Just watch. Pretty much self-explanatory. Have a together kind of weekend.
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Wedneday Words: What’s Love Got to Do With It?
Dragging out the celebration one more day, #1lineWed’s theme over on Twitter is all things having to do with **LOVE** and that includes heart, romance, etc. I haven’t hit any of that in SEAL MOON yet, but the subject has been mentioned in Tucker’s story. I should explain, briefly, that Tucker picked up the heroine, whose Firebird Trans Am had broken down. She is wearing a wedding dress and, much to his dismay, he discovers that she’s…well…you’ll see. FYI, her would-be groom and in-laws are hot on their trail. And this is a first draft, so ignore how rough it is.
***
“So anyway, it was a one-night deal. Their lead singer came down with something and couldn’t perform. Mr. Jake introduced me to ’em, I sang a few bars, and there I was, front’n center on the stage,” Zoe explained.
“Okay?” Tucker wondered if maybe one of the band members was responsible for her current condition.
“That night I was singin’ my heart out and there was a guy sittin’ there at a table. He was down-right purty, if you know what I mean.” She cut her eyes toward him. “Not as purty as you, but dang close. Anyway, he bought me a drink. And then another. And so on, until I found myself in his buddy’s pickup banging away with the dude.” She paused and waggled her finger in his direction. “Now, I might not be a good girl, but I ain’t normally stupid, even if I’ve drunk way more booze than is good for me. I made sure that sucker was suited up right proper. But, like I mentioned, the thing just didn’t hold up. We didn’t realize it at the time. Come mornin’, he went his way and I went mine.”
“Uh huh.” Tucker was fascinated, despite his better judgment.
“Well, after not gettin’ my…monthly, I went down to the CVS and got me a pregnancy test.” She patted her belly.
Tucker had the insane urge to thump it to see if it would echo like a ripe watermelon. Yeah, he was one sick puppy. “And it was obviously positive.”
“Yup. So, I went lookin’ for Mr. Redmond Smithee. I figured he had the right to know, seein’ as he was the daddy and all. Took me two months t’track him down again and by then, it was a little late to be doin’ anything about the situation.” Her chin rose in a stubborn jut. “Not that I would have, even if that’s what he wanted. That solution is fine for some people, but not me.”
“So…” Tuck stretched out the word. “You wanted him to marry you?”
“Oh to the hell no! I mean really, it’s not like love had a thing to do with it. Just a bunch of hormones. But dang if that man couldn’t chip in some child support. He had a lot of fun gettin’ his rocks off that night. I didn’t find out until it was too late that I shoulda just high-tailed it outta Georgia and left him none the wiser. I made the mistake of tellin’ Red he was gonna be a daddy, once I tracked down his sorry ass. Son of a gun called his mama, all puffed up prouder than a bantam rooster. But did he pay me child support? Nope. That hillbilly dragged me all over the south, stallin’ me every step of the way.” She dropped her voice and her accent thickened as she mimicked . “Just one more job, baby girl, then I’ll give you some money. Just one more ride, baby girl. Not like you can get any more pregnant.” She rolled her eyes and grimaced. “I plead pregnancy hormones because if I’d been in my right mind, I would have ditched that man way before I did.”
“Uh huh.”
***
Poor Tucker. The man doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance. 😆 And I have to admit, Zoe Parker might just be one of my favorite heroines. What about y’all? Got any heartfelt words to share?
Posted in Writing Life
Tagged #1lineWed, inspiration, quotes, Red Dirt Royalty, snippet, Wednesday Words, writing
2 Comments
Tuesday Treats: Cast-iron Chocolate Chip Cookie
It’s Valentine’s Day! Want to treat your Valentine or yourself? Try this warm, gooey treat made in one cast-iron skillet. Easy peasy. Watch the video at the bottom and check the ingredients list below. Easy peasy and oh-so-yummy! Make it, and curl up with a favorite book! Or your honey. 😉
❤ Cast-iron CC Cookies ❤
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Cup butter, cut up to melt easier
1/4 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup light brown sugar
Cool slightly
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 Cup flour
1 Cup large chocolate chips or chunks
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Be sure to top with ice cream because…YUM!
A Monday for Hearts and Flowers
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. I’m lucky. I’ve had the same Valentine for 30+ years now. Makes things pretty easy. I have other Valentine’s too–The Only, Baseball Boy, Stormageddon, the In-laws, and all of you–my friends and readers. But I remember the days when I was single and didn’t always have a steady. What I didn’t have in real life, I always had in my books. Ah, the joys of book boyfriends! Here’s my Top Ten Book Boyfriends, just because:
1) Roarke from the In Death series (J. D. Robb)
2) Curran from the Kate Daniels series (Ilona Andrews)
3) Raphael from the Guildhunter/Archangel series (Nalini Singh)
4) Reyes from the Charley Davidson series (Darynda Jones)
5) Dragos Cuelebre from the Elder Races series (Thea Harrison)
6) Simon Wolfgard from The Others series (Anne Bishop)
7) Ian “Mac” McIntire from the Moonstruck series (Silver James – and sh’up! He is, just sayin’)
8) Gabe Rossi from the Guardian Angelinos/Barefoot Bay Undercover series (Roxanne St. Claire)
9) Vlad Tepesh from the Night Prince series (Jeaniene Frost)
10) Sinjen St. John from the Penumbra Papers series (Silver James and sh’up again!)
So, that’s my list. Who’s on your book boyfriend list? Or book girlfriend?
Reading: I’m doing a re-listen to the In Death series, and no! That is not why Roarke is on the top of my list. I’m also reading Rebecca Zanetti’s JUSTICE ASCENDING, 3rd book in her Scorpius Syndrome series.
TV: Uhm….should I admit I’m infatuated with LIVE PD on A&E? And that a Tulsa PD gang unit officer is my new TV crush? His nickname is Sticks. He is fine! There are some movies coming up on cable I want to see–THE LEGEND OF TARZAN, THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER WAR, and…there’s another one but I can’t think of it at the moment.
Sports: BASEBALL!!! Pitcher/Catcher starts tomorrow!!! I keep waiting for U-verse to get finished in our neighborhood so I can finally switch over and get their sports package which will give me St. Louis Cardinals Spring Training games. Even with only a few available, opening day is just over a month away.
And…that’s it for me. Yeah, I’m writing but it’s the same ol’ same ol’. Progress is being made. All is good. What’s up in your worlds? And a quick plug: If you’re on Goodreads, be sure to click HERE or on the graphic and sign up for a chance to win a signed copy of REDEEMED BY THE COWGIRL plus a secret book. 😉
Tuesday Treats: Easy Mini Chicken Pot Pies
I’m a sucker for comfort food and one of my favorites is chicken pot pie. These looked yummy and pretty easy. Haven’t tried them yet, but they’re on my radar for a future meal!
Prep Time: 15min.
Total Time: 37min.
Servings: 10 servings
Here’s an easy chicken pot pie that’ll go over big—made in muffin pan cups and baked until golden brown and delicious.
Kraft Foods Recipe Box
What You Need
1 tub (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Spread
1/4 cup milk
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chopped cooked chicken
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, peas), thawed
1 can (12 oz.) refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits)
1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Triple Cheddar Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA
Make It
Heat oven to 375°F.
Mix cream cheese spread, milk and garlic in medium bowl until blended. Add chicken and vegetables; mix well.
Separate biscuits. Press 1 biscuit onto bottom and up side of each of 10 muffin pan cups sprayed with cooking spray. Fill with chicken mixture; top with shredded cheese.
Bake 20 to 22 min. or until biscuits are golden brown. Cool in pan 5 min. before removing from pan to serve.
***
What’s your favorite comfort food? Think you might try these?
Super Monday
I’m getting a late start. Usually, I set up posts the night before. I didn’t have much good to say yesterday and my parents always used that old saw, “If you can’t say something nice…” (Which I wish a lot more people would do these days…) Anyway.
I normally watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. Considering how much they cost this year, should have been a slam dunk. Instead, mostly a big yawn. The game on the other had? WOW! Not a Patriots fan. Not a Falcon’s fan. Not much of a NFL fan, period. Especially after this past season. But damn. Tom Brady and the Pats? WOW! Just WOW! That was a hellava game! CONGRATS!
Ads…Did I mention how disappointing? No Budweiser Clydesdales. That gave me a big ol’ sad! 😦 The Anheuser Busch commercial with August Busch (the original) wasn’t near as controversial as reports made it out to be. I found it interesting…New Yorkers berating a legal immigrant and St. Louis welcoming him. Hrmmmm…. *arches a brow* Winners in my book: The Cam Newton Buick commercial, the Melissa McCarthy Kia ad, the continuing Tide ad with Bradshaw and… Well..as for the others? *shrug*
Notable Entertainment…Luke Bryan? Dude! I ❤ your voice! Thank you for an amazing rendition of the National Anthem, and Patriots and Falcons, thank you for remaining on your feet. Lady Gaga…thank you for a patriotic show. Loved the drones in the opening. Loved that you weren't lip synching. Loved the tenor of the show–up-beat with some crazy dancers, costume changes, and a mad sprint through your biggest hits. Awesome stuff!
And now it's Monday, again. I'm back hard at work. Fun times. Actually…yeah. Both current projects should be a lot of fun to write with some crazy shenanigans! How was your weekend?
Friday Fun: Contest Love
Harlequin always does fun things for Valentine’s Day. This year, it’s all about #HarlequinSecretValentine goodies! The idea is to giveaway not only one of our own books but to include a SECRET present of one of our own favorite romances. Well, some of the Desire authors teamed up and our secret gift is another Desire title. Shhhh. I’m not tellin’, but my four winners are in for a real treat! So CLICK HERE or CLICK ON THE GRAPHIC and go enter my contest!
If you are a fan of Desire romances, you might also want to join our Facebook group: HARLEQUIN DESIRE AUTHORS and/or our Goodreads group: HARLEQUIN DESIRE: PASSIONATE, PROVOCATIVE ROMANCE
Why? Because you’ll stay up on all our new releases and other fun times! Likes contests. And Ask the Author type questions. Book memes. Etcetera. 😀
So, it’s the weekend. I may actually take a day to catch up on TV or a movie or reading/listening to books. I do have two new projects–Tucker’s story for RED DIRT ROYALTY and another Wolf story for Susan Stoker’s Kindle World. Lots of fun in both of those stories. I’m excited. Plus…REDEEMED arrives on your ereader on March 1st, if you preordered, and on March 7th in print. You know, in case you forgot. Or something. 😉 Go forth and enjoy your weekend!
Posted in Books, Writing Life
Tagged books, contest, Friday, fun stuff, links, Red Dirt Royalty, writing
6 Comments
Thursday Thoughts: Universal Creation
As most of you know, I finished up Deacon’s story, THE COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL earlier this week–in time for my deadline, BTW! Time for my next project(s)–the proposal for Red Dirt Royalty #8-Tucker’s story, and another adventure set in Susan Stoker’s Special Forces: Operation Alpha Kindle World. Because Iffy and I spend some time sitting and staring out the window as new stories and characters gel in our imginations, today’s missive from the Universe seemed most apropos.
Are you so sure it’s not the dancer who creates the music she moves to? Or the painter who manifests the mountains he captures? Or the tycoon who builds the empire before there’s a dime?
Whatever you want, Silver, let it exist first in your mind, imagine every nuance and consideration, let the walls have substance, the halls have depth, and the money have weight in the palm of your hand, and then all that’s necessary to bring it to pass will be drawn unto you.
Sneaky, clever, foxy, wry –
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®Really, Silver, who do you think gave Beethoven his, “DUN! DUN! DUN! DUN!!!!”?
So yeah…I’m thinking. No. Really! 😉 And Happy Groundhog Day! May you have spring in your future. Unless you want more winter… *bwahaha*
Posted in Writing Life
Tagged herding cats, inspiration, musing, quotes, Red Dirt Royalty, Thursday Thoughts, writing
3 Comments
Wednesday Words: Chaos…in Pink
Another week, another Hump Day. And we all know what that means, right? Yup, it’s #1lineWed over on Twitter. Today’s theme is **CHAOS**. I didn’t have any of that in the MS I just finished–and sent on time to my editor in NYC!–but when I went looking through my files of WIPs, I came across this tidbit from a future Nightrider book. Warning, this is in the Nightrider’s POV so NSFW. As a set up, the heroine is headed home after a wedding and hasn’t changed out of her bridesmaid dress. She stops for snacks for the drive and…
WIZARD
Filling the tank on my Harley, I watched the red VW convertible pull in and park. The ride looked brand new. If it stayed in our neighborhood, it wouldn’t look that way for long. The door opened to an explosion of pink. Like bright, fug-ugly pink. In the midst of that chaos, I also caught sight of a foot in killer heels, along with an ankle and a calf that were just as killer. My dick twitched.
I topped off the tank, hung the nozzle and waited for my receipt, figuring I might need to head inside to snag a six pack. Or to fuck that pink shit until the woman wrapped up in it screamed my name. She didn’t look very tall, despite the big hair and four-inch heels and she had curves. Real curves. My palms itched to cup that sweet ass—or what I imagined to be a sweet ass under all that pink crap.
Sitting on my bike, I waited. She didn’t come out. Then I heard gunfire. Fuck!
I didn’t think, I reacted. I hit the entrance about a second later doin’ my damnedest to leash my wolf. Pushing the door open so hard it slammed against the shelves behind it and cracked, I waded in. The air was filled with the scent of rust, scorched hair, and ammonia. Blood, panic, and fear. The clerk was down, bleeding out from a chest wound. Two customers, a man and a woman, were taking beat downs from two thugs. The third had Pretty in Pink. She was fighting like a wild cat despite the gun he held to her head.
And that’s when I lost my shit.
***
Yeah, I’ll give you three guesses who wins this round…and the first two don’t count! 😆 What about y’all? Any chaos in your lives or your writing?
Posted in Writing Life
Tagged #1lineWed, characters, inspiration, Nightriders MC, snippet, Wednesday Words, writing
2 Comments
Tuesday Treats: Bloomin’ Cheesy Onion
The Super Bowl is this weekend. Are you hosting a party? Or just going to watch with the family? Are you like me and watch for the commercials or are you a big football fan? Looking for something different to fix for munching on? You might try this Bloomin’ Cheesy Onion. Watch the video then check below for incredients and instructions. 😀
CHEESE-STUFFED BLOOMING ONION
Servings: 2-3
INGREDIENTS
3 medium sweet onions, peeled
1½ cups milk
2 eggs
1½ cups flour
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
Canola oil, for frying
Marinara sauce, ranch dressing, or spicy dressing, for dipping when served
PREPARATION
Cut the just the top off an onion and place it cut-side down.
Using a sharp knife, go around the root of the onion and make 4 evenly spaced cuts, being careful not to cut all the way through. Go back around and make 2 additional cuts between each quarter.
Flip the onion over and coax apart its layers (or “petals”).
Place 2 slices of mozzarella cheese on top of each other, cut them into ½-inch slices, then cut them in half.
Place a piece of cheese in between all of the onion petals.
Freeze the onion for 1 hour.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and the milk.
In large bowl, whisk together the flour, paprika, garlic salt, and black pepper.
Place the onion in the wet mixture, turning it until every petal is coated.
Place the onion in the dry mixture coating every petal.
Coat the onion in the egg wash and dry mixture one more time.
Place onion in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Heat canola oil to 375ºF/190ºC in a deep-fryer or dutch oven.
With tongs, add the onion to the oil for 2 minutes or until it is browned and crispy on all sides. Move onion to plate covered in paper towels and allow to drain for 5 minutes.
Enjoy!
Silver James 