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

Posted in Books, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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

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

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

Thursday Thoughts: Let Freedom Ring!

Posted on July 4, 2024 by Silver James

Despite the division, I still have to believe that I am blessed to live in the most amazing country in the world. We have the freedom to disagree, to speak our truths, to worship, to work, and to pursure our happiness. I believe in the USA and what she stands for. And I guarantee that I will fight to see that she’s around for my grandchild and great grandchild and all who are to come. And that, my friends, is as political as I get. Happy Birthday, America! May the Red, White, and Blue continue to wave!!!

*Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo July 3 statistics:
Starting word count: 103,048
Ending word count: 103,181
Chapter(s)/words edited:  2/4870
Net word count change: +53/+80

 

 
 
Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Wednesday Words: Why?

Posted on July 3, 2024 by Silver James

Another Wednesday rolling around and that means time for a snippet. Last week’s prompt got me an easy 250 words–and another Thursday Threads honorable mention for the week. And it also go me more words as I expanded the scene later. I liked the prompt and I highly recommend it for inspiration this week. “And what is this wonderful prompt?” you ask. It’s “Why are you here?” Don’t you love answering a question with a question? Yeah, me too. Anyway, to sort of fill in the blanks, this partial scene follows last week’s snippet. This also happens fairly early in the book (and will be added in at the appropriate spot when I get to it in my editing).

**** Maura skipped down the steps of the swanky Beacon Hill townhouse but pulled up short when she recognized the hulking shadow that stepped out in front of her. Surprised, she spoke without thinking. “Why are you here?”

“I might be askin’ ya the same t’ing.”

She studied the man, tilting her head side to side, both bemused and amused. “I’m doing my job. What are you doing? Stalking me?”

Ronan glowered, his gaze pinning her like a bug to a piece of Styrofoam. She didn’t back down, despite her instincts. She knew him well enough now to understand what it meant when the Irish thickened in his voice.

“Yer job? An’ what business would ya be havin’ with the likes of Danny Boy?”

She almost smiled. “Hrm. Let me think. Danny Boy is a scumbag criminal mastermind. I’m an assistant district attorney. Perhaps I was questioning him about a case.” She widened her eyes and batted her lashes. “Ooh, or maybe we were having a clandestine—”

He grabbed her and gave her a little shake, effectively cutting off her words. “Don’t be goin’ there, cailín.”

She jerked away and fisted her hands on her hips. “Is that a threat?”

“I don’t make threats.”

“An ultimatum then.” At his puzzled expression, she patted his cheek, ignoring the way his lips curled into a silent snarl. “I do what I please. Learn that lesson quick.”

“If he ever lays a hand on ya, I’ll kill ’im.”

And then he was gone.
****

And do y’all remember last Friday’s “sinema?” The whole “I’m fine” thing? Yeah, that’s where Ronan is headed before all is said and done, only he’s the one whose “fine.” LOLOL So there it is. Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo continues with yesterday’s stats below. Authors, feel free to jump on the prompt. Readers, “why are you here?” 😉

*Ju-Lo-Wri-Mo July 2 statistics:
Starting word count: 103,001
Ending word count: 103,048
Chapter(s)/words edited:  2/5287
Net word count change: +19/+28 = 47

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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

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

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?

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

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!

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

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?

Posted in Craft, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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?

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments