I do love me some “It’s a Southern Thing” videos, especially this time of year because, heck yeah. They are dead on. And it’s still hot because…summer. In the South! Have a great weekend and stay cool, boo.
This is what if feels like to get an idea for a new book:
Shaping, shifting, molding, making: What people do when they discover their imagination.
Spinning, curling, dipping, twirling: What people do when they discover their wings.
Beaming, glowing, basking, shining: What people do when they discover love.
Basking, Silver –
The Universe
©www.tut.comP.S. Go for the triple crown, Silver.
And this is definitely what it feels like to finish one and have it ready to release into the wild. So clase, baby. Sooo close. What are you basking in today?
Did everyone here in the States have a safe and sane 4th of July? We always have idiots who pop off illegal fireworks. Jake, having been shot at before he was rescued, freaks out. I don’t freak out but it pisses me right the fark off. Especially when it starts two weeks before, goes two weeks after, and they do it past my bedtime! We also have a couple of younger vets who have moved intp the neighborhood and they are also sensitive. PTSD. It’s a real thing, people! That makes today’s snippet rather apropos. The Thursday Threads prompt was **“I should have been there.”** And it was perfect for an early scene in CROSSFIRE. It’s pretty self-explanatory.
****
As the team settled in at the bar, Kin was drawn to that wall. His eyes lingered on a few photos and his breath caught on one that looked brand-new and shiny in its plain black frame.
“Dougal.” He breathed the name, unable to speak it aloud. When he could move again, his gaze sought out the bartender. “When, Callie?”
The man, wearing a face that stated he’d seen it all, lifted a pint glass toward the wall in a solemn salute.
“’Tis a couple months gone now. Didja not know?”
Kin shook his head but before he could answer Loch stood beside him. “We’ve been on deployment,” the Irishman explained. “What happened?”
Despite feeling slightly irritated, Kin was grateful for Loch’s interference. He needed to know but he couldn’t force himself to ask. Dougal. His brother-in-arms since they’d been wee scalawags in short pants playing at war at his Gran’s farm in the Highlands. They’d enlisted together, trained together, and fought in the SAS together. Then they came home. And Dougal changed.
He hadn’t talked to the man who’d been closer than any blood relative in two years. Guilt flooded him, even though he’d tried to stay in contact.
“Where did they put him?” Kin asked.
“He was behind on his rent and the landlord went to collect.” The bartender answered Loch first. “Dougal’d been passed at least a week. His weapon was still in his hand.” His eyes held infinite sadness as he turned to Kin. “Tayport. His sister’s doin’. She’d tried.” He swept the room with one hand. “We all tried. There was just no gettin’ through to him.” He poured three glasses of Glen Fiddish and pushed two across the bar to Kin and Loch before picking up the third.
“I know ya probably like your Irish whiskey best, lad, but I think you’ll find our single malt scotch suits just fine.” The three of them raised their glasses to all the portraits on the wall then drank.
“Aye,” Loch agreed. “I am a whiskey man when I’m not downin’ Guinness but that’s a smooth drink goin’ down. I’ll be buying a round for m’mates.”
Kin continued staring at the photograph. His voice was strangled as he forced out words. “I should have been there.”
The next morning, Kin made the hour-plus drive to Tayport, there where the River Tay was about to introduce itself to the North Sea. He didn’t go alone.
****
There you have it. And yeah, PTSD, depression, and mental health in general is important. We need to take care of ourselves. And we need to reach out–FOR ourselves and TO others. Sermon over. Writers, feel frea to grab some inspriation and run with it. Readers, what should you have been there for?
No recipe today and no book. Instead, I’m tossing it to y’all. What’s your favorite dessert, side, or main dish to serve to faimily and friends on the 4th of July or any other summer holiday. Of course, down in the southern hemisphere, it’s winter so any readers down there could share their favorite comfy cold-weather foods. Next, pair a book you enjoy with that dish. I’m curious about what you’ll share! Blue–the official Moonstruck Wolf mascot–and his little buddy, Freedom, what y’all to weigh in!
This whole dual season thing is also the reason Smashwords calls their big July event the Summer/Winter Sale. Almost all of my self-pubbed books are available with a 50% coupon you get on Smashwords. It’s a great way to start or finish one of my series! Just click on the sale banner down at the bottom to head over there to grab a book to read. There are literally 1000s of books available from hundreds of authors, including my good friend, B.E. Sanderson. If you haven’t read her suspense or fantasy, nows a great time!
Enjoy the holiday here in the USA. Stay cool and stay safe. And please, don’t be an Alpha Hotel with fireworks. Veterans and critters alike react badly to the noise and confusion. PTSD and lost pets are not cool. Now it’s your turn. SHARE! I need cool books and great food!!!
So, back in the day when I actually had to get up, put on real clothes, and commute to a job, I learned that, when it comes to messing up the work week, the only thing worse than a 3-day weekend is a “Mandatory Monday” between the weekend and a holiday. Like this week. I suspect a lot of people are taking off today to grab a four-day weekend since tomorrow is the 4th and we all know that only relail and food service folks have to work on the 4th of July. Here in the USA, anyway. Me? I’m like a cat. I don’t really pay attention to what day of the week it is as long as I follow my schedule of things I gotta do. Monday means Wallyworld. Tuesday means laundry. Wednesday means…well, something, I’m sure. Same for Thursday and Friday. Saturday is sports (if Stormy has a match or game) and Sunday is for figuring out what the heck I’m doing for the next week.
Just in case you missed the announcement, Smashwords is having their annual Summer/Winter (depends on which side of the hemisphere you live in–LOL). Almost all of my books are half-price with the Smashwords coupon. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO. Books are on sale for the whole month of July but ONLY at Smashwords.
Also, happy Halfway Day! Sort of. It was actually yesterday. As of 12 noon on July 2, 2023 is halfway over with. You know, just in case you have plans for the year that you need to get on. Yeah, me too!
Since it was sort of a holiday weekend, no soccer and since it was First Saturday, we did have siren test. Sadly, our favorite restaurant is now closed so no Alvarado’s. Instead, we opted for Earl’s BBQ. It’s a local chain and they do make good BBQ. No sure it will become our First Saturday go-to for family lunch but it was tasty and even the cooks came out to see and pet Jake so yeah, we’ll be back since he’s so welcome there. As a service dog, he can go anywhere with us but some places are…friendlier, shall we say? The Earl’s in Ednmond was definitely welcoming.
It’s hot–hello! Summer in the South! But it’s not 🤬 🥵 which is just swell by me. We did a little work in the yard and will try to do a little bit more each morning this week. Stupid grapevines and wisteria vines are taking over everything. Not to mention to volunteer oak and sweet gum tree volunteers. Ugh.
There’s not much else going on around here. I keep slogging along–slowly but not very surely–on CROSSFIRE. Not sure why Iffy and I have such a block about finishing the damn book. The first of it is some darn fine writing, even if I say so myself. Part of me thinks I should just go back to the beginning and reread the whole thing then start writing where I left off. Except I’ll fall into that ol’ editing trap that kept me from finishing a couple of books because…I kept editing what was written and made no forward progress. I am not the only author this happens to.
I’m almost to the end of my marathon relisten to the Kate Daniels series. The two new entries (a novella and a book) release as an audio bundle on the 10th. I have 3 books left but according to the chronological timeline, I need to listen to the new books before finishing out with the last book, which isn’t the last book in the series/expanded world, but will be for quite awhile. Two book in 8 days? Yeah, no. Two books in 4 days? Yeah, definitely. I did break down and spend Audible credits for the dramatized versions of MAGIC BITES and MAGIC BURNS. I borrowed BITES from Hoopla before I decidef to buy. I guess I’ll throw BURNS (the 2nd book and I just finished the 9th) into the mix to take up a day or two.
Welps, I think that’s all that’s happening in my world. I get to spend the next couple of days coddlyng Jake because he hates fireworks and we have some idiot neighbors. The far-away ones (ie. the sponsored big fireworks shows) don’t bother him quite so much anymore. It’s the closer, sharper firecrackers that sound like gunshots that freak him. It’s double irksome because it’s illegal to own or shoot them inside city limits, and that includes the two municipalities that we share borders with. Anyway, have a safe and sane 4th, USAers and happy regular Tuesday to the rest of the world. Anyone have exciting plans for the 4th?
Now is your best chance to find almost all of my ebook collections for a promotional price (50% off!!!) at Smashwords as part of their Annual Summer/Winter Sale! Find my books and many more HERE all month! #SWSale2023 #Smashwords
It’s hot but I don’t have to tell y’all that. We’re comin’ up on the 4th of July and even though the days are slowly getting shorter, you can’t prove that by the heat indext. Take it from a veteran Southerner, you need these tips to stay cool! Have a great weekend and stay safe!
When I first recieved this message from the Universe, I read it and deleted it. But it stuck with me due to something a sister writer said about channeling real-life personal events into current fictional WIPs. What she said and my reply to her made me think. I retrieved the message from my trash folder and I began looking at the message from a diffeent angle. Actually, I turned it upside down, flipped from side-to-side, and looked at it inside out. There was a deeper meaning here when it comes to writing.
Really and truly, Silver, there is only you, and more you.
Celebrate everyone,
The Universe
P.S. I celebrate everyone, Silver, but then, I’ve always known they were you.
Someone who knows me very well said that my Sade Marquis character was me. Brash, snarky, coffee addicted, with a deep sense of fair play. I shook my head. Sade is sooo not me. Neither is Hannah nor is any of the other heroines I’ve created and given stories to. My alpha males aren’t shadows of Lawyer Guy either. Do some of them have some of his traits? Sure. He’s a highly intelligent and educated former military member and a total alpha. But the resemblence stops there.
A very well-known and best-selling author (who shall not be named) was accused of turning her two main female protagonists (two different series) into Mary Sues. If you are unsure what that term means, CLICK HERE for a quick definition and if you’re intereted a somewhat lengthy analyis of the “phenomonon.” I’ll admit, I saw the parallels in her real life and stopped reading both series because it’s one thing to work out some personal issues with your fictional characters but totally another to turn them and the secondary characters into you and yours. Am I guilty of using personal experience in my books? Totally. TWICE THE TEMPTATION and CLAIMING THE COWGIRL’S BABY both touched on things I’m familiar with–deadly tornadoes (TTT) and adoption (CTCB). Do Hannah and Sade share some of my characteristics? Sure. I cuss and suck down coffee. But I CAN (and do) cook. I have a background in law enforcement AND the military. And besides, there’s that whole “write what you know” rule that may or may not be a good idea. LOL
Is it okay to incorporate your experiences in a work of fiction? Yes. So long as YOU aren’t the main character who acts and reacts exactly like you. If you do that, it’s called an autobiography or memoir. But incorporating things you’ve experenced or felt–through the eyes of the FICTIONAL character you created and breathed life into–makes your story more real. You can infuse those emotions into the character. You can use those events to add action to the story and move it along. You can make it feel real for the reader because it was real for you. The twist here is to keep yourself out of it. Which is heard, especially when dealing with emotionally-charged events. Just keep in mind that your feelings may be valid for your character but you have to keep in mind your character–what their background is, how they react to other things, and why they are doing/feeling what they are. It’s a fine line to walk.
So that’s my lesson for today. Like the Universe says, “celebrate everyone” and it’s okay to know that deep down, there’s a little bit of you in them all. It’s genetic, you know, like passing things down to your kids. Because deep down, aren’t our characters our kids?
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?
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? 🙋🏼♀️
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Silver James 