Wednesday Words: All the Thanks

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Silver James

blood-n-fire-with-kwIn honor of Monday’s Thanksgiving celebration in Canada, today’s #1lineWed theme is *Thank | Thanks | Thank you* To say thank you to all of you for hanging out here, I’m sharing a snippet from BLOOD & FIRE, which releases into the Amazon “jungle” tomorrow. Since it’s still a WIP–technically speaking as it hasn’t published yet. Because yeah, marketing. 😆 Anyway, last week we had a peek at Rhys. This week, we get to meet Celina “Celie” Monaghan. Enjoy!

***
“Dad, I have a job. Obligations. I can’t just take off because my dad snaps his fingers.”

“Quit and come home. For good. That’s an order.”

Laughter sputtered out before she could stop it. “I’m not sixteen, Dad. I’m a grown-up woman. I even have the right to vote and everything.”

“Celina.”

He never called her by her full name and did his voice just crack? Her stomach churned and not from the jalapenos she’d eaten on her pizza. She had a really bad feeling. “Dad, what have you done?”

“Come home, Celina, or I’ll send someone after you. That’s an order from your Alpha.” He disconnected the call before she found the words to retort.

“Send someone after me? He wouldn’t—” She squinted her eyes shut and bounced her forehead gently on her kitchen counter. Her dad didn’t make idle threats and he’d never pulled the Alpha card on her. Rock Creek might not have domination fights, but there was a reason Mickey Monaghan had been elected mayor.
She’d just finished her shift rotations and had four Kelly days coming up so against her better judgment, she threw some clothes and toiletries into a bag. She called her district chief and told him a family emergency had come up and she might need to take regular duty days off. Technically, her dad going off the deep end over something he wouldn’t discuss on the phone despite calling her in the middle of the freaking night qualified, right? Right. Luckily, the chief told her no problem—she had over a month of comp time racked up, thanks to her taking a few extra shifts at Station 58. It wasn’t like she had a life outside of DF&R.
***

So what about y’all? Any Wednesday Words to give thanks for? And be sure to check here tomorrow for the buy link to BLOOD & FIRE. I’ll post just as soon as I have it! ❤

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Tuesday Treats: Caramel Apple Nachos

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Silver James

caramel_apple_nachos
Here’s another yummy fall recipe–sweet, tart, cold, warm, and gooey. Slices of green apples covered in warm caramel sauce, white chocolate, chocolate chips and crushed candy bars! What’s not to love?!!?

CARAMEL APPLE NACHOS
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
4 large green apples (Original recipe calls for Granny Smith, I like Golden Delicious myself)
1/2 package Kraft caramels (unwrapped) or caramel bits (A pain to unwrap but well worth it!)
1 Tablespoon water
1/2 package white chocolate chips
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
1 Heath candy bar, crushed (If you’re fancy and have a food processor, you can do it that way. I just used a rolling pin.)

INSTRUCTIONS
Clean apples with water, dry with paper towels. Slice each apple into 8 pieces. Arrange apple slices onto a large serving platter.

Meanwhile, place caramels in a microwave-safe bowl with 1 Tablespoon water. Microwave in 25 second intervals until just melted. Drizzle warm caramel over apples.

Place white chocolate chips in a separate microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 25 second intervals until just melted. Drizzle over apples.

Top apples with mini chocolate chips and crushed candy bar. Serve immediatley and enjoy!

To see the original recipe and others like it, CLICK HERE!

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Monday and the Boys of Summer

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Silver James

Monday coffeeI feel like I’m mainlining caffeine these days. Weekends won’t exist for awhile so Monday is no longer a day where I have to “get back to work.” I haven’t left work in order to get back to it. 😆 So…what’s going on in my world you ask. I’m happy to tell you! 😉

Writing update: I only have approximately 65K words to write between now and the end of November. Fun times! I’m 12K+ words into my next Kindle World book, set in Susan Stoker’s Special Forces: Operation Alpha world, so almost halfway with it. I hope to have it finished by mid-week. Then I need to jump into RDR#6-Kade’s story. Followed by a 3-chapter proposal for RDR#7-Deacon’s story. Very fun times! :/ I keep tellin’ myself that. Maybe I’ll believe it one of these days soon. 😆

Sports: Well, OSU and OU are going to give me a heart attack if they keep playin’ like they did Saturday! Blerg! They both won but it was messy. Y’all also know that I’m a huge baseball fan, hence today’s subject line. My Cardinals didn’t make the playoffs but the Cubs did. There’ve been some weather delays but the games are progressing. Cubbies are headed to San Francisco leading the best of five series 2-0. They could put it away tomorrow night. Then its a matter of waiting to see if the Nationals or Dodgers prevail. On the AL side of things, Blue Jays are leading the Rangers 2-0 and the Indians over the Red Sox 2-0. I’m kinda holding out for a Cubs-Indians pairing in the World Series.

TV: I’m behind again. I’ve been writing and/or watching baseball. Except for Lucifer. I think it’s my new favorite show. I keep hoping to catch up on NCIS and the other shows I’ve DVR’d but time keeps slipping away.

Reading: I did a slew of books on tape–Joanna Wylde’s Reapers MC series. I’m all caught up now. There were two I hadn’t read yet. I’m also reading/listening (yay for Kindles Whispersync) a romance about the Irish mob in Boston. The female narrator does a good Southie accent. It’s dark and gritty, and while I’m mostly enjoying it, I’m not “compelled” to put other stuff aside to finish it. I’m ahead on my Goodreads challenge so it’s all good.

So, that’s it for me. I know I’m totally anti-social on social media these days. Between politics and deadlines I’m not feeling all the happy feelz. *shrug* So, what’s up in your lives? Fill me in so I’m not in this big void of a bubble! What are you doing, watching, reading, writing? How are your sports teams doing? What fun things are you doing? I want to know because I’m sort of living vicariously through you guys! 😉

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Friday Free-for-all: Blood & Fire Cover Reveal

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Silver James

blood-n-fire-with-kwWhoohoo!!! Today is my day to reveal the cover for my next Kindle World release set in New York Times best-selling author Paige Tyler’s Dallas Fire & Rescue world. The launch date is next Thursday, October 13th, during Fire Prevention week. There are a lot of hot stories coming so that’s a good thing! 😉 If you are on Facebook, be sure to join the release party. CLICK HERE to join up, if you haven’t already. I’ll be taking over the party from 5-5:30 EST. There will be lots of fun and contests. 😀

So, what is BLOOD & FIRE about, you ask? Here’s the blurb:

A Wolf shifter gone rogue…
For Rhys Kendric, banished from his pack as a teen, life as a bounty hunter is good. Women chase him, he can drink any three men under the table, and he hasn’t lost a bar fight in years. Given the job of tracking bail-jumper Reece Chatham, son of the man who’d exiled him, Rhys uncovers an archaic pack practice: taking a blood bride. In a case of mistaken identity gone totally wrong, Rhys is stunned when the bride-to-be sets his blood on fire.

A modern pack princess…
Celina Monaghan will do anything for her father and pack—well, almost anything. The idea of an arranged marriage to a strange Wolf in this day and age has the feminist side of this Dallas Fire & Rescue EMT bent all the hell out of shape. She’s agreed to meet this Reece Chatham guy face-to-face, but submitting to him? Nope, not gonna happen. She’s holding out for a mythical true mating. Then the man she thinks is Reece walks in the door. He can’t be her true mate!

A Blood Moon mating…
Surviving pack politics threatening to set the town on fire and a Blood Moon challenge to get their happy ever after? What could possibly go wrong…besides BLOOD & FIRE!

I won’t have the link until next week but you can bet I’ll be spreading it around. Stay tuned here as I count down to the release. 😀 What’s on your agenda this weekend? Me? I’m working, watching post-season baseball, and college football!

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Wednesday Words: I’m So Over It…

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Silver James

wurkn-on-mai-plan-for-word-domination-caleb-pupThe theme for today’s #1lineWed on Twitter is “OVER.” Very apropos as I’m all over and done with REDEEMED BY THE COWGIRL. Edits, copyedits, and typeset edits. Finished. I got to see a sneak preview of the cover. There are horses. And kissing. 😉 But today is #1lineWed so the snippet needs to come from a WIP (Work In Progress). I’m revisiting one of my favorite Nightriders. I need to get back to his story but I have a few others to finish first! So, this is from Leigh’s POV but Smoke definitely gets in the last word. 😉

Before I could radio Dispatch, the roar of a big motorcycle echoed in the fog. Moving further from the roadbed, I watched the ghostly bike appear, roar past, and then disappear.

Except it didn’t. The motorcycle reappeared through the misty dark, driving the wrong way back toward me on the shoulder. As an arson investigator, I’m cleared to carry a sidearm but guns are not my thing. I always counted on my colleagues and the cops for backup if there was a situation where a weapon might be needed.

I was totally regretting that decision now.

The guy tossed his leg over his Harley and stalked toward me. He was six feet four inches and 240 pounds of do whatever the hell he wanted. His dark, shaggy hair had been combed by the wind. His eyes, color to be determined, were hooded. Fog drifted between us, almost as thick as smoke and then he was there, suddenly, feet braced, massive arms crossed over his chest, black leather jacket stretched to capacity.

“Having trouble?”
***
What about y’all? Any OVER lines you want to share?

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Tuesday Treats: Pillsbury Dough Mummies

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Silver James

Saw this on Pinterest and thought “TOO CUTE!” so of course I saved it and wanted to share. Also, the paper version of CONVENIENT COWGIRL BRIDE release today. Hopefully, your local brick and mortar stores has it on shelf. My Wallyworld always runs a couple of days late getting the new books up. 😦 In the meantime, have fun with this Halloween treat!

pillsbury-mummiesIngredients

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

10 Oscar mayer hot dogs
1 can Pillsbury crescent dinner rolls, refrigerated
Mustard or ketchup
Cooking spray

Unroll dough; separate at perforations, creating 4 rectangles. Press perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough; cut into 4 rectangles.

With knife or kitchen scissors, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough. Cut “legs” and “arms” on each hot dog.

Wrap 4 pieces of dough around each hot dog to look like “bandages,” stretching dough slightly to completely cover hot dog. About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog, separate “bandages” so hot dog shows through for “face.” On ungreased large cookie sheet, place wrapped hot dogs; spray dough lightly with cooking spray.

Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are hot. With mustard, draw features on “face.” Serve with mustard or ketchup for “dipping.”

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A Monday in Autumn

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Silver James

funny-pictures-i-know-those-feels-monday-catRunning a bit late today. Normally, I set up my posts the night before but after pushing through edits/proofreading all weekend, my brain was total mush last night so I grabbed an audio book and went to bed. Then I slept late–for me anyway. Actually, I was awake at 5:00 a.m., even fixed and had my first cup of coffee, but then went back to bed and dozed off for an hour. So much for the efficacy of caffeine. 😆

Fall is in the air. Daily high temps are cooling down, nights hold a chill, and leaves are starting to fall. Days are getting shorter, twilight coming sooner and dawn hesitating to appear. I love this time of year. Autumn is my favorite season.

So…there was a weekend, despite my captivity in the writing cave. We got to spend some time with Stormageddon and there was college football and the end of the STL Cardinals’ season. My OSU Cowboys won! Pistols firing!!!! OU won too. Both beat ranked teams but in the new rankings, only OU was ranked. Grrrrr. My Cards went out on a high note and getting to watch one last plate appearance by Matt Holliday–who hit a pinch hit homerun–was a tearful moment. He won’t be back next year–at least not as a Card. 😦 Since my Cards are out of the post-season, I can only say, GO CUBS!!!

I’ll be sending REDEEMED BY THE COWGIRL back to New York this morning then I’m headed to the grocery store and cleaners. When I get back I’ll be splitting my time between my next project(s) and getting started on a critique on the WIP my critique partner has been working on. I may even take time to get caught up on my Goodreads updates because I’m like 6 books ahead of what my reading challenge is showing. Gee, I should update the numbers here on the GR widget, too. LOL

Time to get actual work done. For those of you who preordered the print edition of CONVENIENT COWGIRL BRIDE, tomorrow! Those of you who read it in digital, I’d ❤ ❤ ❤ you if you take a moment to leave a rating or review! *blows kisses* Happy Monday!!!

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Happy Book Birthday to CONVENIENT COWGIRL BRIDE

Posted on October 1, 2016 by Silver James

CONVENIENT COWGIRL BRIDE
(Red Dirt Royalty #4)

It’s a marriage of convenience for this sexy tycoon!
9780373734900-final-frnt2Barron Entertainment CEO Chasen “Chase” Barron needs a wife like he needs a hangover. But when his latest escapades land him in the tabloids, he faces an ultimatum from the Barron family patriarch: pick a wife or one will be picked for him.

That’s when perfect stranger Savannah Wolfe shows up, out of the blue, in his bed! It’s all a mix-up, but how convenient. The feisty cowgirl fits the bill for a fake wedding. Chase’ll help her with her rodeo career if she plays along. But how inconvenient if he falls for Savannah for real in the process…
!!AVAILABLE in digital format on OCTOBER 1ST!! !!AVAILABLE in print on OCTOBER 4th!!

AMAZON | HARLEQUIN | iTUNES/iBooks | KOBO | NOOK/B&N | ALL ROMANCE
And mark it WANT TO READ on Goodreads!

Here’s a snippet for your enjoyment…

The bedroom door swung open soundlessly and he didn’t bother with lights.

Stripping out of his clothes, he slid between the Egyptian cotton sheets and rolled toward the center of his bed. Where he encountered a warm body.

His palm dipped into a nipped-in waist before smoothing over the curve of a hip. Tucker must have hustled to get him this coming home present. He dipped his head and nuzzled the sweet spot behind the woman’s ear.

The next thing he knew, the woman had rolled, tucked her feet into his chest and kicked. Chase flew off the bed and hit the carpeted floor with a soft thud.

“What the hell!” The woman scampered to the other side of the bed and turned on the lamp. “Who are you?”

He stood up, naked and unembarrassed. “I might ask you the same thing, wildcat.”

“Oh, my God, you’re naked. Get out!”

Before he could move, she nailed him in the chest with a boot. A Western boot. Covered in mud and… He sniffed the air.

“Get out of here, you pervert! I’m calling security.”

“Good idea, since I’m throwing you out.”

“What? You can’t do that.”

“Sure I can, kitten. This is my apartment.”

Her jaw dropped and then her full lips formed a perfect O.
****

Now go forth and read! 😀 And have a happy weekend.

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Friday Sinema: 100 Years of Movie Fashion

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Silver James

This is just cool. While you watch it, see if you recognize the actresses and/or the movie! 😀 Have a great weekend!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Plotting

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Silver James

universeWhy yes, I did finally finish those short stories, thank you very much. Now it’s time to move on to the next project. I have 3 that are mostly running currently. Full manuscript for RDR#6-Kade is due November 15. The proposal for RDR#7-Deacon is due November 1. And RESCUE MOON, part of Susan Stoker’s Operation Alpha Kindle World gets uploaded for release on November 23rd. Plus, I have two releases coming in October. So yeah, when this popped up in the ol’ inbox, I knew the Universe had me on it’s radar. 😆

Nothing is left to chance, Silver. The choreography of players and circumstances in your world are plotted with mind-numbing precision. Gigantic forces of attraction are activated and engaged. The odds for your inevitable success begin skyrocketing. And every second of every day is calibrated and recalibrated… whenever you remember to visualize.

Who loves you, baby?
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

“ALL HANDS ON DECK!!!!!! Silver’s doing it again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

I’m glad somebody loves me because when it comes to plotting, choreographing deadlines, and making sure my characters get their HEAs through mutual attraction? Yeah, I need all the help I can get! What are y’all plotting these days?

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