Monday Ides and Tidings

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Silver James

Okay, technically, the Ides of March falls on the 15th but I needed a title so…whatever.

Last week was sorta busy. I completed another trip around the sun (ie. celebrated something of a milestone b-day). Sunday, Mother Nature got totally pissed at the US. We had 12 or 13 (National Weather Service hasn’t quite decided yet how many) F1- and F2 tornadoes in the state. Monday and Tuesday wasn’t much to write home about, except my route of travel to Wallyworld was fubar’d on Monday, so I gave up and came home then got there on Tuesday. And yes, I will be hitting up the flying W for groceries this morning.

Wednesday was my b-day, the morning spent at the DMEI. Eyes are healing well. I’ve hit 20/25 in the right eye and 20/900 (sort of) in the left. Considering the left couldn’t be measured before the surgery because the chart only goes to 20/1250 (which is pretty much legally blind). I managed to see some of the lines and make a guess on the 900 line. Hoping when I got back on the 20th that it will be even better. It’ll never be even close to 20/20 due to the optic nerve damage but hey, every step forward is a blessing. I’m still confused because I’ve always worn glasses to see far away but could see up close. Now I can see far away but can’t see up close. My hands get lost and take off my borrowed readers when I sit down at the computer. And it’s all blurry until I put the readers back on. Old habits die hard. 🤣

We actually went out to dinner twice this week–both to celebrate. Wednesday night, LG and I hit our fave BBQ place. Ribs and brisket just hit the spot! Last night, the James Gang gathered at the family place for pizza to celebrate me. I had a Caesar salad with grilled chicken and many, MANY fried mushrooms. Yummers!

Speaking of my eyes, I haven’t been ON the computer all that much. I don’t really have a definitive correction for reading/close work so my eyes tend to strain and get tired and/or I get a headache if I spend too much on the computer. That means not much writing has gotten done. In fact, I only did the #ThursdayThreads challenge last week (which I won–woohoo!) so not much progress on the WIP but there’s a snippet to share Wednesday.

And speaking of medical stuff, you know how “they” say you should walk 10,000 steps a day? Well, I saw a medical report last week that made me actually count my steps. According to new research just 500 steps a day can cut heart disease and stroke by 20-30%, Well, I counted. It’s 70 steps every time I go get a cup of coffee. And every time I have to hit the ladies room? It’s either 32 or 68 depending on which bathroom. As much coffee as I drink and as many times as I have to go? I’ve got this! 🤣 ☕

In sports news, my OSU Cowgirls are now18-1 and ranked #3. I do love me some softball. And my Cards are doing good in spring training. Sadly, not many of those games are televised. I can listen to OSU on the computer but not the Cards. Ah, well. World Baseball Classic is coming and most of those games will be televised and opening day isn’t that far away. Saturday was the first day of spring soccer. Stormy’s team has a bunch of new players–several with little experience. He scored the winning goal and we were lucky the team we played also didn’t have much experience. The weather was beautiful–mid-60s and no wind.

Reading–or in my case lisentening–was mostly slow last week. I did finish DESPERATION IN DEATH by JD Robb and have started the new release in the series, ENCORE IN DEATH. When I finish it in a couplt of days, not sure where I’ll go. I may get back to Eileen Wilks’ World of the Lupi series, or perhaps a relisten to the Queen of Shards/Gargoyle Queen series by Jennifer Estep because the newest book in it releases tomorrow. We’ll see where my head is when I finish ENCORE.

And that’s pretty much it for me. What about y’all? How’s your weather? Anything good happen? Anything bad? And who’s ready for St. Paddy’s Day? 😉

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Friday Free-For-All and Random Thoughts

Posted on March 3, 2023 by Silver James

No video today. My Youtube-fu went fubar. Okay, not that extreme but yeah. And who is scratching their head over “fu”? “Fu” does not always mean…well… eff you. There’s kung fu and Fu Manchu and way back in the beginnigs of the internet and Google searches, fu came to mean one’s ability or luck with searching the net for information. Hence the term Google-fu.  Anyway, today is all the random stuff that’s been piling up in notes around my desk and in my  head.

I was at the grocery store in the meat department. There was all this “fake meat” there stamped with big green lable: PLANT BASED. Uhm…All beef is plant based. Cattle eat grass, hay, and feed made from corn, alfalfa, wheat, and soy. According to my biology classes, those things are all plants. Therefore, beet (and chicken and pork) is plant based. Just sayin’….

So, I took a “reader’s quiz” from Penquin Random House. It read pretty generic and did not mention anything about genres. Still, I’m surprised. It pretty much pegged me. Here’s what my “profile” said:

You have a: Bookish Personality
You love to read and make it a priority every day. When it comes to genres, you’re much more likely to pick up a fiction read that will transport you and keep you on the edge of your seat. You read to be entertained, and as long as you can connect with characters and stories, you’re hooked! It doesn’t matter if the book is new or old.

Next…Thinks that keep me awake at night:

Do people who go around breaking news have to pay for it?

I know the voices in my head aren’t real but sometimes, their ideas are really awesome!

I wonder what electric eels were called before they discovered electricity.

So, is macaroni and cheese called “mac” because that’s short for macaroni or because “mac” is an anacronym for macaroni and cheese?

If butterflies are in love, do the feel humans in their sthomachs?

What are party animals and where are they on the food chain?

What was the greatest thing BEFORE sliced bread?

You know those fancy drug commercials that always say in the voice over “Don’t take if you are allergic to NAME OF DRUG.” Uhm…how do you know if you are allergic until you take it?

And in other nonsense…

Think about it:

If you buy a bigger bed, you’ll have more bed room but you’ll have less bedroom.

Justice is best served cold. If served warm, it’s justwater.

And on that note, I’mma gonna duck and run. I need more coffee, a clear head, and I really need to up my finder’s game to locate my ability to adult. What’s random in your life these days? Have a great weekend!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Way

Posted on March 2, 2023 by Silver James

As y’all know, February turned kinda hectic and twisty when it came to my health. There’s a lot of mental stuff going on, as well as the physical part of healing from the surgeries. That comes as no surprise. It’s put me even further behind schedule but it also explains some of the slowdowns I’ve had this past year. And it is a bit of a relief to finally know what’s up, what can be fixed, and what will have to be adjusted to. Life is what it is and I should never be surprised when life imitates fiction and vice versa. This missive from the Universe appeared in my inbox recently and boy, did it speak to me on both a personal and professional level!

Silver, haven’t you always found your way?

Hasn’t there always been a light in the darkness?

Haven’t you always gotten back up?

Haven’t there always been serendipitous surprises, unexpected twists, and triumphant comebacks?

And haven’t you always had someone to love?

Coincidences? Or maybe, do you think, you, too, have always been loved?

Yours,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. And Silver, what of all your dreams that have already come true?

Let’s focus on the “professional” for the rest of this bit of musing. Line by line, as regards to writing: Finding the way. We always manage to muddle through, despite writer’s block, time crunches, typos, recalcitrant characters, and all the other pitfalls of writing a book from start to finish.

Finding the light in the darkness: Inject a little humor. Make sure the dark moment is dark but that the light on the other side is NOT a train barreling. True story. I stopped reading a very popular author’s series because unrelenting bad stuff happened to the main couple book after book after book. I quit after six books. Don’t be that writer. Go to the light. You can’t miss.

Get back up: Yeah, as writers, we’ve all been there, from rejections to bad reviews. Writers keep writing and eventually, we stop getting knocked down. It’s the same with our characters. They need a character arc–they need to grow, to develop, to redeem themselves. Yeah?

Surprises, twists, and comebacks: Again, this relates to both writer and our book’s plots and characters. Readers want to be surprised. We need to throw some twists in to keep them interested and guessing, And who doesn’t love a good combeback?

Someone to love: I write romance. There’s always someone to love. But looking at the advice I gave above, that love story can’t be too easy. The couple has to work for it, they have to need and want and deserve. They need to mess up, fix things, and grab that HEA before it gets away.

And finally, yeah, when I signed my first contract, held my first book in my hands, and then went on to write 50 more, my dream had come true. Now get out there and make your dreams come true. That’s for everybody–wirters and readers both!

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Wednesday Words: No Simple Answer

Posted on March 1, 2023 by Silver James

I’m back on schedule if not up to full speed quite yet. These are the words I wrote last week for the #ThursdayThreads flash fiction challenge, based on the prompt:”There is no simple answser.” This little snippet is short. There’s a reason I didn’t expand it beyound ther 250 words of the challenge. It’s not a new scene, but an addition to a previous scene, if that makes sense. I’ve got to backtrack to find the scene where Kin explains what he is to Meg. It’ll take quite a bit of reworking but it’ll be a better scene when I’m finished. Also, I got tagged for an honorable mention in the challenge so yay!
****
Meg stared at him, head slightly tilted, her expression not quite incredulous but close. “So…I’m not crazy.”

“Not in the least.”
“

Good to know. Because…yeah, I was wondering there for a bit.”

“I’m sure.”

“You aren’t exactly talkative, are you?”

“No, lass. I’m not. Never have been.”

“Also good to know. That said, there’s a whole lot I do want to know.”

“Ask. I’ll do m’best to answer.”

“What are you?”

Kin offered her a rueful smile. “Shoulda been expectin’ that one. T’tell the truth, lass, there is no simple answer.” He pushed off the ground to pace. Deep conversations of any sort had never been his forte and this one? His life—or at least his happiness—depended upon his answer.

“I’d think the simple answer would be, ‘hey, Meg, I’m a werewolf.’”

“Except I’m not. I’m a wolf shifter. There’s a big difference—the main one bein’ that werewolves don’t exist outside of literature, movies, or television.”

“So what makes you a wolf shifter?”

“My kind carries an extra gene attached to the Y chromosome. It’s called the lupi versi pellis gene.”

“My Latin is a bit rusty but…wolves turned into skins?”

“Close. Add the Latin word homo in front and it translates as a man dressed as a wolf.”

Her eyes followed as he paced. “Maybe it should have been a wolf dressed as a man.”

“Yes. Our inner wolf is often very close to the surface.”

She grinned. “This is so freaking cool!”
****
There you have it. You can see why it needs to be “backtracked.” I might even work on that this afternoon after I get back from the follow-up appointment with my surgeon. It depends on whether or not they dilate my eyes. If I get dilated, I can’t see cannoli so I’ll be headed to bed with an audio book. Writers, jump in if you are so inspired. Readers, any questions that need a simple answer? I’m pretty sure I can’t handle complicated at the moment. 😝

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Shhhh

Posted on February 28, 2023 by Silver James

So, no recipe today. Trying to read small type and transferring same to the computer is still pretty much a pain–literally and figuratively. Still, I need to get back in practice of posting M-F, right? Before the basically emergency eye surgeries the past two Tuesdays, I had plans to share recipe’s that pertained to THE SOUND OF SILENCE (Penumbra Papers #4) and GHOSTS & THE ANCIENT STONES (Penumbra Papers #5) because SILENCE is set in New Orleans and STONES ends there. I’d already featured THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC (PP#1) the week before  this whole thing started because I had Mardi Gras appropriate recipes and the books set there and all that there stuff. And then…welll…medical stuff.

Mardi Gras is over now so it’s a little late to be sharing those recipes. However, I’m still gonna hawk my books because…I got bills t’pay, baby. Plus, I love New Orleans, Sade, and her Scoobie Gang. Interested in those books? Click a title or cover pic and jump on over to the landing page on Books2Read to find the on-line retailer of your choice. And hey! They’re all available to borrow from Scribd AND Hoopla! Read for free!

Okay, commercial over. Sometimes, as I’m writing a book, I realize that the setting becomes as much a character as the people and oft times plays a big part in the plot arc. I’ve discovered this is especially true of the books in the Penumbra Papers: New Orlenas in THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC and THE SOUND OF SILENCE, Chicago in SEASON OF THE WITCH, Colorado and the New Mexican desert in THE DEVIL’S CUT (#3), and both Paris and Edinburgh in GHOSTS & THE ANCIENT STONES. I’m going to have to come up with a really special setting for Ariel’s book, which will be #6. Any suggestions?

And speaking of, I’m curious. What do y’all, as readers, think about settings as a character. Do you enjoy the detail that entails? And the big question, what book have you read in recent memory where this is the case? That if the story was set anywhere else, it would have been a different story? As I mentioned, I’m curious and I’m also in need of new reading suggestions. So jump into the discussion. I’ll set out some cafe au lait and beignets and if we’re lucky, there might be a few slices of King’s Cake left over and maybe, if the discussion spills over past lunch, I’ll whip up some muffaletta sandwiches. Just because Mardi Gras is over doesn’t mean we need to stop celebrating and pretedning we’re down in the Frinch Quarter, right? Right!

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Monday Last

Posted on February 27, 2023 by Silver James

How can we be two days away from March?!?!? I mean, February IS a short month but seriously?!?! The days seem to be flying by and yet as I look back, I don’t seem to have accomplished anything. And yeah, I’m still healing from the surgeries but still… Also, I love this cat’s face. And yeah, I’m kinda like a poorly folded fitted sheet right now. LOL

Okay, let’s get the health update out of the way first.  The right eye (first surgery) is healing well and vision continues to improve–at least distance viewing. Up close? Yeah, not so much but that’s to be expected since the new lens switched me from nearsighted to farsighted. I’m lucky that an old pair of LG’s reading glasses mostly works for upclose reading (like cooking directions and mail) and the computer. They aren’t the correct prescription so I can’t spend hours on the computer like I’m used to. Come Tuesday, I’m two weeks down range on it. The left eye? Yeah, that one had a big ol’ question mark. The doc wouldn’t know how much of my vision loss was caused by deterioration of the optic nerve and how much was the cataract. Removing the cataract cleared off the fog. Before the surgery, looking through that eye was like looking at a fogged-up mirror. I could see amorphous shapes and blurred colors but not much else. I was really hoping for a miracle. When I didn’t get one, I was bummed out. Majorly. I do have a bit more clarity when I use that eye. There’s some structure to the shapes and the colors aren’t so washed out, and sometimes I can almost make out letters if I’m close enough. Sadly, the pressure in both eyes continues to fluctuate though the doc did say that could take up to 8 weeks to stablize. He did put me back on glaucoma drops. I have two more days of lots of drops in the left. I’m down  to two drops twice a day in the right.

Anyway, I’m gearing up energy and brain to resume my normal routine–five posts a week, replying to comments in a timely fashion, and putting down new words on the book. It’s really hit home that I could lose my sight and while I’d work to figure out some way to keep writing, I have so many stories to I want to tell. I need to get my fat arse in gear and get them told. I did manage 250 words last week and lo and behold, I garnered an honorable mention in the flash fiction challenge. Go me!

I also get to go to Wallyworld all by meself today–mainly because I don’t have to buy anything that’s 10 pounds or over. LG and Stormy went with me last week and I wore them out. LOL It’ll be weird because I haven’t driven in two weeks. And Starbucks!

In other news–SOFTBALL!!!! BASEBALL!!!! I caught several of OSU’s softball games on the radio and my Cardinals had televised games Saturday and Sunday. I am sooo ready for spring partly due to spring sports. I do love me some softball and baseball. No surprise to any regulars around here.

It’s still weird to watch TV without my glasses. At my follow-up eye test last Wednesday, I was still 20/40 in the right and the doc is hoping it will settle in at 20/20. I have noticed that my eyes are a bit blurry and unfocused early but once I’m up and moving, have had coffee, and have done both some close-up and faraway seeing, I have more acuity. The follow-ups previously were at 7:00 a.m. This week’s follow-up is at 10:30. Yay. Hopefully, that means my vision will test better. And again, it could take 6-8 weeks for the vision to stabilize as well.

I’ve been listneing to the “graphic audio” versions of Eileens Wilks World of the Lupi books. I vaguely remember reading them years ago when they first came out but there are some differences between my memory (granted, it often resembles Swiss cheese) and this dramatized version with multiple cast members. Still, I’m enjoying them. I also have the new JD Robb waiting for me. Not sure why I haven’t jumped into it yet. Favorite series, favorite author and all that.

Anyway, that’s what’s up with me. Life is settling into the new normal, for better or worse. I remain hopeful and optimistic despite this round of depression. It too shall pass. I hope to get new words this week as I draw closer to the one-year anniversary of starting this WIP. Time to get the darn thing finished, right? Right! What’s up with y’all?

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Monday Stuff

Posted on February 20, 2023 by Silver James

Just a quick update so the folks who follow the blog rather than FB know the 411. First surgery last week went well. I can see across the street (for the first time in like forever without glasses or contacts) but I still can’t see anything within about double arm’s length from the end of my nose. This is a “role reversal” for me and weirder than all get out. Next surgery is at oh-dark tomorrow. I have a follow-up the day after and then the “big” follow-up a week after that. Hopefully, that’s the appointment that will adjust my near version so I can…you know…see the computer, my phone, the food on my plate…or making coffee!

Not much else going on in my world. I have lifting and bending restructions which is a pain–literally and figuratively. LG has to make the grocery run with me because dog food and canned drinks are above my current “pay grade.” I have to use a magnifying glass to read anything. One the flip side, I am clearing out a bunch of old DVR’d TV shows. I’m also in a book slump, which sucks.

Speaking of TV, I watched my OSU Cowgirls play softball on Saturday. They went home from the Clearwater, FL tournament undeated. Yay. They’re 8-1 on the season. And Baylor beat OU. Ouch. I’m readly for the World Baseball Classic and MLB Spring Training games to start. Yeah, y’all can guess my preferred sports. LOL

Anyway, alive, breathing, still kicking and starting to get anxious about getting back to “real” work on all my pending projects. I have a lot of hope about kicking some writing @$$ this year, even though it’s almost a quarter gone. I’ll be MIA again for a few days or maybe a week. Happy Fat Tuesday tomorrow! Love New Orleans? I have two books set there. Just sayin’… Yeah, yeah. Hey, I gotta get my marketing in while I can. Anyway, THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC and THE SOUND OF SILENCE are set in my Penumbra Papers UF world. Go check them out while you’re partying.

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Monday the 13th

Posted on February 13, 2023 by Silver James

Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky but Monday the 13th isn’t? That seems just…wrong, somehow. LOL Also, it’s the Monday after Super Bowl. Who’s hungover from food and/or drin? Don’t be shy, raise your hands. 🙋🏼‍♀️ I’m making burgers tonight. They were yummy and we didn’t munch our way through the game. Traditionally, I list my favorite commercials watched during the Super Bowl. And yes, I’ll actually watch this year. I don’t have a team favorite–reasons for rooting for both teams but I’m kinda pulling for the Chiefs. Anyway. I’m actually typing this on Sunday afternoon before the game starts and if I get back around to adding the commericals, yay! If not, y’all can tell me your faves–if you watch–in the comments. And yes, the tense shifts if this paragraph are enough to give an editor apoplexy. Normally, if I set up the blog a day early, I use the tense I’d use as if writing the day of posting. Anyway…here’s what’s going on.

So. First off, starting tomorrow, I won’t be on-line much for at least two weeks. It may take a bit longer than that. Depending on how things go, I may be on-line sporadiacally. It all depends. And no, I’m not being deliberately obtuse. I’m getting ready to explain. First though, an apology. I really hoped to have CROSSFIRE ready to publish by Valentine’s Day. That’s not happening. At this point, I don’t have an alternative date. All I can say is that I’ll get it done and released as soon as I’m physically able. And yeah, that sounds sort of dire. It is…and it isn’t.

People who know me know that I’m basically pretty private. I don’t often air my views or things that deeply affect me or my family. I’m going “there” now because some of you are good friends, others are wondering because they like my books and want more. This feels really weird but here goes.

Here’s the deal. Most of y’all know that I’ve been having vision problems for a bit over a year now. I’m old. It happens. Looking at things through my left eye is like looking into a foggy mirror. Everything is blurry. I can’t distinguish letters or anything that doesn’t have a definitive shape. I’d been told back before the Covid shut-down that I was developing a cataract in that eye. And it didn’t really get bad until this past fall. Then my right eye starting having problems. I finally got in to see the doctor I consider to be one of the best in the world (he’s the one who’s taken care of Only’s eye since her car wreck back in college.) His office called last Monday and I suddenly had a Thursday morning appointment. I was there about four hours. I was examined and tested by various techs and a resident and then Dr. K. He knows me. He didn’t sugarcoat things. And that’s one of the many things I appreciate about him–that and his skill. I do have cataracts on both eyes but they aren’t the real problem.

I have advanced stage glaucoma. Basically, the optic nerves in my eyes are deteriorating. If it goes untreated, glaucoma causes blindness. Sadly, it can’t be cured, just slowed down and controlled. Usual early treatment involves medication to lower the pressure in the eye and if that doesn’t work, then surgery.. I’m past that first point. I go in early tomorrow morning for my first eye surgery. The doctor is doing the right eye to preserve the range of vision I currently have in it. Oh, and yeah, he’ll deal with the cataract too. That means that I won’t be able to see the computer or much of anything else until the bandages come off and we see how things are. I go into surgery the following Tuesday for the left eye. The vision I’ve lost can’t be restored but the doc things I’ll be able to see with more clarity because that cataract is thicker. Hopefully, the right eye will be fully functional before then but I can’t say for sure, hence the two-week downtime estimate.

On the upside, with treatment, I shouldn’t lose any more vision range. And there’s a possibility that I won’t have to wear glasses–except readers. Wow! I’ve worn bifocal glasses or contacts since the third grade. I could see close up but never far away. To reverse that? I say again–WOW! And, I’ll get to buy cool sunglasses–something I haven’t done since I had to stop wearing contacts way back when.

Anyway, if I don’t show up any time soon, don’t freak out or worry. One way or another, I’m gonna be fine. It’ll just take awhile to heal, especially with what is basically back-to-back surgeries. I do have Medicare so there’s that though there will be some fairly hefty out-of-pocket expenses. It is what is but that means once I can see again, I need to get my arse in gear and write faster, get more books out there to sell so I can replensish the coffers. Contrary to popular belief, most of us lower mid-list authors don’t rake in the big bucks. If you’d like to do something to cheer me on, say a little prayer. Or buy one of my books. If you have all of them, gift one to a friend that might enjoy them. At the end of this, I’m really hoping that I’ll be able to READ a book again. The whole magnifying glass thing (one reason writing and editing has taken me so long–thank goodness for touch-screen monitors that can be magnified!) to read a paperback or my Kindle is a literal pain. While I really enjoy audio books, I’ve missed READING.

So, all and all, it’s all good. Or it will be. I’ll try to touch base as I’m able And y’all send up prayers for Lawyer Guy too. He “gets” to take over my crazy feral cat lady duties, dog feeding duties, and dinner prep duties. He’s REALLY hoping I’m only “blurry-blind” for maybe 48 hours at most. Me too! But for different reasons. LOLOL We’re in good spirits around here. We caught it while it can be contained if not reversed.

Today, though, is a typical Monday. Wallyworld to lay in groceries, list and instruction writing, laundry was done yesterday so LG has clothes to wear. 😉 I leave you with this public service announcement, especially if you are over 60. Get your eyes checked–not for vision necessarily but for internal pressure and any change in vision/perception. Trust me on this. You want to catch this stuff early. I did’t. I’m ready for what’s coming. I’ll see y’all on the other side.

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Friday Sinema: Southern-Fried Balloon

Posted on February 10, 2023 by Silver James

I dare you not to laugh. That’s all I’m gonna say. Well, that and have a great weekend!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Quiet

Posted on February 9, 2023 by Silver James

Sometimes, the voices in my head won’t shut up. All the characters (and I mean ALL of them) jabber and argue about whose story is more important. And sometimes, they go completely silent. I’m weird. I can’t sleep if it’s quiet. The moment things go quiet, I’m wide awake and wondering what’s wrong. We sleep with the TV on. We used to sleep with the scanner on because I was on call and it also reminded me of the radio traffic when I was doing 24-hour shifts at the fire station. It becomes white noise and conformting. Silence is not. Then the Universe sent me this…

If you sit and get really quiet, Silver, fully expecting your answer, it has to come.

Guaranteed,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

P.S. Expectation unlocks all doors, Silver, lights all paths, and frosts all cakes.

Lately, the voices have been more silent than chatty. When I got this message, guess what I did yesterday? I sat. In silence. I stared out the window. Rainy day, not much to see. Sort of gray and wet. So I closed my eyes. And no, I did NOT fall asleep, despite being awake from 1:47 until 4:06. Instead, I looked for the answer to why the words weren’t coming. I’m so close to finishing this book. I have scenes that only need to be joined up with connecting words and scenes. I know what’s to happen. I know when it’s to happen. But words get stuck and my brain won’t spit them out.

So, I closed my eyes. And I thought about the current scene, which was open on the monitor. And after about twenty minutes, my hands found the keyboard and the words came. Hesitant at first, but then they flowed. A little over 2K, which finished a chapter and created a whole new one that had no written scenes. Today, I need to figure out how to include a scene about icing cakes in this book. 😉

Yes, totally kidding about that, but it worked. So yeah, I now have a new tool in my kit to combant writer’s block. Silence. Who knew? Writers, do you have something new or little off-beat that gets you over that hump? And readers, which do prefer–silense or noise?

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