Sunday Snippet: Judge a Book by Its Cover

We're past the halfway mark of October already? Geez, this month is flying by fast. Then again, it's been a somewhat difficult month for me workwise. Brain-draining would be an apt description.

So… television has been an important escape this week. Sunday night shows Doctor Who and The Last Ship ended up being terrific. I'm so happy to be excited for New Who again. The Last Ship kept things interesting. I'm a little confused why the guy got executed at the end, but I have a suspicion it'll be a turning point of some sort.

Arrow's premiere actually blew my mind a little. The fight scene juxtaposition of Oliver in the prison and Felicity in her apartment with Diaz is probably the best choreographed scene I've witnessed to date. Seriously, it's amazing. And, honestly, the rest of the show followed suit, leading right up to the surprise end. I'm excited to see what happens next.

The Flash remained good. Nice to see Cisco, Kaitlyn, and Ralph bonding and helping each other out. Looking forward to more of that. Riverdale… well… went full-on batshit with a whole new twist that I actually can't wait to watch unfold. The thing with Archie in detention isn't bad. I love the whole Veronica getting around her dickhead dad with Cheryl's help. Speaking of Hiram the 'Hole. Does anyone else want to smack the smarm out of him? Every time he's on screen I want to punch him in the face. That's some good acting by otherwise nice guy Marc Consuelos.

In other show news, I caught the first episode of Underbelly Files and enjoyed it. Caught Babylon 5, The Sarah Conner Chronicles, Birds of Prey, and Lexx in sci-fi fare. Pensacola Wings of Gold had a great episode where I wanted to bitchslap the billionaire dude who wanted his daughter saved at all costs. I also caught Strike Back, which had a great episode featuring Grace and her badass skills. And finally, I caught another episode of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I have a lot of love for that show.

That's it for television this week. Here's hoping my work and sleep schedule get back on track and I can enjoy even more during the near future.

Tonight's post is from Judge a Book by Its Cover, a novella that started with a writer's community prompt of "think high school mystery with a cheating scandal". Definitely a fun prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Zeth Herrickson has to catch the culprits in a cheating scandal at the academy. Coorah Blair normally sits at the top of his list when things aren't right—except she's the one who brings the matter to his attention. They work together to track down the participants and go after the ringleader, who is much closer to both than they'd believe.

And a preview snippet…

Coorah Blair grabbed another exam and placed it in front of her. "This is my least favorite part of the job." Teaching, she loved and the fae academy gave her an open forum to share her knowledge.

Grading tests, though… bleh.

Her lips curved. "Figures I'm totally there for the physical testing of skill but not so much for the learned angles." She had reputation for flash and flair and she worked hard to keep it intact.

She finished the second class exams and started on the third group. By the third final, she discovered a pattern. Going back, she thumbed through the first two files, pulling the questionable documents. By the time she completed the other four folders she found several more.

Putting the exams side by side on the desk, she carefully examined each. "Son of a bitch." Fifteen tests had the exact same answers.

Anger churned in her gut. She liked to push the envelope and question authority on a regular basis—especially when Zeth Herrickson, the academy's magistrate got involved—but she didn't agree with cheating in any form.

As much as she hated the idea, Zeth needed to know about the tests and he needed to fix the situation. Right freaking now. Gathering up the offensive pages, she filed them in a folder to make copies later. The other exams went to their appropriate class file and awaited a return during the next session.

Bile rose in her throat, anger mixing with disgust. She swallowed it down. Giving rein to her temper wouldn't help. Not now.

Rising, she steeled her back and shoulders. "Brace for impact, Mr. Magistrate." She exited her classroom and marched over to the teacher's wing to confront Zeth about the entire situation.

I'm having a lot of fun with this one. I love adding suspenseful elements to the story and having my main characters work out what's going on.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye