Sunday Snippet: Jump

Welcome, December! I'm truly not sure what this month will bring. I'm at a weird place where I feel kind of stuck and a little buried under the weight of needing to get things done … but I have no idea where to start.

Work slowed down a little, which isn't a great thing. But it did give me some time to spend with my daughter when she came home for Thanksgiving break. I'm so grateful for that time. And December still looks to be booked with projects for the most part.

The temperature did drop but didn't quite dip into the teens. I'm really not ready for the arctic blast yet. But it does help get me in a mood for the holidays.

Had a semi-decent week of viewing. My sleep schedule is all over the place again and that doesn't always make for a good attention span.

Watched the season two premiere episode of London Kills. Nice to see Billie back in action. I'm interested in the ongoing arc from season one. This cast is stellar, and I love the changing dynamics between them.

Caught another episode of Death in Paradise. I'm starting to find some redeeming value in Neville. I liked the way he kind of helped Florance. Really not sure about Marlon.

Enjoyed part one of Silent Witness. Loving some inside looks at Jack and Nikki and the mystery is kind of amazing. I have no idea where things are going and that's always fun.

Watched another episode of Elementary. Mycroft is an ass and maybe that's a good thing. He definitely has some explaining to do. I do give him kudos for being able to manipulate Sherlock even if I hate that he could. And I'm going to be really pissed if Sherlock decides Joan is his weakness and starts acting like a bigger ass than Mycroft.

Caught an episode of The Batman and it's one I don't remember watching previously. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Having a team that is completely opposite of Batman and Robin was fun.

Enjoyed another episode of Classic Rugrats. I think it's the final one where the whole episode is one story. I kind of wish there were more of those.

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

Here's the miniblurb:

A group of young adults comes into their mage power much later than usual. Sima Hood and Dario Burgos are the de facto leaders of the raw recruits when they're trapped and pinned down by a faction of dark sorcerers who want to groom them for their side, but Sima and Dario receive guidance from one of the elder mages who help them escape and lead them to safety.

And a preview snippet…

Sima Hood shook her head back and forth. "No way am I working with Dario Burgos. You've got to be testing the limits of my patience with this request." She certainly hoped the elder mage didn't really think putting her with Dario would be a good idea.

Marco Lambert gave her a steady look. "Sima, I don't have time to argue this point with you. Twelve raw recruits need a crash course in controlling their powers, and I don't have to tell you it's harder when they haven't been raised with the basics of mage wisdom." He sighed. "This is a huge undertaking, and you can't do it alone." His shoulders slumped.

Sima bit the inside of her lip. Marco didn't wear defeat well. She didn't want to let him down. But she also didn't want to spend the next who knew how many weeks butting heads or anything else with Dario. They did not get along. But the one thing they had in common—coming into their powers in late adolescence instead of the beginning of puberty—made her and Dario uniquely qualified to help this group transition into being proper mages.

Dammit.

She couldn't say no to the man who mentored her and helped her make the transition to becoming a functioning mage. He'd also done the same for Dario … which became part of the reason she struggled to get along with her fellow mage proctor. They didn't have an easy road, and they clashed frequently during their training.

Sima squared her shoulders. "Okay. This is going to be a complete shitshow, but you can count on me." A promise she might end up regretting.

Especially with Dario involved.

Marco's lips quirked in a wry smile. "Not sure this helps, but I heard the same thing from Dario." He chuckled. "Might be the first time you two have ever been on the same page. I consider that a good omen."

A slap might have stung less. But she didn't know if the idea Dario agreed they'd be dealing with a trainwreck bothered her or if the fact the elder mage consulted Dario first kicked harder. Because neither made her happy.

But she'd made a commitment, so Sima tempered her response. "I guess there's a first time for everything." Whether or not they stayed in sync might prove to be the bigger question.

She definitely had doubts.

I'm just getting started on this one and I love having a new story to sink into.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye