Tuesday Treats & Titles: Let’s Get Patriotic

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Silver James

The patriotic part of this is for the USA but the sale part is for everyone! That said, here we go, knocking out a bunch of stuff with three birds. Yes, that’s a paraphrase because using the original “old saying” might trigger some orinthologist somewhere. Am I the only one who has notice folks on various social media platforms doing weird alternate spellings and capitalizing random letters? I’m guessing it’s to avoid the censor bots or something. Anyway, that’s not why I’m here today. Are those birds too stinkin’ cure or what? I came across this recipe and at first glance, I decided it had to be way above my pay grade because a decorator of cakes and cupcakes I am soooo not! Then I actually opened the recipe. A bit time-consuming but hey, pretty easy, says the untalented decorated. Anyway, these cupcakes are sure to be a hit at any 4th of July cookout. And since ALL my self-pubbed titles are currently 50% off on Smashwords for the whole month of July, I figured, two birds, one…post. This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is shifty-eyes-ani2faster.gif

Yield: 16 bald eagle cupcakes (but instructions call for 20 of stuff so ???)
Prep time: 15 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 35 min (+time to assemble the decorations and that isn’t mentioned and I can say because I haven’t made these…)

Ingredients
One box Devil’s Food cake mix
20 giant roaster marshmallows
One can each of chocolate frosting and white (vanilla) frosting
One cup shredded coconut
20 to 24 whole cashews
32 to 38 Candy eye decorations
20 solid brown baking cups
20 toothpicks

Instructions
1. Begin by baking a batch of cupcakes according to the package’s directions. Use solid brown baking cups to line the cupcake tins. They allow cupcakes to look more like eagles when finished.

2. After the cupcakes have cooled, frost the cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Be generous with the frosting (That’ll probably garner no complaints—LOL)

ASSEMBLE THE BALD EAGLE CUPCAKES
1. Make the eagle’s head. Trim about ¼ inch off the top of the giant roaster marshmallow. Turn it so the remaining flat portion and the cut portion are on the sides and stick a toothpick at the bottom. The toothpick allows you to hold the marshmallow while frosting it.

2. Evenly spread white frosting on the entire surface of the marshmallow. Roll the frosted marshmallow in the shredded coconut.

3. Place the coconut head on top of the cupcake. The toothpick makes it easy to secure the eagle’s head to the body. You may need to remove a few of the coconut flakes from the chocolate icing. The sharp tip of a clean knife makes this easier.

4. To finish, place two candy eye decorations firmly into the coconut head. In between the eyes, firmly place a single whole cashew (wide portion down) between the eyes to create the beak.

5. Repeat the process for as many cupcakes as you’re making.

If you want to grab my books on sale, here’s the link for SMASHWORDS, or you can just click on the pic. If you’d like more info on the recipe, you can CLICK HERE. What could be better on the 4th than munching on cute, chocolatey cupcakes with a cold drink and a good book? Sounds like a great way to spend the day to me! What about y’all? Any plans for the 4th?

*Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo July 1 statistics:
Starting word count: 102,966
Ending word count: 103,001
Net word count change: 41
Chapters/words edited: 1/3454

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Monday Mop-Up

Posted on July 1, 2024 by Silver James

When I sat down to type this for today, I was thinking, “Huh. Last day of the month. Time to mop up things.” Except, it’s not. The last day of the month. It’s the first day. Of July! How did that happen?!? *muppet flail*

As it is July 1st, that means that the beginning of Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo is today. The whole writing thing won’t morph into lots of new words but I’m hopeful that there will be a new book to read in August, which means some new words and writing to the climax and the end but mostly editing. Which I started by rereading the whole thing from the start and I’ve been doing some light edits–of the proofreading kind–and I’ll do more but there will be updates here to keep me “honest.” LOL

Okay, last week and the weekend recap. … … …

Well, there was a week. LOL We had some weather that resulted in the Kids losing power for almost 48 hours during a heat alert. They stuck it out the first day but gave up around dinner time and came down here to eat pizza and cool off. A colleague of Baseball Boy had travel miles that he offered them for a free hotel room. They brought Dozer, the granddog down here and he and Jake had a sleepover. It was…interesting. 🙄 The following morning, Only and Stormy came here while BB headed off to teach his summer school class. They got to go home around noon.

In “reading” news (in air quotes because they’re audible books 😉 ) I’m about to start the last of my new books that arrived in my Audible app and stacked up when I wasn’t reading. I did a relisten to 2-3 books at the end of each series to get me back on track. Series include Jayne Castle’s Ghost Hunter/Harmony (PEOPLE IN GLASS HOUSES), Dannika Dark’s Black Arrowhead (THE THIEF), Nalini Singh’s Guildhunter/Archangel (ARCHANGEL’S LINEAGE), and JD Robb’s Eve Dallas/In Death (RANDOM IN DEATH.) All are auto-buy series and reads and I enjoyed them. I’ll be starting RANDOM today. 🙂

As for the weekend, it was hot. I went outside to refill the birdbath and hose down the outside AC unit. Between dust and pollen the condenser coils (all those squiggly metal screeny-type things that cover the outside of the unit) collect stuff. I hose them off at least once a week because…it’s windy here and there’s always stuff in the air. And other than reading a couple of chapters on the WIP, that’s about the sum total of my activities. Why yes, I am a lazy slug, why do you ask? 😁

What about y’all? Anything exciting in your life this weekend or did you stay low-key like me?

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Friday Sinema: Don’t Get Mad…

Posted on June 28, 2024 by Silver James

So. Yesterday was a bit of a writing day because…Thursday Threads flash fiction challenge. Then I realized that today is Friday and needed a post. “Ah ha,” says I to me and myself. “Find a music video for inspiration. It’ll be fun,” I said. So I went to YouTube…and…well…I found this instead and it’s so perfect for the scene I finished. Guys, beware. Girls, you get it… Have a great weekend!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Puzzle

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Silver James

So…yesterday happened. And then I couldn’t get inspired. I have lots of notes of the Universe in my files but nothing jumped out at me this morning. And yes, I normally set up the day before so the post goes live at 6 a.m. my time. When thee was nothing I wanted to muse over, I decided I just wouldn’t post today. Then, because yesterday happened, I didn’t get around to my inbox until a few minutes ago. And lo and behold, I discovered this little gem hiding there between a FB notice and a newsletter from an author. The light bulb went on and I realized this is a pretty darn good explanation of the differences between a Plotter and a Pantser. For non-writers, those are terms applied to a writer’s process. Plotters do just that–they plot out their entire story using whatever method, be it outlines, storyboard, etc. Pantser write by the seat of their pants. They just start writing and see where the story takes them.

Picture if you will, Silver, the disciplinarian who micromanages every step in their careful dance with life. And then picture the hooligan whose only disciplines are daydreaming and showing up.

Who do you think is most likely to be heard whoo-hooing from the top of their lungs as they cruise along on some winding mountain road, top down, shades up, singing “I Did It My Way?”

Whoo-hoo!

The Universe
©www.tut.com 

P.S. Love your singing voice, Silver… and your legendary rebel yell.

And then there’s me (and a few others) who are doing it 🎵My-iiiii waaaay!🎵 I’m a Puzzler. I frame out the story (putting all the straight-edged pieces together) and then fill in the middle with scenes that may or may not be written in order. I pretty much drive everyone crazy but it works for me. And speaking of, I finally have my computer set up so I can read the WIP easier and I will be ready to start adding new words come July 1st. Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo! Writers, this is a take on Na-No-Wri-Mo (National Novel Writing Month where you attempt to write 50K words during the month of November). BE, my writing sister, and I are both striving to get back into writing mode so we’re dedicating the month July to getting new words. They only goal is to write every day. Feel free to join us. We’ll be holding each other accountable. Writers, the bonus for you is new books sooner than later!

So there ya go. I got inspire after all, managed a blog on craft, and now I just need to pose a question so people drop a comment. 🤔 Hrmmm. What are you doing your way today?

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Wednesday Words: It’s About Time

Posted on June 26, 2024 by Silver James

Here it is Wednesday again. I didn’t post here yesterday because I’m still trying to figure out what to blog about on Tuesdays. Instead, I posted a cat meme on my FB author page, where these posts also end up thanks to some WordPress magic. Anyway, I wrote last week and the words belong to the Boston Wolves WIP so yay! I have something to post today. The #ThursdayThreads prompt was a follow-on from the previous week (which I received an honorable mention on a bit of random words). Rather than riffing on that scene, which woud have made sense, I finally got a whisper from Ronan. Hence, new words that will slot into an already established scene. Yippee! What is the prompt? *The clock was ticking.* I just happy the Wolves are stirring from their hibernation. I don’t think this snippet needs much explanation though I will say, things are not what they seem. *bwahaha*

****
Ronan didn’t look up from the laptop on his desk as his brother walked into his study. “Where is she?”

The question was met with silence.

He leaned back in his chair and studied Mick’s face. Uneasy, he waited.

“We can’t find her, Ronan.” Mick’s words rasped out from a throat filled with tension.

The two men stared at each other, the uncomfortable silence stretching to the point of boiling over.

“Who was on her?”

“Devlin.”

Ronan considered that. Had one of the younger Wolves been assigned to Maura, he might understand how they’d lost her. He’d still be furious but Maura could be devious when it came to ducking her bodyguards.

“Where is he?”

“At home, nursing a giant lump on his head. We found him unconscious.”

“When did Devlin lose her?”

“About five.”

Ronan erupted from his chair, terror clutching his chest, making it hard to breathe. He now understood the sense of unease that had been building all evening. “Where have you looked?”

“The boys are covering everywhere—her condo, the DA’s office.” Mick rubbed the back of his neck. “They’re also checking out Crenshaw’s place.”

Ronan forced his wolf down so he could think. “What about Danny Boy’s?”

Mick’s cell rang. He held up one finger while he answered. He didn’t bother putting it on speaker. Ronan could hear the conversation just fine. “What’ve ya got, Sean?”

“Her scent at Danny Boy’s.”

“I’ll kill the bastard,” Ronan snarled as he headed out. The clock was ticking.
****

Poor Ronan. Maura might just be the death of him yet. 😉 Writers, grab the prompt and go with it if you so desire and are inspired. Readers, I know I keep promising but this thing is a BIG book. I am making progress–slow yes, but moving forward–and I still hope it will go live across most of the sales outlets sometime in August. 🤞🏼 Do you like big books or quick reads?

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Monday Meanderings

Posted on June 24, 2024 by Silver James

I love the expression on this pup’s face. Just sayin’…

Baby, it’s hot out there. You folks east of here have really been sweltering considering what y’all think of as normal. Around here, that’s just July. But yeah, it’s hot here now too. I should be used to it, having grown up here and being old enough to remember the days before central air conditioning. We had swamp coolers (google it) and would hang wet sheets in front of open windows for a makeshift air-cooled system. You can also put ice and water in a bowl in front of a fan. That helps too.

There was a week and a weekend. Some stuff happened. Nothing big or exciting. I did write 250 new words that will fit into the WIP when I get to the right spot. Reading it to refresh my memory is a tedious process–not because I think the book is bad but because I can only read for a limited amount of time before my eyes get watery and I can’t see a thing. This is why I almost exclusively listen to audio books.

Speaking of book listening, I’m slowly creeping up on my Goodreads challenge. I knocked my goal down to 50, considering I did two whole books in the first six months of the year. and I’m still slow on listening. I’m currently doing an abbreviated relisten to Nalini Singh’s Guildhunter series. The latest addition released last week and rather than going back to listen to all 15 previous books, I just dropped back to #14. I finished #15 yesterday and I’ll start on ARCHANGEL’S LINEAGE at some point today.

LG and I were going to make a Wallyworld run yesterday and take Jake. He’s not quite ready to turn me loose on my own in Walmart yet. LG, not Jake. Then stuff happened and then it got too hot and then LG decided he’d make a solo run and just grab the absolute necessities. We’ll make another stab at a duo run at some point this week. Evidently, our store has been completely reset and he doesn’t want me to get lost. 🤣 This time of year I always go early in the morning before the pavement gets hot enough to burn Jake’s paw pads and before there’s a lot of people in the store.

Looking ahead, Stormy has a soccer “tournament” with his new team on July 6th. If it’s not scorching hot, I plan on going. Walking from the truck to the field may take me awhile but I need to get the steps in to further my journel on the road to recovery. Evidently, this is like a 3 on 3 deal. Not sure how that works in soccer but he’s had such a good time at all his soccer camps this summer that I’d love to see him play.

On that note, time for me to meander off and get started on my day. There are words to read, typos to fix–you know, witerly-type stuffs. FYI, I’m not really doing a deep-dive edit. I truly am reading the manuscript to refresh my memory but when a typo pops up, my inner editor refuses to pass by without fixing it. That’s my world at the moment. What’s going on in yours?

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Friday Free-For-All: Oops

Posted on June 21, 2024 by Silver James

Edit: Oops. I had this all ready to go and then forget to check the posting time, which should have been 6:00 am. Uhm…it was 6 pm so a little late but that’s okay because…breaking news!

And the breaking news is that OKC is going to be an Olympic city! In 2028. The main Olympics will be in LA but the softball and “river sports” (kayaking and canoe) will be here in central Oklahoma. As a self-proclaimed softball nerd, I am thrilled!

Okay, to the other things that were floating around in my head, which is a very weird place to be. Trust me on that…

It’s weird trying to gain weight but not in fat (muscles is better) and not too much. My new favorite mid-morning breakfast insert is crunchy peanutbutter and grape jelly toast. I do a 30 gram vanilla protein shake early in the morning. Lunch is food. Mid-afternoon snack may or may not happen, and then there’s dinner which is also…food. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I received a challenge–do 20 push-ups every day for 20 days.* I blocked that person. 🤣

Don’t believe what you see in the cartoons. No matter how hard you throw a toilet plunger, it won’t actually stick to someone’s face. Don’t ask me how I knoow this…

Speaking of gaining weight, I’m doing crunches twice a day now. Captain in the morning, Nestle’s in the afternoon…

I have finally figured out why people call me a grown up…It’s because I groan every time I get up!

And final thought, my favorite childhood memory is having energy.

Have a great weekend all! TGIF!

*I stole that from a post in a different social media app because it made me laugh.

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Thursday Thoughts: Baby Steps

Posted on June 20, 2024 by Silver James

Besides continuing to heal and regain my strength and stamina, I’m working to get back to the one thing that has sustained me since…well, forever. I started reading at a very young age (around 3) and while I loved the stories, I was never quite satisfied. One, I wanted to be in the story and two, the story never went quite the way I wanted it to. Therefore, being the weirdo I was and am, I made up my versions of the stories and then started writing my own. It’s been six months and I miss it.

Where am I going with this you ask? Welpers, since I’m not feeling very creative about trying new bloggy things, I’ll just stick with the tried and true for now. This little gem showed up in my inbox yesterday and what the Universe had to say resonated, given my headspace at the moment.

I still don’t get why people are so surprised that the turtle beat the rabbit over the long run.

Consistent effort, Silver, no matter how small, sparks magic, fills sails, butters bread, turns tides, instills faith, summons friends, improves health, burns calories, creates abundance, yields clarity, builds courage, spins planets, and rewrites destinies.

No matter how small,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. All in favor of rewriting destiny, or buttering bread, Silver, say, “I am.”

“I am.” I’m ready for the consistency to spark some magic, fill my sails to turn the tides while I’m buttering my bread (with peanut butter, of course!) because I’m ready for friends, health, good weight, abudnance, clarity, courage and rewriting the dang book! So there it is. I hope the message resonates with you too. The one question not answered is, crunchy or smooth? Also, happy Midsummer’s Day, which weirds me out because technically, it’s the first day of Summer, ie. the Summer Solstice, which makes this the longes day of the year.

P.S. As mentioned in replies to comments yesterday, I promised to share the scenarios I came up with for yesterday’s snippet: 1) She’s a bomb tech, or 2) She’s getting ready to walk down the aisle to marry a man she’s never met… *cues the dastardly laughter*

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Wednesday Words: Just a Minute

Posted on June 19, 2024 by Silver James

It’s tough to get back into the habit of things. I’m still debating the whole blogging 5-7 days a week thing and if so, what to blog about about, which is why this is a bit late. Back in the ol’ days, I’d write and schedule a blog the day before with a set time to go live. It is especially so when you are rusty when it comes to updating the website/coding stuff and you keep deleting text by mistake and there’s no way to recover it. I’ve about hit my frustration level. This is my last attempt…

Anyway….It’s Wednesday and wrote words last week–249 random words about a random character in a random situation. They were based on the #ThursdayThreads flash fiction prompt of *Only one minute remained.* The prompt rattled around in my brain for most of the day and then late in the day I finally sat down at the desktop and doodled out words. I almost didn’t post them but decided why not. They were words and they sort of told a story. Luckily, last week’s judge agreed and awarded me an honorable mention. I took it thankfully! So here they are, just intime for Wednesday Words. Buckle up, buttercups….

She did not want to be here. In fact, this whole situation was so far above her pay grade that she was within seconds of hyperventilating. To bad that wouldn’t help. Neither would running screaming from the room but it was a thought. A good one, to her mind.

A voice whispered in her ear. “You got this.”

“Nuh uh,” she mumbled. She so did not have this. Too bad, so sad, she was in too deep. A giggle, far too close to hysteria for comfort, bubbled up in her throat. Using a great deal of self-control, she choked it back. This was not the time nor the place to lose it.

“What were you thinking?…Oh, wait, you weren’t.” Had she said those words out loud. She glanced around from beneath lowered lashes that felt heavy and cumbersome. She rolled her head on her neck and then rolled her shoulders to ease the tension that had built up. Off in the distance, the strains of a familiar instrumental echoed. The scene from the Wizard of Oz where the witch’s guards marched and chanted shot into in her mind and almost unleashed that hysterical giggle again. She flashed on the close-up of the Cowardly Lion swatting at his tail as it twitched out from under the long uniform coat.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, she gulped. Only one minute remained.

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. This would all be over in… She counted down in her head. Five. Four. Three. Two….

****

I have my suspicions of that this scene is about–like one of two things–but I’m curious about your thoughts. What do you think is going on? And, asl always, writers, feel free to take the prompt and run with it. All, PLEASE share your thoughts with me–about the character, what’s happening around her, anything that comes to mind. Happy Hump Day.

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Monday Reset

Posted on June 17, 2024 by Silver James

Are you ever tempted to just hit the factory reset button so you can erase everything and start over? Yeah, me too. Working on my optimism, I’m hoping this will be a tuna day. It’s starting off with a visit to my PC doc. I suspect she will fuss at me for not following up with a colonescopy and mammogram but trust me, I have my reasons! This appointment will also give me an opportunity to follow up about my shortness of breath, especially when bending over, and whether or not I can start donating blood again. During and after the surgeries, my blood chemistry was so messed up and my veins had been pricked to the point a bunch of them had collapsed. Still, people need blood and I was a dutiful donor every 8 weeks. Besides, I’m so skinny now I need some smaller sized free donor shirts to add to my tiny wardrobe of clothes that fit. 😉

In other news, had I previous mentioned that my driver’s license expired? I can remember going to get it renewed that last time and it seems like it was only a year ago, but evidently, it was way longer than that because I think that license was a four year. Luckily, I’ve only driven twice between it expiring and LG discovering it had expired. (He needed my DL number for a form and he noticed. 🤦🏼‍♀️) I decided to get a Real ID, not that I’m planning on flying anywhere (and regular ID is good until like October) but better to be prepared. Around here, you have to make an appointment, so we had to wait like two weeks. Anyway, I went last week, and now I’m waiting for the new one to come in the mail. It was actually a fun outing and the gal who did the paperwork was a hoot. Becaue I’m older than dirt, my license is free so she upgraded me to an eight-year renewal. I need to tattoo that to my forehead or something. 🙄 In the meantime, I have a paper temporary so I can drive legally and I’ll be able to vote tomorrow in our primary. Yay. And yes, I am a strong proponent of having to show a photo ID to prove who I am when voting.

I have a few soapboxes but I try very hard not to stand up on one and rant. My opinions are my own. Half the population will agree with me, the other half will not. C’est la vie.

I’ve finally gotten back into listening to books. I’m still way behind on my Goodreads challenge for the year but I keep inching closer. It helps that there have new releases in some favorite series and I’ve jumped back a few books to refresh my memory. For SciFi/Paranormal fans, Jayne Castle’s Harmony series is fun and if I thought Jake, Loki and Pete would get along with one, I’d love to have a dust bunny. IThe new release is PEOPLE IN GLASS HOUSES. For shifter/fated mates fans, Dannika Dark’s Black Arrowhead Pack series is one I’m enjoying. It’s a spin off from her Seven series and set in her overall Breed world. I have a JD Robb In Death and a Nalini Singh Archangle books on the TBR pile when I finish THE THIEF, which is the latest in Dark’s series and my current listen.

Getting back into “desk shape” has been an adventure. Sitting too long wrecks havoc on my arse, my legs and my back. I have no padding on the first, even with a foam pillow. The other body parts get stiff and achy. I stand up and hobble until things loosen up. I really am trying to get back in shape. My writing sister and I are doing a July challenge to get back to writing shape but the physical shape has got to be there first.

Spearking of writing, I’ve started at the beginning of the Boston Wolves, reading what’s already written. Thankfully, it’s not half bad. I did a flash fiction challege last week–#ThursdayThreads–and managed to score an honorable mention from the judge. Sadly, I have no clue about the character or what actually happened–the scene could be a wedding or a bomb. Yes, I am weird. Why do you ask? 😜

There’s nothing exciting to report in my life. I’ve reclaimed the duty of feeding the cats in the morning so LG can sleep in. I’m awake, thanks to my bladder. I’m slowly retaking the laundry back. We may have a tussle over the grocery store. LOL I used to go once a week. He goes a couple of times a week. I think it gives him an excuse to get out of the house and he’s been know to hit four or five differnt stores looking for stuff where I’d hit one and if what was on the list wasn’t available, I’d grab a substitute or just add it to a future list. He’s very literal with the list and there is nothing wrong with that. Don’t tell him that I get a bit of a giggle from the soft spot he puts in my heart.

I’ll try to be a little more consistent with my blogging. It would help me keep track of the days of the week but life is so…blah at the moment that there’s not much to write about. Add that to a general sense of miasma and lack of creativity…well, I can only whine for so long before y’all get sidk of me. 😁 Nn that note, I leave you with this…

So, dear readers, what kind of day are you having? Is it gonna be tuna or crunchy brown bits?

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