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
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