I started out looking for something fun and light-hearted for today because…yeah. Life and the world have been a bit hard of late. I didn’t look far. In fact, this is the first video I clicked on. And…WOW! Just…WOW! I hope you enjoy. Have a great weekend.
There’s been and interesting and intermittant conversation going on in the writing community on X. We aren’t the most organized and the algorithms are hit and miss on stuff, even when a user shows interest. Of course, I don’t exactly live on social media so there’s that. Anyway, the discussion revolves around finishing a book and then doing revisions and edits and revisions and edits and proofreading and…and…ad infinitum. We writers sometimes get wrapped around the axle when it comes to our work. Like a mother facing kindergarten or the last kid heading off to college, we face the fear of being empty nesters. We just don’t want to let go. And, as usual, the Universe has something to say about that.
Silver, letting go is always easier than holding on.
And it’s how the new stuff will find you.
You new stuff magnet,
The Universe
©www.tut.com
P.S. Plus, Silver, no messy rope burns.
The Big U has a point. If we don’t let go of what is finished, how are the new stories going to get written? The time comes when we just have let go or we really will end up with messy rope burns from hanging on too long and too hard. All good parents know you have to send your offspring out into the world to fly on their own. I’ll get right on doing that just as soon as I get around to typing “The End” in Ariel’s Damn Book. 😉
Another week has past and another week of not much writing. There are times when I feel like if it weren’t for Thursday Threads, I wouldn’t write anything. Anyway, I do have a new snippet to share so that’s something at least and I am making very slow headway on Ariel’s Damn Book. After this scene, I realize I’m not the only one wanting to wring a certain Fae’s neck. The prompt was almost too easy to take things on, what for me, is it’s natural course. Are you ready? Here it is: *“We can make it look natural.”*
****
Vampire looked at Werewolf who looked at Dragon who looked back at the vampire. “We can make it look natural.”
“That’s not funny.”
Three pairs of eyes turned to look at the woman standing in the doorway glaring at them.
“I wasn’t being funny,” Sinjen muttered.
“I heard that.” Sade snapped out the words, still scowling. She held up a hand staying both Caleb and Nikos. “Yes, I know the feeling. Yes, I have expressed—often and loudly—the same sentiment when it comes to Ariel. This is not the time to be joking around.” She extended her arm, pointing a deadly index finger at each man in turn. “Don’t even. Ariel is in trouble and the trouble he’s in will jump up and bite all of us in the ass if we don’t do something.”
Caleb called her name to get her attention and followed with a decent impersonation of her voice, “I am sooo going to kill that damn Fae.” The effort got him a sneer.
“Do any of you have the slightest clue what is happening here?”
All three of the men raised their hands, eliciting a growl from her. Caleb growled back and being a Werewolf, it carried far more menace.
“We are not clueless, Sade.” Nikos lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. “Oberon and Titania obviously know what is afoot. That means this is Fae trouble and Fae businss. The Concilium Magicae will not want others involved.”
“Fae murdered humans. That means I’m involved.”
It fits into the timeline close to the last few snippets.. See? I am dutiful working toward forward progress on the plot rather than just random scenes. Well, the scenes aren’t really…random. Per se. They just appeared on the page at random times. They all have a place. Once I figure that out. Anyway. Writers, write should you be inspired. Readers, without pleading the fifth, have you ever read a book where a character really got on your nerves and you wondered if you could “make it look natural?” 😉
Today is the first day of Fall but it’s still warm here. Still, there are times I get a hankering for something robust but still…light. Today’s treat fits the bill perfectly. It’s quick, easy, doesn’t heat up the kitchen yet still brings a harvesty-autumnal taste to the table.
On-The-Farm Dinner
Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients
1 (16-ounce) package linguine
2 cups ham, fully cooked, julienned
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups frozen peas
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, shredded
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Directions
1 - In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the linguine to al dente, according to the package directions.
2 - While the linguine is cooking, in a large skillet over medium heat, add the ham and the butter and sauté, about 3 minutes.
3 - Add the peas to the ham mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until heated through, about 1-3 minutes.
4 - Drain the water from the linguine, transfer the pasta to the ham mixture, and toss to combine.
5 - Add the parmesan cheese and the heavy whipping cream to the pasta mixture, stir to combine, and cook until heated through, about 1-3 minutes.
6 - Plate and serve.
This dish is so easy even a rough, tough bounty hunter Wolf from Montana can fix it for dinner. And technically, so can his sweet, nerdy mate who sometimes burns boiling water. If you’d like to find out more about Tait and Lauren–and why her life was in danger, you can grab a copy of MONTANA MOON. Just click on a pic with the cover and you’ll zoom over to Books2Read for all the on-line booksellers where it’s available. If you’re interested in the whole Moonstruck Wolf group of stories, you can scan the QR code for the series page. While you’ll bump into some familier faces along the way, each of the Moonstruck Wolf books is a complete, stand-alone story set in the wider Moonstruck world.
In the meantime, I really hope Fall has found y’all. We’re a tad bit cooler in this parts but we’re still a long way from fuzzy slippers and hoodies.
It’s almost officiall Fall. Tomorrow. At 7:04 CDT. That’s the Autumnal Equinox. Meteorlogical Fall has already happened, ie, September 1st. Anyway, maybe Mother Nature has gotten the message. We had a small front arrive yesterday and the highs and lows this week are forecast to be more…seasonal. I keep saying this and I really mean it this time–okay every time it comes out of my mouth…and fingertips. I am soooo done with summer.
So, last week sucked. It was hot. Stuff didn’t get done. It seems my whole summer was like that.
That said, I did some stuff. I had an eye check-up, meeting the new associate doctor at the clinic. She’s cool. My regular doc, who owns the clinic offered his condolences re: Jake. Same with his staff. Jake was a favorite there. My pressure is stable in a good range so the glaucoma is still in check for now. Toby was a good boy and got into the car without too much hassle but it took both LG and me to get him into it. Now that we might have seasonal temps, I’ll start working with Toby outside with walks. He needs the discipline. I need the exercise. Hopefully, as the other commands come, “Load” will become seocnd nature.
I was bad. I ordered my Walmart run to be delivered. The weird thing was that there were two meat items one there that were available for in-person shopping and store pick-up but not for delivery. I just didn’t want to deal with going there in person. Just driving anywhere alone in the car feels weird. Anyway, the heat was my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
I did a minimal amount of writing. I really need to just do it. I know y’all are bored with my whining about it.
The squirrel mafia is getting bold. There are now two of them fighting for their turn in the birdfeeder outside the office window. They play chase along the window sill and bounce in and out of the feeder, making it swing wildly. On the other hand, the hummingbirds are busy at the feeder so I’m hoping the cooler temps aren’t temporary.
Stormy had a good match on Saturday even though they lost. The coach even texted his mom to brag on him after the game. Sunday’s game went much better–they won 4-2. I’m hoping to catch him in action now that it’s sort of cooling off. In college football, my Cowboys had a huge game–59-0. The team they beat wasn’t exactly stellar but hey! It’s a win and both the offense and defence were rolling. OU, on the other hand? They won–barely–against an unranked team. Here’s hoping they can figure out all the moving parts before they play Georgia this coming weekend.
In reading news, I’ve fallen into a Charley Davidson marathon. Darynda is a friend and I love her sense of humor–as shared through Charley’s character. It’s been two years and before that, it was like almost 10 since I’d done anything close to a marathon. It’s an interesting world to inhabit for a while and yes, I am still hiding out in other places. Anyway, if you’ve never read the Grim Reaper/Grave/Charley Davidson books, you should. The main series is complete and Darynda has branched out into the next gen, ie. Charley and Reyes’s daughter. I’m hop;ing for a new set of books coming out sooner than later in that arena.
So that’s my news. Anybody got good stuff going on?
If I’d seen this last week, it would have been the 9/11 post. I didn’t so I’m sharing it now.
Summary
Life goes on and it’s time to get back into it. That means–in many ways–that I need to start churning out words. So, today, I’m thinking about writing. And what goes into writing, especially when there is romance involved because…hello! Even in my Urban Fantasies, there is romance. I want everyone to have their Happily Ever After. That said, the HEA should never ever be easy. There has to be ups and downs, miscommunication, missed chances, mischief, mad snits, and make-ups. Okay, enough with the illiteration. But the Universe has a point to make.
Have you stopped to consider that it’s life’s “disconnects,” “almosts,” and “not quites,” Silver, that make life’s “connections,” “gotchas,” and “eurekas” so fantastically romantic?
Good, because they were your idea.
Wild thing,
The Universe
©www.tut.com
P.S. Silver, you make my heart sing.
Writers, reread that first paragraph from the Big U. It’s a text-book example of what makes a romance novel go round. Yes, it really is that easy. Except when it’s not. You can’t just throw stuff at your characters to see if it sticks. Throw stuff, yes, but be mindful. There should be a reason for all those M words in my first paragraph. And those are not the only situations you can get your characters involved in. The thing is, we need to use a deft touch when heaping on the tension. We need to remember there is internal and exteranl conflict and those things should be balanced. I’m going to add here a caution: If your characters have a miscommunicaiton, don’t drag it out forever. Let them be adults and hash things out rather than depending on that to heighten the tension. That’s an old “chestnut” in romance and most readers are not too fond of the gimmick. Be mindful of what you put your characters through so they react…well…in character. And every event needs a resolution that will eventually lead to that HEA. Heh. I probably should have captioned this Romane 101. Y’all know this, right? So just a reminder.
Okay, now, readers. Y’all are the reason we do this. Y’all make our hearts sing. And the nice thing about the Universe? It speaks to all of us universally. I speak from experience because here lately, my life seems to have had it’s share of “disconnects,” “almosts,” and “not quites.” Now it’s up to me to find the “connections,” “gotchas,” and “eurekas.” Here’s hoping each of you find your moments, too!
There are times when I stare at the monitor and will Ariel’s Damn Book to write itselt. Sadly, The blank page on the monitor just stares back at me, the keys untapped, words therefor not appearing. Last week I managed some words and again, managed to tack them on to an existing scene. Normally, if I win and one of my phrases is used for the Thursday Threads prompt the following week, I attempt to create a new scene. This time, I was able to “repurpose” the phrase and continue with the previous week’s scene. Yay. And while I didn’t win last week, I still wrote new words that expanded a scene that will lead to more things happening in the book. Here’s the prompt to set up the scene: *“Do you have a better idea?”*
****
Titania smirked until she caught a glimpse of Druic. With narrowed eyes, she pointed a long-nailed index finger at him. “Why did you not inform me?”
The young Fae’s gaze immediately dropped to his boots. “M-m-m’lady?”
“Ariel is not here. He is not at court. Why did you not inform me that he is missing?” Her voice cracked like a bullwhip and the boy winced as if he physically felt those words flaying his skin..
“That’s enough, Titania.” Sade stepped between them. “Ariel has been very secretive of late.”
“Watch your tongue, human,” the queen snapped, her tone remaining sharp.
Sade leaned toward her and squared off almost nose-to-nose. “You forget yourself. You are in my realm now.”
The two women stared at each other while the group as a whole maintained a tense silence. It was Titania who broke it. “You need to come with me. It is time to confront Oberon.”
Not wanting to admit that was her Plan B, Sade nodded. “Agreed. I suspect the old bastard’s hands are all over this mess.”
“Sade.” Sinjen drew out her name and his tone held warning.
She glanced at him and repeated the same question she’d asked Caleb.
“Do you have a better idea?”
“Then I’m coming with you.”
“No!” Sade and Titania both denied that suggestion simultaneously.
“I can handle this,” Sade asserted.
After a moment’s hesitation, Titania muttered something under her breath.
Sade stared at her, mouth slightly parted in surprise. “What did you say?”
“You heard me.”
“I want everyone to hear you.”
“I said I would guarantee your safe return.”
“Let’s go.”
****
I get the feeling Oberon is not going to be a happy camper when both Titania and Sade show up and get in his face. I’m actually looking forward to writing that scene but I also know I need to be in the right mood and given Real Life of late, I’m not there. I’m getting closer so…hopefully soon.That said, writers, answer the question if it plays into your story. Readers, anybody got fun plans?
It’s football season again! I’ll admit I haven’t been much of a pro-ball (ie. NFL) fan in recent years though I will occasionally watch a Kansas City Chiefs game. College football? That’s a different story. Anyone who hangs around here much knows I’m a big OSU fan. *Ahem* That would be the REAL OSU–as in Oklahoma State (pistols firing!). NOT Ohio and not Oregon. I’ve also been known to root for OU (go Big Red) unless the Sooners are playing the Cowboys. This past weekend was a mixed bag. OSU beat #6 ranked Oregon on Satruday while OU fell to Michigan. With most games played on Saturday, and pro-games sprinkled through the week, finding a quick, easy and filling dish for game days is a touchdown!
Touchdown Casserole
Prep Time: 30-35 minutes
Bake Time: 25-30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (8-ounce) package of egg noodles
1 cup sour cream
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 large white onion, diced
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, plus more to taste
Directions
1 - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2 - Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish with butter.
3 - Place a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4 - Add the ground beef to the skillet, cooking and stirring to break it up, until brown and crumbly, about 5-7 minutes.
5 - Drain the grease from the skillet.
6 - Stir the sugar, the salt, the garlic salt, and the tomato sauce into the browned beef.
7 - Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
8 - Turn off the heat and let the ground beef mixture cool to room temperature.
9 - Fill a large pot with salted water, and bring it to a boil on the stove-top.
10 - Add the egg noodles to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but still firm, about 5 minutes.
11 - Drain the liquid using a colander.
12 - In a large bowl, combine the sour cream, the cream cheese, and the diced onion.
13 - Arrange 1/2 of the egg noodles into the bottom of the prepared casserole dish.
14 - Cover the egg noodles with 1/2 of the sour cream mixture.
15 - Layer on 1/2 of the ground beef mixture.
16 - Repeat the layering until all the ingredients are used.
17 -Top the casserole with the cheddar cheese.
18 - Bake the casserole until the cheese has browned and melted, about 25-30 minutes.
19 - Serve!
Not all of the members of the Hard Target team are Americans. If you mention football, several of them might start talking about Manchester United instead of the Miami Dolphins. That said, they are learning about American football and starting to apreciate the sport. Since they tend to hang out at Mother Goose’s Bar. Bear, the bartendcer, is also known for his bar snacks and other culinary skills. You can bet he whips up multiple pans of this easy dinner. It’s the one thing on game day that all the guys can agree on and the girls agree. If you want to find out more about the super-secret Black Ops Hard Target team, just click on a pic with covers. Before they were recruited by Mother Goose, some of the team were part of SEAL Team Atlantis. You can read about them in MOON SHOT. How they become Hard Target is told in DOUBLE CROSS. There’s a side story set in Roxanne St. Clair’s Barefoot Bay world, DOUBLE TROUBLE, and then in CROSSFIRE, you see the new team in serious action. Clicking on the pics will take you to Books2Read where you’ll land on the series page and can pick the title you want, follow that link to find the on-line sellter of your choice. And now for your question(s) of the day: College or pro football? Qhich team is yours?
Hello, Monday. You’re back. I hope you are in a better mood than you’ve been your past few appearances. Yeah, yeah. I know. It’s not your fault that you have to be the first day. Suck it up, buttercup. That’s what the rest of us have to do.
The hummingbirds have either gotten more active in preparation to migrate or I just happen to look up and catch them at the feeder more often. As hot as it’s been, I’m hoping it’s a sign of migration which means cooler temps coming soon. We’ve set all sorts of really yucky records–high temps, high-low temps, days over 100. Those record low temps that are high? Yeah, they are our normal high temps this time of year. Mother Nature is totally off her meds.
Let’s not talk about writing. I had one semi-productive day. I suck.
The first two weeks of September have not been my favorites. First, having to say goodbye to Jake. I picked up his ashes and brought him home last Wednesday. Friday was 9/11 and the PTSD–as always–kicked in. And it’s too frickin’ hot to do much of anything but sit under the AC.
Why yes, I’m in a whiny mood, why do you ask?
In sports news, Stormy had a game Saturday. Due to heat and Toby not wanting to get in the car, we stayed home while LG went. His team played a higher-ranked team. They were leading 2-0 until the field ref got involved. The game ended up a 2-2 tie. After the game, the side-line ref apologized to the coach. Then the field ref came over and also apologized for calling a lousy game. Whoppee. Didn’t help the kids out any. Stormy played well so that’s what matters. I hate politics in kids’ sports and it happens way more than it should. In other sports news, my Cowboys pulled off an upset, taking down #6 Oregon and beathing them 39-31. They were 21+ point underdogs. We cheered, Toby barked. Fans took down the goalpost and carried it across campus to the Theta Pond where they “dumped” it. Now, OSU being a “techn ical” school, the engineering students were front and center, there were hard hats, there was organization and complete safety. There were even kids IN the pond to ease the post to the surface. Crazy kids. Love ’em.
In reading, I’m still in my Kristen Ashley “happy place.” Her books both irritate and delight me at the same time. I laugh, I growl, I roll my eyes. Her Rock Chick world is a good place to hide when the real world crowds too close for comfort. I’m down to the last two books of her Dream Man/Rock Chick/Dream Team series. I haven’t decided if I’m going to listen to the Chaos books, which is an adjacent series. I’ll see. That said, I’ve gone from being behind in my Goodreads reading challenge to now being 10 books ahead. If I’d quit litening, I might actually work on writing my own book but my head–and heart–just aren’t there. Not right now.
I meant to buy some chocolate chip cookie dough and brownie mix last week to make last weeks Tuesday Treat but I forgot. Maybe I’ll add it to this week’s list. Thing is, I’d probably eat the whole damn pan and I’ve already put on almost 10 pounds from where I want/need to be. So yeah, I probably won’t. I keep saying that I’m going to start taking walks with Toby but when it’s already 80 degress at 7:30 a.m., that’s a big ol’ NOPE! I could really use some fall weather about now.
Headed off this morning for a six-month check-up with my opthamologist. They’re doing the full range of tests–dilation included. That means LG is my designated driver. I’m hoping Toby will “get in the damn car” to go with us. Leaving him home alone leads to small (and sometimes large) disasters. We can close off some of the rooms but not all and he always finds something to tear up that he’s not supposed to. His other training is going well. He just has this stubborn mind-set about getting in the car. He likes to go. He just won’t get in. At 160 lbs. (maybe 155 now since he’s on a diet), we can’t just pick him up and put him in. Anyway.
Those are my whines for the week. What’s up in your world?
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