Sunday Snippet: Standing Out

Whew. What a week. Ohio got a lot of the smoke from the Canadian wildfires, and it was kind of eerie seeing the hazy gray skies for most of the week. Good time to stay inside due to the high danger air quality alerts.

The weather at least stayed just under sweltering. My garage cleanout went much smoother since the temperatures weren't as high as they have been. Going out very late at night and only staying there for under an hour also helped.

Work projects moved along. I finished up a few odds and ends and started a new copy edit. I also touched base on a few back burner projects. I got to review some back cover copy and book blurbs, which is always a fun change of pace.

Had an okay viewing week. Didn't quite make it through all of my usual shows but made a decent stab at them. Between the cleanup and a lengthy run with my own writing, my watching took a back seat.

Started with another bonus episode of Foyle's War behind the scenes. An interview about the details of the final episode with the writer and the show historian. Very much enjoyed it.

Also finished up Tales of Irish Castles. Really liked this series and its deep dive into the seriously large number of castles in Ireland.

Caught an episode of Silent Witness and made it about halfway through. I'm going to take a break, I think. This season is kind of dark, which I enjoy most of the time but, in all honesty, I kind of need something lighter right now.

Watched another episode of Poirot and really enjoyed it. It's always fun when familiar people pop up in these movies. And this one was very twisty, which I enjoy.

Elementary ended up being really good. I really like getting backstory and even though Marcus's is full of strife and pain, it tied into the current happenings really well. Also loved Sherlock being there for Marcus at the end.

That's all for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Standing Out, a follow up novella to Blending In.

Here's the miniblurb:

Wren Bingman and Ethan Scott stop a planned attack on their fae city and take down some key members of the group responsible. But when Ethan is kidnapped the following week, Wren suspects retaliation and vows to bring him back. To do so, she'll have to dig deep into the hierarchy of the ruling council, because she's convinced there's a mole in the organization.

And preview snippet…

Wren got up and went to the window to watch Ethan leave, feeling pretty happy about being with him. When he went to cross the road, a dark van drove up, and three masked guys jumped out and dragged him inside.

Wren stared in open-mouthed disbelief. "Fuck. What the hell just happened?" Stupid question.

She knew exactly what happened. Someone kidnapped Ethan.

Her heart jumped. "Someone kidnapped Ethan."

Fuck.

Wren's brain spun with rapid-fire questions. Do I call this in? Why Ethan? What the hell is going on? But the biggest, scariest, deepest, darkest question flared like a beacon in her mind.

"Who the hell can I trust?"

Right now? Not one single person. And as much as she hated the idea of doing nothing … she couldn't risk his life … and maybe hers … by raising the alarm.

Unless she planned carefully before she did.

She paced back and forth. "Something smells rank." Did anyone know Ethan would be with her?

If so … how?

She decided to play the situation like her day should have started … as if she hadn't spent the night with Ethan. Her phone alarm chirped, and she turned to grab it from the nightstand beside the bed. Heading for the bathroom, she grabbed a quick shower and dressed for a normal day. Even if her skin itched with inactivity. She waited another fifteen minutes before she sent a text to Ethan's superior officer, Zeb Marconi. "What's up with Ethan? He was supposed to pick me up this morning." Her knee bounced up and down with impatience.

Her device vibrated with an incoming call.

She swiped to answer with raised eyebrows. "Hey, Zeb. What's going on?" She tried to make sure she sounded curious instead of catty.

Marconi gave a surprised response. "Ethan's not with you?" Something in his voice sounded off.

Wren frowned, a small gleam of unease. "I wouldn't have sent the text if he was." She added a layer of truth. "He was supposed to bring coffee with him." She stalked toward the window and glanced outside.

Zeb huffed out a breath. "Huh. That's strange. I sent him out really early this morning to a drop site and he should've been back by now." His chair creaked loud enough for her to hear it. "Let me make some calls."

Wren's gaze narrowed. "Yeah, fine. I'll head out alone then." She waited to see what he'd say.

Marconi sputtered. "Wait 'til I get back with you. I don't want Ethan to have to go looking for you when I track him down." The sound of papers rustling followed his statement.

Wren feigned agreement. "Right. Okay. I'll stand by for now." She ended the call without signing off.

Yeah, no way would she stick around at this location. "Something's hinky." She stashed her phone under the pillow then grabbed the burner and exited the room.

She'd stop by the studio apartment, grab some extra weapons—and coffee—then head back to the room above the diner.

She would also hold off on updating Sutcliffe until she had more information. If Ethan didn't turn up or if Marconi sent up a flag for a missing undercover operative, her captain might pull the surveillance on the SoO. And she'd lay odds they were the ones who took Ethan.

She headed out into the chilly morning. "And I will get him back … no matter what."

Kind of happy with where this story is going. Wren and Ethan have to dive deep to figure out who they can trust.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: A Spellbound Yule (a Holiday Spirit short)

Another long week and part of it has been spent wondering exactly how many US senators are still with us. One passed last night and another appears to be not recovering. I've been alive long enough to acknowledge how bananapants it is that we don't know for sure. I mean, when an elected official can take four months off and still get paid by taxpayers, not explain what's going on, or be seen in public, there's something wrong. The FMLA allows for twelve weeks without a threat to employment. Sixteen weeks is not cool. Just saying.

Weather cooled down enough to not be miserable. I have to make space in my garage for some things my daughter needs to have stored, and it's been cool enough at night that I can make headway. We were supposed to have rain most of the week and didn't get as much as predicted.

Work continued to be steady. I'm moving along on two ongoing projects, and I finished up a proofread and started a new copy edit. Also touched a back burner project and hope to dive in a little more this week. Writing is also going well right now and I'm happy about that.

Had a fairly decent viewing week. I made it through my usual list of shows and also did a binge marathon of Death in Paradise on Ovation.

Started out with a bonus episode of Foyle's War with the writer and creator along with the show's historian. Very interesting conversation.

Caught another episode of Tales of Irish Castles and moved into a more modern age. I think I have one episode left and have to say I've enjoyed this series.

Watched a new episode of Death in Paradise. Gotta say, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Mervin interact with his brother and loved how everyone, including Catherine, came together to find Mervin. Seeing the punk-ass faux commissioner again kind of put the icing on the cake, even if he's still a punk-ass policeman now.

Enjoyed another episode of Poirot. The later movies are fun to watch but I do miss Hastings and Miss Lemon. And, of course, Japp. But it's also entertaining to dive into mysteries that have an intriguing premise.

Elementary had a great episode. Loved seeing Marcus put everything together with his girlfriend's ex. Really hated the ending though. I have a feeling all will not be as it seems.

Watched an episode of Young Justice and kind of liked seeing Connor and Megan in their regular joe roles. Also rather enjoyed Red Arrow asking Aqua Lad for help. And it looks like the overall mystery is starting to fall into place, with the behind the scenes machinations being revealed.

Also caught another episode of Star Trek Lower Decks. Really loved seeing a different vibe with Rutherford and Mariner teaming up and Boimler and Tendi being together.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Spellbound Yule, a holiday spirit sexy short featuring a witch and a warlock.

Here's the miniblurb:

Holiday spirit, Bertram Goldwreath, has to bring Oakley Oliver, a witch and Calder Conrad, a warlock together over the Yule holiday so they can settle a territorial dispute. Oakley is looking forward to a quiet getaway at a bed and breakfast … until Calder invades her interlude and sparks fly.

And a preview snippet…

Calder woke up alone, but Oakley's side of the bed showed the signs of their night.

He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the mattress. "Wonder if I can talk her into more?" Heading for the bath, he cast a spell for his toothbrush and quickly cleaned his teeth then put a pair of loose pajama bottoms on.

Calder went down the stairs to find Oakley in the kitchen, wearing a long T-shirt, pensive and withdrawn. The sight kicked him hard. He didn't want her to be under strain any more than he wanted to be there either. After meeting her and being with her, the whole land dispute paled to what he wanted from the future now.

He put his arms around her. "I must've failed on epic levels if you're not happy and sated this morning." He hadn't been this relaxed in a very long time.

She turned and met his gaze. "Trust me when I say you didn't fail. My mood has nothing to do with your skill in bed." Her lips curved slightly and she gave a little shiver.

He dropped a kiss on her nose. "The land dispute?" What else could she be thinking about.

She nodded.

He led her into the sitting room. "Come on, let's talk about it." He settled on the couch and pulled her down onto his lap.

She raked a hand through her hair and explained. "We've cultivated the acreage and have a good supply of herbs and other plants we use for our craft and income generation. Many of the coven members rely on what we grow."

He nodded. "I see the dilemma." He ran a hand over her thigh. "Now, here's ours. We have a distillery and it's finally in the black. But … we've run out of storage to keep the casks. We need to build a new warehouse, but if we want to keep making a profit, we have to put up a temporary facility to house the product until our new structure can be built." He shrugged. "The land would be the obvious solution." One the warden needed if they hoped to stay debt free.

Oakley reacted with a groan. "This is crazy. We're both going to lose big parts of our livelihoods because of this stupid clause." She got up and paced back and forth. "There has to be a way to come up with a solution." She turned and faced him.

Calder expressed his doubts. "It's been fifty years. Don't you think it's been attempted?"

Oakley snorted. "No. Because the previous coven leaders, including my grandmother, let the bitterness fester and weren't open to the possibility of renegotiation." She made a disgusted sound.

Calder couldn't let her take all the blame. "The warden wasn't either and I didn't do anything to help. Especially after making so many attempts to contact you." And, yeah, nastygrams kind of hit the nail on the head.

Oakley met his gaze. "And now?" She moved to sit on the edge of the ottoman, her hands lightly resting on his knees.

Calder settled back against the cushions. "Now, I'm open to the idea of finding a mutual solution." He wanted to do whatever he could to make life good for the coven and the warden.

I love writing the holiday spirit shorts and pulling a couple together after they overcome an obstacle.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: The Souvenir (an Academy of Light novella)

Well, July is off to a banging start. Heat wave, the holiday weekend, and a lot of things converging at once. I've been a little off also. Not sure if it's menopause hormones or just general fatigue, but it's been a long week.

We should get a bit of relief from the extreme temperatures when some rain moves through over the next few days. I'll welcome the lower heat indexes.

Work is staying busy. I had a couple of great calls with potential author clients, and I'm excited to see where those go. I have project that shifted to the back burner that needs attention this week, hopefully tomorrow. I also had a project that might be coming back … again. It's the one that won't die, but thankfully, the revisions are all author requests and nothing concerning the edits. Whew. Moved a few smaller things in and out, which is always fun to break up the week. Almost finished with a manuscript proofread of a thriller that has a lot of twists and turns. I need to finish a written assessment on a read through of the opening book to a five-book series sometime this week also.

Had an okay viewing week. Didn't quite make it all the way through my usual shows but didn't do terrible either. I think the heat makes it hard to focus on more than one thing so the entertainment took a back seat to my work projects.

Started the week with another behind-the-scenes bonus episode of Foyle's War. This one focused on the historical recreations for the final episode and I thoroughly enjoyed the interviews.

Caught another episode of Tales of Irish Castles. We're into the seventeenth century, which apparently saw a lot of upheaval.

Finished up the second half of Silent Witness. Again, very interesting how closely related to reality this season has been. I also think I'm liking how there seems to be an overarching thread that's following through all the episodes. That's not really standard or hasn't been for this series.

Watched another episode of Poirot and enjoyed the twists and turns. I love it when Poirot questions what he sees with his own eyes to solve the mystery.

Elementary had a great episode. Seeing the fallout from Shinwell's actions is interesting and I kind of hope there's some redemption there. The case itself ended up being really twisty and wildly bizarre as well.

That's all I had time for this week and that's it for the life update. Tonight's post is from The Souvenir, a fun novella about mages who are finding their way to each other.

Here's the miniblurb:

Melick Traynor and Ramona Peartry, childhood friends and top students in the Academy of Light, compete for prominence in their respective classes. But when Melick throws out a challenge, Ramona takes an insane risk to prove him wrong and winds up tangling with the dragon plaguing campus grounds.

And a preview snippet…

Melick raked a hand through his hair. "I can't be her precept anymore." Okay … he could be, if she didn't feel the same way he felt about her.

But … her parting shot before they took her to the healing chamber made him wonder. What if she felt the same way about him? That could get tricky. And Melick didn't want to damage her progression through the levels of illumination. If word got out that the heir apparent and the mage's ward were involved, others would scream favoritism. Not that they didn't already but hooking up with Ramona while being her guide would cause major problems.

The whole situation tonight showed Melick something profound. He had to get a grip on how he felt, make sure Ramona had the same inclination toward him, and find a way to make sure nothing blew up in their faces.

The timing would have to be pitch perfect. "And I'll have it even worse being that my grandfather is the Mage Superior." Master Sawitch would have a field day and try every play in the book to remove Melick from the higher adept position if Sawitch even caught a whiff of Melick's plans.

Melick stared down the corridor where they'd taken Ramona. Thinking she'd been gone for good had definitely affected him greatly. But how did the experience affect her?

He only had one option. "I'm done wondering what if." He grinned to himself.

Having a solid idea of how to possibly test the waters, he made a quick stop or two to gather a few things he'd need. For once, he took a page out of Ramona's playbook and didn't think too far in advance. He'd worry about the fallout later.

With purposeful strides, Melick walked toward the infirmary, rewinding his last conversation with Ramona in his head. She'd be very surprised when she saw what he had planned for her. And he'd know for sure what step he had to take next…

This is such a fun story to write. Melick and Ramona are kind of destined but they have to get out of their own way first.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye