Sunday, April 30, 2017

Sunday Snippet: Stay the Course

So… last day of April is here and I'm finally starting to realize I have a kid graduating in a month. It's my second experience, my oldest graduated five years ago, but, wow, reality hits in weird ways. LOL I've got a party to plan and things to make happen.

Thank goodness for television when I need a reality break. Gotham came back with a vengeance and delivered a very fun hour of TV. While the whole owl society thing makes me roll my eyes, I have a feeling the payoff will end up being worth it.

The Flash returned with a great episode. I'm not feeling as much love for this season's overall arc, but I do enjoy this show so much. I have two working theories for who revealed themselves to Kaitlyn and either makes me very excited.

Arrow continues to be my favorite show. Having Felicity go dark side is an interesting twist, even if it feels a little forced sometimes. Throwing ARGUS in and creating tension and conflict with John makes me happy. Looking forward to seeing how the season ends.

Riverdale upped the stakes again. My twitter feed is half and half on the love / hate for the show. Personally, I love it. There are some terrific little twists that make me happy. And I thoroughly enjoy the grown-ups getting caught up in their own drama and how that plays out between the kids.

I haven't really mentioned Doctor Who. There's a reason for that. While I really like the new companion and the sidekick, I'm just not excited about this season. I'll be happy to get through and see who Thirteen will be. Hopefully we'll get a new Master, too.

Class isn't bad. It's not quite the same as Sarah Jane's adventures, but it's got a good vibe and I like the interactions with the characters.

I've been busy enough to not really have time to catch up on my binge watch shows. With nicer weather, my cleaning gene kicks in and I start mini-projects that tend to last the entire summer. LOL

That's it for TV this week. Tonight's post is from Stay the Course, a novella that began with the two-word prompt of "God speed". Technically, that should be one word, but I'll run with the prompt anyway.

Here's the mini-blurb:

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 Ridenour observed his current pupil work through a tricky incantation for making a plant sprout. "No, Nadia, pull back. You're going to—" The seedling rapidly expanded, grew to maturity, then shriveled and disintegrated into dust.
She threw her hands in the air. "Dammit!" Stalking to the corner, she lowered her head and breathed in and out, using the technique to calm down.
Falk gave her some space. He didn't have to point out where she went wrong. Nadia Iris's talent bordered on phenomenal. Adept at manipulating witch magick on multiple levels—very uncommon—she lacked control. His assignment to help her find a focus proved challenging and often mind-boggling. How could he help her when she couldn't get a handle on any one gift?
Then again, the fact she seemed to have attunement to all known elements of the witch's pentagram made her a rarity worth exploring.
She tilted her head back and blew out a heavy sigh. "Why can't I get this?" Straightening, she turned to face him. "Hell, I don't get anything?" She spun around, clearly frustrated.
Nadia got almost everything. Managing it, on the other hand, not so much.
Her irritation and discouragement didn't help. The forces they drew on tended to clash during her use and Falk had yet to get a handle on why. His strength with the psychic gifts usually helped determine a reason for a pupil's struggle. But Nadia almost always blocked him when he tried to get a read on her issues. Probably not intentional, yet another angle they needed to figure out.
Whatever might be going on, his inability to help also made her crazy. He didn't have to use his talent to see that one. Her body language and attitude telegraphed her annoyance for the entire world to see.
Nadia whirled back around. "What am I supposed to do, Falk?" Her arms folded around her waist and her foot beat a rapid staccato on the floor.
Falk didn't have a definitive answer, but as long as she held back, they wouldn't accomplish anything.
He gave her his best bet. "You have to decide to move ahead or remain stagnant, Nadia. That means asking a hard question. What do you want?"

Nadia's going to ask that question over and over again. It's looking like there might be two more books after this one.



That's it for this week.

Cheers!


Skye

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