Sunday Snippet: Sh*t Happens

WooHoo! I have a new roof on my garage and both porches. Our back porch actually includes our bathroom and laundry room and we’ve had leaks for the past five years. Here’s to not having those anymore! We went with a blue metal and it looks terrific with the slate roof of the house. I’m thrilled the job took, I’m not kidding, a day and a half. I figured it would take a week to get it all done. Glad I was wrong.

Busy week on the work front. Finished up a project and started two more. I did get some television viewing in but had a light week.

I caught an episode of Riverdale and enjoyed getting back to the regular timeline. I’m completely creeped out with Cheryl’s weird deal with her corpse brother but I love the battle of wills she’s having with the new principal. Loved having some story with Reggie. Also liked seeing Mad Dog join the group. I want Kevin and Betty to get back to their usual friendship and I’m happy to see him kind of wake up to the evils of the farmies. Here’s hoping Fangs comes back to the fold.

I watched The Will, a Passionflix original movie, and thoroughly enjoyed it! The casting ended up being spot-on and I had fun watching this one. I’ll be looking forward to the next release Passionflix puts out.

Caught another episode of Danger Man aka Secret Agent. I forever have The Prisoner in my mind when I watch these episodes even if they’re not technically related. Probably because I watched The Prisoner first.

Watched the third episode of Midsomer Murders. Enjoyed it a lot. It had some good twists and turns I didn’t expect.

Viewed another first season episode of Peak Practice. I’m not quite sure what I’m supposed to think about Will. The character is, I think, the only one who remained for all twelve series. Right now, he’s kind of a petulant, whiny child most of the time and I don’t know if I’m supposed to like him or not. Since it’s only four episodes so far, I’ll reserve judgment.

Finished up Classic Who season ten with Three and the end of Jo’s tenure as a companion. The Green Death episodes were a pretty interesting arc and I like how Jo ended her time with the doctor. Looking forward to starting season eleven.

Strike Back is back, as noted in last week’s post. I’m currently watching the first episode of the season and, wow, Coltrane definitely has a big-ass chip on his shoulder. He kind of acts like he didn’t have his ass saved by his team not so long ago. That said, I’m not all the way through the first episode yet so I’ll reserve judgment.

And that’s pretty much it for television this week. Tonight’s post is from Shit Happens, a sexy short that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here’s the mini-blurb:

Nyla White, an up and coming paranormal cage fighter, has buttloads of potential but her 'Sh*t happens' attitude prevents her from attaining the top spot. Erik Stevens, her trainer, pushes her to use her emotions to own her talent, which Nyla is hesitant to do—because she's got strong feelings for Erik.

And a preview snippet…

Erik exited the council chambers with Nyla's future in the ring intact.

Barely.

Pissed off, he headed for the competitor area behind the main ring. "The raw, untapped talent she has is wasted. She refuses to control the energy." He gave a brief nod to the sentinel at the entrance of the combatant area.

Erik had worked and worked with Nyla, trying to break through the walls she put up. But she wouldn't make a connection, something she needed to help control and harness her latent ability to manipulate magick. And he couldn't figure out why.

Slowing down, he exhaled slowly. "She needs an emotional tether to ground her." If she didn't find something, she'd never achieve her goal of rising to the top of the arena battles. "I don't even care if it's with me or not." Bullshit. He cared.

He wanted her to find a connection with him.

Yeah? Remember Gengi?

Right. That ended in wrecked lives and wounded reputations. But only because the trainer-fighter fit had been all wrong from the start.

Erik leaned against the wall outside the locker room. "Gengi Bartlemas had no business being groomed for magickal bouts." Her skill level served better uses elsewhere.

It's why I never do favors for anyone anymore.

With Nyla, he owed no one but her anything. Except she didn't always trust he had her best interest in mind. And look where that got her.

Pushing away from the wall, he paced back and forth. "She's had fifteen minutes to shower. Time to read her the riot act."

A little shorter than usual but I need to flesh out a few details and I’m not quite ready to put those on the page yet. Erik has some history he has to deal with.

That’s it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Shine One On

Ugh. What a rough week. I've been battling some wicked-bad insomnia lately and I hate walking around like a zombie and trying to catch some much needed rest whenever I can. Not a fun time.

I did have a wonderful revelation on Thursday, which was my youngest's eighteenth birthday. To date, the husband and I have successfully raised three offspring to adulthood. Now to get her through prom and graduation then off to college. LOL

Slow week for television, mainly due to the insomnia. I caught a full arc of Classic Who and had a thought… the Daleks have been around for a long, long time. Just saying.

Got back into Gargoyles and watched a couple of episodes. The second season is super long and it'll be a while before I get through all of the various stories.

Watched a few episodes of Danger Man. This is pretty much a rewatch of the series for me, but it's nice to have a thirty-minute show to sink into while I'm doing dishes or cooking dinner.

Caught an episode of Murdoch Mysteries and finally discovered what would happen with the neighbors. I'd forgotten about the hotel detective and his mad vendetta against Murdoch. All in all, a satisfying wrap-up to the storyline. Sadly, the widow might end up rearing her vengeful head at some point in the series. That should be interesting.

I watched another episode of Arrow and I can honestly say I'm impressed with Stephen's performance. He brings the emotional element to the screen every episode. That said, he mentioned in an interview that Emily's decision to not be involved in most of season eight made the show feel kind of wrong (absolutely paraphrasing here) because Felicity is the heart of the show and no Felicity means no heart. I totally get that. But… it's kind of cool to see the reunions Oliver is having with people from his past. Talia and Thea teaming up could be a show on its own, especially if Nyssa got involved at some point. Just saying. Also really interesting to see what's going on in the futurescape, especially with the twist at the end of the episode.

Getting ready to start an episode of Riverdale and watch the premiere episode of Strike Back's final season. I also plan to watch the Passionflix original, The Will sometime this week. Looking forward to some great screen time.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Shine One On, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Against state regulations, Maxine Wynne braves the revenuer to provide speakeasy owner, Drake Kestleman, enough moonshine to keep his customers happy. When Maxine is caught, Drake launches Operation Shine One On to get her out of danger and back in business.

And a preview snippet…

"Get off her!" Drake grabbed a patron in a chokehold and flung him across the hall.

A guilty flush stained one of his dancer's cheeks. While Lily Tyler had a ripped bodice, her short skirt had been tucked into the wide belt of her showgirl costume. A sure sign she hadn't been attacked.

The customer grabbed Drake's shoulder. "Hey, she offered me a poke for fifty dollars. I paid up front, just like she asked." He huffed out a breath. "I'm owed my piece."

Drake shook off the hammy fist. "I run a speakeasy not a brothel." He peeled two fifties off his roll of cash. "Take this—double what you paid—and try Pennyweathers down the block." He pointed toward the exit. "Never accept an offer from one of my showgirls again."

The man buttoned and zipped up. "Maybe you should tell them not to lure hardworking men back here for a little fun." He sent a glare in Lily's direction.

Drake stepped between the man and his dancer. "I'll handle my business, don't you worry." Just as soon as the guy left.

Which he did by spinning on his heel and muttering about crappy women and getting shortchanged.

Drake turned and met Lily's gaze. She had the grace to flush and look away. Damn right, she should. He didn't have a license for sex work and didn't want the hassle of having one.

He shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it to her. "Cover yourself up." They'd have to go out to the main floor.

She draped the suit coat around her shoulders and untucked her skirt.

He pointed down the hall. "My office. Now." He barely kept the growl from his voice.

Lily shot him a scathing look but preceded him down the corridor to his office.

Drake shut the door and crossed over to his desk. "What the hell did you think you were doing?" He had a solid idea… but he wanted to hear it from her.

Lily rolled a shoulder, letting the jacket fall to the floor. "You're not interested… or so you said." She tilted her head to one side.

And he'd been right. She'd lured on of his customers in as an attention-getting stunt. All because Drake had spurned her desire to become more than a showgirl to him. Did she think he'd be jealous?

Lily sent him a coy smile. "But perhaps you are now…" She made a show of puffing out her chest.

Drake barely kept from rolling his eyes. "I'm not. You know I don't mix things up with my employees." And he never would.

Lily's shoulders slumped. "Then at least I would've been fifty bucks ahead." Her tone indicated he'd ruined her fun.

Well, she could have all the fun she wanted… just not here.

He shook his head. "Oh, you'll be ahead." Reaching for his cash, he snagged a hundred and pressed it into her palm. "Consider this severance pay." Combined with the fifty she still had, it doubled what she made dancing three nights a week. "Won't take you long to triple this at Pennyweathers." If she wanted to earn on her back, he wouldn't stop her.

Lily's eyes went wide. "You're firing me?"

Drake nodded. "Absolutely. There's nothing wrong with brothel work, but it's not what I do here." And every last one of his employees received that information on their hire date.

Lily's mouth worked for several moments. "B-bu-but, I don't want to be a Pennyweather trollop." The nickname trembled from her lips.

Drake tsked. "You played a losing hand, Lily… and this is the fallout." He brushed past her and opened the door. "Don't come back."

Lily squared her shoulders and sashayed out with a huff. "You'll regret getting rid of me." Glancing back, she lifted her chin. "I could've rocked your world."

Drake bit back a snort. "I doubt that."

It took a special kind of woman to rock his world. An image of Maxine Wynn filled his mind. Independent, fiercely loyal to her employees, and so curvaceously gorgeous Drake's head spun.

Lily definitely didn't fit that mold.

I love playing with something of an alternative history. If I achieve my goal, this will have a twenties feel mixed with a contemporary vibe.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Seeing Red

So, we finally have snow in Ohio. Not a lot but enough to remind people it's actually winter. This isn't a bad thing. I'm hoping that means we won't have blizzards in April or May. Just saying.

After a very slow January workwise, February is going like gangbusters. I'd rather be busy than not so no complaints here. I did have a slow week of television though.

I started with an episode of Murdoch Mysteries and enjoyed it. Fun to see a familiar face with Ruth's brother showing up. Should be interesting to see what happens with Henry now that Ruth has access to loads of money again. Also interesting happenings with William and Julia's neighbors. I'm still not quite sure what to expect with them.

Caught the Frankie Drake Mysteries finale for season three. Always fun when a character returns to stir up trouble for Frankie and the girls. I'm hoping season four continues to have a big focus on the friendships.

Arrow's second episode ended up being better than I anticipated. Interested to see what happens with Lyla. I truly love the mix of present and future in these episodes.

Caught another episode of Midsomer Murders and quite enjoyed it. It's fun when the case doesn't quite go where I think it will.

Also watched another series one episode of Peak Practice. I gotta say Will's wife is quite the piece of work. I have no idea how long she lasts but I'm thinking it's not through the end of the series. That's not a bad thing.

I saved the best for last. I finally watched the season four premiere for Riverdale. I'd be lying if I said there was no ugly sobbing involved. Because there was. A lot of it. I honestly didn't expect less, I mean I'd been warned by at least three people to have a box of tissues. Needless to say, I did and used an undetermined amount of said box.

I can honestly say I can't imagine a better tribute to Fred Andrews. I loved how pretty much everyone put aside their grievances—Reggie and Cheryl in particular—and paid homage to a stalwart member of the community. Reggie's gesture with providing a hearse moved him up a notch on my like-the-guy meter. And Cheryl's conversation with Mary and her about face regarding the parade had a nice symmetry. I have no clue what the hell her deal is with CorpseJason but I don't need to know for this episode to work so well. Relenting on having a parade to celebrate Fred's life and put the focus on someone not a Blossom is big badass energy and I'm here for it.

FP taking on a role of filling big shoes also worked well for me. Figuring out where Archie was and what he planned to do when he found out who ended up being responsible for Fred's death and his subsequent response of calling in Archie's friends showed a good bit of foresight for the former Serpent leader. I also loved the way he handled asking Archie if he'd mind an escort home. I knew what was coming. I figured out what Cheryl wanted to do. And, man, I literally grabbed the box of tissues and pretty much sobbed through the whole thing. Throw in Jughead's obituary and the reaction shots of people reading—the focus being on the grown-ups, friends and enemies—and, yep, the tears flowed again.

Shannen Doherty's guest appearance was a nice touch. For those of us who are a certain age, the poignancy of having her involved in memorializing Fred and, in turn, Luke Perry packs a punch and creates a nice thread that goes from beginning to end.

The other part I found poignant is Betty at the cemetery by her dad's grave. Season three ended with Hal being murdered by Penelope and it's easy to forget that happened and have it eclipsed by Fred's demise. The trashing of his plot, while sad for Betty, serves as a solid visual reminder of where things left off.

Finally… the last scene of Archie in the garage sifting through memories of his dad, the only scenes that actually showed Fred in action, was extremely well done. Kudos to KJ, the writing team, and the film crew for what, I'm sure, had to be a difficult time.

All in all, a terrific sendoff for Fred and Luke. Next week, I'll dive back into the normal batshit crazy world of Riverdale and enjoy the hell out of it.

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

Here's the mini-blurb:

Vesta Crock can't stand tension and a major meta-human uprising puts everyone on edge. Jones Blaylock becomes her target for a series of supposedly fun pranks, but when a fellow member of their team gets injured, Jones sees red and that's not a good thing for the firestarter.

And a preview snippet…

Jones didn't blame Vesta for being antsy. She'd asked everything he wanted answers to also. Tyrian had something of a god complex when he got to lead briefings. Sometimes pushing through made him a good leader… other times, it made him an ass.

Being an ass ruled the day today.

Tyrian stepped back from the podium. "That's it. Any questions?" He purposefully didn't look toward Jones's team.

Jones stood up. "What's the estimated timeframe for this confinement?" The caution because someone had taken out the communications array might be important, but keeping people with super human power in lockdown begged for trouble. "What's the thinking on the watch situation? Regular schedule or intermittent change-ups?" He shot a quick glance toward Vesta, hoping she understood he actually did have her back and to give her unvoiced credit for asking smart questions.

She lifted her chin in a quick acknowledgment.

Jones finished up. "And do you have an official date for the completion of the array?" Which should give a clue as to when the lockdown would end.

Tyrian's lips thinned. "I haven't been received any timeframe about the comm array yet. We'll handle the watch schedules by mixing those with the team training and downtime. Team leaders will meet after the briefing to get something put together." He shot a look at Vesta then back to Jones. "Any other questions from the gallery?"

Jones sat down and gave Vesta a warning look. She tucked her cards back inside her vest pocket. He pinned Tyrian with a hard gaze but said nothing.

Tyrian smirked. "In that case, we're dismissed." He swept out of the room via the back entrance.

Vesta snorted. "Asshole." She got up and stalked toward the opposite exit but paused and turned to face Jones. "Thanks… for what you did. The entire room wanted answers, which we didn't get, but at least the questions got asked." She angled back around.

He sometimes forgot about her latent ability to read people. Part of her talent of pushing suggestions on others involved being able to burrow inside one individual but it also let her absorb the general feeling and mood of everyone around her. No wonder frustration got the better of her during the briefing.

Jones called out. "They were smart questions, but you already know that." Her keen intelligence often got her in trouble.

No… zero patience got her into numerous scrapes. The smarts made her mistakes more spectacular.

Vesta paused and shot a glance over her shoulder. "I do. And so does Tyrian. He wants to appear a lot more knowledgeable than he is and that's why it pisses him off when anyone pushes back. I don't give a hang if he gets pissy with me." Because she could take his snippy snipes where others sometimes couldn't.

Jones completely understood why Vesta pushed the big red button that screamed do not touch. But he walked a fine line. Not crushing her spirit worked to his advantage but he constantly had to weigh how much to let her get away with when it affected the other team members too.

Vesta shrugged. "I'm sorry he's going to be a dick when you're figuring out the watch schedule." She started for the door again.

Jones didn't want to let her brood alone. "Hey, let's get the team together in an hour and we'll strategize game plans to work on during the lockdown." He'd send a notification to the others.

Vesta groaned and rolled her eyes.

Jones quirked a brow. "Do you have something better to do?" She couldn't exactly go anywhere.

Vesta replied with her usual razor wit. "Not really, but smokin' hot sex sounds like way more fun." Her lips twisted in a wry smirk.

Jones usually didn't encourage the innuendo but today he shot back. "Hmm. Can't accommodate you today. We'll see what tomorrow looks like."

Her mouth dropped open and Jones had the singular pleasure of getting the last word in with her.

I like where this one is going. Vesta doesn't do well with confinement and I like the challenge of writing how she deals with her dilemma.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Same Time Next Year

Hello, February. An extra day in the month probably won't make much difference, right? Eh, January already felt like an entire year, so here's hoping February doesn't.

Another slow week for television viewing, but not a bad one. I finished up season three of Riverdale and, whew, what an ending. Talk about jamming a crap-ton of stuff into forty-three minutes. That said, wow. I'm still processing all the crazypants. I'm very glad I can start season four this week. I'll be dreading the first episode but can't wait to see what happens from here. Hopefully something utterly horrible for Hiram is on the horizon but I doubt it. Sigh.

Midsomer Murders had a good opener for series twenty-one. One down and three to go. Then I have to find another show to start. I have a few on my list to check out.

Caught another episode of Peak Practice. I went back to the first season again. I'll watch another of the final season this week.

Watched another full arc of Classic Who and have one more set before starting the last season with Three. Looking forward to Sarah Jane episodes.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Same Time Next Year, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

After commiserating over failed hook-ups, Tessa Gem and Hart Cantley make a date for the following year at the same time, but they have no idea their fae collective will be at war when they meet again.

And a preview snippet…

Hart Cantley entered the diner side of the roadhouse just before six am when the first fingers of early light started thrusting in the sky.

He made his way to the counter. "Can I order a full pot of coffee?" The waitress gave a nod and picked up a carafe pouring the hot liquid into a thermos style pitcher.

Hart snagged a mug and settled into a corner booth. He could go for something stronger—the twenty-four hour bar only a short trip through the roadhouse lobby—but drinking into a stupor wouldn't change what happened. A time machine, maybe, but not alcohol.

Hart snorted. "God, what an idiot."

His phone pinged with a message.

"What the hell, bro? Where did you go last night?"

His brother's text stirred the dying memory of the previous evening back to life. A hot blonde with killer curves, a round ass, and a sex-on-steroids voice.

Hart texted Joppy back. "Don't ask. You'll hear all about it soon enough."

Hart blamed a two-month undercover stint with celibate monks for his big misstep—thinking with his dick instead of his brain. A rare occurrence, thank the everlasting universe. He poured a mug of coffee and barely got a sip in before his phone pinged again.

"Dude, you just stepped into a big steaming pile."

Well, fuck. Didn't take long for her mouth to run wild. Not that he didn't expect this exact scenario. Any moment, he'd get a call or text from him mom—the reigning drama queen—and be expected to make promises he had no intention of keeping to settle her down.

His luck? She'd ask for his firstborn child to raise "the right way" since she'd failed so miserably with him.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Mom."

And now he'd started talking to thin air.

He received another text. "Mom's on the warpath. Lay low for a while."

Hart responded back. "Yeah, going radio silent. Later, bro." He turned his phone off and tucked it into his pocket.

What a mess he'd landed into. He needed to find a nice, uncomplicated woman to spend time with. Hell… she didn't even have to be free from challenges as long as she had zero potential to become a member of his family.

Something his soon-to-be-married-for-the-fourth-time mother made damned difficult.

I love writing Tessa and Hart. Their vibe is fun and snarky and I'm always smiling when I write their scenes.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye