Sunday Snippet: It's Always the Same Show

Wow, September flew by. Now that we're into fall the days always seem to go faster, probably because they're shorter and the activities tend to be jam-packed. I love the fall season so I hope I remember to take time to enjoy it.

As usual, the week got stuffed full of last-minute projects, but I did get some good viewing in. I caught The Last Ship on Monday because my brain needed time to recover from homecoming. LOL An excellent episode by the way.

I binge-watched classic Hawaii Five-0 most of the day on Sunday and it helped soothe my garbled mind. Caught another episode of Midsomer Murders and I'm almost through the season. I think I still have about seven more to watch.

Got in another episode of Babylon 5 along with The Sarah Conner Chronicles. To keep with the sci-fi theme, I also watched episodes of Birds of Prey and Lexx. Rounded the week out with Pensacola Wings of Gold and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

Caught an all-day marathon of The Garage Sale Mysteries, too.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from It's Always the Same Show, a novella that started with a two-word prompt of "tune in".

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lanie Beck and Titus Berkley are tasked with whipping a new class of cadet mages into shape for the Academy of light. The biggest problem they face is never agreeing on how to make it happen. The cadets quickly learn to tune in and enjoy the show.

And a preview snippet…

Lanie Beck whispered the beginning of the incantation to start the last phase of the final exam when Titus Berkley, her partner for the project interrupted her. "Keep it together, Lanie. Don't screw this up."

A brief flash of anger singed her concentration. "Shush. I've got this." The line of flame Titus had created separated into small batches and she directed them into a box formation.

Titus used a spell to raise the dancing fireballs high in the exam room. Lanie loved to watch him wield magick. He had so much control and it showed in the way his muscles bunched and flexed with each physical movement. She had a tendency to show off with some flair and add a little drama to the stages. Titus called her out, his low-key approach favored by the directors. He enjoyed her theatrics, but not for the academy finals.

The flames reached the domed ceiling and Lanie began the incantation for the finale. Titus stepped up behind her, a lot closer than usual. She flubbed the last phrase and instead of a swirling ring of fireballs, the air sizzled and popped with raining flames.

Everyone ducked for cover but a quick suppression spell put the fire out before anyone or anything got damaged. Titus grabbed her shoulder and turned her toward the table of mages, the one grading their performance.

He nodded to the directors. "We'll take our retest from the beginning of the last phase." The mages gave their blessing.

Lanie flushed hotly, embarrassed and a little pissed off at Titus. He'd thrown her off by changing his position for the last set.

He stepped up and leaned in. "That's our one mistake. Try not to screw up again." He began the series of spell-castings.

Lanie muttered, "Then stick to your mark, dammit." She took over when he created the dancing line of flame again.

The final phase went off without a hitch. She got it right the second time. But the fact she messed up pissed her off because Titus pushed her buttons just because he could.

She shrugged off the anger and pasted a smile on her face when Titus clasped her hand and walked to the center of the exam room.

He kept his voice low. "We definitely passed. You did great on the retake." His fingers squeezed hers.

The praise made her day. They did work well together. The attraction and chemistry they shared almost guaranteed they would. Opposites in almost everything, they had an interesting balance that created excellent results.

Lanie's lips curved in a small smile. "I did great only because you set me off and you know it." She angled her head to meet his gaze. "The big question is why?"

I love writing the dynamic between Lanie and Titus. The back and forth they have is a treat, especially when Titus messes up in a big way.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: It's Academic

Well, it's homecoming weekend and our football team won the game last night, which is an amazing feat. They came from behind and pulled out the win. The weather took a cool turn and the group we hosted for the pre-festivities had a lovely evening to take pictures.

Had a super-busy week leading up the big group activity, but I did get some solid viewing in. I'm working through Luke Cage and I like the newest season but I'm a little disappointed in pushing the anger angle. I'm hoping it ends up being worth the character assassination. Looking forward to the second season of Iron Fist.

Caught the third episode of Driven, Passionflix's first limited series. I'm really enjoying this one. So far, everything they've released is pretty terrific. Can't wait for the holiday offering this year.

The Last Ship's second episode kicked some serious butt. I hang on the edge of my seat each week to see what happens next. The hour flies by too. Why can't time move that fast when I'm stuck waiting somewhere? LOL

Also got another episode of Peter Gunn's first season out of the way, along with several episodes of Classic Who. Watched the second episode of Penny Dreadful and, holy crap, there's some crazy stuff going on in this show. I love it.

Caught episode five of Wynonna Earp. This show improves with every new twist. Not sure how I feel about Mamma Earp, but I'm in for the ride. Also watched an episode of The Dresden Files. Someday I need to read the books this series was based on.

Caught the next to last episode of Canal Road. As I predicted in something like episode two or three, my money is on the lawyer for setting everything in motion and getting rid of Spencer's family. We'll see if I'm right with the final episode.

I watched the DVD of Hairspray and really liked it. This is a movie I didn't catch the first time around and I had fun watching.

The rest of the week, I filled in with the usual marathons of Murder, She Wrote and In the Heat of the Night. I'm pretty sure I've almost made my way through both series with only a few hit or miss episodes being left to watch.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from It's Academic, a novella that got its start with a writing community prompt of creating a story where the main characters have to be roommates.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Chaos and control don't mix, but Kari Pride and Thorn Summers must find a way to balance the two or drive each other mad when they become roommates. By the end of the semester, Thorn tempers Kari's sloppy habits and she makes him yield his ruthless organization for some much needed spontaneity. When their relationship gets personal, they have to figure out how to navigate new territory.

And a preview snippet…

Kari Pride arrived entered the Stonebridge Academy for Magical Arts via the backdoor. "Not like I'm used to entering any other way." Not technically allowed to spell-cast—until she officially checked in—she'd thumbed her nose at protocol and transported to the receiving area at the rear of the campus.

She had no other way to get to the academy. Her mother packed house the moment Kari accepted the scholarship to complete her studies at the prestigious school. With the landlord breathing fire and brimstone—because her mom skipped town—Kari paid the man with the only currency she had—spells. If the board of elders found out, she'd be expelled before she even had her first class.

She sighed. "At least he'll keep his mouth shut." She'd taken the precaution of showing him what would happen if he didn't.

Funny how silence spells seemed to get the point across. Ten minutes of not being able to speak made extracting his promise to never reveal her identity easy. Now she had to put the freedom of creating on-the-fly casts aside.

Stepping up to the counter, she gave her name to the attendant.

The man looked down his long, thin nose. "You're a scholarship student." His eyes held censure.

Kari met his gaze dead-on. "I am." She didn't elaborate or offer additional information.

Why bother when he'd clearly decided she didn't warrant his respect.

He glanced behind her then off to either side. "And do you have no belongings?" He placed his clipboard on the counter between them.

Kari treaded lightly with her answer. "I've got a friend waiting at the dorm entrance with my things. He's not a guardian so I didn't think he was allowed on campus." In reality, her belongings sat in the landlord's driveway, warded with a spell to keep him touching anything.

A simple phrase would have her boxes waiting when she got her assigned room.

The attendant's lips flattened in a straight line. "Yes, well, you'd be correct. Only staff, students, and parents are allowed within the campus grounds on check-in day." He slid the clipboard in front of him. "You're in Stanville Hall, second floor, room twenty-two." Pointing to a row of carts, he droned on. "You may check out one of the trolleys but it's not included in your allotment so there will be a fee." He quirked one thin brow.

Kari snorted. "Yeah, no thanks. I've got it covered." With an illegal spell, but covered nonetheless.

Now she needed to find out if she had a roommate and if they'd checked in yet. Luckily, Mortimer—the name she'd given the attendant—got distracted by a loud crash at the main entrance. Kari quickly turned the clipboard around and found her room number. She did have a roommate. Thorn Summers. And he hadn't arrived yet.

Sliding the list back around, she walked away from the counter. Thorn. What a name.

Her lips curved. "I wonder if he has any siblings. And if their names are Briar or Spike?" No matter. "At least I'm in the clear."

She made her way across the oval-shaped courtyard and into Stanville Hall. Once she got up to the second floor, she found her room and muttered an incantation. Slipping her key into the lock, she opened the door. Her boxes sat stacked in the middle of the room.

She'd have to get them moved. Her scholarship precluded her from choosing a roommate so she got stuck with whomever the committee picked. Hopefully, Thorn could deal with a female dorm partner. Not like she could do anything if he couldn't. She literally had nowhere else to go.

Peeling the tape from the top box, she shook her head. "Thanks a lot, Mom."

I'm having a lot of fun writing this one. Opposites attract is one of my favorite tropes.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: In Enemy Territory (Under the Blackwatch Banner)

Whew. What a week. Our high school's homecoming is next weekend and we're in a flurry to get the last-minute accessories for the big event. We usually host about six couples each year and we're getting the menu finalized and nailing down who's bringing what. Like I said. Whew.

Had a semi-productive viewing week for television. The season premiere of The Last Ship didn't disappoint. I loved how much exposition they packed into small moments. I'm so excited for the next episode, even though we lost two of my favorite characters.

I caught the second episode of Birds of Prey. Also caught episodes of Pensacola Wings of Gold and Lexx. I'd forgotten what happened during the most recently watched Lexx. Now I need to see the next episode to see what the fallout was. LOL

Caught a classic movie on DVD, Crazy Love. It's a Myrna Loy / William Powell comedy and it was excellent!

Watched another episode of Strike Back. I'm beginning to like how the team is coming together and it was great to have some references back to the previous incarnation of Section Twenty.

Finally, I watched the next to last episode of season six Chicago Fire. I'll be interested to see what happens in the finale.

That's pretty much it. Caught the usual marathons of Murder, She Wrote and In the Heat of the Night along with a mini-marathon of The Saint.

Tonight's post is from In Enemy Territory, an Under the Blackwatch Banner book.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Verity Jones and Emory Cavendish welcome a new CO under the Blackwatch banner. Lawrence Worthington hits the ground running and gets up to speed quickly. He has to—the mission rate doubles when a group of resistance teams gets ambushed simultaneously. He needs every member—including Verity—at the top of their game and he has to find out how the enemy got their hands on the base locations.

And a preview snippet…

Emory Cavendish pulled the printed strip from the telegraph. "Shit." He grabbed his cover and darted from the office.

He needed to find Verity and get his squadron together. The new commanding officer would be at Blackwatch within the hour.

Crossing the courtyard at an almost dead run, his gaze scanned the road leading to the estate. "Nothing like supremely short notice." He reached the hangar and ducked inside, letting his eyes adjust to the dimly lit interior.

He spotted Verity first—when didn't he—and headed in her direction. Flat on her back, she used wrench on the landing gear of a plane. Her bent knees gave her some extra leverage to get the bolt refastened.

He stopped next to her and waved the four pilots present over. "New CO is due anytime now. Let's get everyone together and be ready when he arrives." Verity sat up, her face smudged with grease. "Jones, you'll want to get cleaned up a little. Meet us in the briefing hall when you can." She gave him an eye roll but got up and dusted off her hands.

Giving him a mocking salute, she smirked. "Right away, captain." Turning on her heel, she sauntered across the hangar and exited to cross the grassy lawn.

His second in command came up beside Emory. "Do you know who the new CO is?" Concern edged his voice.

After the fiasco with Whitcomb, Emory didn't blame him for being worried.

Emory nodded. "I do. And it's a definite step up." Which didn't actually say much.

An animated corpse would be better than Whitcomb turned out to be. But their new commanding officer's reputation nudged into sterling territory.

The deputy CAG's eyebrows rose. "Are you going to fill me in or is there some big secret?" Patience would never rank as one of Percy's strong traits.

Emory didn't see a reason to keep Percy waiting. "Major Lawrence Worthington is coming to take Whitcomb's place."

Percy's mouth dropped open. "As in…" Wonder and awe filled his voice.

Emory lifted his chin. "As in." Britain's former best pilot.

Only one other man had a better record than Worthington—Victor "Ace" Jones.

Verity's dad.

I'm very excited about this series. Here's hoping I get the time to finish up the plotting and planning and really dive into the writing.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: The Illustrious Curse (A Lantern Jack tale)

Well, September is off to a bumpy start. Not in a bad way, more like a "here are some changes, let's see how you like them" kind of thing. So far… meh… I'm not a big fan. LOL

Got some solid television viewing in. I'm still not back to the usual schedule, but I'm getting there. Right in time for the new seasons to start.

Last week, I caught Chicago Fire and I'm almost at the end of season six. Also caught another episode of Luke Cage and a few episodes of Classic Who. I also watched the second episode of Driven from Passionflix.

Started Penny Dreadful and wow, not at all what I expected and better than I thought it would be. Looking forward to more of this show.

Caught another episode of Killjoys and, seriously, I love this show so much!! The banter is sheer perfection and the complicated relationships are awesome. I got another episode of The Dresden Files in and caught a couple of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Followed that up with Canal Road. I have two episodes left of this one and I'm still not one hundred percent sure if I've called the killer of Spence's wife. Guess I'll find out soon.

Watched another series thirteen episode of Midsomer Murders and followed that with Babylon 5 and The Sarah Conner Chronicles. I also watched a marathon of Hallmark Channel's The Good Witch movies.

All in all, not a bad week for television. Tonight's post is from The Illustrious Curse, a Lantern Jack Short and probably the final book in the series.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lantern Jack is back to right his final wrong. Inara Ives is a distant descendant of Jack's wife, the former banshee queen. Her royal blood is diluted, but still strong. Taben Tarrah can trace his ancestry back to the cursed goblin king, Lantrien Jacquard, but his noble blood is tainted by the lineage. Jack brings the two together to finally put his past to rest and join his deceased bride in the afterlife. The duo won't make it easy… but Jack's success over the years means he won't be thwarted.

And a preview snippet…

Taben Tarrah slammed his hand on the table. "Dammit! I knew there was a deep, dark secret in our past." His mother's recent death finally allowed him access to the twisted, terrible tale.

I carry the tainted blood of the freaking cursed goblin king.

No wonder the family's fortunes always turned on a dime. "And usually for the worse." Taben snorted. "Every damn time."

Lantrien Jacquard. Taben traced the name on the document. The last king of the goblins. Jeez, Taben had grown up with the stories of how Jacquard went mad when his wife died. No… the banshee queen had been murdered. Retaliation, so the story went.

Rising, Taben paced the length of the kitchen in the house he'd grown up in. "At least shit makes sense now." The way life got great then ended up trashed beyond all recognition. "My great-great-great-however many damn greats-gramps fucked us all over."

Okay, Jacquard didn't really do the fucking over. Circumstances beyond his control pushed fate in a terrible direction. His grief tipped the scales further and he descended into madness, disrupting the balance between the netherworld factions, creating chaos with his royal power. When the ruling court finally caught up with him, they stripped him of his power, banished him from his kingdom, and cursed him to never join his beloved queen in the afterlife.

Pausing, Taben went back to the table. "So, how did that work?" Cursed to do what?

He rifled through the yellowed pages in the tattered files. There had to be something, information about what the curse entailed. Surely the ruling court didn't mean for the goblin king's line to forever pay the price for his misdeeds.

Taben sighed. "Or maybe they did. It's been centuries and every generation since Jacquard's reign seems doomed to fail." Never to achieve more than fleeting moments of good fortune.

Settling back in the chair, Taben's brain spun with too many thoughts. A recent shift had taken place. Former enemies had become allies. Warring factions set aside differences and formed new bonds. The slow progression of healing rifts had a lot of people talking about the potential cause.

Taben shrugged. "Probably too much to hope for the goblins getting a break." After all, since the king's fall, the once majestic leaders had no one's trust.

Thanks a lot, Gramps.

Taben and Jack are going to be fun to write. Throw in Inara, who's not taking any of the males' posturing, and a new level of fun is achieved.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Ill-Timed Case

Greetings, September! I decided to start at least thinking about what to do for holiday shopping this year. I'm fairly certain I've decided the direction I want to go in for the kids and the husband. Possibly even my parental unit. This never happens. I fully expect the world to stop spinning sometime in the near future. Just saying.

Had a super crazy and busy week, but still got some solid viewing in. Granted, I did end up doing the usual marathons of Murder, She Wrote and In the Heat of the Night. I also got a solid block of The Saint in. Also got two episodes of Classic Who watched.

I started Sunday with Midsomer Murders then followed with Babylon 5 and The Sarah Conner Chronicles.

Monday, I caught the Birds of Prey pilot episode. I loved this show so much when it premiered. Tuesday was Pensacola Wings of Gold. Wednesday, I watched another episode of Lexx and on Thursday, I watched Surprised by Love, a Hallmark original. Finally found one I thoroughly enjoyed.

On Friday, I started season five of Strike Back. I got interrupted during the first episode so I'll finish it over the weekend. I did finish Band of Brothers, which is one of my rewatch at any time shows.

Saturday has been a big block of The Saint again. Not sure what else I'll get into but I'm writing the blog post a little early so it's out of the way.

Still behind on Killjoys and Wynonna Earp, but I'll definitely make sure to watch every single episode in the near future.

That's it for this week. Tonight's post is from Ill-Timed Case, a novella that got its start with a scene prompt of welcome to [character A]'s private investigations where [character B] is a prime suspect. Seriously… I love prompts that make vivid images pop up in my head.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Rex Van Adder, private investigator, has more cases than he can handle. Enter Gracie Lee, along with a dead body, and Rex scrambles to keep his head above water, especially since he knows Gracie is involved but can't figure out how.

And a preview snippet…

Rex returned to his office-cum-home away from home. Pouring a drink, he settled behind the desk with the lightning and thunder flashing and booming in the wee hours. He tried to focus on the filmed footage of the crime scene from McGuiness's murder. Thoughts of the beautiful woman kept distracting him.

Downing the liquor in his glass, he shook his head. "Damn, Rex. You're as bad as Marlow, letting your head get turned by a gorgeous female." He poured another round and almost got another gulp in before his phone rang. "Van Adder." Only one person would call this late aside from Avery.

His father's voice boomed. "Rex, what the hell happened to McGuiness?" Irritation and frustration traveled over the connection.

Rex rolled his eyes. "Hey, Dad. Nice weather we're having." Another crash of thunder and flash of lightning split the sky.

Mel Van Adder growled low in his throat. "Dammit, Rex. I don't have time for pleasantries. What. Happened?" A hint of desperation crept into his tone.

Rex sighed. "Look, I'm not sure yet, Dad. The police are working the case." He braced for the angry response.

Mel didn't fail. "Well, what the hell are you going to do? I need the information he had about who wanted the gems and the location of his."

As if Rex didn't know the reason he'd been hired to provide security. The legend of the gemstones and what they could be used for had his father in a lathered frenzy. Mel Van Adder wanted to reclaim the five jewels and keep them under lock and key.

Rex pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "Dad, the guy is dead." Meaning they'd have to approach purchasing the stones from a different angle. "But I might have a lead the cops don't know about. I need to do some research and surveillance, but I'll let you know what I discover." If he could get back to viewing the footage.

And keep a certain brunette from intruding on his thoughts.

Mel grumbled his acceptance. "Fine. See that you do." He paused a moment. "And call your mother. You know she worries about you." Because Mel kept putting Rex in dangerous situations.

Rex snorted. "Right, Dad. How about I call her later in the morning.  You know she won't appreciate me waking her up at three am." A not so gentle reminder of the ungodly hour.

Mel signed off. "Fine. Fine. Just don't forget." He cut the call.

Rex shook his head again. "Gee, Dad, thanks for calling."

Sipping his drink, he went back to running the camera footage, hoping to discover where his beautiful lady went.

I have so much fun writing stories with a noir feel. My fondest hope is a new romance subgenre is created for urban noir.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye