Monday, DST Style

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Silver James

Grumpy Cat DSTHave I mentioned how much I absofreakinglutely hate with fork-stabby-eyed hatred Daylight Savings Time? I didn’t see the reason for it back when it was first started during the energy crisis of the 70s. I remember the gas lines. I remember the alleged energy savings messing with time would create. Lies! And to think we still have it? After what? FORTY YEARS?!?! Just goes to show that once the government votes something into being, it never goes away. Like chewing gum stuck under a school desk. Like the taste of gin after a hangover. Like…well, just think about the nastiest, most everlasting thing ever. Yeah. That’s how I feel about DST. It makes me grumpier than Grumpy Cat. It makes me wake up at odd times, tired and gritty-eyed. It makes me have weird dreams and not the good, Iffy-had-a-light-bulb-moment kind.

Moving on.

Tomorrow is release day for MOONSTRUCK: LIES. I’m not holding my breath for huge sales, or even good sales, which is rather sad. Granted, it’s a book that takes two previously published novellas and combines them with all new material and deleted scenes. Still… I’m working to get more original work out. First though, I have to finish up the SMP submission just in case. If they don’t take it, it’ll be all but ready for release so that’s a plus. I know those who commented were leaning toward Moonstruck Foundation as a series title for the new set of books. I’m leaning toward Moonstruck Alphas. Thoughts?

[6 a.m. Edit: As B.E. reminded me, I forgot the links. Derp. Here…]

MOONSTRUCK: LIES (Moonstruck Genesis Book 2)

AVAILABLE NOW FOR PRE-ORDER at Amazon | iTunes | Kobo | Barnes and Noble Nook

Reading: I did some. And some listening. The listening was to books I’d already read. I listened to the first 3 books in Anne Bishop’s The Others series in preparation for reading MARKED IN FLESH, book #4. I ❤ this series like damn and whoah. MARKED did not disappoint. I can't recommend this series enough if you like fantasy/alternative history. This is also NOT a series to jump into in the middle. Read it from WRITTEN IN RED. You need the character and world-building arcs. Besides, why deprive yourself of all the goodness! I'm currently reading T.M. Causey's SAINTS OF THE LOST AND FOUND. This is a book I first read years ago in an early draft. The characters and story haunted me while Toni rewrote, revised, and refined the story. It released last week and I am reading it in tiny sips and nibbles because I don't want it to end. I'll intersperse other books (mostly audio) in between. SAINTS is Southern Gothic at its very best and I'm so glad Toni found this book within her and drew it out so the rest of us can relish it.

TV: Baseball! And Lucifer. I did a marathon catch-up of Rizzoli and Isles. I'm not sure why I was reluctant to watch it this season but I DVR'd it and didn't watch. The stories have been awesome and there's some real depth to ALL the characters coming out this season. Of course, it is nice to zip through the commercials. Except for the Subaru Dog-tested ones. There are new ones out that crack me up!

Writing: You got a dose of that above after my mini-rant. I'm about 20K words into the SMP project. Speaking of, how many saw that LaNora (Nora Roberts/JD Robb) left her publisher of 20+ years (the Randy Penguin aka Random House/Penguin) and signed with St. Martins Press. Yeah. That was a real stunner! In other news, I'll have some to reveal in a day or two that is peripherally linked to writing. 🙂 Still waiting to hear on the next three Red Dirt books. I should nudge because I need to get my 2nd quarter schedule set up. I'm looking at finishing Nightriders #2 – NIGHT MOVES (Wizard and Lainie's story) done and out by the end of April. Preliminary work on Roman's book (PP#4) continues, as does Hard Target #2. Iffy is sort of ignoring those guys at the moment. 😦 The SEALs, Wolves, and humans on the team will get their story this year. Eventually. I'm also firming up an idea for a 2nd Kindle World novella with Paige Tyler's Dallas Fire & Rescue and a Wolf from the Moonstruck world. I think he's already shown up in NIGHT MOVES. Okay, I'm pretty sure he has. He's a law man but not sure which alphabet agency he belongs to yet. 😉

Weekend: We celebrated Stormageddon's 2nd birthday with family and friends. He's not technically two until a week or so from now but we had fun. I also discovered that Golden Chick (a chicken fastfood franchise) has excellent fried catfish. Yay! We had rain, which is also a yay. Oh, I did finally have daffodils last week. A week late for my birthday but close enough. 🙂

What about y'all? What trouble did you get into this weekend?

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Saturday Sale and Stuffs

Posted on March 12, 2016 by Silver James

Don’t forget to pre-order MOONSTRUCK: LIES at the special price of $3.99. It will go up a week after it’s release date of March 15th!
MS-Secrets-Lies banner
And other stuffs… The Moonstruck world keeps expanding. First, it was only the Moonstruck novels and novellas. Then came the spin-off worlds of Hard Target and Nightriders. Now I find myself spinning off in other directions as more Wolves pop up out of their dens and insist they have stories to tell. As y’all know, there’s a Kindle World Nightrider/Dallas Fire & Rescue cross-over novella coming in October. I’ve been asked to write a second KW book in the same DF&R world for a January 2017 release. I’m excited about that and my first thought was to just keep it in Paige Tyler’s DF&R world. But the hero kept insisting he was a Wolf. Not a “Moonstruck” Wolf (meaning the original group) or any of the Wolves in the Hard Target series (there are two Wolves on the HT team) and he definitely was law enforcement, not Nightrider material. So…

In order to keep numbering of volumes where they made sense, I created a “new” series with the compilation novels that are also going into print. That series is now MOONSTRUCK GENESIS, because they get deeper into the overall plot arc and world-building. Makes sense, right? So, here’s my dilemma. I have a new story (that’s been submitted to a publisher) that expands the Moonstruck-verse. I’ll self-publish if SMP doesn’t contract for it. Then there’s the KW story. How do I identify these tales with the Moonstruck world? How do I number them? I can’t really put them under the aegis of Genesis. I’ve come up with some ideas and I’d love to have your thoughts on them. They are listed in no particular order and I won’t tell you the one I’m leaning toward until people weigh in.

Moonstruck: Dominion
Moonstruck: Foundation
Moonstruck: Alphas
Moonstruck: Control

Which is your favorite? Do you have any additional suggestions? And I hope you’re having a fun weekend!

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Friday Sinema: Biggest Silence

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Silver James

I was a huge Simon and Garfunkel fan when I was young. I even saw them in concert at the old Fieldhouse on the OU campus when I was in high school. Their “Sounds of Silence” was a song I can still sing along with to this day (when I can’t remember the name of a secondary character without checking my list). The heavy metal band, Disturbed, has released a cover of this song. It is powerful. It is prophetic.

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Past and Future

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Silver James

universeWhen I went looking for a Universal tidbit to share today, I’m not quite sure why this one claimed my attention from those I’ve tucked back. I’ve had a few bumps in the road lately, but nothing that would cause twists and turns or other upset on the road I’m traveling. Still, there’s something to be said for the message the Universe is passing along. Writers know all too well the sting of disappointment (low sales, rejections, writers block). We face setbacks and detours all the time as we type “Chapter 1” and proceed to add words to a blank page on the road to typing “The End.” I’ve been a lot of places in my career, and I have a lot more places I want to go. I hope the Universe is right. I hope everywhere I’ve been has prepared me for everywhere I’m headed.

Ironically, Silver, had it not been for every disappointment, setback, and detour in the road of your life, you wouldn’t have come so far.

Nice strategy.

Love, love –
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

Of course, Silver, had you not been everywhere you’ve been, you couldn’t now go everywhere you will go.

What about you? Where have you been that will help you get to where you’re going?

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Wednesday Words: Smile

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Silver James

wurkn-on-mai-plan-for-word-domination-caleb-pupToday’s #1lineWed theme is SMILE. There are sexy smiles, sweet smiles, wry smiles, fake smiles…here a smile, there a smile, everywhere a smile-smile… Okay, maybe I’ve been up since way early and have had a bit more caffeine than usual… shiftyeyes

Anyway, here’s a snippet from NIGHT FIRE. This darn book can’t decide if it wants to be 1st POV or 3rd, so if I mixed it up, just ignore. This is a rough draft. This is the book where my Nightrider arsonist discovers his mate is an arson investigator, because: Where there’s Smoke, there’s heat…

I hope you enjoy today’s quick look.
****
Leigh:

Smoke watched me wearily. The crinkles fanning his eyes, normally put there by a sexy smile, were drawn now by pain and proof of his exhaustion.

“You won’t talk or you can’t?” I kept frustration out of my voice but I needed to know.

“Living is tricky, babe. The club, it’s all about the brothers. We live together. Die together. Betrayal isn’t an option.”

I unclenched my fists, forced my fingers to stretch. This was not the time to lose my temper. “So…your motorcycle gang always comes first?” Sarcasm warred with hurt.

He straightened, eyes as sharp as a hawk’s now, his gaze raking me. “Club, Leigh. A brotherhood. We aren’t a gang. What did you do?”

Smoothing the hair prickling on my arms, I braced for his anger. “I spoke to the DA on your behalf.”

His reaction was immediate and visceral. “You just signed my death warrant. And yours.”

I shivered from the energy emanating from him as nerves propelled me to my feet. I knew better than to reach for him so I put my chair between us and shoved my hands into my pockets. “Not true. The DA will protect you.”

His howl of laughter wasn’t what I expected. Nor was the feral glint in his eyes. “You don’t get it, babe. And you never will.”

He jerked on his leather vest then paused at the door. “We’re done. Finished. I’ll try to protect you before I die.”

The door snicked to a close. He was gone.

What had I done?
****
What about your characters? Are they smiling? Share if they are.

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Tuesday Treat: Southwest Scrambled Eggs

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Silver James

SW EggsWe love breakfast for dinner and I’m always looking for the easy. This is about as easy as it gets. I don’t use the SW mixed veggies, though. I add chopped onions instead. You could also add chopped olives and top with sour cream. 😀

Ingredients

PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
1/2 cup Egg Beaters® Original
2 tablespoons frozen Southwest mixed vegetables (corn, black beans, red peppers)
2 tablespoons shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 teaspoon chopped nacho jalapeño pepper

Directions

Spray inside of large microwave-safe mug with cooking spray.
Stir together Egg Beaters, vegetables, cheese and jalapeno pepper in mug.
Microwave on HIGH 1 minute. Stir; microwave 45 seconds more or until set. Serve immediately.

Cook’s Tips

For a take-with breakfast, wrap scrambler in a warm tortilla. No pickled jalapenos on hand? Substitute a little ground red pepper. The scrambler puffs up and fills the mug while cooking. It falls quickly once removed from microwave. Use a large (15-ounce) microwave-safe mug to hold the ingredients and to reduce the chance of overflow. Mugs that are wider and shorter work best. A 2-cup glass measure may be used as well. Microwave wattages vary; adjust cook time as needed. Cook the scrambler just until the egg is set. For gluten free preparation, confirm all recipe ingredients are gluten free by reading product labels each time you make this recipe.

To get full nutritional info and other ideas, check out the Ready-Set-Eat link.

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Monday Mumbles

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Silver James

Monday again coffee girlMoving slow today. Obviously. LOLOL Been many years since I had to be “Tournament Fit.” It was a lot of fun. Baseball Boy has a great group of kids and they are awesome with Stormageddon. Lawyer Guy and I spent a lot of time entertaining him too. He wants to “pay basaball. Hit, Big Daddy. Watch, Jammie.” And of course, we did what he asked. 😉

It was nice to take the weekend off. I didn’t check email (regretting that this morning!), or social media (also regretting!) so today is some catch up time and then back to writing. I needed the time away. I hope for lots of words today after getting caught up in the other areas of life as a writer. 😉

Reading: So MANY books, so little time. I’m doing a reread/listen of Anne Bishop’s The Others series. The fourth book, MARKED IN FLESH, comes out tomorrow. I ❤ this series like damn and whoah! I'll finish up the third book before my copies arrive! Like the IN DEATH books, I buy the Others in all formats, adding the audio to list. Once I finish MARKED, I'm finally going to get to the other books that have arrived recently. No more contest books until April. Maybe. Depends on some things.

TV: This is easy. LUCIFER and baseball. Except I'm pissed at MLB. They black out the St. Louis Cardinal games because–like every Cardinal fan takes off two months to go to Florida for spring training and oh, yeah, we all have season tickets and drive TWELVE FREAKING HOURS there and TWELVE MORE back numerous times a week to see the games in person. Grrrrr. I wish I could sic Lucifer on them. 😉

Writing: MOONSTRUCK: LIES releases one week from tomorrow. I hope to have another book to release in April, but not sure which series. I'm doing that whole AADD thing. (Author Attention Distraction Disorder) 😆 And I'm looking into the possibility of audio books. Sort of a friend of a spouse who does voice-overs and teaches… We'll see.

Okay, that's a quick rundown of my life. What's up with y'all?

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Friday Sinema: Who Let the Cats Out?

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Silver James

Here…

You’re welcome. 😀 Have a great–and stress-free-weekend!

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Thursday Thoughts: Audacious Universe

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Silver James

universeI read this when it hit my in-box and I immediately thought of the characters in the Penumbra Papers. The magicks in Sade’s world refers to humans as mundanes. Humans are used for food, for sport, for amusement–depending on the flavor of magick involved. Yet, it is the humans who created medicines that wiped out polio, that gave the world vaccinations against terrible diseases. Humans put themselves on the moon, sent exploratory machines out into the Universe.

The magicks might have magic–might be able to perform amazing feats but plain ol’ humans create miracles all on their own–with their blood, sweat, and tears. The Universe says:

Possessing the audacity to do the mundane, Silver, while expecting miracles to come from it, explains every heroic and supernatural feat known to humankind.

Audaciously,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

You just take care of “A,” Silver, expecting everything else to fall into place, and I’ll take care of the rest of the alphabet.

This reminded me of a conversation Sinjen and Mathias had, sitting in Mathias’ study on a cold night.

“They are tools. Implements to be used for as long as they are convenient.” Mathias stretched his booted feet toward the fire, though he hadn’t needed the warmth of such for a millennium.

Sinjen pondered his sire’s words for long moments, the crackling flames the only sound in the comfortable room. “They are people. Individuals. They have hopes, dreams. Heartache. The rich tapestry of living.”

“Fah. They are nothing.” Mathias snapped his fingers, the sound as loud as a gunshot. “Their lives are short, insignificant. They are here to do our bidding, to feed us. Nothing more.”

“You are wrong, Mathias. They are everything. We rise, knowing the existence of eternity. They awaken, knowing they are one day closer to their deaths, yet look at them. They create the great art of the world. The music. The words. They love and hate with a passion those of our ilk have long forgotten.”

“And Sade?”

“She is the most passionate of them all. And that is her magic.”

So a short, unused snippet from Penumbra and some profound thoughts from the Universe. Tell me, my friends, what small miracle do you hope to create from the mundane today?

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Wednesday Words: Need

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Silver James

wurkn-on-mai-plan-for-word-domination-caleb-pupOh the FEELS! There are so many different ways today’s #1lineWed theme could be translated. I decided to go in the direction of why a part-time college student in her late twenties would need to go to work as a dancer…even though I don’t explain why in this snippet because…spoilers! 😆 Here’s a fairly long scene from the next Nightrider book, NIGHT MOVES, which is Hollywood and Lainey’s story. She REALLY needs a job that pays big money fast so she’s “auditioning” for a dancer’s slot at Chasin’ Tail, the Nigtrider-owned strip club.
***
“You ever dance before?”

I stared at the manager. He was tall, wide, wore a leather vest, and hadn’t shaved in several days. He scared the heck out of me but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

“Uhm…not like this. Exactly.” And I wouldn’t be dancing like this at all if my need for money wasn’t so desperate.

“Like this. Exactly. You mean you’ve never danced naked?

“Wait…naked? I thought the dancers wore G-strings and…uh…bras.”

“We’ll discuss that. Are you a dancer?”

“Only recreationally. But I was a gymnast.”

“What’s that mean? Exactly.”

“I’m flexible.” I eyed the stage behind the man. “Watch.” Brushing past him, I placed my hands on the edge and hopped up, like I was getting out of a pool. Planting my butt on the lip of the stage, I sat for a second, getting my nerve up. My fingers brushed over the wooden surface, finding each knick and crack. Unable to stall any longer, I swung my legs around, and stood. Approaching the metal pole like it might bite me, I screwed up my mouth and considered options. Tossing a sheepish smile at the guy, I shrugged. “Okay, this might be a little easier with some music.”

“Yo, Wiz, hit the soundtrack.” The big guy bellowed like there was a crowd in the room.

Music belched from a dozen speakers and I clapped my hands over my ears. “Can you turn it down?” I shouted over the noise. Moments later, I could actually hear the music, catch the beat. It was something slow, sensual, with a driving bass that reverberated in my chest. Not what I expected—or was used to—but yeah, I could work with this.

I let my hips loosen and move on their own while I kicked off my cowboy boots. I made a mental note to dig out a rosin powder bag if I got the job. Wiping my hands on my jeans, I hopped, raising one knee high and then charged three steps into a front walk-over. My landing put my next to the pole.

I walked around it—slowly. Slinky. I need to think slinky. With a side of sexy. With another hop, I grabbed the pole several feet above my outstretched hands, rolled my hips and legs until I was upside down, one knee hooked around the pole to anchor me. Too bad they didn’t have aerial silk rigged. Maybe if I got the gig I could talk them into it. Doing an act like that, I wouldn’t have to be naked because I could hide in the cloth.

Using the pole to me advantage, I arched and slithered, twirled and snaked up and down the apparatus. When the song ended, I curved around the pole to land on my hands and did a back walk over to stand upright.

“Like I said, I used to be a gymnast. This isn’t exactly the balance beam, but I can work the pole.” I glanced down at the manager. Oh hell. He had a woody the size of Cincinnati. “Uhm…I guess you liked it?”

“Damn, babe. You do that naked and you’ll be rollin’ in twenties if not hundreds.”

“I sure hope so.” Dang it. That came out sounding far more needy than it should have.

“Can you start tonight? One of our regulars called in sick.”

“Oh…I…uhm…sure. I think I can get a costume and stuff. What time?”

“We’ll fill out the paperwork now—”

“Paperwork?” I cut him off. “What kind of paperwork?”

“The business kind. We need name, address, phone number, social security number, all that crap. You make an hourly wage. That’s paid by check and we take out all the applicable taxes. The tips? Those are all yours to do with as you please, though you’d be smart to cut the bartenders and waitresses in, especially if you do private.”

“Private?” Dang. Why did my voice pick now to squeak? “As in…like…alone with some guy in a room?”

“D’uh, babe. Yeah. The real money gets made doin’ lap dances in the suites. You get them to buy one of the packages, you and the waitress make out like bandits.”

“Uh…make out isn’t a euphemism for anything is it?”

“We don’t whore our girls. A dancer wants to do that on her own? That’s her business and it’s done off property. We run a legitimate business here.”
****
So what about y’all? What need is in your writing, reading, or life? 😉

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