Tuesday Treats – Happy St. Patrick’s Brownies

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Silver James

Today is St. Patrick’s Day and everyone is a little bit Irish. Whenever we have Guinness in the house, I always steal just a bit to make these brownies. Yes. They are made of the YUM!

Guinness BrowniesGuinness Brownies
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chopped into pieces
1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup Guinness Beer
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups flour
6 tablespoons dark cocoa powder (I use Ghirardelli, just sayin’…)
10 ounces dark chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Line a 12×16″ sheet pan with parchment paper. I also spray the top of the parchment and the sides of the pan with non-stick baking spray to make it easier to remove brownies.
3) Microwave semi-sweet chocolate pieces for 90 seconds.
4) Whisk the chocolate until very smooth. Set aside to cool.
5) In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, whip the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add the beer and beat until well combined.
6) Add eggs and beat one at a time, until they are completely mixed in, then slowly add cooled melted chocolate while beating.
7) Sift the flour and coco together. Slowly add to the batter, mixing in until it is just combined.
8) Add chocolate chips, and mix until just combined.
9) Pour batter into pan and spread evenly to the edges.
10) Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Do not over bake. You want them moist.
11) When the brownies are done, cool completely in pan before cutting. Or if you can’t wait and don’t care if they’re messy, cut and eat while warm! 🙂

I’ll be lifting a pint today to toast all my wonderful friends here! How are you celebrating the day?
Irish toast

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It’s Monday? RUUUUNNNNNN!!!!!

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Silver James

T-Rex MondayThis is definitely me today! I spent the weekend working on formatting. In my brilliant (and highly caffeinated) state of being, I decided I could format MOONSTRUCK: SECRETS for print. Yeah…I know. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?!?!

At 9:39 last night, I sat back at my desk and realized that yes, I was capable of formatting the darn thing. It wasn’t too hard, once I figured out the pitfalls. eye sigh Of course, today, when I look at it, I may be running down the street screaming. If I’m not, I’ll start on THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC to get it ready for POD. I’m probably too late to get any copies printed in time for my next personal appearance, but oh, well. I’ll be at the Anadarko Public Library for a book sale and signing on April 4th. This being sick crap has put me way behind schedule on stuff, when my brain is working through the medications well enough to actually…you know…THINK!!!! Ah well.

Whenever I’d get frustrated with formatting, I’d read. I’m working my way through Jayne Castle’s (aka Jayne Ann Krentz and Amanda Quick) Harmony series. It’s sort of SciFi/Fantasy and there are actually several series under the loose umbrella of her Arcane Society series. I haven’t read the early books since my Caribbean cruise in 2011 so it’s fun to reread them. She has a new one coming out set in the Harmony world this summer. No, I won’t be doing a reread for it. LOL I do have a beta read to get to, as well. I’m looking forward to it. S’always more fun to edit someone else. *bwahahaha*

I really didn’t do much else. Lawyer Guy and I went shopping Saturday for Sprout’s birthday. He’ll be ONE in a week or so. The kid is a little monkey. 😆 He has teeth. And he’s walking. And we all swear that he actually says words and sentences in the midst of the jabber. We watched some baseball. We ate BBQ and hamburgers. I watched blue skies and sunshine out my window. OH! And I finally have two daffodil blossoms. Better late than never, right? I think so!

So what about y’all? What did you do this weekend? Good weather or bad? Books read? Movies watched? Yard worked? Inquiring minds (MINE!) want to know. ❤

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Friday Sinema: Princess Rap

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Silver James

It may be Friday the 13th, but I’m all about the tiaras today. This video is too funny, y’all. Trust me. Watch it. I feel all sparkly and shit now and Belle’s hero sheds! *bwahahahahahaha* Have an awesome weekend!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Time

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Silver James

universeSince I was bitching about Daylight Savings Time this week, this little nudge from the Universe sort of made sense. I still hate DST. My normal wake-up-functional morning wake-up call comes about 7:30 Central Standard Time. Even when I’ve been up late or up in the middle or up early because of my BFF Insomnia, around about 7:30, my brain switches on. Words make sense. I can pour a cup of coffee and actually get it to my mouth for a swallow. But with this Spring Forward shit? Yeah…it’s 8:30 DST. That means most of my morning has poofed before I’m ready to get to work. I don’t like it. I’m slow. My brain feels like sludge.

But anyway, the Universe, in its infinite wisdom came along to remind me of this:

If you take your time, Silver, you’ll have more of it.

Wei-i-i-r-d,
The Universe

© http://www.tut.com ®

And if you love each day, Silver… actually, it doesn’t matter what the consequences are, huh? They won’t be any sweeter than you in love with each day.

Ignoring my earlier tirade, the message here is to do it right the first time. Don’t rush. Stop and smell the roses. Be happy. And yeah, I am happy–even if the time change makes my grumpy–that I have one more day to do, see, be, and love each day.

What do you love about today?

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Wednesday Words: Moonstruck Exercise

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Silver James

moonstruck - secrets 680It’s time for #1lineWed again and I’m actually going to try to participate this week on Twitter. The hashtag has gotten so popular we often trend on Wednedays. That’s awesome for the Kiss of Death chapter but it sure makes it hard to keep up with all the tweets. 😆 This week’s theme is EXERCISE. Which I need to start doing. But I’m all lazy and stuff. 😉

Guess what’s live? Yes indeedy! MOONSTRUCK: SECRETS. Go forth and buy. In the meantime, here are some snippets from it. First, Hannah and the Wolves are out for a little, nighttime jog. 😉

“RUN!” Mac’s voice reverberated in her chest, filling her lungs and heart with a final burst of speed as she put her head down and charged toward the chopper. She faltered when Lightfoot’s hand dropped away. “Run, baby.” Mac’s voice whispered in her ear and she realized Danny was leading Michael as Mac ran beside her even as he stripped the rifle from her shoulder. Each breath seared her lungs and her legs turned to lead but she kept running. Without warning, she was boosted off her feet and tossed. She skidded across the metal floor of the chopper as it lifted off.

“MAC!” She screamed his name.

“Right here, baby.” His arms pulled her back across the deck of the Blackhawk and held her close. “I’ve got you.”

You realize that exercise comes in various forms. This snippet is part of a conversation between Hannah and her mentor, Colonel Bradshaw.

Bradshaw hurried to placate her and Hannah knew she was being handled. And resented the shit out of it.

“All I’m saying is that you have a lot on your plate. I’m investigating the helicopter crash, Major. All information gathered to this point indicates it was just what it appears—a tragic training exercise caused by a malfunction in the helicopter’s tail rotor, possibly from a bird strike. This country needs the Sixty-ninth. Despite your personal feelings in the matter, the men assigned do necessary work. Secret work.”

And then there’s the scene where Dr. Liz Graham has to get physical… 😉

“Get the hell away from here!” She crab-walked backwards, putting herself between the two men and the mouth of the cave. “I’m going to the authorities. I have your pictures!” Her fingers crunched through leaves and encountered something hard and metal. The gun. She snatched it from the leaf litter and held it in front of her with both hands. Did it have a safety? Guns had safeties, right? Terrified they’d call her bluff, she stiffened her arms to hold the gun steady. “I know how to use this. Now get the hell away and don’t ever come back here!”

And Liz can certainly admire the amount of exercise that Michael Lightfoot gets…

Why did she trust him? Just because he was sexier than all get out? He was definitely that. Tall, but to her every man was tall. Broad shoulders. Muscled chest and back. A butt that filled out those camouflage pants and thighs that flexed when he walked. Normally, she liked long hair on a guy. Hey, she was a Cali girl by birth, but his close-cropped hair fit his chiseled face. Chiseled? Okay, she’d been reading way too many romance novels. Since she wasn’t dating anyone, who could blame her? The scientific part of her brain understood she was focusing on trivial things to keep her fear at bay. The scared part of her didn’t care. She just wanted to get away and be safe.

I did mention that exercise comes in all forms, right? Yeah, Liz and Lightfoot are getting some…exercise!

Gazing up into eyes that reminded her of hot caramel dripping over ice cream, she wet her lips with the tip of her tongue. Hard and thick, his erection pressed against her tummy and she wet her lips again. Michael looked like he wanted to eat her as he gazed down. A whimper gathered in her throat but she swallowed it away. How could she want this man so desperately? She could barely walk after last night and here she wanted to pounce him and ride him until they both exploded—over and over again. He bent his head and covered her mouth with his. Liz felt the kiss all the way to her toes. After long, breathless minutes, he released her and stepped back.

Whew! And that’s all the exercise I want for today. What about y’all? Writers, are you putting your characters through their paces? Readers? Have you read a scene that fits the theme? Share it! Happy Hump Day.

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Tuesday Tease – Moonstruck: Secrets

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Silver James

moonstruck - secrets 680Yay! Cover reveal. And blurb! The Amazon version of MOONSTRUCK: SECRETS will be available hopefully today, tomorrow at the latest. While most of you have read BLOOD MOON and BAD MOON, there are additions to both of those stories, plus the story of what happens in the ten years between the two books. I got to explore Mac and Hannah’s relationship and her pregnancy. Knowing Hannah, y’all can guess what Mac was up against. I hope you’ll be curious enough to give it a try. Buy links once it’s live, probably tomorrow along with more snippets for #1lineWed, which is about exercise. Hrmmmm. I’ll have to think about that. In the meantime, blurb:

The existence of Wolves has remained a secret for over 200 years. Now, the members of Army Special SciOps Unit 69 are about to be exposed. When a covert operation behind enemy lines goes wrong, Sergeant Major Ian McIntire must trust Major Hannah Jackson to save his men—and his heart. She already knows most of his secrets but the one she doesn’t know about the moonstruck alpha werewolf may get them all killed. She has one chance to get the Wolves undercover and safe, but it may already be too late. Being pregnant with a baby Wolf is just one more secret she has to keep.

Ten years later, former Army sniper Michael Lightfoot’s life as a forest ranger fits his need to run wild when the moon is full—until two wild wolf pups are kidnapped, along with Dr. Liz Graham, the wildlife biologist who makes him want to howl. The last thing he expects when he rescues the feisty doctor is to be moonstruck. With her life in danger, he must reveal his secrets—and risk losing her—in order to save her from the shady corporation stalking the Wolves.

Warning: Secrets, lies, and betrayals are more personal under the full moon, but when a Wolf loves a woman, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.

Are you ready to find out the secrets?

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Monday Spring Forward

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Silver James

Jim Hunt Coffee Forecast Have I mentioned that I hate Daylight Savings Time? With eye-stabby, red-snarly hate? There is no reason for DST. Not anymore. Except it’s one more way the government can screw with us. I haven’t adjusted from the change last fall! How am I supposed to function with my system screwed up coming and going?

I’m still coughing. I haven’t been 100% since before Christmas and I’m sick and tired of being sick. By mid-afternoon, whatever energy I had is zapped and I just want to curl up in bed. Sucks. Big time.

My publishing schedule is off. Only, who does my self-pub covers, has been sick too so I can’t fuss at her. As soon as I have the cover for MOONSTRUCK: SECRETS, it will be submitted. Once I get the POD formatting and that cover gets done, it will be available in print at CreateSpace/Amazon, too. After taking an on-line class in February, I’m diving into the Nightriders MC series as my next project. Then HARD TARGET: DOUBLE CROSS is next in line. I need to write, write, write!

Being sick left me plenty of time to read. Totally loved the complete series reread of the In Death series. Damn but I love those books. Then I reread Anne Bishop’s first two Others books so I could follow on with VISIONS IN SILVER. I probably have to wait a year for the next book. This gives me a very big sad, but the good news is, there are at least two more books in the series. These books will go on my yearly reread list. The problem with reading favorite books/series is the book hangover I’m left with. I haven’t opened a new book in a couple of days. I look at all the books on my Kindle and in the paper TBR bookcase and nothing catches my eye. This sucks big time! *sigh* What have y’all read lately that you’d highly recommend?

The only other thing I’ve been doing is watching spring training baseball and college baseball/softball. Yay. These are my sports.

That’s about the sum of my life of late. What’s going on with y’all? *wanders off to refill coffee mug and start writing about biker wolves*

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Friday Sinema – A World Without Romance

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Silver James

I tumbled across this little video on the Harlequin author site when I was checking sales. It made me laugh. And it’s a perfect kick-off to the weekend. May you always have romance!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Mountain

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Silver James

universeWe have a saying in my family: Fun, Travel, and Adventure! Which actually means something quite different, having to do with a crude description of a biological act and a branch of the US military. Don’t ask me how this came about. It just did. In the ensuing 30+ years, FTA came to mean something a bit closer to definition rather than the euphemism. And that goes even further back–to my dad and family vacations when he would suddenly veer off our programmed path and we’d end up in some very odd (and occasionally quite unsavory) places. My mother didn’t have a deviation bone in her body, She was a Cancer. As far as she was concerned, you plotted a trip from point A to point B and you followed the directions religiously. My dad? Yeah…not so much. It led to some lively trips when I was growing up.

After Lawyer Guy and I got married, and FTA meant Army, travel was always an adventure. Once Only came along, it got even more interesting and little side trips the norm. Even though I was the navigator, there were times when getting lost seemed like just the right thing to do and we sure came across some fascinated sights when it happened. And yes, today’s little message from the Universe reminded me of all that.

Silver, do you know what’s a 1,000,000 times better than getting to the top the mountain?

Getting there, after having been lost.

Ohhh yeah,
The Universe

© http://www.tut.com ®

Let’s get lost, Silver!

The nice thing about getting lost? You don’t even have to leave home to do it, if you have a good book at hand. When’s the last time you got lost?

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Wednesday Words: More Cowgirl’s Secrets

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Silver James

Cowgirls Secret 680Happy Wednesday! Over on Twitter, the theme for #1lineWed is “taste or smell”. I was really tempted to default to the Moonstruck books because…Wolves! 😆 However, I’ll stick with cowgirls this week. Here are some snippets from the upcoming THE COWGIRL’S LITTLE SECRET.

In this first one, Jolie has agreed to let CJ spend the night with Cord at the Barron’s ranch. Cord, being all sneaky and shitstuff, set up a cook out and convinced Jolie to at least stay for dinner.

“I’m going home.”

His laughter surrounded her, so rich and warm it tasted like s’mores on her tongue and she wavered for a moment.

“Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay for the sleepover?”

“I am not sleeping with you, Cordell Barron. Not tonight. Not ever.”

Cord’s plan to win Jolie over with food seems to be working. shifty-eyes-ani2faster Of course, she has a few tricks up her sleeve, too!

She’d look up at odd moments to catch him watching her, something hot and sexy in his gaze, as if she was every bit as delicious as that steak as he was savoring. Jolie would get fascinated by his mouth, his lips, and she really wanted to taste them.

“Are you finished, Jolie?”

She jerked her gaze to his eyes—the ones twinkling even as his mouth curved up in that irritating grin of his. The waiter stood patiently, holding Cord’s plate.

“Oh. Yes. I am. Thank you.”

The man whisked her plate away and handed both sets of dishes off to a hovering busboy. “Will you be enjoying dessert tonight?”

Jolie knew what she’d like to have for dessert and by the way Cord was looking at her, he was imagining her covered in chocolate and whipped cream. Just to tease him, she ordered cheesecake.

Is anyone else getting hungry? Or thirsty?

He cupped her cheeks and kissed her, his tongue teasing the seam of her lips until her jaw relaxed and he could taste her mouth. Margarita and chocolate. Those were two tastes that shouldn’t work together, but in her mouth? Perfect. He broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers. “I’m going to make love to you, Jolie. It won’t be as good or as thorough as I’d wanted for our first time back together—”

We’ll save the scents for another day. How about y’all? Do you have any tastes you want to share from your WIPs or maybe from the book you’re currently reading?

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