Friday Sinema: The Boys of Summer

Posted on July 24, 2026 by Silver James

I do love me some baseball. This short reel shows many of the reasons why. I once had an idea for a romantic suspense that invovled an injured police detective who hung out at the minor league ballpark while she recuperated. Then players started dying. And yes, I planned to title the book THE BOYS OF SUMMER. Maybe I’ll get back ’round to it one of these days. In the meantime, hope you enjoy and stay cool, y’all.

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Thursday Thougths: Universal Worldbuilding

Posted on July 23, 2026 by Silver James

The Univere is trying its very best to remind me that I’m a writer. It keeps dropping hints in my inbox. On one hand, I need the nudges. On the other, I keep waiting for the Big U to say, “I told yo so.” That said, today’s message also reminds me that I’m a writer who often offers unsolicited advice to other writers via this blog. On Thursdays. And here it is Thursday. So some advice from the Universe. Except it’s not exactly advice. It’s more an explanation of how things work during certain parts of the process.

Do you realize, Silver, that you are so powerful…

…the entire world (people, places, and angels) looks to you for direction every single day?

Me too,
  The Universe
©www.tut.com 

P.S. And of course trees and shrubbery, pets and animals, Silver, even other worlds…

And there it is in a nutshell. That’s how you create the world in which to set your story. From the mountains to the plains to the oceans, you plant the trees and flowers, set the animals free, build the buildings and then “birth” the characters and then we tell their stories. Easy peasy, writer-gods!

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Wednesday Words: Not Wrong

Posted on July 22, 2026 by Silver James

As I mentioned in Monday’s blog, I won the Thursday Threads challenge last week. And for once, I know where the snippet belongs–or I will once I find the scene I want to attach it to. Anyway, things are slowly coalescing into an almost cohesive whole. The prompt is: *“I hope I’m wrong.”* For some reason, the Luther Ingram song “(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don’t Want to be Right” is my current earworm. Anyway. There are some hints here about Sade’s past–not a spoiler for anyone familiar with the series and there is some speculation about what may or may not be a plot bunny. 😉

****
“Your time at the Summer Court, how much do you remember?”

Tilting her head, Sade stared at Ariel before her brows knit in concentration. “Not sure where you’re going with this.”

“The rumor was that Oberon was your sire.”

Sade snorted. “Like Fae and Humans can procreate.” She blinked when Ariel didn’t immediately respond. “Wait. They actually can?”

“What do you know of changelings?”

“They’re myth. That whole spiel about Magicks stealing a human child and leaving a creature that looks human in their place is just a story. People used that excuse when a child was…different.” She was not thrilled by his expression. “So…we got that wrong too?”

Ariel nodded slowly. “I will admit that we fostered that idea.”

“What else will you admit to? Are you saying that there are half Fae kids running around?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then what exactly.”

Ariel stared into his coffee cup as if trying to read the creamy swirls there. “It’s rare. The magical cost is incredible. But…” He sighed. “It has happened, though not as you described.”

“Explain.” Sade’s voice held the terse edge of an order.

“Changelings are created with magic then the infants are placed into the human world.”

“For what purpose?”

“To open a gate.”

“Why? All of you can use portals.”

“There’s a difference. Gates are direct paths between realms. The royals fear Mab is involved and there is a changeling here.”

Sade gulped. “Are you serious?”

“I hope I’m wrong.”

“If you aren’t, we’re screwed.”
****

Hope you enjoyed this peek at things in Rochester. Writers, hope the prompt inspires you to some new words. Readers, do you remember the song refeenced above? If so, you’re welcome for the earworm. If you aren’t, you should go listen to it on YouTube.

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Half-Price Chocolate Peanut Ice Cream Bars

Posted on July 21, 2026 by Silver James

Who’s ready for ice cream? 🙋🏼‍♀️ These ice cream bars are easy, tasty, crunchy and perfect as a snack while reading a good book–preverably one of mine which you bought at half-price from Smashwords during the Summer/Winter Sale. You have 10 more days to indulge in your book buying habit.

Chocolate Peanut Ice Cream Bars
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook/freeze Time: 3 hrs
Total Time: 3 hrs 20 mins
Servings depend on how big you cut the bars–try for at least 12 😉

Ingredients
Graham crackers (enough to line the bottom of a 9×13 pan)
2 quarts Vanilla ice cream (softened)
1 jar hot fudge sauce (12.8 oz. size)
1 1⁄2 cup red skin peanuts* (any peanuts will do actually, but this is an old recipe)
Magic Shell chocolate topping (7.25 oz. size bottle)

*If there’s a peanut allergy, use other nuts or chopped pretzel stickes. Just something to add some crunch. You could even use Rice Krispie cereal.

Let’s Make It
1 – Set out the vanilla ice cream to soften at room temperature for 15 minutes. Line a 9×13 with graham crackers, breaking some in 1/2 to cover the entire pan.
2 – Spread 1 quart of the vanilla ice cream evenly over the graham crackers.
3 – Add the hot fudge as the next layer, spreading it to cover the entire top in an even layer. Sprinkle 1/2 of the peanuts over the hot fudge.
4 – Spread the 2nd quart of ice cream over the peanuts and hot fudge. Top that with the remaining peanuts then drizzle the Magic Shell over the top. Place the pan in the freezer for at least 3 hours before cutting into bars and serving.

Tip: If you don’t plan on eating the entire pan, you can individually wrap the cut bars in wax paper and refreeze in a large plastic freezer bag. Easy to grab one and go. FYI, if the bars have melted during cutting and serving and you want to do this, stick the pan back in the freezer until they firm up again.
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Monday Mutterings

Posted on July 20, 2026 by Silver James

It’s Monday once again and July is sliding inexorably toward August. We’re due to this the dog days of summer this week with temps in the triple digits. We did get a smidge of rain last week. It was welcome if not enough. Summer rain here is spotty. One side of the metro can get a flash flood and the opposite gets bright sunshine. Keeps things interesting.

With it being so hot, I’ve mostly stayed a homebody. Jake and I got out once last week to hit Wallyworld for groceries and to make a Starbucks run. We go early in the morning to beat the heat–at the crowds. Jake met a new doggo–a black Lab/Malinois mix named Maisy. She was a sweet girl and Jake informed her dad of the various treats he likes to nom on.

I managed a small bit of writing and even managed to win the Thursday Thread challenge last week. Yes, the snippit will be shared this Wednesday. The good news is, the scene is not completely random in that I know approximately where it belongs in the story.

I’m still “vacationing” on Harmony, ie. a marathon listen to Jayne Castle’s Harmony series. It’s SciFi/ParaRom fun. With dust bunnies. I do like the dust bunnies. They look like a mound of dryer lint, have four eyes–two bright blue ones for regular use and two that open when they’re in hunting mode, come with six legs–the front set used much like a raccoon uses theirs, and the common saying in regards to them biting is, “By the time you see the teeth, it’s too late.” They are indigenous to Harmony and tend to adopt “their” hurman. I have no clue how Jayne dreamed them up but they’re a fun addition to her books.

Thee’s not much else going on in my world. I’m prone to slowing down and vegging out during these dog days. On that boring note, I’m going to get more coffee and try to get my brain in gear. I might complain a lot about Ariel but in truth, he has every right to complain about me when it comes to writing his damn book. Have a good and productive week, all!

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Friday Sinema: Enchanted

Posted on July 17, 2026 by Silver James

W. Ed Harris is a musician and composer I follow on X. He follows me too. I discovered him years ago back when it was Twitter and creative types managed to bump into each other on the feed. When I came back to X after a several-years-long hiatus, I was delighted that he was still there, still posting his music and now doing videos. I’ve bought several of his albums and yes, his music figures strongly in the soundtrack of Ariel’s Damn Book, including this one, because enchanged glen! Hope you enjoy this one. No plans for the weekend, just writing. You?

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Math

Posted on July 16, 2026 by Silver James

First, math is not my strong suit but we’re talking about the Universe so I’m going to see if I can make the message add up. And yes, I probably have not had enough coffee for this so bear with me. First, I like this message just at face value. Second, I immediately related this to the writing process because…well, I do that. I’ll explain–or at least attempt an explanation once you’ve read what the Big U dropped in my inbox.

Do you think I’ll meet you halfway, Silver?

Well… your job is to think new thoughts, speak new words, and knock on new doors.

Mine… is to rearrange the stars, move mountains, align serendipities, and command the elements.

Some might call that halfway. But old souls know that I would literally move heaven… just for you.

And I do,
  The Universe
©www.tut.com 

P.S. The math is in your favor, Silver, because you are in mine.

I leave it up to each of you to absorb and transalte how this relates to you as an individual. As for how this applies to writing, it’s like this…

Read that second paragraph again. Would you agree that our job as writers is to think new thoughts, speak new words, and knock on new doors. New thoughts = idea for book. “Speak” new words = writing the story. Knock on new doors = stretching our writing chops, looking for new readers and new markets. Does this add up to you?

Now, consider the third paragraph: Mine… is to rearrange the stars, move mountains, align serendipities, and command the elements. To me, this implies two things–well, two people, both necessary to the process. First person is each of us as The Writer. Once we hit The End, it’s time to turn our work over to the second person, The Editor. This is the point where we shift into editing mode. We turn a critical and logical eye to our work, making several passes, rearranging, moving, and aligning, in full command of our work. At least until we turn it over to beta readers, editors, and proofreaders.

Anyway, that’s today’s thoughts. Now I need more coffee.

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Wednesday Words: Fancy Meeting You Here

Posted on July 15, 2026 by Silver James

There are no “new” words this week as I was the judge for last week’s Thursday Threads. Instead, I pulled a section–which is slighly longer than my usual Wednesday entries–from a chapter I just finished up. This is about 1/3 of the way into the story and Sade has arrived in Rochester on orders from the FBI Director. Marcella is a FBI agent from the Buffalo field office. While I probably won’t use last week’s prompt, I’ll drop it here in case some of you find inspiration with it: *“I’m afraid it’s a hostile takeover.”*

Sade sighed mentally, rolling her eyes skyward in a why me expression. “Well, well, well,” she said. “Why am I not surprised?” The Dragon in human guise smiled bigger and she immediately thought of the very wise advice: Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons for you art crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

“Fancy meeting you here, Agent Marquis.”

Beside her, Marcella sucked in a breath. She couldn’t blame the other agent. The Dragon did have a way of tweaking female hormones. “Agent Lloyd, may I present Nikolas Constantine, Drakon of Klan Kholikikos.
“D-d-dragon?” Marcella finally got the question out.

“Yes. Why are you here, Nikos? Do you know something I don’t?”

“I might ask you the same, Sade.”

“Well, gee. I mean with Rochester being a null space when it comes to magic yet a high-ranking fae and the chief enforcer of a Dragon klan are both right in the middle of things. My spidey sense is tingling.”

“Null space?”

“Yeah, no magic.”

“Whatever gave you that idea?”

“Seriously? All you Magicks say that. Or imply it because none of you have claimed Rochester.”

“It’s wild.”

“Excuse me?”

“The magic here is wild, uncontrollable so we avoid the place.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I have business.”

“With Ariel?” Nikos only raised an eyebrow in response. “I know he’s here, Nikos. I want to know why.”

“That, my dear Sade, is the question of the day.” His eyes flicked beyond her. “Shall we ask him?”

Sade turned in time to see Ariel striding through the front doors. The Fae faltered when he saw her and she noted the guilty look on his face. With a sigh, he walked over. Sade didn’t give him a chance to greet them. “Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Why are you here, Ariel? And don’t give me the same kind of bullshit answer the Dragon did.”

He held his hands up in surrender. “It’s complicated.”

“So are dead girls.”

Ariel had the good graces to wince. “I’m trying to find out why there are dead girls.”

“Good. That makes two of us.”

Nikos cleared his throat and raised his hand, his expression serious. “Three.”

And the plot thickens. *bwahaha* Progress is still slow but it is progress. What sort of progress are you making on your projects today?

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Sale & Lemon Blueberry Pie

Posted on July 14, 2026 by Silver James

I know it’s hot in our half of the hemisphere and you might not want to heat up the kitchen but it bakes at only 350 and not for very long. You end up with a creamy, summery delight that’s perfect for sitting in the shade and reading a book. Preferably, one of mine, especially since all my books on Smashwords are still for sale at 50% off until the end of July. Conversely, it’s a cozy treat for those of you waaay down south where it’s winter. Wherever you are, y’all know the drill to get to my books. Either click on the pic or use the QR code on your phone. Happy nomming and reading. Enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Pie

Recipe details
Yield
8 servings
Time spent:
Prep time: 30 Minutes
Cook time: 30 Minutes
Total time: 1 hr

Ingredients
Blueberry Swirl
2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
Shortbread Pie Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour unbleached
1/2 cup powdered sugar packed
1 Tbsp cornstarch
8 Tbsp unsalted butter softened to room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract pure
1 pinch sea salt fine

Lemon Filling
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
2 tsp lemon zest
2 large egg yolks

Instructions
Blueberry Swirl
1 – Add cornstarch and lemon juice to a small bowl. Stir until combined and cornstarch has dissolved.
2 – Pour cornstarch mixture into a small saucepan over medium heat. Add blueberries and sugar then stir gently while mashing blueberries with the backside of a spoon until sauce thickens–approximately 5 minutes.
3 – Strain blueberry sauce through a fine mesh sieve then cool sauce to room temperature. (Note: only the strained sauce will be used for the swirl, but feel free to garnish pie slices with the blueberries remaining in the strainer.)

Shortbread Crust
1 – Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2 – Pulse crust ingredients in a food processor until a soft dough forms.
3 – Using your fingers, press shortbread dough into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate until evenly packed.
4 – Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown then remove from oven to add lemon filling.

Lemon Filling
1 – Combine sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl then whisk until combined.
2 – Pour lemon filling onto warm shortbread crust.
3 – Drop small dollops of blueberry sauce onto lemon filling and swirl gently with a chopstick or butter knife.
4 – Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until center is just set and no longer jiggly. Do not overbake.
5 – Place pie plate on a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
6 – Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours before serving. (Mine chilled overnight.)
7 – For best results, allow pie to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing. This allows the shortbread crust time to soften.
8 – Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

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Monday Mishmash

Posted on July 13, 2026 by Silver James

Hello. It’s Monday calling. You might wonder why I keep track of the days of the week on the blog. It’s simple. Doing so ensures that I might actually know what day it is without having to look at a calendar.

I really don’t have much to relate. Again. It’s summer. It’s hot. We did get some rain early Sunday morning. We also had a huge branch come down in the backyard. I’m hoping the yard crew comes this week, chops it up and hauls it off. It’s that big. We don’t let LG have chainsaws. The last time necessitated a trip to the ER.

I’m catching up to my Goodreads Reading Challenge. Last week I was 12 books behind meeting my goal. This week, I’m only 7 behind. This is partially due to my marathon relisten of Jayne Castle’s Ghost Hunters/Harmony series. These books are a mix of light SciFi with paranormal. They are interesting tales with a touch of humor and lots of action and romance. It’s been four or five years since I’ve done a complete series relisten. Did I mention the dustbunnies?

It’s still hot. Not quite as hot today but due to get hotter by the end of the week. As a result, I’m not doing a whole lot of cooking that creates heat. Oh! I did do me a splurge last week. I bought a multi-funtion air fryer/toaster/broiler/oven combo. I’ve used it to air fry egg rolls and to toast toast. It works great for that. My gently used (less than a year old) toaster oven is moving to the Kids’ house. I should explain. My gas stove is 40 years old. It’s gas. It has two ovens–one smaller upper overn and one giant lower over with a broiler drawser beneath it, plus four burners. I love my gas stove. I love my double ovens. But is is 40 years old and I’ve used it hard. I’m going to have to replace it sooner than later. The thing is, most of the new overn don’t have broilers. I don’t use mine as much as I used to but I do use it. Hence, when I saw the new “critter” on the Hamilton Beach site with a 25% off sale, I ordered it.

Speaking of the branch that came down, Toby barks at it every time he goes into the back yard. He also barks at the neighborhood rooster, that lives like 8 blocks away. Except he barks inside the house. He is quick to remind us that he is a guard dog! Gruff-ruff-RUFF. But the squirrel mafia bouncing off the windows in my office? Nope. Nada. Not even an ear flick. 🙄

Writing. I’ve actually made progress. I went back to the beginning and started tightning up the timeline and adding in some of the random scenes that have accumulated. That was 13 chapters and the prologue. Today, I start a new chapter. I think I know where I’m going with it. We’ll see. Still, 🤞🏼.

That pretty much sums up my life of late. If you’re under the heat dome, stay cool. If you’ve been affected by the rains/flash floods, stay safe. If you’re looking for a book to read and you haven’t read all of mine yet, the Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale is still going on and my books are still 50% off. Just click the pic or use the QR code. Have a great week, all.

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