It’s the first Friday in June and we here in romancelandia all know that June is the month for brides, marriage ceremonies, and awesome wedding videos. Take a couple of minutes and grab a smile today! Well done, George! You know who’s a good boy!
There are times when it’s not writer’s block that hits a writer and halts her/him in their tracks. There are times when adults have absolutely no desire to do any adulting. And then…
Sometimes, the only thing you know for certain is what you don’t want. Yet often, Silver, that’s enough to go on.
10-4 good buddy,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®Life is easy, Silver.
Which is true. Life is easy. It’s that whole living thing that is hard. The deciding of what to do, when to do it, how do it. Exhausting, I say! But yes, sometimes knowing what you don’t want helps you decide what you do. Then you just have to decide to go after it. And once again, the Universe points us in the right direction…maybe. 😉
Time for another snippet to fit the weekly theme for Twitter’s #1lineWed. Today is all about being **Free/Freedom**. To set up the scene for this snippet, Smoke has been arrested for…reasons. 😉 Enter Clarice Shepherd, the Dallas attorney on retainer. She smuggled in a little device that emitted a subsonic sound to defeat any recording devices the cops might have forgotten to turn off. So…here ya go:
Clarice stared. Then her lips thinned and her eyes glinted with ice. “Fuckers.” She inhaled deeply, showing off her very fine chest to great effect. “The Russian is not going to be very happy about this.”
“No shit, Sherlock.”
“At least you’re smart. You kept your mouth shut and asked for me. Are you ready to get this circus started?”
I nodded, wondering if my ears were bleeding from the subsonic whine. “Yeah.”
She flicked the off button with a long, red nail and I breathed in relief. Clarice did her runway-model walk over to the window and tapped on it. Then she leaned in, shifting her face from side-to-side checking her makeup. I choked back a laugh as the door opened.
The first one through was Leigh. She looked pissed. And smelled jealous. My wolf liked that. The ATF agent, still nursing his hard-on for me, and a DPD detective followed her.
Clarice moved around behind me and stood, a hand on my shoulder. Leigh’s eye twitched and the acrid scent of vinegar wafted from her. I schooled my expression but my wolf was running in circles. She was definitely jealous.
For almost an hour, the cop and the ATF jerk asked questions. Clarice answered for me. Whenever I even twitched like I was going to open my mouth, she squeezed my shoulder. My eyes were almost watering from the vinegar and burnt toast scents swirling in the room.
Leigh was back to leaning against the door and she jumped when someone rapped on it sharply. All eyes went to her and she opened the door a crack. There was a whispered conversation. In wolf form, my ears would have swiveled to hear. In human form, I just listened. Huh. All those witnesses saying I was a hero. How I kicked open chained exit doors. How I carried people out. How I saved their lives. That was the truth but the woman meant to be my mate would never see that side of me. She saw only the criminal. Whatever.
Leigh came over, unlocked the handcuffs. “You’re free to go. For now.”
As long as she lived, I’d never be free. And that sucked donkey balls.
****
Any of you have free words to share? I’d hoped to have this book released by now. As it sometimes happens, Real Life got in the way. Even if I don’t sleep for the rest of the week, it will be out by Friday.
Boston Cream Pie is one of those desserts that is not what people think it is. Pie? Uhm…not really. Cake? With gooey stuffs and chocolate icing? Oh yeah! These are easy, yummy and mostly bite-sized. What’s not to love?
Prep Time: 20min.
Total Time: 1hr. 53min.
Servings: 24 servings
Learn how to make these delightful Boston Cream Pie Minis! Fill the cupcakes with vanilla, and then top them with chocolate for the perfect finishing touch!
What You Need
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup cold milk
1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate
Make It
Heat oven to 350ºF.
Prepare cake batter and bake as directed on package for 24 cupcakes. Cool completely.
Beat pudding mix and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Let stand 5 min. Meanwhile, use serrated knife to cut cupcakes horizontally in half.
Whisk 1/2 cup COOL WHIP into pudding; spoon onto bottom halves of cupcakes, using about 1 Tbsp. for each. Cover with cupcake tops.
Microwave remaining COOL WHIP and chocolate in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Let stand 15 min.
Frost cupcakes with chocolate mixture. Refrigerate 15 min.
To get all the information on this Kraft recipe, CLICK HERE
And I decided to feature this recipe because Smoke takes Leigh out to dinner and they have Boston Creme Pie for dessert. Pssst. NIGHT FIRE will be out this week. I’m just not sure which day yet. Keep watching this space for info. 😉
As you picnic, suntan, BBQ or otherwise celebrate this holiday Monday, take a moment to remember the men and women who died fighting for your rights to do so. And if you are out and about and see an American Legion volunteer with a board of poppies, stop to make a donation and wear your poppy with pride, knowing that they’ll use your money to help our veterans who made it home alive.
Let’s have some fun. I collected four links to really cool stuff around the web. Take a few minutes to click through, enjoy the sights, awww a little, laugh a little, and have some fun! FYI, when you click, you’ll go to the original link in a new window so no need to go back and forth to see them all. 😉
First up, most 13 year old big brothers are smucks. In this case, the brother is a real charmer, playing a prince for his little sister. CLICK HERE
This series of message texts and pictures has been making the rounds on the intrawebz. If you haven’t seen them, be warned. I’m issuing a *Liquids Alert* with a side of ROFLMAO. The wife is showing off the “stray” she’s adopted. CLICK HERE
I’m a sucker for imagined texts/tweets from critters. Here are some cat and dog texts to their human mommy. CLICK HERE
And in this last link, art is where you find it. An artist creates masterpieces on the windows of cars. His medium? The dust collected on those windows. Amazing stuff! Trust me. CLICK HERE
That’s my contribution to end the week on a happy note. Go forth and enjoy your weekend! It’s a three-day holiday weekend here in the states so stay safe and remember why we celebrate Memorial Day on Monday.
Some people take vacations. Some people grab a book and read it cover to cover. Some people watch a TV series marathon style. Me? I like to sleep when I can, get lot in a book when I can’t. If I’m lucky, it’s a book I’m writing. If I’m not, then it’s a book I love.
The thing is, I think we all feel a little guilty when these times hit. We should be doing…something! Whatever that something is. In my case…writing. Deadlines. Reader expectations. Real life. Still, to avoid burn out, there are times I just need to chill. Luckily, the big U seems to agree with me.
There are indeed times in every life when one must simply lay low, hide out, and just chill.
And usually it’s called sleep.
However, Silver, in between such times, by the light of the sun or a giant disco ball, I generally advocate as full a schedule as you can possibly manage.
Do the hustle,
The Universe© http://www.tut.com ®
Besides, Silver, it’s easier to fall in love, and to be fallen in love with, when you’re busy. Hubba-hubba…
This is pretty much how it happens. I have a “Writing Truth” pin on Pinterest that says, “I find that I write best when I’m supposed to be doing something else.” I think I’ll go figure out something else I should be doing so I can get this book finished. 😉
Another week rolling along and here it is Wednesday again. Time for #1lineWed and it’s **DARK** theme. Here’s an unedited snippet from NIGHT FIRE. Leigh has been awake for almost 24 hours. She walked out of her bathroom to find Smoke standing there. He feeds her, puts her to bed, and promises to leave. Yeah…right, as Leigh says! She hauls herself out of bed and goes to make sure he’s gone and her door is locked. And…action!
****
Leaning against the front door, I pulled the towel off my head and scrubbed at my hair. It was damp and would frizz but I was exhausted. That was my story and I’d stick to it. Why else would I have let an armed and dangerous man into my house without calling 9-1-1? Forget that he was sexy and steamrolled right over me. Ugh. I thumped my head against the door—and heard a deep, rumbling chuckle. What the—?
I whirled, jerked open the door and glared. But Smoke was twenty feet away, straddling his Harley, looking all smug. That was it. I’d officially been awake long enough to have aural hallucinations.
“Get some sleep, Leigh.”
“Go away, Smoke.”
“You sure that’s what you want me to do, darlin’?”
“Positive.” I was. Totally. The idea of curling up next to his hard body didn’t appeal at all. Not one tiny bit. Nuh-uh. Nope. He laughed and I realized I’d just let out a gusty and deeply feminine sigh of…something. Not desire. I didn’t even like this guy. Even if he could make a mean omelet. And had shaggy dark hair I wanted to comb my fingers through.
I blinked, realizing I’d been staring blankly. Yup, that smirk was still plastered on his face. I bet he’d ride off and go nail some helpless bimbo.
“Sorry to disappoint you, babe, but you’re the only female I intend to nail any time in the near future. But I want you well-rested and fully awake when I do. Now go inside, lock the door, and sleep. I have to get to work.”
Work? The guy worked? My brain was so fuzzy I wasn’t quite comprehending. Did bikers actually have jobs? Like they got up, punched a time clock, and worked forty-hour weeks? I mean, this guy was an outlaw biker. I might not be up on all the gang stuff but even I recognized that 1% patch he wore.
“Babe.”
I blinked again. And discovered my vision was graying a bit at the edges. The next thing I knew, I’d been scooped up into Smoke’s arms and he was carrying me inside. Some inner feminine creature that had nothing to do with me plastered my nose against his neck and we—a demon succubus surely, and I—inhaled deeply. He smelled of leather and wind and just a hint of cherry, like expensive pipe tobacco…
*
I opened my eyes to darkness, my heart hammering, and my chest tight from holding my breath. I listened hard. Nothing. I didn’t remember getting into bed. I remembered…being in Smoke’s arms and breathing him in. Crud. I was alone in bed and a mental “service check” let me know that no hanky or panky had occurred while I’d been passed out.
Snagging my cell phone from the table beside my bed, I checked the time. 12:02. My curtains were shut tight. My eyes were still a little blurry so I looked at my phone again. AM. Wow. I’d been asleep for over eight hours. Well…almost twelve if I was being honest. And now my sleep schedule was all messed up. I needed to go back to sleep because I had regular duty in the morning, reporting at 7 AM. Yippee.
****
Yippee indeed. Poor Leigh. She is so screwed. 😆 And on that note, do any of you have dark words to share?
We’re coming up on bridal shower time, along with baby showers, graduations, proms, garden parties…Does anyone outside of the South do garden parties? LOL Anyway, these pretty little treats caught my eye because they look totally professional and seem easy to make. Plus…the flavors are all my favorites. There are some tips listed on the recipe page at Kraft, so if you decide to try these treats, click through to get the 4-1-1 to making them easier.
LEMON BLOSSOM OREO COOKIE BALLS
Prep Time: 30min.
Total Time: 1hr. 40min.
Servings: 40 servings
Planning a bridal or baby shower? Serve these dainty, lemony bite-size treats with crushed Golden OREO Cookies as the creamy, delicious filling.
What You Need
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg. (14.3 oz.) Golden OREO Cookies, finely crushed
1 tsp. lemon zest
3 pkg. (4 oz. each) BAKER’S White Chocolate, broken into pieces, melted
1 Tbsp. assorted decorating icings
40 white nonpareils (about 1/2 tsp.)
Make It
Mix cream cheese, cookie crumbs and zest until blended.
Shape into 40 (1-inch) balls. Freeze 10 min. Dip balls in melted chocolate; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan. Fit tubes of icings with star tip; use to pipe small flower onto top of each ball. Gently press nonpareil into center of each.
Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.
For tips (especially about the chocolate dipping) and nutritional info, go to KRAFT RECIPES. And now I have to write a scene with Hannah, from the Moonstruck books, trying to make these. Because…well, those of you who love Hannah know why!! :LOL: Let me know if any of you try these!
May has five Mondays. How is that fair?!?
This weekend was a lot of “people” time. We kept Stormageddon Friday night (Baseball Boy’s end-of-school faculty dinner) and Sunday afternoon (Baseball Boy to high school baccalaureate, The Only to a wedding rehearsal). Saturday, I had lunch and afternoon program/meeting with OKRWA. Ate awesome grilled salmon on a Caesar salad and the group had a chat with the wonderful Harlequin author, Sara Orwig. She’s written over 100 books and was talking about priorities and how she came to write that many books. Fun times. Still, I’m pretty much “peopled” out. 😆 In other news…
Sports: My Cardinals pretty much sucked it up against Allison Brennan’s SF Giants. Ah well. The Cards were in first in the NL Central for awhile. It’s a long season. They did fight back yesterday afternoon to keep the Giants from sweeping Also keeping track of OSU Cowgirls and OU Sooners in the NCAA Softball Regionals. OU was beaten in an upset and they had to come back through the losers bracket. Unusual for them. OSU also had to come back but they were beaten by the #1 team in the nation–Florida. The Cowgirls came all the way back and they beat Florida in the first final, forcing the what-if game. They lost sadly. :*( OU came back in their final against Tulsa to tie the game and then won it in extra innings. They play the what-iff game at noon, winner moves on to super-regional game.
Reading: OMG! I finished listening to Emma Chase’s SUSTAINED, Book 2 in her Legal Briefs series. Sebastian York, the narrator, was total awesomesauce. Jake Becker, the hero, is at times wry, self-deprecating, blunt, sexy, sarcastic, amazed, and in totally over his head. I laughed out loud often. I wanted to Gibbs Slap™ on more than one occasion but he was so sheepishly likeable that I couldn’t help rooting for him just a little. The book is written entirely in his POV and what an amazing insight into the brain of guy! I thoroughly enjoyed the book and if you are looking for a sexy romance with a lot of sweet and six hysterical kids, I highly recommend it! I’ve also started a “re-listen” to Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series in anticipation of the release of SILVER SILENCE in June. Two more books I’ve been waiting for arrive on May 30th–Christine Feehan’s SHADOW REAPER and the very LOOOOOooooonng anticipated WHITE HEAT by Ilona Andrews. I’ll do a relisten to the first books in both these series before I start them.
TV: Not watching much besides sports. I have a bunch on the DVR to catch up on. I should think about doing that one of these nights instead of listening to a book. 😉 I am waiting for a few movies to hit cable. I want to see THE ACCOUNTANT, ASSASSIN’S CREED, DR. STRANGE, and ROGUE ONE. All but DR. STRANGE are on View on Demand rental. Uhm…no. I pay far more than Cox is worth to pay them more to “rent” movies. I’m patient. I’ll wait until the movies are available free.
Writing: I’m doing some. As always. Making headway on NIGHT FIRE. Gotta get it edited and such so I can send it to editor/betas/formatting. And I have to address some issues in RDR#8’s proposal and get it back. No rest for the wicked.
That’s all the stuff in my world at the moment. What’s up with y’all?
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