Sunday Snippet: Stay the Course

Gotta say, I'm fairly easy to entertain, but I love it when the shows I watch elevate my standards. Right now, just about all my faves are hitting one hundred percent satisfaction levels. Once again, The Walking Dead blew me away. My super hero shows, Arrow, The Flash, Agents of SHIELD and Gotham are amping up the tension. My batshit insane shows, Haven, Sleepy Hollow, and Sons of Anarchy keep getting a little crazier and that keeps me glued to the television.

I also like a good mystery and got to watch Inspector Lewis last week. I usually catch up on the series when it's available on DVD, but I couldn't sleep and PBS was showing it. I've also been watching previous seasons of The Murdoch Mysteries (also known as The Artful Detective) on Ovation. Why they changed the name for US television is beyond me, but it's a great, fun Canadian show.

Tonight's post is from Stay the Course, a novella featuring a strong female character with a strong male standing behind her, backing her up.

Here's the tagline:

Nadia Iris is at a crossroads and has to choose whether to find her path to fulfillment as an adept or stay stagnant in her current position. She decides to go on a journey quest, but has to leave Falk Ridenour behind. Falk isn't happy, but supports her choice, even knowing the hardship she'll face.

And a preview snippet…

Falk drew Nadia close. "God speed." He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She eased away. "No good hunting?" She quirked an eyebrow.

Falk shook his head. "Not this time. I have a feeling whatever you're looking for is going to find you." He squeezed her hands. "Just stay the course."

Nadia pulled him into a tight embrace. "I will. Thank you." She stepped back and grabbed her rucksack. "I wish you could come with me."

His lips curved upward. "Your journey is yours alone, Nadia. I'll be here when you return."

She cupped his face. "I will come back. I promise you."

He placed his palm over hers. "I'll see you then." He brushed his lips over her skin and released her hand.

She nodded and started toward the waiting vehicle. Falk fought the urge to call her back. He needed to let her go, to seek her answers. She'd find her purpose, but she wouldn't come home the same woman. Didn't matter. He'd love her regardless.

Short, little peek tonight, but hopefully the tone and mood come through.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Saturday Standard: Meet Heath Graystone

To celebrate my Halloween-centric novella, A Magical Affair, I wanted to do something a little fun.

My new blog feature called the Saturday Standard is what I've come up with. Each week one of my pseudonyms will conduct an interview with one of the characters of a featured story.

This week… Heath Graystone will be answering questions about spending the weekend with Romy Bludd and Stacie Williams.

Let's get to it…

THE SATURDAY STANDARD

Skye Ritchey: Hello, Heath. Thank you for agreeing to answer some questions.

Heath Graystone: Hello. I'm happy to participate.

Skye: First up, I'll start with the same question I asked Stacie last week. What do you do for a living?

Heath: I'm a director for a local television production company. I mainly do commercials, public service announcements, and sometimes special edition programming for the holidays.

SR: Sounds like a busy job?

HG: It can be. I put in some long days.

SR: What do you do during your downtime?

HG: Spend time with Romy. Hang out with my friends. I also read a lot. I have a favorite author whose spy thrillers, I enjoy.

SR: Oh! Fun. And hearing that brings me to my next question. What did you think when you found out what Romy had planned for your weekend getaway? At a magical mansion?

HG: [laughs] That all my fantasies had just come true? Seriously, though, after discovering her plans, I figured I'm definitely with the right woman. And the fact she invited Stacie, who I love to death, only reinforces my feeling.

SR: Stacie is a sweetheart. She and Romy have been friends for a long time, right?

HG: Oh, yeah. They've been close forever. I honestly can't think of anyone else Romy would trust as completely. Romy loves to push the envelope and I tend to go along for the ride. But if she'd chosen anyone else, I don't think the weekend would have gone as well as it did.

SR: Because Romy has a hard time relinquishing control, right?

HG: You could say that. But Stacie worked some magic and, well, Romy surprised me.

SR: Sounds like she caught you off guard in a great way.

HG: I could tell you...

But he doesn't have to… read all about how Romy surprised Heath with one of his most cherished desires in A Magical Affair.

Available on Amazon

Other e-retailers coming soon!

I hope you enjoyed the latest edition of the Saturday Standard. Stay tuned for more next week with Romy.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Slip of the Tongue

October 19, 2014

Greetings!

Whew. Great television this past week. The Walking Dead premiere didn't disappoint. So happy it's back on my TV. And I'm all caught up on everything I normally watch. The Flash and Arrow are still kicking ass. Sons of Anarchy is totally insane and I can't wait to see how everything ends.

On Demand has me up to date on Haven, Sleepy Hollow, Agents of SHIELD, and Gotham. Pretty thrilled with Gotham so far. Some interesting little twists on the lore I'm quite enjoying.

Tonight's post is from Slip of the Tongue, a sexy short story where words have power, especially 'love' and 'you'.

Here's the tagline:

Sylvie Brown and Holden Baker are word alchemists, creating the strongest, most intricate spells in their realm. One slip of the tongue can bring catastrophic destruction… or it can garner surprising results. Sylvie learns two little words can hold a wealth of meaning.

And a preview snippet…

She laughed, relishing the experience after working so hard and long to fix the incantation. "Love you!"

Holden stopped and turned. "What did you say?" He slowly made his way back to her workspace.

Her eyes went wide. Quick and playful, the words love and you had escaped before Sylvie could stop them. And holy mage, created an instant change in atmosphere—electric and taut with tension.

She couldn't take them back, and frankly, didn't think she wanted to anyway. Holden could and would read whatever he wanted into her slip of the tongue. They'd danced around the flirtation and then attraction for months while they worked on modernizing the perimeter spells.

She glanced up and caught Holden's gaze. "Well, um…" She shrugged. "You can think whatever you—"

Holden backed her up against the wall. "Don't say it you don't mean it." His mouth hovered over hers. "Do you mean it, Sylvie?" His hands smoothed down her sides and grasped her hips. "Because words have power, spellbinding or not." He pressed the hard ridge of his erection against her.

Oh yes, power indeed.

Her chin lifted and she snagged his lips, fast and hard. "I mean it." She nuzzled his jawline before whispering close to his ear. "I love you."

He tipped his head back and caught her mouth in a long, slow kiss. Hauling her forward, he swept her up in his arms, and carried her to the corner nook. The futon still had the bedclothes from their brief attempts to catch some sleep when they couldn't keep their eyes open any longer.

Holden lowered her to the soft surface, crawled up beside her, and cradled her face in his hands. "I love you, too." His lips traveled along her jaw, down her neck, and over her shoulder.

Sylvie's eyes slid shut and she did a quick examination of her feelings. A big step, one they couldn't retreat from once taken, but she trusted him like no one else.

And she loved him—truly, madly, and deeply—why waste any more time?

Nothing like a moment of clarity to bring feelings home, right?

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Saturday Standard: Meet Stacie Williams

To celebrate my Halloween-centric novella, A Magical Affair, I wanted to do something a little fun.

To that end, I'm starting a new blog feature called the Saturday Standard. Each week one of my pseudonyms will conduct an interview with one of the characters of a featured story.

This week… Stacie Williams will be answering questions about spending the weekend with Romy Bludd and Heath Graystone.

Let's get to it…

THE SATURDAY STANDARD

Skye Ritchey: Hello, Stacie. I'm so glad you could take some questions.

Stacie Williams: Hi. I'm thrilled to answer.

Skye: First up, what do you do for a living?

Stacie: I'm a global networking liaison for a pharmaceutical manufacturer. That means I get to travel. A lot.

SR: Really? Go anywhere interesting?

SW: I just returned from Japan. Spent ten months training and learning their culture.

SR: Wow. That sounds pretty wonderful.

SW: Honestly? It was terrific. I got to experience so many new things.

SR: Always a bonus, right? Which segues nicely into my next question. What made you decide to take your friend, Romy, up on her unique off to spend the weekend at a magical mansion?

SW: Are you kidding? Have you seen Heath? The man is primo. And he's a great guy, to boot.

SR: I have, yes. And you're correct. Heath is truly a wonderful man.

SW: I couldn't be happier for him and Rom, and that's why I decided to participate in a romp-filled weekend. Romy loves to push the envelope and Heath always goes along for the ride. When she asked, I didn't need my arm twisted to say yes.

SR: But you had some concerns, right?

SW: I did, yes. Romy is my best friend. I needed to make sure she really wanted me to be their third, so to speak.

SR: Sounds like it worked out rather well for all involved.

SW: You have no idea.

But you can have an idea… read all about Stacie's super steamy weekend with Romy and Heath in A Magical Affair.

Available on Amazon

I hope you enjoyed the inaugural edition of the Saturday Standard. Stay tuned for more next week with Heath.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Rumpled and Worn

October 12, 2014

Hi!

Wow, what a week in TV. The Flash and Arrow premieres rocked pretty much the whole week. I'm all caught up on Haven, Sleepy Hollow, and Agents of SHIELD. Sons of Anarchy had a solid episode and The Walking Dead premieres tonight!!

YAY!

The cast of Bitten went to the New York Comic Con and images and interviews are lining up on my Tumblr dashboard. I also got my season one DVDs this week. Rewatch ahoy!

Thinking it's a good time to dust of my recap blog and get back doing Arrow and Bitten recaps, along with maybe a weekly roundup to include The Flash. I may also vent my frustration with the new series of Doctor Who… or not. Who knows. LOL

Tonight's post is from Rumpled and Worn, a twisted retelling of the Rumplestilskin tale.

Here's the tagline:

Lindie Lands strikes a deal with the Rumpleman—keep her crazy stalker at bay and she'll hand over the first man she falls for. But when she finally finds a lasting love with Cole Darrington, she's not willing to give him up and together they outsmart the Rumpleman.

And a preview snippet…

Lindie tore down the alley and skittered to a halt. Shit. Trapped. She glanced around, looking for an outlet or an opening between buildings. Heart racing, she listened for the sound of footsteps, and sure enough, they drew nearer.

"Dammit, Lindie. Why didn't you check for dead ends?" She chastised herself and made a dash for the dumpster behind an Asian restaurant.

Maybe if she ducked down low and squeezed into the dark corner, her stalker would think she'd kept going down the street.

The footfalls slowed, pausing at the entrance to the alley. Lindie took what she hoped were shallow breaths, but her heartbeat pounded so loudly in her ears she couldn't tell.

Bony fingers wrapped around her wrist and only jamming her hand in her mouth kept her from screaming out loud. Lindie jerked away from a tiny man whose eyes showed more fear than menace. He made a shushing sound and motioned for her to crawl through a narrow opening into the building the trash container butted up against. With little choice—her stalker had entered the alley—she wriggled through the gap and tumbled downward, striking her knees on a hard concrete floor. Her rescuer reached upward will a long dowel rod and flipped a heavy tarp over the space.

Lindie scrambled backwards, fearing he might strike her with the wood.

He frowned and shook his head. "You have nothing to fear from me, dearie." He wobbled over toward a small workbench and plopped down on a three-legged stool. "You looked like you need a bit of help."

She blew out a relieved sigh. "I do thank you." She glanced up at the heavy fabric and kept her voice low. "I have a stalker and the guy won't leave me alone. I've tried everything to ward him off." She counted on her fingers. "Ignoring him didn't work. A temporary restraining order has done nothing and short of having my own protection squad, I can't think of what else I can do." She stopped for a moment. "But I can't, no won't, let him keep me from going to work and living life."

The tiny, old man tsked. "You've got yourself a mighty big problem, miss." He cocked his head sideways. "I might be able to offer some assistance."

Lindie had no idea what he thought he could do, but asked anyway. "Really, how?"

I love taking an established story and putting my own spin on it. This one is very fun to dive into.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Ringside Seats

October 5, 2014

Greetings!

Ugh. I got a few days off and decided to get a nasty cold. LOL Nothing like mixing sinus meds with everything else. :D

This week in TV is almost a bust. I don't think I've watched anything in real time, with the exception of Sons of Anarchy. No comment from me, but my big wish from a few weeks ago still holds true AND I'm pretty sure Jax is fighting a war from within. We'll find out if I'm on the right track soon. J

Arrow premiers this week and hopefully I'll be home to watch it live. I can't wait. And this time next week should see The Walking Dead gracing my screen again. YAY!

Tonight's post is from Ringside Seats, a short story where expending magical energy is like foreplay for my main characters.

Here's the tagline:

An unclaimed attraction leads to some aggressive flirting in the apprentice's ring, when Vita Morj and Keb Pennyson are challenged to see who'd win in a magical bout. It may end up a draw, because neither opponent plans to give quarter.

And a preview snippet…

Vita raised her hands and drew on the energy in the ring. A small fireball formed and grew, then split into three parts. Each piece floated outward, spinning and growing larger. When they hovered in the center of the ring, she flung her arms wide to unleash each one on Keb.

He easily dodged the orbs of flame and sent a power ball of water shots to rain down atop her head. The stinging orbs drenched her face and shoulders and Vita retaliated by flicking her wrist and sweeping Keb off his feet to land face first in the smoldering ash from her earlier missiles. That should take him a moment to recover.

But he surprises her, flipping his body over and waving a hand. Lightning zapped down from the rafters and she got a jolt when it hit the water pooled at her feet. Damn the man. She needed to bring out the big guns. Taking a moment to regroup, she shook off the tingly sensation and gathered up as much energy as she could muster then pushed outward. Keb went flying, smashing into the protective mesh surrounding the confines of the arena.

She didn't pause, following up with a water trick of her own, dousing him each time he tried to stand. He whirled in a crouched position and flung out a hand, knocking her back with a burst of energy. She landed on her ass with a hard thud then scrambled to get up before he could make another move.

Keb lifted a brow when he stood and faced her. "Had enough?"

She smirked and flexed her fingers. "No way.

Gotta say… magical bouts are really fun to write. :D

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye