Sunday Snippet: Quicksilver Flash

Whew. Finally recovered from our vacation and I'm back to work with multiple projects and a possible new venture in the near future. I'm super excited about it but still need to nail down some details and make some decisions on the setup.

As mentioned, I'm doing two weeks of catch-up on the life update and television viewing. While gone, I didn't watch a lot but I did get some screen time in.

I caught two more episodes of Strangest Things. I quite enjoy the approach the show takes in trying to solve the mystery of odd artifacts.

Started The Book of Boba Fett and watched two episodes. So far, I like what I'm seeing. It's a little hoppy with the back and forth of the timeline, but I'm following that without too much trouble.

I also started Only Murders in the Building and loved the first episode. I'm excited to see where the show goes.

Watched another MasterClass lesson with Roxane Gay. She did a writer's workshop and discussed finding common ground. Very interesting stuff with this lesson and I enjoyed.

Sobbed during the Babysitter's Club episode. I think I only have one left and I'm very sad there aren't going to be more. This is such a good show.

Finally had a chance to watch the Frankie Drake Mysteries special, "Music at Midnight" and I'm so glad I got to see it. This is another show I'm sad won't be coming back.

Caught another episode of The Ready Room. This one featured Michelle Paradise and recapped the penultimate episode of season two. Really fun interview.

I finished season three of Driven and loved the finale. I'm so glad Passionflix is starting a new series. They've done a great job so far.

Watched another episode of Chicago Med. I'm not sure but this might be my last season of the show. I enjoy it, but I might take a bit of a break.

Enjoyed another episode of Batman: The Animated Series. I love how the first season kind of explored a lot of different villains and they weren't always the big bads we've come to know and love.

Caught another episode of Ted Lasso. I'm three episodes in and I'm enjoying the show. It's a tiny bit campy and I like that aspect.

Watched another episode of The Agatha Christie Hour. Very interesting conflict in this one and fun to see an uber-young John Nettles as one of the stars.

Started a new two-part Silent Witness. I actually have no idea where this one is going and I kind of like that. I do suspect the old and new cases will converge in a nasty way. Per usual.

Began a new Classic Who arc. For some reason the Psychic Circus is sticking out in my mind but I don't think I've actually seen these episodes. I'll know more next week.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Quicksilver Flash, a story with a bit of a steampunk flair where the characters have to work together to solve the mystery of quicksilver flash.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Winsome Crown, a scientist's daughter, searches for her lost father in the wilds of the mountains. Lynx Hadrington lives alone and away from society—by choice. When Winsome stumbles onto his little piece of sanctuary, he can't deny her plea for help, but he fears the worst for her dad. Only one person has ever survived a brush with the quicksilver flash—him.

And a preview snippet…

Winsome woke up to the smell of something wonderful.

Stretching, she sat up and blinked, trying to remember what happened. A series of snapshots clicked in her brain. The cryptic letter from her dad. The breadcrumb clues she'd pieced together after he'd stopped sending updates. Then finally finding his guide only to have her hopes dashed again. And then … basically passing out from sheer exhaustion.

Struggling to sit up, she winced when her head pounded. "Dammit. I don't have time for this." Her gaze landed on the glass of water and pain killers. "At least he's thoughtful." Even if he absolutely didn't want her here.

Swiping the tablets, she washed them down and drained the contents. Easing to the edge of the bed—his bed, no doubt—she swung her feet over the edge of the mattress and tested standing up.

The room swam but she stayed upright. Okay, she got her feet under her. Now to try walking.

Taking a step forward, she wobbled a little, but kept going. With the glass in her hand, she made her way to the door and poked her head out into the living area. Finding the room empty, she carefully crossed to the kitchen and rinsed her glass out.

The smell coming from the stove had her stomach growling. Something bubbled in a pot and she leaned in closer to get a whiff of the savory aroma. Wavering on the cusp of being rude and helping herself or remembering her manners, she debated internally whether to reach for one of the bowls on the shelf.

A blast of cold when the door opened had her gaze going to the living area instead.

Lynx stomped his feet outside then entered, carrying a pile of logs. He dropped them into the box beside the door and shrugged out of his coat. After he hung it on the peg, he turned and his eyes widened.

Swiping a hand over his head, he removed his hat. "You're awake." He crossed to the counter. "Hungry?"

She gave a nod. "Yes. Very." Backing up, she gave him room to move in the small area. "Thank you for the painkillers. My head is pounding."

He grunted. "Food and water should help with that." He spooned thick broth with chunks of chicken and carrots into a bowl and handed it to her. "Take a seat. I'll bring some bread and more water."

She settled at the table and resisted the urge to dive in to the food. The steamy tendrils wafting upward gave ample warning she'd burn her tongue if she tried to eat right away. Her mouth watered with anticipation.

Lynx brought the items then went back to get a dish for himself. "How long has it been since you heard from your dad?" He broke the crusty loaf in two and placed one half by her bowl.

Her hand shook when she picked up her spoon. "Three months." She put the utensil down and picked up the bread. "I know something's wrong and I fear the worst." She had to decide how much to share with him.

Lynx frowned. "As you've experienced, the weather is unpredictable out there. He might not have been able to get word out to you." He broke off several pieces from his half of the loaf and sprinkled them over his stew.  

Winsome folded her hands in her lap. "The weather doesn't matter. You see, I can sense something is wrong." She held his gaze for a moment then looked away. "I'm linked telepathically with my dad."

I'm having so much fun with this story. I love making characters who don't want to be involved with each other get involved.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye 

Sunday Snippet: Question Everything

It’s been a long and fun week. Left for vacation on Wednesday morning and we head home on Monday morning. I won’t have much in the way of viewing this week, so I’ll update next week with my regular schedule.

So far, I can honestly say the Grand Canyon is quite incredible. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous. It’s been great to see family and I’m kind of glad my husband and I both have family in the state of Arizona now. Gives a reason to return in the future.

I’ll be keeping the post brief and only note that I’ve started a new show and I’m excited to discuss next time. The life update is mainly I’m exhausted in the best way possible and I’m thrilled we got to have some time way. But I also can’t wait to get home and hug the dogs and kids.

Tonight’s post is from Question Everything, a novella that puts my characters in a place where they have to trust each other and it’s not something either does well.

Here’s the mini-blurb:

When Temple Sparrow discovers her family is part of an underground society of beings and creatures who secretly control the city, she eschews their traditions and finds her true vocation, seeking answers. Hunt Gambit doesn't trust anyone, least of all Temple, but playing by the rules isn't an option and he'll use her knowledge to get what he needs and teach her to question everything.

And a preview snippet…

Hunt Gambit tossed the stem he'd been chewing aside and followed the angry woman leaving the Sparrow mansion. "Heh, more like a mausoleum." He'd hate living in a huge, empty tomb like that.

Keeping the lady in his sight, he shuffled through possible names. Couldn't be the matriarch. She traveled with at least two beefy security types at all times. Hunt doubted it would any of the staff. He'd clocked the regular non-live-in help exiting about two hours ago. The Wingates hadn't descended on the estate yet.

Hunt snorted. "Won't take them long to appear. Not when there's blood in the water." The five siblings—okay, four, Marsh Wingate didn't mix with his brethren often—would want to make sure their precious livelihood remained intact.

That left the daughter. Temple Sparrow.

Her body language indicated conflict, which could help or hurt his chances of exposing the evil of the family and laying their secrets bare. He didn't have much intelligence on Temple—Tressa's doing, no doubt. Not from any kind of motherly caring. The woman defined cold and calculating. No, Tressa would've kept information about her daughter under a shield until Tressa found a use for her offspring. Like marrying her off to a worthy ally.

Hunt rolled his eyes. "Probably more like selling her to the highest bidder."

Temple ducked down a side road and entered the park. Hunt frowned. Why would she be headed this way? The park bordered the brewery district on one side, the marketplace on the other, and directly across from the second entrance sat a row of brownstones.

His curiosity piqued, he stuck to the shadows when she left through the gates and darted across the street. Walking to the townhouse on the corner, she bypassed the steps and dug around in front of the basement window. A glint of metal flashed under the streetlight and Temple dashed up the steps and let herself in to the home.

Hunt huffed out a surprised breath. "I'll be damned. The little bird flew the coop." And he had no idea what her flight meant.

Whatever her reason for abandoning the mansion, Hunt would stick close for a while. With her dad's death, she'd be one of the ones to take his place in the underworld dealings. And Hunt needed to make a move while turmoil still churned in the family ranks.

"Because I'm going to end their reign one way or another."

I’m excited for this story. It’s coming together and ideas are flowing in the right direction. Here’s hoping the sages keep up the good work.

 

That’s it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Quest for the Kingfish

Had a crazy week with new projects sliding into my inbox and each of them is interesting and a little different for me. I love diving into new areas. I'm also trying to get ready for a vacation and it's a little daunting because I haven't traveled much recently.

Ended up getting a lot of television viewing in this week. I had a good handle on my work stuff and kept the shows going in the background.

I finished up the first season of Moon Knight and ended up enjoying the series overall. I wouldn't mind seeing more at all.

Also finished The Hardy Boys and I'm a little torn over how I feel about where everything ended up. On one side, there are so many possibilities for a third season. On the other, I'm struggling to buy-in to the whole swap at the end and a miraculous wish being granted that one of the characters had. I'll let both sit with me for a while and see how I feel if and when a third season comes around.

Watched an episode of Peak Practice and I kind of feel for Joanna. Also kind of wondering when Andrew will be back and if he'll still be as self-destructive as he always seems to be.

Caught two MasterClass lessons with Roxane Gay. The first one discussed writing about trauma and the second offered feedback for an essay. I thoroughly enjoy the way Roxane presents information.

Enjoyed two episodes of The Babysitters Club. Again, I'm so disappointed there won't be more to the story after this season ends. This is such a great show!

Watched another episode of The Ready Room. Anson Mount had some great moments during his interview. It's always fun when the actors are huge fans of the Trek 'verse.

Caught two more episodes of Driven. I have one left and I'm excited to see how this series ends. I have a lot of love for this one.

Ended up viewing two episodes of Chicago Med. I'm starting to feel the same way about April as I do about Natalie, which is disappointing. I realize both are leaving the series, but the dings to their characterizations don't seem fair.

Watched a two-part Batman: The Animated Series and forgot how much I liked the origin story of Clayface in this one.

Started Ted Lasso after a lot of pestering from my brother. I have the first two episodes watched and, so far, it's quite good. Everyone raves about the show so I'm confident I'll enjoy the whole thing.

Caught another of The Agatha Christie Hour. Really enjoyed this one. It was actually kind of campy and fun with a lot of mistaken identity and misadventure.

Watched a two-part Silent Witness and loved the twisty turns in the show. Ended up being surprised a couple of times by things I didn't expect.

Enjoyed two episodes of Classic Who. Wrapped up the second arc and should start a new one this week.

Caught another episode of Strangest Things. This one focused on relics that were supposed to help see the future.

Finished up season three of Harrow. Gotta say I ended up being very happy with the conclusion. I truly hope we'll see a season four, even with annoying boss lady.

Enjoyed another episode of Blue Heelers. This one had some interesting reveals with Adam, which is probably long overdue.

Watched two episodes of Classic Rugrats and finished out season three. I'll be starting season four this week.

Also caught another episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. This one had a great mystery with some fun twists. I'm kind of hoping Gina is done pining for Mike but I somehow doubt she is.

That pretty much sums up the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Quest for the Kingfish, a novella that puts the characters on a bit of a treasure hunt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Stevie Peel is a little bit backward and standoffish, but she loves a good mystery. Griff Lannsiter takes an immediate liking to Stevie and when she finds an ancient scroll tucked into the dusty stacks of the research library, he offers his help on her quest to find the elusive Kingfish.

And a preview snippet…

Griff stopped outside Stevie's room, hesitating then knocking on her door.

A low groan greeted him from the other side.

Slightly concerned, he twisted the knob and poked his head inside. "Hey, you doing okay?" He'd fallen asleep listening for her return.

Her hair peeked out from under the sheet and one foot hung over the edge of the mattress. Everything else remained hidden under the light cover. He entered, keeping one arm hidden behind his back.

Her hand shot out and yanked the sheet down. "Do I smell something heavenly and caffeinated?" A low moan followed the rapid movement.

He grimaced inwardly. No doubt she ached in places she'd forgotten about … and not for a fun reason. Like a late-night frolic in bed.

Moving to the side of her bed, he held the steaming cup of coffee close to her face. "Your nose is discerning." He held out his free hand, offering her assistance.

She clasped his palm and wince when she sat up. "Ugh. Everything hurts." Taking the cup, she breathed in the tantalizing aroma of the freshly brewed wake-up call.

Griff dragged a chair over and plopped down. "I couldn't keep my eyes open after two. What time did you end up getting back?"

Her weary gaze met his. "Sometime after three. I literally fell into bed and wished for death." Taking a small sip of coffee, she closed her eyes. "Then I got over myself and figured a solid eight would set me back to rights." She glanced out the window. "Not quite one hundred percent, but it's what? Ten a.m.?"

He nodded. "There about. I hated to wake you, but I heard a rumor that Ziller is going to the annex around noon to check on your progress. Figured you wouldn't want to give him the satisfaction of not finding you there among the dusty tomes and moldering pages." He also didn't like how the board seemed to want Stevie to fail.

She took another long swallow of the liquid gold. "Right. Okay. Appreciate the heads-up." Moving slowly, she scooted to the edge of the mattress and swung her legs over. "Better grab a shower and get back to it." After standing, she leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Thank you."

Griff lifted his chin. "You're welcome. Plan on me bringing a late lunch. I doubt Ziller will stick around once he makes sure you're doing hard labor." He got up and returned the chair to its spot by her desk.

She brightened a little. "Going to push your luck again? If I didn't have somewhere to be, I'd drag you into the shower with me." Setting the cup down, she dragged her shirt over her head.

Griff flashed a smile. "My last name is all the luck I need. But I'll remember what you said about the shower … and remind you later." With a quick wave, he let himself out of her room.

He had some plans to make for their late lunch and maybe a favor or two to call in.

This story is so much fun. Stevie and Griff are a good balance for each other and I love writing them.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Quest for Home

The first week of August didn't end up being horrible and hot. We did get some humidity but the temperatures weren't terrible. I didn't have any big work projects and got to focus on a lot of writing. I also had a terrific brainstorm idea that I hope to talk more about in the near future!

Solid week of viewing television in the background while I got to work on writing. I'm a little ahead of my weekly schedule and hope I can work another movie in this week.

I caught two episodes of The Snoopy Show. This is such a great thing to have on in the background when I need some noise and funny stuff.

Watched an episode of the Agatha Christie Hour. The slightly paranormal angle made me happy.

Enjoyed a two-part Silent Witness and ended up liking it a lot. A good twisty plot on this one.

Finished up an arc of Classic Who and started a new one. The cybermen made an appearance in the new arc.

Also got the last episode of Most Terrifying Places in America watched. The final episode focused on the unnatural world and had some good stories.

Caught another episode of Moon Knight. This show is such a nice mix of action and humor with some interesting lore thrown in. I really love it.

Watched the penultimate episode of Harrow. Next should be the big finale and all I have to say is nothing bad better happen to Fern or Cal. At this point, I don't care if James is a good guy or a bad guy, I'm not a fan at all. Fairley makes me so happy and Grace … well, I really hoped they wouldn't do a weird triangle thing, but it looks like that might be in store for next season, if there is one. Bleh.

Enjoyed an episode of Blue Heelers, which kind of picked up where the last one left off. Loved how the characters pieced everything together and got Nick off the hot seat for the most part. We'll see what happens on the next episode.

Caught another MasterClass lesson with Roxane Gay. She talked about consuming and criticizing culture and I took a couple of valuable points away with me. I enjoy listening to her so much.

Watched another episode of the Babysitters Club. I say it often, but I'm so disappointed this show won't have any more episodes. It's fun and witty but always has some great dramatic moments also.

Thoroughly enjoyed two Classic Rugrats episodes. The Passover episode is one of my favorites and I'd forgotten that was in season three.

Caught another episode of Driven from Passionflix. So much happened and cliffhanger end hit hard. Can't wait to watch the next one!

Have to say I'm so disappointed in Natalie's characterization on Chicago Med. I realize we're close to when she'll be leaving but, man, she definitely did Will wrong on this one. I loved Daniel's arc and the understated way he showed his grief over CeeCee's death.

Finished up The Force Awakens and I'm so glad I've watched the movie from beginning to end and not in sporadic pieces. Looking forward to episode VIII.

Watched another Batman: The Animated Series episode. This is probably my all-time favorite animated series and the Dr. Freeze storyline is a particular favorite in the first season.

Caught another episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. This one had a lot of twists and I liked them. Gina continues to crack me up on a regular basis.

Started a new docuseries with Strangest Things. This is another show where I've bits and pieces of episodes and I'm excited to watch them in order and all the way through.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Quest for Home, a follow-up to Events in Motion.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A world-ending natural disaster is imminent and Drury Amanze—Fate's chosen messenger—has to convince everyone to follow her to a new location. Porter Magda becomes Drury's touchstone while she battles resistance and disinterest from the community. While they race the clock, Porter props Drury up against the toll transporting their entire civilization to safety takes on her during their quest for a new home.

And a preview snippet…

Drury Amanze slid her gaze sideways. "Are you ready?" She held tightly to Porter Magda's hand.

He squeezed her fingers. "Always. Let's go." Focusing his eyes on the glowing circle he gave a nod.

Dru stepped into the unknown, placing her feet directly in the center of the round portal. Porter stood by her side and in the space of a heartbeat her breath whooshed from her lungs and weightlessness surrounded her. Dru didn't know if she actually floated through time and space or if her brain needed to imagine she did. But her one solid thought zeroed in on Porter and the fact he still held fast to her.

Her tether and touchstone. Her one and only constant.

When she inhaled, everything stopped and she stumbled. Porter's strong arms steadied her even though her feet touched grassy earth. She blinked in darkness.

Once her eyes adjusted, she gasped. The stars were bright overhead, something missing from their night sky for decades. Her head spun with possibilities.

Porter wrapped an arm around her. "Do you know where we are?" His fingers cupped her shoulder.

She didn't … but they weren't on their planet anymore. The constellations weren't right. But, oh, they were beautiful.

She angled her head around, taking in the quiet wonder of their surroundings. "I'm not sure where we are, but this is home." She met his gaze. "And it's a long, long way from where we started." The idea overwhelmed her a little.

Porter hugged her close. "Kind of fitting, don't you think? A whole new solar system…" His voice held wonder and amazement.

She didn't respond, too wrapped up in staring at the sky.

Porter moved behind her, encircling her with his arms. "You're an astounding woman, Dru." His lips brushed over her throat.

She turned, facing him. "Maybe not." Her gaze scanned the location around them. "I have no idea how we'll get back."

I'm enjoying the mystical aspect of this story and can't wait to get deep into the journey of these characters.

That's it for this week.

 

Cheers!

Skye