Sunday Snippet: Guts and Glory

I can't believe we're at the end of June already. It's crazy how fast time is flying right now. Probably because of the whole respiratory yuck that ate up most of the month. Thankfully, that seems to have finally run its course. Feeling so much better now.

Had a super busy work week. Playing catch-up isn't my favorite thing on the planet. But I did finish a proofread and made solid progress on the other two projects on my plate.

Had a very limited viewing schedule this week, mainly because I really wanted to make as much of a dent as possible in my work. I had my usual background comfort shows playing in the background with Perry Mason and Midsomer Murders. I love the channels dedicated to one show, which is how I get Midsomer whenever I want. And Perry Mason is easy to find on the classic TV channels.

I did catch an episode of Best in Paradise and enjoyed revisiting how JP got reacquainted with Rosie. I'm enjoying the cast member introductions to each episode.

I also watched the first of a two-part Death in Paradise. I'd seen a bit of the episode before and knew what to expect but it's very powerful to watch from the beginning. Looking forward to the second part this week.

I started an episode of Elementary and didn't make it all the way through. I'll finish that one up later tonight.

And that's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Guts and Glory, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the miniblurb:

Ghosts, spirits, ghouls, and spooks are big business for Royal McKnight and Gamble Preacher, who each head rival teams that deal with and sometimes get rid of the specters. Gamble fears Royal is in over her head when a nasty ghoul wreaks havoc on the city and can't be banished, but Royal has an ace up her sleeve and doesn't need Gamble's assistance … until her team is in danger and Gamble has to save the day.

And a preview snippet…

Royal McKnight entered her headquarters and living space through sublevel two. "What a night." She shut and warded the door leading from the abandoned subway tunnel then headed for the first flight of stairs that would take her to sublevel one.

She shrugged out of her long jacket and draped the garment over her shoulder before entering the small enclosure that would take her to the first floor of the former First United Bank, which now operated as the base of operations for her team of ghost hunters.

A side door opened and her second in command, JJ Hardaway ducked into the hexagon-shaped landing from the parking garage that also doubled as their decontamination area. Clad only in a pair of loose warmups, a sure indicator he'd tangled with something—ghost, spirit, ghoul, or spook—and ended up covered with ectoplasm … or something worse. She'd heard a call go out but couldn't respond, because she'd had her nose to the ground following a possible lead.

JJ shook his head and jerked his thumb behind him. "I recommend avoiding the decon area for at least an hour. It'll take that long for the smell to dissipate." He ran a hand through his damp hair. "And I might need spend another thirty minutes in the shower." A shudder rippled over him.

Royal arched her brows. "Do we need to debrief first?" She kind of hoped not … a ton of research beckoned her.

JJ rolled his eyes. "Nah. Nothing special about the callout. Standard spook removal." His lips quirked. "Except for the part where the spook went corporeal just as I sprayed the deterrent on it."

Royal grimaced. "Ugh. You got skunked." No wonder JJ warned about the stench.

Spooks could manifest in solidified form for brief periods. If they were doused when they had a physical shape, they exploded in a barrage of congealed spookly bits. Yuck.

JJ rolled a shoulder. "Happens to the best of us." He nodded toward the steps. "Heading up or down?"

She lifted her chin. "Up. Gotta hit the stacks and do some research." She paused a moment. "Have you heard any rumblings about the old library?" She'd staked the place out based on a rumor she'd overheard at the Gilded Chalice, her favorite watering hole.

JJ grunted. "Only that Preacher's crew has been sniffing around that area." He nudged the door to the first floor open then held it for Royal.

Royal bit back a curse. "Figures. It's been a while since we bumped up against them." Not like both teams didn't have enough work with sightings and subsequent removals.

Gamble Preacher and his group were friendly—for the most part—rival ghost hunters. Former military, Preacher employed other fellow soldiers from all branches of the armed forces. Royal's cohorts all carried on a long-standing family tradition, each either inheriting their role or coming to the team after an otherworldly experience. She often put her instincts and knowledge of folklore and urban legends up against Gamble's precisely planned operations and often got better results. But … after fifty years of dealing with the spectral population—because a group of well-meaning but seriously misguided novices accidentally opened a portal from the afterlife—no end to the spooky visitations seemed to be in sight. Which meant there should be more than enough room to work without a lot of overlap.

JJ padded over to the monitoring station and fist-bumped with his partner Marcus. "Need you to take a break. Gonna need someone to scrub my back."

Marcus covered his nose with his hand. "Yeah and hold their breath while doing it." He winced. "Man, you reek."

Royal chuckled. "I was trying so hard not to point that out." She waved the guys off. "Go on, you two. I'll take the tablet with me and keep an eye on the panels." She started unloading her tools of the trade onto the desk.

The guys headed for the second floor where the living quarters were. Royal draped her jacket over the back of the chair and grabbed the oversized device, switching the feed from the computer monitors to the tablet. Keeping only one weapon tucked into her pocket, she headed for the elevator to take her to the third floor.

Her gut all but screamed they had a nasty ghoul on their hands, and she wanted to be one step ahead of Preacher and his gang.  

I'm excited about this story. I'm in the very beginning stages but the sages are feeding me a lot of great ideas.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye