Tuesday Treats & Titles: Hot Spinach & Ghosts

Posted on November 15, 2022 by Silver James

See this? This is an actual photo (with the addition of my book through the wonders of Book Brush) of the dip we always ordered at a family favorite restaurant. The James Gang gathered there to celebrate anniversaries and birthdays and this dip was always on the Must Get Appetizer list whenever we went to Nomad’s. Sadly, the place has been closed for several years but after some fiddling and a lot of trial and error, here’s my close approximation of the very yummy stuff.

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 medium onion chopped (approximately 1 cup)
2 10 oz. packages frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained!)
1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 8 oz. tub sour cream
1 cup total shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (3/4 cup and 1/4 cup)
1 cup total shredded Parmesan cheese (3/4 cup and 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon sea salt
Pita chips
Grated “dry” Parmasan cheese

Make It:

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Stir in spinach, artichokes, cream and sour cheeses, salt, and 3/4 cups each of Jack and Parmesan. Stir until well blended and heated through. Pour mix into a 1/2 quart casserole dish and top with remaining shredded cheeses. Bake in 350 degree oven until cheese starts to brown, about 10 minutes. Let stand for about 5 minues to “settle.”

Turn off the oven. Spread the pita chips on a foil-covered cookie sheet. Shake Parmasan cheese over the chips and place in the still-warm oven for about 5 minues to toast slightly.

Warning, this stuff is addictive, which is why I make it in big size–about four cups. It can also be made with low fat/no fat cream cheese and sour cream. It still comes out ooey-gooey yummy cheesy and totally worth the effort!

While she’d never make this on her own, luckily Sade Marquis, or favorite FBI agent and wrangler of magical mayhem, has a favorite Italian restaurant* in Washington DC that’s not far from her row house. There are times when she’ll just order the chips and dip to go, stop by on her way home, and have that for dinner. Sounds pretty good to me. For those of you not familiar with Sade, you’ll want to start with THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC. For those of you who might not have read GHOSTS & THE ANCIENT STONES, this is your reminder. And you can make some of Sade’s favorite dip to mucnch while reading. To those of you who have the book, THANK YOU! And why not give it a reread. *bwahaha* Just click on a title or the photo with the cover to get to the landing page to pick your favorite on-line bookstore. What about y’all? Is there a local restaurant that’s your go-to for family celebrations or do you prefer to do-it-yourself at home?

*The restaurant is real. No clue if they serve the spinach artichoke dip. But hey, I’m an author. I get to make stuff up, right?

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Bundle Up, Monday

Posted on November 14, 2022 by Silver James

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory. We might get snow. We might get sleet. We might get rain. And we will get cold. Brrr. Seems like a good day to wrap up in a warm blanket, drink hot coffee, and warm out. I mean, if you can chill out, why can’t you warm out? Yeah?

So there was a week and a weekend. Last week was, once again, one of those weeks. I’m getting rather frustrated with Real Life. Still, it beats the alternative. Then it snowed Friday night. Not much. Just enough to cover the grass–barely. Road surfaces and ground was too warm for anything to stick around for long, though it did last through mid-morning/ And yeah, it was cold. I’m not a fan of the cold (old joints, doncha know) but when it’s cold, I can put on more clothes and bundle up in blankets. When it’s hot? Trust me, no one wants to see this old broad in her skivvies.

Sports were a little better. My (the real) OSU Cowboys beat Iowa State. It wasn’t pretty but they got the job done. OU lost to West Virginia. Soooo not a good year for the Sooners. There was baseball Saturday night! Yay! It was the Arizona Fall League Championship. The game went 11 innings. Yay! It was fun to to watch the young MLB prospects play.

I’m about to wrap up my marathon listen to Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter/Archagel series. I’ll likely finish up #14 today and then I’ll start the new release, ARCHANGEL’S RESURRECTION. Not sure what I’ll listen to after that.

Early mornings mean crashing early. I turn on the TV and then I’m all…ZZZzzzzZZZZZzzz within minutes. 🙄 Still enjoying “On Patrol Live” though I tend to catch up on DVR. I tend to watch The Travel Channel for the paranormal stuff, The Science Channel for a combo of paranormal and cool stuff like “Mysteries of the Abandoned” and “What On Earth?”. And then there’s National Geo which occasionally does “To Catch a Smuggler.” Yes, I have weird tastes in TV. But I’m also the one who can’t sleep in a quiet room based on my years with live readio or scanner traffice for both fire departments and police. The room goes quiet? I’m wide awake.

I made the Easy Cinnamon Rolls last week and munched on them all week. I used two cans of the regular size Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. I really like the giant size but there’s more with the regular size. Not much better than warm, gooey cinnamon rolls and hot coffee.

And now I’m rambling. See? Boring life. Oh! I did “craft” a new, insulated feral cat house for the winter. Large, strudy cardboard box lined with styrfom sheets (2″ on the bottom, 1″ sides and top. I wrapped the outside with “insulation” that came in packages of delivered medicines that had to maintain cold temperatures, and then covered the whold thing with heavy plastic. There’s a cat bed and a knit pillow case inside. I was amazed at how warm it stays. Then I bought a “bed tent” to replace the small box and bed that was on the wooden bench on my porch. Since big cold, possibly snowy winter storm hits tomorrow, I hope the kit-cats will snuggle in.

And that’s all the news that’s fit to print. What’s up in your world?

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Friday Sinema: Texafication

Posted on November 11, 2022 by Silver James

Warning. The following video is comedic parody with a side helping of satire. You know. like SNL used to do. It might be completely politically incorrect but since that’s what I am, I’m throwing it up here because it made me laugh. Hard. Maybe it’s becaues I’m from Oklahoma and I get Texans and the state of affairs down there in certain areas. Maybe it’s because I’m warped. Anyway, the Bee and I wish you a happy weekend. Go do something fun!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal I Did This

Posted on November 10, 2022 by Silver James

Today, the Universe seems to be spot on when it comes to writing. Every writer has their own process. Some of us draft “dirty”–simply getting the bare bones of the story down before going back to flesh it out by adding descriptions, dimenstions to the characters, and dialogue. Ah yes. The 3Ds. These are the seasonings a writer addes to the stew their imagination has cooked up. We write it. Edit it. Format it. Publish it (or our pulibhers do). The tiime comes when we hold the finished product in our hands (or on our ereaders) and stare, with a tiny bit of wonder. Even after 50 books, I still get that twinge of OMG! I DID THIS! The Universe sums it up like this:

Something that might add some sugar and spice to your daily comings and goings, Silver, would be to constantly remind yourself, “I created this, because I wanted to.”

Prepare to be empowered,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

As well as, Silver, “I can change the heck out of it, too, whenever I want.”

See? Writing, editing, and publishish. All right there in a nutshell. Too bad it’s not that easy. This isn’t necessarily restricted to writing. You cazn apply this to anything you do–arts, crafts, cooking, decorating, liviing. What have you done lately that gave you that tingle and you did a little happy dance and said with pride, “I did this!”?

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Wednesday Words: Grasp the Thought

Posted on November 9, 2022 by Silver James

Once again the week has rolled around and it is Wednesday. That means inspiring writing prompts and new words, right? Right! So, #1lineWed was a little more imganitive for this week. The prompt is **GRASP: A good. At straws. The nettles.” (Don’t ask me what that last one means. I have no clue but that’s the prompt so…whatever.) #ThursdayThreads prompt is much better: “I’ll think about it.” The following is a fun little snippet I tossed together. Again, the scene occurs near the beginning of the book and provides a glimpse into Meg and Kin’s budding…relationship. I hope you enjoy.
****
The midday rest break was over. Meg had one more thing to do before they resumed their hike. While she didn’t mind shepherding the girls when they had to go, she preferred privacy. She’d found a place before lunch where bushy trees would screen her from sight and it was far enough away that no one would hear her either. The precious packet of tissues snuggled in her pocket.

She checked where everyone was. The kids still sat on the ground grabbing one more moment of rest. Two of the soldiers were nowhere to be seen. The commander and Petrov stood at the head of the trail studying a map. The rest of the men policed the area to clear all evidence of their passage.

“Now or never,” she muttered since no one was paying her any attention. She darted up the gentle slope heading for the spot she’d picked out. She dodged around a large tree and stopped dead as a man materialized in front of her.

Meg attempted to step around the tall man with the fascinating eyes. He leaned slightly to block her. Consternation coating her voice, she demanded, “Move out of my way.”

“Not a chance, lass.”

“I’m not a lass. I’m an adult.” He muttered something under his breath that sounded like, “Then act like one,” but she wasn’t sure.

“Why are you being so stubborn?”

“’Tis my job at the moment.”

“Well, you could stop doing it. Or let someone else do it.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“You’ll think about it? Don’t bother. If you have to think about it, I already know the answer.”

“And that would be?”

“No.”

Kin did not smile. The woman’s cheeks were already flushed with temper and as tempted as he was to provoke her even more, he’d regret subjecting the others to her ire. Besides, this was a private game between the two of them.

“Let me make something perfectly clear, provided your pea-sized male brain can grasp the concept.”
When she paused to breathe, Kin arched one brow in both challenge and amusement. Her eyes narrowed to angry slits and he was reminded again of the kitten he’d once rescued from a bucket of water.

“You are not the boss of me.”

He still didn’t laugh, though he wanted to. Desperately. Instead, he lowered the arched brow and raised the other. “Is that the best you’ve got?”

Sputtering, so angry now she couldn’t speak, she hit his chest with closed fists and growled in frustration. She actually growled. What was up with that? How did this guy push all of her buttons?

“Was that supposed to hurt?”

She growled again and couldn’t resist hitting him again, but with only one fist. “Yes.”

“Ah,” he said, nodding. “Then…ow.”

“Go away.”

“No one wanders off alone.”

“I’m not wandering. I’m going—.” She bit off the rest of her sentence as she felt her cheeks heat.

“Ah,” Kin said again, sounding all wise and knowledgeable. “Be sure to bury the evidence.”

Growling so more, she stomped toward her spot. When he started to follow her, she stopped and stabbed a finger at him. “I am perfectly capable of peeing by myself. Stay here.”

Ignoring the slow grin spreading across his face, she kept walking until she reached the trees and bushes she’d picked out and ducked behind them. She did not waste any time taking care of business. Once she was done, she obliterated all sign of her presence and headed down the hill.

As she brushed past him, he asked, “Feel better now?”

She didn’t even glance back as she snarled, “No.”

Kin rubbed his chin as he watched her retreat from him, far too fascinated by the chit for his own good. Or hers. This was going to be a long trip.
****
There you have it. I’ll admit, I don’t often mention the “call of nature” in a book. I mean, we all have to go, right? And when Iffy leads me merrily down that path, it usually leads to a bit of light-hearted banter. Let’s face it, with a Wolf for a mate, a gal needs to be “bush trained,” right? (And yes, there is a similar scene in BLOOD MOON between Hannah and Mac.) Anyway, wruters feel free to grab a prompt and write with it. Readers, who else carries a pack of tissues in case of emergency? 🙋🏼‍♀️

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Total Eclipse of the Moon Dip

Posted on November 8, 2022 by Silver James

Guess what! I have a recipe and titles and characters to share today. Why? Because there was a blood moon this morning. Technically, a blood moon occurs when there’s a total exclipse of the moon. It turns blood red during the transition. BLOOD MOON is also the first book I self-published and it began the worldbuilding that became my Moonstruck Wolves world, which spans four different series. Wow. BLOOD MOON intrudocues the indomitable Major Hannah Jackson, fated mate of Sgt. Major Ian “Mac” McIntire. FYI, in the Moonstruck world, a pack Alpha can only be challenged on the night of a blood moon. Dang! And now I have an idea for a new book. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Moving on…

According to Pillsbury, Ranch Crack Dip will be your new go-to dish for special events. This iconic cream cheese dip is incredibly easy to throw together. All you need are five simple ingredients and ten minutes, and you’ll have an irresistible appetizer everyone will love. Serve it with tasty dippers like carrots, celery, crackers and baguette slices. Ranch Crack Dip is perfect for celebrations, gameday tailgates and movie nights at home. No matter the occasion, plenty of people will be asking you to share the recipe for this easy cream cheese dip.

Ingredients
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 package (1 oz) ranch salad dressing & seasoning mix
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cooked bacon (6 slices)
Sliced green onions, if desired

Make It:
1 – In large bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream and dressing mix until well blended. Stir in shredded Cheddar cheese.

2 – Stir in bacon. If desired, top with extra shredded cheese and sliced green onions to serve.

Tips:
Tip 1 – Crack dip is loaded with all the flavors you can’t stop eating: sour cream, dill and buttermilk-spiked Ranch seasoning, green onions and crumbled bacon. Dip in off-the-shelf veggie chips or spread on toasted baguette slices.

Tip 2 – Save time with pre-cooked slices of bacon that are reheated in the microwave just until crisp. Chop or crumble into small bits, then mix into your Ranch Crack Dip.

Tip 3 – Make this easy cream cheese dip by using a Cheddar cheese with some personality, like a sharp Cheddar. Smoked Gouda, dilled Havarti and crumbled blue cheese are other bold-flavored varieties you can play with as well.

If you want to watch a video on how to make this addictive dip and see the nutritional details, head over to Pillsbury’s website by CLICKING HERE. This dip is a fave of the Wolves for watching sports, action movies, and just sitting around waiting for the steaks to grill. The mates love it too. In fact, believe it or not, Hannah can now successfully make this dish. Why? Because the ingredients are simple and she doesn’t even have to get a mixer out. She can do this one “by hand.” This first book in the Moonstruck series is priced at only 99 cents and is available at many on-line bookstores, so BLOOD MOON is a good place to jump in to see if you might like my world, provided you haven’t already jumped in with both feet. And since a blood moon challenge is featured in BLOOD & FIRE, a stand-alone novel in the Moonstruck Wolf series. Celina Monaghan, a former EMT, made this dip for her co-workers. Now she makes it for her mate, Rhys. Their story is one of mistaken identity, a forced mating, and a blood moon challenge. It’s available for $2.99 at all those same e-tailers. Just click on a title or book cover to get to Books2Read to pick your preferred store. So, readers, what’s your favorite dip?

Psst: that new idea? Night of the Blood Moon, a novella chronicling the Russian’s challenge of Brick McIntire for control of the Nightriders. Anybody interested?

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DST Monday

Posted on November 7, 2022 by Silver James

November is moving on, and with early November comes the horrid time change. Yes, there’s a bill languishing in the US House of Representatives (passed bipartisan in the Senate) to keep Daylight Savings Time permanent–no time changes, simply stay on DST. Why? What is so wonderful about DST? As I shouted out yesterday to various and sundry, what’s wrong with good ol’ Standard Time. Central Standard time is my happy zone. My old body is attuned to Earth’s normal rataton and orbit around the sun. It worked for centuries. Why mess it up now? Still, I suppose one “same” time is better than the twice-a-year switch. I might adjust before I’m too old to enjoy it.

I got work done yesterday. A few new words and some polishing. Forward progress is a good thing. And yes, I broke down and signed into National Novel Writing Month in hopes my competitive streak kicks in and I’ll get UNDER THE ASSASSIN’S MOON republished and CROSSFIRE finished and ready for edits by the end of the month. As there’s only 3 weeks left in the month, I’d best get my arse in gear.

Saturday was First Saturday so there was siren test and lunch with the family at our favorite Mexican restuarant. Good food. Good company. Stormy made the honor roll and was the only 3rd grader to have all A+s and As. Smart little bugger. His school had their annual fund-raising dinner and auction, of which Only was co-chair. They did well, considering it’s been two years since they could do it in person. The on-line auctions didn’t generate the funds like the in-person silent and live auctions did.

The Astros won the World Series in 6 games. I really didn’t care who won–I just wanted good baseball and 7 games. Almost got my whole wish. The 6 games included some amazing plays–offense and defense. One part of me rooted for the Phillies since they beat my Cards. The other part rooted for the Astros because Dusty Baker has 2000 wins but hadn’t won the World Series. He’s one of the good guys and I’m happy for him.

In other sports news, college football was happy or sad, depending on your team. I’m sad, but hey, there were some crazy upsets. ‘Nuff said ’bout that.

Still in the middle of my Guild Hunter/Archangel series. It’s been two years since my last marathon and I’ve forgotten some of the twists and turns. That’s always good! There’s a new release at the end of my marathon. Yay.

A few extra thouths:

  1. Economics 101 should be a required course for anyone in journalism school.
  2. FYI, I am a proud cockroach, exceipt I’ve seldom voted a straight-party ticket and won’t be tomorrow.
  3. When in the public eye, you have to be pretty stupid yourself to insult half the country by calling them stupid. Political Science/Government 101 and both American History 101 and World History 101 should also be required courses for every student, no matter their major. BOTH sides–provided the educational system stops trying to indoctrinate our young people.
  4. I listen to the rhetoric of one party as they berate the other and think, “Pot, kettle.”

And while I’m being semi-political, which is extremely rare for me (see previous statement about half the world not agreeing with you), I end with this for my US readers. I don’t care who you vote for. I don’t care why you are voting for them. But tomorrow is election day so GO VOTE! And one last bit of FYI from this Government/History double major–we don’t live in a democracy. We live in a constitutional republic. There is a difference.

How was your weekend? And if you’re already adjusting to the time change, I don’t want to hear about it! 😉

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Friday Sinema: Shadow Singers

Posted on November 4, 2022 by Silver James

This is a fun one. And yeah, I’ve made a note of this bbecause what an awesome scene it would be in the right book. Because I’ a writer. And we steal borrow ideas and inspiration wherever we find them. TGIF and have a great weekend!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Achievement

Posted on November 3, 2022 by Silver James

When you were younger, did you know what you wanted to do with your life? Did you have great goals and aspirations? Did you want to be famous? I wanted to be a cowgirl. And I was–for awhile. It’s hard work and no real time off. (My dad and I bred and trained Quarterhorses.) Then I wanted to be a police officer. I set out to do that but back in those days, being a female and getting on with a department was tough. There was lots of pushback–not big enough, strong enough, etc. That’s basically true. Luckily, not one dude said that women weren’t smart enough. 🙄 Still, I applied, I tested, and I was on the cusp of getting hired when my life took a different direction, as lives do sometimes. Oddly, I never once thought I wanted to be a writer. Accroding to the Universe,

Those who achieve great things, defeat long odds, and become legends, Silver, didn’t have anything you don’t have.

They just kept showing up, expecting a miracle, long after everyone else got practical.

Here comes one now…!
The Universe
© www.tut.com

And, oh, we love when that happens, Silver. Great excuse for a rainbow, a snow day, or a shooting star.

Don’t get me wrong, I had (and still have!) a vivid imagination. I made up stories. Sometimes, I wrote them down. Then a friend told me I should write a book. I wrote several. (I’m not counting the fanfiction I wrote in junior high that starred my best friend, me, Davy Jones (of The Monkees fame) and Peter Noone (Herman of Herman’s Hermits). And yes, you have to be as old as dirt–like me–to know who they are–or you had cool pareents. Either one. Ahem. Anyway. A few years went by and I met this guy at work–different judicial offices, same state government building. We got to be friends. He was in law school. I was also a big fan of the The Executioner series of books–Mack Bolan bad-ass SpecOps Viet Nam soldier who’s family is slaughtered by the Mafia so he goes AWOL and brings the war home. I decided I could create an all-female unit that sort of did that, only they ended up working for a DoD think tank testing these crazy military inventions. My friend was interested so I’d write a chapter and give it to him to read. He convinced me to send it to Don Pendleton’s publisher (Gold Eagle, which was a subsidiary of Harlequin.) They liked my writing but couldn’t figure out how to market the book/series, but please keep them in mind. So then I wrote a romantic suspense (which STILL might see the published light of day eventually). That one went to Harlequin. I still have the rejection letter. Twenty-plus years after that (and after marrying the guy who liked my idea and wanted to read the chapters), I got a phone call from Harlequin wanting to buy COWGIRLS DON’T CRY.

Hey, I’m writer. There’s no way I can make a long story short. And yes, I’m quite capable of making a short story long. 🤣 Bottom line is, dream big. Work toward that dream and your goals. If I can get there, anyone can. What about y’all? Do you want to be famous and if so, for what?

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Wednesday Words: Backing Out

Posted on November 2, 2022 by Silver James

So, today’s #lineWed prompt was pretty lame. It was like **The** or something. However, there were two winners from #ThursdayTreads last week so the participants could do either or both. Y’all can guess what I did. Anyway, I got an honorable mention out of the deal so it’s all good. Here’s your choices today: “You’re going to back out now?” or “I think we all have them.” You know, in case you need some inspiration. This scene occurs fairly early in the book, not too long after the Hard Target team has started shepherding the remaining kids out of the area and toward the border to safety. The orignal 250 words ended with, “Aye, lass, it is.” Last week’s judge worried for the villages. I told her not to. And the additional wrods explain why. Hope you enjoy.
****
Meg, hands fished on her hips, faced the half circle of men. “You promised.”
“No, lass. None of us did. We said we’d scout the situation to see if we could help. We did. There’s nothing we can do.”

“There has to be!” She recognized the whine in her voice, didn’t care. “You promised to help but you’re going to back out now? Gosh, too bad no one around here has any balls.”

“I think we all have them.” Humor glinted in Duke’s eyes, which surprised her. The leader of their little band of misfits seemed dour and taciturn. “And we’d like to keep them intact.”

She muttered something under her breath the men chose to ignore.

Kin touched her shoulder. “Lass, we can’t just go bustin’ in there, guns blazing. This isn’t a movie.”

“But the people—”

“Can take care of themselves,” Duke said, back to the stone-cold commander.

Meg’s gaze bounced to each man and she had no trouble reading the implacable expressions on their faces.

Cupping her cheek with a gentle touch, Kin urged her to look at him. “Our duty is to the children, lass. What would happen to them—to you should we get wounded or killed?”

“Sorry, doll,” Dalton piped up. “We aren’t Marvel superheroes.”

She knew that. All of it. And she knew Kin and Duke and the rest were right. There was nothing they could do. The people in that village were on their own.

“Bloody goddamned war.”

“Aye, lass, it is.”

Still fuming, Meg gathered up the children and got them moving. She noticed Petrov glancing back over his shoulder several times. She almost thought to release him but didn’t. She hadn’t recruited him. He’d already been in charge of getting this group of orphans away from the fighting. She also paid attention to the demeanor of the men who’d arrived to rescue her and discovered she came with some serious baggage. They were all soldiers and she had the niggling feeling that deep down, every one of them resented the fact they couldn’t go help. Except…

Yeah, except this wasn’t their fight. They were only there because her father sent them in to pull her sorry tail end out of a terribly precarious situation. It was her fault their lives were in danger. Still, she couldn’t feel too guilty because without their help? There was no telling how many of the truly little ones—the most vulnerable and sick who’d been airlifted out in the helicopter—would have survived. And their trek would definitely be easier with these soldier’s assistance.

They hiked on for a bit less than an hour, steadily heading uphill. When the first rumbles of gunfire reached them, the whole party stopped and looked down into the valley. The Russians were boldly driving down the main road of what appeared to be a deserted village. Except it wasn’t. The residents had hidden in ambush and now they had the convey caught in a deadly crossfire. The front truck was burning and the tank bringing up the rear had lost one of its tracks. Russian soldiers resorted to taking cover under their vehicles as gunfire erupted from the shops and house on both sides of the road.

No one moved until the battle was seemingly over. Russian troops surrendered to the civilian villagers—shopkeepers, farmers, hunters. It was a sight to behold. She glanced at Petrov, pride shining from his expression as unabashed tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Oh, yeah,” she muttered. “Those villagers just took care of themselves.”
****
There you have it. Progress! Not much but every 500+ words add up. And since it IS November, which means National Novel Writing Month, I should buckle down and write. I’ve participated and hit my 50K words in 30 days since 2008. It’d be a shame to quite now. We’ll see. I can jump in at any time. Writers, care to be inspired? Are you participating in NaNo? Readers, have you ever wanted to write a book?

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