Thursday Thoughts: Universal Dragons

Writers are an odd bunch. We often live in our imaginations. Our best friends are fictional characters. We freak out–both good and bad–over the weirdest things. This is especially true when we’re working on a project. We obsess over which word to use. How to structure a sentence. Is that dialogue conversational? Or is it stilted. Will readers like the main character? Is the antagonist bad enough to be disliked? And finally, the biggie that hits us most often: What the hell happens next?!!!? The Universe has thoughts.

It’s not the day you have to manage, Silver, but the moment.

It’s not the dragon you have to slay, but the fear.

And it’s not the path you have to know, but the destination.

What a relief, huh?
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. Love every moment, Silver; nothing can make you less.

The biggest fear we have is whether we are actually writers. Are we good enough? Is the story good enough? Will anyone read it? And if they do read it, will they like it? You cannot have a fragile ego and be a writter. Oh, it’s okay to be a bundle of insecurities, but you have to let that stuff just slide off. Once again, the Big U has pretty much summed it up in a nutshell. Writing. Life. The Writing Life. Same same some days.

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Wednesday Words: Sign Up

Well, good news and bad news. Which do you want first? Bad news, right? To get it over with? Yeah, I’m with you. So, there was no Thursday Threads last week. The blog writer who hosts the challenge was otherwise busy. Now fir the good news. I had some prompts tucked back from the times that I judged so lo and behold…*sounds of celestial trumpets*…there are NEW words for today. The prompt i picked from a hat is: *“This isn’t what I signed up for.”* Truthfully, the last thing I need at the moment is more “loose” snippets running around. That said, I think I have a place for this one. We shall see. Anyway, all I know is something happened, a part of the Scooby Gang is gathered in Aisling’s office at the library, and this conversation occurs…

****
Aisling shook her head and backed away. “This isn’t what I signed up for.”

“None of us did.” Sade huffed out a breath. “Okay. Maybe I did. And Caleb. Well, not this exactly but as FBI agents, we do what we have to do.”

Ariel raised a hand. “I didn’t sign up. I have orders.”

“You know, Ari, you really need to find a better job. I’d really like to know what the hell King Oblivious and Queen Titty-Fae have on you.”

He didn’t look directly at Sade as he responded. “It’s a tale as old as time.”

She burst out laughing. “Have you been watching the Disney Channel again?” Sade glanced over at Aisling. “I have no clue why you are in the middle of this mess but you are. For some reason, whatever magic is at work here is drawn to you.”

Druic shuffled his feet, catching her attention. The kid wouldn’t meet her gaze though he kept throwing surreptitious glance Ariel’s direction. Young Druic knew more than he was letting on.

“But why me?” Aisling’s voice held a soft whining note. She thumped her fist on the leather-bound book sitting on her desk. “All I did was take a new job. I’m a librarian for goodness sake. I was just a geeky girl who loved books and all I ever wanted to do was get lost in them.” She thumped the book again. “And now all they want to do is eat me!” The whine was replaced by frustrated fear.

Sade, catching the expression on Ariel’s face, muttered, “They aren’t the only ones.”
****

There it is. And yes, Sade’s mind went there. If you were to ask why, she would reply, “If it weren’t for the gutter, my mind would have no place to go.” Writers, run with the prompt and have fun. Readers, have you ever signed up for something and then regretted it?

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Tuesday Tidbits: Jake Version

First and foremost, Jake is home, resting, in a bit of pain, but is still his sweet, mellow self. I picked him up about 3 p.m. yesterday afternoon. He walked to the car and climbed in all by himself. I almost cried with relief. He came through the surgery in good shape and while we won’t know if that growth was cancerous or not for a few weeks, he’s home and for all intents and purposes, healthy.

This is one of my favorite Jake pics. He was sleeping hard on my bed doing a modified “dead cockroach” position. And yes, he was snoring.

This is a pic of him “on duty” as my service dog. Please note the long, fluffy tail. He’s a “stubby” now. The doctor wasn’t able to save his tail. There just wasn’t enough skin left to cover the open wound left by the tumor. I haven’t actually measured but I’m guessing he has about 8″ left. It’s more than enough. He goes back Friday to have his bandage and sutures checked. Because she had to take the tail, the vet was able to use some laser therapy which will help speed up healing. The main thing is, he is home, mostly comfortable–we have pain and anti-inflammatory meds for him, and life is settling back to a more normal routine. Not all the anxiety is gone–won’t be until the biopsy comes back–but I’m breathing a little easier and not prone to tearing up for no apparent reason. Thanks to all for the good thoughts and prayers.

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Monday Mission

I’m typing this about noon on Sunday, so evedn though you’re reading this on Monday, my brain is too discombobulated to translate times. As y’all are reading this, we’re at the vets with Jake. I don’t know how long we’ll be there or when we’ll get to bring him home.

For those who don’t know, a little over a week ago, LG noticed a lump on Jake’s tail. At first, he thought it was a sweet gum ball that was tangled in the pupper’s tail feathers. Newf/Pyrs have very long feathery tail fur. As he looked closer, he realized it was a growth. Luckily, we were able to get Jake into his vet the next day. She looked at it and things went…sideways. She did blood work and we took her first available appointment for surgery–which is this morning. It may or may not be cancerous. We won’t know until after the biopsy. In addition, tails don’t have much “meat” on them. They’re mostly skin, bone and a few ligaments/tendons. There may not be enough skin to suture after the lump is excised. If that happens, she’ll have to amputate part of his tail. We’re worried. Jake is 11, which is old for a giant breed. His heart, lungs, and kidneys appear to be in good shape but it’s always iffy putting a dog under anesthesia. Anyway, things are discombobulated and will be for a while.

My weekend was mostly spent watching softball and petting Jake. LG and Uncle Fix-It went up to the Kids’ house to help put in a new hot water heater and then switched out their older, leaky dishwasher for a newer one given to them by friends. Both of those are long stories and I won’t bore.

I’ve delved into the backlist of some favorite authors to get over my reading/listening slump. I hadn’t listened to Ilona Andrews’ Innkeeper Chrnonicles for a couple of yeas. The Graphic Audio versions recently came up on sale at Audible so I snagged them. They’re fun. Once done, I decided to dig a little deeper and relisten to their The Edge series. Also fun and it’s been at least 5 years so while I sort of remember what happens, I don’t really. I do wish GA would decide to do this series with full cast as well.

Writing has occurred. Not much, as my brain has been more distracted that usual. There was no Thursday Thread challenge last week so I didn’t get 250 new words. My writing is still pretty much in the dumpster but I’m doing some…not really editing or revising…it’s… Well, a puzzle. I have all these scenes and I’m working my way from the start, adding in some scenes to previously wrtten chapters, and then getting a better idea of what should come next and thereafter. It’s a process.

On that note, as it is Sunday and I know absolutely I won’t get anything done tomorrow, I’m going to try to get through a chapter or two on the WIP. I have to admit, I’m so scattered…SQUIRREL! … Sorry. There’s a juvenile squirrel that has discovered the bird feeder outside my office. He zooms back and forth along the window sill before leapng, hangs from the roof to drop, and/or climbs the metal shepherd’s crook holding the bird feeder. The birds are not happy at this intrusion. If I tap on the window, he simply stares at me, continuing to eat. He only bails if I open the window. You’d think my great white hunter–who barks at leaves falling in the yard, the rooster three blocks away, and the invisible intruder would deal with it. Nope. Toby sleeps through every incursion. He has earned his PITA Pup nickname.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and here’s to a healthy and productive week for us all!

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Friday Sinema: Exquisite Silence

I was surfing YouTube looking for something funny to share today and instead, I stumbled across this. Most of you know that “Sounds of Silence” is a personal favorite song and is firmly entrenched in my personal soundtrack. And yes, I’ve used it in various iterations in the soundtracks of some some of my books. I clicked for the song. I watched for the artistry. Wow. Just…WOW! Have a great weekend.

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Advice

Writing advice is…abundant. I know many writers who have written how-to books. Heck, I usually offer some sort of insight into writing each with these Thursday Thoughts posts. I’ll be the first to point out that I’m not an expert. Oh, I know the difference between a split infinitive and a dangling participle and yes, I know that it’s is a conjuntion and its is a possessive and yes, my fingers still type them wrong because…dang it…an apostrophe means possession! Ah, English. Such a fun language. The thing is, writing fiction is less about the rules and more about story. This is especially true when it comes to romance and fantasy. As is often the case, the Universe is right on top of things.

Silver, here’s some sage advice I once scrawled onto a cave wall long before the wheel, Atlantis, and social media:

Aim with your heart, adjust with your head, and then simply do what you can, with what you have, from where you are.

Caves, email, same-same.

Tallyho,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. I’m ba-a-a-ck… Actually, Silver, you’re back. I never left.

Did you read that second paragraph? Read it again. It says it all, a perfect explanation of what writing entails. The first thing a writer does is create a story: Aim with your heart. The words come forth and we eventually type the end. That’s when the next phase starts: Adjust with your head. Oh, the joys of editing and revisions. The head rules that. Eventually, we decide it’s ready to go and it either heads off to our publisher or we hit the self-pub button. We have done our best: Then simply do what you can, with what you have, from where you are. There it is in a nutshell.

And yes, I am aware that most of the folks who visit here aren’t writers, they are readers. Y’all are the reason we do what we can with what he have from where we are. And yes, whenever I relate the Big U’s message to writing, I attempt to also figure out a way to include readers. Which is sort of backwards because these messages from the Universe are meant for the general population. Anyway, the message is there for us all. Simply do what you can, with what you have, from where you are.

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Wednesday Words: Fix It

And once again, we have arrived at Wednesday. And once again, I have new words to share. In a small twist of luck, I won last week’s Thursday Threads, which was based on a line from my wionning entry the week before. I normally don’t “cheat” by writing a follow-on scene. This time I did. Sort of. This week’s snippet happens every quickly after. I’m still not sure if the two toether will appear in the current WIP or in one later. I’m leaning toward now. We’ll see. In the meantime, the prompt is: *”She doesn’t need fixing.”* The judge had very kind words for my entry. She said: Silver weaves a tale of “found family” – an odd assortment that includes a Gargoyle, a Werewolf and Fae. (So far, it doesn’t include a bar.) The pacing of the piece drew me in with its long descriptive paragraphs and the short closure: “He was a selfish bastard so all bets were off.”

Sinjen watched Sade from the window. He knew all her secrets. Her strengths—which were legion. And her weaknesses, fewer than she thought. Smart, brave—sometimes too courageous for her own safety. Caring. Still, she grappled one deep-seated fear and he fought against its entanglement constantly.

Sade would never admit it to anyone and especially to herself but she’d buttressed herself against that biggest fear—abandonment. He’d known of the human child growing up in Mathias’s household. Mathias was his maker after all. But to think that now, he shared her bed? Her father, a mild man who understood numbers rather than emotions, had no inkling of how do deal with a child. Her mother had used her as a pawn—as had both Mathias and Oberon. Thank the gods Roman had been there. The Gargoyle became her rock—Sinjen almost smiled at the pun—and then Caleb became her guard dog, a role the Werewolf would readily admit to. Even the damnable Fae, for all Ariel’s artifices, watched over her in his way. 

He considered the words he’d said to those others who, whether they understood or not, were part of her found family. She doesn’t need fixing, she needs to be loved. And he did. love her. She would age and die. He wouldn’t. Could he say goodbye? Or would he succumb to his own worst fear and become a monster, forcing a change she didn’t want. 

He was a selfish bastard so all bets were off.

And there it is. Writers, go forth and create a scene if you so desire. Readers, what does NOT need fixing in your world? 😉

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Tuesday Tidbits: Oops

So. Have you ever thought you did something only to discover later that you hadn’t? In the midst of stuff yesterday, I sat down several times to write a post for today. Then I would get distracted. A lot. And often. I knew I wasn’t going to do a recipe for today. My brain just wouldn’t go there. In the meantime, I did start posts for tomorrow and Thusrday. Which reminds me, I need to finish them as both are in draft mode. *makes mental note*

Moving on.

It’s Tuesday. Therefore, there must be tacos. Right?

WordPress has phased out its “classic block.” This makes me sad. I’m not a big fan of their “regular blocks” when it comes to certain posts–like Wedneday Words and Thursday Thoughts. I’m having to use the preformatted block now for the snippets and I don’t like the way it looks. Oh well.

WP has also started giving out “acheivement awards.” I’ve won two–for using the same title twice and then for having a palindromic word count, like 12321. I have no idea which post so no idea what the word count was. Anyway…

I need more coffee. It’s 8:00 and the dogs want out, the squirrel is on the windowsill wanting his sunflower seeds and the crows are waiting for their leftover dog kibble. Later, gators.

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Memorial Monday

Today is Memorial Day. Here in the USofA, it’s the unofficial start to summer. Schools are mostly out, graduations done, weather warms up, pools open. There are BBQs and family events. Big sales. Mattresses. Why do mattresses go on sale for Memorial Day? 🤔I’ve never understood that. Anyway, whilst in the middle of doing whatever you’re doing, take a moment to remember the real reason for today–to honor all the men and women who died in service to this country so that the rest of us have free speech, freedom to choose our religion, and all the other wonderful things that go with living in the USA.

There was lots of softball and baseball this past weekend. Sadly, my Cowgirls–and the Sooners–will be staying home. They were both beaten in the Super Regional rounds. 😟Just not our year. Hoever, Texas Tech did move on to the WCWS so I’ll be rooting for them! Go Big 12! The Cowboys were knocked out of the Big 12 Baseball Champtionship and truthfully, I haven’t yet looked to see where they are in the NCAA bracket. I suppose I should do that.

In book news, I’ve embarked on a marathon relisten to Ilona Andrews’ Innkeeper Chronicles series–the Graphic Audio full-cast versions. These are fun books. There are werewolves and vampires but not the usual kinds. There are sentient inns that cater to very special guests that visit from around the galaxy. The Innkeepers are…part magic, part physicists, part psychologists? Anyway, highl entertaining if you haven’t read or listented to them.

In writing news, I started off last week with great intentions and made some real headway. Then…life happened and I sort of drifted off track. I got back on briefly yesterday so there’s hope.

What got me off track was an emergency trip to the vet’s. LG discovered a weird growth on Jake’s tail. Luckily, our vet had a cancellation so we could get him right in. The thing is about the size of a ping pong ball, is hard-ish, and oozes plasma tingled with blood. He’s scheduled for surgery on June 1st, which was her first available. He doesn’t seem to be in bad pain and doesn’t chew at it. Sadly, if there’s not enough skin to close, she may have to amputate part of his tail. Even though he’s old, his blood work came back indicating he should be okay to go under anesthetic. Luckily, I have a credit card with enough room to put the surgery on it. Prayers and good thoughts for him are most welcome.

Not much else is going on. The weather has returned to mostly normal ranges. We’ve had some rain and a chance for more mid-week. Mother Nature is so confused my honeysuckle bush has put out a second round of blooms. And, we’ve had a mallard duck pair hanging around. Clutch season should be way past but who knows? I’m putting out extra bird seed for them. I should probably put out some water too. *adds a shallow pan to grocery list* They are fun to watch when they show up and honeysuckle is one of my favorite scents so win/win.

One final thought for today. I try not to get political here but I’m going to leave y’all with this thought: If you AREN’T proud to be an American, if you think this country sucks, then pack up your stuff and move to a country you like better. Don’t try to change this country because guess what… We enjoy our freedoms and we’re willing to make the sacrifices necessary to keep them. Have a safe and sane holiday.

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Friday Sinema: Just Beat It

It’s Super Regionals! And I do love me some softball. Today’s video is short but powerful. And yeah, I’ve seen Only make some of those moves from behind the plate. I’ll be watching both the NCAA Softball and the Big 12 Baseball Championships this weekend. Sounds like a plan to me. What’s on your agenda? And yeah, the dude who put this video together is a doofus with no clue that while women have, can, and do play baseball, this is College SOFTBALL at some of it’s finest! 🥎🔥🥎

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