Sunday Snippet: Fundamental Basics (A Lantern Jack Tale)

We had a slightly crazy week of weather. Lots of rain with storms blowing through quickly then the sun popping back out. I love to watch the storm clouds roll in.

Television this week was hit and miss. I got another episode of Mutant X in and I caught a couple of Blindspot episodes but didn't get to finish out the season before they yanked some of the episodes I hadn't seen. I'll have to finish up season three on DVD.

In Classic Who, I finished out the Key of Marinus episodes. Not a bad arc. I'll be starting the Aztecs this week.

Canal Road's third episode was excellent. I enjoyed seeing the group interaction in this episode. I have some thoughts about who killed Spence's wife. Just saying.

Caught a movie on Café Noir. It wasn't the best, but I've been writing some noir-ish-themed stories lately and I liked the ambiance of the movie.

Got in another episode of Midsomer Murders and finished up season three of Endeavor. Gotta say the last episode really packed a punch. Watching Morse realize he loved Joanie ended up being a beautifully acted scene.

Caught the usual episodes of The Sarah Conner Chronicles, Constantine, Pensacola Wings of Gold, Band of Brothers, and Strike Back. Episode four, season four is when Section 20 loses Julia and, ugh, I forgot how much of a kick in the teeth that was.

Watched a crossover of Chicago PD with Chicago Fire. Excellent episodes. I enjoy PD when the focus isn't on dickhead Wood trying to take Hank down. I thought we got enough of that in the first two seasons.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Fundamental Basics, a Lantern Jack Tale featuring a sprite and a spawn.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lantern Jack is back to right another wrong. A sprite, Farin Frazier, is a social outcast who comes together with Qeb Quince, a spawn who is questioning his undead existence. The two shouldn't be attracted to each other, they're mortal enemies, but they find some common ground on All Hallows, when magick is at its strongest.

And a preview snippet…

Lantrien Jacquard, also known as Lantern Jack, faced one of his biggest challenges on his road to redemption. Soon, if all went well, he'd be free of the curse that kept him trapped in the guise of a jack-o-lantern. But the trial ahead might prove to be more than Jack could absolve. He'd chosen to tackle his toughest battle midway through the process.

Sprites and spawns were perhaps his vilest deed. Sprites were the most social of creatures, always planning huge gatherings and sharing their wealth of knowledge with other fae beings. When Jack lost his beloved, he lashed out at the sprites and created a subspecies and infused them with the antithesis of social welfare. He dubbed his new creations spawns and they were antisocial on a fundamental level because they weren't fully alive, existing as undead beings. Spawns went out of their way to diminish the common good vibes sprites liked to spread about. They didn't have the spiritual grounding or tether the other supernatural beings had.

Jack sighed. "Because I made them from myself." When he'd been at his lowest.

Worst decision he'd ever made. Okay, maybe not the worst, but damned close. And he finally had the opportunity to right the wrong.

He gave a mental pat on his back. "Couldn't have asked for better circumstances." A spawn named Qeb Quince used his higher thinking skills for something other than inciting mayhem. He questioned his undead existence.

"Good man. I couldn't move to correct my blunder until one of you lot started wondering why you never left the mortal coil and why only the fae could see you."

Spawns were often overlooked by human eyes, unlike sprites.

Jack snorted. "Not my best move. Making immortal beings practically invisible doomed them to a terrible existence."

As luck, not that Jack had much, would have it, a rare occurrence landed the perfect match for Qeb. Farin Frazier lacked the socialization skills her fellow sprites had. An outcast, she preferred solitude and quiet instead of a constant stream of parties and merriment.

"If I can get the Qeb and Farin to cross paths, the two groups could build a solid unit again."

Not necessarily an easy feat. Farin had an affinity for nature and lived in a tree house deep inside one of the ancient forests. Qeb squatted in an abandoned loft. The builder ran out of financing midway through the project and Qeb worked out an unofficial deal to stay in one of the partially finished units.

Jack's dilemma would be choosing which location fit the couple best. "The loft is spacious and close to the roof." Which would come in handy on All Hallows. "But the tree house is secluded and close to the elements." Probably necessary when sparks started flying, and they would.

Jack debated the short list of pros and cons. Forest it is. Farin Frazier would have an unexpected guest in the very near future.

I love writing the Lantern Jack tales. Redemption stories are so much fun.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Fistful of Sorry

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. And if you're not a dad, happy weekend!

It's been a long week with back and forth temperatures that always wreak havoc with my allergies. Bleh. But… not a bad week for television viewing. I started out with more Mutant X and followed with Endeavor and Midsomer Murders.

Then I hit The Sarah Conner Chronicles. I'd forgotten how dramatic Derek's entrance to the fold was. I'm also a little more than halfway through Constantine and I liked the fallen angel episode.

I finished up The Batman season four and really enjoyed the series. I think there might be a few more episodes floating around but I'm not sure. I caught several episodes of Classic Who up through the third episode in the Key of Marinus arc.

Pensacola Wings of Gold isn't half bad. Fits in with my military-themed shows of Strike Back and Band of Brothers. Chicago Fire is just over the midway point and I'm hoping to finish out the season soon. I caught Sense8's "Demons" episode and really enjoyed it. It's not as hard to keep things straight as I thought it would be. Really, a great show.

Loved seeing Hurst go down on Blind Spot. I need to mainline some episodes because they're getting close to expiration. This makes me a little angry. I realize the season is over but, honestly, unless the DVD is going to be released within a month, keep the episode live, dammit. Just saying.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Fistful of Sorry, a novella about how the main characters approach their work from opposite angles and how not listening to each other can have harsh consequences.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Orly Manx and Cal Luminity always approach situations from opposite angles but usually end up on the same side. When Orly pushes a cadet too far during training, she apologizes to Cal for not following his advice. But Cal isn't interested in listening or quick to forgive, which drives a wedge between them and Orly realizes how much she needs Cal to play yin to her yang. Clearly in the wrong, Orly can't take back her actions, so making amends is all she has left.

And a preview snippet…

Orly answered the door only half-awake. "Cal, what's up?" She stepped back, letting him into her suite of rooms. "Is that coffee I smell?" Mmmm, gotta love a man who knew all her weaknesses.

Cal strolled over to the table and dropped a drink carrier in the middle. "Yeah, and…" He shook a bag filled with something in the food category. "Some of those glazed donut breakfast sandwiches you love so much." Reaching in, he pulled one out and handed it over.

She moaned. "What did I do to deserve such a decadent treat?" She unwrapped the pure goodness of an egg, sausage, cheese, bacon, ham, and a hashbrown stuffed between two pieces of a pan-fried glazed donut.

Sitting down, she motioned for him to join her. Considering the day of the week, she didn't expect to see him until class started. They saved hooking up for weekends when semesters were in session.

Cal settled across from her and popped the lid off his coffee. "I had a meeting with Barnabas Mikkleson this morning." He blew across the steaming brew, his face pensive.

Orly quirked a brow. "An elder mage first thing on a Monday? Did someone die?" She removed her cap from her cup and waited for it to cool.

Cal blinked and shook his head. "No, nothing like that. He's got a grandson coming into the program." He folded the wrapper back and took a bite of his sandwich. "Filled me in on some of his background." He finished chewing and swallowed. "We might want to look at a lighter approach with this kid." Setting the food aside, he took a long drink and eyed Orly over the rim of the cup.

She did a slow ten-count to move through the red haze of anger licking at her brain. One, two. Barnabas sucked for putting Cal in a position of suggesting a change. Three, four. And Cal sucked for making the damned suggestion. Five, six. She threw in Cal's connection to the elders through his grandfather. Seven, eight. And added how much drama the whole deal would create. Nine, ten. And finally arrived at her foregone conclusion. Not a chance in hell would she treat any cadet with kid gloves.

"No effing way." She got up and paced back and forth. "We're the best, Cal. We should be trusted to do the job the way we see fit." And not have anyone run interference for their family members.

Cal sighed and opened his mouth to speak.

Orly cut him off. "I'm not changing my methods. End of story." She dropped back down to her seat and folded her arms across her chest.

Cal's mouth thinned to straight line. "We've had this argument before. Will you never realize each mage has individual strengths and weaknesses?" He leaned forward, poking a finger in her direction. "Which means some need a different approach to learn."

Orly waved a hand. "Will you never learn our responsibility rests in breaking new recruits down and building them back up?" She huffed out breath. "We'll keep having this damn argument until you do."

Cal gathered the remnants of his breakfast and dumped the trash in the can. "Guess there's nothing for it but to brace for a bumpy ride." He shook his head. "Especially if you're going to remain inflexible."

Orly stood up and headed for her door. "Guess you're right." Twisting the knob, she pulled the heavy oak slab open.

She didn't want to argue and having him leave now would save them a huge fight. She truly hoped they could leave this conflict in the classroom and still have their weekends together.

Cal closed his eyes for a moment then slowly made his way to her side. "I'll be keeping an eye on things, Orly. Mikkleson's request wasn't made lightly."

Sweeping her arm toward the corridor, she nodded. "Whatever, Cal. What we do works and if Barnabas's grandkid can't cut it, it's not our problem."

Cal pinned her with his gaze. "I think you're going to discover it'll very much become our problem." He crossed the threshold. "See you in class later."

Orly resisted the urge to slam the door behind him. Wouldn't help the situation or make her feel better. And the loud sound would only serve to increase the dull headache that bloomed along her temples.

She might as well grab a shower and get ready for a challenging day in the classroom.

I truly love writing these characters. It's fun to show two sides of a challenge where both characters think they're right, then break it down from there.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Belle of the Underground (A First Breed Nation Novella)

My youngest kidlet is back from her trip to Disney and it's so nice to have her home. It's also terrific she had the opportunity to visit every theme park in Disney's repertoire. She had such a great time. On a proud parent note, she enjoyed Epcot the best and it makes my entire year because that was my favorite when I went to Disney many, many moons ago. I'm resisting the urge to plan a full-on Disney vacation… mainly because I don't have the time. But it would be so much fun!

Had something of an off week in television viewing. I'm battling a nasty cold / allergies / upper respiratory "ick" that's kicking my teeth in. But… I did get quite a bit watched.

I started a new-to-me Australian show called Canal Road and it's rather good. I'm two episodes in and I'm hooked. I also got to finish up Archangel and thoroughly enjoyed it.

In my classic rewatch, I caught Midsomer Murders and several episodes of Classic Who. I finished up the Dalek episodes and started the new arc. I'd forgotten what a shifty guy the first doctor can be. I also caught another episode of The Sarah Conner Chronicles.

Endeavor continues to make me happy. I also got another episode of Constantine in and I'm quite excited for the character to make the move to Legends of Tomorrow. I started a show I only got to watch sporadically when it originally aired, Pensacola Wings of Gold. I actually hope I can catch other late 90s early 00s shows. I missed so much back then.

On DVD, I finished up The Batman's third season and started the fourth. I also caught a few episodes of current seasons of Chicago Fire and Blindspot. Gotta say the whole Hurst arc is turning out to be kind of exciting.

Band of Brothers and Strike Back gave me my military show fix. I continue to be blown away by the casting in Band of Brothers. So many good choices.

I'm five episodes into Sense8 and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to watch this show. That said, I can binge the entire thing and see the finale in one go so there's that bit of good news. Fearless's third episode kind of broke me a little. It's a dark, dark show.

Krypton's first season proved to be pretty awesome. I have no idea where they'll go for the second season, but the end was kind of chilling. Jana called the whole General Zod ruling over Krypton thing and I'm truly hoping Lyta is now regretting her choice. If she isn't that character is dead to me. Just saying.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from First Breed Nation: Belle of the Underground, a novella with a metahuman community.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Raven Malone doesn't have an easy job, but she's a mix of freak and geek so both groups are willing to work with her. She meets her match when regular guy, Gio Roberts, starts poking around in her cover up of an unexplained murder. Sparks fly, especially when she lets him in on the underground community she's established. They forge a bond and work side by side, trying to keep everything together.

And a preview snippet…

Gio stared at his phone. Raven's not right. What the hell did that mean? Didn't matter. The undertone of fear and concern in Vince's voice had Gio's brain in full alert mode. He made it down below less than ten minutes after he answered the call.

The pall hit him before he hit the bottom rung of the access ladder. No one stopped him when he traversed the hall. He passed the mess and the recreation area, filled with freaks and geeks, the usual divide nonexistent.

Fuck. That did not inspire confidence.

He stopped outside Raven's quarters and raised a fist to knock. He paused, feeling dread, not sure if he should proceed. The door yanked open and Vince dragged him inside, not giving Gio the chance to make up his mind.

Raven lay atop the bed, naked and uncovered. Gio shot an angry look toward the shifter. "Wanna tell me what the hell is going on?"

Vince shook his head. "If I knew I wouldn't have called you." His gaze didn't leave Raven.

Gio pushed for answers. "Why is she unconscious? She is only passed out, yeah?" God, he hoped so.

Vince shrugged. "She's still breathing. But it's never been like this before."

Gio sighed. "Bring me up to speed." He didn't like the feverish look of Raven.

Vince gave Gio a brief rundown. "She used her abilities to find Charlie. I think she pushed too hard, too soon."

Gio's eyes widened. "And you let her?"

Vince finally glanced in Gio's direction. "Fuck you. I don't let Raven do anything. She just does it." He all but added the middle finger at the end.

Gio couldn't argue the point. "Did you bring him in?"

Vince glanced back in Raven's direction. "He'll be in containment soon."

Well, good news there. "Why did you call me?"

Vince's mouth thinned. "Because she needs you. I can't help her this time." His low tone belied the pain in his voice.

Gio frowned. "Why not?" He'd already had the "any cock, mouth, or hands would do" conversation with Raven.

He didn't want a repeat performance.

Vince flung an arm out. "Look at her. She's not responsive. Usually she's already back on form… but she went down and that's it… nothing since." His hands balled into fists.

Gio shook his head. "Again… why call me?" Surely there were plenty of volunteers who could help her.

Vince swung his angry gaze in Gio's direction. "Do you have to be a dick right now?"

Gio held up his hands. "Not trying to be. But what, exactly, do you want from me?"

Vince jabbed a finger toward Raven's prone form. "I want you to strip down, crawl in that bed, and fuck her senseless. It might be the only thing to bring her back." His voice choked on the last words.

Gio's mouth dropped open. "What?" Vince couldn't be asking Gio to be Raven's jumpstarter.

Vince bit his words out. "I'm not gonna say it again. Are you gonna help or not?" His eyebrow arched in warning.

Gio bit back his disbelief. Started to remove his shoes.

Vince blew out a harsh breath. "I gotta go see if they brought Charlie in yet." His hand twisted the doorknob.

Hopping out if his jeans, Gio kicked free. "Wait."

Vince paused, shoulders tense.

Gio shrugged out of his shirt. "You called me. And thanks for that. But you love her. You can't deny it."

Vince met Gio's gaze. "No. I can't. Because you're right, I do. But you need to understand something. Last week? What you walked in on? Not love. Or lust. Or anything involving emotion. She needed a hard cock and used mine. That's it."

"Why?" Gio didn't need to say more.

Why would Vince let her use him that way?

Vince turned to face Gio. "Because Raven matters, dammit. What she's doing here matters. She puts herself on the line and rarely takes anything in return. So, when she does need something… I'm there." He met Gio's gaze. "I can't be there this time. She won't say it, admit it, or even probably know it, but she needs you. Help her." He left before Gio could say anything.

Gio shed his boxers and crawled into bed. He lay on his side and angled Raven over to hers. Spooned up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Had no clue how to proceed.

What the hell am I doing?

I love so much about this world. If all goes well, I might have a series on my hands with this group of characters.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: A Fiery Yule

June 3, 2018

Well… half the year gone and I have no idea where it went. LOL I have some terrific news. My oldest kidlet, on his twenty-fifth birthday and fifth anniversary of dating his girlfriend, proposed and she said yes. I'll be welcoming a new daughter-in-law in the next year or so. She's already part of the family… the marriage will only make it official. Congratulations to both!

Good television viewing week. I started off with Endeavor and caught two episodes. Glad I was able to watch the opener for series three not long after the end of series two. That was kind of a cliffhanger.

Gotham went and changed all the rules again. I have so much love for this show. I truly think season four is its best yet. Everyone finally came into their roles and the cast and plotlines all meshed together in a brilliant fashion. I can't wait for season five. Seriously.

Caught two more episodes of Chicago Fire and Blindspot. I'm truly curious about where Roman is going with everything. I'm also hopeful he ends up not being a raging dickhole. Probably not much chance he won't be, but, yeah, here's hoping.

Also caught two episodes of Sense8 and Fearless. I'm getting into Sense8. It's not as hard to follow as I thought it would be. I'm excited to see where the rest of season one goes. Fearless is kind of relentless. I'm somewhat saddened the US person is such a raging bitch. Terrific actress though.

Krypton's first season is excellent. I have the finale to watch then it's wait, wait, wait for the next season. Argh!

I didn't get to finish Archangel on the app I was watching it on, so I'll have to find it on Netflix. I did finish up The Ghost Squad and, honestly, not a bad show. A little ambiguous, but quite enjoyable. I'm still working my way through the later seasons of Midsomer Murders and should be starting series twelve soon. On the rewatch front, I'm hitting The Sarah Conner Chronicles, Band of Brothers, and Strike Back's fourth season. I'm gearing up to watch the most recent season of Strike Back so I can be ready for season six when one of my favorite actors joins the cast.

Also caught another episode of Constantine and two more episodes of Classic Who. Mutant X has joined my lineup of shows I'm revisiting.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from A Fiery Yule, a holiday spirit short.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A holiday spirit, Spruce Lightfir, gives Dexter Diamond, a fire demon, the perfect place to lay low over the Yule holiday. Dexter craves some time alone, away from the demanding overseer of Dexter's peerage. When Quinne Quailer, a shaman, arrives for a sabbatical from the human world, Dexter is cranky about the intrusion… until Quinne's presence calms his fiery inner soul. Maybe the miracle of Yule can free Dexter from his life of servitude.

And a preview snippet…

Spruce Lightfir trudged through the dense terrain of the eternal woods. "Finally some downtime to enjoy." He used his walking stick to navigate a steep incline.

Halfway up, the tingling buzz on a summons coursed through his veins.

He paused, blowing out a harsh breath. "Dammit. Not now." He'd been assured of three days off.

He had a campsite all setup and waiting for him. A homey little cabin filled with bare necessities—coffee, sketch pads, and notebooks. Life on the spiritual plane had tons of benefits, but working the last five Yule holidays didn't count as one.

Glancing upward, he snarked. "It's supposed to be every other Yule, you lovesick fools." The powers that be never missed an opportunity to match lonely souls during the season.

Heaving a sigh, he started back down toward the cabin. The buzz under his skin would only get more intense if he didn't find out what the powers that be wanted. He didn't even have to go inside the tiny house. The notice hovered outside his door, shimmering and shaking in the early evening twilight.

He grabbed the parchment and shouldered inside the cabin. Shrugging out of his coat, he flung it on a rustic peg in the wall and propped his walking stick against the hewn wooden wall. Stoking the banked fire, he settled into a club chair and called forth a cup of strong coffee.

Unrolling the heavy paper, he quickly skimmed his new assignment file. Good heavenly spirits. Spruce considered his skill top-notch, but he didn't know if he could pull off getting a fire demon and a shaman together. Especially when neither candidate really wanted to change their status quo.

Quinne Quailer performed double duty as the leader of the North American spirit tribes and acted as their senior shaman. Spirit tribe members claimed some form of tribal ancestry or had a deep affinity for native culture. Quinne's leadership spurred growth in the ranks and the toll it took on her well-being weighed heavily. She needed a council and named a committee of elders to help with the day-to-day workload but her people continued to rely on her to make decisions they should now be making. The toll to her well-being weighed heavily on the downside.

Spruce shook his head. "Your light is burning out, Quinne. A candle lit from both ends expends itself too quickly." The healer needed time to heal herself.

Enzo Escada toiled under the direction of Lucien Darhk. Darhk's hold on Escada should have ended almost a decade ago. But Enzo's internal rage made him an extremely powerful fire demon.

Spruce tsked. "Damn. Talk about feeding a vicious cycle." Lucien used Escada almost exclusively for retribution rites. "Which means Enzo rarely has any kind of downtime to soothe his inner inferno." Not good.

Fire demons that wielded the kind of power Enzo did needed a balm to counteract the molten energy flowing through their souls. When they didn't find a soothing agent, most ended up burning out their lifespan at an early age.

Spruce nodded. "So, Quinne needs somewhere to reflect on how to move ahead, away from her current responsibilities and Enzo has to find the one thing to tame his unquenchable anger." He snorted. "I get the why…" The duo would balance each other.

Enzo's decades of servitude would give Quinne perspective on the significance of taking time to master her own fate. And Quinne's experience as a shaman should open Enzo's eyes to the importance of self-care.

Spruce shook his head again. "The how is going to be a killer." Neither of his charges wanted to be around people right now.

After a moment of consideration, Spruce snapped his fingers. The perfect place to send the couple materialized in his mind. Goodacre. Remote and isolated in the netherworld, outside influences would be null and void. The couple might need a nudge or two… or maybe not. Both were lonely souls in need of their perfect match.

Even if neither had any idea.

Celebrating Yule in a charming bed and breakfast could be just the thing Quinne and Enzo needed to get them on their necessary path. Providing assistance from the sidelines meant leaving his quiet sanctuary, but his creative juices flowed at the possible challenge. Confidence simmered under his earlier doubt. He could pull this off.

Rising, Spruce banked the fire. "Better get started. Setting the stage is going to be key with these two." Nothing would be left to chance.

I have so much fun writing the holiday spirit shorts. Coming up with holiday-themed names for the spirits is right near the top of the list.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye