Sunday Snippet: Stay the Course (Warlock's Curse)

February has been the oddest month. Between weird weather and random catastrophes, it's been a doozy. I'm kind of happy to be welcoming March in this week.

Finished up a work project and made really great progress on one of the others. I'm blessed with authors who turn revisions around in record time. It's very helpful and keeps their work fresh in my mind.

I also made some progress on my new venture. Only a tiny amount, but it makes me happy to chip away at my to-do list. Brings me a wee bit closer to be able to launch.

Didn't get a lot of television watched, but I did finish up Strangest Things. I have so much fun listening to the experts discuss the weird and wonderful artifacts.

I also continued my Battlestar Galactica rewatch. This week's episode was one of my favorites, "Bastille Day." Some truly excellent parallels about picking a side and being true to a set of core beliefs.

I also started season two of The Mandalorian. I hoped to finish up Ms. Marvel before starting another Star Wars show, but I want to be up to date for season three.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Stay the Course, the opening book for the Warlock's Curse series.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Nadia Iris is at a crossroads and has to choose whether to find her path to fulfillment as an adept or stay stagnant in her current position. She decides to go on a journey quest but has to leave Falk Ridenour behind. Falk isn't happy, but supports her choice, even knowing the hardship she'll face.

And a preview snippet…

Falk stared up at the building. "Are you serious?" Even if only three stories, the height seemed daunting.

Nadia smirked with a nod. "Absolutely." She bounced on her toes and rubbed her hands together.

He glanced toward her. "And you can't use magick to scale the side?" Or keep from crashing to the ground…

Nadia's brows drew together. "Where's the fun in that?" The sideways glance she sent his way dared him to refuse.

He wouldn't—he needed to reach her and help her find her center. Falk went with the moment, mainly because Nadia had finally relaxed and showed him another side. One he liked even more than the angry, frustrated woman he had to help guide.

Placing his hand on the rough stone, he nodded. "Let's do this." And don't let us die.

She started, placing her foot on the windowsill. "Follow me." Grasping the side trim of the window, she pulled herself up then reached out for the lower edge of the porch roof.

After hoisting herself onto the slightly slanted surface, she repeated the process by placing her foot on the sill in the gable in the center of the second floor then scrabbled up onto the peak, using her arms to keep her balance. Reaching up, she gripped the eave of the third floor roof and stuck her foot on the cedar siding and pushed upward. She planted her knee on the spouting running along the roofline and launched forward onto the angled pitch of the top floor.

Falk followed her, putting his feet and hands as close to where she'd put hers as possible. He had the advantage of being a few inches taller than Nadia and cleared the first and second floor without issue. Once he almost made it to the top, he had a premonition of her—alone, bedraggled, and defeated—and he lost focus. His knee slipped off the spouting and he dropped down, scrambling to hold on to the rough shingles.

Nadia grasped his biceps, then his hand, tugging him upward. He toppled forward with a grunt his mind still full of Nadia's miserable countenance. Straightening himself up, he sat back on his butt, breathing deeply. The vision faded, replaced by her concerned face studying him carefully.

She looked him over. "You okay?"

He lifted his chin but said nothing, especially when she tilted her head to one side with a narrowed gaze. Then she dropped down beside him and leaned back on her elbows. The rightness of having at his side settled over him. He'd examine and meditate on the precognitive event later.

Nadia needed this distraction and he needed to figure out the puzzle she represented. And, if he had to be honest, he wanted to spend the time with her. Away from the classroom and training hall where she had nothing to prove. Not that she has to prove anything to me. Too bad the board of elders didn't feel the way Falk did.

Nadia nudged his shoulder. "Look up." She tilted her head back and gazed at the night sky.

Falk did as she suggested. "Wow." Stars sparkled and glittered overhead. "I see why you love the view from up here." He dropped back to his elbows to get more comfortable.

Nadia chuckled. "I come up here a lot, especially after a frustrating training session." She slid her gaze his way. "Being on the rooftop gives me perspective."

He could see why. Having the night sky spread out filled with endless possibilities would be a nice blanket to cover a rough day. Made making the climb up kind of worth it. Getting down … maybe not so much.

He angled toward her a little. "Gotta be honest. Pretty sure I'll be using magick to get down." If she thought less of him so be it.

Nadia let out a laugh. "No need for that." She pointed to the rear gable. "There's an access door to the third floor over there." Her face split with a wide grin.

Falk arched his brows. "Would've been nice to know that earlier." But he had to chuckle.

Only Nadia could convince him to try scaling a manor house just for fun.

He sobered when a brief flash of his earlier vision filled his mind. An odd sense of foreboding dimmed his enjoyment of being with her … but only for a moment. He pushed the precognitive event aside and looked back up at the sky.

I love this series. Nadia and Falk won't have an easy path but moments like climbing a house together give them good memories.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Standing Out

Had a weird week. The weather is still doing the yucky back and forth stuff, which makes me unhappy. My sinuses go insane when the temperature rises and falls and won't make up its mind.

Still super busy with work projects. I think I'm slowing down productivity-wise and that's disappointing, but I also tend to not work on three projects at the same time.

Not a bad week for television but I didn't get a lot watched. I did finish up the Silent Witness episode I started last week. Nikki ends up in trouble on a frequent basis and I like that she's always willing to put herself out there to solve a mystery.

I started a new season of Strangest Things and should have it finished up later this week. I kind of love digging into weird things from history and watching the group of commenters explain what they think things are.

I also caught another episode of Battlestar Galactica. "Water" is a terrific episode that lays the groundwork for a lot of what follows in the rest of the season. Frankly, the first season of Battlestar is as close to perfect as anything I've seen. There's not a wasted episode in the batch of thirteen. There are stronger episodes, obviously, but every installment has important information and terrific character moments. I'm so excited to watch another episode this week!

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Standing Out, a follow-up to Blending In.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Wren Bingman and Ethan Scott stop a planned attack on their fae city and take down some key members of the group responsible. But when Ethan is kidnapped the following week, Wren suspects retaliation and vows to bring him back. To do so, she'll have to dig deep into the hierarchy of the ruling council, because she's convinced there's a mole in the organization.

And a preview snippet…

Ethan Scott didn't like being held captive—especially when he'd finally found his perfect match.

Shit. Wren could be in danger.

Not that Wren Bingman couldn't handle herself in dangerous situations. She absolutely could and did on a regular basis. She had an enviable skill set of blending in with the lowest of the low, which served her well in their line of work.

His lips curved. "And it's a big part of why I fell for her."

And damn if he didn't miss her and get pissed off every time he thought about not being with her … or bringing her the promised coffee after he'd left her bed at three a.m.

A full damn week ago.

He'd been sitting and cooling his heels in a cold, dark cell for that same duration.

At least he'd put the time to good use. "I know who my captors are." The Sons of Orion. "I know their weak spots." He'd had plenty of time to learn their habits, strengths, and how to hit them where it would hurt—which he planned to do soon.

He needed a little more time to figure a few things out. Like how the three-man team found him at Wren's. He'd received a call from his superior officer to come in for an important briefing, which meant Wren probably got a call from her commander for the same thing, hence the reason she could be in danger or already be a captive in a different location. The main reason he hadn't made an escape yet … he wanted to find out if Wren got snagged, too.

When he did get away from the Sons of Orion, he had a plan. "As long as Wren isn't caught up in this mess, she's the only one I'll trust." His kidnapping reeked of an inside source.

Which meant his SO could be involved … whether the guy knew it or not.

Ethan got up and paced the six-by-ten space again. "Forty-eight hours then it's so long, dickheads. Just try to find me again…"

I'm having a lot of fun with this follow-up. Ethan is going to give Wren a run for her money with being covert and cagey.

That's it for this week.

 

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: A Spellbound Yule (Holiday Spirit short)

Whew. What a long week. I've got three work projects going and some movement on my possible new venture. And crazy weather that keeps hopping back and forth from super cold to very mild. I'm not a fan.

Had a somewhat decent week of television. I'm not back to my normal schedule because my work projects need solid focus. But … I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things.

I finished up the Midsomer Murders I started last week and really enjoyed the episode. I have a lot of love for Barnaby and Winters.

I caught an episode of Peak Practice. I'm in season nine and what I consider the home stretch since there are three seasons left after this one. Not a bad episode but I do miss some of the recurring characters from earlier seasons.

Continued my Battlestar Galactica rewatch with my friend. Season one starts with what I consider to be one of the absolute best hours of scripted television ever. "33" is in my top ten episodes of Battlestar and probably in my top ten episodes of television. Edge of your seat viewing for the entire episode. Terrific stuff.

Watched an episode of Classic Who and finished out the arc. I have ten episodes left to finish out the full run of classic episodes. I think I'll be starting a Death in Paradise run after I conclude with Classic Who.

Started the first of the final two episodes in season twenty of Silent Witness. I'm looking forward to finishing it up and seeing where things go.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from A Spellbound Yule, a Holiday Spirit short featuring a witch and a warlock that need to settle a dispute.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Holiday spirit, Bertram Goldwreath, has to bring Oakley Oliver, a witch and Calder Conrad, a warlock together over the Yule holiday so they can settle a territorial dispute. Oakley is looking forward to a quiet getaway at a bed and breakfast … until Calder invades her interlude and sparks fly.

And a preview snippet…

Oakley arrived through the veil to spot a man coming in from the other direction. "Damn, so much for alone time." She put a brave smile on display when they reached the porch of the large manor house at the same time.

Quite a handsome specimen. If she had to share her alone time, he'd at least be pretty eye candy. And with snow coming down, there might not be much else to do.

She lifted her chin. "Um, happy almost Yule." She could start off on a good note.

He paused then nodded. "Happy Yule." His booted foot shuffled a swath of powdery white flakes in front of him.

By mutual silent agreement, they stepped up onto the porch to get out of the falling precipitation. The man gave her a slow once-over and she preened … just a little. How long had it been? Maybe alone time could turn into slaking a thirst with a very hot guy. Happy Yule to me.

Then he introduced himself. "Calder Conrad." He dropped his duffel onto the floorboards.

Oakley groaned. "Dammit. So much for that happy daydream." The warlock … here? Argh.

He frowned. "I'm sorry, what daydream?" One eyebrow arched.

She sighed. "Never mind. I'm Oakley Oliver." Might as well get everything on the table.

He blinked, his mouth dropping open a little. "Really? I thought you'd be much older." His brows furrowed.

Oakley hid her surprise. "Sorry to disappoint." Why would he think she'd be an older woman? He couldn't be more than a year or two older than her and he led the warden.

He shook his head. "You're really the new coven leader I've been trying to meet with?"

Oakley jerked her head upward. "I am." And she'd been avoiding seeing him face-to-face—okay, not quite true—she'd been told not to respond to his demands.

Calder huffed out a breath. "First, I'm not disappointed. I mean, you're gorgeous. But I am shocked … as you can probably tell." He paused a moment. "How did you become so disagreeable at such a young age?"

Oakley's mouth fell open. "I'm disagreeable? Who sends multiple nastygrams on a daily basis?" And at the most inconvenient times?

Calder made a confused sound. "Nastygrams?"

Oakley shrugged. "What else would you call them?" Even if they came like clockwork, which they didn't, the implied tone reeked of mean-spiritedness.

Calder grunted. "Fair point." He rolled a shoulder. "But I'm at the end of my rope. Is there a reason we can't come to an agreement?" He paused and took a breath. "After months of non-negotiation?"

Guilt flooded her and Oakley closed her eyes, almost caving in to the desire to shout in frustration because she hated being in the middle of opposing forces. But she didn't give in. Instead, she shivered.

Meeting his gaze, she grabbed her bag. "Can we get out of the cold?" She didn't wait for an answer.

She pushed the door open, stepped inside, and shopped short. "Wow." An overload of festivity met her eyesight.

A hard thump against her back sent her forward again, her gaze struggling to soak everything in. Decorations covered every available surface. Nothing garish or over the top, but literally understated elegance oozed from floor to ceiling.

Calder let out a low whistle. "Holy crap. Talk about decking the halls."

She laughed. She couldn't help it. But how could she possibly like this guy?

I love writing the holiday spirit shorts and having fun with bringing two characters together.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: The Souvenir

Well, February has so far been a crazy mix of freezing, in the teens temperatures and mild almost spring-like weather. Mother Nature is in a mercurial mood right now and it's wild trying to figure out how to dress for the day. I miss being able to get my winter stuff out and not having to bother with warm-weather clothes for a couple of months.

Had a busy week with work projects and have a couple more lined up in the near future. I'm kind of happy they're all different types of manuscripts and none are in the same stage of editing.

Had a slow week of television. I'm still working to get everything from the old PC to the new one and ran into another snag with trying to set up my email accounts. Spent a large portion of the week trying to figure that out and get it working. Bleh.

I did catch the pilot episode of Pennyworth and really enjoyed it. I've heard great things and now that I know season three is the end, I'm going to attempt to watch before it disappears too.

I also watched the second part of the Battlestar Galactica miniseries with one of my friends. I'm so excited to have this rewatch party to look forward to each week. We'll be trying two episodes a week starting with season one.

Got a start on the latest season of Midsomer Murders. Barely got through the opening credits so I'll have to finish up this week.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from The Souvenir, a novella that starts a four-book series that has yet to be named.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Melick Traynor and Ramona Peartry, childhood friends and top students in the Academy of Light, compete for prominence in their respective classes. But when Melick throws out a challenge, Ramona takes an insane risk to prove him wrong and winds up tangling with the dragon plaguing campus grounds.

And a preview snippet…

Melick Traynor stormed into the mage superior's tower. "You can't call off the search for Ramona." He risked much, voicing his opinion, but the mage superior would at least let him vent.

The man happened to be his grandfather.

Melick stopped in front of Afton Traynor's large table. "We can't give up on her." Missing for most of the day, the hour approached midnight when the cumbersome beast liked to plague the campus with its ire. No one not on patrol should be out alone. And Ramona didn't report in, which didn't necessarily mean anything, but the weird vibe Melick couldn't shake said otherwise.

He'd been blessedly happy for the session break because she'd have something else to focus on like figuring out if she wanted to stay in dorms or move to a residential cottage. The bane of his existence, Ramona loved nothing more than pulling pranks, stunts, and practical jokes whenever he'd be close at hand. And usually on the receiving end of more than a few.

He'd gladly forgive every single happenstance if they found her. Melick didn't realize how much he'd grown to care about her until he no longer had her underfoot.

The mage superior glanced up, his eyes stern. "Do you believe I want to?" He unclasped his hands and indicated Melick should sit.

Melick didn't. Instead, he paced. How did he express how important Ramona had become? Afton cared deeply, of course he would. Ramona's grandfather had been Afton's best friend. When he passed on, the elder Traynor took on the role of surrogate keeper.

"It's session break and we're spread too thin to keep this up." Afton rose and gathered his robes, draping them like a mantle over his shoulders. "We must be vigilant and guard against more attacks."

He slowly walked around his table and Melick noticed how tired his grandfather appeared.

Afton stopped by the tower window, gazing out at the grounds below. "Ramona is capable. Very much so. Her natural ability surpasses many of the upper level ranks." He angled his head to shoot Melick a knowing look. "You, of all people, know this."

Melick did. But she lacked control, especially when it came to physical manifestations and that usually led to trouble. And Grandfather is well aware of that.

Melick heaved a sigh. "I won't give up on her." He met the older man's gaze. "No one can stop me from searching on my own time."

The no one Melick referred to was Master Sawitch. His grandfather's oldest living friend and number two in the Academy of Light echelon. Sawitch had a major problem with Ramona. They butted heads over everything from the pranks she played to his rigid adherence to the Book of Lumina. Ramona thought set boundaries should be pushed against and Sawitch believed the opposite.

Their opposing point of views made for some interesting debates in open forum.

And Ramona got away with pushing the envelope due to her status as the ward of the mage superior. Afton doted on Ramona, much to Sawitch's consternation. Melick quite enjoyed the drama centered on the dynamics when they played out, especially when not directed at him.

I'm still trying to decide if this will be an Academy of Light story or if I'll rename the place of study, but Melick and Ramona don't care as long as they're front and center.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye