Wednesday Words: Assistant?:

Posted on June 28, 2023 by Silver James

Once again, Iffy is remaining closed-lipped when it comes to CROSS FIRE but she’s all over the Boston Wolves. Last week’s #ThursdayThreads prompts was **I was her assistant.** I went a bit “off-road” with the prompt and split it, which is allowed under the rules. LOL Anyway, this turned into quite the interesting scene involving Ronan and Maura, and happening early in their relationship. Not that Maura knows they have one. A relationship, that is. 😉
***
Ronan was used to cop shops—the bitter scent of burnt coffee, the sour stench of sweat, and the caustic aroma of ammonia. T’was a mystery people thought they could disguise the stink of human misery with pine-scented cleanser and bleach. Of course, as a Wolf shifter, his nose was more discriminating than most. Beyond the smell was the interminable wait. He might have been rash as a lad but he was a patient hunter now.

The door of the interview room popped open and banged against the wall. He glanced at his watch. They’d made him wait only an hour. Two detectives wearing rumpled suits strode in followed by two uniformed cops. It was the fifth person that grabbed his focus. Was she here in her ADA capacity?

“You have the right to an attorney, Mr. O’Connor,” the younger detective said.

Ronan glanced at Maura. Her lips were pressed into a thin line and she studiously avoided meeting his eyes. “Care t’explain why I’m here, Detective?”

“We have a few questions for you.” When he didn’t speak, the man continued. “Maxine Markwell.”

“And who might that be?”

“She owns a shipping company. One that does business with Brian O’Hara.”

“Does she now. I—”

“Was her assistant present?” The older detective cut him off and his interference perturbed the younger man. Interesting.

Ronan looked forward to a bit of verbal sparring. “Where?”

“In Markwell’s office.” The older one said while the younger gave his partner a disgruntled side-eye.

“Why?”

“It goes to the allegations made against you.”

“What am I accused of?”

“Murder, according to the assistant.”
He leaned back, amused. He glanced again at Maura and noted her tense posture. “Since I never met Ms. Markwell, I’ve no notion about her employees.”

“Let him go,” Maura interrupted. She pushed up out of the chair she’d settled in. “He didn’t do it.”

Good t’know she was on his side. Ronan wanted to smile but didn’t. It wouldn’t do to reveal his hand. Not yet. With his poker face firmly in place, he stood. “Next time you wish to question me, gentlemen, contact my lawyer.”

He could still hear the detectives yelling at Maura as he stroke down the hallway. He had every confidence the blasted woman could defend herself.
****
Doesn’t it just figure? The wrong characters are whispering in my ear but since I plan to get back on the Boston moonstruck mafia book as soon and I get the current WIP out in the wild, it’s not a bad thing. And these peeks are filling in some the blanks for me so yayay! I hope you enjoyed this snippet. I could use a personal assistant. LOL What about y’all?

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Tuesday Treats & Titles: Tortellini Double Stuff

Posted on June 27, 2023 by Silver James

Unfortunately for LG, I like pasta salads, especially when it’s hot outside and I can add meat because…carnivore here. I normally use “garden” rotini and add grilled chicken but this dish makes for a tasty change of pace. And yes, I’m a fan of plain ol’ Caesar salad, too. With grilled chicken or shrimp, of course.  Anyway, this is an easy variation with some awesome flavors. As I’m allergic to tomatoes, I leave those out. Your mileage may vary.

Total Time: 1 Hr. 15 Min.
Prep Time: 15 Min.
Cook Time: 1 Hr.
Servings: 6 (1 cup each) (this usually comes to to servings with leftovers for me!)

Thanks to refrigerated cheese pasta, this Caesar Tortellini Salad couldn’t be quicker (or easier) to make. Sprinkle with Parmesan and enjoy!

What You Need
1 pkg. (9 oz.) refrigerated cheese tortellini, cooked, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup KRAFT Classic Caesar Dressing
2 plum tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
1 can (6 oz.) pitted black olives, drained
1/2 cup sliced red onions, separated into rings
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

Let’s Make It
1 – Toss all ingredients except cheese in large bowl; cover.
2 – Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
3 – Sprinkle with cheese just before serving.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Size Wise: Keep an eye on portion size when you enjoy this rich salad!

Tip 2 – Substitute: Substitute 1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced, for the olives.

Tip 3 – Variation: Chicken Caesar Tortellini Salad – Add 2 grilled or broiled boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips, to salad before refrigerating.

My Tips – You can use creamy Caesar dressing which is a nice change. Also croutons and/or bacon bits for a bit of crunch. And, as above, no tomatoes for me! Also, I use John Soules brand precooked and sliced chicken breats. And to really add MEAT, I’ve been known to use Soules brand beef fajita meat. Note: I always heat the meat in a skillet sprayed with butter flavored nonstick cooking spray because I’m weird and “processed” meat should be warmed up, even if it’s only lukewarm when served.

In our regular Tuesday drill, CLICK for all the details. Living though a muggy Oklahoma summer means I’m always on the lookout for easy, non-oven meals that are filling and cool to eat. I’m not the only one. Since her significant other, Duke Reagan, is based out of Key West, Dr. Cory Prince also appreciates cool recipes that are easy and filling and something her manly-man, Hard Target team leader Duke will eat. Duke is not just a former SEAL and the team is made up of men out of the ordinary. They met when Duke’s SEAL Team Atlantis was sent to Africa to rescue the kidnapped doctor. You can read their story in DOUBLE CROSS (Hard Target #1). Grab a copy by clicking on either pic with the cover or the title. You’ll pop over to Books2Read to find your favorite online bookstore. It’s also available in paperback from Amazon.

What about y’all? Do you enjoy hearty salads as the whole meal in the summer? And would you like to visit Key West? 🙋🏼‍♀️

Posted in Books, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Monday Run-down

Posted on June 26, 2023 by Silver James

I sooo do not want to hit Wallyworld today because gotta go early before the heat gets bad. I need more weekend because my was pretty much spent adulting. Quick rundown of events.

Early Friday morning, Only called. They had a burst water pipe and 1 1/2 inches of water in their living room plus water flowing out the driveway. She grabbed the water key and got it turned off before callin us. She was attempting to suck up water with their shop vac. Deal was, Baseball Boy is teaching summer school and there’s no substitutes. She absolutely had stuff she had to get done at the office. She was in flight or fight mode. We loaded up and headed north, stopping to buy another shop vac because ours had died and we needed one anyway. The thing is, they tend to let things stack up aound the furniture–boxes, books, etc. Yeah. It was a mess. They are also dealing with BB’s dad being in the hospital up the turnpike (1 1/2 drive away). Anyway, we did what we could before the big rain storm blew in mid-afternoon. I mean, really, Mother Nature? You couldn’t wait until dark to rain on our parade?

Saturday was soccer. Stormy scored two goals–one on a penalty kick. His team won 6-0. It was hot but there was a semi-cool breeze. Still worn out from being on our feet all day Friday, LG and I went home, crashed and burned.

Yesterday, BB needed windshield time to see his dad. Saturday after the game, they’d made the decision to take out the carpet pad and hope that the carpet would dry with no mold or mildew. They had industrial fans going. Then the carpet ripped. So, Only tore out the carpet except under the entertainment center that was bolted to the wall. BB headed out, we headed north. LG worked in the garage sorting stuff that got waterlogged while Only and I dealt with ALL THE THNINGS and many books in the shelves. Then she unbolated the center, we moved the two pieces, ripped up that carpet, and moved the center back against the wall. She’s going to buy a cheap rug, toss it on the concret and let it go for now.

Once that was done, we helped LG finish moving stuff into the garage. To put the cherry on the Sunday, the AC fan in his truck started making an awful racket. And yes, it was hotter than bloody red blazes. He found a loose hose, tightened it and then we discovered that the noise only happened when the AC was on max. Solved that. Put it on normal all the way home. His warning lights and gauges all remained in the normal range so who knows? He did lose a screwdriver in the engine block. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Anyway, that was my weekend and I soooo do not want to adult today. I’m tired, sore, have to Wallyworld if we want to eat and then Stormy is coming this afternoon after his morning STEM camp. That’s cool That’s the easy part of the day. The hard part is getting myself past the first cup of coffee, dressed and out the door to make sense of a shopping list. Fun times. 🙄

Sho what “excitement” did y’all endure this weekend?

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

Friday Sinema: Short and Hot

Posted on June 23, 2023 by Silver James

Yes, I fell down the rabbit hole that is YouTube shorts. In doing so, I did find this little gem. Take about a minute to learn some tips to help you survive Summer in the South. Since we had our first heat advisory on the first day of Summer this week, I figure we all needed a refresher course! Have a great weekend and stay cool!

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

Thursday Thoughts: Universal Law 123

Posted on June 22, 2023 by Silver James

Conflict. It’s what often drives the plot engine. Oh, and character development. There’s a famous quote in writing circles: “In writing, you must kill all your darlings.” It’s been attributed to Willaim Faulkner but you can’t prove that by me. There’s a lot discussion about where the idea originated, how it evolved to include torturing your darlings, and what it actually means. Do you go after your characters (presumably your darlings) or does it refer to pet phrases, words, situations, and/or tropes? Well, according to the Univers, there’s a reason.

It’s an absolute law, Silver, that every challenge, fear, or loss you encounter bears gifts far more valuable than the price of the trouble they cause.

I think it’s Law 123.ILY –
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. And remember, Silver, no loss ever goes unsettled in the long run.

Personally, I like to make my characters work for their HEA. If it comes too easy, then what’s compelling about the book? What is there to keep the reader’s interest? Yes, there are low conflict books that find their niche and some have made it onto various best seller lists. I’d give you some examples but I can’t think of any off the top of my head. Why? Because I don’t read them. I want a book with action. I want crazy stuff to happen. I want my characters to have churning emotions–highs and lows. I want them to “work for it.” Whatever that *it* is. I’ve yet to kill off a popular character though I have killed some secondaries in order to advance the story, to give more urgency to the situation. In romance, you’re not supposed to kill the kid or the dog, either, but in other genres, they get away with it. I think romance afficianados have very soft hearts deep down. I’d also add don’t kill the horse or cat, either. All of this said, I’m all in favor of throwing roadblocks–as long as they are real–meaning nothing that could easily be fixed with an adult conversation. I have a strong aversion to books that take that tact. The whole problem–which keeps the couple apart for 3/4s of the book–could have been solved in the first chapter if they just sat down and talked like two normal, rational adult human beings.

Anyway, I’m all in favor of causing trouble for my characters so they can reap the benefits in the end. I mean, it IS romance, even with paranormal thriller suspense overtones. And deep down, don’t we all read romance to get to the HEA?

Posted in Craft, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Wednesday Words: The Truth is Out There

Posted on June 21, 2023 by Silver James

Are there any rhymes or sayings about Wednesday? None come to mind yet here it is Wednesday once again and time for new words. Iffy had lots of fun with last week’s Thursday Threads prompt: **“That one may be true.”** She immediately danced around my writing cave and chortled. “Ronan!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. “Mick is going to tell an anecdote about them as boys. In front of Maura. And this is what came out after I stopped typing. I hope you enjoy the snippet.
****
Conversation flowed as free as the Guinness streaming from bar taps. The men seemed intent on telling the tallest tale but it was Mick who hushed the table. In fact, the whole bar took a collective breath and listened.

“Now granted, I was but a wee lad m’self and Ronan not much older. There we were at the green grocer’s, shirtails full of purloined apples. One of Boston’s finest had me by the collar and then I was free. Someone had beaned him square in the forehead and knocked him right out.”

The story got a round of derisive comments.

“That one may be true,” Ronan said quietly.

Maura stared at him. Was he serious? She didn’t know him well enough to even make a guess. Relying on the instincts she’d honed in the courtroom, she asked, “May be? Are you hedging your bets?”

“I’m not a gamblin’ man, especially when I’m sittin’ next to an assistant district attorney.”

She laughed. She couldn’t help herself. “Trust me, the statute of limitations have run on a petty larceny.”

Mick chimed in. “But what about the assault with a deadly weapon?”

“I’d hardly consider an apple a deadly weapon.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Mick counterd. “But that copper? Knocked him on his arse and clean out with a concussion to boot. He’s never forgiven us for that.”

Maura’s eyes widened. “He’s still on the force?”

“Aye,” Ronan said. “He’s a homicide cop now.”

“Please don’t tell me it’s Alan Bragg.”

“Then I won’t.”

After a few moments, he reached over and closed her mouth with a gentle tap beneath her chin.

“So what happened after?” Shannon asked, drawing attention back to Mick and his story.

“’Tis the first time we met himself. Brian Boru walked up and told Ronan he should grow up to pitch for the Red Sox but he’d be workin’ for Brian instead because he was always on the lookout for enterprisin’ young lads. He handed a hundred dollar bill to the grocer and hustled us out of the shop before the cop could wake up.”

“And?” Shannon pushed. “He just took you both under his wings?”

“He did,” Ronan said. “After he made us eat every bit of those apples.”

Mick made a gagging face. “In one sittin’. Neither of us can stand the taste of the bloody things to this very day.”
****
Yes, I do have to go back to insert this scene at an earlier point of the book. If this keeps up, the dang book is gonna be closer to 100K words. Which is okay, I guess. I have to charge more but then there’s more to read so it all comes out even, right? So, writers, grab the inspiration and see where it takes you. Readers, what has truly inspired you today?

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Tuesday Treats & Titles: Secret Ingredient Shakes

Posted on June 20, 2023 by Silver James

Summer is coming! Summer is coming! Baby, it’s gettin’ hot outside and I don’t necessarily want to get out and drive somewhere to grab a refreshing drink. Then I remember this easy-peasy milkshake recipe so I found it and I’m reposting it for anyone else who needs a refreshing pick-me-up. There’s nothing better than a frosty minty milkshake.

YIELDS:
2 servings

TOTAL TIME:
5 mins

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 Cup vanilla bean ice cream, softened
1/4 Cup milk
3/4 Teaspoon pure peppermint extract
3 drops green gel food coloring
Whipped cream and green sanding sugar, for serving. (See tips for extras)_

DIRECTIONS
In a blender, puree ice cream, milk, peppermint extract, and food coloring to combine.
If desired, top shake with whipped cream and sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Tips
1 – If you want something a little thicker, use two cups of ice cream.

2 – You can use mint chocolate chip ice cream instead of vanilla ice cream. Leave out the food coloring and use only 1/2 Teaspone of peppermint.

3. If you want mint chocolate chip but don’t have the ice cream, make as above but throw in 1/4 Cup chocolate chips and “pulse” your blender in a couple of short bursts to chop them up.

If you’d like the nutritional details, check out this recipe from Woman’s Day. You’ll never guess who discovered this particular recipe, though you can probably figure out why she needs a recipe for this simple concoction…

“I heard that. I could too figure out how to make a stupid milk shake in the blender. I can make frozen margaritas. So there. I just happened to see the recipe and thought to myself that it sounded really tasty. So there.”

Yeah, that would be our favorite wrangler of SpecOps Wolves, Hannah Jackson McIntire. She insists doing so is much toughter than herding cats.

“It is, trust me! And be nice because I ‘m even watching my effing language. Just for your delicate ears. Even though I’ve heard you outcuss a sailor.”

Fine, Hannah. And thank you. I’m sure my readers who might be at work or have their kids hovering around the computer screen appreciate your restraint.

“Oh, I can do restrained. Just ask Mac. Also, if you don’t have peppermint, you can use creme de menthe or my personal favorite, pepermint schnapps. Flavor to your personal taste.”

🙄 Yes, that’s me rolling my eyes. Anyway, I’m featuring MOONSTRUCK: SECRETS as our title today because it goes into more detail about Hannah and Mac’s early story than BLOOD MOON does. I know it hasn’t been that long but I’ve really got Hannah and Mac on my mind lately. Could be time for a reread or a first read if you haven’t grabbed it yet. Just click on a pic with the books cover or the title. Question of the day: Milkshakes or malts??

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

Midsummer Monday

Posted on June 19, 2023 by Silver James

Technically, Midsummer doesn’t happen until this coming Saturday but Wednesday is the “start” of summer, ie. the summer solstice. It’s all very confusing and has to do the the poles, meteorological summer and other such stuffs. It also has to do with Stonehenge, druids, and other mystical stuffs. Anyway, I like the alliteration.

Do you remember being a kid and it seemed like the school year stretching out interminably and then it’s finally summer. Long, lazy days of splashing in pools, playing, reading, sports, camp, whatever. Dark came late and even though daylight came early, we could sleep in and not have to rush around. And then we grew up. And then we grew older. Time now is like watching the Flash dash around in a blure. So here it is Monday again, the past week  and we are almost halfway through the year. That’s a bit depressing considering how much I have NOT accomplished. I’m trying not to be depressed by my inaction. I have no one to blame but myself. As one of my old college professors used to say, “Onward and upward.”

There was soccer on Saturday. Stormy played well. Only managed to coach alone. The head coach was on a trip with her kiddo and the ex wasn’t there to help because his son was with mom. Basebally Boy was with his dad who had a medical emergency and was admitted to the hospital. It’s touch when you’re an hour and a half away. After soccer, we carried through with our plans for a final farewell lunch at Alvarado’s, our favorite restaurant. It was their last day. We got to see our favorite waitresses to say goodbye, to eat our favorite dishes, and to wish the owner will with his retirement. After 27 years in the food business, he deserves a long rest! Of course, we did try to convince him to create a cookbook. We’ll see if he follows through.

Sunday was Walmart trip because Stormy is here each mornings this week. Afternoons, he goes back to Kid’s College for a Mario Bros. coding class. He enjoyed his Lego class a bunch. Jake got to see some of his new friends, because the “associates” on Sunday are different from the ones on Monday or Tuesday. Still, we managed to get in and out while it was still cool.

The reason it was cool was the massive complex of storms that zoome through just before midnight last night. Very high winds, big hail, instances of flooding rain and a few small tornado spin-ups. I’m such an Okie. I dozed off during the continuous coverage until it was almost here. We came through fine though there are small trees and larger branches that came down in surrounding areas. Wind gust here was 65. In other places, it was from 75 to over 100. Crazysauce.

Still doing the marathon Kate Daniels relisten. I’m about halfway through and will probably finish off before the new audio release on approximsately July 4th. I suppose I really should look for something new to read but sadly, the last few “new-to-me” books I’ve picked up were DNFs or I lost interest after the first couple of books in a series. Yeah, yeah. Picky, picky.

Not much else going on around here. Still making slow progress on CROSSFIRE while also adding weird snippets from other WIPs. Still taking the easy way out with dinners. Hey, it’s summertime. I’m all about the light and easy. Now if I could apply that to my dang writing. LOLOL. What’s going on in your neck of the world?

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

Friday Sinema: What’s Cookin’?

Posted on June 16, 2023 by Silver James

I’ve mentioned on numerous Tuesdays (and in comments) that there are times I don’t use a recipe. I’m Southern. I learned to cook in the South. And this explains it all. Enjoy!

Posted in Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: Universal Imagine It

Posted on June 15, 2023 by Silver James

I did some actual work on the book yesterday. It’s over 62K words and I can actually see the ened. Yes, the end is in sight and that light is not a train. Except I really need to write a book with a night train in it because…well…reasons. Ahem. Anyway. When I was looking for a post for today, this one popped up and…ah ha! All I have to do is imagine the end of the book. I mean, isn’t that what writer’s do? We imagine the start, the middle, the end. We imagine characters and what shenannigans they get up to. And then we imagine the words that will tell the story the way we want it told. The way the Universe tells it, the whole process is simple if we leave it up to our imagination.

If you can imagine it, you can have it, Silver. This is the name of the game. This is the lesson to learn. It couldn’t be any easier. Reality is not what your eyes show your mind, but what your thoughts create for your eyes to see. You are not limited by logic, the past, or the world around you. You are not of the world around you, it is of you.

Yo came first. Magic, miracles, and luck are the consequences of understanding this, the inevitable byproducts of dreaming and acting in spite of appearances.

You are ever so close. Simply stay the course. It won’t be very much longer.

Soul-Power,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. If you can imagine it, Silver, you can have it.

So here I sit, taking the Universe’s advice. I’m imagining it. THE END. I’m imagining the “orphan” scenes that need to fit into the last few chapters–the where and the how. And I’m imagining keeping an eye on the prize. The End. I soooo want to type those two words. Which is silly because they never actually make it into a published book. I’ll let you know if it works. If I could just keep it up, I might actually be finished soon. Eye on the prize! I can imagine it! What are you imagining today?

Posted in Craft, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment