Sunday Snippet: Ramona for the Win

Hard to believe November is almost over. I think the whole furnace fiasco made the month seem a lot shorter than it actually was. That and my workload hasn't decreased… not that I'm complaining.

Had a somewhat slower week with television. I stuck mainly to marathons during the day. I did get some old-school Midsomer Murders watched along with several episodes of JAG.

I watched another episode of Riverdale and, man, Edgar is super creepy. Also, I still dislike Hiram with the passion of a thousand suns. I actually loved the whole shakedown of the gargoyles. The filming of that scene had me glued to the screen.

Other than that, I'm halfway through an episode of Murdoch Mysteries and really hoping they're not going to have Julia and William break up over the doctor who has the hots for her. I'd be very disappointed.

I also had a run of Classic Who episodes on Pluto TV. Nice to have that on in the background when I'm getting the dishes done or folding clothes.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Ramona for the Win, a novella set in the Academy of Light universe. It's book three of a four-book series.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Ramona and Melick finally have their personal relationship on solid ground, but the timing couldn't be worse. The academy is under attack and it falls to Ramona to save the day by infiltrating the rival's headquarters by using the downed dragon. She's confident she can get inside and stop the assaults—if Melick will get out of her way.

And a preview snippet…

Ramona flung an arm out in frustration. "You know I have to go, Melick. No one else can control that dragon." Why couldn't he support her?

Melick heaved a sigh. "I'm not suggesting you can't or shouldn't be the one to infiltrate the enemy compound. I'm trying to cover all the angles, including your ass, by pointing out the potential flaws in your plan." He gave her long, level look.

She glanced away first… because, damn, if he didn't have a point.

She always jumped directly into the fire. Okay… more like she flew headfirst after taking a flying leap and three somersaults, but someone in this place had a have a little flair.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she met his gaze again. "Your point is valid. Doesn't mean I have to like it." But she kind of loved him even more for always, always having her back.

Melick snorted. "Didn't think you would. Doesn't mean I'll back off." He planted his hands on his hips, a clear challenge for her to counter.

She didn't disappoint. "Didn't think you would." She relaxed her stance and moved forward, stopping when she reached his space. "Not that I'd ever want you to." She gave him her best flirty smile.

Melick narrowed his eyes. "What do you want, Ramona?" His gaze darkened to the sexy shade she loved.

Ramona trailed a finger from his sternum to his waistband. "If I have to explain, you're hopeless." She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to one side.

Melick moved quickly, grabbing her hips to pull her flush against him. "You don't have to explain… but you do have to ask nicely." His hands cupped her ass and he pressed his hard length against her.

Ramona suppressed a shudder, loving the raspy sound of his voice. "Melick, can we please get very naked and have scorching hot sex?" Her hips grinded against his groin. "Right now."

Melick's lips curved in a wolfish smile. "Oh, absolutely." He scooped her up and slanted his mouth over hers then marched her into the bedroom.

Sometimes nothing else mattered but the moment at hand. And, right now, everything else faded but Melick's body covering hers.

Ramona and Melick are so much fun to write. This is their third planned story and I love diving into an established relationship to see how the characters react after they've been together for a while.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Rack and Ruin

I have a new furnace! It's shiny and pretty and takes up a lot less space than our old one did. And it's amazing how nice and toasty the house is again. Here's hoping the much-improved energy efficiency pays off too.

My workload is still crazypants. Trying to get prepped for having the equipment going in and out of our house didn't leave me a lot of time the past week. I also have a goal of seriously getting rid of a bunch of stuff that's been collecting in odd, random places for the past two decades.

I did get some television watched, starting with another episode of Midsomer Murders. I think I might have found the show I'll be replacing Midsomer with, but I have made a final decision yet.

Caught a few more episodes of Sapphire and Steel and watched a full arc of Classic Who. Sapphire and Steel is actually pretty interesting with a different style.

Watched a Halloween episode of Murdoch Mysteries, which ended up being pretty fun. I love it when William has to deal with people and things he doesn't feel comfortable with. Pretty cool variation on the theme song also.

Also caught another episode of Frankie Drake Mysteries. I really do like this show and the friendship between Frankie, Trudy, Flo, and Mary. My favorite season is still the first one, but if this is going to be a long-haul show, I'm down with the changes to the style.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Rack and Ruin, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Vespa Thorn, a maintenance adept for the Mage Ministry of Defense, is an addictive gambler—whenever, wherever, she'll go all in. Hale Walterson, a special forces soldier has a problem with sex—he can't get enough of it. Vespa wants Hale, but he's the one thing she won't bet on until he challenges her to keep up with him.

And a preview snippet…

Hale Walterson bit back a groan. Just his luck the best tech pulled duty today because she always found a reason to bust his balls. Blowing out a long breath, he strode into the well-ordered workspace.

He placed his wrecked stun-winder in front of Vespa Thorn, the maintenance adept. "This needs fixing." Maybe he'd get lucky and the clipboard she held would keep her attention.

Nope.

She set the board aside and frowned. "Again?" Picking up the device, she began an inspection of the charred defensive weapon.

Hale slowly turned to make his way out of the workshop, hoping like hell the too-pretty-for-maintenance-work mage didn't put the pieces together before he made his escape.

Not his fault his M-MOD unit kept getting called out to break up disruptions.

Vespa growled. "Hold it right there, Walterson." She marched around the counter and brought the stun-winder with her.

Hale paused, a kick of guilt hitting him in the gut. He had abused the weapon, but not on purpose. His last eight-hour shift only had forty-five minutes of downtime. Probably wouldn't matter to her though.

She poked him in the chest. "What did I tell you about not giving the stun-winder enough time to recharge before amping up to a higher setting?" Her face expressed her disgust.

Hale shrugged. "It's a design flaw." He couldn't resist a small dig. "One you should work on fixing." Getting her wound might not be his best move, but the weapon did have too many limitations.

Vespa made a garbled choking sound. "No. It's user error. You abuse the device." She turned and headed for her workstation. "How can a hot guy who has brains and brawn not understand simple instructions?" She placed the stun-winder on the surface of her area and ducked down to get some spare parts.

She thinks I'm hot. Good to know.

Vespa continued with her tirade. "We're supposed to stun our targets as a last resort when spells can't contain them." She removed the burned out charging cartridge and replaced it with a fresh one.

Hale defended his side. "Yeah, well, in the middle of a melee it's not always possible to get an incantation out when fists are flying." A lame excuse, but still true.

Vespa rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Maybe you should use shorter spells so you don't overtax that big brain of yours." She checked the readiness of the stun-winder.

It charged but wouldn't fire. Hale glanced down and braced for impact. The compliment about his intelligence would definitely get called into question now.

She shot him a sideways glance. "What else did you do to my weapon?" The sputtered and died again.

Hale's head whipped up and he quirked an eyebrow. "Your weapon?" He folded his arms over his chest. "Last time I checked my name is on the registration."

Vespa dismantled the stun-winder piece by piece. "If you want your name to stay there, you need to take care of the stunner." She grabbed a cloth and started cleaning the gun.

Hale flushed because she had a point. "I'll apologize for the condition. I've been neglectful about proper cleaning." He'd own being lax… too many distractions that he needed to get under control.

He grabbed another rag and started helping—the least he could do, right?

Especially if he wanted to stay on her good side.

I love Vespa and Hale! They're terrific at what they do but not without faults, which they'll discover about each other soon.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Quiver Full of Arrows

Whew. This week flew right by. We're still waiting on our new furnace, which I should have by my next post. My workload is bananas right now and I didn't get a chance to watch much television due to deadlines. It's also been a busy week with my daughter's golf banquet and awards ceremony and state band competition.

I started a new episode of Blue Heelers but stopped midway through so I need to finish it up this week.

I started out with Midsomer Murders and watched the first episode of the final series. The new coroner is kind of fun and recognizable from a Doctor Who episode, at least that's where I remember her from.

I'm limping through the Riverdale musical episode "Big Fun". I keep stopping the action because I don't want to miss anything. I can honestly say I'm impressed with the way this episode is put together. I love how many of the group is involved in the musical. The only thing I'm not a fan of is how much screen time Eleanor is sucking up. I realize there's a reason for it but she's right up there with Hiram in the characters I love to hate department. I do think I'll have time to finish up later tonight or early tomorrow. Then it's off to the new season of Arrow, where I'll probably weep through every episode.

I caught a few holiday movies in the background during the workday and also ended up catching a bunch of Blue Bloods episodes.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Quiver Full of Arrows, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Frey Witter, codename Crossfire, is sent to bring in mercenary for hire, Solaris Polanski, aka, Moon Shadow for a covert mission. He's got one little problem. Solaris answers to no one—and she used to work for the other side.

And a preview snippet…

Solaris lifted her gaze to meet his. "I doubt that." But he had her.

And, dammit, she didn't have the energy to battle with him. She slowly got to her feet. He didn't make a move to help her and, honestly, he earned points for not doing so.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly exhaled. "Okay, who sent you? The name is going to be a deciding factor because ninety percent of the agency goons are assholes and I'd rather take an arrow than work with or for any of them." She'd had too many double crosses to fully trust anyone from the covert government unit.

Frey gave her a long look. Would he shoot her? She couldn't tell and it almost thrilled her to not be able to read him. Given enough time, she'd learn the silent language he spoke, but fat chance she'd the opportunity… unless…

Frey broke his silence. "Norm Coleman." His shoulders tensed while he waited for her response.

Solaris closed her eyes. He'd named the one person she couldn't refuse.

"Aw, fuck. Guess I'll live to see another day." She owed Norm and she always paid her debts.

Even if she'd rather eat glass.

Frey relaxed his stance, which didn't do anything to dissipate the coiled energy coming off his body. The man oozed readiness, no doubt willing and able to leap into action at a second's notice. She didn't want to admire the quality… but she did.

She glanced around for a vehicle. "If we're going, let's go. I'd rather get whatever the hell Norm wants out of the way." She finally spotted the matte black vehicle tucked into the shadows by a row of dumpsters.

Frey gathered his crossbow and started toward the SUV.

Solaris followed but paused. "Look, before we take off, I have one condition." And he probably wouldn't like it.

Frey's finger tightened on the trigger of his crossbow. "And that would be?" He slowly angled around, keeping the weapon primed.

Solaris dropped her bomb. "You're bringing me in so you're going to be my handler. Norm and I need a buffer. I elect you." She'd be lucky if she and Norm got through with their little meeting without blood being shed.

Frey frowned. "Might not be possible. I go where they tell me." He smoothly angled away again.

Following orders. How boring.

But she wouldn't cave on her decision. "It's a stipulation I won't give in on. I come in—without trouble—and you take the role or we end it here." And what a shame that would be.

Frey gave her a level look, holding it for several long moments. "I'll see what I can do. I don't make promises I can't keep."

Solaris made her way to the SUV. "You'll keep this one. Especially if we hit the caverns and retrieve the diamonds." No way would she let that jackpot go uncollected.

Frey shook his head. "That's not the mission." He yanked the back door open and propped his equipment within easy reach.

Solaris gingerly got inside the vehicle. "Trust me when I say Coleman will thank you if you bring them along. His black-op budget can always use a boost." And she would definitely need the leverage.

This story is coming together better than I expected. I love putting characters in a situation where their gut instincts have to make decisions.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Quilt of Fate

Hello, November. The temperature dropped significantly, which kind of sucks for my household since we can't get our new furnace until the middle of next week. That said, with some careful placement, space heaters are doing an excellent job of keeping the house comfortable. As long as we don't dip into single digits, we're golden.

Not a bad week for television. I have a heavy workload right now but still squeezed in some decent viewing.

I started out with Riverdale and, wow, what a great episode. I'm still catching up from last season so this episode featured FP's fiftieth. Cole Sprouse and Skeet Ulrich brought their A games. Also loved the linked montage of Archie's king of the mountain battle with Cheryl and Toni's hot session in the speakeasy. The breakup ended up being a lot more painful than I anticipated but excellent work from the women. Reggie and Veronica's falling out also packed a punch. Reggie is very much growing on me as a character. A few random notes… I absolutely hate the entire farm storyline. I also dislike Hiram with the passion of a thousand suns going supernova. Don't see that changing anytime soon.

I finally got to sit and watch Arrow's season finale. I can honestly say the ugly crying didn't stop after the credits rolled. Everyone acted their collective asses off—Stephen and Emily in particular. Stephen, quite frankly, blew me away. Watching him evolve as Oliver over seven seasons has been a true joy. Seriously… I'm going to miss this show so much. My one main disappointment is not getting any scenes with Oliver and Mia. I'd love to see the two actors interact.

I thoroughly enjoyed Murdoch Mysteries. Nice to see George's family tree expand and with such a terrific character (pun intended). I have so much fun watching this show.

Frankie Drake Mysteries also made me smile. I'm still getting used to the new opening and the somewhat different shift in the show's dynamic. That said, it's growing on me and I like the fabulous foursome and their interactions.

Caught a new story arc on Sapphire and Steel. This show is usually background noise for me when I'm working and I have the horrible feeling I'm really missing a lot. I'm going to make an effort to really focus when I start the third assignment.

Watched the beginning of series nine with Classic Who. The daleks returned to be a huge pain, per usual. I always enjoy episodes that feature them.

Should be catching another episode of Midsomer Murders in the very near future.

That's it for this week. Tonight's post is from Quilt of Fate, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Nadie Fall and Cable Reilly are transported to an alternate reality by the Moerae. Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos have plans for the fated couple who couldn't save their original universe, but can alter the future for their new one.

And a preview snippet…

Nadie crossed the threshold into the cottage. "Okay… we followed you. Now would be a good time to start answering questions." She reached out and tugged Cable inside the small home.

He needed to keep up or the trio would definitely leave him behind.

If the group could be believed… and, oddly, Nadie committed to going with what the women said—way too bizarre not to—they had a purpose for her and Cable.

The middle woman, Lachesis, if Nadie's childhood memories held true, indicated they should sit in the airy room. "Please, relax and get comfortable. You've had a long journey and it's not quite over yet." She waited until Nadie sat and Cable got settled in beside her. "You've seen one possible future, a long time traveling for naught."

The old woman, Atropos, gave a rude snort. "We should let them follow that thread to its completion. Would serve them right for the havoc and chaos we've had to bear witness to." She arranged herself in an ancient rocking chair and waved a hand, palm side down, revealing a huge tapestry spanning the entire living space.

Nadie attempted to school her thoughts, not wanting to give away how much the dig pained her. Cable tensed beside her, but a quick shake of her head had him slowly easing the rigid set of his shoulders.

The young woman, Clotho, smirked. "Easy there, big fella. Attie gets a little cranky when you lot keep making the same mistakes over and over. But she's willing to give rare second chances." She waggled her eyebrows. "Especially when primo specimens like you two come along." Leaning back in her seat, she fanned herself. "I mean think of the beautiful children you two could create." She gathered up a piece of the tapestry and tapped the fabric, bringing a spinning wheel and started creating a long length of thread.

Lachesis tsked. "Clotho, stop jumping ahead. You're going to muddy up the timeline and spawn more questions. We have enough to get these two through as it is." She settled into a wing back chair and conjured a needle between her fingers.

Nadie glanced toward Cable. "Are you following all this? We're apparently the guests of fate itself, which may or may not be a good thing." She hoped for the former because the idea of shadow drifting through any more realms made her heart hurt and her stomach churn.

Cable flicked his gaze her way. "I'd say sitting here with fate is a far sight better than any other alternative at the moment. But you know me… I hardly ever get anything right on the first try."

Clotho stopped spinning and laughed. "Oh… I'm going to enjoy you." She raised an eyebrow and pinned Nadie with her stare. "You'd do well to hang on to this one."

Nadie met her gaze and held it. "I firmly intend to."

I'm having a lot of fun putting my spin on the fate trio. Nadie and Cable are cool characters who face their future with a combination of humor and snark.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye