Halloween is next Tuesday. Just in case you have haven’t grabbed your candy yet, here’s an “insiders” peek at what goes on after the trick-r-treating, a la Matt Mitchell of #ItsASouthernThing. Have a great weekend!
Thursday snuck up on me. Actually, I knew it was coming but yesterday afternoon, when I normally think about setting up the next day’s blog post, I was elbow deep in a rabbit hole grabbing for the time line. I think I got it untangled but I’ve made a note to myself to double-check that whole continuity thing when I reread the whole thing in preparation for edits and revisions. And during all that, I did manage some new words, which is the topic of today’s nudge from the Universe.
Your word, Silver, is one of the most powerful forces of nature.
Listen to yours to find out what you really think.
And speak them wisely to pave the path before you in gold.
So be it,
The Universe
©www.tut.comP.S. Remember, Silver, first there was the word, and ever since then… “just” more words.
The message today has two meanings for me. Growing up, my dad impressed on my brother and me that a person’s word is important. Giving your word–like making a promise–is something that shouldn’t be broken. Dad was old school. He did a lot of business on a handshake and very seldom got burned. In the second sense, as a writer, words are important to me. They tell my story (the what) and describe the who, the when, the where, the why, and the how. When I sit down to write a new book, I’m making a promise to my readers (and myself) to write the best book I’m capable of writing. To do that, I have to choose the right story and the right characters. I have to set those things in the right place at the right time. The things that happen and why they happen are just as important. Picking the right words is me keeping my word to all of you. If none of this makes sense, blame it on the time. It’s dark outside. It’s past my bed time and my brain is still circling that rabbit hole like a beagle on a hot scent. While I may never make a best seller list, I hope my words do pave the way to a good story in something that at least resembles gold. After all, we should occasionally follow the yellow brick road, right? Where’s your road leading you today?
It’s still raining. Yay! There’s something about rainy days that make me want to curl up and write a good book. Or listen to one. 😉 Today’s #ThursdayThreads prompt asks a very serious question. **“So what do I do next?”** This time last week, there were several of the ladies who could have–and probably should have asked that question about their relationships. As Mick and Shannon were on my mind, she got the call. And since I featured both of them last Saturday and Sunday on my FB author page, you can see why Mick is a doofus and Shannon is facing a decision. For context, I’m not sure how this crew ended up together for a “girl’s night in” but they did and as we all know, the conversaton turned to men and relationships. LOL
****
Shannon looked up when no one spoke. “So what do I do next?”
Fiona looked at Bridget, who looked at Sophie. In turn, Sophie looked at Maura, who threw up her hands. “Don’t look at me. I’m no expert.” She recognized the incredulity on their faces. “I’m serious. I’ve never had more than a handful of dates with any one guy.”
“But what about Ronan?” The other women all asked the same question simultaneously.
“What about Ronan? We aren’t dating.” She rolled her eyes with an inelegant snort to emphasis her words. “We’re not even friends.” She held up a finger, glaring the four into silence. In her best courtroom summation voice, she launched into the internal debate she’d been having all evening. “Ronan is what a psychologist would call an alpha male. He is also a control freak.” And a criminal mastermind, but she didn’t speak that part aloud. “He appeared in my life, decided I belonged to him, and here I sit. I had no input and he did not ask my opinion or my permission to take over my life.” She focused on Shannon. “From my observations, Mick is Ronan’s mini-me. He also is, for all intents and purposes, an alpha male. If this was a wolf pack, he would be the beta male. As we all know, he is Ronan’s right hand, as well as his brother. He does not appear to be a man who cannot make up his mind.”
That statement got a round of nods and murmuring agreement but Maura did not pick up on the telling glances passed between the other women.
“Look, I don’t want to be brutal here, Shannon, because I know you think you love him, but if it were me? I’d walk away.”
There it was. The stark truth staring Shannon in the eye.
****
What’s a girl to do? I’m not giving any hints away because there are scenes (some of which are not yet written) leading up to this scene that would be spoilers. *bwahaha* For some reason, Mick is the stubborn one in the bunch. All the other guys are quite happy to jump right in and take over their ladies’ lives. As Maura is learning, much to her chagrin. And Shannon is coming from a place of knowledge given hers is a Wolf family. Trust me, there are some awesome scenes with these two–some written, some just scribbled notes on the white board at present. Writers, take the prompt and run if it helps. Readers, what are you doing next? Me? I’m moving on to the next chapter. Happy Hump Day!
It’s still pretty warm around here but the weather gurus are promising rain, cooler temps and the possibility of a blue norther next week. Wouldn’t that be awesome?!?! I’m planning ahead with this recipe because hot and cheesey goodness that’s quick, easy, and filling. And yes, I do like me some hot soup.
Total Time: 1 Hr. (incl. refrigerating to marinate the chicken)
Prep Time: 30 Min.
Cook Time: 30 Min.
Serve up Santa Fe-style taste with this cilantro-spiked chicken fajita soup. Neufchatel and VELVEETA® make Santa Fe Chicken Fajita Soup nice and cheesy.
What You Need
1 pkg. (1.4 oz.) TACO BELL® Fajita Seasoning Mix
1/3 cup water
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
4 large cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 large red onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, cubed
8 oz. 2% Milk VELVEETA, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
Let’s Make It
1 – Combine seasoning mix and water in medium bowl. Add chicken; toss to evenly coat. Refrigerate 30 min.
2 – Cook garlic and cilantro in large nonstick saucepan on medium-high heat 1 min. Stir in chicken mixture, onions and peppers; cook 10 min. or until chicken is done, stirring frequently.
3 – Add Neufchatel, VELVEETA and broth; mix well. Cook on medium heat until Neufchatel and VELVEETA are completely melted and soup is heated through, stirring occasionally.
Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Serving Suggestion: Serve this hearty main-dish soup with a tossed leafy green salad.
Tip 2 – Special Extra: Garnish with additional chopped cilantro just before serving.
My Tip: I tend to buy my chicken and beef broth in giant economy sizes instead of canned so I just use my liquid cup measure to measure out the 14.5 oz. X 2, which is just over 3 1/2 cups.
My Food and Family is one of my go-to website when I’m looking for something diffrent to make. Click over if you want all the details and nutritional info on this soup. I’m not the only one who enjoys a hearty soup. As an ER nurse, Jolie Davis is a big fan of comfort food–especially the kind that can be made, saved, and reheated when she’s in a hurry. Luckily, Cord Barron and their son, CJ, both enjoy it too. Interesteed in this second chance romance? Well, guess what?!? The Kindle version is only $1.99 at Amazon. Grab it now for the cheap. If you already own a copy, why not reread it for old times sake. Click HERE to grab your copy from the ‘Zon. If you want to buy it from somewhere else, click on the pic with the cover or THE COWGIRL’S LITTLE SECRET. Those links take you to its Harlequin page where you can buy it direct or from one of the other retailers.
It’s finally starting to feel like soup weather around here. How about where you live?
Monday keeps messaging me that we’re going to be productive. Yeah. Right. Like I’m gonna believe anything Monday has to say–especially on a Monday. LOL Okay, in all seriousness. Once I’m back from my grocery run, I really need to stop falling down rabbit holes and get some actual work done. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
It was a good weekend for college football. THE OSU Cowboys beat West Virginia in a whale of a gam that went back and forth until the very end. There’s a reason we call them the Cardiac Cowboys. OU also won they’re game. In upset news, Utah beat USC. This makes me very happy. Not because I dislike USC necessarily but because I very firmly dislike their coach. There’s history. In baseball news, we’re enjoying the playoffs. We really don’t care who ends up in the World Serious (sic). We’re rooting for all four who are still in it and I’ve already laid in brats, hot links, and popcorn for the Series. Stormy had a soccer game on Sunday. I really am going to have to start appreciating soccer, I guess.
In reading news, I’m about done with the past and present of the Arcane Society books. I’ve enjoyed this jaunt down memory lane. I haven’t read these books since 2011 and 2012. I’ll start in on the future books later this week. THOSE books I’ve read several times. There’s just something about the Ghost Hunter/Harmony books that are my catnip.
I’ve added a new “feature” to my FB author page. Folks over there already know but many who read me hear aren’t over there. At least I don’t think y’all do. So, on Saturdays, I feature a somewhat “hot” pic of one of my heroes or a potential model for a hero. Since the current WIP has several heroes and therefore several heroines, I went searching for models for all of them just to help me out on descriptions and stuff. It occurred to me that my readers might enjoying seeing the ladies as well as my guys. Lately, I’ve been featuring the hero that appears in the next Wednesday Words snipppet so now, on Sundays, i’m posting pics of the models for the gals. And yes, as I did for the Penumbra Papers, there will be a character page with short bios and pics of the characters. That’s down the road. If you’re interested and are on Facebook, you can like and follow me HERE.
As for writing, last week was only semi-productive. Hoping to do better this week. Monday is making promises and there’s always caffeine, right? That’s also chapter two of my story. You know, the one I’m sticking to. 😉
Who did something exciting this past weekend? Who has their week planned out? Who’se ready for a nap? Or another cup of coffee? 🙋🏼♀️
Okay, today’s LOL moment is sort of dedicated to a Texas friend who is dealing with the New Puppy Blues™. I hope this gives her–and all y’all–a giggle. And yeah, I totally laughed and I TOTALLY have the song stuck in my head now. Sorry, not sorry. Have an awesome weekend. I think we have a soccer tournament but I need to check the schedule.
Crafting a story isn’t easy. There are characters and settings. There are backstories and possible futures. There’s action, and there is conflict–inner and outer. I remember a romance author once telling a group of us in a seminar class that just when your main character is happy, you need to figure out the worst that could happen and then make it happen. Otherwise, your book would be a chapter long, if that. Girl meets boy (or vice versa or boy-boy, girl-girl, pick two or more…), they fall in love, and live happly ever after. It’s a good story but readers want more. Why does one want the other? Do their families approve? Heck, does her dog like his cat? Without conflict, the story is short, sweet, and over. On that note, the Universe has a point…
If you could choose between living two lives, Silver: 1. One that was easy, or 2. One that presented challenges you would overcome Which would you choose? Game on, The Universe ©www.tut.com P.S. Silver, you are legend.
As a storyteller, because that’s who those of us who write fiction are, we need to choose the challenging life. We need to make our characters jump through hoops, make life hard for them, make them work for that elusive Happy Ever After. I’m all for conflict–internal for each MC and external for outside forces trying to keep them apart. Sometimes, a writer gets lucky and the two conflicts coincide. That said, a word of caution here. I won’t mention the author or the series but this debut series put them on the lists. I will say the novels were Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy and they were just different enough to be interesting. The main couple kept working toward achieving their HEA.
Now, a bit of an education for those who don’t necessarily read UF or PR. While similar, they are different genres and therefore have different rules. UF usually has romantic elements but the two MCs don’t always get together until several books into the series. An example of that is the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. For a PR series, you can look at my own Moonstruck books. Each book features a couple and they get their HEA by the end of the book. Romance is a big part of the story line. Make sense? Anyway, sometimes, when you start to read a series, you aren’t quite sure if it’s a UF or PR. Sometimes, it’s a mix of the two because there’s like a 3-book arc before the characters get to the HEA.
Back to my cautionary point. In this unnamed series by this unnamed writer, the original couple remained front and center even though secondary characters got their HEAs in subsequent books. Every time the MCs got there, BOOM! Things blew up in their faces–sometimes quite literally. I gave up on the series. It got to the point that I no longered cared if the MCs made a life together or not. In fact, I was tempted to throw the book against the wall. Turns out, I was not the only reader who developed that opinion.
What I’m trying to say is that, yes, there should be challenges but they should also be overcome with the payoff of the HEA at the end. When push comes to shove (and yes, I do love that idiom), a writer can shove their characters too hard. Readers get tired of the conflict and, frankly, it gets boring after a while. Don’t be a boring writer. And don’t take your readers for granted. Know your genre. Yes, some rules can be broken but the hard and fast ones? Pay attention. There’s a reason they are carved in stone. On that note, I need to go inflict a little conflict on a couple of my characters. What do y’all think about conflict? Can there be too much?
For those of you who follow me on FB, you’ll remember my Saturday post featuring Callum, the IT brain of Boston’s Irish Mob. Today’s snippet is the reason he was on my mind. Well, this snippet and other scenes invovling Cal and Sophie. The prompt for last #ThursdayThreads is: **Where are you going?”** I’m pretty sure Sophie is positive about where she’s headed…
Sophie pressed against the wall, ordering her thudding heart to slow. With great care, she inhaled. The male voices, muted as they were, wafted from behind the cracked double doors. Brian Boru’s office. She strained to hear the conversation and to identify the owners of those voices. “Do you know where he is?” That had to be Boru, she thought. “No, and that’s the problem, Brian.” She wasn’t sure who spoke. “But you’re sure he was taken?” Boru again. “Oh, aye. Several of the shopkeepers saw him get snatched.” That had to be Mick O’Connor.” “But no one could identify who took him.” Ah, she thought. Ronan O’Conner. Her heart and lungs seized. If the brothers were both here, seeing as they were the Boru’s top lieutenants, that meant something bad had gone down. And then, with a certainty that stabbed her in the heart that had just started beating again, she knew. Callum. They were talking about Callum. Thugs had snatched him off the street. That’s why he was late. Well, they might not know who’d taken him, but she had a wicked sure idea. Easing back the way she’d come, she made it to the stairs unnoticed and dashed up them to the guest room where she’d been staying. She pulled on boots and a quilted jacket before adding the knife she kept stashed in the boots she now wore to her coat pocket. With the stealth she’d learned as a teen sneaking out of her father’s house, she gingerly descended the back stairs and made it through the kitchen to the back door. Where Ronan stood, arms crossed. She shivered all the way down to her toes. This man was far scarier than her father ever dreamed he was. “Where are you going?” “To get him back.”
Can you tell I’m having fun with this book? I hope so, because I am. I love all the characters and I worry about giving each of them enough “screen time.” Well, technically, that would be page time. LOL The thing is, this started out as Ronan and Maura’s story and it turned into so much more. Which is why I’ve kept moving my word count goal higher. I’m hoping 100K will be enough. If not, I hope I don’t keep anyone up a couple of nights finishing it. Oh, who am I kidding? I TOTALLY hope that happens! That means I’ve done my job as a writer, drawin y’all into the story and making you care and worry about the characters as much as I do. Anyway, I’ll leave it to your imaginations as to what comes next. Writers, your mission, should you accept it, is to riff upon the prompt. And the question today is for everyone–writers and readers alike. Where are you going today?
So, we are in the Halloween season and that always turns my thoughts to witches and ghosts and vampires and werewolves. Which, of course, means my thoughts turn to the Penumbra Papers. And when I saw this recipe, I decided these cookies would be loads of fun, especially for Harry Potter fans. And since the Potterverse is in England and Scotland, yup. My thoughts went straight to the last book released in that series. And seriously, how cute are these sorting hat cookies?
Total Time: 53 mins.
Prep Time: 45 mins. (includes making and decorating)
Bake Time: 8 mins.
Ingredients
30 HERSHEY’S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
6 Tbsps butter softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup REESE’S Creamy Peanut Butter
2 tsps water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsps egg beaten (and YES, this means beat an egg and scoop up 2 tablespoons. You can make scrambled eggs with the leftover, I guess. LOL)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup white frosting (Ready-to-spread or Homemade)
food color (red, yellow, blue, and green)
sugar (Extra to roll dough balls in–or if you want special, use crystalized sugar)
READY TO MAKE THIS?
Directions
1 – Heat oven to 350° F. Remove wrappers from chocolates; set aside.
2 – Beat butter, sugar, peanut butter, water and vanilla in medium bowl unitl well blended. Beat in egg. Stir together flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended.
3 – Divide dough into 30 equal balls (about 1 inch each). Roll in sugar (if desired). Place on ungreased cookie sheets and flatten to make 1- 1/2 inch circles.
4 – Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookie edges are set. Top each cookie with chocolate piece; gently loosen cookie from sheet but leave on cookie sheet.
5 – Allow heat from cookie sheet and cookie to soften chocolate. (Chocolate will soften from bottom toward tip and becomes shiny–about 10 minutes) Use toothpick or end of small paring knife to draw facial features on chocolate. Cool completely. Allow chocolate to firm before finishing cookies.
6 – Divide white frosting into four small bowls. Tint frosting so that you have red, yellow, blue and green frostings. Place in piping bags or heavy-duty food storage (freezer) bags with #47 tip and #1 tip for accent on scarfs. Pipe frosting band around base of each chocolate piece. Garnish as desired. Makes 30 cookies.
Check out all the details and nutritional info at HERSHEYLAND. Now, we all know that while Sade is something of a foodie, when it comes to the actual preparation and cooking part, she’s better at ordering in or heading out to a favorite restaurant, coffee shop and/or bakery. Also, as of yet, there are no kids in the Penumbraverse. Not yet anyway. But I know a secret that not even the characters know about each other. 🤫 Don’t tell, ‘kay? Every one of the characters has read the Potter series and loves the books. Well, except Sinjen. And maybe Alice Cooper. But Sade, Caleb, Roman (who got turned onto the books by Verity), and Ariel have them. I’ll leave it to y’all to decide which house they wish/or should be sorted into. All I know is they’d all scoff at these cookies until no one was looking and then they’d load up on them and escape to munch on them while reading. I’ll admit, they do make a tasty treat while reading GHOSTS AND THE ANCIENT STONES. If you have grabbed your copy, click on the title to get to the Books2Read landing page to find your favorite online store. If you have a Hoopla subscribtion, or your library does, you can read it for free from Hoopla. The link should be there, too. In the meantime, are you a Potterhead? And if so, what house would you belong to?
AUTUMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Temps were in the 60s this weekend for highs. Fuzzy slippers and soft hoodies rule my world. Why yes, I am a happy camper at the moment. I love this time of year. And I love the food that comes with it. More about that later. Oh, heck, let’s talk about it now. I’m really big on comfort food. The ooey-gooey kind, sometimes with cheese, sometimes not. So what’s on the grocery list for Wallyworld today? The fixings for spaghetti, shepherd’s pie, chicken pot pies, and maybe beef stew. Chili was on that list until last night. Lawyer Guy decided that chile would taste good for dinner last night. He even offered to go buy the Fritos. So, yeah, chili dinner while we watched Game 1 of NLCS.
Which brings us to sports. No soccer this weekend but there was college football. My OSU Cowboys upset #23 Kansas. OU had a bye week. Houston Astros and Texas Rangers moved on the ACLS and Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS. Its kinda fun to watch baseball when I don’t have a pony in the ring. (This is a happier allusion than a dog in the fight, don’cha think?) I do love me some baseball. And softball.
In other news, I had a date with the vampires yesterday. I had an early appointment so Jake and I were the first there after they opened and breezed right through. I have easy veins and good blood. I can fill a pint bag in five minutes or less. And the vampires and their minions love Jake. I turned down the shirt though. It was cute–a glow in the dark skeleton with a pumpkin-colored head but it was short sleeves. I have a stack of short-sleeved donor tees but only one that’s 3/4 sleeve. I want long sleeves! It’s FALL, y’all!!!!!
Writing. It continues at a steady pace. Some of my characters ganged up on me last week and sent me on a detour. That’s okay. It fits into the flow of the story and gives some depth to the women involved with the Wolves. Not that my heroines don’t have depth but usually, they arrive once book at a time and get folded into the…nest? Clutch? Gang? Girl Crew? Okay. I’m walking away from that rabbit hole or I’ll never finish this post. Anyway, all the mates sort of show up and get enfolded together in a bang-bang fashion. Luckily, despite huge variety in their backgrounds, they all get along. All I’ll say is Mick better watch his Ps & Qs where Shannon is involved because he soooo does not want to cross that posse. If y’all have an idea for what to call me, drop it in the comments here or on FB.
Reading. I finished off the Amanda Quick entries in the Arcane Society an spin-off series. Moving on to the contemporary set, beginning with WHITE LIES under the Jayne Anne Krentz “brand.” It’s been over 10 years since I read any of these books and I’ll admit the nostalgic trip is rather fun.
Not much else going on in my world. What’s going on in yours?
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