Thursday Thoughts: Universal Downtime

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Silver James

I’m still draggin’ my “li’l red wagon” around. I look outside and think, Oh! I still have time to get some work done before fixing dinner. Then I look at the clock and go, OH SH!T!!! This happens with my blog posts and my writing. In addition, I’ve fallen down the research rabbit hole more than once lately. But then the Universe dropped this into my in box.

What if it was your downtime, your lounging-in-bed-too-long time, your walkabout time, and your blow-Friday-off time that made possible your greatest achievements?

Would they still make you feel guilty, Silver? Or would you allow yourself to enjoy them?

About time –
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. Even your watching-the-rain time, Silver?

Every time I finish a book and it hits the shelves (whether physical or digital), I always want to rush right into the next project. And when that project doesn’t cooperate and I find ways to procrastinate my way out of the frustration, I need to remember the Big U’s advice. Downtime is necessary. Even if I’ve got a story and the characters firmly embedded in my brain, my imagination still needs to take a little vacation. It needs downtime to dream. To meet the characters and watch them in their “native” environment. Heck, it needs to tour that environment, get a feel for it. To find the local coffee shop, sit and sip and watch that world go by. And yeah, I’m finally learning to not feel guilty about taking this time between books. Why? Because the Universe is right. It’s all the “away” time that makes, and has made, all my books possible. Thank you for your patience as I dabble and dream, as I fall down rabbit holes and ramble, as I got walkabout in a space that isn’t mine. I’ll be back in the chair again soon and the characters will talk to me and tell their stories. I’ll transcribe them and soon enough, there will be a book with a title and a cover and a publication date. But for now, I’m going to indulge in a little downtime. How do you like to spend your downtime?

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Wednesday Words: Travelers

Posted on March 12, 2025 by Silver James

Yeah, I’m a little late. I have excuses. Number one, as it always is this time of year, I blame it on Daylight Savings Time. My mind and body just can’t get in sync. Creative time is affected. Eating times are affected. And sleep? *shakes head sadly* I can’t even. But, today is Wednesday. And I do have new words. I just forgot I hadn’t done a post for them yesterday. Which brings me to my second escuse. I was deep in the throes of researching for Ariel’s book. I know some things now. Yay. And speaking of Ariel, here’s a little snippet that will appear somewhere/sometime in the book. No clue on the actual set up but here’s the prompt: *”All of us travelers in time and space.”* Not necessarily the easiest to work with but hey, I like the words that spilled.

****
“A Fae prince walks into a coffee shop…”

Ariel didn’t look up. “I’m not a prince.”

The dragon enforcer sat anyway, ignoring the obvious attempt to dismiss his presence. “True. You’re just the King’s Seducer.” He deliberately made the words into a title.”

“Go away, Drakon.” Two could play that game.

Nikos sipped the coffee that magically appeared at his elbow before speaking. “So what brings you to this fair city?”

“This isn’t your territory, Nikos.”

“Nor is it Fae. I’ve business. Why are you here?”

“None of your concern.”

“It is when a certain FBI agent we both know and wish to seduce is worried about you.”

Ariel finally looked up and stared at the man sitting across from him. One would never know Nikos wasn’t human unless you looked closely at his eyes. He inhaled and added the stench of smoky magic to the list of characteristics. “So now you do Sade’s bidding?”

“I do when walking down the sidewalk, looked through the window and see you. Two birds, one cup of coffee and all that. Don’t do something stupid, Ariel.”

“Who would care?”

“All of us travelers in time and space.”

The words hung between them, shimmering with magic. Time and space. Ariel almost smiled as the idea formed. He could travel between. He could return to the beginning and start over.

He almost thanked Nikos—a bad move with dragons because it put one in their debt. “Here there be dragons,” he said instead, then disappeared.
****

Never thank a dragon. Just sayin’…. Anyway, there it is. The thoughts are coming together, as is the setting and the scenery and the characters. The heroine is giving me a bit of trouble. She can’t decide between Lyssa and Nyssa. 🙄 Writers, write if you are inspired. Readers (and writers), another vote on the name, please? I’ve yet to come up with an actual physical description for her which might be part of the problem. I may work on that when I get back from errands. Until later, happy Wednesday, hope you enjoy, and I’m only 30 minutes late.

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Rolling Up Retribution

Posted on March 11, 2025 by Silver James

Yeah, yeah. I’m stretching it on the subject line today but hey, give me a break. At least I have a treat to go with the title today. Hopefully, this recipe will entice folks to make a batch, grab my book, and take a break to read and munch. Just remember to lick your fingers and wipe them on your napkin–or a shirt, whatever’s handy–before turning a page or swiping the ol’ ereader screen. Also, you probably won’t be surprised who just made a batch of these considering how easy they are…but you might be. Keep reading to find out who.

Makes 10 roll ups
Prep time: 30 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 40 min

Ingredients
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
10 slices soft bread of your choice
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Let’s Make This
1 – Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2 – With a rolling pin, roll bread slices to flatten slightly, and trim off the crusts with a knife.
3 – Beat softened cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl until combined.
4 – Divide this mixture among the bread slices and spread evenly. Roll up slices tightly jelly-roll style, pressing on the edges to seal.
5 –  Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a shallow bowl. Generously brush each roll on all sides with melted butter and roll in the brown sugar mix. Arrange the roll ups on the prepared baking sheet.
6 – Bake until lightly browned and hot, about 10 minutes. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes and serve. Makes about 10 pieces.

Tips
1. Easy to double if you want plenty.
2. You can freeze them for later. Freeze before baking, using a parchment lined baking sheet. Transfer the rolls to a zip lock bag once frozen.
3. To cook, preheat oven to 375F. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until lightly browned and hot, about 20 minutes.
4. Store any leftovers tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
5. Texas toast bread works well. So does a toothpick to keep them together until they go in the over. Take the picks out before baking.

Here’s the cover you can click on, as well as the pic up there at the beginning. Also, you can click on the links below. In the meantime, Hannah is sipping her coffee and looking smug. “Ha! You keep saying I can’t cook. The kids love these things.” Says she as she shoves one in her mouth. I admit, they are pretty darn easy and tasty. They’re sort of like cinnamon rolls for the cooking impaired. *ducks and runs as Hannah launches her coffee mug at me* Have a great day and let me know if you decide to try these. Also, if you bought my book, please drop a quick review. Word of mouth makes or breaks sales. Okay, commercial over. Get MOONSTRUCK: RETRIBUTION from lots of on-line sellers. Check out all the Gennesis books on Books2Read.

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DST Monday Hangover

Posted on March 10, 2025 by Silver James

Yup. This is pretty much me. Sadly, it will pretty much be me until November, unless something stupid happens and we end up permanently on DST. *shudders* Please, just say no! I’m typing this at clock time of 7:25 on Sunday night. I should be starved because I haven’t eaten yet. We normally eat about 7 p.m. Instead, I’m sitting here typing this and thinking Oh, yeah. It’s actually 6:30 and I should probably go fix dinner. But wait! The clock says 7:30 *FLAIL* Yup. Pretty much.

In other news, I’m making progress on both reading and writing. Sort of. I’m listening to BONDED IN DEATH, JD Robb’s latest Eve Dallas novel. It’s pretty good because I can’t just listen to it in the background. I have to pay attention or I miss important info in the plot. This is good for listening/reading. This is bad for doing it regularly because…writing.

Actually, it’s more research. I have an announcement to make. Ariel’s book will be set in Rochester, NY. I have never been to Rochester, nor is it likely that I ever will. If anyone who is reading this is familiar, I’d LOVE to pick your brain. Why Rochester? I’ll try to make a convuluted story straighter. Originally, it was to be set in Seattle. Then stuff happened and I marked Seattle off the list. I needed a semi-Seattle type city–rainy, foggy, lots of spooky places and history. Not necessarily haunted, just spooky. I searched the web for rainiest cities in the US. Rochester came up like number 5 or 6. Then I saw a picture of Rochester with the river and a fall and crazy old buildings lining the river and…and…bingo! I saw a picture of their downtown library. The heroine is a librarian. There is WATER RUNNING UNDER THE LIBRARY that falls into the river! Mind is officially blown. Then, without going into a detailed account, I ended up in a “conversation” with Grok, the AI engine on X. I spent 45 minutes brainstroming with AI and it. Was. AMAZING! Grok even brought up ley lands. Mind now totally blown! There’s this really cool park in Rochester designed by the dude who did Central Park in NYC. They have a yearly Lilac Festival. Half a million people go. *deep breath* Okay. You get the idea. Anyway, the plot is coming together and all sorts of scenes and events and stuff like that there (which are vital to creating and writing a story don’cha know) are swimming in my head. I have to nail a few more things down for the puzzle frame and then I’ll start fitting all the puzzle pieces into place, ie. writing words! To tell Ariel’s story. Are you excited? I am!

In other news, Stormy and his parents went to their first out-of-town, spend-the-night soccer tournament. The team won 2 of 3 matches but didn’t make the championships. Bummer. That said, the team that beat them and played for the championship was undefeated. Stormy played well, had fun and can now say, “Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.” 😉

Not much else going on. No errands or MD appointments today, at least none I have to attend. It’s Monday. I need coffee. After my eyes are more fully open and the brain is semi-functional, I shall begin my real estate search of Rochester, which will be followed by a Google map street view drive to various places. I’m in search of Nyssa’s abode, a coffee shop near the main library, the main library, and the park. Plus pictures of the Lilac Festival. I do love me some lilacs in the springtime.

What about y’all? Anything of import going on? Stuff you need to do? Stuff you want to do? Thoughts on DST vs Standard Time? Later, gators. *wanders off for more coffee* (Knowing this is what I’ll be doing tomorrow/Monday morning if I were…you know…actually typing this early Monday morning. 🤣 )

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Friday Sinema: Here I Am

Posted on March 7, 2025 by Silver James

So, Ariel’s story is next. I’ve done a little scribbling on new words. I’ve gone over some previous notes and scribbled scenes. I’m figuring out the framework and learning a little more about his heroine. In my notes, I came across this song and its link. The note attached to it: “This is pretty much the theme song for Ariel’s book!” What do you think? Also, I guess I’m going to have to send him an angel–figuratively, not literally. Have a great weekend!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Action

Posted on March 6, 2025 by Silver James

It is Thursday again and I have thoughts. Oh, I have soooo many thoughts! But I shall not go there. I firmly believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I can almost guarantee that my opinion on many things is not the opintion that at least half the people who read my books hold. And that’s okay. I don’t believe in “cancel culture.” I do find myself occasionally muttering about my wish certain people would just STFU. But see, I’m an adult. I can take action by simply scrolling past that social media post or changing the channel or simply just turn off the TV. Action is an amazing thing.

And yes, action is a HUGE part of the stortelling process. If you have amazing characters but they do nothing but sit around sipping tea with no dialogue or…wait for it…ACTION! then the story stagnates. And the Universe is totally on board with action.

Action begets action, Silver.

Yours begets mine.

Let’s roll,
he Universe
©www.tut.com 

P.S. You just pitch, Silver, I’ll hit the home runs.

“Action begets action.” Think about that a minute. When you’re writing a book–whether plotter or pantser–actions have consequences. And those consequences create more action. It’s rather like a hamster wheel… No. I take that back. It’s more like a maze and both you and your characters are the mice trying to find the cheese at the end. It doesn’t matter the genre. Romance? That cheese is the HEA. Mystery/thriller? It’s solving the mystery/crime. Horror? Slaying the monster. Sci/Fi and fantasy, it’s surviving the voyage/quest.

This is also true when it comes to Real Life. Action begets action. And there are consequences to all those actions. It’s just the way the world works. Think how boring it would be to sit silently, sipping tea, and nothing ever happens. I’m with the Universe. I’ll pitch, but I also hope that when I come up to bat, I’ll hit a homerun! What actions are you taking today?

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Wedesday Words: In the Beginning

Posted on March 5, 2025 by Silver James

So. Apparently, I’m going to write the next entry in the Penumbra Papers series. At least for now. I have a start. In fact, I have the start, as in “In the beginning” opening scene. I have some random scenes. And for the last couple of weeks, that’s where Iffy has gone when it comes to Thursday Threads. Which leads us to this week’s entry. Here’s the prompt. *I can see it beginning all again.* I’d slot this into the story for you or give some background, if I knew what it was. I know that Ariel was mostly absent from Sade’s adventures in Paris and Edinburgh. So where was he? And why? That is the question to be answered in the WIP. Until I have some answers, here:

****
Ariel waited hat in hand—or would be had he been wearing one.. He glanced toward the huge windows framing the illuminated nightscape that was Las Vegas. Better here than Underhill. He would not utter the true name of the seat of the Seelie Court. All knew that true names held power when it came to magic. Had Oberon intended foul play, this command performance would be taking place there rather than the penthouse of the glamorous Vegas hotel that was home to Seelie Fae in the human realm.

The doors opened and an unfamiliar courtier waved him in. Ari approached the throne with his head up but eyes lowered. A side door opened and Titania swept in. Settling next to Oberon, she watched him through hooded eyes. His brain whispered a few of Sade’s favorite curses as he approached.

Oberon did not dally. “We have a problem.”

Ariel remained silent, but his focus on the royal couple intensified.
“I can see it beginning all again.” Titania glowered at Oberon who slunk down a bit in his throne.

Sade. Titania was referring to that whole messed up affair when Oberon was sure that he’d father Sade. Ari winced. That mess had damaged all of them.

“Not me,” the King mumbled. “I swear, my love.”

Like a fourteen year old mean girl, Titania rolled her eyes. “So you say, but know this. Another war would be too costly.”

Unable to help himself, Ari asked, “War?”

“Shadows are stirring,” the King admitted.

Rocking back on his heels, Ari did not like the direction his thoughts took. “The Unseelie Court?” At Titania’s morose nod, he continued. “I thought you’d bound and exiled them so they’re unable to access this realm ever again.”

“Ever is a long time,” Titania muttered. “They have a gate.”

The import staggered him. “A changeling? They found a changeling?”

“Fix it,” Oberon commanded.

Ariel was the King’s Seducer. Sometimes, he hated his duty.
****

There it is. No working title as yet. And the heroine can’t make up her mind when it comes to her name: Lyssa or Rivvi. And there’s only about 2500 words so far, but it’s a start. Writers, havbe fun with the prompt. Readers, what do you think about her name? And yes, I’m BICHOK. Or will be once I get back from Wallyworld.

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Tuesday Tidbits–This-n-That

Posted on March 4, 2025 by Silver James

So…it’s Tuesday. And I had a book release over the weekend. This should totally be a Tuesday Treats & Titles day but…

See, I’ve pretty much reciped out the characters in MOONSTRUCK: RETRIBUTION. But I had some time to think yesterday morning as I sat in the GI waiting room at VA, in-between all the peopling I had to do because…Jake. There were 2 little kids there waiting and…well…that’s a story I won’t bore you with. So, back to thoughts. I had some. Like, I’m getting old. Okay, technically, I’m already old. Before I got sick, I was old but I didn’t FEEL old, ya know? And I didn’t really look old, which was like totally cool. But now I look and feel older. I promise this is going somewhere. Stick with me.

There’s a new scene in RETRIBUTION where Hannah has a moment regarding her age. And Mac. Big, hunky sexy Mac. It turned out to be a sweet scene. I also pick on Hannah for not cooking. It’s a bit of a running joke and she’s okay with it. She really doesn’t like to cook but if she has to, she will. And being a mom, yeah, she has to. Thing is, she CAN cook if she doesn’t get distracted. That said, Hannah being Hannah, she gets distracted.

Still with me? I’m getting there. Writers tend to stick a little bit of themselves into various characters. Can you say “coffee?” *insert sifty eyes here* And then that scene mentioned above. And some others. That got me to thinking about some of the weird things I’ve started doing now that I’m old. You’re mission is to decide if I’m weird or normal. 😉

Examples:

  1. Since there’s only LG and I eating and I have place settings in plates and silverware for 18, I rotate what we use. Silverware is daily–any forks, knives, and spoons go to the bottom of the “pile” in the storage drawer. Plates and bowls get rotated to the bottom of the stack after about 5 uses. I have this idea that if we use the same two anything time after time, they’ll wear out. I want them to wear out evently, don’cha know.
  2. When I restock drink cans or bottles in the fridge, I pull the ones already there to the front and stock the new behind them, even knowing that it’ll be at least 12 hours before I drink one and they’ll all be cold so the order they’re in shouldn’t matter.
  3. When I air dry the silverware, I put my spoons “face” down. You know, in case the water collects in the bowl of the spoon or something. 🙄
  4. Clean clothes–freshly laundered goes on the bottom if there are multiples. (T-shirts, undies, socks, etc.)

There are more examples but I figure I’ve put y’all to sleep. So, what’s the verdict? Am I weird? It’s okay if you think so. I think I am, so there’s that. Psst. Don’t be surprised if some of this stuff shows up in future characters. Y’all know me. I’m all about the quirky. 🤣

Oh, and please go buy my new book and leave a review. Thank you! (Just click on the title if you’re reading this in email. If you’re on the website, you can click the pic of the cover over there on the right or the title above. Easy peasy.)

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The Monday After

Posted on March 3, 2025 by Silver James

It’s Monday. All day. I know this because I’m looking at the calendar–which I remembered to flip to the new month while trying to figure out the day/date. Also I’m typing this on Sunday. For reasons.

Got a “fun” direct message on FB. Allegedly from Meta, it said my page would be deleted due to copyright infractions. Yeah…my virus software nabbed that one when I clicked on it trying to see who it was from. Be aware if you get one of these.

Stormy had a great finish to his indoor soccer season Friday night. They won both games by double digits and he scored a couple of goals. Yay. Outdoor soccer starts later this month. Also yay. My Cowgirls were all kinds of awesome, sweeping th tournament they played in Wichita and the Sunday afternoon games. At least the first on. The second hasn’t been played yet and I doubt I get back to this to update because…reasons. The Cowboy baseball team took on #1 Texas A&M Saturday night and won 4-0. Good times.

Siren test went as planned and we had burgers at a local burger place, MmmMmmm good. Sadly, Baseball Boy had to miss due to baseball scrimmage but Only, Stormy, LG, Jake and I enjoyed the food and company.

Did a bunch of brain-drain stuff last week. Did some updates on the website and hit a coding snag. I am soooo NOT a code kinda gal but I managed to struggle my way through getting the Spotify soundtrack list up and linked. I also culled my newsletter list. 1200+ spam emails. I can’t figure out why the spammers think my newsletter is “fertile ground.” I send out maybe 3 or 4 a year. I don’t give stuff away. And there are no financial links there. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Whatever. Anyway, as a result, I made a big ol OOPS! I managed to leave the .com out of the blind links. 🤦🏼‍♀️ An eagle-eyed friend emailed me early so I could fix it and send out an apologectic email. Ah well. What’s a book release without some drama, right?

Not much else going on. I’m out of pocket today, as you read this. LG is have a medical procedure done of several hours duration. As he’ll be under general anesthetic, Jake and I–again at the time you’re likely reading this–are in the waiting room so we can drive him home. It’s a routine thing so hopefully no worries.

I’m closing in on deciding my next project. Does Ariel have any fans out there? On that note, the second Cowgirl game is about to start and it’s televised so I am going to shut down, grab a snack and a drink and settle on the soft furniture to watch and cheer them on. How was your weekend?

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Friday Sinema: String Us Along

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Silver James

I hope this link works. I saw this short video on X and let me just say, these four women are bloody brilliant! Tomorrow is my birthday. MOONSTRUCK: RETRIBUTION will be live everywhere so please give me a present and go buy a copy if you didn’t pre-order. Have a great weekend!

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