents?!?! Climbing off soapbox now. LUCIFER is getting interesting again. I wasn’t sure about the introduction of Cain (yes THAT Cain) but yeah, curious now. With the U-verse hookup, we now get the C&I channel, which is like mostly reality cop shows, including DALLAS SWAT. Hadn’t seen it in years. Excellent “fodder” to sleep to. Don’t ask. Long story about being on call, sleeping with a scanner, boring stuff.

Reading. Still in something of a slump. Fell back on the IN DEATH series. Now I’m trying an older paranormal series I read years ago. I can get the books free either through Audible Romance or the library. It’s Christine Warren’s The Others series–not to be confused with Anne Bishop’s Others series. Mental note to self, might be time to re-listen to Bishop’s series as she has a new, collateral series book coming out in that world the first week in March. There are a couple of Kindle books I preordered that have it. I need to read them too but by the time I get to bed to read, the eyes are so tired it’s tough.

And that’s pretty much the story of my life. Spring Training baseball starts the end of the week. I have to get my H/h “together” then rip them apart for the black moment and then get them to the HEA. I really should get on the gazelle because I actually can now–if I pull it out a little. Is it time for a nap? What’s went on in your world last week and do you have a to-do list for this one?

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Friday Fun: #MyLitSquad Couples Style

Posted on February 16, 2018 by Silver James

Grab a coffee–or the beverage of your choice, get comfortable and let’s play. Because it’s Friday. And time for fun! Audible started the #MyLitSquad hashtag on Twitter with a list on their blog of the book characters they would pick to be on their “lit squad.” Since this is the Friday after Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d fill out my list with my “go-to” bookish couples. This is the explanation from the blog:

Some come from cozy mysteries while others from well known literary classics…still more emerge from far out sci-fi or sublime fantasy. But what the members of our crew all have in common is that each represents someone everyone could use on their side. This is our dream team. What favorite characters from books would make your list? Let us know at #MyLitSquad

You can CLICK HERE to see the article and the full list of their picks. 🙂

They had such go-to types as The Fun One, The Caretaker, The Chill One, etc. Well, in the spirit of Friday fun, here’s my dream team of bookish couples you can always depend on when it’s you against the world:

The Seeking-Justice Couple: Eve Dallas and Roarke from JD Robb’s In Death series. Do I really need to explain why? She’s a smart homicide detective, he’s the richest (and sexiest) guy in the world. Together, they can solve it, fix it, make it better, or just freaking buy it to always find justice for those who deserve it.

The Kick-Ass Couple: Kate Daniels and Curran from Ilona Andrews’ Magic series. Kate can take on any big bad because it’s in her blood. And Curran? Well, he’s a First and his bad ol’ lion self is no pussycat.

The We’re-No-Angels Couple: Elena and Raphael from Nalini Singh’s Guildhunter/Archangel series. Technically speaking, they ARE angels. In fact, Raphael is an archangel. Dude. Nobody kicks his ass. She’s a human Guildhunter who tracks vampires, and survived a certain death to wake up with wings. They’ve got flying high cover in the bag.

The Devil-Don’t-Care Couple: Charlie Davidson and Reyes from Darynda Jones’s Charlie Davidson series. She sees dead people–and as the Reaper, sends them to the beyond. He’s the Son of Satan. Who the hell is gonna get in their way?

The We-Got-This Couple: Hannah Jackson and Ian “Mac” McIntire from my own Moonstruck series because hey, it’s my list! Hannah is one to ride the river with, has mad research skills, and she gets it done, no matter what. Well, so long as it doesn’t involve cooking. 😆 And Mac? Alpha Wolf, baby. Big, bad SpecOps wolf shifter. He’s always got your back.

So who would be on your Lit Squad? Individuals, couples…you pick!

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Thursday Thoughts: Seeking Emotion

Posted on February 15, 2018 by Silver James

Romance writers are all about the romance, right? About the sexy times and longing and desire and…yeah. All that there stuffs. And people seem to think it’s easy to tell a story where romance is the heart of things. No pun intended. But it’s not. The easy part is describing how Tab A fits into Slot B and who’s hand is where and which way heads turn so lips can meet in a searing kiss. No, really. Writing the sexy bits is pretty easy. It’s also boring. The hard part is going deeper–to find the real emotion behind the actions.

As the Universe points out:

To better understand where you’re at, Silver, seek to understand why you want what you want, getting to the emotions you’re after.

To go even deeper, ask yourself why you think you can’t feel those now.

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

Feel them now, Silver, and more reasons will follow.

It’s that digging deep, seeking the true emotional center of the hero and heroine, that is the true story in a romance. All the rest helps tell the story, but the characters must have heart, must feel, must be willing to sacrifice and get hurt and give everything they are to find that elusive spark that takes attraction all the way to love.

On this day after Valentine’s Day, I’m working to give two more characters a chance at joining their hearts. And I want to thank you, my readers, for following along on their journey. Here’s to romance and to hearts finding their way to each other. I ❤ y'all.

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