Tis the season! The final month of the year filled with joy, happiness, and insanely crazy schedules. LOL
I'm working on a little something I hope to share throughout the month, with the idea dependent upon how many hours I have left over during the day.
Television this week had the best almost full week crossover in the DC universe. Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow went up against the dominators and came out on top. Pretty great stuff!
The Librarians had a fun episode. I like it when Jenkins and Eve have adventures. The Walking Dead's Tara-centric episode ended up being pretty terrific, too.
Gotham got interesting with the introduction of Selena's mother and Gordon landing in another hot mess. Of course, Barbara and company teaming up with Nygma can only be a good thing.
Agents of SHIELD took a twisty turn having Mac inhabited by the fiery vengeance seeker for a brief period. I'm liking where everything is headed.
For fun, I started what I’m calling my Great Holiday Show Binge Watch. I started out with all the holiday episodes of JAG then dove into the Doctor Who Christmas specials. I'm up to "The End of Time" when David Tennant hands over the TARDIS to Matt Smith. Hoping to finish out the Whoverse episodes and maybe start on NCIS next.
And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Quell the Boom, a novella that started with the prompt of "write an action adventure story with a bomb". Fun stuff.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Quinna Joltz and Efran Pendragon, experts in diffusing magical bombs, tend to let their rivalry take center stage, but when an unbalanced wizard plants devices that can bring down their entire city, they agree to work together. The adrenaline filled race finally gives them some perspective and a little bit of common ground to share.
And a preview snippet…
Efran heaved a frustrated sigh. "Quinna, you have got to focus. What is your damned problem?" For someone who ranked at the top of her game, she had the attention span of gnat.
Quinna rolled her eyes. "My damned problem is you telling me what I have to do." She got up and paced the floor. "If you mention the word focus one more time, I'm going to drop you on your ass." Her fingers flexed before she balled her hands into fists.
Efran studied her a moment. Edgy, twitchy, and jumpy. What the hell? If he didn't know her, he'd swear she jonesed for a fix. Quinna prowled around the chamber, her gaze sweeping back and forth then up and down.
He settled his seat on the floor. "You're climbing the walls. You can't stand inactivity." He should've realized earlier.
Quinna whirled around. "Are you my therapist now?" She moved to the window, separating the blinds to peer outside. "I'm fine. Start on the next incantation." Her foot bounced up and down.
Efran closed the book and got up. He moved to her side, noting her closed off expression, the tense lines of her mouth, and pent-up energy screaming for release.
She slid him a sideways glance. "Dammit, Efran, you said we were staying in here until we knew everything upside down, inside out, forwards, backward, sideways, and whatever else. Start the next incantation, will you?" Her gaze went back to the window. "We're six hours in and haven't killed each other yet. Don't test the limits of my flexibility."
She had a point. He pushed hard and she had yet to complain. Her distraction had caught his attention and her comment about how much time they'd been behind closed doors hit him. They needed a break. Or at least she did. Efran got so lost in the work, he shut everything else out. Hunger, thirst, the necessity to rest his brain all took a back seat to the task at hand.
He snapped his fingers. "Food." Turning, he ambled to the small kitchenette to see what had been stocked.
Quinna's head snapped up. "What did you say?" She followed him. "Are you seriously thinking about eating right now?"
He glanced up from behind the fridge door. "Yeah. We're not going to get anything done if you can't fo—" He cleared his throat and corrected. "Concentrate. You need sustenance." He turned and grabbed items to make sandwiches, setting everything on the counter.
She folded her arms across her chest. "And you don't?" Her brow shot up.
He shrugged. "I'm used to putting aside any and all until the job's done." He met her gaze. "But if we're going to work together, I should probably dial back my single-mindedness a little." His lips quirked.
Quinna snorted. "You think?" She made her way to the counter and started helping with the food. "Don't you ever relax?" Heading for the cupboard, she retrieved a couple of glasses and poured some tea.
Efran paused a moment, tilting his head to one side. "Yeah, I guess." Didn't he?
Quinna laughed. "Oh, Efran, for all your brainpower, I'm not sure you even know the definition of the word." She placed the drinks on the butcher block and parked her butt on a barstool. "Relax… to unwind, kick back, take a load off." Snagging a sandwich, she mumbled around a big bite. "Any of those sound familiar?"
Efran bit back a pissy reply. Maybe he didn't swing from chandeliers—something Quinna had a reputation for—or go skinny dipping during the full moon—an unforgettable sight he witnessed just last month. But her poking fun grated.
He handwaved her chiding remark. "I know how to have a good time." And he didn't have to draw every eyeball in the city to do it.
Quinna snorted. "I doubt that. What, exactly, do you do to let loose?" She drained half the glass of tea.
Efran countered with a question. "Why don't we start with what you do?" He washed the last of his ham and cheese down with a big gulp of his drink.
Quinna's saucy smirk should have been a red flag.
She got up, rounded the counter and fisted her hand in his shirt. "For starters? I find a super-hot guy and"—hauling him close, her mouth hovered close to his—"do something like this." She planted a scorching kiss on his lips.
Well, hell. He should've seen that one coming.
Quinna is going to challenge Efran at every turn, but they'll find a way to work together.
That's it for this week.
Cheers!
Skye
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