Sunday Snippet: Sentinel's Watch

Whew. The week flew by. I'm in a weird place where I'm getting a lot accomplished but feel like I'm spinning my wheels. So bizarre. Felt the same way last week.

We've had chilly, cool weather with rain. And the week ahead looked like it might be soggy also but is now showing no rain in the forecast. Strange.

Had a pretty okay work week. I have a project I thought completed but apparently it hasn't. The author is wordsmithing and making more changes. Something that isn't fun to do once we're in the design proofread stage. That stuff should happen during the copy edit. I'm making good headway on a science book proofread, which is actually great because the science is way over my head. Really interesting book, though. Started a new copy edit on a mystery thriller and it's going to be a twisty turny ride. Also have a developmental edit I need to get back to. Oh, and possibly a new author signing on for a fun project. Excited to see where that goes.

Pretty good viewing week also. I ended up making it through the whole slate of shows and got a few extras in. Not bad!

Started with Foyle's War and watched the first half of the episode. It's truly remarkable how eerily history repeats itself. This show is twenty-years old, and the themes are as relevant today as they were when the show filmed and the history this show is portraying. Uncanny.

Caught another episode of Brokenwood Mysteries. Honestly, I love this show so much. There's always a new twist around the corner. And the main cast and recurring characters are so solid.

Watched another episode of Death in Paradise. Very pleased to see the commissioner working hard to regain the trust of the island. Also love seeing Naomi stepping up. It would be so great to see her take on the role of DI … if the show could alter its course a little.

Enjoyed another episode of Poirot. Nice to see Hastings kind of called out over his advice when his wife asked that he take a holiday. I like these later seasons of the show.

Elementary ended up being interesting. Felt bad for Shinwell. But also enjoyed seeing him strive to be better. Sherlock and Joan also had a twisty case, which ended up going in a direction I didn't expect.

Caught another episode of Young Justice and I really enjoy seeing the team come together. Looks like we'll get to see Artemis in the next episode.

Truly enjoyed an episode of Star Trek Lower Decks. Loved the whole vibe with Mariner and Jack. Also loved Rutherford getting his promotion. Looking forward to seeing what the cold open is about later in the season.

Watched another episode of Peak Practice. Gotta say, I didn't expect to be rather sad during the whole episode, but I ended up grabbing tissues before it was over.

Also used some Kanopy tickets and watched The Thin Man, one of my favorite classic films. I really, really wish the other films were available for streaming.

That's pretty much it for the life update. Tonight's post is from Sentinel's Watch, the follow-up to A Capsized Buccaneer.

Here's the miniblurb:

After gaining some unique super powers and being rescued from a not-so-deserted island, Kallen Bond and Zeb Bertelli go their separate ways because Zeb cut a deal with his family to leave Kallen alone. But the deal can't last long, because the Bertellis plan to kidnap Kallen so more highly profitable experiments can be done on her and Zeb won't stand for their interference.

And a preview snippet…

Kallen briskly walked up five blocks to an old fire station and let herself in the back door. "Can't believe how much space I have here." Or that she'd bought the building outright.

And the place had two stories—a bonus that didn't happen often.

She tossed her keys on the old communication panel and started her workout routine. Running up the steps that started next to the back door, she followed along the top perimeter past the office on the concrete landing around the corner and down to the supply area where the turnout gear and other equipment used to be stored. She blew past that and made another corner turn and flew past the sleeping quarters. A tarnished pole that had seen a lot of use back in the day ran through the floor down to the main level. Her lips quirked because the realtor informed her they'd remove the long apparatus before she closed on the sale, and Kallen threatened to walk away from the deal if they even tried.

She laughed. "What's the point of having an old fire station if there isn't a pole?" Not that she'd used it yet, but she'd figure out a way to incorporate it into her workouts.

She finished the circuit, increasing her speed with each turn around the upper level. She stopped when everything blurred in her vision and the lingering dust formed into a whirling tornado. Trying a suggestion from Doc Marcus, she sped down the front stairs and hit the button for the large bay door. The spinning vortex of dust escaped through the opening in a whoosh before collapsing in a pile on the apron.

Kallen closed the door and grinned. "I can't believe that worked." She'd update the doc when she stopped by his office later this morning.

She always made her visits during his off hours. "The fewer people who know about me the better." He'd already put his neck on the line by falsifying her medical records, giving her the out she needed to be released from her contract. "But he'll be thrilled with this new information."

She owed the man a lot, considering she had no one else to talk to about her superpowers. And she struggled with the inactivity and lack of being in an arena. Having Doc Marcus give her new challenges every week helped keep her from going mad.

As did the sporadic news he provided about Zeb. Man, I weirdly miss him. Strange, because they hadn't been together long. But she finally met a guy that didn't suck and now she couldn't be with him. Because his family is complete shit.

It pissed her off, even if she got why he put a pin in the relationship before it really got started. They each had a new reality to deal with and cover stories to maintain. Her coach wanted her to transition to training and scouting, and she might test the waters at some point. But she needed to make absolutely certain she couldn't hurt anyone if she did. So … she put her art degree to use and planned to start creating large sculptures in the smaller bay area of the fire department.

Which she would get to after another hour of testing her physical boundaries.

She snorted. "Not like I need more than four hours of sleep to function anymore." A side effect of her ability.

Heading for the climbing net, she decided to use nothing but her hands to hoist herself up to the second floor. She put everything else out of her mind. Zeb. Her former coach. What the hell to actually do about the weird limbo she currently existed in.

If she started thinking about anything too deeply, she'd spiral out of control.

Huffing out a breath, she dropped down to the main floor. "And nobody wants to see what'll happen if I do that."

 

I like how this story is coming together and it might spur an idea of two for more books.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye