Sunday Snippet: Place of Honor

Had a much calmer week and got caught up on almost everything—including laundry. I can honestly say that hasn't happened for a long time. Multiple work projects are churning along and I'm also getting some writing and creative endeavors accomplished. I've been sleeping a lot better and I'm pretty sure that's playing a big role in lighting the spark.

Or the planets are aligned in a specific pattern and helping me along. Either is possible.

Had a semi-decent viewing week. I got two MasterClass with Roxane Gay lessons viewed and I really like listening to her. She's got some terrific things to say.

Finished up the first season of the Babysitter's Club and thoroughly enjoyed watching. I'm glad there's another season to dive into.

Caught another episode of the Ready Room. Ethan Peck had some great things to say about playing Spock and I'm excited to see him on the new Trek.

Watched two episodes of Chicago Med and hope to finish watching a crossover episode to find out what happens.

Enjoyed another episode of The Snoopy Show. I think I have one more for the first season and then I'll start on the second.

Finished Signora Volpe and loved the first season. I really hope there's more of this show. If not, at least I like where they left things.

Watched the beginning of a Silent Witness two-parter. Loved the setup on this one. Looking forward to finishing up the second half.

Started season twenty-five of Classic Who. The daleks are back and we'll see how things play out in this arc.

Caught another episode of Most Terrifying Places in America. Weirdly, I'm not horrified by any of those locations after this week. Living in my own house is scary at the moment.

Watched another episode of The Mandalorian. I loved this one. Smart heroes make me happy and Mando is very smart. I also enjoyed a few laugh out loud moments and that's a bonus.

Harrow had an interesting episode and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet. I hate that Harrow has been betraying Nichols and it's going to bite him on the ass. I really like the growth they've had over the past two seasons and I'm not going to be thrilled if they trash that.

Caught another episode of Blue Heelers and finished up a two-parter. I liked the conclusion and the way they resolved the hostage situation.

Also enjoyed two more episodes of Classic Rugrats, both had moments I'd forgotten and I loved catching little details.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Place of Honor, a paranormal romance that sends the characters in opposite directions for a while.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A band of bounty hunters go after urban legends, bagging, tagging, and removing the threat from cities, towns, villages, and sprawling rural landscapes. Wiley Star has a score to settle and Hex Harrigan can't deny her quest for vengeance—but when Wiley lands on the wrong end of a double cross, it's up to Hex to track her whereabouts and save the day, which proves difficult because his personal feelings keep getting in the way.

And a preview snippet…

Two days later and his lips still tingled from Wiley's parting kiss. "How can something that barely lasted three seconds linger so long?" Maybe because she'd packed a heavy promise in that brief window of time.

They could have a future … if she didn't let the past pull her under.

Hex sighed. "Vengeance can cut both ways, Wiley. You never remember that." Then again, he didn't have a sibling who'd had his back when it mattered.

Vella Star might have been the younger sister, but she took on the role of protector and put herself in harm's way to safeguard Wiley after she stirred up a nest of trouble with the Reavers. Finding Vella sprawled on the side of the road, dead, sent Wiley into a tailspin. She immediately wanted every Reaver on a pike.

Hex shook his head. "Except they didn't claim responsibility." They usually left their calling card in plain sight for everyone to see.

Reputations and cred were prime commodities on the street, especially when competition turned fierce.

Drumming his fingers on the table, he mentally sifted through what they had on Vella's grisly death. She'd been beaten. Probably abused and violated. Strangulation ended her life.

But … she hadn't been marked by a blade or ink. Her face hadn't been touched, meaning all the damage had been from her throat down to her toes. The Reavers being behind the killing didn't make sense. Their MO to date included some kind of branding—either by a knife or an iron. The keepers—men and women trafficked into servitude—were tatted up with ownership clearly laid out in bold black ink.

Hex got up and paced back and forth. "I don't like this. Don't like it all." He didn't trust the intel.

"You don't like what?" Jace Savitch pushed away from the door jamb and entered the office. "The hole you're wearing in the floor?"

Hex narrowed his gaze. "I'm not wearing anything in the floor. I think better on my feet." He paused then sat back down. "But not right now."

Jace turned a chair around and settled onto it. "Look, Seth's coming in soon for night watch. Let's go patrol for a while. Maybe you'll uncover some new leads." His lips quirked. "Or kick some ass. Ass-kicking can help you think, too."

Hex snorted. "That's not a bad idea." He met Jace's gaze. "You're cool with being out late? Mona's not gonna chew you out for not being home?" He wouldn't step on toes if he could help it.

But patrolling might give him the outlet he needed to work through his unease. And Jace would keep him in check. His day watch leader read Hex's moods well. Especially considering Hex didn't have to explain what had his gut twisted in knots. Jace caught the lowdown the vibe in the room.

Jace shook his head. "Nah, man. Mona's spending the next three weeks working a couple of ren faires. Said she'd make contact if she hustled any information out of anybody." He stood up. "Gonna get Meat to cover for me in the morning. We can hunt all night if you want."

Hex got to his feet. "That's a plan. Meet me at Monk's Tavern when you're ready. I've got an informant that could use a shake-up."

Jace gave a two-fingered salute and left to find Mike Brandish—Meat. Hex stocked up on a few tricks of the trade and made his way through the clubhouse. Most of the hunters greeted him with head nods or chin lifts. No one asked him about Wiley or the Reavers. Hex had no doubt Jace and his counterpart on night watch, Seth Montgomery, had a hand in keeping the others in check.

Once outside, Hex breathed a little easier. The place seemed too quiet, especially when the others were keeping their mouths shut about Wiley's absence. Hell, Wiley lit the place up on a regular basis, stirring shit up to keep things interesting.

Swinging a leg over his motorcycle, he owned how much he liked having her be a huge pain in his ass.

Then he hoped like mad he'd get to have that experience again…

This story goes a little darker than usual for me. Wiley and Hex are very clear on how they want things to play out and I'm settling in for the ride.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: The Pit and the Pyre

Geez, what a week. Starting late Monday night, a super-cell storm blew through Ohio. Around 11:30 pm, the tornado sirens went off in my little village. We took cover in our bathroom, mainly because our two doggos will not go down the basement steps and the bathroom is the most protected interior room in the house. By 12:15 am, we got the all clear, but the power went out around 12:05 … and didn't come back on until Thursday at 5:30 pm. It's been … a wild week.

Thankfully, we were able to borrow a generator to keep our AC (temps in the mid to high 90s), fridge and freezers going. We had one light in our living room and a charging station to keep our devices charged up. Not that it mattered much. The storm damaged a cell tower and we barely had a signal. I literally had one spot in the house where I could get one. The joys of living in a rural area.

Spent most of my time keeping the generator full, checking on my neighbors, and checking out my dad's house—luckily for him, he'd left early Tuesday morning for a vacation—after rerouting to get to the airport. Downed trees were everywhere. All in all, though, we were very lucky that we didn't have a lot of damage. Unfortunately, my cousin had a tree fall on their house. Weirdly, we had another storm blow through on Thursday that caused three fires from lightning strikes. Mother Nature isn't messing around right now.

So … I had a very minimal viewing week. And I'm playing catch-up on my work projects. I don't mind being a little bit behind, mainly because I'm happy and grateful we still have a house and didn't lose our fully stocked freezers. A huge hat-tip to the linemen and workers who still have their hands full trying to restore power to other locations.

I did get an episode of The Snoopy Show in. I'm almost finished with the first season and I'll be checking out the second one after I'm done.

I caught the cast interviews for Loch Ness and enjoyed getting some insight into the characters and the actors portraying them. I'll be finishing up with behind the scenes sometime next week.

Finished up a Silent Witness two-parter and quite enjoyed the twisty turns the episode took. I'm very much liking the later seasons of this show.

Ended up completing season 24 of Classic Who. Mel is going off on her own adventure and it looks like Ace is going to be the new companion. I'll start season 25 this week.

Caught another episode of Most Terrifying Places in America. A focus on historical locations ended up being pretty interesting.

Watched another episode of The Mandalorian. Again, I love the pacing of this show. There are a lot of little moments that stack up to add great impact.

Got another episode of The Hardy Boys in and the plot is getting deeper. There's a lot of cat and mouse stuff going on and I kind of like it. The pacing is a little weird but I'm happy to overlook a few glitches.

Also caught another episode of Peak Practice to round out the week. Not sure if I'll be caught back up by my next post, but I'm only a little behind and can live with that.

That's it for the life update. Tonight's post is from The Pit and the Pyre, a novella that puts the characters on the path to a reunion but the obstacles are many along the way.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Virgo Sohn walks through five years of hellfire to get back to Gunn Gladstone, but she finds him married to Glynne Allmore. Accepting the hand dealt, Virgo refuses to explain the circumstances of her return until Glynne succumbs to a raging virus and Gunn feels he should join her on the pyre.

And a preview snippet…

Gunn paused outside the maze. "Why? Why couldn't she trust me?" Did it matter?

At the moment, not one damn bit. Even if she did trust him, she'd convinced herself she had to go. To leave him and the assembly in the dust.

He started for the quorum hall. "I'll never forgive her for that." How could he, especially after laying everything on the line for her?

Entering the huge building, steeped with magick and wisdom along with storied history, he headed for the assembly chambers where he'd have to start putting a game plan together so he didn't lose any ground after backing Virgo earlier.

He'd almost made it to his office when Vausch Minslow poked his head out of a conference room. Gunn kept his grimace inside; Minslow led the opposition and spearheaded the campaign to send Virgo to exile. Gunn didn't need a confrontation right now.

He greeted his colleague. "Minslow. You're here late." He crossed the corridor and twisted the knob of his office door.

Vausch darted out of the darkened room and followed. "Been waiting on you. That was quite a speech you gave earlier. Virgo should be groveling at your feet." He stepped inside Gunn's space uninvited.

Gunn went behind his desk, needing some distance away from Minslow. "What the hell for? Being the lone voice of dissent?" He snorted. "Didn't do her any good." And it didn't matter now.

Vausch shook his head. "You'd be wrong there. The quorum convened a special session and took another vote." He made a sour face. "You changed enough minds to have a majority. The decision to banish her has been reversed."

Gunn swallowed his shock. And then his anger. She'd left for nothing. Entered the pit of hellfire, sacrificing herself for her family's sins … for no damned reason.

Gunn's fingers curled into his palms to avoid letting his magick loose on Vausch. "Doesn't matter." He met the other man's gaze, carefully keeping his rage in check. "You got your wish. Virgo's gone."

Minslow's eyebrows arched. "She didn't waste any time." He shrugged. "I'm sure you can reach out. Let her know she's got a reprieve."

Gunn lifted his chin. "You'd be wrong there." He directed Minslow's words back to him. "She didn't leave the assembly." He paused, taking a moment to suppress the bile rising in his throat. "Virgo entered the pit."

Vausch's face took on a sickly green pallor. "She did what? But that means—"

Gunn cut Minslow off. "Yeah, it does. It means she's executing a trial by hellfire."

And no one in the history of the assembly had ever survived once they'd been consumed by the flames.

I love how much Gunn dislikes Vausch. He can't quite put his finger on the why—with the exception of Vausch leading the charge to get rid of Virgo—but Gunn really loathes the guy.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye 

Sunday Snippet: Picture Perfect

We had some rain that gave us mild temperatures, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I don't mind hot weather but there's something about being able to be outside with a nice breeze and sunshine that makes me happy.

Solid work week. Had a few small projects that I cleared off my desk and had a new one arrive in my inbox. My plates seem to be spinning nicely at the moment.

Good week of viewing. I did the same thing as last week and only tried for one round of my usual streaming services. I might be adding one more to the list after talking to my sibling. He made some good recommendations.

Watched another episode of The Snoopy Show. This one had a vignette on using the library and happiness being a good book. I feel that sentiment all the way to my toes.

Caught another episode of Signora Volpe. I love this show. I truly hope there will be another series because there's only one episode left.

Viewed the first of a two-part Silent Witness and ended up being very intrigued. Very much looking forward to the second part of this one.

Enjoyed the second part of a Classic Who arc. It's nice to see a familiar face from a previous incarnation. The third part will be the end of this season, I think. I'm not sure if there's another one after this. If not, I'll be starting a new show before I dive into New Who.

Watched another episode of Most Terrifying Places in America. I'm fascinated by the legend and lore revealed in the sequences. I'm not sure I'd be cool with trying to stay somewhere that's known for being haunted but I love hearing about the stories.

Caught another episode of The Mandalorian. Gotta say I'm thoroughly enjoying this show. The pacing is excellent and I'm excited to see what happens next.

Viewed another episode of Harrow and I truly dislike the new boss. I'm also not thrilled with Grace's ex being in town. If there's another season and things get really convoluted, I'm done. As much as I love the cases, I don't want the other drama.

Enjoyed another episode of Blue Heelers. I liked seeing how another country handles the wildfires that tend to rage at the worst possible time. Not really into the whole taking the hospital hostage thing, mainly because the two characters are a little too over the top for me. We'll see how the second part goes this week.

Started a new MasterClass with Roxane Gay. I'm very much looking forward to her lessons.

Watched another Babysitter's Club and thoroughly enjoyed the episode. It's nice to see more of the sibling relationships and the way the parents interact.

Viewed two more episodes of Classic Rugrats. One was a favorite and the other was one I thoroughly enjoy.

Caught another episode of Chicago Med and discovered something I didn't know about one of the Chicago Fire characters. Good information. Also can't wait for Nat to discover she's being completely gaslit by her new fiancé. Here's hoping the fallout from that doesn't do too much damage.

Started the PassionFlix movie Tangled and I'm having fun watching it. I didn't know if I'd like this one but I'm so glad I'm watching.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Picture Perfect, a novella that mixes a little metaphysical intrigue with romance for the characters.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Faeryn Carnes, a fire elemental, crossed through the Shroud, leaving the mortal plane. But when she returned, an unheard of occurrence, Seth Jacobson, an air elemental, is the only person she can count on, which seems impossible because Faeryn believes air and fire can't mix.

And a preview snippet…

Seth tilted his head a studied Faeryn for a long moment. "You're not. Happy to be back that is." His bruised heart ached a little at the thought.

She frowned. "It's not that exactly. I'm a little lost and it shows … to everyone I come into contact with. They have questions. I don't have answers." She tucked her feet under her thighs. "I have zero clue what the hell happened to me while I was gone. I only know I'm back and I have a purpose…" She sighed and clammed up.

Seth filled in the blanks. "Okay. You want to know what happened and you need to know why you're here. We can figure both of these things out." He'd already gathered the books he'd need.

She grimaced. "You make it sound easy. And it might be…" She stopped again and let her head fall back on the cushions.

Seth leaned forward. "But … what? What's got you tied up in knots?" He could make a stab at guessing but that rarely worked out well.

She straightened. "What if I don't like the answers? What if I can't do whatever I've been sent back to do? What if I don't know the reason because I'm too broken and mentally fragile to have kept the answer with me when I returned? What if—"

He held up a hand. "Hold up. There's a lot to unpack there and you're going to drive yourself mad if you keep piling on." He got up and moved to kneel in front of her. "If you don't like the answers, it won't be the first time you've had to adjust your expectations. If you can't do what you've been sent back to do, you'll get help. As for being too broken or fragile to know the reason why, you're the first and only fae to have ever returned from beyond the shroud. There's no rule book for that. Who's to say anyone would have a memory of being on the other side?" He leaned back, placing his palms on her legs. "I'm not trying to discount your feelings here. But you're not alone. If you trust me, I'll do my best to guide you and find answers." He eased away, the contact and nearness giving ideas better left alone for now.

Faeryn met and held his gaze. "Trust isn't easy for me—not after Tarn—but I'd be lying if I said I don't want to trust you. I do." She glanced away. "I don't deserve the help, but I'll take you up on the offer."

Seth grasped her hands. "I'm glad." He got to his feet and tugged her up off the couch. "Come on. Let's head to the study."

She balked a little. "You mean right now?" Her hesitation didn't stop her from twining their fingers together.

Seth arched a brow. "No time like the present … especially if we don't know how long you might be here." He kept a steady tone, but his heart kicked hard against his ribs.

Faeryn paled and gave a jerky nod. "Yeah. True. Okay." She followed him into his study and cracked a smile when she noticed the books on the desk. "You're already prepared."

He motioned for her to have a seat by the fireplace. "I did some soul-searching earlier and wanted to do some digging around in the reference books." He grabbed two thick tomes and settled into the chair next to hers.

She reached out and took the lighter one. "No hardship there." Her lips curved. "Might take a while to find anything."

Seth flashed a quick grin. "You're welcome to stay as long as it takes. Let's see where we are in a couple of hours then figure things out from there." He flipped the book open and hid another smile when she did the same.

Faeryn would get her answers and he'd have her back no matter what they were.

I love the dynamic between Faeryn and Seth. They've got a messy history and their future is murky, but the present is fresh and new.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Physical Therapy

Welcome June! Seriously, I feel like I'm still floating around back in March. The months are flying by right now.

Had a weird week of struggling to focus and I couldn't tell you why I ended up being so distracted. That drives me insane.

Decent viewing week. I only went through one round of my usual streaming services again and I'm actually kind of okay with that. Sometimes I need a bit of a break and can use the quiet time.

I did get another episode of The Snoopy Show watched and enjoyed it. I like to think the whole Peanuts gang has a special place in the hearts of GenX. At least it does for me.

I finished up Loch Ness and actually quite enjoyed the series. The twists and turns ended up panning out better than I'd hoped. Definitely glad I watched this one.

Caught the second part of Silent Witness and loved the twistiness of this two-parter. I also love that there wasn't a shiny bow on the end. Good stuff.

Started a new arc of Classic Who and I'm kind of interested in how this one plays out. Again, I notice how much Mel ends up screaming. It's a thing.

Watched another episode of Most Terrifying Places in America. At some point, I'd love to see a series where the ghosts and ghouls are actually friendly and helpful. That said, I love seeing the interviews with people who experienced the creepy creatures. Pure gold.

Enjoyed another episode of The Mandalorian. I love the pacing and the little bits of information that turn up and reveal themselves. Good stuff.

Caught another episode of The Hardy Boys. Gotta say Joe is beginning to annoy me but I'm hoping there's a reason he's being such a prat. Fenton's storyline is getting interesting and I love that the grown-ups get some random fleshing out.

Watched another episode of Peak Practice and enjoyed the storylines. It feels like some groundwork is being laid for future seasons and I'm liking that.

Finished up a MasterClass series with Neil deGrasse Tyson. While it wasn't as in depth as I thought it would be, I did get a lot of his lessons. Not sure what I'll start next, but I'm leaning toward Roxane Gay's series.

Caught another The Babysitter's Club and thoroughly enjoyed. I'm glad they're adding another sitter to the club and I really like how they're featuring the members.

Watched another episode of the Ready Room and liked the interview with James Frain. I like his character and it's nice to get some insight into the complicated relationships he has with his family.

Started season five of Chicago Med and I'm sad to say good-bye to Connor. I do love how they sent him off, especially the farewells he had with Goodwin and his mentor. The Will and Nat storyline is one I'm a little on the fence with. I'm really not down with the interloper making conflict, but I'll reserve judgment. Maggie is breaking my heart.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Physical Therapy, a novella that has an injured paranormal sports star falling for her therapist who is a huge fan.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Flint Hollywell, a talented physical therapist, loves nothing more than watching arena ball player Tappen Bligh work her magic on the playing field. But when a career ending injury sidelines Tappen, Flint is determined to get her back on the grass where she thrives on the action.

And a preview snippet…

"Here comes the winning score."

Tappen maneuvered into position for her signature combo—a flying leap where she levitated with the ball before spiraling down to land within inches of the goalkeeper, usually scoring a double. She made it to the corkscrew portion of her play when something went horribly wrong. A shock of magick hit her—absolutely illegal during game time—and Tappen catapulted into the stands, colliding with the opposing team's fans.

"Son of a bitch!"

The ball went airborne and Tappen reached up to retrieve it for the save, but the spectators grabbed hold and piled on top of her.

She struggled under the weight of a dozen people. "Shit. This is insane." The shrill blare of the whistle should've stopped the onslaught.

Instead, the fans let loose with violent punches, kicks, and blows. Tappen fought back, striving to get upright or in the air. Her knee buckled and twisted from a particularly vicious wrenching. Tappen hissed against the pain shooting up her thigh then winced when another foot found her midsection.

Her teammates rushed forward, knocking several Dogs out of the way. Gilda had a hand in this bit of mayhem. Tappen would bet her next salary bump on that fact.

Trying to focus on getting out from under the frenzied opposing side, Tappen got in a few good licks of her own. But … she didn't stand a chance against at least twelve human battering rams. And her crew had their hands full on the field with their attempts to get to Tappen.

She couldn't wait any longer and finally took retaliatory action.

She cast a blowback spell. "Make a circle and spread it wide. Swing the windmill; let no one hide." She barely uttered the words before her head connected with the concrete bleachers.

Stars swam behind her eyelids, but the incantation worked, clearing the area. Tappen slowly got to her feet and blinked to clear her vision, but the haziness didn't dissipate.

A loud roar echoed in her ears. "Damn. Not good." Everything went gray and dark.

To the collective gasp of the home team fans, she tumbled forward and lost consciousness.

I'm making steady progress on this one. I love writing the magickal aspects and Tappen will appreciate Flint's ability in the very near future.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye