Sunday Snippet: Choice to Make

Whew. What a week in television! First, Teen Wolf pulled off a pretty interesting ending for the summer finale. That being said, I'll happily watch Theo die in a fire created by Parrish if that ever happens. Just saying.

The Last Ship threw in a few more little twisty bits. I tweeted last weekend about wishing they'd stop killing my faves and boot off the Ramseys. Here's hoping someone heard my plea. LOL

Defiance turned in a kick ass finale. I'm so hoping it's not the end of the series, but if it is, I could live with the way it ended. That said, I think there's a buttload of potential left and hope to see more from this show. Dark Matter ended up being way better than I thought. Finally have more info about Two. It's a little sketchy but enough to keep me interested. And wow… I have to say I didn't see the end coming with Six. I'll leave it there for anyone who hasn't seen how things are left, but yeah, I'm in for more.

Not sure what Syfy has slated for their Friday nights now, but whatever it is, the shows have a tough act to follow. Fingers crossed for good stuff.

Haven't mentioned Dominion lately, but again, good show that's holding my interest. We'll see how they leave things for their finale. Haven is starting soon and I'll probably be a blubbering mess when it's over because I love that show so much. Stay tuned. LOL

Tonight's post is from Choice to Make, a novella where the Fates play a reluctant role in getting my hero and heroine together.

Here's the mini-blurb:

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.

And a preview snippet…

Hallen shook her head. "Did you ever think to see this?" Her gaze left the porthole. "Ships that used to battle each other, flying side by side?"

Will sat back and observed her a moment. "I never thought to see you again. So this… not so astounding." His lips quirked upward, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

Hallen moved to sit opposite him. "Why did you push so hard? For the accord to go through?"

Will raised a brow. "The truth?" The look she threw him said anything less… not a good move. "You."

Confusion marred her features.

He explained. "You were gone. I watched it happen, Hallen. You're in front of me one moment… then BOOM! You're not. A million pieces. That's what it looked like. No way you could have survived." She grabbed his hand, held tight. He looked down at their laced fingers. "Yet you're here." He lifted their hands. "Real. Solid. Here. If that can happen… how can saving our entire race not?"

"Because everyone fought so long they don't know anything else. But you convinced them." Her miraculous existence notwithstanding, Will's impassioned plea to the masses finally turned the tide.

He shrugged. "Look, fighting a never ending, bloody war long enough to decimate the planet and literally end its existence gives people lots of reason. Any plausible excuse to put down arms and move the hell out gets snapped up."

Hallen's lips twisted. "Not exactly how it happened." So much death and destruction, sheer stupidity in hindsight.

Will squeezed her fingers. "No… you had a lot to do with making people see reason."

But for how long? Their track record didn't inspire a lot of faith. And sooner or later, more questions would come. She didn't have any answers.

She'd already had a taste of how not fun that could be. "Not at first. No one trusted me." She paused. "Except you."

Will didn't say anything. He couldn't. Their past would stay put… behind them.

She spoke again, sadness tinged her voice. "I don't understand it. I'm presumed dead. By everyone. And when I come back you finally trust me?"

The one thing she'd wanted more than anything. A clean slate with Will.

Will remained silent for a few more moments, no doubt trying to line up the thoughts in his head. "I realized… too late… I needed to let things go." His eyes met hers. "I thought we had time and we didn't." He dropped his gaze again. "But you came back… to me. I have to trust that." He raised his eyes again. "You came back. Not to James or Daniel. But to me."

She grabbed his hands again. "It had to be you." She shook her head. "That part makes sense. But I don't know why. Or how. Where does that leave us?"

Will smiled. "Right here. You have to lead the way. Find the planet you saw." He sighed. "And I have to keep everyone on the path. Make sure they don't kill each other before we get there."

Hallen snorted. "You've got the harder job."

Will shook his head. "I always seem to get the short end of the stick." When Hallen tensed up, he hurried to add. "I didn't mean it that way."

Old habits died hard.

She relaxed because the past no longer mattered. "No, but you'd have every right. We never seem to get the timing down." Hallen cupped his face. "Maybe this time, we will."

She ignored the niggling doubt, thrumming through her veins. The strange vibe that she lived on borrowed time.

It wouldn't be the first, or the last, time she fought fate.

This one is coming along nicely, I just need to put the finishing touches on a few details. Hoping to release in early 2016.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: A Capsized Buccaneer

Still battling the cold / allergy / viral evilness thing. But… I think I'm finally in the last stages. <fingers crossed>

Teen Wolf has me confuzzled. I seriously don't know where or how everything is going to end up. I will say I kind of can't wait for the end of the Dread Doctors. I'm pretty much done with giving any kind of crap about them. Not my favorite storyline to date. Just saying.

Defiance keeps getting better. The twisty-turny stuff makes me happy. I love how even with internal betrayals, judgment and forgiveness tends to be fast and certain. I really do hope this show continues.

Killjoys season finale proved to be excellent. I'm so in love with this show, enough that I'm considering doing recaps for my fandom blog. Need to make a note to get the DVDs ASAP.

Dark Matter also gave me something I wanted, more information about Two. I'm liking how the crew is starting to gel and work together. The scene in the vault with all the guys was a treat to watch.

And once again, The Last Ship brought a ton of drama to the table. I'll be honest, I really want Chandler to take a step off the high horse and remember what things were like before he picked up the POTUS. Rachel made a gut call and kept everyone else out of it, taking full responsibility. And in this case, the greater good should outweigh any righteous indignation.

Also… I have a bad vibe about who cut the video to make it look like the ship bombed New Orleans. I hope we'll find out if I'm right this week.

Tonight's post is from A Capsized Buccaneer, a novella with a mix of family drama and super powers. What can go wrong?

Here's the mini-blurb:

Kallen Bond, a star athlete certain to lead her team to a championship win, takes a much needed two day excursion aboard a Bertelli luxury yacht before the big game. The Bertelli's sabotage their ship to eliminate Kallen from the competition, but she's saved by Zeb, the family black sheep, and they end up stranded on a remote island with no way home.

And a preview snippet…

Kallen Bond loathed parties, but her coach and manager, Dan Dryden, insisted she attend the meet and greet with fans on the Bertelli yacht.

Dan gave her a flash of a smile. "It's only four hours of your life, Kal. A few drinks, some dinner, a little dancing. It's not too much to ask." He got up and started for the door. "And wear a dress, okay? You can bring clothes to change into." His hand landed on the knob.

Kallen bit back a nasty remark about the dress. "Why would I change?" Not that she'd complain… she hated dresses.

Dan glanced back over his shoulder. "Didn't I mention you get to take the yacht out for two days of rest and relaxation?" His lips twitched.

Kallen snorted. "No. No, you didn't. You ass." She shook her head. "But thanks. I don't have to tell you how much I need a break."

Dan winked. "I know, Kal. And you deserve it. Be there at seven." He exited the office and strolled down the corridor.

Kallen gathered up her gear and headed out of the training center. She had just enough time to head home, shower, and find the lone dress she had buried in the back of her closet. Why anyone expected an arena ball star to get all glammed up proved beyond her realm of understanding. The sport could be brutal and she wore her bumps and bruises like a badge of honor. Currently, she sported a lovely purple contusion on her right calf and a nasty abrasion on her left shoulder. She gave her all when playing and pushed her team to the championship bracket. They were poised to take the title in the game next week.

Walking the short distance to her apartment, Kallen entered and dumped her bag and gear beside the door. She left a trail of clothes from the living room to the bathroom, turning the water on to warm up, then rifling through her closet to snag the dress. Laying it on her bed, she reentered the bath and took a quick shower.

After drying off, she fixed her hair by twisting it into a high knot on the top of her head. As much as she avoided makeup, she applied enough to be passably presentable for a party, then slipped the midnight blue dress on. She glanced in the mirror, turning to make sure the clingy fabric hadn't bunched up in the back… and noticed her bare feet.

Kallen groaned. "Shit. Shoes." She had a pair of strappy sandals somewhere.

Digging through her closet again, she pulled out a pair of cargo pants and a couple of shirts for the extra time on the boat. She slid her main shoe rack to the side and bingo! The dressy taupe flat-heeled shoes rested on the bottom shelf. Grabbing those, she crossed to her dresser and gathered up underwear and shorts then stuffed everything in her carryon. Padding into the bathroom with the overnight bag, she threw some toiletries into a case and added it to the rest of her stuff. Carrying the sandals into the living room, she decided to put them on in the car after she arrived at the marina. Flip flops would do for the drive over, but she added a pair of her cross-trainers to her case then zipped it up. With the dressy shoes dangling from her fingers, she exited her apartment and made the quick jaunt out to her car. Throwing her carryon in the back seat she slid behind the wheel.

Heaving a sigh, she started the engine. "Four hours is going to feel like a million." She put the car in gear and eased out of the parking lot. "But for two days of blissful alone time… I can manage."

Oh, Kallen couldn't be more wrong, but stay tuned to see why. LOL

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Calamity of Chaos

Greetings!

Ugh. I'm fighting a nasty summer cold / allergy / yuck something, which I'm hoping runs its course before next week. School starts on August 25, but my kidlets already have golf and football stuff going on. We've already had a football scrimmage and our first golf match is Monday. Sadly, I won't be going because I can't breathe when I go outside. LOL Ugh. Seriously, my nasal passages can clear up any time now.

Let's see. Teen Wolf? Yeah. A shit ton of stuff happened in the last episode. Glad to see things moving forward. I'm now excited to see Monday's episode. If I'm not in a cold / allergy medication induced coma. <see above>

Friday night on Syfy is still kicking major ass. Defiance turned in a pretty awesome episode. But… I was sad to see one of the characters go. I'm also dying to see where this whole thing ends and there better be another season to wrap stuff up. I'm going to be very angry if there isn't. LOL

Killjoys seriously keeps me glued to the screen. This is another one where a new season is a must. The pacing and everything else related to backstory and world building is just about perfect. The only thing I'd like to see a little more of is John's history. I'd even throw Pawter in there, too, but I'm actually okay with what's been revealed of her history so far. Here's hoping next week's episode is mind-blowing.

Dark Matter… cliffhanger ahoy! I'll be riveted to see how Two gets out of the predicament she landed in. I'm also interested in seeing where they end this season. While this show spends a little more time on backstory / exposition, I'm definitely excited by the possibilities of more.

The Last Ship. What can I say? I've praised everything from the pacing, characters, actors, and writing. I'll add all the twists and turns to the mix. I totally didn't see Rachel's ballsy action last week and I can't wait to see if shit flies or not. I'm kind of hoping for the latter because seriously? Her move needed to happen. Just saying.

And enough about TV. Tonight's post is from Calamity of Chaos, book three of the Chaos series, where Esme and Ashton venture to America.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Esme and Ashton embark on a trip to America, on the trail of their nemesis's partner. Calamity ensues when they stumble upon a dastardly plot to keep them from returning home.

And a preview snippet…

Esme entered the room before Ash and dropped her cases on the floor. She crossed over to the bed and tumbled backwards, letting out a satisfied groan.

Ash chuckled. "I take it the accommodations meet with your approval?" He set his luggage next to hers and loosened his collar.

Esme rolled over to her side, propping her head on a hand. "Can't be sure until we test the bed, but so far, so good." She reached down and untied the laces of her boots, tugging them loose to kick them off.

Ash crossed over to the bed and grasped her leg, twisting her back to lie flat. "Then we should be conducting said test right away, don't you think?" His palm slid up her calf and his fingers dragged a stocking down and off.

Esme wiggled her toes and arched her foot. "Ah… feels good to be barefoot." She held up her other leg.

Ash grinned and repeated the process. "I know you prefer breeches and socks, but keeping up appearances is important, Es." He shrugged out of his jacket and joined her on the bed. "I'll make it worth the extra effort on your end." His head lowered and he dropped a kiss on her nose.

Esme caught his face between her hands. "I know you will, Ash." She meshed her mouth with his, sliding her tongue past his lips.

Ash groaned, his mind drifting to all the ways he'd like to have her. Esme smiled through the kiss and Ash chuckled. The closer he and Esme got, the more he tended to unwittingly share.

He eased away, working the buttons of her blouse loose. "What would you like to start with, my dear?" Separating the sides, he trailed his fingers along the edge of her camisole.

Esme started undoing his buttons. "I think the second scenario for starters." She shoved the fabric aside and flicked her tongue over his nipple.

Ash's lips curved upward. His Esme never ceased to make the right call.

I love this series so much. If all goes well, there should be four books total.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Broken Down and Maxed Out

So… Mad Max: Fury Road? Kick ass movie. Seriously, an excellent two hours of viewing pleasure. And I'm from the generation that started the whole Mad Max franchise and this movie blows the original ones out of the water. Enough said.

Let's see… Teen Wolf. Can't really say much. I'm sort of waiting to see what happens. This season isn't holding my interest as much as I'd hoped, but I'll reserve judgment until I've seen more.

But my Friday night lineup is kicking everything into high gear. Defiance rocks. I'm always kind of stunned by how quickly the dynamic changes. Same goes with Killjoys. Only two episodes left before a break and I want more. I have a feeling this show will eat my brain in the off season. Not a bad thing. Dark Matter turned in a pretty decent episode, but I can honestly say I'd like tighter writing. First season world building aside, it would be nice to get a little more information on Two, since we've seen a fair amount on the others.

The Last Ship is a little over halfway through its second season and I can't wait to see how things start getting resolved. This is one of those shows I'm stuck between wanting more and being happy a season is short and sweet, leaving me time to savor the goodness before a new one starts. LOL

Tonight's post is from Broken Down and Maxed Out, a novella where my characters are pitted against each other, but try and hold true to their hearts.

Here's the mini-blurb:

When Dallas Kirk and Rafe Quinoza, two top agents in the Ministry of Magic, are broken down and maxed out they turn to each other to regroup and recharge. But when they reach their saturation point at the same time, they struggle to keep their connection strong which is difficult when they blame themselves for a mission gone wrong.

And a preview snippet…

Dallas Kirk entered the sprawling warehouse. "Nothing like a little B and E to get the adrenaline flowing." She kept her tone low and relocked the door behind her, using magick to ward the building.

Nothing would get in or out without her knowledge.

She did a quick rundown of the intel she had on Marjam Calla. The ministry file listed him as a nuisance with the potential to cause disruption with terrorist activities. Marjam had a list of grievances he wanted to turn into causes, but the man's standoffish and abrasive personality didn't attract allies. Any like-minded thinkers usually couldn't stand being in the same room with him for any length of time.

Dallas crept through the cavernous space littered with carnival paraphernalia. Marjam's main source of income came during the warmer months when fairs, festivals, and fundraising events. According to Rafe Quinoza, her partner and life mate, Calla lived in a set of converted storage rooms along the north wall of the building. She trusted Rafe's information and followed the west wall along until she spied the boxlike series of three shipping containers lined up end to end. A few windows had been cut into the exterior walls and lamplight burned in the closest one.

Success!

She shouldn't have too much trouble bagging and tagging Marjam. Movement from the east side of the warehouse caught her attention. A large, burly man emerged from the shadows and raised his hands, drawing power from her wards.

Shit. Definitely not Calla. The man barely cleared average height and this guy stood at least six-four. And he had mercenary for hire written all over him.

The door to Marjam's living space opened and he stepped out into the dim light of the main floor. He flung his arms out, tapping into the magical energy surrounding the building. Her work, her protective barrier, would be turned against her in a matter of moments.

A kick of anger hit Dallas, followed by a moment of fear. Resolution kicked in.

No backup. Her wards blocking communication. Trapped and screwed.

Dallas crouched low and braced for the blast of magick. "Fuck me." When she got out, target in tow, someone had some serious explaining to do.

The ministry had a security breach… or Rafe missed a few key details.

Son of a bitch.

Dallas is fun to write. And whatever put her in the crapper better get out of the way because she'll definitely mow them down. LOL

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Broken Arrow

So… I have the final two episodes of Strike Back waiting to be watched and I'm putting it off. Because I want to savor the last two hours before it's over for good. LOL

Teen Wolf… eh, this past week felt like a bunch of set-up, which is okay, but I'm kind of wanting the new guy to be found out and I really want to know what the hell is going on with Stiles. Here's hoping Monday's episode sheds some light.

The Last Ship continues to keep me glued to the screen. I love everything about this show, the actors, the pacing, the storyline, and most definitely the characters. So much awesome rolled into forty-five minutes. Just saying.

Friday night lineup is still kicking major good vibes. Defiance and Killjoys each turned in superb viewing. Repercussions abounded and I pretty much loved both episodes. Dark Matter also dropped some interesting info bombs, which did indeed tie back to the clues in previous episodes. Really liking the dynamic and the way it changes when new stuff is revealed about the characters.

Tonight's post is from Broken Arrow, a novella where my main characters have some serious issues to work through.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Cailin Berg is a broken arrow, a mage suffering from a crippling experience who can no longer use their skills, and she wants to find a way back to her practice. Phelps Morlach can't give her any answers, but he will offer whatever assistance he can provide… especially since he holds some of the responsibility for Cailin's predicament.

And a preview snippet…

Phelps Morlach entered the quiet alcove and settled across from Cailin Berg, his student, lover, and best friend. His news grave, he considered how to break the information without sending her into a magical tailspin.

Reaching out, he grasped her hands. "Cailin, I've come from the proctor." His thumbs traced wide circles on her skin.

Cailin smiled. "And I'm going to my final examination? When? This week?" She nearly bounced with anticipation.

Phelps shook his head. "No, not this week, or even this month." His gaze met hers. "You need more time, Cailin." He braced for her reaction.

She jerked her hands from his. "You told him, didn't you? About the nightmare I had." Rising from the chaise, she stalked back and forth. "I can't believe you, Phelps. It was one damned dream; nothing says it has to be a prophetic one." She whirled and faced him. "You don't believe in me or my powers. You're so blessed obsessed with having and keeping me, you'll do anything to hold me back." She sneered. "No more, Phelps. I won't wait any longer. I'm leaving tonight." She crossed the floor, her boots scraping along the stone surface. "We're through."

The door, which the society never closed, slammed shut behind her.

Phelps closed his eyes. He sucked. Truly, completely, utterly. How could he possibly explain he didn't lack faith in her? He believed Cailin would do spectacular things one day.

But… the darkness she carried inside her gave him pause. He didn't have the skills to help her get past the nightmare—a prophetic one whether she believed or not—or the ability to show her how to control the dark streak of power. The proctor's edict gave Phelps time to study, learn, and put forth his best effort to keep Cailin from unleashing the raw, tainted magic before she got a handle on the havoc she could create.

The time didn't matter now. His fear for her drove her away.

He'd failed Cailin and lost her in the process.

Truly loving how this one is coming together. I've written a lot of the story longhand and it's flowing really well.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye