So far, June is
shaping up to be a weird month. Work has slowed way down, which isn't an all
bad thing. I've been very fortunate to have a steady flow when so many others
have been furloughed or, worse, completely lost their job. That said, it's
weird to have time on my hands so I'm hitting projects I've been putting off
for ages. It's kind of wonderful and scary all at the same time.
Hit or miss week
with television viewing. I haven't been watching as much as I normally do,
mainly because I've been doing a good bit of writing. I did catch another
episode of Danger Man. Almost
finished with the second season.
I caught the
penultimate episode of Arrow. Green Arrow and the Canaries ended up
being more entertaining than I thought it would be. I'd watch the new version
if it comes around.
Also started
another episode of Riverdale. I'll be
honest, I'm probably done after this season. Alice came such a long way and now
she's back to being her obnoxiously overbearing self. I had so hoped she'd maintain
her character growth. Bleh.
That's pretty much
it for this week. Tonight's post is from Trip the Light Fantastic, a novella
that got a start with a writing community prompt and is part of the Chaos
series.
Here's the
mini-blurb:
Esme Von Staunton and Ashton Sylvester think they might be
going insane. Ashton's weird attunement with Esme draws her into his bizarre
nightmare of hallucinations and doing things neither remember. Esme's brother
Eric stumbles onto a plot by Baron Mobride and races to save his source and his
favorite couple, but Mobride has other ideas and doesn't plan to let Eric
thwart him.
And a preview
snippet…
Baron Franz Mobride pressed his
seal against the wax on the envelope. "This goes to the usual
location." The mixture of olympus and opium in the paraffin might be his
most ingenious idea ever.
The lackey, Johnston, maybe,
carefully took the stack of correspondence and tucked it into his case.
"I'll see they're delivered in due course." He turned on his heel and
exited Franz's office.
Franz leaned back in his chair.
"Soon … very soon now, I'll know who has an affinity with the olympus and
the advantage that knowledge will afford me." He needed something to give
him an edge with his silent benefactor.
All because of Ashton Sylvester.
Franz poured a healthy amount of
amber liquor into a tumbler. "The earl of Cranford won't a thorn in my
side much longer." Not if Franz's intuition didn't fail him.
His gut squirmed, indicating the
correct nature of his guess. Olympus gave Sylvester added insight and who knew
what other abilities. Now Franz had to prove his theory and find a way to
exploit the fact to benefit himself. If he got his hands on Sylvester's fortune
more the better.
Draining the glass, he cracked a
smile. "Then I'll be on equal footing with my American counterpart."
And he wouldn't have to keep excruciatingly accurate account of his expenses.
The very thought chafed against
Franz's sense of value. Why did it matter what he spent the flow of funds
coming from the American on? Franz had an image to uphold and a network of
people to control. The loss of his personal wealth left a bitter taste in the
back of his throat.
Twirling the tumbler in his hand,
he gnashed his teeth. "Sylvester will pay for ruining me financially. I've
still got some friends in the consortium that'll back my every move."
Sometimes extortion didn't pay in gold.
Setting the glass aside, Mobride
rose from his chair and took a moment to doff his hat and coat. He had a long-standing
appointment at the Tildaswail Brothel.
Flashing a grin, he hailed his
carriage. "Can't be late. I want to use every minute I have working out my
frustration on a willing woman." Stepping up into the plush interior of
his enclosed vehicle, he waved his driver onward.
This series is
going to some unexpected places. It started with two books then quickly morphed
into four. I'm excited to see how everything plays out.
That's it for this
week.
Cheers!
Skye
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