Sunday Snippet: A Magical Affair

April 28, 2013

Hello! I'm pulling myself away from mainlining Strike Back's third season to make my post. LOL Seriously, Stonebridge and Scott own me, heart and soul, right now. They're followed closely by Oliver Queen…I can't believe there are only three more episodes of Arrow this season. I'll be chewing at the bit during the hiatus. Or…watching the eps all over again. Other shows grabbing my attention are Defiance and Orphan Black. So much good television right now. YAY!

Tonight's post is from a special call I hope to have ready in August to submit. A Magical Affair is set around Halloween and takes place in a mansion that happens to sit atop an ancient wellspring of magic. Lots of fun for the trio who gets to live out all their fantasies over a very special weekend.

Here's the tagline:

A mansion sitting atop an ancient wellspring of magic offers Romy, Heath, and Stacie the chance to live out all their lustful fantasies. Heath is thrilled for the opportunity, but he wants one thing above all…for Romy to give up control and let him call the shots.

And here's the preview snippet…

"You're sure about this?" Stacie Williams plopped down beside Romy Bludd. "Our friendship is more important than having a weekend of super-hot sex with an awesome guy like Heath."

Romy smiled. "Stace, I'm okay because you're my best friend. Heath and I've had this fantasy for two years and I had issues with bringing someone else in and not being able to control everything." She paused. "But I know you almost better than I know myself. You won't go over the top stalker, and you're not harboring any deep, unrequited love for Heath. You just appreciate his hard body and screaming good looks." Kicking her feet up onto the table, she shrugged. "You're not in a relationship at the moment, so no awkward trying to explain why you're traipsing off to a magical mansion for a Halloween weekend tryst…and don't want company."

Stacie grinned. "You're lucky I’m at loose ends and haven't had time to do more than look for a hook up." She propped her feet beside Romy's. "

Romy frowned. "I can't believe you were gone for ten months. I missed you." She nudged Stacie's shoulder. "You're never allowed to take off for training abroad again."

Stacie laughed. "Think of it this way, you and Heath had plenty of time to work the kinks out and look at you now." She turned and faced Romy. "Rock solid and happier than I've ever seen you."

Romy shrugged. "He's everything I've ever wanted. It's scary good between us."

"Hence the crazy ass weekend you have planned." Stacie tilted her head to the side. "Where did you find this place anyway?"

Romy's lips curved. "I got an invite from the owners when I went to inspect the place for their ad layout. We'll be their first trial run."

Stacie leaned in close. "And the magic? Do you think they can really create everything you want?"

Romy nodded. "Oh yes. I really do."

Stacie shuddered. "God, I can't wait."

"Me either. How perfect, right? Halloween. Costumes, role playing, and an entire wing all to ourselves." Romy grabbed a notebook from the table. "So help me come up with the best and kinkiest ideas to make this weekend a mind blowing one for Heath."

Wish me luck! This ménage has been so much fun, which yeah, I say a lot. LOL Something about a house full of magic just adds to the glee. :D

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Hold to Let Go

Hi! Before getting to the snippet, I wanted to take a moment and share my good fortune. Tomorrow I'll be celebrating twenty-four years of marriage. I'm lucky enough to have found a guy who doesn't stand in the way of my overwhelming need to write and create. He doesn't always get the why, but he certainly gets the need. And lucky me, he supports the sometimes crazy that goes along with it.

Happy anniversary, wonderful man!

Tonight's post is from Hold to Let Go, a manuscript about an intense connection between two characters who've seemingly been through the seven circles of hell and still live to talk about it. They start out separated and have to work their way back to each other.

Here's the tagline:

Banner Nix and Quade Newelson go way back and have a lot of baggage to show for it. When an opportunity to save their people presents itself, they put their crap aside and work together to make it happen, even though their plan is in direct opposition to their leaders'.

And here's the preview snippet…

Banner Nix took a break from the insanity that equaled plots and charts, not to mention the swirling mass of images in her head. Her fingers absently toyed with the Phoenix figure and her mind immediately filled with Quade Newelson. She lost a hard fought battle by letting her thoughts drift to him. So tired, she caved and sought comfort for a while, even if she'd only allow herself a few moments to ponder the connection she shared with him. The hold they had on each other wouldn't be considered healthy but they couldn't break it; it ran as deeply through them as the blood ran in their veins.

Except they were nowhere near each other at the moment.

Quade did his best to make his mark on the community and she commanded a cesspool of a crew that neither trusted her nor even liked her much at the moment. They didn't get the mission…and she didn't have time to educate them. Didn't want to anyway.

If she didn't understand it herself…how could she explain the impossible?

Very aware of the sidelong looks and whispered conversations going on behind her back, she missed nothing. It had been bad enough before they'd left, but it intensified here. People she used to trust…and who used to trust her…went out of their way to show how little they believed in their quest.

How little they believed in her.

Hell, even the old man didn't have faith. He wanted to…but not enough to bank the future of the community on it. She could deal though…because one person did believe.

Quade.

Completely unlike him to go on blind faith and not question anything, but he'd done exactly that. She didn't doubt for a moment he'd decided to get behind her and would have her back. He'd champion her mission without fail and stand for and beside her no matter what happened.

And if she finally fragmented into a million pieces, like it felt she could, from the weight and strain of the burden, he'd be the one to put her back together. She didn't trust in much right now, but she did believe in him.

Quade wouldn't let her down.

She rested her head on the desk, thinking it would only be for a few minutes. The Phoenix figure still clutched in her hand as if holding it somehow soothed the pounding in her temples, quieting the noise that never managed to completely stop. The fiery bird represented a symbol she couldn't seem to escape, kind of like the bond she shared with Quade.

Banner slowly drifted toward some much needed sleep, and she thought maybe the hold she and Quade had on each other didn't have to be so unhealthy after all.

This is one of my favorite connections…when the couple sort of has a touchstone effect on each other. Mistakes got made but when the shit hits the fan, they've got each other's back.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Belle of the Underground

What a difference a week makes. After our first taste of spring, we're back down to chilly temperatures. Oh well, the great weather will show up when it wants. J

Tonight's post is from what I hope will be an ongoing series. Sort of X-Files meets Dark Angel, First Breed Nation has some great potential for kick ass stories. The first book, Belle of the Underground, introduces our heroine and hero and sets them on their journey to keep their city safe and protect the secret society existing deep in its depths.

I actually featured this as my alter ego, Skylin O'Thomas, but I've recently decided this series will be a better fit in the paranormal/magic/fantasy genre than contemporary. Apologies if you've already read this. :D

Here's the tagline:

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 here's the preview snippet…

Raven Malone never liked three a.m. phone calls.

Lately, she really, really loathed them. By nature, it made sense she'd get more interruptions between midnight and six in the morning. After all, the witching hours were considered play time for her kind. When it didn't matter if the strangest of the strange walked around the city in the wee hours.

But over the past few weeks that play had turned deadly and Raven didn't like it. Not one damn bit.

Her rag tag group looked to her for leadership and she had zero clue what to do with the bizarre series of events unfolding. Okay, she knew what to do, but she had to find out the who before she could exact punishment.

Crawling out of bed, Raven stumbled over to her wardrobe and yanked out several items of clothing. She heard the approach of footsteps and caught the scent of Vince Grillo, her self-appointed second in command and a shape shifter, before he rounded the door of her rooms. She could guess what he'd ask without using her pre-cog skills. She could count on Vince to be fairly predictable when they had trouble.

"You want company?"

Ding. Ding. Ding. She'd totally called that one.

Turning toward him, she didn't let the fact her only attire at the moment happened to be a pair of hipster undies and a tiny camisole faze her. Vince had seen her in less.

She shoved her legs into a pair of dark jeans and yanked them up. "No. I've got this." Throwing on a leather jacket, she grabbed a beat up ball cap and slapped it on her head.

Vince frowned. "If it's the same as last time, you might need some help."

Raven shook her head. "If it's the same as last time—and my gut says it is—I'll need you here." Understatement of the year.

He wanted to argue. "But—"

She didn't have time for it. "No, Vince. I can handle it out there. I'll lay money word is already out and you're the only one I can count on to keep the peace down here until I get back." She almost wanted to wish him luck.

Vince narrowed his eyes. "How the hell would anyone know about this yet?"

She gave him a bland stare. "Body was found by a lake. You know the aquatics pick up on vibes and can't ever keep it to themselves. They knew about this before I even got the call." She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her boots on.

Vince snorted. "Damned gill gabbers." He said it without heat. He understood their genetic make-up and school mentality trumped everything. Even common sense sometimes. "What do you want me to do?"

Raven jerked her head toward the door. She'd heard the onslaught coming a few moments ago.

"Clear a path for starters."

Vince grinned. "At least I get to have fun before the headache stuff starts."

Raven pulled the cap off and grabbed her hair, wound it on top of her head and jammed the hat back on.

Tugging the bill down low, she nodded. "Have at it."

Vince threw open the door and sure enough, a throng of First Breeds crowded the opening.

The questions started immediately.

"Who is it?"

"Who's doing this?"

"What are you gonna do to stop it?"

"Is it one of ours?"

Vince shoved his way down the corridor and Raven followed in his wake. She tuned everything out. The shouts. The whispers. Even the non-verbal thoughts. The more people there were, the more her latent sixth sense kicked in.

She'd have a bitch of a time staying upright if she didn't get through the crowd soon.

Vince turned around and got a look at her. He must've noticed the pinched edges around her mouth because he picked up her and roared over the noise. "Make a hole!!"

He deposited her at the bottom of the access hatch to up top. "Give a shout if you need anything." He glanced over his shoulder then back in her direction. "Please."

She smirked. "It just hit you, didn't it? What a pain in the ass time you're going to have down here." Her hands hit the rung of the ladder, her booted foot resting on the bottom one. "I'm sorry for it, but I gotta go." She hoisted herself up and scrabbled to the hatch. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

He gave her a curt nod and she undogged the hatch to gain access to the street level of the city. Once she cleared the top, she muttered. "Heaven help him."

And heaven help Raven. She's about to meet the new man in her life and she won't like it at all. LOL

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Picture Perfect

April 7, 2013

Hello! A lovely day, gorgeous weather, spring temps, and I got to spend most of it outside. YAY!

Tonight's snippet is from Picture Perfect. Faeryn has an image of her picture perfect future, but she's really not certain it'll ever exist…because she's not quite clear if she actually exists. But she'll most definitely discover the answer as the story unfolds. :D

Here's the tagline:

Faeryn Carnes, a fire elemental, crossed through the Veil, leaving the mortal plane. But when she returned, an unheard of occurrence, Seth Jacobson, an air elemental, is the only person she can count on, which seems impossible because Faeryn believes air and fire can't mix.

And here's the preview snippet…

Faeryn Carnes had truly become lost.

The loud, sometimes constant litany in her head had been replaced by a deafening silence and the questions echoed in her mind creating chaos to replace a purpose that had once been clear.

Things didn't add up. Her return from the 'dead'—and she believed it now…after visiting the pyre—could not have been to lead the fae to a ravaged wasteland. It didn't make sense.

She had no idea who…or hell…maybe what she'd become. It terrified her to think her existence represented nothing more than a fulfillment of a vaguely worded prophecy. She had to have come back for more than that.

Her past gone…burnt to a cinder by a wandering flame. Her present shrouded in mystery…unexplainable, illogical, and uncertain. The future could be shaky at best. At worst, it wouldn't exist for her at all.

How could she think about a future when she didn't trust herself anymore? Were her memories her own? Could she count on the way she felt about anyone or anything? For all she knew, she'd come back as a totally different person.

Would she just wake up one morning and turn against those she loved? Or thought she loved? Maybe she wanted to hold onto something that didn't exist…or belonged to someone who no longer happened to be her.

Faeryn questioned all she thought she knew, and everything seemed more intense. She used to pull it out of the fire to walk a fine line between sane and crazy on a regular basis. At least she thought had…but the memory blurred now. Her balance gone, she didn't trust anything enough to ask for help.

But she needed answers and couldn't find them alone. Whenever she tried to picture the future…Seth's face solidified first in her mind. He'd seen her consumed by Fae Fire, yet he believed in her…no questions asked. Even now when everything got twisted sideways and upside down. Maybe the time had come to put her trust in him to help her discover what she needed to know…like where she would fit in the big picture and how she should carry on from here.

Maybe if they worked together and she let him in, she'd find the sense of peace she desperately sought…and the questions would answer themselves. One big hurdle held her back. If she went poking around, she might not like what revealed itself. If she posed any kind of threat to the Elementals, the smartest course of action would be to eliminate the danger. She craved Seth's help and steadying presence, but didn't know if he could do what might be necessary. Didn't know if she wanted to put him into the position by asking him to assist in finding out what happened and why. Then again, she couldn't trust anyone else. Taryn certainly wouldn't have the wherewithal to handle the deed. But she needed to find out if Seth had the stones to send her back across the Veil if she proved to be too much of a risk.

Hey, it's not too much to wonder about, right? Trying to figure out if the love of your life can send you away again. Faeryn's got some big issues to work through, don't you think?

And that's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye