Tuesday Treats & Titles: Spinach-Artichoke Target

Posted on December 5, 2023 by Silver James

If you’re a sports fan, we are coming up on the season of watch-party food. There’s NFL play-offs coming, college football bowl games, basketball of various levels, and NHL hockey. Whether you’re having people over or it’s just the family, this all-in-one dip is easy, cheesy, and yummy. And yeah, it’s one of my favorite dips. I think I’ve mentioned before…like several times …that one of my favorite dips is hot spinach and artichoke.

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Bread Ring Dip

Ingredients:

12 frozen dinner roll dough balls (I use Rhode’s brand)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1 (14 oz) can (1 1/2 cups) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
3/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained of excess water
2 cloves garlic, chopped (about 1 tsp)
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Olive oil
Pita chips or crackers (optional)

Directions:

1 – Coat a 10-inch oven-safe skillet with olive oil.

2 – Place the dough balls in a ring around the skillet. Cover and thaw until the rolls rise and double in size.

3 – Combine cream cheese, Parmesan, Romano, mozzarella, sour cream, artichokes, spinach, garlic, basil and red pepper flakes.

4 – Scoop the cheesy mixture into the center of the thawed rolls.

5 – Brush the rolls with olive oil and top with an additional sprinkle of cheese (optional).

6 – Bake at 375˚F for 25 minutes. (If the bread browns too quickly, lower oven temperature to 350˚F or cover the bread with a ring of foil.)

7 – Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Speaking of watch parties, you can always catch a game or six if you head down to Key West to Mother Goose’s Bar. And yes, you’ll find the Hard Target team chowing down on this. Bear, the bartender, doesn’t fix this big-appetite dish for just anyone so feel priviledged if a cast-iron skillet lands on your table with a refill of your favorite TV viewing beverage. Want to know more about the Hard Target team? Check out DOUBLE CROSS to find out how the team came together. Just click on the title or any pic with the cover. You can also go back and check out MOON SHOT, where we first meet SEAL Team Atlantis, the precursor to the Hard Target team. And now, you can also follow-up with CROSS FIRE, the latest release in this series. Psst. This is also pretty tasty when just watching a Christmas movie. So, do you snack on things like this when watching sports or movies?

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Monday Monologue

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Silver James

This meme always makes me laugh. And as people are falling into the Christmas shopping spirit. Right? I’d put the shifty-eyed emoji here but then I’d have to do some backtracking, coding, and other stuff that I haven’t had enough coffee for. So, just picture that emoji.

I’m hoping that time makes more sense this week. Last week, none of the days were the right day. Well, except Monday. Monday is always Monday. And while Tuesday should have felt like Monday because I delayed my Wallyworld trip until Tuesday but nope. Tuesday was Wednesday. And Wednesday was Thursday. So of course, Thursday was Friday. Friday was…well…it actually felt mostly like a Friday. Who knows where my brain was. I’m ready for this week to line out like the calendar says it should.

Sports was once again a mixed bag. Stormy had a great game. Oh, sorry. Match. Soccer. The kid plays soccer and those are matches not games. Anyway, he played some defense the first game but was goalie the second half. At half-time, the score was 1-1. He knocked everything down, including a penalty goal kick so the final score was 1-1. A tie is better than a loss, right? Next game is Tuesday and then Wednesday is his school’s Christmas program. Sadly, my Cowboys didn’t beat Texas for the Big 12 Conference championship but they didn’t embarrass themselves and Texas made the top four for the college playoffs. OSU will take on ?? in the ?? Bowl.

In writing news, I’m ready to shoot some of the Wolves. They keep throwing curveballs into my time line! What I though was Chapter 30 is now Chapter 27 and a bunch of other chapter are all scrambled between chapters 25 and 30 (and four of those chapter aren’t numbered now because I’m waiting for the Wolves to mess things up again. 🙄 Still, progress. Not sure I’ll make Christmas or not. Or New Year’s but I keep chugging along on this sucker. And deep down, I’m still liking the story and loving the characters.

In book news, I’ve been listening to the latest Shelly Laurenston release, BORN TO BE BADGER. Yes, I’ve laughed. Laurenston has a way with her shifters acting like their animals (in a bit of a caricature) that I find humorous. I’ve got a couple of books on the radar for my next choice. There’s a trio of Linda Winstead Jones paranormals, the first book in a new series by Michelle Sagara, or the new Graphic Audio release of book #4 in Ilona Andrews’s Kate Daniels series. I also have a Kindle novella, REOLOCATING CHRISTMAS, a Nickle and Hawk Christmas mystery novella by Kerry Anne King and Kerry Schafer. It sounds like a lot of fun and if cozy mysteries with a touch of the paranormal are your catnip, give it a look. I think it’s still 99 cents so a bargain!

This was First Saturday weekend so we had siren test, followed by lunch with the Kids. They suggested their favorite hamburger joint for something different so we headed to S&B’s Burger Joint. Not sure if this is just a local chain or they have stores elsewhere. If there’s one in your area and you haven’t tried them, you should if you like burgers. Food was tasty, service was good and they didn’t blink at Jake’s prescence. They seated us at a long, free-standing booth that left plenty of room for the five of us to sit, with Jake under the table between LG and I. I had the Black & Bleu burger–angus beef, bacon, bleu cheese, lettuce red onions, on a Kaiser bun. It also comes with smashed avocado (a hard NOPE for me!) and tomato (also a hard NOPE!). It was filling and yummy. And I’ll admit, I also took a nap after we got home. LOL

I don’t have much else to add. It’s probably a good thing I’m not a comedian, right? My monologues would be all kinds of boring. <i>*snerk*</i>

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Friday Sinema: Slow Burn

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Silver James

Wow. December 1st already! If it’s cold where you are, today’s sinema might heat you up a little. Caution, strictly speaking, the videos is mostly NSFW but the music? For some reason–because I have no idea what the translation of this song actually is–“this song “Despacito” just makes me happy. And makes me wish I was still young enough to dance the salsa or any other hot dance. Have a great weekend! And yes, I’m going to watch it again and dance in my chair!

Psst I cheated and looked it up. “Despacito” means slowly and wholly heckin’ fire, the lyrics aren’t safe for work either, if you have Spanish speakers around. Just sayin’… But now I love the song even more! ❤ And now I want a Puero Rican Wolf… 🤦🏼‍♀️

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Decisions

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Silver James

Decisions, decisions. Who else hates to make them. 🙋🏼‍♀️

Today’s musing is not so much about craft as it is about the business of writing–and publishing. At some point, all writers have to make some decisions about their careers. Waaaay back then, when I first decided I might could maybe write fiction for a living–or at least to supplement my income, I spent some serious time in on my writing. I also did all the usual things to research “How To Get Published™” I tried the conventional route. After a round of rejections from publishers that didn’t require an agent, I quit. I went back to Life and Living It. Things changed during that living and with some familial encouragement, I tried again. I hadn’t quit writing, I’d just quit submitting. So I tried again. This time around, I at least got reasons for the rejections instead of the standard form letter. I even got some nibbles from some agents, who ultimately declined. Then I got an agent. Sadly, she was more non-fiction and we eventually parted ways. The rejections piled up and I wrote oh-so-many different books in different genres. I joined writing groups. I went to writers’ conferences. I got another agent. She was cool and she did work hard to place a couple of my books. Problem was, I was writing “mixed genre” before it became a thing–well, other than the romantic suspense. That’s always been a thing. After a bit, she and I also parted company, on good terms.

Yeah, yeah, this is not a short story so bear with me. Eventually, I met an editor who truly enjoyed my voice and while the book I “submitted” to him was soooo not in his wheelhouse, he still asked for it. And he loved it but yeah…not his nor his publishing house’s “area of expertise.” Later, when I saw him again face-to-face, I asked if I could submit a book that I wrote just for him. He said yes. The result? COWGIRLS DON’T CRY. Now, this is where I mention that it took almost 3 years from submission to publication.

In the meantime, I also sold a book (I did mention that I kept writing, right? So I had a bundle of manuscripts filed away!) to a small publisher. FAERIE FATE was the first of several books and novellas I sold to Wild Rose Press. Also, about this time, Amazon came up with KDP–Kindle Direct Publishing. ANYONE could publish their book on this platform. At that point, I had a decision to make. See? I finally got around to the point of this whole thing. All those other books that were good but agents weren’t sure how to market them and publishers weren’t sure they’d sell now had an outlet, if I wanted to take a chance. I am not an entrepeneur by any description of that word. I suck at marketing. I suck at the fine print. I suck at pretty much everything but writing and editing books. So I figured, why the hell not? And the Moonstruck Wolves hit the ground running. I have over 50 books out there as a hybrid (but more and more as a self-published author) now. And after making the decision to jump into self-publishing, I’ve never looked back. I took the high road, so to speak.

Did you know, Silver, there have been a lot of decisions you've made and followed through on, under the most trying and difficult circumstances, that have actually become textbook examples of taking the "high road" for wannabe rock stars here in the unseen? 
 
We've sold tons of "your book," 
  The Universe 
©www.tut.com  
 
P.S. Our rock stars are slightly different, Silver.

Yeah, too bad the royalties from all those books sold in the Unseen remains…unseen. Ah, well. I didn’t get into this writing and self-publishing gig to get rich. A living wage would be nice but what the heck. I’m clearing all those stories out of my head which will, hopefully, clear out space so I can…you know…remember important stuff! LOLOL And when it comes down to making this decision, I don’t regret it one bit, not so long as people still read and enjoy my books. What decision do you have to make today?

P.S. The book that led to “Cowgirls” and got me the second agent? SEASON OF THE WITCH.

P.S.S. Today is the last day of NaNoWriMo. I hit 50K words back on like November 25. I’m well over 100K on the whole book now and still going. 👀

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Wednesday Words:

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Silver James

Since last week was Thanksgiving, there was no #ThursdayThreads but do not despair! There are words. Since I shared the models for Declan Donahue and Maggie O’Brien over the weekend, it’s time for y’all to get a hint of how they are together. There might be a tiny spoiler about a previous scene in the book, but by the time you get around to reading the behemouth (at 100+K words and counting), you’ll have forgotten this little scene. My dad was a good guy and never complained about watching me. My brother, on the other hand? Yeah…maybe I channeld him a little into Deck for this scene. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

Declan Donahue shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from rubbing at his temples. That action wouldn’t ease the headache forming there. Neither would arguing with the woman currently facing him down from across her front parlor. Who even had parlors in this day and age anyway? It was a living room, despite the fussy decorations and furniture she’d kept after inheriting the place. The outfit had wanted to buy the house when the old lady died but her granddaughter moved in lock, stock, and barrel before they could make an offer. Ronan was insistent they eventually own the whole block and have most of the Boru men settled there.

If we claim her, there’s no problem. He growled at his inner wolf’s insinuation. Maggie O’Brien was not his mate. His wolf howled with laughter.

Maggie scowled.  “Are you coming or not?”

“Do I have a choice?” Reading her experssion, he decided it would be best to just keep his mouth shut—and his thoughts to himself. Remember, you need her…cooperation, he reminded himself. Ronan told him to woo the townhouse out from under her. Easier said than done, especially since he’d ended up practically dead on her front stoop a month ago.

“You always have a choice, Declan.”

Of course he did. Not. He gestured toward the door. “The car’s at the curb.”

She preceded him out, turned to lock the door then skipped down the steps. His Land Rover was parked in its normal place. He ushered her into the front passenger seat before heading for the driver’s side.

Once they were on their way, Maggie asked, “Do you know where we’re going?”

He inhaled before calmly saying, “Yes. We won’t be late.” Was it too much to ask for a major traffic tie-up to delay them? Probably. Sadly, it was a short drive to his own personal hell. He found a spot and parked and they headed toward the auditorium. The only good thing so far was that she’d slipped her hand under his arm as they walked.
Inside, they were confronted by a din of noise and scurrying people. They found seats just as the house lights flashed. Moments later, they lowered to a gloomy cast that he could still see through. There were times he could curse the abilities that came with hosting his inner wolf.

The curtains parted, music swelled and now here he sat--trapped. How had he been brought so low? One of the scariest lawyers in Boston sitting in the dark watching Maggie’s nieces twirl around the recital stage in pink tutus. If any of the boys found out, he’d have to kill them all.

There you have it, just a quick slive of “normal” live for one of the Boston Wolves. Writers, if you’re looking for a little inspiration, try this phrase: **own personal hell**. That should give your characters something to thing about. Readers, do you like little scenes like this that don’t necessarily move the plot along but give a peek into the every day life of a character while nudging the relationship along? Inquiring writers want to know. Happy Hump Day, y’all!

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Tuesday Treats and Titles: Leftovers

Posted on November 28, 2023 by Silver James

It’s the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Who still has leftovers? I wish I did! That said, I’m like the Wolves of the 69th. Now that they all have mates and, in some cases, kids, and they are settled down in Blaidd’s Gap, West Virginia, holidays are a huge family affair. Luckily, everyone but Hannah can cook. She’s a whiz at making coffee though. Just sayin’…

Anyway, when you have all those Wolves and a group of growing boys, the mates have to roast extra turkeys and bake extra hams for leftovers. If a dish is put on the table, trust me, it only needs to be washed once the meal is over. And in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I don’t really have a recipe for today though I do have a linked book. MOON SHOT is a favorite because after the Wolves each got their HEA, the group got theirs in West Virgina. For anybody who stumbles across the blog and wonders, yes, you could start with this book and then back track in the series. If you do that, I’d suggest grabbing MOONSTRUCK: SECRETS, MOONSTRUCK: LIES, and MOONSTRUCK: BETRAYAL. You’ll get six of the books PLUS bonus material and novellas for less than buying the books individually MINUS the bonus reads. Just click on the title of the book you want or the title/cover for MOON SHOT. To those who already have the book, thanks! And why not do a reread just for fun. So that’s sort of my treat.

But…we need real treats so the next part is up to y’all! I want your favorite leftover recipe. Mine is simply–turkey sandwiches. LOL Or, if there’s ham left over, I’ll through some in with either scalloped potatoes or mac-n-cheese for a quick one-dish dinner. So hit me with your best shot and send me over the moon. (Did you see what I did there? 😉 )

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Me, Myself, & Monday

Posted on November 27, 2023 by Silver James

Here we are–the last Monday in November, right on track to roll over into December and all the holidays. No, I have not put up any Christmas decorations nor have I removed the Thanksgiving ones. Of course, those only consist of the dining room table and the wreath on the front door. The table has a cloth, autumn-leaves runner, sunflowers, pilgrim turkey candle holders and pilgrim candles. I’m so original. 🤣

Speaking of Thanksgiving, the combined families (the James Gang via Uncle Fix-It and the “other” side via Aunt Hooey) for our noonish meal. Food was good, the company fine, clean-up quick and easy, and then we were home and no longer responsible for adulting or peopling. We even had a bit of left-over turkey and ham for sandwiches. Unfortunately, after we got home, I hooked a foot in a cord lying beside the bed and I fell–again–on the same knee as I did the week before. Yes, it hurt like bloody blue blazes. Yes, I screamed and scared all the critters. And yes, LG came and helped me get up. I did the whole elevate, ice, and ibuprofen rountine, fell asleep and missed dinner. That was okay. I had a sammich for dinner on Friday night. It was pretty tasty. And yes, the knee is still double the size of my other knee, it’s still tender but load bearing and slowly healing.

In sports news, Stormy’s team tied in their game last week. He played goalie the entire game and made some unbelieveable saves! Friday, OU won their last Big 12 game. They’re off to the SEC next season. Michigan won out over “The” Ohio State University (aka the fake OSU) which was a yay. In I-changed-channels-couldn’t-watch fashion, my OSU Cowboys came from behind to beat BYU. My Pokes are headed to the Big 12 Championship game against Texas. I would dearly love for OSU to win, not just because OSU wins, but it would deny Texas, also leaving for the SEC, so that the final championship stays in the Big 12.

As far as writing goes, it was a good week and weekend. I’m at 97+K words and will be starting Chapter 30 today when I get back from Wallyworld. My original 60K book will likely be double that word count by the time I bridge all the remaining scenes. It is becoming an epic tale, like in the sense of an epic fantasy. Ah well. I’ll definitely win NaNoWriMo this year with the more than 50K words I’ve added.

“Winter” arrived this weekend. The northwestern part of the state got 8″ of snow in some areas. We got rain. And cold temps. The water dish for the ferals was iced over this morning and the low spot in the driveway that stays in the shade this time of year was still icy from yesterday’s rain freezing overnight. Yesterday was bright blue skies but it never got much above 40. ‘Tis that time of year. I’ll miss Fall, which is my favorite season, but Winter’s okay.

If anyone knows who the patron saint of kitchen appliances is, let me know. I’m hoping whatever is plaguing the fridge will be a simple fix but I fear we’re looking at a new purchase. I’ll need to sell a whole bunch of books to pay off that credit card!

Changing directions… Have any of you read STARLING HOUSE? It’s one of those buzzy books that’s recently been released. I’ll admit the blurb intrigued me. It opens with this line: I dream sometimes about a house I’ve never seen…. I went to Audible and checked out the sample. First, the book is written in First Person Present Tense. Have I mentioned that FPPT gives me a headache? I dislike it in so many ways, I can’t count them all. That said, I listened to the whole sample and found myself still intrigued. So I put my name on the hold list at my local library. It popped up a couple of times but I delayed because I was listening to something else. When it popped up over the weekend, even though I was in the middle of a book–one that is a relisten and something of a filler until a book comes out Tuesday. Anyway, I went ahead and borrowed STARLING HOUSE. Uhm…I have no idea how to describe this book. I finally told LG it was a Southern Gothic Horror Mystery with Romantic Elements and an HEA. Yes, the whole tense thing was a niggle in the back of my mind but at the same time, the book is filled with lyrical words that are beautifully written. Check it out if you are looking for something new and weirdly different–in a good way.

That pretty much rounds things up on my end. How are things going with you?

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Friday Sinema: Halo

Posted on November 24, 2023 by Silver James

I’m not a gamer. That said, I have a deep appreciation for the music and themes in video games. Assassin’s Creed is a favorite. Skyrim. A few others. This X post (I know they aren’t tweets anymore but no clue what they’re actually called now) caught my eye and my ear. Even if you don’t recognize the Halo theme, I hope you’ll enjoy the Gregorian chant vibes. Hope all here in the USA have recovered from Thanksgiving and if you’re out there on “Black Friday”–“…may the odds ever be in your favor!”

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Thursday Thoughts: Thanksgiving

Posted on November 23, 2023 by Silver James

I have much to be thankful for–all of you who hang around here on the blog or on my other social media (FB), those of you who read my books, those of you who don’t. I have a wonderful family. I have friends. I have amazing critters. I have books to write and books to read. Life is good. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you here in the US and just Happy Day to all of you who don’t celebrate but want in on the good feelings and thankfulness. What are you thankful for today?

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Wednesday Words: No Questions

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Silver James

So, last week’s #ThursdayThreads prompt came from my snippet that won the previous week. As I’ve mentioned, I don’t like to take one of my original phrases and keep going in the same scene. I’d rather go somewhere “new” that that’s precisely what happened. Then the snippet turned into a full-blown scene and wowser! Talk about adding flour to the gravy to thicken it up! (Why yes, tomorrow IS Thanksgiving and I have cooking and food on my mind, why do you ask?_ Anyway, for those who want to riff on the prompt, it’s: **“There will be no questions.”** For those who just want to read, this is a scene earlier in the book and “stars” Sean and Bridget, the couple I featured on FB over this past weekend. I hope you enjoy…

****
Then he’d caught her singing along with the radio when the station played a Dropkick Murphy song after hyping the concert.

“Sean,” she said.

“What?” he responded, surprised by the tone of her voice.

“You’re miserable.” She yelled in order to be heard.

“Are you happy?”

She beamed at him and nodded.

“That’s all that matters,” he said, and meant it. So what if his ears might start bleeding at any moment? The smile on Bridget’s face was worth everything. The way he felt about her, there was no question he’d do everything in his power to keep that smile on her face.

The warm-up band finished and he led Bridget closer to the fence that separated the stage from the crowd, which was a writhing mass. He’d asked a few of the boys to get there early. And there they were, front and center. Brendan, having parked the SUV, came up behind him and they shoved through the mass of bodies, and none too gently. He kept a firm grip on Bridget’s hand as he tugged her along in his wake. When they got to the fence, the boys surrounded the two of them to give them breathing room. Sean was surprised to find Mick there. He tipped his cap to Bridget and winked at Sean.

Mick leaned in close and said, “There’s nothin’ like a moonstruck fool.”

Sean arched a brow and replied, “Aye, as you’d be well knowin’.”

They had a bit of breathing space thanks to the boys. At least until Dropkick Murphy came out and started playing. He had to nudge Bridget and remind her to breathe.

When they played her favorite song, she jumped up and down until he hoisted her up onto his shoulders. She spread her arms wide, threw back her head, and screamed the words of the song along with almost everyone else in the audience. The lead singer pointed at her and she all but swooned. Then he saw Mick and grinned with a big thumbs up and he added Mick’s name to the end of each line of the chorus at the end of the song. That got hoots and catcalls from the boys.

Bridget still had stars in her eyes after the last encore when she finally slid down off Sean’s shoulders. She turned into his arms. “I’ve always wished I could fly,” she told him. “With you, I can.” 

His heart all but stopped in his chest. He saw it there in her eyes. Love. He reminded himself to breathe.

“Have you survived?” she teased.

Him? Even with the earplugs Mick had surreptitious slipped him, he figured he’d be deaf for a few years at the very least but seeing the joy on her face? Nothing else mattered. It was all worth it. She might even love him. Like he did her.

There you have it. Hope it’s not much of a spoiler. Trust me, the other snippet is a BIG spoiler and while I want to tease y’all, I don’t want to literally “spoil” the story for you. The thing is, I write romance and the birds and the bees always get their HEA by the end so showing a couple in the act of falling isn’t much of a “reveal,” right? The other snippet had nothing to do with the romance and everything to do with the plot thickening as I barrel toward The End. Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow. I won’t be around much so I’ll see you back here on Friday!

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