Best. Airline. Safety. Video. EVER!!!! Even though it’s Halloween. This is a much better video to be watching and…and…COSPLAY! 😉
Now I REALLY want to go to New Zealand! Not that it isn’t already on my bucket list as soon as I win the lottery. Where do you want to visit?
Have a great weekend! *heads out to buy lottery ticket*
I had to think about this one for awhile.
The thing to remember, Silver, to always remember, is that what you do, or don’t do, today, is what matters most.
Start your engines,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®Right now, Silver.
I finally decided that what today’s message means, at least to me is this: It’s not the time you have, it’s what you do with the time you have. And with National Novel Writing Month starting at midnight Friday night, and with having just received my line edits for THE COWGIRL’S LITTLE SECRET, due November 10th, I will definitely need to do, rather than don’t do.
And one of the things I need to do today is wish The Only a very happy birthday! 😀
I haven’t talked about coffee in…oh…a day or so. On Facebook. I talk about it all the time over there. Here? I mostly talk about other things but I thought I’d catch up on some the sayings, etc. gleaned from my Coffee-a-Day calendar. 😉
Forever: time it takes to brew the first pot of coffee in the morning. ~Anonymous
That Anonymous person is sure smart sometimes.
Do you know how helpless you feel if you have a full cup of coffee in your hand and you start to sneeze? ~Jean Kerr’s character in Mary, Mary
Been there, done that, wore the coffee stains on my T-shirt.
Murphy’s Law of Coffee: As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something that will last until the coffee is cold.
Murphy speaks for all of us.
You make good coffee… You’re a slob, but you make good coffee. ~Cher, Moonstruck
I can forgive a man a lot of sins as long as he does…
It is inhumne, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity. ~Dave Barry
Starbucks. Every time I walk in the freakin’ door!
I’m feeling like a little Chinese and while this is a quick recipe, you need the ingredients on hand. Again, haven’t made this in awhile so no picture–at least not of the food. 😉
Quick Chicken Lo Mein
8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1″ pieces
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups of water
1 16 oz. package Oriental style mixed vegetables (or stir fry veggies)
1 4.8 package Pasta Roni Angel Hair with Herbs
3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute chicken in the butter for 5 minutes until chicken is no longer pink.
Stir in water and vegetables, bring to a boil.
Stir in past and season package. Return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Gently boil uncovered 4 to 5 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring frequently. Stir in teriyaki sauce. Let stand 3 minutes before serving.
Serves 4
And for dessert…
You’re welcome. 😀
Well…maybe I want it to be over a little bit. 😆 I’m actually looking forward to this week. Wait?!? What??! No, really, I am. This is the downhill slide to NaNoWriMo starting on Saturday. I’ve got some things in the works and I’ll be getting all my ducks in a row this week.
As for my weekend…I was totally lazy. TOTALLY! I pretty much stayed in bed all weekend. Did some household-y stuffs but then went back to bed. And read. An entire series, though there are more books coming. What literary beast ensared me? Kit Rocha’s Beyond series. These books are hedonistic. Dark. Violent. Pretty much X-rated dirty-sexy. And yet, with each one I finished, I immediately reached for the next one, and the next–burning through the novels and the novellas until I finished the last available story, the one that had me in freaking tears, even though I knew there was no way the authors (it’s a writing team using the Rocha pen name) would take the story to a place of no return. They still made me believe they could…and would go there. So I’m blubbering. And that’s why this series keeps hitting the lists. People can write them off as dystopian porn, and they might be, but the characters are so well-defined, so fracking real that I’m able to suspend belief, absorb the wall-to-wall sex, and look beyond it to the story, to the characters, to the reality of that world. And trust me, it’s all there! Anyway, I’m totally hooked. The next one comes out November 10th and I’m already in the throes of book withdrawal/hangover.
Other news…I’m now on Wattpad. I don’t quite know how to explain Wattpad. It’s a place to put up WIPs, for random people to read and give feedback. I’m putting up the Wolves’ MC book(s) there–in two versions. PG-13 so new readers can find me, and R, which is the version that will be the published version. Evidently, Wattpad started life as a teen fanfic site but has evolved. I may even post short stories from my various worlds–stories that will never be “published” but will be available there for free. We’ll see.
Those of you on Facebook saw my news about THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC. It placed FIRST in the International Digital Awards Short Paranormal Fiction category. CHRISTMAS MOON place 3rd! 😀
I also broke down and signed up for MailChimp so I can send out the occasional Newsletter. There’s a link up there on the right side if you haven’t signed up already. Also, you’ll note I’m doing a blog hop with Nightowl Reviews in November. More about it when we get closer. I have other upcoming appearances, both virtual and in person. If anyone happens to be in Southwest Oklahoma on November 1st, I’m on the featured authors in the Duncan Public Library’s 4th Annual Local Author Day. I will have books there. 😀 November 3rd, I’m “at” a Facebook party hosted by Avery Flynn. More details about that one and my November 10th Facebook party with the 12 Brides’ authors as they become available.
So that’s my news for the day. What’s up with y’all?
Lindsey Stirling is one of my favorite instrumental artists. Her latest video is determined to be one of my favorites! Between the music and the “story”, I’m hooked. Enjoy! And have a great weekend.
Some forty years ago (I keep tellin’ you people I’m older than dirt!), I took a vacation with my parents. I was in college, which made things a little awkward, but they were going to Colorado so why would I decline? Seriously, people. Colorado! Anyway, Dad parked the Airstream on Turquoise Lake outside of Leadville. I rode one of our trail bikes into town to the local “emporium”–combo drugstore, general store, lunch counter, etc. The place had a huge wall of magazines, newspapers, and PAPERBACKS!!!! I discovered a couple of books that intrigued me.
Now realize, the first adult book I ever read was THE SPY WHO LOVED ME by Ian Fleming. I was ten. Oh, yeah, that book set me on my path for sure! So, when I caught a glimpse of the Mack Bolan/Executioner books, we’re talking reading crack for me. I snarfed up the 3 or 4 books on the shelf, rode back to camp, and devoured those books. I read the series up through somewhere around #100. I ended up donating all of them to the local library when I had to make a massive move. Today, I’m kicking myself! But I digress…
I recently acquired the first book (in original condition) of this series. THE EXECUTIONER #1: WAR AGAINST THE MAFIA. Originally written in 1969, I stumbled on the series in a later reprint, around 1972. It’s politically incorrect. People smoke. Whores are whores. The Mafia thugs are thugs. Bolan is a Viet Nam-era soldier who defines his duty in black and white.
Which leads me to today’s message from the Universe:
Silver, would there be any point in giving you the gift of imagination, the freedom to think as you choose, and dreams that set your soul on fire if even a single one of them couldn’t come true?
I think not.
I love you too, too much.
Tallyho,
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®Silver, think of the implications.
The Executioner books lodged in my imagination–that glorious gift from the Universe. I see shades of Bolan in my Alpha Heroes™, especially my Wolves. I have the freedom to think politically incorrect thoughts and even write them down–imbuing heroes and villains with attributes that are just as black and white as Bolan’s world. I can fall into a world I’ve created–my soul on fire–and make my dreams come true there. And if I’m really-REALLY lucky, I can entice a reader to fall in with me.
So thank Ian Fleming and Don Pendleton (The Executioner’s creator). I wouldn’t be here without their influence.
In between really good words I find as I read, I thought I’d bring #1lineWed here. If y’all are on Twitter this is the hashtag that the members and friends of the Kiss of Death RWA Chapter uses on Wednesdays to share lines from our books. For those of you who don’t tweet, you can share here in the comments. Or just comment on my lines, because y’all know what an attention pimp I am. 😉
So today’s theme is: WEATHER
Here are my lines:
From COWGIRL’S DON’T CRY, which is available for PREORDER and for WANT TO READ on Goodreads (you know, in case you want to mark it or anything… 😉 ):
Fat cotton balls of snow drifted across her view—it was like being a tiny person trapped inside the Swiss chalet in a snow globe.
In the near distance, a sheet of rain filled the space between cloud and ground, marching across dusty fields. The first fat drops splattered in the dirt at his feet.
From THE COWGIRL’S LITTLE SECRET:
The wind kicked up a wicked dust devil made of red dirt and spun it across the bare expanse of the well site. Rather than cooling the air, the wind seared everything in its path like a blast from a furnace.
The weak winter sun poked at the clouds riding low on the eastern horizon and touched the light dusting of snow with a handful of sparkles.
Chance’s breath fogged the air until the brutal north wind shredded it. The temperature kept dropping, the sun a pallid circle behind thick clouds.
What about y’all? Any weather references, descriptions, etc. in your current WIP? Share!
Thought I’d get back to sharing the occasional recipe. This is a a fast and easy one for cool fall nights. Prep time is about 15 minutes, and then 30 minutes to cook.
8 oz. spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 egg lightly beaten
1 lb. skinless chicken breasts diced and cooked thoroughly
1 jar Prego Basil Pesto
1 package grated Romano cheese
TOSS cooked spaghetti, Parmesan, and egg. Place in a 9-inch pie pan. Press along bottom and sides to form crust. (I lightly spray my pan with a non-stick spray for easy removal.)
MIX cooked chicken and pesto sauce. Spread mixture over spaghetti crust. Sprinkle with Romano cheese.
BAKE in preheated oven at 350°F for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into wedges. Makes 8 servings.
Serve with hot bread sticks and salad.
And no, I haven’t made this in awhile so I don’t have a picture, hence the cute panda. Trust me, though. This is good stuff. 😀
What is it about Monday? It keeps showing up every 7th day whether we want it to or not! Gah! So…if it’s Monday, that means there was a weekend. I actually relaxed this weekend. I know. Shocking, right?!? 😀 So…my weekend roundup:
Sports. The entire state is in mourning. EVERYONE lost! It was crazy! Cards are out of the series. (Go Royals now!). OSU lost to TCU (Texas Christian). OU lost to Kansas State. Even Tulsa lost! Yeah…not a good weekend here, sports-wise.
Reading. I did some. Lara Adrian’s 1001 Nights novella, Tempted by Midnight. This is part of her on-going series, Not my favorite but good. I also indulged in some nostalgic reading with THE EXECUTIONER: WAR ON THE MAFIA. This is the first book in the Mack Bolan series. Mack was my first alpha hero book boyfriend. Okay. Second. James Bond was my first. Anyway, I crushed on the man and spun all sorts of fan fiction (before I knew that’s what it was called!) in my imagination. I’ll be blogging later this week on it. I also got sucked into a re-read of THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC. Now I want to get back into the magic world of Penumbra! First, though…
Writing:As y’all know, BLUE MOON went live late on Friday! Here’s the rankings as of last night! Can I get a WOOT-WOOT!?!
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,949 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#54 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > Romance
#76 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > War & Military
#100 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > Fantasy
At the same time, I put BLOOD MOON up for free until tonight. It hit #1 in the Kindele eBooks > Romance > Fantasy category! Woot-woot! And hit #2 in the two other categories, plus broke the top 100 in Kindle Free. 🙂 Hopefully that will jump start sales for the series.
I plan on writing MOON SHOT, the next in the series for NaNoWriMo. That’s almost two weeks away. I can’t sit and twiddle my thumbs so I’m going to work on MOONSTRUCK: SECRETS, and maybe THE DEVIL’S CUT (Caleb’s Penumbra story). I shelved both with the massive writing year for my publishers. Now I want to get stuff written for ME! Before I have more massive writing. 😆 Yeah, yeah. It’s a terrible problem to have. I’m not bitching, trust me!
What about the rest of you? How was your weekend? And yes, I will get back in the saddle here with blogging. And being around on FB and Twitter a little more. Promise!
NEW RELEASE
NEW RELEASE
NOW AVAILABLE
Silver James 