Sunday Snippet: The Orange Gaius

Yeah, rough week. The cold, virus, some other kind of ick from the last post definitely kicked my ass this week. I did manage one of my client calls but had to reschedule the other one. I had no voice and couldn't breathe through all the congestion. Bleh.

The good news is I'm feeling much better. I think everything kind of broke on Friday. I slept a good portion of the day on Saturday. And my head doesn't feel like it weighs ninety pounds anymore.

I got very little accomplished on my work projects last week. I got some reading done but I'll probably review to make sure I didn't miss anything in my notes. I didn't get a lot of editing completed mainly because I feared missing important things. Back to work this week at double-time.

I had an okay viewing week. Very nice to have something on in the background while I tried to focus on the few things I managed to work on.

Started with Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. I loved this episode because it marked the first time Jack owned his feelings for Phryne. I also love that he didn't even consider the possibility of trying to use his feelings to change her or ask her to be something she isn't. That's one of the reasons this show holds such a big place in my heart.

Caught another episode of Foyle's War. I remembered this one and appreciated how it didn't shy away from there being good and bad people and things at the beginning of the war in England.

Watched another episode of Death in Paradise. I'm warming up to Wilson and I'm enjoying how Naomi is finding her footing with him. I also love Rose and ability to stumble onto exactly what they need for the case. I'm looking forward to Wilson and Naomi digging into his mother's death, which does appear to be more than a tragic accident.

Enjoyed another episode of Poirot. I like it when the mystery isn't a murder, but it's still twisted and tricky. And I love Hastings. Just saying.

Caught another episode of Elementary. It's kind of nice to see Sherlock interested in someone so neurodivergent. Did seem weird that Joan went middle-school student on the idea, but maybe the writers were trying to show their progression? I liked the mystery with this one.

Watched another Batman Beyond. I actually didn't remember this episode so it was nice to dive into a new-to-me story.

Enjoyed another episode of Lower Decks. I might be past the hump on the annoying factor. Great to see Boimler back with the crew and I love the reason for it. I truly do enjoy the callbacks to previous series and episodes. That's so much fun.

Finished up the episode of Reacher I started last week. I'm excited to see what this season brings. I'm also trying to remember that two plus years have passed since the last time Reacher and Neaghly were together.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from The Orange Gaius, a sexy short that got a start with a writing community prompt and features the characters from A Little Yule Magick.

Here's the miniblurb:

Sygin Ball and Boyd Lagassi return from spring break and find the entire campus town raving about a drink called the Orange Giaus. After trying this amazing concoction and finding it horribly bitter, the couple suspects foul play when their colleagues and friends display signs of lethargy and general malaise. Sygin and Boyd race the clock to prevent someone's nefarious plans from coming to fruition.

And a preview snippet…

Sygin Ball tiptoed across the slate entryway to the front door of the manor house.

She twisted the deadbolt and let her partner Boyd Legassi inside while putting a finger to her lips.

Boyd arched a brow and whispered, "Why are we being quiet?" He carefully set their luggage on the tiled floor.

Sygin kept her voice low. "We're late getting back from spring break, and the entire house is silent … that's beyond weird." Especially after a dust up with their opposing side of mages over the solstice holiday.

Boyd did a slow nod. "Okay, I'll give you that one." He left the bags and made his way toward the dining hall.

After peeking inside and finding it empty, he came back.

Sygin clicked her tongue against her teeth. "Yeah, see? If nothing else, I kind of expected a greeting party because we didn't call ahead to let anyone know we'd be a day later than expected." The reason being the only irresponsible thing they'd done over their ten-day excursion.

They literally overslept and missed the shifting of the veils to get back to the estate.

Boyd shrugged. "It's a little strange no one is here, but maybe everyone is holed up at one of the halls? Or … what if something happened while we were gone?" A notch of worry crept into his voice.

Sygin lifted her chin. "Yeah. Come on. We'd better do a quick look around outside and make sure everything's okay." She relocked the deadbolt and headed for the side entrance she'd come through.

Boyd left their bags and followed her. "Let's not read too much into this." He draped an arm around her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her temple.

Sygin leaned her head on his shoulder. "Yeah. Easier said and all that." Too many rumblings about retaliation to completely let their guard down.

Which didn't bode well for easing back into work mode after taking extending time off.

Kind of excited to see where this one goes. I have the general idea mapped out and I hope it works out the way I want.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Oracle's Prayer

Ugh. I'm fighting something, a cold, a virus, some other kind of ick. Not having fun with it at all. I have two client calls this week and I'm hoping I can manage both.

We got back up in the high eighties this week. Supposed to have some rain on Monday or Tuesday and I'm kind of excited for that. We definitely need it. The drought has been upgraded to moderate.

Not a bad work week. I'm almost finished with one of my work projects and making solid headway on another that should be complete by the end of October. I start a new one sometime early in October and I'm looking forward to working on that one. I'll find out if another new project will be starting on Tuesday.

Had a semi-decent viewing week. Between not feeling the best and trying to finish up work projects, I didn't know if I'd be able to watch much. But I made it through my usual shows and got to watch the back-burner ones also.

Started with Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and quite enjoyed the rewatch. It's one I remembered from my original run through. Being in the US, it's fun to watch how footy affects those that have a long, long history with the sport.

Caught another episode of Foyle's War. This show is so well written, and I love the cast. So many super young actors who have gone on to amazing roles.

Watched a new Death in Paradise. I'm slowly coming around on Wilson. I think he might make a good addition to the team. The new police officer is also kind of growing on me. I love that he kind of came up with the solution to keeping Selwyn in his job.

Enjoyed another Poirot. Kind of leading everyone on a merry chase but keep them from going to France was very entertaining. Loved how Japp kept thinking he'd be losing his pension.

Caught another episode of Elementary. I very much like the Joan and Sherlock vibe this season. Really not sure what's going on with the stalker detective but I hope Joan watches her back.

Watched another Batman Beyond and didn't really remember this one. I have a vague memory of the conversation between Terry and Barbara but that's kind of all I remembered.

Enjoyed another episode of Lower Decks. The opener for season two ended up being entertaining. I really do appreciate the callbacks to all the other series. Fun bit with Boimler at the end.

Finished up the episode of Peak Practice I started a few weeks ago. Sam is going to be in a lot of trouble and I'm not sure I'm going to like how things go down with him.

Also finally started season two of Reacher. I'm almost finished with the first episode, but I had to pause because of the whole cold / virus / yuck thing going on. Should finish it up this week. I think the very best moment so far is the Terminator easter egg. Kudos to the writer of the episode for that!

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Oracle's Prayer, a novella that explores two people on opposite sides and how they arrived in the middle together.

Here's the miniblurb:

Nason Forn, the daughter of an oracle, goes undercover to trap a wicked mage preying on young apprentices and thinks she's found her man when she discovers Lane Garganess standing over the body of the latest victim. But Lane has a covert identity, too, which puts him in a bad spot and on the wrong end of Nason's wrath.

And a preview snippet…

Nason rushed toward the abbey where one of the trainees lived. She couldn't fight the feeling of something being terribly wrong. As in the dirty, bad wrong of danger. Her mother said Lena Carsale never missed a training session.

Nason shuffled through her memory. "Long, dark hair. Tiny. Very funny." She'd only met Lena once when they crossed paths after Lena finished up a ritual with Paloma.

But she'd been regaling Nason's mom with the story of her first interpretation failure and she'd had such a humorous outlook on the gaffe. Paloma praised her for admitting the novice mistake and not giving up.

Nason darted up the steps to the abbey's front door. "I liked meeting Lena." Georgie also spoke highly of her fellow apprentice.

Nason tried all the rooms on the first floor and came up empty. "It figures." She double-timed taking the stairs to the second level.

Gut instinct—and quiet stillness—had her bypassing the floor and heading for the spiral staircase that led to the two chambers on the third story of the house. They were used for meditation and scrying. The door to the room on the left stood open with no light coming from within. The one on the right had a dim glow coming from beneath the closed panel.

Nason made a sharp turn, quickly twisted the knob, stumbled into the chamber and stopped short. A robed man stood over the prone—and no doubt dead—apprentice. She hadn't made it in time. Dammit, dammit, dammit.

Her less than quiet entrance drew the man's attention and he slowly angled around, attempting to face her. Thinking quickly, she cast a binding spell and halted his progress. She darted forward and threw back his hood, wanting to look into the eyes of the monster before she choked the life out of him with her bare hands.

But when she stepped away, a gasp escaped her throat. "You!" Lane Gargamell?

Shocked, she lost control of the binding spell, and he lunged, grasping her biceps in a biting grip.

He said one word. "Sleep." His gaze flashed with mage fire.

She had one fleeting thought. Aw, shit.

Her eyes slammed shut and her world went dark.

I'm very excited about this one. I love writing characters who think they're enemies but they're not.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Oracle's Apprentice

Whew. It's been a week. I won't comment on the political spectrum at the moment but it's mentally draining to say the least. The good news is I got a couple of projects finished up and I'm taking that as a win because of the whole brain drain.

Our weather last week was very fall-like and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We're back to higher temperatures again but that's pretty typical. We definitely need some rain. I'd even take a nasty thunderstorm to get some at this point.

As mentioned, I finished up two projects and have a small break before the next one begins. I'm taking advantage to dive deeper into a couple of my manuscripts. It's fun to revisit what I've already completed.

Had a decent viewing week. Even if a little distracted. I made it through my usual stable of shows for the most part. Did not get to either backburner shows.

Started with Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. One of my favorite episodes for Jack and Phryne chemistry. I also love how deep of a hole Hugh digs for himself.

Began a rewatch of a favorite comfort show with Foyle's War. It's been years since I've seen any of the episodes and I'm looking forward to diving back into this show.

Caught another Death in Paradise and I have to say I love Darlene so much. Her interactions with Patterson blew me away. The mystery ended up being pretty interesting also. Kind of a heartbreaking moment with Wilson but I think there's more to the story of his mom's death.

Enjoyed another episode of Poirot. Fun to see the FBI show up to work with Japp and very fun to see Hastings think fast on his feet when creating a diversion for Poirot.

Elementary had a very interesting episode. I'm so intrigued by Moreland's journey this season. I haven't quite figured out if he's genuine or not and I kind of feel like he's not completely sure either, which I like. A lot.

Watched another episode of Batman Beyond and it's one I have vague memories of, mainly because it was a fun episode. Nice to see Howard back also.

Finished the first season finale of Lower Decks and after a rough start rather enjoyed the episode. And it left off with enough of a what just happened vibe that I'm interested in season two. My one hope is Mariner won't annoy me so much in season two. We'll see what happens.

Still hoping to get season two of Reacher underway this week. A lot will depend on what the work calendar ends up looking like. I have two client Zoom meetings and have no idea how long either will last.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Oracle's Apprentice, a novella that brings a couple back together when a precognitive dreams spells disaster.

Here's the miniblurb:

When Opal Cantell, an oracle's apprentice, has a precognitive dream about an impending attack on the fae glade, no one believes her—not the oracle, the elders, or the council. Link Novak is the only one to take her seriously and the duo works together to stop a gnome uprising before it starts.

And a preview snippet…

Opal Cantrell slapped her hand on the table. "I'm telling you my dream is precognitive. The gnomes are planning an uprising." Why wouldn't the oracle believe her?

Justina Eldrich shook her head. "Opal, you've been training and observing, learning and studying very hard for the past six months. It's understandable you'd have what you think is a precognitive dream. You're living and breathing the oracle tenets of prophecy, divination, forewarning, and vision quests." She paused a moment and gave Opal a commiserating glance. "But you haven't moved into soothsaying, interpretation, or reading outcomes yet. You're getting ahead of yourself." She settled back in her chair and picked up her mug of tea.

Opal bit back a scream of frustration. "Madam Eldrich, I'm not trying to be disrespectful when I say this, but I know my dream is real. I feel it all the way to the marrow of my bones. Didn't you say that's a sign the energy is pure?" How could she make the head oracle believe her?

Justina pursed her lips and took a long moment before responding. "Opal, I think you might be confusing pure energy with the excitement and anticipation of being my apprentice." She lifted a shoulder. "You're not quite at the level of being able to discern the difference between the two." Setting her mug down, she leaned forward. "There haven't been any signs that the gnomes are disgruntled or unhappy with their status in the glade." Reaching out, she patted Opal's hand.

Opal's shoulders slumped. "I guess you're right. Thank you for seeing me." She resisted the urge to yank her hand away but got to her feet and gave the older woman a nod. "I'll return on Monday for our regular studies." With as much dignity as possible, she made her way to the door and exited the oracle's abode.

When she reached the end of the walk, she gave rein to her temper and silently raged at the skies. Everything in her screamed the dream she had pointed to a dangerous and savage uprising … but her mentor didn't believe her.

Trudging toward her small cottage, she had one continuous thought. "I know I'm right. This will not end well." For any of them.

This story is just getting started and I'm so excited to see where it goes.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Only When They Blink

September is starting off with a bang. And crazy busy. Also a full blood moon, which is always fun to see.

Spent all day Saturday in Hocking Hills with a group of cousins on my mom's side of the family. We have so much fun when we get together. We're already planning the third annual gathering for next year.

I finished up two work projects this week and made progress on two more. I have a new one starting this week also. Possibly two. I'm hoping the due dates are a little more staggered.

Had an okay viewing week. I made it almost all the way through my usual slate of shows with the exception of Lower Decks. I started it but need to finish it up. It's the first season finale so there seems to be a lot going on.

Started with Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and it's one I really enjoyed on my original run through. Always fun to see Dot stand up for not only herself but others.

Finished up season four of Madame Blanc Mysteries. Very happy to see Jean and Dom work through their issues. Loved how Dom proposed and how everyone knew they were meant to be together.

Caught another episode of Death in Paradise. I'm interested in where things will go with Selwyn. The new officer is going to be fun. I love the vibe he has. DI Wilson might or might not grow on me.

Enjoyed another episode of Poirot. The entire trip to the coast just to hear good things instead of bad from Japp is such a Poirot thing to do. And the side plot with Lemon was fun.

Elementary had an interesting case along with an interesting side case. I like how Moreland reached out to Joan, and she figured things out with what's going on with him. And I love that she told Sherlock. Also really thrilled Sherlock met the character on the autism spectrum at her level, seemingly with care and patience.

Watched another episode of Batman Beyond and I didn't remember much of this one. Ended up quite enjoying it.

Started the Lower Decks episode. I do enjoy how many easter eggs are in this show. Mentions of other characters and episodes from all the various series are so much fun.

I didn't get to start season two of Reacher. I'm hoping I have the time this week, but I'm not going to rush in. I like to be able to focus on this show.

Also didn't get to finish up the Peak Practice episode I started, but I'll get back to it soon.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Only When They Blink, a twist on the Princess and the Pea story.

Here's the miniblurb:

Hale Easterson has fae blood running in his veins, but he won't follow the family old school traditions and mate by the designated age. He escapes to his private lake house to find an unconscious Winter Sorn, a beautiful woman, sprawled on his doorstep and realizes he may not be able to avoid what destiny has in store.

And a preview snippet…

Winter tossed and turned, agitating aching muscles. Swirling images floated in her mind. Curled up on the floor, booted feet kicking at her. A harrowing escape after being thrown from a moving car. Cold ground under her hands and knees. Collapsing on wooden steps … so close to a beckoning light.

Her eyes snapped open, and a strangled gasp struggled up from her chest. "No!" She tried to sit up, but agony tore through her body.

A warm hand nudged her back down. "Hey. Stay still. You're hurt." The voice filled the quiet room.

She angled her head toward the sound. "Where am I?" Her throat hurt and she remembered Butchie's palm wrapped around her neck right before he shoved her out the door.

And swallowing dirt when she landed. She coughed, still tasting the earthy remnants.

A cup of water appeared in front of her and a hand clasped her shoulder helping her to sit up. "You're in a safe place. No one knows you're here." The glass touched her lips.

She swallowed the cool liquid in several gulps then cleared her throat. "Thank you." She finally looked up and blinked at the visage before her.

A man with dark hair that brushed his shoulders sat beside the bed. A red T-shirt fit snugly across his chest, and his jeans were well worn and hugged his thighs. His green eyes were directly assessing her, narrowed in their perusal.

His chin lifted. "Huh. They are blue." He set the cup aside on a nightstand.

She frowned. What did the color of her eyes have to do with anything? And why could she not get comfortable in this bed?

The man spoke again. "You have a large bump on the back of your head. You're bruised and banged up." His lips flattened to a thin line. "And someone kicked the shit out of you to the point they drew blood. I cleaned and dressed the wound for now." He held her gaze for a long moment. "I don't know who the hell you pissed off or if they're looking for you, but for the moment, you've got some breathing room." He leaned back in the chair. "Wanna tell me how you ended up on my doorstep?" His brows arched.

She really didn't. But she owed him a debt of gratitude for taking her in. Even if the bed he put her in added to her discomfort.

Smoothing her hands over the blanket covering her, she gave him the short version. "I ended up here because I got thrown out of a moving car by the two men who did this to me. They're not the ones I pissed off. That would be … actually, I don't know who it is, but he owns the Black Stiletto." Her eyes closed when a dull throb started in her temples. "The good news is I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm dead." No doubt Martin and Butchie would tell him that anyway.

The man frowned again. "That's the good news?"

Winter's lips twisted. "It is if it means they're not going to be looking for me." She still wanted to find out who held the reins of power.

The tilted his head to one side. "Fair point." He got to his feet. "You should get some rest. I'll check on you in four hours. I'd like the swelling to go down a little more before you take anything for the pain." He started for the door.

Winter didn't think she'd be able to rest, but she'd try. "Thank you, again … uh … I don't even know your name…" Or anything else about him for that matter.

Her rescuer flashed a smile. "Name's Hale. Call out if you need anything."

Winter turned his name over in her mind then nodded. "Hale. I'm Winter." She pulled the blanket up over her and snuggled into the bed.

And still couldn't get comfortable.

I'm adding a few small twists to the original tale and having so much fun while doing it.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye