Wednesday Witchy Words: Dare to Belong

Posted on October 29, 2025 by Silver James

On this Halloween Week Wednesday, I give you a witch to help conjour up new words. If she does her job and provides lots of words, she’ll be a good witch. If she takes off with Iffy for a girl’s day off, she’s a bad witch. In the meantime, I have words from last week. These words give a bit more insight into Aisling and her life. I have to be honest. I usually know quite a bit about my characters. Aisling was and is a mystery. Once the book is done and in the hands of readers, they will be discovering her just like I am. Anyway, the Thursday Threads prompt from last week is: *“I don’t need to belong.”* Just wait until she figures it all out… *bwahaha*

****
Aisling’s foot tapped to the music completely of its own accord. Once she became aware, she stopped. It was Wednesday night and she still hadn’t figured out how Carla convinced her to come to Cavanaugh’s Irish Pub. Here she sat in the midst of music and laughter. The Bees—Brad and Bruce from Apartment 1A, had come with them. They were currently involved in a spirited game of darts.

“I have to work tomorrow,” she repeated for the umpteenth time.

Carla smirked. “It’s only nine-thirty. I know for a fact that you don’t start until ten tomorrow morning.

A waitress paused briefly at their table, dropping off pint glasses of ale and sweeping up the empties. She flashed a cocky grin over her shoulder as Carla yelled, “Thanks, Kelly!”

The music changed and Aisling’s foot twitched. She surrendered and let it tap it’s little heart out. She couldn’t help herself. She was of Irish ancestry and the jigs just kept coming.

“Look, Aisling, here’s the deal. These are all people from the neighborhood. This bunch is like the one over at the Daily Grind. You should get out and about and mingle. You’re one of us now. You belong in our little community.”

“I don’t need to belong.” The words blurted out before she could think about them. She’d never belonged. Not anywhere. Even her own family made her feel like a stranger.

“Tough. You belong here with us.”

Was it possible? What if she did? Then what? She didn’t need to belong but what if she wanted to? Carla had opened a door and was inviting her in. Dare she take this first step?
****

And there you have it. Writers, I dare you take the prompt and write. If you want to. Hopefully, it will spark a little inspiration. Readers, what will you dare today?

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Tuesday Titles: Witchy Things & Tidbits

Posted on October 28, 2025 by Silver James

Loki and Pete are my Halloween cats. Black and orange. They’d make good witch familiars. They are also Cowboy cats, as in my OSU Cowboys and Cowgirls. Go Pokes. Except football is a lost cause. Long story, or as they say on the intrawebz: tl:dr.

I finally looked that up after seeing it on the net aqll the time. It stands for “Too long, didn’t read.” Now you know.

I have tubs of Halloween decorations. I keep thinking I should bequeath them to Only. I mea, we acquired them all on account of her. She really did think Halloween was all about ther birthday. We tried very hard to keep her birthday separate, even going so far as to have seperate birthday parties and then Halloween parties. At least until she got to be a teen. I’d pass all this stuff off but they’ve got so much junk stored in their garage, their storage locker, and their house, there’s really not room. And yes, we did call her our little Halloween witch.

Yes, I did create today’s image using MS Copilot. I’m rather pleased with myself.

It’s Taco Tuesday. Are you having tacos today/tonight? We’re either doing Taco Tuesday or Tamale Tuesday. Decisions, decisions.

Book trivia: THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC, the first book in the Penumbra Papers series released in September of 2013. SEASON OF THE WITCH, the second book released right before Halloween the same year. See…witchy titles. For anyone new who happens to stumble in, if you like Urban Fantasy, you really need to give this series a try. Just click HERE to hit the series landing page on Books2Read and you can find your preferred on-line bookseller.

Interesting fact (maybe) about these two books: SEASON OF THE WITCH started life as a National Novel Writing Month project. I got my 50K words but the novel wasn’t finished and it took a couple of years to get the whole thing figured out. And then I shopped it to agents and publishers. By the time I decided to self-publish, I realized that the world needed an introduction so I wrote THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC over the summer of 2013, and pushed it out a month before SOTW’s Halloween debut. Maybe sometime, I’ll reveal where Sade’s character got her start…

In the meantime, anybody else have some tidbits to share?

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Monster Monday

Posted on October 27, 2025 by Silver James

This is the start of Halloween Week. Halloween is Friday. Time change is Saturday night. Only’s birthday is Thursday. Lots to celebrate.

Though she wasn’t born on Halloween, for years, Only was convinced that the whole season was about her. The whole house was decorated, like Christmas, and our yard decorations rivaled the elaborate displays we used to put up for Christmas. We called her our little Halloween witch. Okay, we still call her that. Anyway, except for Wednesday (because I have new words to share), I’m going to just post fun and spooky stuff. Never hurts to shake thinks up, right?

So…the weekend. It’s pretty easy to sum up. It rained. All plans cancelled, including Stormy’s soccer game on Sunday. Both my college teams lost. The Dodgers split the first two games with the Blue Jays. I should be a Dodgers fan. Their Triple A team is located here. But then there was my dad. He felt about the Dodgers the way I feel about Ohio State and the Red Sox. He’d always been a huge Dodgers fan. Until they up and snuck out one night, moving to Cali. Dad shifted his allegiance to the Mets. I picked the Cubs because…big Mets rivals back in those days. Then LG came along. He was a White Sox fan. We compromised on the Cardinals and have been loyal Cards fans for 40+ years. The past 3 years have been tough. Not with the team–the players are all kinds of talented awesomesauce. It’s the managerial and front office stuff. Anyway…I’ve probably bored you.

What I’m saying is that nothing happened this weekend. It rained–which we desperaately needed so YAYAY! Also cool temps. Another yay! I did a little writing. I played a little with MS Copilot to create some images to use this week. I cleared off a bunch of stuff gathering dust on the DVR. I didn’t listen to much of anything. The book currently loaded is okay but I’m not driven to find out what happens. Reading slumps suck. I’ll probably go back and relisten to an old favorite just for the distraction. Anybody reading/listening to something that is totally blowing up your skirts? So to speak. Suggestions appreciated.

Not much else going on. I may have to turn the heater on this week. They’re talking frost on the pumpkin and highs in the 50s. I may just put on a hoodie and flannel pants and be cheap. How was your weekend?

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Friday Sinema: Backup Plan

Posted on October 24, 2025 by Silver James

Happy Friday! It may or may not be raining here. (The forecast as of the time of my posting this was for rain. 🤞🏼Two things about today’s music–it is inspiration for a chapter in the book (which I am considering naming it DARK SHADOWS) and in lieu of yesterday’s Thursday Thoughts message, my new theme song. Gettin’ back up is all the backup plan you need. Have a great weekend!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal No Limits

Posted on October 23, 2025 by Silver James

Sometimes, thinks are easy. Sometimes they aren’t. I joke about “The dang book ain’t gonna write itself.” In actuality, sometimes, it seems like the book writes itself. I wrote FAERIE FIRE in two weeks. Seriously. Well, I wrote the screen play that became FAERIE FIRE. I’ve written books in a month. And I’ve written books over several years. I get frustrated when a book’s progress stalls. And, as the Universe has now confirmed, it’s all in my head.

Your invisible limiting beliefs, Silver, are only invisible when you live within their limits; when you keep on doing what you’ve always been doing.

So push yourself, Silver. Dare yourself to think bigger, to reach, and to behave as if a dream or two of yours has already manifested. Then invisible limiting beliefs will pop out of the woodwork, as if painted florescent orange, loaded to the teeth with logic, imploring you to turn around and go back to safety!

Do something, do it today, something you wouldn’t normally do. Like maybe… take off early from work… or go for a walk in the rain … or write to an old friend.

Aha! Did you just see a couple of ’em?!
The Universe
©www.tut.com 

P.S. Silver, be warned: Sometimes, once exposed, they’ll try to snuggle up to you, looking so-o-o innocent and adorable. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, they’ll start with their “baby talk.”

At this point, I’m thinking it’s time to think outside the box. I need to think bigger, reach deeper, and behave as if this dang book is writing itself. I’mma gonna get right on that. After another cup of coffee. Or three. Okay, seriously. I need to readjust my thinking and my way of doing. FYI, this message works for both stalled/writer’s block suffering writers and just normal people going about their lives. Whichever one you are, do something. Do it today. Something you wouldn’t normally do. Let’s get right on this, okay?

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Wednesday Words: Adding It Up

Posted on October 22, 2025 by Silver James

Edit: The blog WOULD have been on time if I’d set the time right. 🤦🏼‍♀️Annnd I messed up the coding. Boy do I need coffee!!!

