A New Week

cute-puppy-pictures-hello-im-here-to-make-your-monday-suck-lessThis is the week I get caught up. Stop laughing. I’m serious.

I don’t have that much to do, relatively speaking. I will finish BLACK MAGIC–first draft and some edits. I will finish contest reads and reviews. I will critique my CP’s latest WIP. And I will read a not-so-secret project by a not-so-secret writer I admire, whose UNPUBLISHED WRITER’S GUIDE TO SURVIVAL blog I happen to be guesting on today. Talking about inspiration. Click and go. 😉

See? Easy peasy. I’ll get through this list!

My weekend was good. Said CP and I went to the OKRWA chapter meeting on Saturday. The always fabulous Sharon Sala, New York Times best-selling author, presented the program on the differences between critiques and criticism. She finishe up by reading the first page (opening scene) of members’ WIPs and offering tips on strengthening hooks and tightening writing. I offered up the first page of BLACK MAGIC. And when she finished I had a major fan girl squee moment. Her comment? “Email me when this comes out. I’m serious. I want to read this. I love Sade.” 😳 And that’s all she said. Well, almost. She also said she wished she’d written my first line. 😀

Did I mention the weather is crazy? As in crazy beautiful? Seriously. It’s mid-August. We’re normally suffering through sweltering days with highs in the 100s and lows in the 80s with humidity over 50%. Over the weekend, highs were in the 80s and lows in the 60s. We’re talking FALL weather! *happy dances* Today the high is inching up to 92 but I can deal with it!

What about y’all? Fun times this weekend? Good weather or bad? Read anything you want to recommend?

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Bucket List – 91-100

notebookThis is it. The last ten items on my list. Maybe I should take off the ones I’ve done and make a new list. shifty-eyes-ani2faster Naw. I wouldn’t do that to y’all. You’ve been very patient with my…whatever prompted me to do this is. So, without further fanfare, here’s the last segment.

91. Get an agent. (This should have been back in the spate of writing goals, I guess. *der*) Had one. We parted on friendly terms. I might consider another one in the future. A lot depends.

92. Finish Uninvited. I’ve been writing it for….over ten [almost twenty years] now. I still think it is a hellava story and premise but it’s soooo dark. [Yeah, so dark that I want to scrub down with bleach whenever I’m in the villain’s head.] It’s a horror novel. What can I say?

93. Participate and “win” NaNoWriMo every year between now and then. (8 years and counting)

94. Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver, the other is gold. [Sh’up, Kelly. Yes, this is an inside joke and I doubt K. Dabney is here but just in case… 😉 ]

95. Learn to forgive even if I can’t forgot. [I REALLY need to work on this one!]

96. Finish the renovation of the master shower. (Don’t ask.) [Okay, some of you asked and I’ve been through the whole sordid story before. Here’s an update. It WAS finished. Until Lawyer Guy decided to tweak the latch on the glass shower door. Uhm…the glass cracked. It’s now off plumb with the crack “repaired” with duct tape. So…again…don’t ask!] 🙄

97. Sit and drink cafe au lait at Cafe du Monde on Jackson Square (New Orleans French Quarter) long enough to see if the entire world does, indeed, pass by.

98. Learn to spell “ridiculous” without having to look it up. (I’ve always been able to spell “sublime”. What does that say, huh?)

99. Never actually mark off every single thing on this list…there should always be something left to be done and enjoyed.

100. Celebrate my 100th birthday.

And that’s my list. I have no intention of ever marking them all off but it will be a hellava lot of fun trying! Next Friday, we will return to our regularly unscheduled postings. 🙂 Have a great weekend!

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Cover Reveal: That Ol’ Black Magic

That Ol Black Magic 680I’ve been keeping The Only busy of late, what with CAFE MIDNIGHT’S cover and now with the cover for THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC. With her help, we’ve come up with what I think is a very cool look/brand for the Penumbra Papers. FYI, the background photo is one The Only took while we were in NOLA. She worked her magic on the image of crypts at St. Louis Cemetary #1, which is the setting for several scenes in THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC. If you check the word counter on the right, you’ll see that I’m closing in The End. 😀

In the meantime, here’s the TOBM blurb:

Along with her FBI partner—and best friend—Caleb Jones, Special Agent Sade Marquis is sent to New Orleans to investigate the murders of several high-ranking magicks. The Big Easy is neutral territory and Sade must find and arrest the culprit before war breaks out between the Realms. Things look up when the gargoyle Sentinel, Roman, a permanent fixture in Sade’s childhood, arrives to keep the peace. Maybe.

The investigation is hampered by Sade’s faerie nemesis, Ariel—the King’s Seducer. Oh, and then there’s the new dragon in town, Nikolas Constantine. Sade can’t decide whether to arrest his ass or admire it.

When guilt and innocence come to play in the French Quarter, it’ll take Sade’s brand of crazy to sort it all out.

Yeah, I know. It needs work. I suck at blurbs. Tomorrow is the last installment of my Bucket List. Yeah, yeah. I hear those sighs of relief. 😉 I’m writing today. What are the rest of you up to?

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Universal Discouragement

universeThis nudge from the Universe has been hanging out in my draft folder for quite awhile. After releasing CAFE MIDNIGHT yesterday and having two whole sales (one of them mine), this is the one that popped out at me when I looked for a topic for today.

Do you know what it sometimes means, Silver, when you feel a bit bummed out and aren’t sure why? When you catch yourself looking back over your shoulder and wondering? When you feel doubt, sense uncertainty, and experience fear? When you sometimes wonder what’s taking so long?

It means you’re normal.

Yeeeeeeee-haaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
The Universe

Well, Silver, as normal as anyone can be who possesses superpowers, commands legions, and rearranges physical circumstances simply with thought.

I’m not sure what it means, exactly, but I do catch myself feeling a bit bummed out, and I have caught myself looking over my shoulder all filled with doubt and stuff. And fear? Oh yeah! That’s a constant companion. I think this is a human thing. It’s definitely a writer thing. I’ve yet to talk to ANY writer who hasn’t expressed these exact sentiments at one time or another. And it’s normal. Aren’t you glad? *whew* I am.

P.S. As for that last part? Yeah, right. You make me laugh, Universe. 🙄

P.S.S. Stop by tomorrow for another cover reveal. The Only has been busy! 😀

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Coming Soon: Cafe Midnight

Update! CAFE MIDNIGHT is now live. 😀 Here’s the LINK

Cafe Midnight 680A burned-out homicide cop. A mysterious diner. A dead body. What could possibly go wrong?

When that cop is Joe McGwire? Everything. Back on duty after a deadly shootout, Joe and his new best friend, Insomnia, hit the streets. Drawn to a diner called Cafe Midnight, Joe walks straight into trouble.

Welcome to Cafe Midnight, where the coffee’s hot, you can still smoke, the payphone costs a nickel, and famous detectives hang out looking for a case.

This short story is a fond homage to film noir and the detective novels of yesteryear. It’s a tongue-in-cheek tale about a hard-driven homicide detective and the denizens of the dark he meets while investigating his latest murder.

As soon as it goes live on Amazon, I’ll let y’all know. Who’s your favorite literary or movie detective?

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Monday = Random

Making coffeeThere’s a reason I set up the coffee pot the night before. If I’m lucky, Lawyer Guy gets up first and makes the coffee when he puts the boys out. If I’m not, I have to figure out how to turn on the faucet, fill the pot, and get it emptied into the coffee maker without spilling it all over the cabinet.

So how was your weekend?

I worked Saturday. Got some decent words in, with no real surprises from the characters. Nikos is definitely an arrogant sonavawyrm.

Did you do anything fun?

I’m reading unpublished contest entries, published winners (for reviews), and in between, the second part of Julie Leto’s sexy Double Dare serial novel. *fans face* Julie’s long been a favorite read of mine and she’s an all round cool gal!

Read anything worth mentioning?

Preview…tomorrow, I’ll talk about my mystery short, CAFE MIDNIGHT, that will be out this week. It’s a fond homage to film noir and detective novels of a by-gone era.

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Bucket List 81-90

notebookGuess what!?! This is the next to the last Bucket List post. Are you happy dancing? Not many marked off this week’s list. Most of these will never happen but they sounded like a good idea at the time.

81. Have my portrait painted. [Why I put this on the list, I have NO idea! I hate having my picture taken so why would I want to sit for a portrait? And where the hell would I hang the darn thing? 🙄 ]

82. Have commissioned artwork of all of my Heroes.

83. Drive a flying car….or would that be fly a driving car…you know what I mean. Popular Mechanics lied. We should have flying cars by now! *pout*

84. Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef. [Uhm…that would mean getting into a swimsuit and wetsuit. NOT gonna happen!]

85. Visit Atlantis. (The mythical land NOT the hotel resort…)

86. Visit Athens. (I’ve been to London, Rome, and Paris already. Or not…depends on the political unrest at any given time.)

87. Laugh every day. (I do this but I need the reminder. As I’m going to live “forever”, this one won’t get marked off. 😉 )

88. Have a scotch with Sean Connery. (He’s an arse but man, is he easy on the eyes and ears–even at his age. ;9 )

89. Appear on a panel at a writer’s con.

90. Give a panel/class at RWA National.

Okay. I haven’t laughed today. Somebody tell me a joke. Or point me toward an lolcat/dog/something. 😉 Have a great weekend!

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The Darwin Awards

This landed in my inbox yesterday. I didn’t check to verify that these actually were the winners of the Darwin Awards**. It doesn’t really matter because…well, just read them. Liquids Alert. Do not drink or set liquids near your keyboard.

**Named in honor of Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, the Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it.

Here is the glorious winner

1. When his 38 calibre revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California, would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

And now, the honourable mentions:

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat cutting machine and after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger… The chef’s claim was approved.

3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies… The deception wasn’t discovered for 3 days.

5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer… $15. [If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?]

7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly.. He decided that he’d just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape…

8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, “Yes, officer, that’s her. That’s the lady I stole the purse from.”

9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti , Michigan at 5 A.M., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn’t open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren’t available for breakfast…. The man, frustrated, walked away. [*A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER]

10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street by sucking on a hose, he got much more than he bargained for… Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline, but he plugged his siphon hose into the motor home’s sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges saying that it was the best laugh he’d ever had.

In the interest of bettering mankind, please share these with friends and family….unless of course one of these individuals by chance is a distant relative or long lost friend. In that case, be glad they are distant and hope they remain so…

HAPPY HUMP DAY! Don’t be stupid. 😉

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Universal Micky Ds and Magic

I’m always in need of magic. Magical words. Magical stories. Magical characters. Magical beings to clean my house and do my laundry. Yeah, I’m holding my breath on that last one. 🙄

When this popped up in my inbox, I’m not sure why it resonated. Well, other than I’m writing a series infused with magic. All kinds of magic. I’ve learned so much since I originally wrote SEASON OF THE WITCH. I now have a handle on world-building and series bibles and consistent storytelling.

It’s all self-service, Silver.

The magic works through you, not for you.

Now helping 7 billion help themselves,
~~The Universe

Just order and show up, Silver. If it’s not there when you show up, keep showing up until it is.

Words, to me, are magic. It’s up to me to serve them up. And like the Universe says, if they aren’t there when I show up, I need to just keep showing up until magic happens. So I’m putting in my order, Universe. I’m ready for a lot of magic! I’ll be here, waiting. 😉 Right after a run to Micky D’s for a cheeseburger.

What’s magical in your life today?

P.S. A very, VERY happy 30th anniversary to Lawyer Guy. Thank you for being the magic in my life all these years. ♥

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Inspiration is Where You Find It

Since my Muse has ADHD, I normally don’t lack for ideas and when I do, something tends to pop up that gives me a shove in the right direction.

I’m an Oklahoma girl, bred, born, and raised. I remember hanging out in my front yard hoping one of the big kids would come down the street riding their horse and I could beg a ride. I was thrown when I was four, crushing every bone in my right wrist. I still have trouble with it today.

When I was 13, a couple of weeks after my grandfather died, my dad took me to a horse ranch. The breeder owed the estate money and they’d worked out a deal whereby I could pick out my first horse. I did–a stripe-backed dun with a sorrel mane and tail and a white blaze. I named him Lucky-A-Go-Go. My dad sold him when I went off to college. My sophomore year, I bought a gray horse named Traveler and I learned English, jumping, dressage, and eventing. I sold him when I moved home. Both went to little girls who loved all things horse.

I bought ten acres of land just outside of my hometown. I built a house and a barn and my dad and I started breeding Quarter horses. I had a riding horse, too, named Saddle Tramp. He was also a dappled gray. We had Fancy, and Priss, and their colts. I showed them in horse shows. Did some rodeoing. I attempted to ride a reining horse. It’s sort of like dressage but…western. It’s hard with a saddle and bridle. But to do it like this young woman? And for the reasons she did? Yeah. That sniffle you heard was me and I’m blaming any typos on the tears. But she’s so gonna be a heroine in one of my For the Love of a Cowgirl books. That’s a promise!

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