Wednesday Words: So…

Posted on February 9, 2022 by Silver James

With today’s #1lineWed theme, it would have been easy to find a snippet to plug in here. Instead, I made myself write new words. So, ignore the typos and first draft stuffs because this totally is a first draft. So, what is the theme you ask? It’s **SO**. So, basically, this scene is self-explanatory and leads up to some serious consequences. I will tell you that Maura Brannigan is confronted by her boss, DA Alex Crenshaw and some truths come to light. Rut ro!
****
Maura pretended her head wasn’t pounding. She walked into the DA’s offices and headed straight to the one with her name on the door. Frantic movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Her assistant, arms waving as she all but jumped up and down in place, had just emerged from the file room. Curious but not worried, Maura opened her door and only then realized the frantic message Gina had failed to convey. Her boss waited like a poised rattlesnake, ready to strike out.

“So…” He trailed off ominously.

She left the door open and strode across the carpet to her desk where she deposited her messenger bag. With a deft move, she put the desk between them and then she opened the bag and riffled through the files.

“So…?” He said it again, making it a question this time.

Worldlessly, she pulled out the pertinent file and carefully slid it across the desktop in his direction.

He ignored it. “ I know what happened, Maura. You didn’t put up much of a fight, now did you.”

She wanted to yell out in frustration, “ So what!?” She didn’t, wisely keeping her silence instead. Alex had a habit of losing his temper and venting it on his underlings. This wasn’t the first time he’d unloaded on her, nor would it likely be the last. She stared at him but remained quiet.

“That fucker should still be behind bars. The judge didn’t even give him fucking bail.”

Maura swallowed the sigh threatening to escape. Showing her disgust would not help.

“So?” He barked it this time. “What do you have to say for yourself.”

“The judge dropped the charges, Alex. Given the overwhelming evidence of Mick O’Connor’s innocence, this office will be lucky of they don’t bring a law suit against us for false arrest and imprisonment.”

“The fucking judge is on their payroll.”

Laughter burst out before she could contain it. “Really? It was my understanding that Judge Jackson is in JD Moore’s pocket.” She immediately regretted the outburst as Alex turned purple. He slammed her office door, but not before she caught the shocked faces of the office staff. They’d all been listening, including several of her ADA colleagues.

“I expect my employees to be loyal,” Alex said in a low, growling voice.

Keeping her voice calm and even, she replied, “I am loyal to this office, Alex. And to the law.”

He slammed his fist on her desk, rattling several items. “You better watch your step, Maura.”

On that threat, he pivoted and headed to the door. Jerking it open with enough strength it slammed against a bookcase behind it, he marched through the now-silent office watched, faces showing a variety of emotions ranging from shock to fear to one ADA who grinned viciously as he stared at her. Maura sank into her chair, knees suddenly weak. She placed her hands flat on the desk and held them there, fighting the very visceral urge to pick up the phone to call the last man on earth. Then her cell phone rang.
****
So, there you have it. I’ll leave it to your imagination as to who she’d like to contact. 😉 So, what about y’all? So, writers, have words to share? And so, readers, how do you feel about hooks* at the end of a chapter or scene? Also, do NOT use “so” as extensively as I did in this post. Like “that,” it can be something of a “crutch” word.

*Technically, it’s a cliffhanger as it’s at the end of a chapter and while cliffhangers are good IN a book, I hate a book that ends on one that’s used with the express intent of “click bait” to buy the next book. I call them hooks because 1) you need a hook to start a chapter, and 2) you need one to end it to keep the reader turning pages, swiping the screen and/or listening to the book.

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: PHILLY Shrimp Cocktail Dip

Posted on February 8, 2022 by Silver James

Guess what happens Sunday? At least here in the States. Yes, once again, it’s time for the Super Bowl. And for the first time, I’m probably gong to watch because a team is there for the first time in ages. Also, I have hopes for this year’s batch of commercials. We’ll see. Anyway, here’s a quick dip to fix and serve and everyone will think you’re all fancy and stuff.

Total Time: 10 Min.
Prep Time: 10 Min.
24 servings, 2 Tbsp. each

Take just 10 minutes before the party begins to make this PHILLY Shrimp Cocktail Dip! You only need five ingredients for this dip.

What You Need
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 lb. cooked cleaned shrimp, chopped (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup KRAFT Cocktail Sauce
1/4 cup KRAFT Shredded Parmesan Cheese
2 green onions, sliced

Let’s Make It
1 – Spread cream cheese onto bottom of shallow bowl.
2 – Toss shrimp with cocktail sauce; spoon over cream cheese.
3 – Top with remaining ingredients.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Substitute: Substitute 1 pkg. (8 oz.) imitation crabmeat, coarsely chopped, for the shrimp.

Tip 2 – Buffalo Shrimp Cocktail Dip: Substitute Buffalo wing sauce mixed with 2 Tbsp. HEINZ Tomato Ketchup for the cocktail sauce.

I love My Food & Family. You can check out all the nutritional details for this recipe HERE. Personally, I’m thinking, “Forget the crackers, just hand me the bowl and a spoon!” And I don’t care if it’s shrimp or crab or if I were rich, lobster! I’m not the only one. Yes, the Nightriders will be gathered at the clubhouse in Kansas City, even though their Chiefs lost to the Bengals. If the Bengals beat the Rams, they’ll get a little of theirs back. The mates will be providing the food and Leigh Daniels, who belongs to Smoke Jenner, has promised to provide bowls of her famous Shrimp Cocktail Dip. And you can bet there will be a few bowls tucked back in the fridge for the ladies. If you’d like to read about how an arson investigator ended up with an arsonist OR if you are looking for something to read while others watch the game, you should grab NIGHT FIRE. Just lick on a pic or the title to head to Books2Read to grab your copy from the online bookstore of your choice. When it comes to the Super Bowl, what about y’all? Will you be watching the game? Is there a traditional food or snack that you serve?

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A Blue Monday

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Silver James

We’re supposed to have blue skies today. I’ve enjoyed them the past two days. And it’s Monday. Perhaps the sunshine will make up for the stuff. And there’s been stuff. So, here’s what up in my life.

Saturday turned out warmer than expected and the snow started melting. Snow that’s been plowed and melts in splotches is depressing. Just sayin’. Still, blue sky. We had siren test and then our monthly lunch at our fave Mex place, Alvarado’s. Yummy delivious and it was soooo nice to see everyone’s smiling faces again. No more mask mandate there! Yay! I’m for no more mask mandates period. No matter where you live. If you are at risk, grab an N-95 mask and wear it. It will afford you some amount of protection. If you and your doctor agree, get vaxxed. I’m triple vaxxed. I’ve had the antibody test, and I have them. I’m a firm believer in medical stuff remaining between a patient and their doctor. You don’t wanna get jabbed? That’s up to you. And that’s my politics for the day. Moving on.

Christmas is over. After like six years. The Christmas tree came down. Twice. Thanks Boone. Hopefully, it can be salvaged for next Christmas. That corner looks so freaking bare. I hate it. And sadly, I can’t move the end table and lamp that would nor\mally sit there because both are antiques. Which don’t mix with demented climbing dog.

Not much writing going on. It’s hard with almost constant headbutts and/or stepping on feet and pushing between bodies and things like…oh…desks. Counters. Bookcases. So no decluttereing going on either. It’s frustrating. I know he’s old and he should get to live out his normal life happily but between the sleep deprivation and his constant search for some sort of portal–like Narnia maybe? Because he’s tried to climb into a wardrobe, the antique linen press that’s our media cabinet in the bedroom, and every closet that he can get the door open–but yeah. Sleep deprivation + constant frustration makes for frayed tempers. LG commented that it’s like having a colicky baby. We’re trying to handle it in shifts, which sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t. Anyway. Another frustration was trying to get ROGUE MOON wide. Even though my KDP (Amazon) author’s dashboard said it was off, the book’s detail page showed it was still available in Kindle Unlimited so other outlets wouldn’t touch it. Draft2Digital customer service was all kinds of awesome. The ‘Zon’s? Not so much. It took a lot of emails, several screen shots, and two seperate CS reps before they finally got it fixed. It’s live many places now so that’s a plus.

No sports. No TV of note. Oh, I AM going to get political again. I’m done with The Masked Singer. For reasons. I’m also done with Diet Coke. They don’t need my $50+ dollars a month considering how much they’re raking in from the CCP. I’m drinking Pepsi now, also for reasons. I really shouldn’t comment on “current affairs.” I spend a lot of time being pissed at the world. So I’ve decided to do the things I can do, small though they might be, to strick a spark for freedom.

I grabbed my chicken soup book–NAKED IN DEATH–and I’m doing a “spotty” re-listen to the series to welcome the new release tomorrow. 54 books and counting. Wow! Yes, I want to be JD Robb when I grow up. Except I think we’re close to the same age. Okay. I just checked. She has 2 1/2 years on me but yeah, we’re basically contemporaries. LOl Anyway, listening to the tales of Eve Dallas, Roarke, and the rest is good for my soul.

So, that was pretty much last week and this week. This week’s list includes moving around some media, getting back in the groove of the Boston Wolves, and my weekly trip to Wallyworld this morning. And yes, Jake and I will be hitting Starbucks after, even though inflation is going to hit there too. 😟 Still, the sun is shining, the skies are blue and a forecast of 60 degrees. For the week. Yippee! And COFFEE! 🥰 Tell me something good in your life.

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Friday Sinema: A Journey

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Silver James

Most of you know that I’ve been known to watch the Superbowl simply for the commercials. The last few years, I’ve simply looked them up online after the fact. Okay, sometimes before because compannies and ad agencies want the biggest bang for the huge bucks a SB spot costs. Last year, there was no Clydesdale commercial from Budweisser. There is this year and it’s out. WARNING: Do not get a hanky. Get a whole blasted giant box of tissues! You’ll need them but I dare you not to watch because the end message? Oh, hell yeah! We’re still digging out from Winter Storm Landon*. Have a great weekend, all!

*And yes, I am totally singing 🎶 My winter has a first name, it’s S-T-O-R-M. My winter has a last name, it’s L-A-N-D-O-N…🎶 Hey, cabin fever. It’s a thing!

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Secrets

Posted on February 3, 2022 by Silver James

I’m actually putting this post together on Wednesday as we’re supposed to have a minor snowmagedden overnight. I want to make sure this goes live because…well…secrets. We all have them. Some we share, some we play it close to the vest. Which comes from gambling during card games. This is a secret I want to share but there’s some good advice here–both personally and professionally.

The secret to living the life of your dreams, Silver, is to start living them at once, to any degree you possibly can.

I love secrets,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

If you can’t go to Maui, Silver, go to Miami. If you can’t write the book, write a letter. If you can’t bake the cake, bake a cookie. If you can’t go by car, ride a bike. If you can’t make a friend, be one. Always, do what you can do. If only just a little. Have fun. And prepare to be the talk of the town.

Okay, I might be able to swing Miami, OK. 😉 (Pronounced My-am-uh NOT My-am-ee, just so ya know). Writers–even Stephen King–get stymied by the occasional writer’s block. Or Real Life. RL is my current excuse but that’s neither here nor there. Thing is, the Big U has the right of it. A friend of mine is found of saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Books don’t write themselves and we get overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. So what do we do? We write one sentence. One paragraph. One page. And we keep doing that until we finally type THE END (whether you do that figuratively or literally at the end of your manuscript). The point is–whether in writing or life–do what you can. If the big picture is too much, step back. Pick out one thing you can do then do it, thereby taking it off the board. When that’s done, pick out the next thing. And the next. Pretty soon, that jigsaw puzzle looming in front of you is reduced to all the pieces back in the box and you can sit back and say, “Wow. I did that! I dreamed and I lived. I traveled, wrote, baked, got there, found friends. I had fun and if people are talking, good for them!” Now, go git ‘er done, folks. Me, too.

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Wednesday Words: Short Story Long

Posted on February 2, 2022 by Silver James

A good raconteur makes a long story short and entertaining. A good storyteller makes a short story and turns it into a long story, aka a novel. Aren’t y’all glad I’m not a raconteur? Anyway, today’s #1lineWed THEME is **LONG**. Now, I write romance. Sometimes, I write down and dirty romance. And there’s that whole size matters discussion so you know my brain went there…like…immediately. However, I decided to share the short beginning of a very long story instead. As this is the start, it shouldn’t need any explanation. If it does, I need some serious rewriting!
****
Prologue

Brian “Boru” O’Hara was a wily old Wolf. At the age of sixteen, his parents shipped him out of Belfast during the Troubles and he landed in Boston on the first day of the first month of the year of 1969. A distant cousin, a small-time hood, took him in. That was a momentous year for the Irish teen. In July, the US put a man on the moon and Brian got his first taste of running numbers in South Boston. A big lad, he moved on to a bit of leg-breaking and breaking-and-entering, but generally kept his head down. He mostly stayed up-wind of the likes of Whitey Bolger and the McLaughlin brothers, the Mullens, the Killeens and the Winter Hill gang. He managed to skirt the edges of all of them. Brian O’Hara was known as a stand-up guy and it was Whitey himself who gave the lad the moniker of Boru.
“Just like Brian Boru taking over t’be the king of Ireland, this lad will be king of Boston before he’s done,” Whitey told a group of his associates. “And he’s as loyal as the day is long.”

That last part was true. If Brian was on the payroll, he was loyal and that worked to his advantage.
At twenty-two, he met, courted and claimed his mate, a lively Irish lass with hair the color of a sunset, freckles on her nose, and a love of dancing. They were married in Saint Brigid’s Catholic Church in 1975, in the middle of a mob war. As a testament to Brian’s standing with the various factions, they called a cease fire for the festivities.

Eventually, Glenna presented him with two beautiful daughters, Bernadette and Noreen, who in turn married good Irish American boys—one a doctor and one a lawyer, both of whom wisely ignored their father-in-law’s less-than-legal enterprises. He had a passel of grandchildren, Glenna and their daughters were still beautiful, and he’d lived a prosperous life.

He’d stayed in the background, waiting and watching. On his 66th birthday, with his family and friends gathered to celebrate, Brian retired to his study around nine o’clock. He didn’t call in either of his sons-in-law. No, he summoned a man he considered his son—of the heart if not of blood. Ronan O’Connor arrived with a bottle of good Irish whiskey. The two men remained closeted behind the closed door for over an hour.

Late in the night, after the food and the festivities, and after Glenna danced a jig with the old man, Ronan walked alone into the chilly Boston night, Brian’s words still ringing in his ears. “It’s time, boyo. Go take what is ours.”
****
Yeah, yeah. I realize that’s quite a bit of telling rather than showing but that’s what fits the narrative, the timeline, and the story. Chapter 1 gets off to a banging start. 😉 Writers, any long words to share? And readers, which do you prefer short stories/novellas or full-length, ie. long, novels?

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Tuesday Treats & Titles: Chicken Breasts Parmesan

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Silver James

I’m a big fan of Italian food. And chicken parmesan ranks right up there as a favorite. I’ve been known to make “Poor Man’s Chicken Parm” using breaded chicken patties and spaghetti sauce. Yeah, yeah, My bad. When I want something fast and don’t mind the clean-up, I pull out this recipe.

Total Time: 26 Min.
Prep Time: 10 Min.
Cook Time: 16 Min.
4 servings

Make a crispy coating of Parm and bread crumbs for Chicken Breasts Parmesan. Add zesty marinara to Chicken Breasts Parmesan for our version of the classic.

What You Need
1-3/4 cups CLASSICO Marinara with Plum Tomatoes & Olive Oil Pasta Sauce
1/2 lb. linguine, uncooked
1 egg
1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb.)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese

Let’s Make It
1 – Heat pasta sauce, and cook pasta as directed on package omitting salt.
2 – Meanwhile, beat egg lightly in shallow dish. Mix next 3 ingredients in separate shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg, then in cheese mixture, turning to evenly coat both sides of each breast.
3 – Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 min. on each side or until done (165ºF). Top with mozzarella; cover. Cook on low heat 3 min. or until mozzarella is melted.
4 – Drain pasta; place on platter. Top with sauce and chicken.

Kitchen Tips
Tip 1 – Family Fun: Take a long walk with your family after enjoying this meal together.

My tip: I serve either one LARGE breast or two small ones. Don’t judge. This makes two servings for us but since there’s only two of us, there ya go.

If you want all the nutritional details head over to MY FOOD & FAMILY. I’m sure everyone has their own favorite Chicken Parm recipe but Jacey Hunter from HUNTER’S MOON uses this one because it’s quick, easy, and tastes like she made it from scratch. It’s her go-to romantic dinner when it’s just she and Nate, but the girls they adopted like it too, cuz “SKITTY!” If you’d like to read about how these two met, you can grab HUNTER’S MOON which is available from many on-line booksellers now. Just click on either pic with the cover or the title and head over to Books2Read to find this book or any of my books. Who else is a fan of Italian? 🙋🏼‍♀️

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Monday Lasting

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Silver James

January is done for the year. It’s the last Monday in a month full of them. Tomorrow starts our shortest month. I’m not quite ready to look that far ahead though. So, in retrospect…

Stuff happened last week and over the weekend. Not much stuff, granted, but some stuff. Words–written and oral. Critters. Family time. Food. You know, the usual stuff. Let’s talk words for a moment. I’m up over 60K on the Boston Wolves. I got several good scenes done and then sort of stalled out for…reasons. Mostly dut to lack of sleep. We’ll get to that. At the moment, I’m heartened with the direction the story is taking, despite all the various threads. This sucker may turn out to be REALLY long. That presents pricing concerns. We’ll see that happens when I finally hit the end.

I think I’ve mentioned that Boone, my oldest pupper is…well, we aren’t exactly sure. It’s like he has dementia or something. He has trouble with his back legs–they sometimes are slow to respond and he’ll drag one or both feet until he gets them back under him–yet he tries to climb up on coffee tables, storage tubs, and other items while trying to force his way into corners, bookcases, and walls. It’s like he’s trying to find the protal to Narnia. We’ve rearranged, revamped, and tried to accomodate The vet says he’s just old. And he is. He’s 15 or 16 now. He was a rescue and we aren’t sure just how old he was. He’s also a BIG dog and the giant breeds don’t normally have long lives. We lost Cooper when he was only 9. Boone also follows us around, getting between us and things like desks, counters, the fridge. He’s a shadow glued so tightly that I often turn around and almost trip over him. He also knocks things off tables–phones, drinks, LG’s ashtrays. He’s not in pain. This goes on CONSTANTLY. Day. Night. It got to the point that LG and I took turns staying up all night to deal with him so the other could sleep. We’re now in the process of trying “calming” medications, including one with CBD as an ingredient. It works for awhile and we now get a few hours of respite at a time. Anyway, trying to get anything done with him constantly circling the desk chair or laying between the chair and the desk makes it hard to concentrate enough to write. It is what it is. We’ve had him since ’08 and he’s our old man. We’ll see him through.

In other critter news, we’re due another arctic blast midweek so I took advantage of the warm temps this weekend to add windbreaks to the shelter beds out on the bench o the front porch. So far, both have been used. There’s also and actual insulated cat house out there and the one feral who mostly hangs here uses it. The others come and go.

I have a dining room again. LG took over the dining room table when he retired. Our library (that’s a long story!) became the box storage room. He finally got stuff moved and sorted and put up and I moved my stuff out (like the sewing machine). Our old dining room table is now his desk and all his electronics and stuff are in there. Loki is baffled. He has a WHOLE table upon which to wander. I even put a vase with flowers and candlsticks out. The cat’s all WTF? He hasn’t seen a “clean” tabletop since he first arrived as a kitten. I also cleared out the last corner in my kitchen. The bread machine that hasn’t been used in over a year is up in the pantry and the backsplash is updated to match the one the one behind the sink. I feel so accomplished. 🙄

I guess I should mention Jake. Jake is Jake. He’s wonderful and I love him. He’s my good boy and travel/errand companion.

Okay, I sort of mentioned writing. I did some. I plan to do some more. HUNTER’S MOON came off KU last week and is now mostly wide through D2D. ROGUE MOON came off at midnight and it’s being uploaded this morning to go wide. That’s the last of my self-pubbeds. I’m wide now with everything but the Susan Stoker world books.

I finished off the Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews. Still not sure why I was resistent to reading them. Turned out to be a really fun series: a sentient B&B, magical innkeepers, space aliens, space vampires, and a hunky werewolf with alien DNA. Fun stuffs! Now I’m into the In Death series. New addition to the series coming out next week so I’m listening to a few favorites and then I’ll listen to the last couple releases to remind me of where we are in the story.

Stormy came after school Thursday. He and his Big Daddy played electronic Battleship and Uno, using the new Star Wars deck LG bought him. During dinner, Stormy explained to me all about shaped explosive charges and the difference between ANFO, TNT and C4. We were watching “Mythbusters” at the time. And he had seen that particular episode. The kid will be 8 next birthday. That’s all I’m gonna say. 🤣

On that note, it’s Monday, which means Wallyworld run and Starbucks with my “battle buddy” Jake. Then we’ll see what today brings. What about y’all? What stuff’s happening in your lives?

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Friday Sinema: Foxtrot

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Silver James

It’s Friday once again. Apropos of nothing, this video caught my eye and made me smile. That’s a good way to end the “work” week. I mean, what could be better than bluegrass music and a fox? Have a great weekend.

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Thursday Thoughts: Not Exactly Human

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Silver James

So, I almost forgot to set up today’s blog. That’s what happens when being awake from 2:25 a.m. until now (which is approximately 5 p.m.–and did you know that a.m. stands for ante meridium and p.m. stands for post meridum?) Yes, my brain IS milk toast at this point, which means I’m pretty much a milquetoast. If you are unfamiliar with the dish or the definition, look it up. Anyway, this popped up in my list of saved messages from the Univserse and I thought to myself, Self, you write about not-quite-humans and magic. Hrm… So, here:

It’s time you learned the truth, Silver.

Actually, you should have been told long, long ago.

You see, there was kind of a mix-up.

Things like this are never easy. But, well, to be as direct as possible…

You’re not human.

Of course, you probably just think I’m being cute, but the truth is that you are not human. Not even a little. Not one speck. Now, before you go all ape… realize that there’s a bright side to everything, and in this case it’s BLINDING.

You no longer have to behave as one!

Tallyho,
The Universe
©www.tut.com

Can you imagine, Silver, depending a little less on logic and a little more on magic? Most who see themselves as human, can’t.

My response is no, I’m not human. I’m a writer. I live on imagination and caffeine and by the magic of both, I create worlds and people it  with…people. Some of whom of human, some not. Logic is nice but not a necessary ingredient. So, even sleep deprived and slightly pumch-drunk silly, I can still spin tales. And tails. Because…wolves. And dragons. And others. Imagination and caffeine is my magic and words are the spells I cast. I’m glad I have the Universe’s permission to act like what I am–a purveyor of stories. So I’ll get back to work now that I know the truth. Not that I didn’t kinda know all along. What about you? What magic do you wield?

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