Tuesday Treats: Key Lime Margarita Pie

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Silver James

A margarita–frozen or on the rocks–is one of my favorite summertime drinks and key lime is one of my favorite summertime desserts. Y’all know I’d have to fall in love with this Key Lime Margarita Pie. Putting it together is easy, it’s the freezing that takes all the time! 😉

Prep Time: 15min.
Total Time: 6hr. 15min.
Servings: 10 servings
Enjoy our Key Lime Margarita Pie, but don’t worry about alcohol! The pie’s taste is from a salty pretzel crust and citrusy filling.

What You Need
1-1/4 cups finely crushed pretzels
1/4 cup sugar
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice
1 env. (0.13 oz.) KOOL-AID Lemon-Lime Flavor Unsweetened Drink Mix
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

Make It
Combine pretzel crumbs, sugar and butter; press onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Whisk next 3 ingredients in large bowl until blended. Stir in 2-1/2 cups COOL WHIP; pour into crust.

Freeze 6 hours or until firm. Let stand at room temperature 15 min. before serving to soften slightly. Top with remaining COOL WHIP.

Believe it or not, this is a dessert that Sam fixes for Easy and the kids and it’s quite a hit at the summertime parties held at the Nightrider compound. Easy hoards it. Gravedigger and Wiz always descend on the dessert table and abscond with the pie, necessitating a great game of hide and seek. 😉

For more information and nutritional information, CLICK HERE.

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Easing into Monday

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Silver James

How can it be Monday again?!?! And how can it be the middle of August already?!?! Please tell me I’m not the only one who feels this way…

So, last week is a blur of new words, Benadryl (which gives me major med-head), and general mayhem. S’all good, though. I’m going to hit the deadline for ASSASSIN’S MOON. I’m loving the way Griffith and Lennox’s characters are developing. The Only did an amazing job on the cover, and it’s had good response over on Susan Stoker’s Special Forces: Operation Alpha fan group. August 29th. Mark your calendars.

TV: Baseball, Live PD, and Midnight, Texas, plus still scrambling to catch up on Game of Thrones. Dang. I should have made time for watching last season. I’m ready to watch this season’s recorded shows!

Reading: Not doing much reading but I am listening. There wasn’t anything new out there so I started with some favorites. I’m three books back into Michelle Sagara’s Chronicles of Elantra. Since I can’t get the audio from the library, I’m buying them as funds allow, debating whether to get them in ebook (as I’d originally checked them out from the library) or just grabbing the audio. Then I got a wild hair and grabbed a Kristen Ashley favorite–MOTORCYCLE MAN. This means I’ll end up binging on KA books. 😆 First, though, deadlines.

Weather: Rain…wet, glorious rain! We’ve had some in the last week and boy howdy did we need it. I kept having to get out in it and getting wet because I have a half-Newfoundland who hates water–except to drink. I also have a full Newfie who would stand out in the rain until he was drenched. Ah, critters. I also lost Adidas in the garage. She slipped out behind and then freaked when I popped the garage door. Took three hours for her to come out and demand to be let into the house. Cats.

I fear my life is just going to be a series of lots of new words and deadlines from now until the end of the year. Speaking of…I need to get back on the WIP. What’s going on in your world?

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Friday Sinema – Synchronized Silliness

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Silver James

Don’t judge me. I’ve been on meds for two weeks. I ended up watching this video. And laughing. I hope it makes you laugh too, because it’s Friday. And we all need to be smiling as we head into the weekend, right? Right! Have a good one and I’ll see you back here Monday!

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: Universal Cryptology

Posted on August 10, 2017 by Silver James

Umm…oops? I got so wrapped up in my current WIP yesterday that I forgot that I hadn’t pre-posted today’s post. My bad. But not. Because the two chapters I wrote yesterday? Plus the cover for this book? I’m Snoopy dancing all around my office. I think y’all are gonna like Griffith Caine and Lennox Morgan. I do. A lot. They’re both turning out to be far more complex than I anticipated. Which is totally awesome for the reader.

Needless to say, when I was scrolling through my messages from the Universe for something short, pithy, and on-point for today, this one caught my eye. “The work” I do involves creating characters and giving them their Happily-ever-afters. Time and time again. The Universe might think it’s being cryptic, but I have the code. 😉

So, according to the Universe,

It’s time to do “the work,” Silver.

Happily-ever-after awaits,

The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

I love cryptic, Silver.

I’m going to work now. I have a lot of action and adventure to put Griff and Len through before I give them that HEA. (And yes, I totally shouted “Hi-ho, Silver…Awaaaaay!” in my head…)

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wednesday Words: The Silence of Quiet

Posted on August 9, 2017 by Silver James

Time for another #1lineWed theme. Today’s theme is dedicated to librarians around the world and apropo since school is starting up and I’m sure some teachers are also longing for the sounds of silence. The theme? **SILENCE/QUIET**. If you have some hushed words to share, please do so in the comments. Here’s my snippet for the day, from my current WIP, ASSASSIN’S MOON, coming the end of the month as part of Susan Stoker’s Special Forces: Operation Alpha Kindle World. This scene should be fairly self-explanatory… 😉
****
Lennox’s scream echoed in his head and the wolf snarled. DON’T RUN! Griff shouted. Too bad it came out as a blood-chilling howl because his muzzle had already formed. She fled, leaving him to finish the change and chase her. The wolf liked the idea of hunting down their mate and claiming her. The man was terrified she’d get hurt. They were in the fucking Amazon jungle. The things that could hurt or kill her were as numerous as the stars in the sky they couldn’t see overhead due to the rainforest’s canopy.

Head down, breath coming in gasps, Lennox ran full tilt. She kept her arms up to protect her face as she stumbled through the dense jungle. In full-blown panic, she didn’t think about snakes, poisonous plants, or anything else. The nightmare hard on her heels was far more terrifying. This was insane. Men didn’t turn into animals. Griffith. A monster. She abruptly dodged off the path and hurtled head-long into the jungle. She heard water. She’d jump in so he couldn’t track her. Isn’t that what fugitives did when bloodhounds were tracking them?

She pushed through a heavy veil of giant fronds and pitched forward. Lennox slid down a slope and landed in swampy water. Something plopped nearby and a startled screech escaped before she clamped both hands over her mouth. Lunging to her feet, she splashed through the water and clamored up the bank on the opposite side. She plunged into jungle once more and found herself on some sort of narrow trail. Distance. She needed to put distance between her and that creature. Her chest heaved and her side was splitting but she forced her legs to keep pumping. Something rustled in the vegetation beside her. She reached for a last bit of speed and burst into a clearing. Silence enveloped her. The jungle, teeming with noise just moments before, was now totally quiet. She’d skidded to a stop, unaware of doing so, her instincts kicking in even as her eyes filled in the blanks. Across the open space, eyes glowed in the darkness—eyes that were fixed on her.
Lennox’s lungs burned with the need to suck in air but her whole body is paralyzed. Huge, golden eyes blinked slowly and a low rumble teased the outer edges of her hearing. Cat. Big cat. No, huge cat. Her brain scrambled to identify the predator. Jaguar. She sucked in a breath and the animal emitted a sort of rolling growl.

“Nice kitty,” she whispered as the big cat prowled toward her. “Please don’t eat me.” Tears sprang into her eyes but she couldn’t chance wiping them away. The jaguar crouched, tensing, its tail twitching. Lennox knew enough about cats to understand that was a bad thing.

Something moved behind her and she recognized that it was…whatever Griffith had become. She slowly turned her head just enough to glimpse what stalked through the clearing toward her. He was…magnificent. Silver-white fur tipped in black. A gray mask over a white muzzle. The wolf padded to her, passed close enough to brush his side against her thigh. Unable to resist the urge, she skimmed her fingers through the fur on her back. The wolf was bigger than the jaguar but were his claws as sharp, his bite as lethal?
****
Yeah, this book is full of action and danger! I hope you enjoyed the snippet. Watch for it to go live on August 29th and I’ll be sharing the cover soon. 😀

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tuesday Treats: Caesar Salad Dip

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Silver James

Looking for a summertime dip that might be sort of healthy, but is certainly yummy? I’m a huge fan of Caesar salads so this dip was a must for my recipe files. Plus…easy peasy to fix! From Kraft Recipes:

Prep Time: 10min.
Total Time: 10min.
Servings: 16 servings, 2 Tbsp. each
At first glance, it looks like a Caesar salad. But beneath the croutons and romaine is a luscious dip made with cream cheese and Parmesan.

What You Need

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup KRAFT Classic Caesar Dressing
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 cup croutons

Make It
Beat cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and dressing with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
Spread onto bottom of 9-inch pie plate; top with lettuce and croutons.
Serve with assorted crackers.

I dare you to eat just one! 😉 And trust me, even the guys like it. Just ask Kade Waite. I’m pretty sure this is a go-to recipe for Pippa Duncan. She might even have craved it (off page anyway) while she was carrying Kade’s baby. 😀

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Monday After the After

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Silver James

I see y’all scratching your heads over the subject line. That’s okay. Me, too. LOL Coming up with titles for these posts is a game all its own. This is something I should have posted LAST Monday–the Monday after getting home from RWA Nationals. Except I dragged home a nasty case of “con crud.” I’m just now getting back to some semblance of health. So, a week late, here’s an update of Nationals and the past week.

First, I’m running for RWA National Board of Directors as a Director at Large. I really want to serve in this capacity. I believe every voice in RWA deserves to be heard–EVERY voice. So those of you in RWA, please consider voting for me come October elections.

Second, I had a blast seeing old friends and making new ones. That would be the lovely Carolyn Brown (and her lifetime hero) smooching Blue. Anna DePalo and I participated in a Facebook Live event direct from the Harlequin session. You can CLICK HERE to watch, if you haven’t seen it yet. We played a lively game of “Never Have I Ever” with Desire’s Senior Editor, Stacy Boyd. The Kiss of Death Chapter conference on Tuesday was amazing! We had a former Air Force Pararescue Jumper as a speaker, followed by a CSI and a computer hacker. Everything writers of romantic thrillers and suspense could want, and gave me some inspiration to use when I get back to the Hard Target series.

Wednesday, I worked the registration desk and moderated a panel on audio books. I got to ask the questions and learned a lot from two authors, a narrator, the head of ACX and a representative from Findaway Voices, another audio company. Good stuffs! Someday, I want my self-pubs in audio. All it takes is money. 🙄 And Wednesday night was Kiss of Death’s Death by Chocolate party and Daphne awards.

Thursday was various panels, Harlequin stuffs, lunch with Stacy and other Desire authors, and the RITAs! Ahhh, the glamour! Someday, I’ll be up there on that stage. I want one of those golden ladies! I’ll just have to write harder. Friday was more Harlequin stuffs, panels, the awards luncheon and the Harlequin cocktail party at the Waldorf. I got to see CLAIMING THE COWGIRL’S BABY up on the big screen at the party!

Saturday brought more panels (seeing a trend here? :lol:) and the Literacy signing. Saturday night was packing and I left for home before daylight on Sunday. And woke up sick as a dog on Monday. Okay, truthfully, I was coming down with it on Saturday, ignored it on Sunday, and finally gave in on Monday.

Even being sick, I managed to get some new words in. I have many more new words to go this week and for the weeks to come. Yay for deadlines. I am feeling better so hopefully I’ll get fully on track this week.

Now, to catch up on other things…

Reading: I haven’t done a lot. I finished listening to SPELLBINDER (Moonshadow) by Thea Harrison and WILDFIRE (Hidden Legacy) by Ilona Andrews. Both were awesome! Not sure what’s next on my list.

TV: “Midnight, Texas” – NBC. It’s odd. Quirky. There’s an angel, a witch, a weretiger reverend, a vampire, and a psychic. Oh, and a gate into hell. What’s not to love? LOLOL We’ll see if it holds up. I loved the first few seasons of “True Blood,” too, then it sort of went off the rails for me. This series is also based on a Charlaine Harris series. And “Live PD.” I’m addicted and I keep threatening to create a BINGO card for the show. 😆

That’s my world at the moment. What’s going on in yours?

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Friday Sinema–The Cowboy Way

Posted on August 4, 2017 by Silver James

And this is why I LOVE cowboys…

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Monday of #RWA17-ness

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Silver James

So…I was up before dawn and my plane took off into the rising sun. Yes, I am writing this the night before. 😆

So, I’ll be landing in Orlando about noon today, then I’m headed to the Walt Disney World Resort Dolphin hotel. Hopefully, I can grab an early check in. Keep your fingers crossed for me. If not, I have friends already there who will let me stash luggage and smooze with them. The Romance Writers of America National Conference is a week of amazing reconnecting with friends, learning new things, networking with publishing professionals and parties. Fun–if exhausting times! This year, the “finale” is the Literacy for Life signing.

If any of you are in the Orlando/Florida area, please come! There will be 400+ amazing romance authors and the proceeds of every book sold goes to literacy programs. RWA has already donated a MILLION DOLLARS and we want to big start on our next million on Saturday!

I’ll be checking in on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram but probably not here. I’ll miss y’all and I’ll be back next Monday–hopefull with some amazing tales to tell. Have a great week and come see me if you are in Florida!

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Friday Free For All – Linky-dinkies

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Silver James

After the week I’ve had, I think it’s time to spread a little joy, some smiles, maybe a giggle or two, and some WOW! Have a great weekend. I’ll be at #RWA17 in Orlando next week, though I’m going to try to set up some posts before I go. All depends on time and inspiration. 😆 I’ll be checking in on Twitter and Facebook from the conference so y’all won’t miss me–not that you would.

Okay, on to the fun stuffs! Just click on the highlighted links and go spend some time surfing the ‘net. Trust me, you’ll enjoy yourself. And don’t worry–the links will open in a new window.

This Russian photographer takes FAIRYTALE PHOTOS with real, live animals!

And speaking of photographers, this one is bloody brilliant, imaginative as he uses paper cutouts to set up these QUIRKY SCENES!

These BOOK TITLE MASHUPS from the editors at Audible made me gigglesnort. More than once!

Last but not least, I’m a sucker for these celebrity/character look-alike animals and with GoT starting a new season, these LOOK-ALIKE CATS are perfect!

Stay cool this weekend! And read a good book.

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment