Thursday Thoughts: Universal Old Souls…and Writers

Posted on July 18, 2024 by Silver James

This popped into my inbox this week. I glanced at it and thought, “Hrm.” I didn’t delete it as I do sometimes, nor did I immediately cut and paste it into a draft for this blog. It stayed in my inbox and I’ve opened it a couple of times and reread it. At first, I chuckled. I mean, invisible friends? I’m a writer and, like old souls, we enjoy spending time alone doing our work, ie. writing stories. My *best* friends are invisible. The people I interact with on a daily basis are invisible. They all live in my head. Well, not really because I have a small brain and it would be awfully crowded in there.

As a kid, I had a special invisible friend. His name was Loyal (procounced Loy-al, like Roy Al but with an L). He was fae. Like Tolkien’s fae. Except his hair wasn’t as long. He hung out with me in my bedroom, at the libarary, walking to and from school, and out in the yard when I had no one else to play with. He was a cool dude and yeah, he probably was the mental model for Ariel of Penumbra Papers fame. Here’s what the Universe had to say:

The reason old souls enjoy spending time alone, Silver, is because they never really are.

Much love from your invisible friends,
The Universe
©www.tut.com 

P.S. I see you, Silver.

My dad always told me I was an old soul. I guess maybe I was because I was a weird kid. I loved to read books. I pretended to be a horse. I threw a tantrum when my brother tried to mow down the mushrooms in a fairy ring in the backyard. (My dad told my brother to mow around it, FTW!)

As a writer, I’m thankful for my invisible friends. Yes, they are very real to me. I’ve been known to sit at my desk and carry on conversations with them. Sometimes, those discussions end up in their book(s). Sometimes, it just gives me more insight into their characters–what makes them tick; what makes them happy, sad or mad; what’s in their backstory; and how they want their story told. I suspect that most fiction writers have some sort of invisible friend. And I bet non-writers might have tthem too. There’s a sense of calm and peace there, when I’m alone (except maybe for Jake, Pete and occasionally Loki) in my office staring out the window when I take a break from staring at the computer monitor. And I’m thankful for them.

So that’s my meandering thoughts this morning as I preparte for another day of catching up with the story and edits along the way. Ronan just brought me a cup of coffee (bless his invisible heart) and has informed me that, “We need t’talk.” Oh boy. It’s going to be an interesting conversation. What are you talking about today?

Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo July 16
Starting word count: 107,476
Ending word count: 107,634
Chapter(s)/total words edited:  2/4,976
Net word count change: +102/+56

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Wednesday Words: The Eyes Have It

Posted on July 17, 2024 by Silver James

Where have the days gone?!?! It can’t be Wednesday again!!! *muppet flail* Sadly, it is. I double checked the calendar. So.Wednesday means words and I do have new words from last week’s ThursdayThreads flash fiction challenge. I did not win anything but I still like my snippet and I know where it slots in to the story! Yayayayay! *Kermit happy dance* Our prompt is: **I can see it in your eyes.** As this was a line from my snippet that won, I had the choice of adding to that snippet or moving on to other characters. That’s what I did. I moved on. The original end of this one is a bit of a spoiler, but isn’t because what is revealed in this snippet actually happens on page earlier in the book and is discussed. A lot. But I deleted the big “reveal,” which was only a few words but they were BIG words. 😉 Anyway, this is another brief peek at one of my favorite couples–Devlin and Kathleen.

****
Devlin rubbed the spot over his heart. He had to get this out, had to tell her before this went any further. He was fully prepared to leave her if she sent him away, though he’d never leave her. He would always be nearby on the off-side chance she might need him.

“What’s wrong?” Kathleen urged.

He didn’t say anything.

“I can see it in your eyes, Dev. You’re hurting. Please talk to me.”

Cupping her cheek in his calloused hand, his breath hitched at the sensation of her silking skin. “I’m a bad man, Kathleen. You need to know how bad.”

She placed her hand over his. “No, Devlin O’Reilly. You are a good man who’s done some bad things. That’s all.”

He stared at her. It wasn’t possible that she knew already. Was it? The name he needed to spit out choked him and he couldn’t speak. He needed to get up, to pace. No, he needed to walk away. He shouldn’t condemn this beautiful women to his sins.

As if she read his mind, Kathleen dropped her hand and leaned away. “What’s got so you tied up in knots?”

Dev shoved to his feet and strode away but he didn’t get far. The tie that bound them together kept him on a short leash. His inner wolf whined softly.

“You deserved better, Kathleen. Far better than me.”

She disagreed, hoarding her regrets as if they were a dragon’s treasure. “You’re the one, then?”

“Aye.”
****   

And there you have it. Should I admit that I’m really liking this book? From the characters to the overall plot to the myriad threads woven through it. I think I’ve already gone through the “This is junk” phase. At least I hope so. See, that happens to writers. You start out all in love with the characters and story and then you look at it, read it, and think “This is crappola!” That’s the point where many quit and start something new. Others go back and start over, looking for what made the story crappola. And if the writer is really lucky, they just push on through and come to the realization that “Hey! This isn’t half bad.” And then, in the end, the writer finds peace and come to the conclusion that “yeah, this is pretty good.” Yeah, this one is pretty good. What’s good in your life?

Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo July 15
Starting word count: 107,380
Ending word count: 107,476
Chapter(s)/total words edited:  1/2,304
Net word count change: +96

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Reuben’s Secret

Posted on July 16, 2024 by Silver James

Today’s post is not really about corned beef. Oh, there will be corned beef, but I’m actually here to talk about sauerkraut. Why? Because I had a beef brat lazing on a toasted bun, smothered in sauerkraut and smeared with mustard. I will be the first to admit that sauerkraut is an acquired taste. And I was in my 30s before I acquired that taste.

True story. LG was on active duty in Kentucky and we shared a duplex with a Marine Captain, his wife and their two young daughters. We spent many an evening sitting on their front stoop, drinking beer and watching our dogs (Kaiser our Newfoundland and Micco our Siberian Husky) herd their two girls. One day, Patti wanted to get out of town. The kids were at a day camp so she and I took off to a little town on the other side of the river. She knew of a great little hole-in-the-wall place to eat. At the time, I would not eat corned beef, sauerkraut, or Thousand Island dressing. Let’s not even consider rye bread! Swiss cheese was okay but… 🙄

I should pause here and mention that my dad was basically a cordon bleu chef. He LOVED cooking and had a wealth of cooking classes under his belt. Sadly, he was stuck with a daughter who was a picky eater and had food allergies. If it was meat, potatoes, and salad, I was all over it. Dad also ate pickled pigs feet, brains and eggs, and tongue and avacado sandwiches. That’s all a hard no! I did, however, really like fried liver and onions served with mashed potatoes and gravy. Don’t judge.

Back to the story. We were seated in a booth, ice tea was served and Patti insisted that I needed to order and eat the Reuban sandwich and fries. I looked around and like everyone in the place had Reubans on their plates. I cratered to her demands, ordered it, and after a very hesitant “no thank you” bite, I devoured the whole thing. OMG! SOOOO YUMMY!!!! And then I discovered bratwurst and sauerkraut at a baseball game. And mustard! I was a maynaise girl up until then. Real Mayo, not that weird Miracle Whip stuff that my husband insisted on eating. That lasted until another neighbor taught me to mix mustard and Miracle Whip together as a spread on a turkey sandwhich. We saved a bunch of money when I switched over the MW. LOL

Why am I talking about this? Well, I needed a topic for today’s blog and, as mention, I had a brat for lunch yesterday. And then it occurred to me that if I were to add anything to the story of Hannah’s pregnancy, as found in MOONSTRUCK: SECRETS. (FYI you can grab it for 50% off at Smashwords, along with all my self-pubbed titles!) she would hate Reubans until she got pregnant with Liam. And then that would be her craving. Poor Mac. Thank goodness Arby’s stays open late, right? 😉

Anyway, that’s my spiel for today. Go grab a copy of SECRETS (just click on the title or the cover pic to head over to Books2Read to find the on-line bookstore of your choice) and read it then let me know if you agree with me about Hannah. And as for our question of the day, how do you feel about sauerkraut? Is that a nay or a yay?

Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo July 12, 13, 14
Starting word count: 107,177
Ending word count: 107,380
Chapter(s)/total words edited:  2/3,421
Net word count change: +125/+78

 
 
 
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Monday Madness

Posted on July 15, 2024 by Silver James

It’s Monday. We’re halfway through July. The days re getting shorter but you can’t prove it by the heat. Still…summer. It’s supposed to be hot. And being older than dirt, I remember life BAC. (Before Air Conditioning.) We managed to survive. Now? Nope. I depend on my AC because one, older than dirt and two, I’m no longer acclimated. Heck, I used to work cattle in extreme heat and once, even in a blizzard. I’ve “hauled” hay in August. I played sports and heck, just simply played. But now? Yeah, totally a weather wuss.

Cheese balls and Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups. Need I say more?

My Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo stats are all borked. I mentioned last week that I hit a snag in the timeline. It was a case of “This has to happen before that happens but that is happening first so I gotta fix that.: It took me four days of rearranging chapters (thank goodness for Scrivener because I just had to go to the bulletin board and simply move the chapters–based on their summaries–around to get close to the right order) and then some major cutting and pasting of individual scenes to create new chapters and then writing news scenes. Yes, there was copious amunts of coffee ingested along with much gnashing of teeth. Some of those chapters had previously been edied and included in the count, some came from later, unread chapters, and then additional words. As a result, I’m soooo confused. So, I’m basically starting over with a new “starting” word count. Ah, the joys of editing and revisions. The whole point of taking this month is to get back into the writing groove and so far, I’ve accomplished that. There was only one day that I didn’t write and there were reasons–like it was a Saturday and there was soccer and siren test. Plus a nap because…siren test and soccer! 😄

This past weekend, I only have the timeline SNAFU as an excuse though I did write a scene that was 624 words and then some additions to follow-on scenes to end up with a 3100+ word chapter. See? Progress! And now, that one chapter is all about that particular couple so it’s like a little short shory in the middle of the book. Yesterday, I did minor edits because I’m back to mostly reading chapters that haven’t been read in awhile. I’m also about to get into “new” territory with chapters that I haven’t fit into the timeline–other than they happen later in the book–and I think I have them pretty close to the plot line/timeline.

In listening news, I’m still plowing through Larissa Ione’s Demonica/Four Horsemen series. I’m on book 4. I’m not sure how much further I’ll go with it at the moment. She’s coming out with a sequel series that is basically the next generation and I’ll need to get through the majority of previous books before I get into the new books. In the meantime, I tumbled across another book/series that looks interesting–sort of a cozy English magical realismWITCHES OF LYTCHFORD by Paul Cornell, which is also the title of the first book. It might be a good change of pace and yes, I can get it through my library. Since I’ll be paying off medical bills for at least the next year, the budget for books leans heavily toward library check-outs.

And that’s about it for me on this Monday morning. Warning: Mini snarl below. Feel free to stop reading here.

Wow. I can’t imagine hating someone whom one has never met and who has never done anythng to that individual personally that some people are actually regretting the fact the shooter missed. And they call the other side evil? Really? Look in the mirror this morning and take a good, hard look at what evil really is… Just sayin’. And yes, I wanted to use *you* instead of *one* but I didn’t want anyone to think I was targeting them specifically. I’m not. That would have been the whole generic *you*. That said, If *you* hate that much and that easily, then why are you hanging around a blog/website dedicated to romance and happy ever afters? Asking for a friend… (And yes, today’s lol meme is dedicated to “those people.”)

Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo July 12, 13, 14
Starting word count: 105,911
Ending word count: 107,177
Chapter(s)/total words edited:  ?? (A bunch of rearranging! LOL)
Net word count change: +1266

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Friday Sinema: Still Feelin’ It

Posted on July 12, 2024 by Silver James

Okay. I almost did a double post last Friday (the day after Independence Day–and how many watched that movie last week? LOLOL). Anyway, earworms. So I went hunting hoping to get rid of the earworm and instead, I find this and I kept having to swipe at my eyes so I could see the monitor to write. I think this is my new favorite version of a favorite song. Have a great weekend! I’ll see y’all come Monday.

*Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo July 11 statistics:
Starting word count: 104,708
Ending word count: 105,911
Chapter(s)/total words edited:  2/2814
Net word count change: +149/+1054

Posted in Writing Life | 4 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: Universal Message

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Silver James

Time keeps going by in a blink. I have good days and bad days. I have momentss of clarity and moments with a foggy brain. I have times when I’m impatient as hell and times when I know I have to just keep plodding along. And yes. I’m talking both about life and this damn book. Pardon the cursing. Normally, I save those words for my characters–not that I don’t say them IRL. I do try to keep my posts on the cleaner side. Today is not that day. I hit a snag in the WIP yesterday. There’s a glitch in the timeline and I have yet to discover a solution. As a result, I only managed one chapter of edits. I’m hoping for one of those inspirational clarity days today.

Needless to say, I woke up grumpy. Cat scritching, dog petting, and copious amounts of coffee haven’t helped. But then this popped back up in my inbox as I was clearing it out prior to facing my frustrations. And it hit me. Hard. This is a message we ALL need. Today. Tomorrow. Every day from here until there.

Think that it’s fun, Silver. That you’re guided. And that all is well.

That there’s time, that life is easy, and that the best is yet to come.

Think that the reasons that now elude you will one day catch up.

That the lessons now before you will one day bring joy.

And that the sorrows that have crippled you will soon give you wings.

Think that you’re important, that you cannot fail, and that happiness always returns.

And think that you’re beautiful, Silver.

I do,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. You can also think that you’re mine, forever, Silver, if you don’t mind the age difference.

And yes, if my brain was focused on this post, I’d be analysing how this all relates to writing romance because yeah, it does. That thought is there in the back of my mind. But for now, it’s enough to just go with the meaning to normal people (writers are NOT normal! Trust me!!) and their lives. So wherever your thoughts are today, remember this: You’re important, happy will be there, and you are beautiful.

*Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo July 10 statistics:
Starting word count: 104,710
Ending word count: 104,708
Chapter(s)/total words edited:  1/2814
Net word count change: -2

 
 
 
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Wednesday Words: You Can Stay

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Silver James

Guess what!?! I won the flash fiction challenge last week. Woo to the hoo! I’ll admit, it was another good Thursday Threads prompt: **“Then you can stay.”**

I’ll admit, it took me a bit to figure out a scenario and which characters would fit. I’m about half-way through my reread of the Boston Wolves (working title is MOONSTRUCK MAFIA: BOSTON but I’m open to suggestions–LOL) and still in already structured chapters. It’s those unfinished snippets hanging out there as unconnected puzzle pieces that I need to fit new words into. And then it hit me. Maggie and Declan are the least “filled out” of those who find their mates in this book. So that’s where I went. It’s a short snippet and I’m not sure where exactly it will fit but it seems to tell a bit of a story. I hope you enjoy.

****
Maggie glanced at her watch feeling rumpled and out of sorts. Declan sat across the room in his tailored slacks and starched shirt looking like he’d stepped out of a magazine. Her purple scrubs held a stains that could be any number of body fluids. She’d dealt with them all during her shift. Why had she knocked on his door instead of her own place next door?

“Why are you here, Maggie?”

His voice was warm and soft like a caress. She knew the answer but couldn’t bring herself to admit it. “Because I didn’t want to be alone.” The words were out and she couldn’t call them back. So okay, maybe she could admit to her loneliness—which hadn’t been a problem until she met this enigmatic man.

“Then you can stay.” A wicked gleam lit his eyes.

“I wouldn’t want to intrude on your hospitality.”

Declan burst out laughing. “If this is a hint of your bedside manner, remind me to stay out of your hospital.”

“Fine. You don’t want my company—” She marched toward the front hallway but he snagged her arm before she got even halfway across the room.

“Ease down, Maggie. You’ve had a hard day. I can see it in your eyes. Still, it’s good to know your temper lurks there under the sadness. Come. Sit down. I’ll get you some wine and you can tell me about your day.”

“I’d rather have a beer.”

“A girl after m’own heart then. Good to know.”
****

I have to admit, I rather like Deck and Mags. 😉 So there you have. I’m still on track for a sometime-in-August release. Writers, feel free to grab the prompt and run. Readers, where to you like to stay when you’re reading?

*Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo July 9 statistics:
Starting word count: 104,652
Ending word count: 104,710
Chapter(s)/total words edited:  3/7778
Net word count change: +4/+10/+44

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Summer Edition

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Silver James

I thought I’d do something a little different for today’s Treats and Titles. Yes, I have books to hawk. In fact, ALL of them (but more my Harlequin or Wild Rose books) so I should probably amend that to all of my self-pubbed books. They’re on sale for half price all this month over on SMASHWORDS. You can click and go check my books and lots of others out. There are sale books and free books. That’s the commercial. Now to our unregularly scheduled program…

It’s summer. Summer means, to a lot of us, BEACH READS! What is a beach read? It’s the book you take on vacation to the beach. Or the mountains. The lake. Wherever you go to relax. That also includes the counch under the AC. The point is that we’re supposed to read and relax when we’re on vacay. Of course, if you’re a writer, there’s no such thing. We’re constantly working even if we aren’t sitting at our computer. We never know when inspiration with strike.

So readers, y’all are gonna chip in to help create today’s post. What book did/will you take on vacation? Or to the couch. Whatever. What’s the book that you’ve been anticipating the release of and it’ll be a vacation to just hide away and read? I’m always looking for recommendations for new books. I tend to reread favorit books and series, especially if they are on-going. Occasionally, a standalone would probably be a good thing. LOL

So, my beach reads this summer: RANDOM IN DEATH by JD Robb and ARCHANGEL’S LINEAGE by Nalini Singh (already read/listened to) and looking forward to PRIMAL MIRROR by Nalini Singh and Sanctuary by Ilona Andrews. Yes, they are all either futuristic/alternate hitory or urban fantasy/paranormal romance because that’s my comfort zone. That said, I also read mysteries and thrillers, westerns, and ocasionally, something actually literary. So pony up! What are your recommendations?

Now to the yummy part. We all like to snack while reading, right? And drink, yeah? The joy of audio books is I can eat and drink without fear of staining pages or screems or spilling liquids on books or electronic devices. So, my current go-to snack is cheese balls. Also blueberry muffins. Drink is coffee, unless I want something cold and then I’ll whip up a chocolate soda. You know, the old-fashioned kind like we used to get at the soda fountain downtown. The two I grew up with were both in drug stores–one downtown the other in one of the first shopping centers, which was acessible from home by bicycle. Unfamiliar? It’s a little milk, a lot of chocolate syrup, vanilla ice cream, and soda water (aka carbinated water) that came out of “gun” at the fountain. Club soda is a more than acceptable substitution. You can also top with whipped cream. Again, it’s your turn. Snack and drink of choice! I’m off to edits so I can read/listen later. Ta!

*Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo July 8 statistics:
Starting word count: 104,551
Ending word count: 104,652
Chapter(s)/total words edited:  2/5624
Net word count change: +21/+80

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Monday Morsels

Posted on July 8, 2024 by Silver James

And no, it’s not abouyt food today. “Morsels” refers to small tidbits of news from the weekend. There was a weekend and stuff happened. For a change. 🤣

Last week was a decent writing/editing week. Check the bottom for the stats. There were new words but they won’t show up until I integrate the snippet into the correct spot in the manuscript. The snippet came courtesy of last week’s Thursday Threads #flashfiction challenge. (Pssst. I won!) Yes, the snippet will appear here on Wednesday. Probaby with a few extra words.

Saturday was 1st Saturday. That would normally mean siren test and lunch with the Kids. LG and I made the siren test in between soccer matches. Stormy’s new team was playing in a 3-on-3 friendly tournament. The team was split into two squads with five players each. Smaller fields (pitches? Whatever the heck it’s called in soccer) and only three players per team on the field. No goaltending. In fact, I think part of the rules said no one from either team could touch the ball inside the marked area in front of the goal unless there was a scrum. And yes, screm is a rugby term. I have no clue what the term is for two or more soccer players bunched up kicking the heck out of each other to free up the ball is called. Anyway, the boys played four games. We had to leave before the start of the second game to make it for the siren test. We went from a far western suburb to a far northern suburb and then back again for the two afternoon games. All in all, Stormy played well and scored two goals! Yay! Jake also got to go even though it was warm. There was shade in the teams’ “base camp” (where people set up their canopies and lawn chairs with coolers) between games. I managed the walking fairly well so another yay and another cobblestone in my bumpy road to recovery.

Sunday, which was yesterday, we had rain. It was nice to drink coffee, watch the rain outside the window and listen to the storm dragons grumble. As I didn’t get any editing done on Saturday, I had to make up for it yesterday. The deeper I get into the edits, I keep surprising myself because–though it’s probably just me–this book is better than I remember. 🤞🏼

In reading/listening news, I’ve about caught up with being on track with my reading challenge. I’m like two books down now. As of typing this, I’ve started book 3 in Larissa Ione’s Demonica/Four Hoursemen series. Been six or seven years since I last inhaled this series. So far, so good.

Speaking of books, if you like medical thrillers with a touch of government conspiracy and SyFy, go to Amason and grab my friend B.E. Sanderson’s book, PROJECT HERMES. It’s free today, and maybe tomorrow? Anyway, click on the title and go grab it now. It’s well worth paying full price for so why not give it a free ride? 😉

And that, my friends, pretty much sums up my current state of affairs. This week’s agenda includes more editing, maybe a grocery run, laundry, and hopefully some new words come Thursday. And since it’s Monday, I need to refill my coffee mug and get on with it. What are you getting on with today?

*Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo July 5, 6, 7 statistics:
Starting word count: 103,406
Ending word count: 104,551
Chapter(s)/total words edited:  6/14,909
Net word count change: +36/+81/+3/+61/+913/+51

 
 
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Friday Sinema: Courtesy of Toby

Posted on July 5, 2024 by Silver James

When I think of soundtracks for the 4th, there are two at the top of my list: Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to Be an American” and Toby Keith’s”Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue. I’m a big Toby fan and I still get a little teary-eyed when I think about losing him this year. His hometown “choreographed” their 4th of July fireworks show to his music. We didn’t go so I don’t know this for sure but I’d be surprised if this song wasn’t their finale. There were a few things Toby considered important–his family, OU athletics (ALL the sports), kids with cancer, and the USA. I flipped a coin. Toby won.

*Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo July 4 statistics:
Starting word count: 103,181
Ending word count: 103,406
Chapter(s)/total words edited:  3/8331
Net word count change: +13/+37/+175

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments