No Thoughts for Thursday

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Silver James

This is short and I may or may not be back to check for comments–here on the blog or on FB. Every time I thought I’d settled in this week to get lots of chapters edited, Real Life pulled fire drills. By the time I set this up (yesterday), I felt like the Robinson family robot–arms waving and metallic voice saying, “Danger, Will Robinson. Danger.” No danger, just intruders, so to speak.If it wasn’t this, it was that.

FYI, the AC was fixed Tuesday morning. Turned out to be a “starter capacitor(sic)” which is way cheaper than a fan motor or whole new system! Wednesday, it was playing deliver service from the west side to the north side to the east side and then back to the west side of the metroplex. Considering just OKC (and not the surrounding ‘burbs’ comprises 621 square miles, you get an idea of the time involved. Not begrudging it, just explaining what happened yesterday. I had every intention of finishing off edits and getting this behemoth off to readers. So, I’m “taking today off” so to speak. We’ll see if I can stay off the internet with my nose to the monitor and hands on mouse and keyboard. As of my setting this up yesterday (so it was done and out of the way), I have 8 chapters and an epilogue finished. By the time you read this, I’m hoping to have gotten at least 2 of those done–if not more. I’ll see y’all tomorrow!

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Wedneday Words: Live Long

Posted on October 9, 2024 by Silver James

For the third Wednesday in a row, today’s new words are brought to you by the Russian Wolves of New York because the Thursday Threads prompts just keep the original scene going. Which is fine because I really don’t have much knowledge of the Russians and their stories so yay. I think. LOL Anyway, the prompt from last week is: *”You will live a long life.*” We are once again with Dima and his Gypsy girl.

****
Dima checked his watch. He had time yet and the girl sitting across from him continued to intrigue. “You took a chance,” he said.

She fiddled with her napkin, the silverware, the salt and pepper shakers, looking anywhere but at him. “I had no choice.”

“The least you can do is satisfy my curiosity.” They weren’t there due to his looks but because of his position in the

She glanced up, her pupils widening as she took in his face. He understood. He wasn’t handsome. Women didn’t flock to him though they were happy enough to warm his bed. They weren’t there for his looks but due to his position in the bratva.

“What do you want to know?” Her mumbled words were clear enough to his preternatural hearing.

“Why did you choose to warn me?”

Two spots of bright red flared on her cheekbones. “You don’t believe me so it’s not much of a warning.”

Good. His little Gypsy girl had fire after all. “Convince me.”

“Fine.” A stained leather bag, worn soft and supple, plopped on the table beside her plate.

“This woman came to me, asked for a reading for a man named Dmitri. She wouldn’t tell me the reason.” Her eyes flicked up for a moment. “It’s hard to give a clear reading without knowing the question but I can do cold reads. Every card pointed to disaster and though the Death card doesn’t mean actual death, in conjunction with the Hanged Man, and given the placement in the reading…” She shrugged. I had to warn you.”

He snatched the bag, ignoring her gasp. Taking out the cards he shuffled them and picked one card. “What does this one mean?”

“You will live a long life.”

He smiled. “And so I will.”
****

There you go. I wonder if I should mention that I fell down the rabbit hole of researching Tarot card meanings. I mean, I have the basics because yeah, I’ve read the cards. Sadly, I’m missing my set of standard cards and the book so I was playing with the Celtic set I have–the cards are different and have slightly different meanings. Anyway, in the end, I decided it didn’t matter but you can bet when I get around to this book, and rewriting this scene, The Lovers will be involved in the full reading Gypsy gives to Dima. *bwahaha* So, writers, if this prompt appeals, write long and prosper. Readers, your question for the day is, what immortal character said, “Live long and prosper”?

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Tuesday Tidbits – October Edition

Posted on October 8, 2024 by Silver James

This is a crunchy brown bits kinda day. Our AC went out yesterday. It was a little warm so the ceiling fans were/are on high–and luckily, we have them in every room. Well, except the loos. Anyway, repair guys are coming this morning around 9 and hopefully it’s only like the fan motor or something. 🤞🏼

Also, FB removed my post from yesterday. Gettin’ really sick and tired of that stuff happening, especially since it’s their “technology” doing it and no humans are involved, including any sort of review. Also, they lie when they say they’ll be in touch with a final decision. Yeah. Right. Anway…

Milton needs to pick up his marbles and go home! To all my friends in Florida, be safe!

No food today. No titles with character references to said food. When I get hot, I get really lazy so I’m doing this quick post just to touch base. I do, however, have titles. Are you looking for something quirky with warped humor, good stories, eccentric and wacky characters, then I highly recommend the Sunshine Vicram series by Darynda Jones. It’s a trilogy. It’s complete. Which is good because…cliffhangers! The books are A BAD DAY FOR SUNSHINE, A GOOD DAY FOR CHARDONNAY, A HARD DAY FOR A HANGOVER. There’s crime. There’s romance. Did I mention the quirky? I laugh–a lot–while listening to these books.

Edits continue. I really need to get with Only on the cover. I’ll share it when I get the final–hopefully before edits are done.

That’s it for me. Anybody got any tidbits to share?

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Remembering Monday

Posted on October 7, 2024 by Silver James

Today is one of those days. You know the ones–the ones we wish we didn’t remember. One year ago, a massive attack against civilians occurred. Since then, this old world has become even more divided with h@te speech and actions ramping up even higher.. I normally do my best to stay above the fray and my opinions to myself. I wish more people in the public eye would do the same. It doesn’t matter which side you’re on, you’re gonna make at least half the country mad. I’ll sum this up by saying that any group that attacks–and then hides behind–civilians are nothing but craven cowards. My heart goes out to the people caught in the middle. Moving on…

Last week was full of Real Life jumping in front of me and throwing detours along the way. That was good though. I had a doctor appointment and the news was good for the most part. Eyesight is such a slow process but the eye I’m legally blind in is actually getting a tiny bit of improved vision. Yay. Then there was a Wallyworld expedition. Given all the changes in the store layout, it truly is an expidition these days. Then there was the morning where Only and I played musical cars before the school day started because she needed Drover for a weekend roadtrip and an emergency chaperone for the church youth group campout. That roadtrip necessitated new boots for Drover, ie. 4 new tires. The old one were okay for my piddling around the neighborhood–like the 3 mile round trip to Starbucks. Anyway we, LG found a deal, Drover is has shiny new boots and Only arrived and returned safely.

In other news, my Cowboys lost again. 😞 This gives me a big sad. In baseball news, the playoffs have started and I actually don’t care who wins so I’m getting to watch some really good baseball. Yesterday was also soccer day. Stormy had two games. We made it to the first one, which his team won. It was too hot for Jake and me to hit the second game, which they lost. Only and I also played musical cars again, her ‘Stang going home (we picked up Stormy to get him to the game while Baseball Boy dealt with a school function). Only got there in time for the game. Anyway, I’m sure y’all find this fascinating. 🙄

Editing continues. Despite the RL interruptions and delays last week and over the weekend, I did manage some good forward progress. I’ll be starting Chapter 42 today. The MS is standing at 119+K words and 223 single-spaced pages. With 12 chapters and a short epilogue to go. See? Progress! Sadly, I keep waffling between “this sucks” and “wow, this is good stuff.” At least my betas will be honest. I can fix suck. I can celebrate good stuff too. Easy peasy. Anyway, if I can do 3-4 chapters a day, I might just be done and this puppy off to betas and proofreaders by the end of the week. 🤞🏼

That’s pretty much my world at the moment. Edits and more edits. It’s too hot and dry to do anything outside. When I do have to go out, I shake my cane and yell, “Go home, Mother Nature! You’re drunk!” It isn’t helping but it makes me feel better. What about y’all? Any cane shaking in your world?

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Friday Sinema: For the Dads

Posted on October 4, 2024 by Silver James

So…public service announcement. Don’t try this at home. Unless you’ve got a really cool dad. Also, I’m warped and laughed at all of these. Just sayin’… Psst Only survived. So has Stormy. And yay for good dads even if they’re a little warped in the humor department too. Have a great weekend! (And still sending healing thougths to all those affected by the hurricane. Hopefully, this will put a little smile on your face, or maybe a laugh or two.)

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal HEA

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Silver James

Sometimes, when I least expect it, the Universe drops something perfect into my inbox. As y’all know, I try to share my thoughts and experiences with writing at least on Thursdays. It’s become sort of my “craft” day. Not everyone who hangs out here is a writer. In fact, only a few but that’s okay. I’ve been told that even readers enjoy the occasional insight into the whole mysterious “black box” thing call creative writing. I’m not sure about a black box but it definitely can be a black hole. 🤣

Anyway, I get a message from the Big U every day. Some hit home. Some are hrmm moments. And some are light bulbs. I was asked in a workshop I was leading what’s the magic formula for writing romance. Well, I need to tattoo the Universe’s response on my forehead or something because in It’s roundabout and mystical way, here’s the answer:

Would you ever take a journey, Silver, if you knew ahead of time that you’d become hopelessly lost, have your heart broken into pieces, and sometimes wish you’d never been born?

Now, how about if you knew ahead of time that on that very same journey you’d later find yourself, fall passionately in love, and live happily ever after?

Yeah, I know, you made the same choice a long, long time ago.

Que bueno,
The Universe
©www.tut.com 

P.S. Silver, it’s all downhill from here (in a good way!!!).

</blockquote

This feels like a mic drop moment. 🙄 There you have it. A romance novel is the journey two people take where they get hopelessly lost, have one or both of their hearts broken, where they wish they (or the other person) had never been born and then they fall passionately in love and live happily ever after. See? Easy peasy. That’s the formula. The hard part is BICHOK (Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard) until all the words spill out so that the story is detailed, nuanced, exciting, compelling, enjoyable, and…well, yeah. All that. Writing fiction is not easy nor is it for the faint of heart but when you type The End and finally–after hard edits and revisions–pull the trigger on publishing, it’s a marvelous feeling. I’m close to finding that joy once again. What’s your joy today?

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Wednesday Words: Challenges

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Silver James

Wednesday and time for a word salad. I was right when I guessed the Thursday Threads prompt for last week. It was, indeed, *”Challenge accepted.”* Sadly, I did not win, place or show in the TT challenge, even though I accepted it. 😉 I also sort of broke my rules because I continued the original scene and added to it. I don’t feel bad because this is a future WIP so it makes sense to carry on, right? Yeah, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I’m just glad there are non-related words to the current WIP because…yeah…I don’t need no more stinkin’ edits/revisions! 😝 Anyway, let’s get to the words as there’s no real set up other than two “strangers” in a restaurant in Brighton Beach…

****
Dima had watched the woman be seated. He’d seen her around, plying her trade along the boardwalk near the beach. He’d let her squirm for a time before sauntering over and sitting at her table. Were her words a threat or a warning? He did have plans for later, plans no one but Mikhail knew about. His next words shocked her.

“Challenge accepted.”

Eyes wide, she opened her mouth to speak. Didn’t. She had to wet her lips and swallow before any words came out.

“You can’t.”

He wrinkled his nose at the faint traces of ammonia wafting from her. She was afraid. Again, he had questions. Was it of him or for him? “I can do what I want.”

“No,” she insisted.

“Why not?”

She wet her lips again and ran her tongue over her top teeth. “Because I don’t want you to die.”

“I do not plan on dying tonight.”

“But you will.” She remained stubbornly insistent. “The signs are all there.”

“You said someone paid you to read the cards.”

Shaking her head, she took a nervous breath. “No. I said someone came to ask about you. I didn’t—don’t know you so I read the cards.”

“While this person was there?”

“No. After.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know her.”

A chill settled in his spine. “She is of no consequence.” And she wasn’t. Mikhail would ask Dima to settle that account in the future. Not tonight. His wolf stirred, interested. Tonight there was other prey, including her.
****

There it is. Writers, will you accept the challenge? Readers (and writers), would you want your Tarot cards read by a girl named Gypsy? In the meantime, quick update on the Irish Wolves. I’m currently on Chapter 31, so well over halfway, and standing at about 83K+ words. Upward and onward!

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Tuesday Tidbits: Nuts

Posted on October 1, 2024 by Silver James

I got nuttin’, honey. *F*B doesn’t like me these days. Twice now, in less than a week, the posts that have popped over to that other place for YEARS have been deemed unacceptable. That’s fine. I’m just over here eating my ice cream. 😁

Did you see what I did there? I managed to work food into today’s post.

In between edits, I’ve been staring at the page where I’ve copy and pasted quotes to maybe use in memes about the new book. Sadly, at the top of that page is The Blurb. *shudder* I hates the blurb. It must be written before all is said and done. Psst I am NOT the only author who feels this way. 😝

Question of the Day: Why is common sense so uncommon these days?

Next question, should I have saved the above for a future Friday Free-For-All?

Let’s see if Asimov’s 3 Laws of Robotics finally works with pesky “calculas formulas.” There’s a reason I strongly disliked calculas way back in the way back. Just sayin’…

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Monday the Last

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Silver James

Edit: I have Edit Brain! I forgot to set the publish time when I set the blog up yesterday. My bad. In other news…

Where did the weekend go? Oh, yeah…edits. Derp. I could pretty much end this post right here because my Monday posts are round-ups and follow ups of the past week and weekend with a peek at the week ahead. Welp, I edited this weekend. Pretty much excusively. More on that in a bit because I do need to provide some content to exercise my blogging chops.

Sports. Yeah…let’s not go there. My Cards finished the season above .500 but that’s about it. They’re missing the post season for a second straight year. This winter should bring some interesting changes. My OSU Cowboys also punked out up at Kansas State. They’ve lost two in a row. Yes, I haz a big sad. At least OU beat Auburn.

I haven’t done much reading or listening. Well, I’ve done a BUNCH of reading but of my own manuscript. LOL I started listening to a book that dropped on my wait list with the library. It hasn’t grabbed my attention, sadly. I’m about 9% into the book but haven’t listented in two days. I’ll probably return it because I think there are still people on the waiting list. It’s not a bad book and has a very interesting premise, just…not right now. I guess. I hate the book doldrums. Anybody reading something that’s grabbed their attention to the point they can’t put it down?

In writing news, progress on edits! I’m closing in on the half-way point and still no major issues. I’ve found a few small things that needed fixing–like ages, time of year, a plot twist I needed to “delete” until it’s revealed later. This is good. Of course, I’m still on the part that was written before I got sick and has already been heavily edited. That may change once I hit the new stuff but 🤞🏼.

I actually made “real” food for dinner last week–several times. We had Only Chicken (named for Only because it was a favorite of hers growing up), buffalo parmesan chicken strips, chili, and breakfast–pancakes, egs and bacon/sausage. I’m ready for cool weather because the real food I like to cook are more like spaghetti, ravioli lasagna, shepherd’s pie, beef stew… You know, comfort food. Why do we not need comfort food in the summer? Or am I the only one who considers cool/cold weather food more comforting? 🙄

Looking ahead, I have a six-month follow-up with my opthamaologist (eye surgeion). He opened his own private practice over the summer and it wasn’t fully up and running until early September. I was supposed to see him in July, a week after he left the big clinic. Anyway, it’ll be fun to see him again. He’s been “in the family” since Only had her car wreck in college and became his patient. I’ll continue editing betwixt and between some stuff I should get done in the yard. Big Trash Pick-up starts today and it’s our side of town’s turn to be first. LG worked like crazy over the weekend and got the bulk of it done but theres some little stuff I can get out there and do so he can rest a bit. Sucks to be old, y’all. Just sayin’.

On that note, I need to get back to the book. I can maybe get another chapter or two done before we head out for doctor time. I am so ready to get this puppy finished and released out into the wild. I do have to tell a funny on myself. I work in Scrivener, which is a writer’s program, for the first and “final” drafts. As I edit that last pass-thru, I copy and paste each finished chapter into a Word document. This makes for easier sharing with beta and proofreaders. That part isn’t funny. This is: It’d been so long since I had Word open and it had updated a couple of times, I had to relearn Word. That took me a day+. 🙄 Hey, I’m old and set in my ways. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. New-fangled ain’t always betters. Just sayin’… Anyway, I did laugh at myself because I was like ready for wine by the time I got it all figured out.

Have a great week. Anybody do anything cool over the weekend? Got cool stuff going on this week? Procrastinating minds want to know!

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Friday Sinema: Who Let the Dogs Out

Posted on September 27, 2024 by Silver James

It’s Friday. Yay. I’m deep in reread/edit/fix-on-the-fly mode. I’m thinking I’mma just gonna leave the title as Moonstruck Mafia: Boston. I have the cover picked out. It needs lettering and hopefully, that’ll get done soon. I have some quotes for marketing but will need pictures. For now, though, I just wanted a laugh and this guy always makes me. Laugh. He certainly knows his breeds! What’s makingy you laugh today?

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