Sunday, June 29, 2014

Sunday Snippet: Oracle's Prayer

Hello,

I feel kind of off balance since there's no new Orphan Black to rave about this week. LOL

But... Defiance held up against its premiere, no complaints. In fact, I'm really enjoying the shift in dynamics. The mayor totally creeps me out, and that's a good thing. The actor who plays him is one of my faves and it's fun to see him in something of a villainous role. And not that I have any expectations, but I'm thrilled Nolan and Amanda aren't dancing around each other and drawing crap out. Doesn't bode well, I'm sure, but half the fun of watching is to see where the writers take things.

Oddly, Dominion is keeping my attention, too. Didn't have loads of confidence, but I still want to find out what happens next. I also finished a rewatch of Bitten and I'm on the second season of a Canadian show—Arctic Air. I have a list of shows from Canada I'm looking forward to watching. Stay tuned. J

Tonight's post is from Oracle's Prayer, a novella where the main characters start out playing a game of cat and mouse.

Here's the tagline:

Nason Forn, the daughter of an oracle, goes undercover to trap a wicked mage preying on young apprentices and thinks she's found her man when she discovers Lane Garganess standing over the body of the latest victim. But Lane has a covert identity, too, which puts him in a bad spot and on the wrong end of Nason's wrath.

And a preview snippet…

Nason stumbled into the chamber and stopped short. A robed man stood over the prone—and no doubt dead—apprentice. She hadn't made it in time. Dammit, dammit, dammit.
Her less than quiet entrance drew the man's attention and he slowly angled around, attempting to face her. Thinking quickly, she cast a binding spell and halted his progress. She darted forward and threw back his hood, wanting to look into the eyes of the monster before she choked the life out of him with her bare hands.
But when she stepped away, a gasp escaped her throat. "You!" Shocked, she lost control of the binding spell and he lunged, grasping her biceps in a biting grip.
He said one word. "Sleep."
Her eyes slammed shut and her world went dark.
Really short snippet tonight, but I hope it whets the appetite for more. J


That's it for this week.

Cheers!


Skye

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Sunday Snippet: Only When They Blink

Whoa. Awesome week of television. Defiance is back on Syfy and what a great opening episode for season two. I won't get into spoilers, but I'm excited about where things are going. Dominion also premiered and I enjoyed watching. I'm hoping we get less exposition as the season progresses, but I'm always down for a good set-up in the first episode. J

Orphan Black. Finale didn't disappoint and once again, twists and turns I totally didn't expect. One of the biggest reasons I love this show so much is it never quite goes where I think it will. I was thrilled to have some additional information and background for Paul—even if it makes him even more mysterious. Putting my Cosima hat on for a moment, this show is like a fractal pattern, every layer that's revealed turns around on itself and spawns into something else. I'm sure I butchered the science angle, but… just watch the show to see what I mean. :D

Tonight's post is from, Only When They Blink, an erotic fantasy novella and a loose retelling of The Princess and the Pea. J

Here's the tagline:

Hale Easterson has fae blood running in his veins, but he won't follow the family old school traditions and mate by the designated age. He escapes to his private lake house to find an unconscious Winter Sorn, a beautiful woman, sprawled on his doorstep and realizes he may not be able to avoid what destiny has in store.

And a preview snippet…

Hale trudged along the shore, taking the back way to his lake house. The argument with his dad still fresh in his mind, he almost missed the sprawled lump laying halfway up the steps to the rear entrance. He paused, instincts on full alert. Darting a quick glance in either direction, he found nothing out of the ordinary and no one around. His extra sensory ability did pick up the fae blood in the person prone on the ground.
He approached cautiously, keeping an ear tuned for a surprise attack. Bending down, he felt for and found a pulse thrumming under soft, feminine skin, and her back rose and fell with shallow breaths. He carefully rolled the female over and gasped when he got a look at her face.
Impossibly beautiful, the woman's eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks, but she remained unconscious. High cheekbones, a delicately pointed chin, and straight patrician nose indicated a pure bloodline. The fullness of her bottom lip kept her from appearing too austere and haughty.
Blue.
The word popped into his mind and he fought an urge to see if her eyes matched the strong suggestion. Dark hair, almost black, framed her face and her brushed several strands away to check for injuries along her hairline. Finding a large goose egg near the nape of her neck, he followed with a cursory exam of her arms, legs, and torso. His fingers found a wound on her lower back and came away sticky with blood.
Sweeping an arm under her legs, her lifted her and curled her against his chest. "Okay, mystery lady, let's get the bleeding under control and find out why you landed on my doorstep." His father's final words—you can't outrun fate, Hale—echoed in his head and his steps faltered, but only for a moment.
Hale shook off the crazy notion his father had a hand in the woman's mysterious arrival at his secluded sanctuary.
So far, I really love the way this one is coming together. Hopefully the sages will continue cooperating. J



That's it for this week.

Cheers!


Skye

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Sunday Snippet: One of These Things

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and father figures out there!

So… Orphan Black is almost over for this season and *eep* I still have way more questions than answers. That said, I don't care. I love everything about this season. Although, I guess I should ask if it's really wrong I pretty much cheered on Helena throughout last night's entire episode? No? Good. And Donnie and Alison. Twisted and creepy, but holy shit, I laughed, even though I shouldn't have. :D

Tonight's post is from One of These Things, a novella where my main character learns she's very different from the people who raised her.

Here's the tagline:

Tanis Watts comes of age in the human world, but discovers she has fae abilities. When she's caught between warring factions, she falls in with the wrong side and barely escapes with her life. Seeking sanctuary, she lands on Falco Corsair's doorstep and runs headfirst into her destiny.

And a preview snippet…

"If you're going to become a full member of the Black, you must sacrifice this life."
Tanis Watts met the gaze of the Dark Priest, but held silent. She understood her next move would seal her fate and indecision waged an internal battle in her mind. Tanis didn't have the driving need for bloodlust her fellow Black brethren did, even though the desire for acceptance weighed heavily in her heart. The Guard had taken her in, given her a place to live, but after some serious soul searching, she couldn't bring herself to kill for the sake of killing. She didn't believe a sacrifice should cost anyone their life.
Glancing downward, she spoke with conviction. "The Guard has been good to me, like family, and I appreciate it." She paused a moment. "But I won't take his life."
The Dark Priest frowned. "You know what this means, Tanis. Are you certain?"
She gave a jerky nod. "I am."
The priest raised an arm and three acolytes seized her, not that she put up a struggle. Why fight? She couldn't escape, had nowhere to run if she did. Her gaze met the Dark Priest's again and he stared, unflinchingly, before casually drawing his blade and slicing the throat of her intended sacrifice.
Bile rose in her esophagus, but she showed no outward sign. The priest's minions changed the death song and bowed their heads. Once complete, they hustled Tanis toward the exit.
The Dark Priest called out. "Your life is forfeit Tanis Watts. In three days, on the high moon, you will cease to live."
Tanis closed her eyes, letting the acolytes lead her through the maze of tunnels under the estate house, back up to the surface of the main grounds. The image of the poor victim sharpened into focus in her mind. Three days, and then she'd be cast in the same role.
Sacrifice.
I had a dream about this scene. Doesn't happen very often, but it's nice when it does, even when it's kind of dark like this. J



That's it for this week.

Cheers!


Skye

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Cupid's Curse #MFRWHook

MFRW Authors Blog

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

To celebrate completing my new manuscript, Cupid's Curse, I'll be posting a brief snippet. This one should be available in the fall, probably September or October. I'll preview more when it's closer to the release date.

Today, I'm including a spot of dialog between my main characters, Bree and Archer.

Book Tagline: Cursed by the god of love, Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, know exactly who to blame—his fellow cupid, Bree Daniels.

~*~

The push-pull-whoosh feeling weighed on Bree and she shoved everything else aside and readied herself to pop in on Arch.
She blipped, shimmered, and landed with a flourish—something she'd perfected by lots of practice—to find Arch comfortably sprawled on the overstuffed couch, chatting it up with Merry Deerfield.
Stupid cow.
And Arch didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable having Miss Merry practically sitting in his lap.
Stupid man.
But worse, neither one paid her any attention.
Not part of the plan. But she could adjust.
Tilting her head sideways, she cleared her throat. "I'm so sorry… I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
Arch flicked a glance toward the hour glass by the viewing pool. "Would it matter if you were?" His tone clearly indicated it wouldn't have bothered him.
Bree didn't like to be on the defensive as soon as she arrived. It made her off kilter. Her bravado saved her.
She tossed her head and sent a bored look in Arch's direction. "Not to me, but I imagine it would to you." Her gazed shifted to Merry. "And your friend, of course." Bree waited a beat. "No one likes to be caught with their pants down."
Arch snorted. "Except you."
Okay, totally not fair. And it only happened one time, dammit.
Bree hid her embarrassment behind an audacious front. "Well, yes…" She flicked her gaze toward Merry again. "But I'm not standard fare around here."
To Merry's credit, she only rolled her eyes in response to the insult.
Arch didn't hold back. "Bree, you're not standard fare anywhere." He got up and gave Merry a hand. "You're more like an overused trend… not worth the price."
Bree flinched. That one hurt. But she couldn't blame him for lashing out.
Arch's voice went flat. "You're also late."
Bree recovered quickly. "For which I'll happily apologize." She remembered her conversation with Aphrodite and grinned. "It really couldn't be helped."
Arch shook his head. "Let me guess… you were tied to a bedpost and lost track of time?"


~*~

Blurb: Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, suffers the wrath of Eros when he nips the wrong woman with an arrow. Cursed by the god of love, Arch spends his days making perfect matches or deals with some unpleasant consequences.

Bree Daniels is indirectly responsible for Arch's predicament and seeks advice from Aphrodite, hoping to find a way to make amends. After almost two years apart, Bree finally realizes Arch is the man she wants and she's willing to risk her immortality to set him free.

~*~

Insert Book Banner

~*~
Please stop by my website 


Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Sunday Snippet: On the Circuit

Orphan Black. If you're not watching this show, why aren't you? LOL I rave about Arrow and Bitten, but in all honesty, Orphan Black hits every single one of my hot spot kinks for television. The writers always throw something into the mix that catches me completely by surprise and seriously, with the amount of television I watch, that's hard to do. LOL

Truly, if you're looking for something awesome to sink your teeth into, find the first season and don't look back. The acting is top notch—any show that has a lead actress who can pull off no less than nine different roles, usually at least four to five simultaneously, is worth its weight in gold. And the supporting cast is stellar. Go. Find. Watch. You won't regret it.

Tonight's post is from On the Circuit, a short novella featuring dragons and bullfighting. Yes. Combined. LOL

Here's the tagline:

The popularity of breaking dragons on the rodeo trail lures Reggie Pitch to test her mettle as a bullfighter. She works her way up from green recruit and tries out for the big show with Dwight Merlyn as her trainer, which proves intimidating because not only is he attractive as hell, he's a third generation handler and his family breeds the rankest, meanest beasts on the circuit.

And the preview snippet…

Reggie finished putting the final touches on her greasepaint fighting face. Her design garnered raves from the female followers. She grinned and the long, exaggerated black and white smile looked appropriately menacing.
Too bad the dragons wouldn't give two shits.
She put the cap back on the jar of ebony paint and tossed her brush into the cleaning bin. The door burst open behind her and she angled around to see what moronic ass dated to barge in while she tried to get ready to face two tons of snarling beast.
Sam thumped across the floor, his booted feet clomping on the teakstone tiles. He grabbed up a bunch of her shirts—she really needed to do some laundry—and started stuffing them into a satchel.
He shot her a nasty look. "Come on. We're outta here." He shoved two pairs of leather pants into a new bag. "I'm off the ticket."
Reggie's eyebrows rose. "What the hell happened?" She could guess… Sam's riding skill didn't quite pass muster in the big leagues.
And the McCallisters didn't carry anyone. A rider pulled his weight and brought in paying fans, or they lost their spot. Sam also shirked his time in the stables. Mucking stalls didn't rate very high on his scale of fun things to do.
Shit. Reggie sank back down on the stool. She'd just earned her spot at the main event—with a little help from Dwight Merlyn when he said she'd never cut it.
She got back up and strode over to Sam. "I'm not leaving." She yanked a pair of boots out of his hands. "I just got moved up to the big show. No way am I walking away from that." She tossed her gear back on the floor.
Sam slapped his hands on his hips. "But you'll walk away from me?" His eyes narrowed. "Or did Dwight get a hold of you?" He sneered the words.
Reggie took a deep, calming breath. "Dwight put me through the paces, Sam, you know that." He'd watched most of her training sessions… like a damned hannock bird. "I proved my worth."
Sam moved in close, grabbing hold of her belt loops. "I'll bet you did." He hauled her forward, banded his arms around her, and slid his hands down to her ass. "How many times did you wrap your luscious legs around him, Reggie? Did you show him how well you ride the big dragon?" He squeezed her cheeks hard, grinding his groin into her hips.
She lifted her foot and stomped down hard on the top of his, sending him backwards.
He yowled with pain. "What the hell, Reggie?" He hopped around for a moment then shook his foot back and forth.
She jabbed a finger into his shoulder. "I don't ride dragons, Sam. I get between them and idiots like you when you get bucked off." She twisted around, needed some space between them… before she punched him in the mouth. "The fact you think I used my skill in bed to move up the ranks is insulting. I'm damned good at what I do." She paced the length of the small room. "But you've got one thing right. I'm definitely walking away from you." She jerked her head toward the open door. "Get out. Now." She whirled around, sickened by the sight of him.
Sam's strong fingers gripped her arm. "I don't think so, Reggie. I brought you here." His tone dropped to a menacing level. "I can take you away, too." He squeezed her bicep hard enough to make her wince.
Reggie drew her leg back and swung it forward, connecting with Sam's groin. He doubled over, letting her go.
She shoved him toward the exit. "Not fucking likely." Sam stumbled over her discarded boots, but she urged him along. "I'm staying. If you try to get in my way, I'll do more than kick your balls up to your throat." She gave him a smile, hoping to use her face paint to full effect. "I've been watching the wranglers, Sam. I've learned a thing or two about castration." She put her palm against his chest and pushed him across the threshold. "Don't even think about coming back here." The door slamming in his face gave her a victorious thrill.
For about five seconds. Then the butterbees started. Less than fifteen minutes to show time and her blood pressure soared through the roof. The beasts would sense her anger and she'd be useless in the arena.
Damn Sam Nordstrom. No, damn Reggie Pitch. She didn't have to take the bait and then get pissed off. Her booted feet paced the floor and she tried to shake off the rage and fury still rolling through her. A deep breath in, then exhale slowly. Again. And again. And again. Her shoulders relaxed and she inhaled, filling her lungs to capacity, holding the air in until it burned.
The jangle of spurs on teakstone had her sputtering, ready to let loose with a right hook to Sam's face. Her arm drew back and she spun around, her gaze colliding with Dwight's instead.
He propped a broad shoulder on the door jamb. "That was quite a show, Reg. I'm thinking we oughtta sell tickets next time."
Dwight might just have to make a move if Sam's really out of the picture. Stay tuned to find out.



That's it for this week.

Cheers!


Skye

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Sunday Snippet: Numb

Wow, survived something of a long week. Just now catching up on Orphan Black and again, this show eats my brain. I'm about halfway through this week's episode and I'm sitting on the edge of my seat as I type this. LOL

Tonight's post is from Numb, a novella where my hero and heroine sort of go through the motions because outside forces are wearing them down.

Here's the tagline:

Cyan Fitch and Theron Dibney have a great relationship—hot sex, rock solid friendship, and mutual respect. When a mostly lethal virus tears through their community, the couple works side by side to help as many as possible, but it takes a toll. They can't quite get comfortably numb while they face the devastating losses and neither is willing to bend for fear they'll break.

And a preview snippet…

Cyan grabbed hold of Theron and nudged him back against the wall. Her mouth met his in  a quick, hard kiss, enough of an indicator of what she needed. Too damn tired to speak, she worked the buttons of his shirt loose, spreading the material apart and lowering her head to nip along his collarbone.
Theron grasped her chin, making her glance upward. "That hurts, Cy." He grabbed the hem of her shirt and yanked it up and over her head. "Cut it out."
She rolled her eyes and unfastened his pants, sliding her hand under the material to grasp his erection. "Doesn't seem to matter. You're nice and hard."
Theron shoved his jeans down past his ass and let gravity take care of the rest. He reached for Cyan and hauled her close, one hand cupped her butt and the other bunched up the front of her skirt before dipping down under her panties. She sucked in a harsh breath when his fingers found her clit, the slippery wetness letting them glide over the bundle of nerves with ease.
His lips curved. "And you're wet and ready." He drew the cotton to one side and nudged her forward, dipping his hips and bracing his back against the wall.
She straddled his thighs and lifted up, guiding him into her, letting out a guttural moan when he thrust hard, going deep—exactly where she wanted him.
She rocked her hips, fisting her hands in his shirt. Theron flexed his hips and she arched her back, seeking the steady friction that would send each to the brink of release. They'd done fast and dirty so often lately he automatically grabbed her ass, holding her firmly in place. A few more bumps and one long grind pushed her over the edge. She straightened, burying her head between his neck and shoulder, the orgasm rocking through her body.
Theron pumped his hips hard and came, wrapping his arms around her waist before sinking to the floor. He threaded his fingers in her hair, dragging her head back to meet her mouth in thorough kiss.
When he came up for air, he whispered against her lips. "I miss taking my time, but I needed this." He rested his forehead against hers.
Cyan nodded. "Hard to go slow when we only have stolen moments." She snuggled closer. "We've only covered half the sanctum and time is so important."
Theron brushed his lips over her. "And the dead need to be buried and mourned." He sighed. "We've lost too many, Cy. They have to find a cure."

My poor duo can't quite connect, but at least they realize they're drifting apart. I'm so looking forward to bringing them close together again.



That's it for this week.

Cheers!


Skye