Thursday Thoughts: Universal Edits

Posted on May 5, 2022 by Silver James

[Edit: This was supposed to published at my usual 6 a.m. However, I evidently didn’t change the time when I scheduled. Brain fog. Anyway, better late than never, right?] Ishould maybe explain how these posts come about. I get an email each morning with an inspiratonal message from “The Universe” courtesy of Tut.com. Some of them hit close to home and I take them to heart. Some of them make me smile. Some of them sound like good advice when it comes to writing. So I give them a title, copy and paste them to a draft post on my blog and save them for later use. This one has been around for awhile and frankly? I have no clue why I called it what I have. Anyway, here’s the message:

While you can’t ever go back and relive past glories, Silver, there are always better ones gathering.

Make way,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

Indeed, Silver, it is written in your genes, your DNA, and chiseled upon the pearly gates of heaven, that whosoever ventures into the jungles of time and space, from that day forward, all things must get better, and better, and better, ad infinitum.

All things considered, I thought we all need to hear this one. I probably should have called it Universal Hope but maybe Universal Edits fits after all–since I need to edit the way I’m viewing things. Also, happy Cinco de Mayo!

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Wednesday Words: Somersault Something

Posted on May 4, 2022 by Silver James

Today’s double theme could have gone somewhere far different than it did. For today’s #1lineWed theme, we have **SOMERSUALT** and last week’s #ThursThreads flashfiction, we add “Something’s wrong.” This is what randomly (sort of randomaly) came out of my fingertips as I tried to add some new words to CROSSFIRE. Warning, this IS one of those random puzzle-piece snippets that will be in the final manuscript but I have no real clue just exactly where. You’ll just have to stick around for the release to find out. 😉
****
Loch stopped, holding his hand up in the universal signal for everyone to halt. He searched the surrounding terrain using all his senses.

Duke appeared at his back. In a voice not much more than a whisper, he said, “What’s up?”

“Something’s wrong.” Loch continued his scan, now relying completely on his Wolf senses. His eyes flashed red as his nostrils flared. He tested the air. The woods had gone dead quiet. Not even the kids were making a sound. No birds. No wind rustling the leaves. His inner wolf wanted out to hunt whatever was out there. The man wanted to hunt too.

Duke turned to the next team member in line and in that same murmured voice ordered,. “Dalton, get the kids under cover.”

The older ones had already squatted down along the trail, and the younger ones followed suit. Meg crept up the line from the rear, urging them toward an ancient pine that had fallen against another tree to make a haphazard lean-to. Her heart broke for these children. War had taken a terrible toll on their lives and the idea that even the toddlers had stuffed their hands into their mouths to remain silent? Tears prickled her eyelids and she blinked them away. She would be as brave as they were, and it wasn’t like they didn’t have strong, competent soldiers guarding them.

She’d seen firsthand what they could do. She’d always responded with a bit of snark whenever her father pontificated on the SAS. After watching Kin, who’d been SAS, and the others who served in other special operations groups of their country’s military, she promised she’d apologize to her dad if she got out of this mess alive. Without this men, neither she nor the children would have come so close to safety.

Kin came up behind her and her heart turned a somersault when he squeezed her arm. The heat from his hand radiated all the way through her jacket and she suddenly found it difficult to breathe. Her internal organs needed to stop with the acrobatics.

Taking enough time to ensure that all the kids were tucked up tight in the nest made by the pine, Kin assured each one with a touch, a smile, or a word. Then he bundled Meg into the space. She opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off. “T’keep ya safe, we need t’know where everyone is, which is right here. We can cover you but not if someone decides t’pop their head up t’see what’s goin’ on.” He gave her a fierce glare. “Stay with the kids. We got this, yeah?”

Nodding, she returned his glare with her own glower. On hands and knees, Meg herded her charges deeper into the tree fall. Yeah, they had this. All of them. Whatever was out there, Kin and the others would deal with it. They would survive.
****
So, writers, if you have no somersaults or Something’s wrongs to share, go for a little free writing and see if you can do a 250-word scene. Readers, you choice: Did you love to turn somersaults as a kid? and/or What do you think is out there waiting for our intrepid band of rescuers?

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Tuesday Titles: Reading Habits

Posted on May 3, 2022 by Silver James

I’m not sure how popular the whole Tuesday Treats and Titles thing is–me pairing one of my characters and books with a recipe. It’s kinda fun for me until I just keep using the same books and characters. So, until I have re-released or new books to hawk, we’ll talk about reading, if that’s okay with y’all?

I love to read. Or a did until the eyes started giving me trouble. Now I love to listen to books. My dad told me that I stopped listening to bedtime stories when I was about three. He said I much preferred reading them by myself, and not out loud. Reading them out loud took too long. My mother thought I was just flipping pages and looking at pictures until I’d tell her the story written in the book. Yes, I was one of those kids.

A lot of you have heard the story about other weird stuff in my early reading habits–like starting with the As and working my way through the whole children’s secton of my hometown library all the way to the very last Z book. Granted, the library wasn’t huge but there were quite a few books. At the age of ten, Dad took me to Mrs. Lake, the head librarian, to have my name added to his library card so I could read any book I wanted. The first two I checked out were Mary Stewart’s “The Moonspinners” (because Disney and Haley Mills!) and Ian Flemeng’s “The Spy Who Loved Me” (because Sean Connery and James Bond movvies!) And yes, I was precocious. We won’t mention me thumbing through Playboy magazines (for the cartoons and Little Annie Fanny, y’all! No, really!) Are you at all surprised that I grew up to write sexy romance novels?

Anyway, that’s a long way to meander around to today’s topic. Book series. Are you a fan? Do you read them as they release or do you wait until the series is over to read them all? (Which would be tough if you are a fan of JD Robb or Nalini Singh, to mention a couple of favorite authors of mine.) As a writer, I try to bring closure to a series, which is not to say that those chararcters don’t crop up in other series. That’s the fun of my Moonstruck world! But I digress. Series. Love ’em or leave ’em? And do you reread the series when a new release comes out? I usually do because I read/listen to 150-300 books a year and it’s easy to lose track of characters, storylines, and such stuff like that there.

I bring this up because I just finished relistening to a series due to a new release and now I’m starting another series because the latest book came out today. Actually,, it’s a spin-off series but the heroine in the spin-off makes her first appearance in the first book. I’m talking about Jennifer Estep’s Crown or Shards and The Gargoyle Queen series. These are fantasy books with romantic elements. Estep does an amazing job with the rules of magic and the worldbuilding. I forget how much I like her voice until I open the series each year, because yeah, one new book a year. Which is another reason for a marathon reread/relisten. So, I’m happily relistening to “Kill the Queen.” And I totally recommend this series for fantasy fans.

The floor is now open for discussion. Series: yay or nay? Rereading: yay or nay? And what are you currently reading?

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May Day Monday

Posted on May 2, 2022 by Silver James

We’re starting a new month. How is that even possible? What happened to April? I had all these plans and goals and stuffs and then I blinked. And here it is the second of May. Gah! Picture me doing the Muppet Flail™.

So, what’s up in my world? We’ve had lots of Stormy time because Only is snowed under at work and Baseball Boy’s team made the state playoffs. We’ll probably have him quite a bit this week too. I haven’t received my “marching orders” from Only yet.

Why do screws disappear? I had to change the battery in the outside garage camera yesterday and I couldn’t quite get the darn screw for the battery compartment seated just right. And then my fingers didn’t want to work. That happens when you get old like me. I watched the screw fall. I saw it hit. I climbed down off the step ladder, bent over, and the stupid screw had been swallowed by a magic portal. Or something. I used the broom. I used a flashlight. LG used the magnet bowl thingy he uses to hold screws and nails when working. The dang thing was just…poof. Gone.

Websites. Coding. And headaches, oh my! Long story that I won’t bore you with but it all started when I got the rights to four books reverted to me. I’m lazy and the idea of having to update the back matter on every book (almost 40 now) books that I’ve self-published just made me boggle. And cringe. And all I wanted to do was hide. I got this wild hair to use the readlings lists on Books2Read to set up carousels for each series and use that link as a sort of universally “green” link for my books. That way, all I had to do was add the book to the carousel and I’d only have to update back matter in the other books when I had several new books out. Then I realized that I wouldn’t have links for the books I got back until I revised them all and uploaded and they went live and then…and then… And this is where a long story gets even longer. Suffice it to say that I spend five days on carousels, links, backmatter updates, and website updates (which now involves way more HTML coding than my brain can handle) and by mid-afternoon yesterday, I think I had it all in hand. And then my brain broke. I’m hoping it’ll be mended a little by the time I get back from Wallyworld and Starbucks.

RESCUE MOON is almost ready to go. SEAL MOON is almost read to go. That leaves ASSASSIN’S MOON and UNDER THE ASSASSIN’S MOON to revise and update. I think I’m going to wait until they are all ready and then upload them and release them a week apart. Because I might actually do some markeing on each one. Or something. Anyway…

A few new words but mostly behind-the-scenes writerly crude this past week. I need to dig out one of my favorite memes–the harried woman in a disaster of an office that reads: Be a writer, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. 🤦🏼‍♀️

There was softball and baseball this weekend. My OSU Cowgirls lost, by 1 run each game, to a higher rainked team so that shouldn’t hurt their rankngs. Scarily, they take on OU for the Bedlam series starting Thursday. The Cowboys swept Texas so yay. My Cardinals seem to be on a low streak. The D-backs gave them trouble but due to the lock-out and shortened spring training, players are just now hitting their strides. Hoping for better this week.

I’m weird. At the moment, my favorite TV shows are “To Catch a Smuggler,” “Portals to Hell,” and whatever is on the Science Channen late at night because it doesn’t go to infomercials and I can sleep through the shows. Speaking of movies, who decided we needed a remake of “Firestarter?”

And that’s my rambling for the day. How was your weekend? What’s your week looking like?

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Friday Sinema: Southern Cooking

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Silver James

Y’all know I ❤ It’s a Southern Thing. And I ❤ mac-n-cheese. Plus, there’s bacon! Have a happy weekend.

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Living

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Silver James

I’m still breathing. Promise. And I AM being somewhat productive. Revisions. New words. I’m pretty much back in the swing of things. Except for social media. I don’t know why I have such a hang up about social media at the moment. It’s silly. I know it is. But it’s like my phone phobia. I HATE calling on the phone. It started when I was a kid. My mother would tell me to call the Palace Theatre (the local movie theatre) to find out when the movie was showing. How hard is that? I mean, really!?!?! But it was sooo hard. This is why I’m not in sales. Cold calls give me panic attacks. Seriously. I can talk to anyone face-to-face but anonymously? Go figure. Anyway, speaking of living and childhood, the Universe comes to the resuce once again…

Remember when it was really fun, Silver, to catch raindrops on your tongue, walk under archways because they were there, and roll around in the sand at the beach? To go all the way to the store for a tiny treat, lie on the grass looking for “God” in the clouds, and make scary monster faces in the mirror? To watch the stars because they were winking at you, count the flowers in the garden by the door, and put Cocoa Puffs up your nose?

Well, Silver, I’m happy to inform you, most of it still is.

Ah-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h…
The Universe
©www.tut.com

Whoohoooo, Silver, you’re alive!

There are days when I wonder if I am because it often feels like I’m just drifting through. And then I get caught in the rain. And find an archway to duck under. I’d rather roll in the grass and if I’m going to the store, it’s for a BIG treat–like ice cream. Or a Starbucks. 😉 And yes, I find things in the clouds and make scary monster faces at Stormy. I watch the stars every night when I go out with Boone before bedtime, and I love the flowers in the garden, even if I don’t have much of a green thumb. And I can unequivocally say that I have NEVER stuffed Cocoa Puffs up my nose. It was Fruit Loops. So, yeah. I AM alive and lemme tell ya, it sure beats the alternative. What about y’all?

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Wednesday Words: Through A Glass Darkly

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Silver James

Some weeks, it seems like the only new words I get are due to #1lineWed or #ThursdayThreads prompts. This week, it’s “Though a” and “What do you think?” This scene is pretty much a continuation from last week’s snippet, in case you’re wondering. Let’s get to it…
****
Meg watched Dalton retreat, brow furrowed. Something was going on and she had the distinct impression that she was caught in the middle of whatever intrigue these guys had been discussing. What the heck had Kin meant when he said he was a wolf and not a circus lion? She’d caught the sidelong glances Loch occasionally cast her direction when he thought she wasn’t paying attention. She was also acutely aware of Kin’s… She glanced down at him. His what? His attention? That seemed too mild a term. She often found him watching her with an intensity that felt both flattering and scary, like she was his favorite obsession.

She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped one foot. “Well? Since Dalton is a chicken, that leaves you to explain. What is it you aren’t telling me? And what do circus lions have to do with anything?”
Kin remained on the ground. He’d wanted to court her, let her get to know him before he shared his darkest secrets. Explaining he was a wolf shifter and that she was his mate? That would truly float like a lead balloon. “Nothing.” There, that answered both questions. Her expression said it hadn’t. “Fine, What do you think we were talking about?”

Her nose crinkled. “Me. I want to know why.”

Wishing the earth would open up so he could fall through a big hole, he rubbed his eyes again. “Yes, you. And what you are to me.”

“What am I?”

“Mine.”
****
Well, Kin certainly has some ‘splainin’ to do, yeah? Poor dude. And if I was Dalton, I’d be running for the nearest ocean because as long as he’s on dry land, Kin can catch up to. Too bad they are in the Carpathian Mountains and there isn’t a body of water in sight. Authors, what have you put your characters “through” lately? Readers, “what do you think” is going to happen next?

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Tuesday Titles: Watcha Readin’?

Posted on April 26, 2022 by Silver James

Once again, I find myself with a recipe for a book that isn’t finished. And I’m lazy. Rather than dig for a recipe for a book that more than likely has infinite recipes attached to it, I’m going a different direction today. Tuesday is the traditional day for new releases in traditional publishing. And yes, I did use the word traditional twice. One of the new releases today hit my Audible app sometime overnight. I’m never sure if the new books release at midnight Pacific time, where the ‘Zon is located or Eastern time because that’s where the big publishing houses are located.

I’m on a marathon reread of Christine Feehan’s Shadow Rider series. I’m on book 4 and have two more to get through before I start the new release SHADOW FIRE. I have a love/hate retionaship with this author. I stopped reading several of her earlier series because they started reading a lot like cut-and-paste. I tried her MC series, populated by Russian bad guys with big hearts but those things were all about the sexy times and not much story to back it up. I’ve stuck with the SR series despite all the sexy bits and repetition–she REALLY likes to pound (with a sledgehammer) the reader over the head with the emotional/character flaws. Trust me, I get the idea after the first five times. Why do I keep reading her? Bbecause I like the characters and this series–at least–has enough story and action (OUT of the bedroom) to keep me insterested. I do skip through those bits often. FYI, I stuck with her Carpathian vampire series through like 20 or so books.

Anyway. That’s what I’m listening to.currently. What are your reading/listening to? What series/authors do love that are auto-buys? (And I’m not fishing for a “complitment!) I’m looking for new “talent” to add to my TBR pile because it’s like June before the next book I have on pre-order hits. I needs stories and characters to occupy my headspace until then. And since I go through anywhere from 150-250 books a year, there’s a LOT of headspace to fill. 😆

The books are in your court. Curreent read. Favorite author. Favorite series. Ooh! How about favorite book of all time? (That would probably be JD Robb’s NAKED IN DEATH for me.) Pony up, people! Inquiring minds want to know.

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Monday Flowers

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Silver James

(c) Silver James, 2013

I’m totally glad that last week is over and done.Tuesday was the 27th anniversary of the OKC Bombing. I’m on an upswing of emotions, despite totally vegging out yesterday. We had storms Saturday night and I’m always a little on edge. Sleep was light and the storm front and rain cooled off the temps. I turned off the AC and opened windows. The house cooled down and I was pretty darn comfy under the covers watching softball. I also have irises blooming. Big dark blue ones, like the one pictured here. Pretty. Also, my peony is getting bushy and the giant phlox are sprouting up. I ❤ flowers, especially the kind I don’t really have to baby because…totally have a black thumb. LOL

Speaking of, my OSU Cowgirls swept Texas. They played Friday evening, then there was a tornado warning so Saturday night’s game was postponed until yesterday. They played a doubleheader. OU swept Iowa State. My Cardinals won 2 of three against the Reds. They’re still leading the NL Central but it’s a tight race.

There was writing and revisioning done last week. Not much writing but some new words on CROSSFIRE. I thought I’d finished RESCUE MOON revisions but then I woke up with an idea and it’s taking more writing than I originaly anticipated but that’s a good thing. It means a longer story, right? Right!

We had lots of Stormy time last week, and much shuffling of cars when BaseBall Boy’s Jeep needed two rounds of repairs. Only and Stormy ran the Memorial 5K on Saturday (she beat her personal best by 30 seconds!) and then they turned right around and ran the 1.2 mile Kids Marathon, which is more of a fun run. Only ran that one with her camera to get candid shots for her job and then se was back for the full Marathon Sunday morning to get more photos. The Museuim and Marathon are clients of her agency. Proud of both of them. I could probably do a 5K in about the same time the good runners complet the full marathon in. 🙄

On that note, I’m off to Wallyworld for my weekly grocery run. We may or may not be grabbing Stormy after school. BB’s game schedule is a bit fluid at the moment. How are things in your world?

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Friday Sinema: Heroes

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Silver James

As a romance author, I’m always on the look out for a good hero. And a song. So enjoy this clip from “Shrek II” with an awesome soundtrack, a great hero, and as whippy cream on top, Puss-n-Boots Eyes™. Have a great weekend!

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