No AC! It’s Fall! And I have new words for Wednesday. And the blog is on time because I made sure to get it set up yesterday before I pooped out. Life is good. I hope the words are too. Psst Since I won Thursday Threads two weeks ago, last week’s prompt was picked from my snippet. Normally, I don’t do a follow on scene the following week. This time, I did. So… if you need a refresher, go back and read last week’s Wednesday Words and then jump into this week’s. Oh, by the way, the prompt is: *”Have you something to add?”*

****
Nikos turned his icy gaze on Sinjen. “Have you something to add?”

The vampire smiled, showing a hint of fang. “Rumor has it that there’s not a lock made that can defeat a dragon.”

“Fine.” Nikos inhaled. He exhaled a torrent of fire, melting the lock.

“Never seen it done that way before,” Ariel said.

Caleb had one word. “Cool.” Then he kicked the doors. They bounced open on groaning hinges. The four men leaned forward to peer through the opening. A tunnel filled with darkness stretched before them.

“I vote the werewolf goes first,” Ariel suggested. “Caleb has the best nose for trouble.”

Sniffing the air, Caleb shrugged. “Nothing but stale air and—” He sneezed. “Mildew. I don’t think Sade and Aisling were brought this way.

Ariel produced a globe of fae light in his hand and peered at the floor. “Whose footprints then?”

Sinjen’s head jerked and he took three steps beyond the doors. “She’s in there.” He glanced at Ariel. “And she won’t be alone.”

The Fae nodded. “I know. She’ll take care of Aisling.”

“Anybody got a clue about where this goes?” Caleb, ever practical, pointed down the passage. “Is this a portal or just another one of those weird tunnels that apparently bisect most of Rochester. The magic in this place is so wild, I can’t tell widdershins from a mudra.”

Sinjen strode into the darkness. “Does it matter? Sade is this way. I will find her, with or without the rest of you.”
****

Time for fun and games, boys and girls. The plot thickens and all that. Writers, you know the routine. Use the prompt to free write if it will help. Readers, what would you add to the story?

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Tuesday Tidbits, *Sigh* Edition

Posted on October 21, 2025 by Silver James

So. Yeah. I’m “late.” I normally set up the blog the day before because I don’t really want to get up at 5 a.m. and be coherent enough to craft sentences that make sense fron inchorent thoughts. I am NOT a morning person. But some guru once advised that 6 a.m. was a good time for bloggers in my time zone to release the new blog. That way, it appears or is already in the inboxes at a time when most readers check the intrawebz or their mail.

Anyway. Yesterday started out okay. Then stuff happened. By the time I realized that I’d forgotten to do a blog, it was time to fix dinner. By the time dinner is over, dogs fed, and clean-up done, I’m ready for bed. Ah, insomnia. I was only up four times last night and for once, none of them had to do with PITA Pup. I really should stop calling him that. He’s a sweet boy, just stubborn. But he is getting better about the overnight shennanigans.

In addition to the above, I’m trying to ease the critters back to standard time. I confess. I am a staunch supporter of and believer in STANDARD TIME. I can’t wait for November 2 when we get off Daylight Savings Time. I never switche4d the two wall clocks in the house. The one in my office proudly proclaims that it is 6:22. My phone says it’s 7:22. I want the boys to start “sleeping in” so they want out at 6 a.m. instead of 5 a.m. because I want to sleep until 6, instead of getting up a 5 because the clock says so. Anyway…

Okay, enought whining. I will sign off with some humor. Okay…honestly? Bad dad jokes.

Why did the poor dog chase his tail? He wanted to make both ends meet.

Two fish are swimming along and they both run into a concrete wall. One looks at the other and says, “Dam.”

What did Tennesee? The same thing Arkansas.

😆😆😆 Hope your Tuesday runs smoothly.

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A Fall Monday. Maybe.

Posted on October 20, 2025 by Silver James

Toby brought me a leaf. Okay, he actually brought me a bunch of leaves. They fell in the yard and he barked them to death. Then he rolled in them to show them a thing or two. Pleased with his guard prowess, he then brought them all into the house to show me he’d taken care of business. Jake just lay there in the kitchen looking wise and superior. “I only bark at real threats, Mom. Not like the kid there.” LG was sweet enough to sweep and vacume the Florida room.

We had a bit of rain on Saturday and by a bit, I mean there wasn’t enough to even tickle the drought conditions but the pavement got wet and the ground soaked it up like a drunk on the Saturday night after pay day. We hit the 40s overnight so I actually put on a hoodie Sunday morning.Yesterday was gorgeous. Bright blue skies, low humidity and we barely hit 70 for a hight. Perfect! Today? Back into the 80s. 😟But then it’s supposed to cool off again. I am sooo ready. Fall is my favorite season.

Once again, we won’t discuss sports. Well, a short mention. My Cowboys–sadly–suck. They lost. OU won. No soccer. Moving on.

It was cool enough yesterday I made chilli for dinner last night. MmmMmm good!

I finished off the omnibus/boxed set of werewolf stories. They kept me entertained for awhile. I’m back in that weird reading head space where I’m not sure what I want to read/listen to. I’ve got a couple of books in the queue–a Kristen Painter cozy paranormal mystery, a book from Peter S. Beagle (The Last Unicorn) about dragons, a Graphic Audio release of a werewolf book I read years ago and liked but it’s dark. Anybody reading/listening to something really good? I’m open to suggestions. I have 4 credits at Audibe so…yay.

I found some new songs for Ariel’s soundtrack. That’s a good thing. They also gave me some inspiration and I got a bit of writing done. I’m still far from being back on track but I’m slowly getting there. Too slowly for the pushy half of me. The other half is all, “whatever…” Ugh. Iff y and I need to have a come to Jesus meeting.

That about does it for me. I have no real plans for this week. Oh, maybe finally getting around to switching the bed linens. And fighting with the dang book. It would just be so simple if it would write itself. Don’t tell, but I’ve considered feeding what I’ve written into an AI thingy, along with an outline and seeing what gets spit out. Trust me, I won’t! I can just imagine how jumbled and crazy it would be. FYI, I did feed THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC into the ‘Zon’s AI audio book thingy. Believe, that puppy will NEVER go live! I wish I had pockets deep enough to get all my books into audio but I’d truly have to win the lottery for that to happen. Anyway, I didn’t make it halfway through the first chapter of the audio version. *shudder* On that note, I’m headed for more cofee, a quick spin around the intrawebz and then to work. What’s your agenda?

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FRIDAY SINEMA: FALSE FALL

Posted on October 17, 2025 by Silver James

I’m still laughing over this because it’s soooooo true!!!! The weatherman has promised a hint of fall starting tomorrow night. We’ll see. I’m not holding my breath but I’m crossing my fingers. Who else is waiting for Fall? 🙋🏼‍♀️ Anybody got plans for the weekend? Fall break so no soccer. I’ll find something to occupy my time. 😉 Have a good one

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Creativity

Posted on October 16, 2025 by Silver James

I’ve been in the doldrums lately. I know I’m not the only writer fighting what seems like a futile battle. How do we get people to buy our books? How do we not get depressed when we don’t sell our books? What gives us the oomph to keep writing? It would be so easy to just…stop. All the inspiratonal quotes is the world, all the coffee, all the kicking my own arse…? Yeah. I got nuttin’ honey. Then the dang Universe drops this into my lap…

Life? I kind of see it like this, Silver:

Second after second, illusion after illusion, miracle after miracle… an unending parade of opportunities to catch yourself in the act of creating.

Gotcha!
The Univers
©www.tut.com 

P.S. Here comes one now, Silver…

And there one came. Actually two. Unable to get motivated yesterday, I spent waaay too much time on X. I got sucked back into a protracted conversation that invovled multiple people. It started with a thing sold by Skims, a Kardashian company. Don’t ask. Trust me. You do NOT want to know. Anyway, the discussion somehow devolved into romance novels and then picked back up today with Fabio. I don’t know why. While being an active participant, I’d totally missed the whole train. Anyway. One of the gals, bought one of my books. At least I think it was her. I mentioned THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC to her and that’s the book I sold. So…I sold a book! The second thing occurred after I reposted an announcement of a soon to be released album of Celtic music from an musician I’ve followed since I joined the old tweetybird. And yes, he followed me too. He just released an album and I added it to my Spotify lists. One of his songs will be on Ariel’s playlist. But that’s only a side note. Another X person liked my repost and asked if I’d ever listened to Blackmoor’s Night. I hadn’t so I checked them out and ended up on a song titled “No Second Chance.” Yikes! Just like that, I had a scene. Not written yet, it’s settling into place but it has a place–an important one–in Ariel and Aisling’s relationship.

So, there it is. No matter how discouraged we get, we truly need to keep our senses open to inspiration winging in from unlikely places. I’m back to writing again. And y’all have permission to kick my arse or surprise me in…well…surprisng ways! Now get out there and create!

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