I’m a kid of the 60s and 70s. Three of my favorite songs were “Scarborough Fair,” “I Am a Rock,” and the iconic “The Sounds of Silence.” When I was writing Roman’s book for the Penumbra Papers, I came across Disturbed’s version and it became my new favorite–so much so that it’s tone helped shape the book, SOUND OF SILENCE. Well, I think I have a new favorite cover and yes, this version will appear in the soundtrack of ARIEL’S DAMN BOOK, no matter what the title is. I hope you enjoy it. Have a great weekend!
Once again, the Universal has presented me with a message that applies not only to Real Life but also to writing. At least to me. A compelling story always contains conflict. There are two kinds: exteranl and internal. External occurs when other people and/or events (or other things) affect the character(s). Internal are those “demons” an individual deals with during their journey (character arc) from the start of the story to the end. In romance, this gets tricky because it is really easy to get lazy. Example: The Great Misunderstanding!™️(That could be immediately solved if the characters just talked to each other.) This one drives a lot of romance readers–me included–nuts. I’ve DNF’d a few books because I was tempted to through the book (or my Kindle) at the wall. As a writer, don’t get lazy. Do NOT succomb to the temptation. That’s not to say the characters can’t have a misunderstanding. That’s good and can lead to growth in a character’s arc. The problem comes when they hide their feelings and resentment for the entire book and this is the entire sum of the conflict.
Anyway, here’s what the Universe passed along:
Adversity, challenges, and bumps in the road, Silver, are often the first signs that a great healing has begun.
P.S. Especially when one seeks to understand them, Silver.
Think about the great stories and characters. Frodo comes to mind. Harry Potter. Eve Dallas (see I’m not always about the magical…). For a character to grow, they need to face adveristy, be challenged, and stumble over those bumps in the road. THAT’S their story. How they react, how they move forward, that’s the story. In a good story, a character starts out flawed at the beginning and due to all the stuff–bad and good–that happens, they come out healed at the end.
And, to be honest, all these things go into writing a good story. Authors, ammi right? *nodnodnods* We face adversity–finding time to write. Wrestling with characters and plots. Making up words that make sense. It’s a challenge to find a new story to tell or to tell an old story in a new way. And the bumps in the road to publication often leaves bruises. I won’t speak for other writers–though I suspect they mostly feel the same–when I finally type THE END and even knowing that I’m only half-way through the writing process, there’s a great sense of accomplishment. And relief. All the trials and tribulations suddenly become worth it. We get our HEA just like our characters. And I use HEA in a broader sense than the romance ending of “And they lived happily ever after.” Think about it. Every main character gets an HEA. The detective solves the mystery. The soldier wins the battle. The seeker finds the meaning of life.
So cheers to all of us–writers, readers, and characters. We’ll face what comes our way and come out better for it on the other side. Right? Right!
Here we are at midweek once again. Truthfully, I have no idea where time is going. I mean, it was just the first of May and like two days later, it’s a mid-month Wednesday. Luckily, I do have some new words to share. I’m also pleased to announce that those words got me the Honorable Mention in last week’s Thursday Threads. The judge had this to say: I love the chemistry between these characters and the quiet introspection of Carla just being with Aisling. Bonus points for Carla being a witch. And the magic prompt for today is: *”Wish he was still here.”* Again, not quite certain where this fits exactly, but it’s more toward the beginning than the end.
**** Aisling followed Carla’s suit and plopped her sock-covered feet on the coffee table. She sipped the chocolaty liquid in the mug she held and sighed happily. “What did you call this again?”
“Loco cocoa.”
“Well, it tastes magical.”
Carla let out a gigglesnort. “I may be a witch, Aisling, but magic potions are not my forte. It’s the peppermint schnapps.”
“Ah, that explains the loco part.” Aisling sipped again. “I’m okay, you know.”
“I know.”
Aisling’s sips turned into gulps. Carla wisely headed to the kitchen and returned bearing a thermal carafe. She refilled the other woman’s cup.
“I really am,” Aisling insisted.
“I know.”
Aisling sighed, the sound unhappy now. “Still…”
“Yeah, still.”
“Wish he was still here.”
“First love is like that.”
Aisling bolted upright, her feet hitting the floor and the cocoa sloshing over her hand. She quickly licked the spill off her skin before confronting Carla. “I didn’t love him.”
“Uh huh.”
“Still don’t.”
“Uh huh.”
Settling back down on the overstuffed couch, Aisling placed her feet back on the coffee table, once more mimicking her friend’s posture. “Why did he leave?”
“Don’t know.” Carla sipped her own drink. “But I get the feeling he didn’t want to go.”
“Do you think he’ll come back?”
“Don’t know.” Carla lifted her shoulders in a negligent shrug.
“You don’t care.”
“I care about you, Aisling. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m not hurt.” A silvery tear trailed down Aisling’s cheek. “I’ll be okay.” She gulped more of her drink. “I am, after all, a librarian.”
“Of course, you will.” Carla held her mug up for a toast. “To librarians!”
Aisling clicked mugs. “Damn straight.” ****
I will note that Thursday Threads is only 250 words. Today’s entry got a bit of revision done on it before posting, so there are 278 words. Yeah, yeah, nit-picky. Anyway, Carla is turning out to be a bit more important than originally anticipated. She is also lobbying for her own book. Or at a novella. I have the feeling a couple of the characters are brewing up trouble behind my back. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed today’s snippet. Writers, take the prompt and wish it into your writing. Readers, what fictional character would you like to meet?
As I teased last week, here’s a recipe that I’ve actually tried and can vouch for. If you have the ingredients on hand, it’s five minutes prep and then you walk away from the crock pot. If you don’t have the ingredients, then it takes a little longet because…trip to the grocery store. Also, make sure you have either ice cream or whipped cream on hand. If not, add one or both to the grocery list.
Lemon-Blueberry Dump Cake
Recipe details Yield: 8 servings Prep time: 5 Minutes Cook time: 3 Hours Total time: 3 hr 5 min
Ingredients 2 (21 oz) cans of blueberry pie filling 1 box of lemon cake mix 1 stick of butter
Instructions 1 – Spray the crock with non-stick cooking spray. 2 – Add two cans of blueberry pie filling. 3 – Add cake mix 4 – Cut the butter into 10 slices and place them spaced out on top of the cake mix. 5 – Cook on high for 3 hours, or low for 5-6 hours. 6 – Served topped with ice cream or whipped cream.
Tips 1 – Be sure to spray the crockpot with non-stick spray. This will make it a lot easier to serve the blueberry lemon cake. It also makes clean up a lot easier. 2 – If you are serving this to a group you can easily double this recipe but make sure to watch the cooking time.
NOTES: 1. Aftr emptying the cans, I added a little bit of water to the first can of blueberry filling and swished it around to get the “leftover gooey.” Then I poured it into the second, swished, and added to the filling in the pot, stirring it a little. I’m talking less than 1/4 cup and it didn’t seem to change things one way or another. 2. Watch your bake time. I probably overcooked mine a but but stuff happens. 3. The cake part seemed a little “thin” but that might have been due to the size of my crock pot. I may play around size and amounts since I have smaller inserts in my fancy crocker. I might all add a bit more butter. 4. It ain’t pretty but it dang sure is tasty!
Izeta Cordero was once a CIA assassin. Now she lives on an island in the Outer Banks when she isn’t sailing the ocean blue on her Wolf mate’s boat. Zeta doesn’t cook. I mean like Hannah and Sade are proficient in comparision. And Zee is okay with that. Her brain doesn’t work like most of ours. That said, she is pleased to announce that even she can make this cake. Her mate is former SpecOps soldier, Brody “Babel” Buchanan and he loves this for dessert, breakfast, midnight snack, whenever. And using the crock pot means Zeta can make it when they’re at sea in the boat. Their meeting wasn’t a typical romantic “meet cute.” She was sent to Brazil to assassinate him. 👀 I know, right? If you want to find out how this all came about, grab UNDER THE ASSASSIN’S MOON. Just click on a pic or the title and zoom off to Books2Read to find your favorite on-line seller. Zeta and I hope you enjoy the cake if you give it a try.
And don’t forget about elevenses! Which always reminded me of the old Dr. Pepper logo of 10, 2, and 4, said times being ideal for imbibing the good doctor’s elixir. I was a big DP fan back in the day. Did you know it’s made with prune juice? Or it used to be. And yes, I am rambling, why do you ask?
Okay, in all seriousness, it RAINED! Water dripped from the sky from late Saturday night all through Sunday, which was Mother’s Day. Rain was the best present ever! It was also my only. It’s okay! I wasn’t expecting any, didn’t/don’t need any, and life is busy. S’all good. Promise.
So, Only graduated Friday night. As the college in-person event was over 2 hours drive away, we sdtay home for…reasons. The Kids went, obviiously. We watched the live stream and it was cool. This is her 4th degree. She already had a masters in History/Museum Studies. This masters is in Education. Specifically, MA.Ed: Special Educaiton – Challenging Behaviors and Autism and Developmental Disabilities – with Honors. Long story short, due to the lack of teachers, the state offers a special certification for anyone with a degree, but they have to get education hours to keep the certification. She not only got her hours, she went for the gusto. They spent the night down there, drove back up here for a morning soccer game then drove up the turnpike for a late afternoon game…match…whatever. Then the drove back home, arriving just before the rain hit. Needless to say, they were pooped and stayed in and quiet yesterday. I totally get that! FYI, the pic below is her getting “hooded.” Backing up to my long story, since museum jobs are scarce and her corporate archivist gig was stressing her out, she put her name into the teaching pot. A school called, asked if she’d be interested in middle school SPED. Since she has ADD and Stormy has ADHD, she figured that since she’d been there, done that, and still wears the T-shirt, she’d give it a shot. She interviewed, they hired her and she walked into things cold last year. And here she is with a shiny new masters under her belt coming up on the end of her second year of teaching. To say I’m a proud momma is an understatement. I’m proud of both my “kids”–Only and Baseball Boy too. And definitely Stormy!
In other news, it rained!
In sports, Stormy’s team won one, lost one. My OSU Cowgirls got knocked out of the Big 12 Championships in the quarters, as did OU at the SEC tournament. As of my typing this, the selection show for the WCWS regionals and super-reginals has not aired. I’ll update OSU’s placement when I know it. UPDATE: OU came in #3 and has a reginal and super regional. OSU came in #13 and they have a regional but will have to go somewhere else for supers.
I’ve neglected my reading/listening. My bad.
I made a Lemon Blueberry Dump cake. It will be featured tomorrow. The joy of being old is that we can eat weird. The night I made it, neither LG nor I could decide on anything for dinner. We defaulted to the cake. It was warm. And covered with whippy cream. Yum!
That’s pretty much it for me today. Like last week, this week involves peopling. Mostly with doctors. Just check ups but still…peopling and dogging in the car which always leads to Fun, Travel, and Adventure. What’s on your agenda this week?
Here it is Friday again and for some reason, I keep finding these AGT videos of acts that turn out to be completely…not what they appear to be. If I met these guys walking down the street…well…yeah. But turns out, looks might be deceiving. Have a great weekend, all!
I’d planned on a different message for today but then the Universe dropped the following into my inbox on Tuesday. There I was thinking about it being both Taco Tuesday and Cinco de Mayo and wondering if I had a meme for that while scrolling through my emails, weeding out the spam and scam and boom. The Universe popped up, as it does every day. I ignored it at first then finally opened it and…boom. And yes, I am typing and setting this up on Tuesday, well in advance but hey, that’s how I roll sometimes.
To heal, correct, rebound, settle, restore, and prevail, Silver, are your nature.
Gifts that need not be opened or figured out to be used.
It’s the same for leading, creating, soaring, gliding, loving, and waltzing.
As always, let logic stand aside, have no fear, spirit will emerge… and so will your wings.
P.S. Oh, you can waltz, Silver. You taught Matilda.
To be honest, I’m reading along and thinking to myself, “Self, isn’t that first line a perfect prescription for a character arc? Oh, good. The Big U is giving me fodder for a craft post.” I get to the third line and I’m thinking, WOOT! and BINGO! With a bonus for the line right before the usually rather clever/funny sign-off. I’m thinking I’ve really scored with this message because that last line is meant to enourage all us writers when we get tangled up in the weeds. I mean, score! We can find our wings. I’m pretty sure the look on my face was a happy grin. Then I got to the P.S. *blinkblink* Uhm… So…long story.
MANY years ago, I wrote a book titled SHADOW DANCE. Set in New Orleans, it’s a romantic suspense involving family secrets long buried and ghosts. Then time passed, other projects and events happened. More time passed and suddenly, the book would have to be semi-historical (70s/80s) or completely rewritten which would change things. The heroine, instead of a late-night radio talk show host would have to be a…well…a podcaster, I guess, but that secondary time was even before podcasting becamse a thing. Then, in 2005, Katrina hit and I got a new idea about buried bodies of victims of a serial killer literally popping up out of the ground. This heroine, a police detective is the daughter of my original protagonists. A dualogy! Yippee! I started writing it in my free time, of which there wasn’t much. I was working full-time, had a kid in high school/college who was a full-time athlete. And other stuff happened. The title of that second book? And this is where the long story finally comes around to the point. The title…it’s WALTZING MATILDA.
I’m not sure what to do with the Big U’s message. Now it seems rather up close and personal. I will say that I’m tempted to chuck Ariel’s book for now, despite it being basically 2/3s on its way to word count, so I can dig out those two previous books, work on them and get them published. I’m not going to. Not yet. Ariel first and THEN, yes, I may go off the rails to work toward publishing those two books. Honestly, I was thinking a trilogy but the third book never got much further than concept.
Anyway, writers, when it comes to your writing, take what you will from the Universe’s message. Readers, take the message to heart and go find your wings.
Wednesday’s child is full of woe. I always thought that sucked for them but the rhyme rather fits Aisling, the heroine in Ariel’s book that has no name beyond what I (via Sade) have declared it. Anyway, it is Wednesday and it time for new words. The judge in last week’s Thursday Threads opted to pick a winner and then leave comments on the other entries. This can happen when not many of us participate. I, for one, appreciate any feedback. The judge had this to say about my words: Clean. Engaging. Well done ensemble dynamics with a grounded emotional core. Real talent. I especially appreciate that last bit because that ol’ Imposter Syndrom bugaboo keeps rearing its ugly head. Moving on. The prompt for last week is: *”That might be worse.”* Imma just gonna toss this one out there because where it falls in the story? Yeah, that should remain a mystery for the moment. And no, it’s not because I have no clue! 😆
**** Light spilled from the stone arch that had appeared in the middle of the forest. Sade stepped toward it but Sinjen jerked her back. She snarled at the vampire. He simply stared at her until she rolled her eyes.
“Fine.” She pivoted and looked at the other men gathered in a semi-circle. Dragon, werewolf, baby fae. “Which of you has a better plan?”
Nikos and Caleb met her gaze at least. Druic stared at the grass growing just beyond the toes of his boots. None of them spoke.
“Sinjen?”
“No.”
“No what? No plan? No clue? No interest in rescuing Ariel?”
“No, you cannot got through that doorway.”
“Because I’m human? I’ve been dragged into and out of more realms in my lifetime than—”
“None of them were charmed.” Druic’s soft voice cut through her tirade. His eyes flicked up to meet hers for a fraction of a second. “It is Fae and not even I can pass through.”
Sade wanted to hit something…or someone. Curses sputtered on the end of her tongue and she finally cut loose with a string that had all four Magicks blushing. She wound down and finished with. “I can’t leave him there.”
Nikos sighed. “There is possibly a…” He glanced at Caleb. “What did you call it?”
“A back door.” Caleb shook his head at Sade. “That might be worse.”
“Ask me if I care.”
His voice tinged with resignation, Sinjen said, “You will go anyway.”
“He’s my friend.”
That explained it all. ****
Sade sometimes gets ahead of herself but she is nothing if not loyal. And Ariel is a friend. She might want to pin him back by his pointy ears on occasion and both Caleb and Sinjen enjoy the quiet when Ariel isn’t around, but she would no more abandon him to some terrible fate than she would Caleb or Sinjen. The same holds true for Roman, but the gargoyle is busy taking care of business down in New Orleans. As for Nikos? He tends to play things close to the vest. Writers, do your “worst” with the prompt. Readers, I hope you enjoyed this snippet. Aaand our question of the day–for everyone–is…🥁… What’s the worst thing that could happen if Sade walks under that arch?
I seem to be torn between cookies and pie these days. Choices, choices. It’s so hard, but… When you can combine the two, I consider that a win for the home team! I love chocolate chip cookies. Peanut butter. Oatmeal. Oh…who am I kidding? I love all the cookies. Except maybe fig newtons. I don’t like mincemeat pie either and those two sort of remind me of each other. But chocolat pie? Lemon meringue. Pecan. Chess. Apple. All the pies! But when push comes to shove, my favorite cookie is a big ol’ soft snickerdoodle. And yes, I just so happen to have a pie for that!
Crust: 1 unbaked 9″ pie crust (premade or from scratch) 1 Tablespoon raw or coarse sugar 1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 Teaspoons melted butter
Syrup 1/2 Cup packed brown sugar 1/4 Cup butter 3 Tablespoons butter 2 Tablespoons light-colored corn syrup 1/4 Teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 Teaspoon vanilla
Filling 1/4 Cup softened butter 1/2 Cup granulated sugar 1/4 Cup powdered sugar 1 Teaspoon baking powder 1/2 Teaspoon salt 1/4 Teaspoon cream of tartar 1 egg 1/2 Cup milk 1 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour
Let’s Make It
1 – Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9″ pie pan with pastry crust. In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp. raw sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Brust the melted butter over the crust. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. of cinnamon-sugar mix. Set aside.
2 – For syrup, combine brown sugar, butter, water, corn syrup and cinnamon in a sauce pan. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil gently for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Set aside.
3 – In mixing bowl, beat softened butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Beat in granulated sugar, powdered sugar, baking powder, salt, and cream of tarter until well comined. Beat in egg and 1 tsp vanilla. Gradually beat in milk until combined. Beat in flour until mixed, making sure to scrap sides. Spread batter evenly in pie pan.
4 – Slowly pour the syrup mixture over the filling. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cover the edges with foil or a pie ring.
5 – Bake pie for 25 minutes. Carefully remove foil/ring. Bake about 20 minutes more or until the top is puffed and golden brown, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes on wire rack. Serve warm.
Tips:
1 – Serve with ice cream if that’s your catnip.
2 – The pie will keep for about 4 days after baking. Seal in plastic wrap. You’ll want to enjoy warm so re-heat in the microwave 30-60 seconds before serving.
I happen to know a certain DHS investigator who likes pie. A lot. Unlike FBI Agent Dale Cooper of Twin Peaks fame, Derek Alexander is not that fond of cherry pie but put a snickerdoodle pie in front of him? He might just ask you to marry him. Or he would if Katherine “Kit:” Carson weren’t his one and only. Kit, an ARFF with DFW, makes a mean snickerdoodle pie. The guys at the firehouse are partial to it as well but they know not to get between a Wolf and his pie…or his mate. If you’d like to read about how these two met in the middle of a plane crash invovling human traffickers, grab CRASH & BURN, a Moonstruck Wolf stand-alone to grab a copy from your favorite on-line seller. Just click on either pic with the cover or the title and you’ll whisk away to Books2Read where you will land on CRASH & BURN‘s page. Enjoy your trip!
For those who might wonder, ARFF stands for Airport Rescue Firefighter and DFW is the FAA designation for Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport.
Oh, who am I kidding? This is me EVERY morning before coffee. Have I mentioned that the single-serve function on my coffee maker has started working again? I’m happy. Making a full pot is a pain because the hot plate cuts off before I’m done and I end up luke warm coffee. YUCK! The last cup is okay because I’ll often make a Frappucino knock-off and if it’s cold, I don’t have to use as much ice in the blender.
In weather news, it’s nice outside and we still haven’t had to turn on the AC! That’s a win in my book. Normally, we can get 4-6 months out of the year where we don’t have to run HVAC which means lower utility bills. Considering the fixed income, this becomes a really big deal. We won’t talk about my book sales. I made $4.85 at the ‘Zon last month and hey, I’ve made a whole 35 cents this month! The thing about publishing is rather like higher level academics–publish or die.
Moving on. Sports! They were crazy this weekend with ups and downs. My Cowgirls took 2 from Kansas and are the 2nd seed in the Big 12 Tournament, which starts Thursday. Fingers crossed they stay high in the RPI and get a Regional, but they have to get through the Conference Championships first. OU won the “outright” SEC title. I have no idea what the SEC bracket looks like or when it starts. I should look into that. Stormy had soccer matches this weekend. They won some, lost some but are in second place in their league so yay!
I did a little writing last week. I also did some jiggling around of the puzzle pieces so that they fit into the frame better. It’s not much, but it’s progress. I hope that with the pieces falling into better places I’ll stay BICHOK and get some real work done. Sadly, my reading seems to be as stalled as my writing. I did finish LETHAL RIDER and I’ve moved on to ROGUE RIDER. I have one more to go, REAVER, until I’ll be ready to start the new trilogy. I might take a break though, before starting the next gen.
I found a new dessert recipe and I plan on trying it this weekend. I have to grocery shop first. It won’t be featured tomorrow because I want to actually see how it turns out before I share. Maybe next week. Dang. Mother’s Day is Sunday. Time. It’s flying. Not much else exciting has occurred.
Now it’s your turn. Reading a good book? Watched a good movie/TV show? Did something fun? Creative? How are your sports teams doing? I’m nosy!
Silver James 