Sunday Snippet: Quell the Boom

Yeesh. We're already halfway through the month and I have barely scratched the surface on holiday stuff. In all fairness, I'm not really feeling it this year. There's just too much terrible going on from mass shootings to the kidnapping of people off the streets. Good will toward man doesn't seem to be a thing anymore … unless it's a specific type of man.

Ohio is super cold and snowy right now. We got about six inches last night and the temperature plummeted down to single digits. It's in the teens at the moment. Won't last long. We're supposed to be in the mid-fifties by Thursday. Seriously.

Work projects are moving along. I'm finishing up a proofread and working on a copy edit. I have another new project getting ready to start soon and another copy edit coming next week. I also have the memoir that I'm reviewing as the author makes changes.

I got a few of my regular shows watched this week. I'm still in a blah place and haven't been able to dedicate the time to viewing. I did get a good bit of my mountain of laundry completed, which is a huge accomplishment. I have a new hanging rack I want to get set up but can't until I get the backlog of clothes cleared.

I did finish up Foyle's War and will be starting a new season this week. The next one only has two episodes, which means they might be a little longer. If that's the case, I might be breaking the episodes into two chunks.

I also got the season finale of Beyond Paradise in. I wanted to get it watched before the holiday special and I got it done. Really hope there's some good stuff around the corner for Esther and Archie. My fingers are crossed. Also … Martha and Humphrey are really great foster parents. It hurts my heart every time they send one of their fosters back.

In an odd twist, I caught a holiday episode of Poirot. Thoroughly enjoyed the mystery even without Hastings and Miss Lemon or Inspector Japp. Gotta say the Egyptian prince being a complete prat ended up being fun to watch. I would not have blamed Poirot if he lost his calm and thwacked that guy on the head.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Quell the Boom, a novella that brings a couple together when they have to catch a mad bomber.

Here's the miniblurb:

Quinna Joltz and Efran Pendragon, experts in diffusing magical bombs, tend to let their rivalry take center stage, but when an unbalanced wizard plants devices that can bring down their entire city, they agree to work together. The adrenaline-filled race finally gives them some perspective and a little bit of common ground to share.

And a preview snippet…

Efran Pendragon did a slow walk around the hex bomb suspended from the ceiling joists of the old barn. "Tricky son of a bitch." And way harder to assess than the previous two explosive devices he'd diffused earlier this month.

Folding his arms across his chest, he stared upward. No way to tell if levitating would trigger the device. And no way to tell if there were any trip-wire spells surrounding the bomb. If he tried to cut it down to see if he could diffuse on the ground, it could blow up, taking him and the barn with it.

Exhaling on a hard breath, he ran multiple simulations through his brain, trying to envision the safest way to handle the situation. "Gonna be a two or three step process." A possible solution settled on the edge of his mind.

He brought the idea into focus, carefully examining the pros and cons of each move. First step … dampening spell. If the bomb triggered, at least the damage would be contained … to him.

Next would be a spell to disengage the bomb from the rafters. "This part is gonna be a pain in the ass." A wrong word or phrase could send the thing crashing to the floor, which the dampening spell wouldn't stop.

The last part … getting it somewhere safe to either diffuse or trigger had him a little stumped. He couldn't risk translocation or teleporting, but maybe…

A smile curved his lips. "I can cloak it until I'm clear of the building and in a safe spot." Yeah, that could work.

Centering his mind, he began a long series of incantations and didn't stop until he had the explosive device outside and well away from the barn. Gently lowering the bomb, he kept the dampening spell active then ran like hell once it touched the ground. The loud boom made his ears ring but otherwise did no harm … at least not to him.

But the field now had a small crater strewn with debris from the explosion.

He approached with caution and carefully picked though the pieces, gathering what might be useful for his bosses at Hampstead. No doubt they'd be in conference with the team from Briarcliff.

Which probably meant a joint operation. "And I know who they'll stick me with. Quinna Joltz." Just thinking about her gave him heartburn.

She always, always, had an answer. Even if she didn't have a clue. He'd never met anyone who spent so much time being snarky and obnoxious.

Heading toward the road, he decided a nice, long walk would do him good. "Give me plenty of time to wrap my head around the idea of working with Quinna."

Why did such a gorgeous creature have to be a massive pain in the ass?

This one is a lot of fun to write. Efran and Quinna have a lot more in common than they think.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye