Sunday Snippet: Quell the Boom

It's SDCC weekend! I love how much my Twitter and Facebook feeds explode with fun and exciting information about my favorite shows and movies. So many great pictures, quotes, and rapid-fire reports to sink into and devour—a new trailer for what to expect on the rest of Defiance, a teaser for Arrow season three, reports about The Avengers: Age of Utron, and tons of cosplay pictures, which I love to see.

And SDCC kind of launches the countdown for Dragon Con in September. I've never had the opportunity to attend, but I have so many online friends who go, I'm lucky enough to pretty much experience the whole thing vicariously through them.

Tonight's post is from Quell the Boom, a magical fantasy where my main characters diffuse enchanted bombs.

Here's the tagline:

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…

Quinna paced the room. "Look, Efran, I don't like this whole team up idea one little bit." She whirled around and faced him. "We might be the best at what we do, but our methods for diffusing bombs are as different as night and day." She pinned him with her gaze. "We can't fuck this up."

He cocked his head to one side. "We won't… because you and I are going to lock ourselves in a chamber for the next twelve hours and run every possible scenario." He grabbed one of the spell books from the shelf. "We'll do the incantations over and over, forward, backward, upside down, and sideways, until we have the timing perfect." He placed the heavy tome back on the shelf. "Then we'll suit up, head out, and do the job."

Quinna snorted. "It's not going to be that easy and you know it." She paced the floor again.

Efran nodded. "You're right. But as you pointed out, we can't fail." His hand shot out and halted her progress. "So here the thing—set the friendly competition aside and be willing to compromise. It's work together or lose a big chunk of the city."

She jerked her arm out of his grasp. "I'm aware of the stakes. Consider me super flexible."

He grinned. "Now those are words I never, ever, thought I'd hear from you."

I've had so much fun finding some common ground for Efran and Quinna, but even more fun making them bicker all the time.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Protect the Target

Do any of my readers watch Defiance? I'm totally loving the new season. The tagline of Tick, Tick, Tick seems to fit the way the episodes have been going. I'm looking forward to when everything blows up and comes to a head.

Dominion and The Last Ship are also on my must view schedule. I kind of like finding new shows in the summer to sink my teeth into. I'm also rewatching the original La Femme Nikita series from the 90s. I love that show! Oh, and Peacekeeper Wars! So much good TV right now.

Tonight's post is from Protect the Target, a novella where my main characters battle some inner demons while facing a big threat.

Here's the tagline:

Noya Vix is a walking target with a lot of magical factions coming after her, the most persistent being Lenj Gottman, who wants to exploit her precognitive ability. Booth Wanderlux is her number one protector, but he's got issues with keeping Noya out of harm's way because she refuses to lay low until Lenj is caught.

And a preview snippet…

Noya paced back and forth. "Oh, wait. Your plan won't work." She paused and shot Booth a sideways glance. "Because it doesn't include me." She went back to burning off her nervous energy.

Booth rolled his eyes. "It'll work better for that reason." He braced for impact.

Noya slugged him. "No, it won't. You need me."

Booth grasped her hips and tugged her forward. "I do, yes. But, Noya, you can't take the chance."

She rested her forehead against his chest. "Because Lenj will go for me and the old man made it clear I have to be protected." She sighed.

Booth smoothed his hands over her back. "Yes. And I wish it didn't have to be this way, but he's right." His lips brushed over the top of her hair. "Your ability to read the runes combined with the precognitive skill is our best shot at finding a place to call home." He lifted her chin to meet her gaze. "And I want a place to settle down." His head lowered. "With you."

He sealed his mouth over hers and Noya got lost in the kiss. She hated sitting on the sidelines, but a chance to put down roots and spend her life with Booth took some of the sting away.

Noya and Booth have a lot of trouble ahead, but if they can keep each other on an even keel they'll come through.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: The Prank Police

July 13, 2014

Greetings!

Whew. I'm coming off a really long week but I did have time to watch Defiance and Dominion. And if all goes well, I'll be watching The Last Ship tonight.

Tonight's post is from (working title only) Prank Police where my main couple is driven to the brink of madness by their students on the night of the blue moon.

Here's the tagline:

The Mage Academy is rife with pranksters and Zenna Doyle and Kyrk Rydercroft must corral the new recruits when they all test their new found powers. And to top it off, the couple pulls duty at the worst time—the night of the blue moon when magic is at its strongest.

And a preview snippet…

Zenna tried hard to ignore the insistent buzzing of the phone. She opened her eyes, blinked, and squinted to see the time. Three a.m. Great Mage, would the stupid adept minors never go to sleep?

Reaching out, she snagged the phone from the nightstand. "Doyle. What's going on this time?" Her breath whooshed out when she got a rundown. "Yeah, yeah. We're on it." Disconnecting the call, she sat up and jabbed Kyrk in the shoulder. "Let's go. We've got prank number seven hundred and ninety-two to deal with."

Kyrk groaned and rolled out of bed. "What is it this time?" He shoved his feet into a pair of pajama bottoms then shucked them off and put on a pair of jeans instead.

Zenna dragged a shirt over her head, realized she had Kyrk's, started to yank it off then decided to leave it. Kyrk could wear his zip up hoodie.

He glanced up, taking the jacket from her. "Zenn? What're we heading into?" He shrugged into the sweatshirt and zipped it up.

Zenna opened her mouth to explain then shook her head. "Just come with me, Kyrk. You'll see for yourself." Grabbing his arm, she tugged him toward the door. "Three more hours until sunrise. If I don't kill someone between now and then, it'll be a miracle."

Stay tuned to see if Zenna makes it through the next three hours without shedding blood.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Order in the Court

Hi!

I hope everyone who celebrates the 4^th had a safe and happy one filled with lots of fireworks!

Some great TV even with the holiday week. Defiance keeps getting better… and darker, which I love bunches. Dominion also keeps me coming back. I'm not quite sure I have everything down but I like to be kept guessing. Forgot to mention The Last Ship… loving it. I have a thing for shows with ships and combine it with a mutated virus, I'm totally there.

Tonight's post is from, Order in the Court, a short sexy romp about a day in the Fae Court.

Here's the tagline:

Mace Ormondson, a fae prince, presides over the daily court grievances and disputes. When a new advocate, Nessa Goff, is appointed it turns Mace's world upside down and sideways, because Nessa happens to be the bane of his existence and a huge pain in his ass.

And a preview snippet…

Mace sighed heavily. "Is there anyone who can speak for the opposing side?" He hoped not.

He wanted to end the session and get on with his day.

Nessa strode into Mace's chambers and moved to stand directly in front of his podium. "Nessa Goff, advocating for the Banshee Prime."

Mace barely held back a groan. The band of his very existence would speak for the Katya Korsh. He braced for a long, long day.

Settling back and trying to get comfortable, he nodded. "Advocate Goff. Whenever you're ready."

Nessa smirked. "I'm always ready, Prince Regent." She turned and shrugged out of her jacket, draping it over chair. "The Banshee Prime seeks recompense for the loss of three novices." She faced Mace again. "And I won't be leaving until you make that happen."

Mace's mouth thinned. "You'll leave when I end the session, Advocate Goff. If you have a specific request, state it now. Save the showboating for your stage act."

A collective gasp echoed throughout his chambers. Nessa narrowed her eyes, but withheld her venomous tongue. Good. Mace didn't plan to give her the upper hand. She'd have to play by his rules—not make up her own. Not this time. And definitely not here.

Nessa inclined her head. "What I do with my time each night has no place here. You want specifics, here they are." She paced back and forth with a slow gait. "The Druid Master, Optan Banz, will deed the cavern temple to the Banshee Order, or forfeit three of his adept minors into their service." She paused and glanced toward Mace. "Ball's in your court, Prince Regent."

Mace cocked his head to one side, studying Nessa for several long moments. "Optan will provide an open ended lease to the cavern temple and allow one adept minor to serve the Order for a period of one year." Mace straightened and addressed the entire room. "The blood feud between the banshees and the druids has gone on too long. The two sides will have to work together to end it." He turned towards Optan's advocate, Martice. "Make sure Optan chooses his adept wisely, for he'll be making weekly reports to the Druid Master and my aide administrator."

Martice frowned, but agreed. "Yes, Prince Regent."

A slow smile curved Nessa's lips upward and she pivoted around, grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair and slung it over her shoulder. She didn't say a word when she quietly walked out of Mace's chambers, the only sound coming from the click of her heels on the stone-tiled floor.

Mace raised the gavel and clamped it down, dismissing the session. The occupants spilled out of his chambers, noisily discussing the day's events.

He leaned back in his seat, a hand rising to rub along his temple. "That damned woman might just be the death of me."

Nessa might have had the upper hand here, but just wait until Mace catches up with her later. J

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Celebrate Your Freedom to Live, Love, & Read—Freedom Hop

Let freedom ring!

Welcome to the Freedom Hop, a great sampling of authors sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

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How wonderful is it to have the independence to choose how we live our lives, who we love, and what we read?

I'm lucky enough to have always had the choice and I've used my liberty to do what I love… write about hot romances between men and women, edit for authors who write about all kinds of love—from best friends who become lovers to same sex couples and relationships that include multiple partners, and read all of the above with voracious abandon.

When writing as Skye Ritchey, I tend to focus on magic, fantasy, and paranormal or supernatural settings, characters, and stories. Exploring things not of our realm is whimsical and freeing. Being able to imagine what a character can do or how they react to the world around them is exciting and challenging.

My current release, A Magical Affair, explores what happens when a couple lives out their wildest fantasies at a mansion that sits atop an ancient wellspring of magic. The owners create unique and distinctive scenarios for their clients, using the mystical qualities of the property to provide an outstanding experience.

Romy and Heath are madly in love and sexually adventurous. Inviting Romy's best friend Stacy to share the weekend with them leads to a sensually erotic smorgasbord for the trio. The owners, Vivica and Jarvis, won't have any trouble booking fantasy packages when they officially open.

I had the best time writing this book and I'm giving a digital copy away for this blog hop. Please leave a comment for your entry and tell me how you celebrate your freedom to live, love and read.

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Book Tagline: A mansion atop a wellspring of magic lets Romy, Heath, and Stacie live out their fantasies.

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Jarvin's lips curved in a knowing smile. "Heath, your lovely Romy has some very specific things planned for your stay here. The Meadows is a remarkable place, sitting atop an ancient wellspring of magic." He paused when Heath narrowed his eyes. "I don't blame you for being skeptical, but please put aside your doubt." Jarvin turned and held out his hand. "Vivica, darling, let's show Heath what we can do."

A stunning blonde with an hourglass figure and a hot red dress came into view on the second floor. She smiled and started a slow walk from the end of the corridor leading toward the stairs. Before his eyes, she morphed from curvy to lean and leggy, wearing fuck-me heels and a sheer white negligee. Heath blinked, and when he looked again, her hair had changed to a shimmery black. Two steps later, she sported a short, cropped cut, dangly jewelry, and wore hiking boots with cutoff denim shorts and a halter in an ethnic print. When she reached the top of the stairs, Heath sucked in a breath. The walls and steps faded, replaced by a fire escape on the exterior of a brownstone building. She kicked the release and started a descent down the metal rungs. Halfway down, the scene changed again, the stone altered to an ornate, gilded interior with lush, carpeted steps, and Vivica now had an elaborate up-do in a shade of chestnut that complemented the emerald green sheath and matching shoes she wore. She reached the bottom and made her way toward Heath, grasping his hand in greeting.

Heath shot a sideways glance toward Jarvin. "Okay, very impressive. I won't even bother asking how, because frankly, I don't care. It's enough to know it's possible." He turned toward Romy and noticed the room had gone back to its original decor. "You never cease to amaze, Rom. One of the many reasons I love you."

Available on Amazon

Leave a comment to be entered to win a digital copy!

Let me know what freedoms you enjoy and please include an email address.

(Drawing to occur on July 7, 2014)

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Blurb: Romy Bludd and Heath Graystone are very adventurous and happily explore the wilder side of sex. Romy meets Jarvin and Vivica, who give her an opportunity to spend Halloween weekend at Magic Meadows, a mansion sitting atop an ancient wellspring of magic. Romy accepts the offer because she and Heath want to add someone else to the mix and Romy's best friend, Stacie, is back from a ten month stay abroad. The timing couldn't be better for the trio to live out their lustful fantasies.

The mansion and its owners are capable of wondrous transformations, giving Romy and Stacie a wealth of choices to rock Heath's world. A character from his favorite urban thriller, a cougar on the prowl, the plain librarian who wants to hook up with her boss, a roller derby diva with aggression issues, and a reporting duo with blackmail on their minds are on the agenda for the romp-filled weekend.

Heath is thrilled, but he really wants one thing—for Romy to give up control and let him call the shots.

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Please stop by my website

 Celebrate with more fireworks! Visit the other participating authors.