Sunday Snippet: Various Reasons

What an incredible episode of The Last Ship! I loved the whole storm at sea and the cat and mouse game with the Greek ships. My fingers are crossed nothing happens to Master Chief. I'll be very upset if he dies.

Teen Wolf brought back even more former Beacon Hills faces. I'm excited and a little melancholy about tonight's episode. I'll be totally thrilled if Monroe finally dies a spectacular death.

I'm four episodes in on The Defenders and pretty much love it so far. Even Danny isn't as annoying as I thought he'd be. Jessica and Luke make me happy. Not as a couple or anything, I just love their shorthand conversations. And, of course, Matt is pretty much my favorite, always.

Hawaii Five-0 is pretty terrific in season seven. I like the interactions and pretty much like Steve getting some closure with Katherine. I'm not even halfway through the season yet, but here's hoping the remaining episodes are as good.

Gotham returned! I completely missed the premiere date but got caught up the next day. I LOVED the first episode of the season. I'm thrilled the show seems to have found its footing and delivers great television on a consistent basis.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Various Reasons, a novella that started with the two-word prompt, "marry me".

Here's the mini-blurb:

Paloma and Cedric keep putting off thinking or talking about the future—they've got a fae war on their hands, but after a particularly ugly skirmish, Paloma decides it's time to open the topic for discussion. Cedric is so shocked, he's not quite sure he believes her, but once Paloma gets through the list of various reasons, he's close to getting on board.

And a preview snippet…

"Cedric! Four more coming your way."

Paloma Writhe shouted the warning to her partner, Cedric Waters. Hellhounds made for nasty opponents and groups of four closed in from all sides. Not the first time she and Ced got boxed in… and this time, they'd planned this little experiment, putting themselves in the line of fire to hopefully contain casualties.

"Get ready, Palo. Time to close the gap." Cedric eased backward, luring two of the snarling groups closer.

They formed a semicircle around him.

Paloma mimicked his maneuver, achieving the same result. "It's working, Ced. We've got them in the open but focused on us instead of civilian citizens." Their on the fly plan couldn't have come together any better.

The growling and snapping dogs closed in, pushing Paloma and Cedric into a back to back stance. Exactly what they'd hoped for. She and Cedric became a seamless fighting machine when they were pushed to their limit.

The top dog on Ced's side leapt forward and went flying when Cedric struck out with a whip. The resulting high-pitched yelp of pain incited the other hellhounds and they attacked en masse. Like a well-oiled machine, Paloma and Cedric countered every ferociously snapping jaw, vicious swipe of a talon-edged claw, and the noxious, foul-smelling drool that dripped from the jowls of the beasts.

The saliva contained an acidic paralytic that ate through clothing and numbed exposed skin. She and Cedric had prepared, wearing multiple layers and protective goggles and gloves. But… with a dozen attacking hounds, they wouldn't have long to battle.

Paloma focused on knocking back the largest mangy cur on her side of the line. Using a stun baton, she jabbed the tip into the lower throat of the huge hound. The animal shook with the shock of voltage then dropped to the ground.

She grunted with satisfaction. "Second one down. Ten to go." Circling with Cedric at her back, she primed the second baton, giving the first time to regain its charge.

Cedric lashed out with the whip, cracking it above the heads of two slathering black dogs. They cringed downward giving Ced the opportunity to slash the closest animal—a yellow-furred mutt with long fangs—with his blade. Blood spurted, spraying everything, including Paloma and Cedric.

He spun around again. "Gah. Another one gone, but the scent of blood will rile the rest." Using the whip, he gave them a little more room to maneuver.

Paloma bit back a laugh. As if the metallic aroma could cut through the stench of the hounds. Her nostrils burned with the disgusting fumes.

But… the adrenaline rush… nothing topped it. Especially with Cedric along for the ride. Paloma ducked a flying mass of fur and popped back up to spin around again, giving Cedric room to use the whip. She didn't have to think about where to be or what to do, instinct from being Cedric's partner now fully ingrained.

For five years, they'd been a team. Working together first then moving in together two years ago. They shared a life—or what resembled one in the brewing fae skirmishes that bordered on all-out war. The blood scribe died without naming an heir and four different factions battled for control of the fae realm.

If she and Cedric beat the hellhounds, the vying groups would be down to three. The shifters couldn't win if they didn't have their demon dogs. And the packs tended to be neutral because they had their own hierarchy to follow. Made the job easier.

If only it made being a couple easier.

She did not just have that thought. Okay, she did. I've been fighting something more permanent because who the hell knows how this shit show is going to end? Did it really matter?

No. No, it didn't.

Paloma froze for a moment. Holy shit. She wanted to make her relationship with Cedric official.

The revelation threw her off just enough to lose her concentration. She stepped out of sync and directly into the path of a snarling hound. The crack of Ced's whip struck the dog in midair. It twisted to one side, hitting the building and rolling to a stop.

Paloma glanced over her shoulder. "Thanks." She got back in position and rejoined the fight.

They had five more hounds to dispatch.

I'm pretty pleased with how this one is coming together. I like Paloma and Cedric's banter and teamwork.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Variations on Violence

The Last Ship continues with its excellence. The tough love from Captain Meylan and Master Chief is something Chandler needed. I loved the twisty twist of "Hello, Fletch". I'm very interested in seeing what he does. Can't wait for tonight's episode.

Teen Wolf continues bringing old faces back and I'm so happy! At this point, I'm ready for the guidance counselor to die already. Truly, I pretty much hate her. Gerard is a love to hate character, but the counselor… not so much. She's just annoyingly irritating.

I got started on The Defenders and quite like it so far. The way the four main characters are coming together is pretty terrific and the snark is spot on. Should get at least one more episode in today.

Also started season seven of Hawaii Five-0. I'm enjoying the episodes so far. Not sure I'll be down with a season eight without Chin and Kono so this might be my last season.

I'll be starting the British show Fearless soon. Can't wait to watch Jamie Bamber on my screen again. Which means… I'll probably be binge watching the BSG marathon on Syfy next weekend. LOL

Oh! Terrific news. Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries is going super-sized and coming to the big screen. The crowdsourcing campaign reached its initial goal within forty-eight hours and the funds are still rolling in. Can't wait to see what the movie brings.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Variations on Violence, a novella in the First Breed series.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Nichol Gothe and Brewster Walters, two detectives in the major crimes unit, go undercover to bust up rebel alliance in the under city. But when Nichol has to use her meta-human ability, Brewster can't decide whether to trust she's working for justice or turn her in to the task force commander. Nichol sends him reeling when she reveals how deeply the secret society of freaks and geeks has infiltrated the regular human world.

And a preview snippet…

Raven stood when Nichol approached. "Detective Gothe, thanks for coming." Her hand shot forward and a smile crossed her face.

The gesture transformed the already attractive woman into a vision of beauty. Nichol automatically shook Raven's hand with a firm grip, but couldn't seem to look away from the piercing gaze of the woman who'd given so many of Nichol's kind refuge. Nichol would swear she didn't do the awestruck thing, but meeting Raven in person probably counted as being close.

She blinked and finally let go of Raven's palm. "Er, sorry." Settling across from the woman when Raven sat down, Nichol got her shit together. "I'm happy to meet. Captain Daniels mentioned you wanted to brief me on the undercover op." The urge to pepper the woman with questions fought hard to win the moment.

But Nichol resisted. She owed Raven the respect of waiting at least five full minutes before diving into a Q&A with her.

Raven's lips curved and she nodded. "Yes, I asked him for this meeting." She studied Nichol a moment. "But first, you're wondering why the hell I'm saddling you with Brewster Walters, aren't you?" The smile disappeared and one eyebrow arched.

Nichol flushed, a little unnerved by Raven's perception. "Well… in a word… yeah." Hopefully, she didn't sound bitchy, but the idea of taking a normal into the underground sure seemed crazy.

Raven raked a hand through her hair. "How much do you know about my story? Not about being the leader of the underground, but about my origin."

Nichol lifted a shoulder. "As much as most of us do. You have the same messed up DNA the rest of us have, but you were also experimented on, which enhanced your latent abilities, right?" Raven became the leader of the freaks and geeks because she had a foot on both sides.

Raven lifted her chin. "Yeah, that about covers it." Her tone indicated further discussion wouldn't happen. "And that brings us to the reason I want Brewster with you working the underground…" Her voice trailed off and she pursed her lips for a moment.

Nichol quirked an eyebrow. "Which is…" Impertinent maybe, but she didn't like beating around the issue.

Raven placed her elbows on the table. "Brewster Walters was at the same research facility I escaped from." She leaned forward a little and lowered her voice. "And… he has no idea he's one of us."

Nichol blinked, stunned stupid.

Well, hell.

I love this potential series and hope I can find the time to finish writing a couple of the stories I want to tell.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: A Valentine Caper

I'm hoping anyone in the path of a hurricane is hunkered down and safe. I have family in Florida and a best friend in Texas—who survived Harvey relatively unscathed—and they haven't seen the last of the crazy, intense storms.

From what I'm seeing on previews, it looks like The Last Ship will have a huge storm to deal with on screen. They're oddly in step with real world events, which is one of the bizarre yet cool things. Last week's episode ended up being way better than I thought it would be. And Mike didn't die so bonus points for that.

I'm completely caught up on Teen Wolf and, wow, things are getting super intense. Gerard is batshit, per usual, but on a whole new level. And the guidance teacher chick, whose name I never remember, is annoyingly single-minded. Looking forward to tonight's episode to see what new blast from the past appears.

I caught the finale of Killjoys and it didn't disappoint. I'm so happy we get two more seasons of this cast and crew. I'm very interested in where the storyline involving the lady will go. And, of course, I need my Jacobi brother fix… sandwiched or not.

I also got caught up and watched the finale of Wynonna Earp. This show… is total gold. Somewhat like Lost Girl, the show hasn't met a genre rule it won't break and I love it even more because of that. I'm excited to see what next season brings.

I should be starting The Defenders this week and catching up with season seven of Hawaii Five-0. I'm also thinking about starting the British drama Fearless, which stars one of my favorite actors.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from A Valentine Caper, a novella about a cupid who wants a normal guy.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A cupid, Lorna Heartshorn, is a workaholic who wants to spend Valentine's Day—the one day her magic doesn't work—with a mortal man who needs a hot woman. When Gus Shepler pops up on her radar, she thinks she's found the perfect guy and sets out to seduce him. No easy feat, since he's sworn off women after a string of bad luck and nasty break-ups.

And a preview snippet…

Gus Shepler paid for the six pack of craft beer and nodded to the cashier. "Thanks. Have a great night." He made his way to the front of the store and met up with Harvey and Mitchell, his two best friends from about age five.

Mitch slapped Gus on the back. "Dude, the cashier just licked her lips." He leaned in and lowered his voice. "Think she fancies you as a late night snack."

Harvey laughed out loud, thankfully after they'd exited the store, and nudged Gus's shoulder. "You oughtta run back in and get her number."

Gus rolled his eyes. "I told you guys I'm done. Off the market. Full on moratorium until otherwise noted." He'd had his fill of bad luck on the dating front.

Mitch popped the door of Gus's car open. "Look, man, fine. We'll back off." He slid into the passenger seat and waited until Harvey and Gus took their spots before adding more. "Harv and I just want you to find what we have."

Gus nodded. "And maybe I will someday." He shot Mitch a sideways glance. "At least I don't have to get all duded up for fancy-schmancy dinners this weekend."

Valentine's Day with the works. Both men had hot dates lined up with their longtime girlfriends. Gus used to love the holiday, always looking forward to the cheesy trappings—wine, flowers, dinner, dancing—and spending it with a woman who shared his passion. Sadly, his recent experiences put him off dating altogether.

Harv shook his head. "So, you're really going to spend V-day weekend holed up at your place, watching movies, eating junk food and drinking beer?" He grimaced.

Gus nodded. "Yep. Blessedly alone. You got it." No headaches, just a shit ton of action movies and a binge-eating fest.

Not exactly healthy, but he could trash eat one day of the year, right?

Mitch added his two cents. "You're not even going to try to hook up with any of your former flames for a booty call?"  

Gus shot him a quick glance. "Are you kidding? Mirina has too much baggage between her ex and her parents trying to run her life. Sali probably wouldn't be able to find the time to meet somewhere, let alone spare the time for a conversation—"

Harv snapped his fingers. "She's the one who wanted you to be available when she called and got pissed when you had to, you know, actually go to work like a normal person, right?"

Gus bobbed his head. "That's the one." He made a quick turn on the street the guys lived on. "Brenna's out because she kept calling me Brad… because she was dating him at the same time she was going out with me." He stopped in front of Harv's house. "And Jeanie, well, I'm pretty sure she's got a date with her husband for Valentine's Day."

Mitch rolled his eyes. "We'll give you that one. Open relationship or not, she could've at least clued you in to her marital status."

Damn straight. Gus couldn't care less how Jeanie and her husband defined wedded bliss, but he didn't appreciate the unexpected arrival of the man during a steamy encounter.

Harv popped the door open. "On that note, maybe your idea of solo fun isn't a bad one." He tapped on the roof of the car. "I'll drive tomorrow. Pick you guys up around six?"

Gus and Mitch gave Harvey a thumbs-up and he waved before heading up the walk to his small cottage. Gus pulled away from the curb and drove four blocks to stop in front of Mitch's apartment housed on the lower level of a huge brownstone. He put the vehicle in park and waited for Mitch to exit.

His friend heaved a sigh. "You're sure you won't change your mind and try to find a date?"

Gus shook his head. "Why is this such a big deal for you two? Not like we all haven't gone through dry spells before." He seriously didn't get their concern.

Mitch shrugged. "You think we haven't noticed the whole restless thing you've been doing lately?" His hand lingered on the door handle. "We've been friends for how long? A dry spell is one thing… this feels like something more." He got out and ducked his head back into the interior. "Catch you tomorrow."

Gus sat outside the brownstone for a while, mulling over Mitch's observation. Gus finally turned on the engine and headed down the street, turning at the next left. He lived two blocks up and one road down in a small two-story house he'd inherited from his grandmother. Pulling into his driveway, he barely remembered parking and getting out. He put his beer away on autopilot and wandered into his living room, turning the television on and settling onto the couch, kicking his feet up on the cushion.

When had the itchy feet feeling started? Because Mitch and Harvey weren't wrong. Gus had a vague unsettled yearning for something else.

If asked, he'd be hard-pressed to say what, though.

Flipping through the channels, he landed on an old classic film and placed the remote on the table. He'd have to take some time and think hard about life and what he really wanted.

But not right now. At the moment, a movie and some sleep sounded pretty damn good.

Lorna will have her work cut out. Gus isn't going to be easy to hook up with.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Utter Not a Word

Hello, September. I'm always caught off guard when the calendar flips over to September 1. It's like, wait, wait, I'm not ready for the insanity to start yet. Sadly, the universe doesn't care and the days keep marching on anyway.

The Last Ship's second week provided entertaining fare. I can't wait to see what happened after the end of last week's episode.

Caught the finale for Dark Matter and truly hope it's not the actual series finale. Way too many questions left up in the air. Fingers crossed someone picks up the series and it continues on some way.

Killjoys is renewed for two more seasons! I'm up to the episode before the finale and I'm so, so happy we'll get more of this terrific cast and show.

Wynonna Earp keeps blowing me away. I only have a few more episodes to watch before the finale. I'll honestly be glad to see the last of the widows.

I'm caught up on Teen Wolf and ready for tonight's episode. More familiar faces are returning and I'm excited to see what happens this week.

That wraps up television for this week. Tonight's post is from Utter Not a Word, a novella that started with the two-word prompt of "move over".

Here's the mini-blurb:

Maren Roth is reeling over the loss of her oldest friend after a skirmish with an opposing faction goes horribly wrong. Wayne Edelman, a superior adept with the responsibility of their sect resting in his hands, offers comfort and support in a very unexpected way and Maren realizes the man has become an expert on reading her moods. With a huge battle brewing, she takes solace in the concept that together with Wayne, they might have a fighting chance at winning.

And a preview snippet…

Maren Roth put her hands out and pushed a blastwave of air toward her opponent. "Jessie, we have to keep moving. There're too many of them." She pressed her back against her best friend's.

The two women circled the area, facing away from each other, flinging everything they had at the trio of wizards and their half dozen mage cohorts. Nine enemies were more than the two women could hold off for long.

Jessie Newell spoke an incantation and conjured two large fireballs. "I'm going to up the heat, be ready for retaliation." She flung the flaming orbs at two of the wizards.

One scored a direct hit and his two mages dropped to his side, pulling him out of the room.

Maren braced for impact. The other two wizards, one male and one female, combined forces and raised their arms above their heads. Maren caught the tail end of the spell—a forceblast—and barely got out of the way, shoving Jessie down when Maren dived sideways.

She got to her knees. "Jessie, stay low. Backup can't be far now." She sent bolts of electrical energy out, zapping two more mages.

They dropped where they stood, but wouldn't stay down long.

Jessie scrambled up from her crouch. "I'll buy some more time." She clapped her hands together, speaking an ancient language, then drew her palms apart, ready to unleash the spell.

Movement caught Maren's attention. The two wizards formed a linked chain with the remaining mages. Not only would they block whatever Jessie threw at them, the charge would amplify and create a feedback loop that would zing back to its caster.

Maren shouted a warning. "Jessie, no! Don't send the—"

Too late. Jessie let the powerful burst fly. The shockwave fanned out, bouncing off the wall of supernatural beings. The force sent them sprawling, breaking the link—but not soon enough to disperse the magnification of the original spell.

Helpless to stop the ricochet effect, Maren shouted, "No!" She couldn't get to Jessie in time to break the forceful wave or absorb part of the energy.

Jessie went airborne, slamming upward into the rafters of the building before banking off the steel gird to crash against the metal interior wall. The door on the far side of the building burst open and off its hinges, admitting the backup team of Wayne Edelman, Bart Simone, and Linder Adams. Maren crawled over to Jessie's prone form. The new arrivals could handle the rogue wizards.

Maren gathered Jessie in her arms. Lifeless eyes met Maren's gaze. Tears prickled and leaked out, trickling down Maren's cheeks.

She smoothed a hand over Jessie's forehead. "Damn you, Jessie. You're not supposed to ever get caught by a rookie maneuver." Anger and rage built over the loss.

Maren carefully placed Jessie back on the floor and rose, singling out the two wizards. She went darkside, raining hellfire down on everyone. She vaguely became aware Wayne countered most of her damaging outpouring and Linder and Bart got the others safely in custody.

Wayne motioned for the team to clear the room. The red haze of fury drained from Maren and white hot grief replaced it. Maren made her way back to Jessie, kneeling down beside her, and let the pain and sadness wash over Maren. Wayne remained close but far enough away to give Maren some privacy.

Saying goodbye to her oldest and best friend—the sister in spirit Maren always wanted—crushed something deep in Maren's soul. She hovered over her friend, whispering the death rites, then singing the keening song of departure. When it came to performing the last act, committing Jessie's body to ash, Maren couldn't speak the incantation.

Wayne put a hand on Maren's shoulder. "Let me." When she nodded, he took over and handled the final phase.

Jessie's form flared into flames, her aura burning a bright purple before slowly extinguishing to black soot. A part of Maren broke when she gazed down at the pile of cinders where her friend used to be. For the first time in a very long while, Maren had no idea what to do. Her next steps always involved Jessie.

Wayne wrapped an arm around her. "We need to leave, Maren. It's time to go."

She didn't want to move, but didn't fight Wayne when he guided her out of the building and into the midnight blue SUV. She couldn't remember the drive back to the estate, but Wayne cut the engine and got out, coming around to open her door.

She slid out, her legs collapsing. A wave of fresh pain hit her hard but, this time, the agony flared around her head, making the world go fuzzy and gray. Wayne caught her and swept an arm under her knees, hauling her close to his chest.

He started for the main doors of the manor. "Come on, Maren. Let's get you inside and back to being whole."

Maren wanted to laugh but feared the sound would have a hysterical edge to it.

Her head pounded and her vision swam. From grief or injury, she couldn't say.

The only thing Maren did know at that moment? Being whole again might not be an option.

This one is a challenge to write but I'm enjoying it.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye