Sunday Snippet: Fan the Flames

Week four…I think it's safe to say I'm getting in the habit now. :D

Seriously, I've read and seen that posting fresh content really helps when readers want to interact and/or check out an author they've discovered or grown to like. Thankfully, once I get into a groove, I tend to stay there.

Okay, for this week's Sunday Snippet, I'm featuring a preview from Fan the Flames. This story got a start almost twenty years ago. I know! What the hell, right? What can I say? Except I'm really glad I NEVER throw out anything I've started. LOL

In all honesty, this book needed the hook and that didn't come to me until recently. What's the hook? Lovejoy the Cupid, of course. :D He's what the story needed to mesh and gel…and get Alix and Jamie together.

Let's start with a tag line:

A modern day cupid discovers a couple with matching auras and thinks he'll have an easy time matching them up. Right...not so much. While Jamie and Alix definitely have the hots for each other, one big obstacle stands in their way: Jamie's job.

And now for the preview snippet (featuring Lovejoy)…

Lovejoy felt the zing. The one indicating two potential matches were in the same vicinity. He closed his eyes and let his instinct guide him.

Up and over the high rise office buildings of the city, through the factory district, onward, across the river and down into the charmingly quaint suburb of Reese Woods.

It had been a long while since he'd found his quarry on the outskirts of the city. This must be a special case.

Lovejoy picked a wrought iron park bench and settled down to wait. He watched the humans go about their everyday lives and wondered which two unsuspecting people he'd be zapping with his arrow.

Time would tell. He'd see the auras of the couple and know.

Pulling a bag from his coat pocket, he figured he might as well feed the birds while he passed the time.

Does anyone remember The Avengers? Not the Marvel Comics heroes, but the BBC television show? Patrick Macnee and Diana Riggs? My inspiration for Lovejoy is Steed. Not in the super spy way, but more in the uber cultured man kind of way. :D

That's it for this week. Stay tuned for more.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Lost in Translation (Crystal Shard Brotherhood 1)

Week three and still on target. Is it too soon to count this as a trend? LOL

This week's Sunday Snippet is from a WIP that's been sitting on the sidelines for a little while. I'm hoping by making a sneak peek it'll jump start the sages and they'll let me finish it. :D

The concept with this one is twelve manuscripts with an overarching story to unfold in each book. Based on a twelve month calendar, it takes place on the planet Kendark. I'm going for a futuristic vibe, but the characters should have a feel of being descendants from Earth. The Crystal Shard Brotherhood has twelve brethren who maintain the planetary balance by renewing the shard hidden deep in the fortress. The first book is titled Lost in Translation.

Here's the tag line:

A body dumped outside a fortress. A scroll located in twelve different locations. A trap sprung. But the Brethren are too smart to take the bait. Jackson Alexander and Jacey Durham have to turn the tables on the nemesis trying to dismantle the Crystal Shard Brotherhood.

And the preview snippet…

It couldn't be a fake out.

Jacks dismissed the idea almost as soon as he'd had it.

No one could be so stupid. Yes, the Fortress monitored the perimeter 24/7, but it didn't take long for a body to freeze up here. Pure chance he'd caught sight of it when he did, even with the sensor alarms going full blare.

No, she'd either injured herself and had crawled onto the grounds, or she'd been dumped there and left stranded.

The former would be preferable. The latter meant she or someone she worked for wanted to draw attention. To the Fortress or themselves. Neither a good option.

Jacks made his way to the front antechamber and opened the huge wardrobe. He donned a protective head/face cover and snugged it up, leaving his mouth free for now. He added frost-proof goggleshades, a Brethren exclusive. They cut the glare of the sun that could be blinding during the day and provided night vision at night. Next he tucked his large hands into the thin, friction-activated gloves that would keep his fingers and palms nice and toasty. Finally he bundled into the heavy parka and pulled the hood up over his head.

He already had the fur lined overalls favored by the Brethren on along with his heavy thermal boots. The lug soles would be okay on the snow but Jacks popped his feet onto the snow shoeskis just in case.

The med kit contained a thermal wrap, but he grabbed an extra one on his way to the entrance. The blue tinge to the woman's lips had him concerned. More so than her presence did.

The Wise One wouldn't like that.

Did the guy like anything? Not lately.

Bracing himself for the first blast of cold, Jacks activated the release and waited for the massive door to slowly edge open. Impatient, he gave it a shove, knowing it wouldn't really help it move any faster.

Greeted by a frenzied flurry of snowflakes caught him by surprise.

"Shit."

Storms, even blizzards, cropped up fast sometimes. It showed how distracted he was that he didn't check before opening the door. Getting to the woman would be much harder in white out conditions. And he felt he needed to get to her fast.

She wouldn't survive long if he didn't.

She could already be dead.

Unsure why the thought bothered him, he shoved it aside.

Hefting the med-kit onto his back, he adjusted his goggleshades and keyed in the coordinates of the female's location. Confident the guidance system would keep him on the right path, he trudged out from under the protection of the Fortress and let the first blast of swirling snow hit him full force before hunkering down against the wind.

One step at a time…as quickly as possible.

Jacks will definitely have his hands full when he gets Jacey back to the Fortress. She's in a very bad spot and has no idea who to trust.

And that's it for this week's post. Stay tuned for more.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Consortium of Chaos

YAY!! So far two posts in a row. Of course it's easy to start off strong with a goal…the trick is to keep the momentum going. :D

But hey, I'm motivated at the moment, so I'll just enjoy for now.

Tonight's Sunday Snippet—I can't really call it Six Sentence Sunday because I'm so terribly bad at limiting the number of sentences—is from a manuscript a little over halfway completed. The sages are evil trolls and gave me the broad strokes of the entire story, but like to dole out the important details a little at a time. Cheeky buggars.

This one has a bit of a steampunk flavor, but I can't really call it a full blown genre member. I do hope it's an enjoyable read though. :D

Let's start with a tag line:

A missing brother, a madman's sinister plot to make a perfect world, and a connection so strong it saves a life hundreds of miles away. Ashton Sylvester and Esme Von Staunton never have a dull moment.

And now for preview snippet…

Ashton Sylvester, Earl of Cranford, watched his counterpart, Esme Von Staunton, smoothly glide down onto the landing patch. The zeppelin touched ground with barely a bump. He'd been fortunate indeed when he'd fallen for the best airship pilot around, not to mention a beautiful one.

She had her cloak thrown back over her shoulders, the purple lining shimmering while she worked the controls to shut the blimp down. Ash thought the color suited her. It complemented her gray eyes, which would be very tired looking right about now.

They'd left at dawn to attend a meeting with the Consortium of Mining & Minerals. The talks went on and on. And on. And on. Hence the reason for their near midnight landing.

Esme killed the power and turned off the valve that ran the boiler. She turned and strode toward him, cloak flying out behind her.

"We're home." She wrapped an arm around his waist. "Bit late for that dinner you promised me now."

Ash sighed. "I'm sorry for it. We'll grab something light from the larder then head for our bed." She didn't need his assistance, but accepted his arm as they disembarked from the zeppelin. "You have to be as wiped out as I am."

Esme yawned. "How'd you guess?"

"I didn't have to. I can feel your fatigue. And your day started an hour earlier than mine."

A stickler for pre-flight checks, Esme rolled out of bed long before he had. If she piloted the ship, she ran the list herself.

Her head dropped to his shoulder. "Sometimes that ability of yours irritates me. I can't hide anything from you."

His lips quirked. There were also times she loved his attunement skills…usually when he made her scream in bed.

He cast a speculative glance in her direction. "And why would you want to?"

She laughed. "It's not so much that I want to…but since I can't, I feel like I'm missing something."

See…I can never keep it at six sentences. LOL

Here's a bit of what I used for inspiration for the ship…

Cheers!

Skye

First Post of the New Year--Sunday Snippet: Choice to Make

Happy 2013!!

To start off the new year, I figured what better way to open than with a Six Sentence Sunday snippet?

From Choice to Make, a work in progress.

A little tag line: Hallen and Will never get the timing right until the Fates step in and give them a chance. But each has a choice to make and cosmic irony may rear its ugly head…again.

Klotho stepped forward and tilted her head sideways. "They're going to have to pull together."

Lakhesis frowned. "They don't have to do anything. Look at the snarled mess they've made." She pointed at the tapestry, full of knots and snags. "So many chances…to set it all right…wasted, every one."

Atropos kept her eyes on the ships. "They'll get it right this time. You'll see."

Lakhesis snorted. "I wouldn't hold your breath in anticipation."

Klotho cackled. "You always say that."

Lakhesis snapped back. "They blew up their planet!"

Atropos nodded, slowly, thoughtfully. "Yes. They did." She turned back to her cohorts. "But she'll bring them together. Mark my words."

We'll see how long my plan to post at least weekly holds out. Here's hoping to a long time. *Cheers!*