Sunday Snippet: Lie to Me

March 27, 2016

Happy Easter to those who observe and celebrate. We're having some lovely weather in Ohio, which might only last twenty-four hours because—hello!—it's Ohio. LOL I'm still battling the flu… apparently I got the full two-week version. Yay, me.

That said, I did enjoy my week of new shows on television. The Walking Dead followed up the Carol / Maggie excellence with another terrific episode. I'm still not all that excited for Negan to show up, but eh, we'll see what happens when he does.

Gotham took a turn I didn't expect and I'm definitely interested in where things go from here. Nygma is one crafty, creepy dude. The Magicians continues to keep me intrigued. I truly love the dynamic between Penny and Quentin. The Lost Girl finale had me sobbing… again. I'm going to miss that show so much. Bitten twisted the spikes in a little deeper, but I loved the spin with making Rachel the one with powers instead of Rocco. Awesome to see Paige again.

The Flash made a reveal I didn't expect until the end of the season, so kudos for keeping me on my toes. Arrow took a turn I didn't exactly like, but I'm in for the long haul with Oliver and company. Looking forward to a new Legends episode this week.

Agents of SHIELD keeps getting better and better. I'm excited for the Most Wanted spin off. I love those characters.

The finale for Murdoch Mysteries proved excellent. I can't believe they keep coming up with great stuff after almost ten years. Here's to another terrific season whenever it premieres.

And that's the television update for this week.

Tonight's post is from Lie to Me, an urban fantasy / contemporary paranormal novella where my main characters have to deal with a malevolent force before they get their lives on track.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Jana Ricks has a target on her back and she wants Rhys McPherson to help her get rid of it. Rhys loves Jana, but can't protect her, not if they want to stay alive, which he's determined to make happen… even if it means giving up the future he wants.

And a preview snippet…

Jana Ricks thrashed through the woods behind her house. "What the flaming hell is on my ass?" She'd pushed her daily run to late evening, hoping for cooler temperatures.

The summer humidity, worse than it had been for five years, sucked the will to exercise out of Jana during the day.

Thudding footfalls and snapping brush spurred Jana forward. She had no idea who she'd pissed off, but her gut screamed "otherworldly" pursuit. And that meant even if she made the safety of her cottage, she might not lose whatever creature nipped at her heels.

Spying the back patio, she used a burst of energy and rocketed the last few hundred feet to reach the neatly laid brick pavers. Spinning around, her breath heaving in and out, she crossed her arms in an 'X' then spread them out into a 'T'. She muttered an intricate series of words then punched both hands toward the inky black sky. Drawing power from her surroundings, she brought her arms downward in a sharp motion and sent the incantation out in all directions.

A moment later, a piercing yelp followed by a low, menacing growl met her ears.

Anger kicked hard in her chest. "Dammit. A hell hound or a hex cat." Her thighs screamed with agony because of the hard run, but she walked the perimeter of her patio, touching her foot to a series of runes on the bordering bricks. "Let's see you get past my wards, you mangy cur." Shaky legs carried her to the French doors, leading into her humble abode.

She entered and made a beeline for her phone, sitting on the kitchen table. Swiping through her contacts, her thumb hovered over the screen a moment before she hit the call icon. Lifting the device to her ear, she tamped down the fear and anger, ignored the thundering reluctance pumping along with her pulse, and waited for the recipient to respond.

On the third ring, they did.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Hey, it's Jana. I need help."

I'm really liking the way this one is coming together. I do need to take a day and really plot out the rest of the story, mainly to make sure I don't spin off in too many directions.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye