Thursday Thoughts: Universal Triple Crown

Posted on October 12, 2017 by Silver James

So…it’s Thursday. And I have some thoughts. See, not too long ago, there was this big kerfuffle over a NYT article written by a dude who’d once been an editor with a big NY publisher and the very “wise” brains at the NYT book desk decided he would be perfect to write an article on the romance genre. No lie. Yeah…the guy was…well, I have no words. I can say that the reaction from the romance community–writers AND readers was immediate and angry. Fittingly so. Then a few days later, I came across some requests from beginning writers who wanted to know how to…well, basically, write a book. The general consensus from those who replied was: Write a book. Then write another book. Makes sense, unless you have no clue. Oh, one respondent also mentioned: READ! That’s how I learned–more or less–to write a book. I read. Across genres. Across age brackets. The good, the bad, the familiar, the weird. But the main thing? I learned to use my imagination so… When the Universe tossed this little gem into my inbox, it resonated.

Shaping, shifting, molding, making: What people do when they discover their imagination.

Spinning, curling, dipping, twirling: What people do when they discover their wings.

Beaming, glowing, basking, shining: What people do when they discover love.

Basking, Silver –
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

Silver, go for the triple crown.

How does a book start? An idea pops into my head. I shape, shift (and so do some of my characters! 😆 ), mold, and make that idea into a viable story. All in my head, using my imagination. Then I let the story fly. Plots develop spins and dips. Characters curl and twirl. And then–in my genre, anyway–they discover love. Because I write romance. I deliver Happily Ever Afters one book at a time. And despite what the New York Times believes, romance novels meet the needs and desires of readers. (Pun partially intended.) The people who read romance novels WANT the HEA. So I’ll keep providing it in my books because I’m proud to be a writer of romance. I’m happy to provide the HEA to readers. And yeah, some days, it feels like I have won the triple crown when I get an email, a comment, or a review from a reader who says I’ve touched their lives.

If you read romance, good on you! If you don’t? Maybe you should give it a try. You might just like it. 😉

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Wednesday Words: Paint It Black

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Silver James

Another Wednesday, another snippet for #1lineWed. Today’s THEME is the classic **BLACK**. I’m 20 days away from THE SOUND OF SILENCE’s release. Hopefully, I’ll have a cover reveal soon. In the meantime, here’s the prologue. Let me know what you think.
****
Prologue

And by that destiny to perform an act
Whereof what’s past is prologue, what to come
In yours and my discharge. ~William Shakespeare, The Tempest

My grief lies all within,
And these external manners of lament
Are merely shadows to the unseen grief
That swells with silence in the tortured soul. ~William Shakespeare, Richard II

Before the Veil Ripped

Destiny doesn’t live in the stars. It doesn’t give people a choice and they have no chance of escaping it, despite what the poets, pundits, and politicians say. Destiny has a habit of showing up when least wanted, needed, or expected. It slaps people up side the head, brings them to their knees, and it is no accident when that happens. Today, Destiny landed a gut punch. My gaze raked over the chunks of shattered granite littering the courtyard. I said one word. “Borac.”

“Yes.” Crevan, Le Vieil of the Gargoyle Sentinels stood beside me, stiff and deadly.

“What happened?”

“Someone shattered Borac and the other guards with magic and stole the Heart.”

That answered why the Sentinel leader had recalled me to Paris. I am Roman Montagne, one of the oldest Sentinels. I am also First Sentinel.

Crevan did not look at me as he continued. “There have been rumors and rumblings beyond the Veil. There is talk of the emergence of the Crucible.”

I stiffened, becoming as still as the granite that is my true form. The last time the Crucible incarnated, the Gargoyle Realm had been left in ruins when one faction stole the Heart of Stone and used it in conjunction with the Crucible.

“We must retrieve the Heart, Roman, and secure it before the Crucible comes into power.”

Crevan’s order was clear but it was his unspoken command that raked against my skin, sharp as werewolf claws. If the Crucible died, crisis averted. Sentinels did not murder innocent humans, but could the Crucible truly be innocent? Or would the babe so marked have a stain on its soul so black that redemption could never be found?

A face clouded my vision and I stiffened, reading the speculation on the Old One’s face. “She is many things, Le Vieil, but she is not the Crucible.”

His sharp-eyed gaze scraped over me. “L’Enfant de L’homme has other destinies to fulfill, Sentinel.” His disapproving tone reminded me of the schoolroom. “Perhaps you are spending too much time negotiating the affairs of vampires and Fae.”

Perhaps he was right. Keeping track of Sade Marquis, the human child both vampire marked and Fae touched was a full-time occupation, but one I was loathe to give up. When Mathias gifted the girl with a werewolf pup, I’d hoped he could take up my guard duties. The feud between Mathias and Oberon had turned into a petty playground game of tag-you’re-it. I’d remained silent too long, lost in my ruminations as Crevan’s hand gripping my shoulder reminded me.

“Time to hunt, Roman. This is your destiny.”

The sound of silence swallowed my soul as I took my commander’s words to heart.
****
Please to note, while the prologue is in 1st person, the rest of the book is in 3rd. You know, in case that makes a difference. 😆 Anyway…if you have some black words to share, please do so!

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Tuesday Treats: Pull-apart Coffee Cake

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Silver James

Now that cooler weather is moving in, there’s not much I like better than to grab a cup of coffee and some cinnamon-yummy treat to start my day. This recipe is easy-peasy for a a weekend breakfast, or make ahead and warm up for those busy work-day mornings.

Prep Time: 15 min.
Total Time: 50 min.
Servings: 12 servings
Drizzled with glaze and topped with toasted pecans, this pull-apart coffee cake looks like it came from a bakery. Wait until they find out you made it!

Ingredients:
1 can (16.3 oz.) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 tsp. orange zest
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Spread
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp. milk
2 Tbsp. chopped toasted PLANTERS Pecans

Make It:
Heat oven to 350ºF.
Separate biscuits; cut into quarters. Mix dry pudding mix, zest and cinnamon in medium bowl. Add biscuit pieces in small batches; toss to evenly coat. Drizzle with butter; toss lightly. Place in 9-inch round pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake 20 min. Cool 5 min. Remove from pan to wire rack; cool 10 min.
Microwave cream cheese spread in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 15 sec.; stir in sugar and milk. Drizzle over cake; sprinkle with nuts.

CLICK HERE for full details.

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Friday Sinema: Rembrandt’s The Night Watch

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Silver James

ING Netherlands was a huge sponsor of the reopening of Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum after a decade-long renovation project. The “mob” was organized to coincide with the return of Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” to the museum. The painting is considered one of the Dutch artist’s greatest works. To celebrate, a flash mob recreated the painting at a mall and it’s one of my all-time favorite flash mobs.

And though it’s in Dutch, you can still get an idea of what all went into this “flash mob” production.

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Seasons

Posted on October 5, 2017 by Silver James

This has been a hard week with sad news, but out of all the horror of that night in Las Vegas, tales of heroism, of self-sacrifice, of love are coming out. In the face of unspeakable evil, it is the goodness found in the human soul and the actions of simple people answer the call to a higher good that gives me hope for this old world. The Universe talks about the power of love and I saw that in Vegas, in the actions of off-duty first responders, veterans, and people who were just there. I saw it in the actions of on-duty responders, of firefighters teaming with police and heading into the teeth of the firestorm.

Little did they know, Silver, how much they had done, how many they had reached, or the power of their love.

Until, of course, it was all returned, many, many times over.

I.O.U.
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

Yet such is the case, Silver, in time and space, where the harvest must follow the seasons.

I’m reminded of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, the original “version” of the Byrds’ song “Turn, Turn, Turn.” To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven; a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Seasons. They come and go, reminding us of the circle of life. Just remember to love and do good today instead of sowing discourse or spewing hateful words. We’ve had enough of that this week. Me? I’m going to go write about two people falling in love because we all need a little romance and a lot of love in our lives.

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Wednesday Words: In the Spotlight

Posted on October 4, 2017 by Silver James

It’s Wednesday. I have a new book out. OF COURSE I’m going to give you a snippet from THE COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS PROPOSITION for #1lineWed. Like…d’uh! Today’s theme is **LIGHT**. While I normally post a snippet from a WIP, with the release of THE COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS PROPOSITION, I can’t resist sharing this snippet about my hero, Deacon Tate, because the dude is in the spotlight. A lot! 😉

The lights dimmed, a stool appeared on stage and he picked up his acoustic guitar and sat down. One blue spotlight picked him out. Head down, he strummed a few chords. The cheers and whistles slowly faded as he played. The chords gave way to the melody he plucked on the strings. The band remained silent, unsure of where he was going. Performing this song was totally unplanned. He’d written it for his cousin Cash’s wedding but hadn’t recorded it.

Deke’s little brother, who was also the keyboardist for the Sons, was the first to recognize the song. After Dillon’s piano riff, their guitarists, Bryce and Xander, picked up the tune and Kenji, the drummer, found the rhythm. Ozzie picked up the bass line without missing a beat.

“Are you ready to take a walk?” he crooned into the microphone. “Darlin’, are you ready for me?” The crowd started to sway in time to the music and the groupies lining the stage pressed forward. Deke closed his eyes. “Are you counting the minutes? Can you feel my heart race?” He riffed on the guitar. “From this day forward, you’ll never walk alone. I’ll shelter your heart. I’ll be your home. You are my love song, my forever song, the last song that I’ll sing.”

He poured out the rest of the words, his voice growing husky with emotion. Deke had watched each of his cousins find and fall in love with the women who completed them. Something inside him wanted the same thing, in a vague someday way. But none of his brothers had taken the plunge and there was something wrong with that picture. The Barrons were the wild bunch, the Tates the steady gatekeepers. Well, except for him. His mother said often and loudly that he was more Barron than Tate, but her eyes twinkled when she said it.

Deke sang of finding love, of losing it. He sang of getting it back and when he sang the chorus again, the women in the front row had faces slick with tears. His voice broke a little as he finished the last few lines and added, “You’ll be my home, my love song, my forever song and the last song I ever sing.”

The spotlight went out. Stunned silence filled the theater, where 2,500 fans were jammed in wall-to-wall. Then pandemonium erupted. Strobes flashed and spotlights probed the stage, but Deacon had disappeared. People screamed and whistled. They clapped their hands and stomped their feet. When the band launched into the opening strains of “Native Son,” the noise volume doubled. Normally, this song was the finale but tonight, it was the encore.
****
I have to admit, Deacon is one of my favorite characters, but he presented me with a real challenge! Not only is he a country music superstar, he writes songs. A couple have been featured in other books: “Native Son,” which was Clay Barron’s campaign theme when he announced his candidacy for president (THE BOSS AND HIS COWGIRL) and “You Are My Forever” which, as mentioned above, he wrote and sang at Cash’s wedding (REDEEMED BY THE COWGIRL). Now, quoting lyrics in books is a chancy thing at best, copyright infringement at worst, so…I turned into a lyricist. I do sort of wish I was a musician because I’d love to put lyrics to music. And yes, I do have full lyrics for Deke’s songs! 😆 Anyway, this is my lighthearted contribution to #1lineWed today. What about y’all? Want to shine some light on your words?

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Tuesday Titles: The Cowboy’s Christmas Proposition

Posted on October 3, 2017 by Silver James

NEW RELEASE DAY!!!!! Welcome to the 7th book in my Red Dirt Royalty series. The Barron Brothers all got their Happily Ever After in the first six books. Now it’s time for the Tate Boys. Meet Deacon Tate, country music superstar, and his heroine, Trooper Quin Kincaid. From the back of the book:
Can a country superstar and a dedicated cop strike a Christmas baby bargain?
Being a celebrity, Deacon Tate is always careful. So when a baby is left on his tour bus, he’s 99 percent certain it isn’t his. But he’s 100 percent sure that trooper Quin Kincaid, who responds to the all, is the sexiest woman he’s ever seen. He has to have her, no matter what.

But to Quin, Deacon seems too good to be true. Can she save the baby and herself from Deacon’s spell–especially when he makes her an offer she can’t refuse?

And how about a short snippet? Yeah, you know you want one. 😉

She was a professional. On duty. She didn’t have time to picture running her fingers through that messy hair of his. Or…or… Her gaze rose from his mouth, quirking up at the corners as it was, to meet his eyes. They really were the soft blue of a star sapphire. She curled her fingers against her belt. Would the stubble on his face be rough or as soft as his hair looked?

“Darlin’, you really shouldn’t look at a man that way.” His gruff voice was both a caress and a wake-up call.

Quin barely controlled a full-body shudder. She needed to think of ice baths and blizzards. Snow and ski slopes. High mountain air. Invigorating. Not warm. Not sexy. She took that step back, both physically and mentally. He laughed and the sound was dark and warm like fudge brownies just out of the oven. Her mouth watered.

Coffee. She needed coffee. And fresh air. Like right this minute.
****
So, that’s the tease. You can grab your copy all sorts of places. You can CLICK HERE to go to the Red Dirt Royalty page and find all the clicky-clicks for all sorts of on-line stores. You can also get a paperback copy from those places, plus Walmart and Barnes and Noble. Just do me a favor, okay? If you read the book, please rate and review it. Those suckers really are the life-blood of authors!

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Monday: True Story

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Silver James

There was a weekend. Sort of. And last week happened, just like this coming week will. Deadlines. I have them. Yippee. Yeah, yeah, broken record. Such is the life of a published author. So…quick rundown.

Sports: Cardiac Cowboys managed to pull it off and beat Texas Tech. Man, the Pokes are killin’ me! Especially with their loss against TCU. 😦 OU had a bye weekend. My Cards are done. I’ll wait to see which teams shake out in the post season to decide if I’ll pay close attention to the World Series.

TV: LUCIFER! New season starts tonight! I’m pumped!!!

Reading: I’m downloading some books with my Kindle Unlimited subscription as they cross my radar. I finished one that was KU plus free audio. As I’m doing more with audio books lately, that was good. The book? DEAD SPOTS (Scarlett Bernard #1) by Melissa F. Olson. It’s an urban fantasy. The MC is a magic null who does supernatural crime scene cleanup. She’s snarky and the story was okay. Darynda Jones and her Charlie Davidson character do the snark better. It was free, enjoyable, and that’s cool. I also delved back into some “golden oldies” with the first two books in Larissa Ione’s Demonica series. Yeah. Glad the library had the audio books. I’m currently listening to Nalini Singh’s ARCHANGEL’S VIPER. Enjoying it so far and I’m glad to be hanging out in her Archangel/Guildhunter world again.

Writing: I fear Tucker is a little stalled, which is bad. Roman is lighting up the keyboard, though, which is good and also the reason why Tucker is stalled. I have about a week, maybe a week and a half to get Roman’s book whipped into shape so it can go through the process and be ready to go on/before Halloween. Also, I have a book release tomorrow, Deacon’s story, THE COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS PROPOSITION. Y’all go grab a copy, read it, and pleasepleasePLEASE leave a review! Even if you hate it! 🙂

Let’s see. What else? Uhm…OH! I think I’ll do a Facebook live recording tomorrow morning to celebrate Deacon’s release. Some of my readers sent questions. It’ll be fun. I hope. And pretty quick. Something new and different. I’ll be posting it on my FB author page, not my personal one.

That’s it for me. What did y’all do this weekend? I’ll check back after I get a lot of words written!

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Friday Free-for-all: Random Thoughts, Links, and a Milestone

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Silver James

Yesterday was my 1000th post on this blog. I wasn’t paying any attention. *tosses up some confetti* I had a blog on a different server for a few years before I had to retrieve my domain name and start over. Still, 1000 blog posts… That’s a whole lot of hot air, right? 😆 That takes care of the milestone. Let’s get random!

The top searches that brought someone to my site for a visit (though I’m not about to “Google” them to see where I show up on the search page!):
gypsy movie sex scene
food fight motorcycle
sexy beast moon
bloody drinks
moon pies

Yeah…still not going on the internet to check. Just sayin’!

A typical work day a la LOLPICS. I promise, you’ll want to click through to this short video! Why? Because cute critters! And, it’s true. 😉 CLICKETYCLICK

Speaking of Google, I periodically Google both of my names. My “legal” namesakes own an upscale hair salon in New York City, have been named chief financial officer of an insurance group, and write really raunchy erotica–all available on Kindle Unlimited. Her words, not mine. Yeah…I’ll stick with Silver. As for that side of my namesake, I appear to be the only one. There’s a James Silver, also an author, and I get hits for people named James winning silver medals, and silver James Avery jewelry pieces, but the first page and a half of the search is all about me. I must be doing something right with my branding. Just wish that translated to more sales. Ah well.

And one last bit of tomfoolery. Every time I get on social media, I see this image in my head whenever someone has a meltdown. Have a great weekend!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Weather

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Silver James

Maybe it’s because I grew up in Oklahoma, or worked Search and Rescue, or…maybe I’m just a little odd, but I’ve always been attuned to the weather. *shrug* For whatever reason, I pay attention to it and don’t really understand those of my friends who don’t. It doesn’t matter what kind of weather–hot/cold, wet/dry, severe, snow/sleet/ice, and I’m listening and looking at the maps. It’s been raining for two days, when it was only supposed to rain for one. That’s not a problem, as we were edging back toward drought conditions and that’s never a good thing. People are idiots when the weather is anything but sunny and dry.

When the Universe dropped this into my inbox, I was starting a scene set in Jackson Square in New Orleans. I knew what needed to happen but I wasn’t sure how to start. Email dinged and there was my answer. I was wavering on that scene and this thought from the Big U got me to thinking about the sun and wind and rain. From that, I created the rest. Like cities/settings, sometimes the weather can also become a secondary character and for that one scene, it did. It gave me the stage to set so my characters could trod across it and say their lines with the emotions they were supposed to feel.

As a writer, I always work to include at least one of the five (and sometimes that nebulous 6th sense 😉 ) senses in a scene, layering in sights and sounds and touches and tastes and smells. I should remember to occasionally use those senses–in a modified form–for the settings, because in many ways, weather and atmosphere are equal to the five senses used by characters. Anyway, odd thoughts after two water-logged days with lots of rain, mist, cloudy skies, and a gloom that’s descended over everything.

In case you haven’t noticed, Silver, the sun doesn’t always rise in crimson.

The wind doesn’t always blow from the south.

The rains don’t always fall on the plains.

And so must you allow for your own rhythms in time.

Always in love,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

Sometimes, Silver, when you waver, it creates the rest you need to become even more.

I REALLY need to make in rain in New Orleans. Just sayin’… 🙂

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