Sunday Snippet: Believe

Happy holiday season to everyone! I'm ready for a busy week and a quiet Christmas. We're always pretty low-key and this year my oldest is in the middle of moving out for the first time. I'm thrilled for him but don't envy the chaos. Moving is challenging when it isn't the holiday. LOL

Didn't get much television watched this week. Have an ongoing project that's due by the beginning of January and I'm focused on getting it finished up.

I did listen to a lot of holiday tunes while working and I got sucked into a Scorpion binge marathon. Other than that, I watched the usual classic Perry Mason and The Saint.

Looking forward possibly getting to the movies I'd like to watch this week.

Tonight's post is from Believe, a novella that features a journey to trust the inner self and the one person that knows the most about that self.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Shaelyn Hardwick is a talented mage, but lacks control. When she inadvertently causes another's death, she flees under the cover of darkness. Innis Talmadge goes to the mat for Shaelyn and gets dismissed for his efforts. He tracks her down and a battle ensues. Shaelyn doesn't trust her ability, but she trusts Innis and he has to show her how to believe in herself again.

And a preview snippet…

I killed someone.

Shae got up and paced her floor. "I can't stay here." She couldn't face the mage council.

Even if they let her stay, she didn't trust herself anymore. She didn't believe she wouldn't hurt anyone else.

She gathered up one single suitcase and exited her room. "Innis is gonna be pissed when I don't show at eight." Her steps didn't slow.

She couldn't worry about him. Not right now. But her heart twisted a little.

He drove her mad most of the time but he also taught her so much. "And gives me advice I usually don't heed." She didn't want to tarnish him with her fuck-up.

Innis gave a damn about her and it would lead to his downfall. Or, hell, maybe his death. She didn't have the gift of prophecy, but her dream held vivid clarity. She had the power to end Innis and she couldn't deal with the idea at all.

Strolling out of the manor, she made her way to the grotto to teleport in relative obscurity. She didn't want anyone to know she'd left until she had a good bit of distance between her and the mage campus.

"I have to go somewhere…" Her main thought of escape didn't include a destination. "The fringe. I'll head there."

Dammit. But not right away. She needed to be smart about this. The fringe would be perfect to get lost for a while. The wild-wild-west vibe of the desert mining area would perfectly suit her mood and the need to lay low.

She stepped into the center of the grotto and focused her mind. "A place where no one knows or cares about me." But first, she'd hit the biggest city in the next state.

A zigzag approach. Take some time to earn funds to set up a buffer. She'd hop around instead of taking a direct route. A few paychecks would come in handy in case she didn't find work right away in the fringe.

And the roundabout travel would throw anyone off her trail … because her gut said Innis would try to follow her. And the more distance she kept between them the better.

I like how this story is coming together. Innis has Shae's number but he'll have to get past her call-forwarding. LOL

That's it for this week.

 

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Believe

December 24, 2017

Season's Greetings!

As usual, I'm running around like a crazy woman finishing up everything at the last moment. I'm only halfway through Operation Wrap Shit Up but I'll get it all done. I always do… even if it's not until four a.m. Christmas morning. LOL

Slow week in television, which isn't a bad thing because I had a few editing projects to finish up and I didn't need the distraction. I did manage to finish the first season of Chicago Fire and I can't wait for the second season to start arriving in my mailbox.

I have the Murdoch Mysteries holiday special ready to watch while we're decorating our tree later tonight. I'm looking forward to the Doctor Who special if only to watch the regeneration into a new doctor. Sadly, I never warmed up to Capaldi as the Doctor and I'm ready for a new face.

I still have the Riverdale winter finale to watch and I'm hoping to finish up my wrapping while viewing that episode. Considering I'll probably be going nonstop until the wee hours, I might even watch it more than once. LOL

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Believe, a novella built around a powerful mage who lacks control of her ability.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Shaelyn Hardwick is a talented mage, but lacks control. When she inadvertently causes another's death, she flees under the cover of darkness. Innis Talmadge goes to the mat for Shaelyn and gets dismissed for his efforts. He tracks her down and a battle ensues. Shaelyn doesn't trust her ability, but she trusts Innis and he has to show her how to believe in herself again.

And a preview snippet…

Innis finished showering and had just grabbed a towel when his phone rang.

He answered the call. "Talmadge." Dripping wet and beyond tired, he listened to the grim announcement. Madwyn didn't make it.

Repercussions could wait and there would be more than a few.

Innis dried off and dressed before scrubbing a hand over his face. "I'd give anything for a cup of coffee right now." No time to make some not right now.

He left for Shae's room on the fifth floor. Raised his hand to knock and caught her as she opened the door, no doubt to head to the infirmary. He nudged her back inside. No need for the others to overhear their conversation. They'd all hear the news soon enough.

Shae copped an attitude right away. "What the hell, Innis? I'm heading for the infirmary. You know I only left to grab a shower." She tried to duck past him.

He shook his head. "There's no need." He hated to break the news.

Her eyes brightened. "You mean she regained consciousness? They're releasing her?" The hope on her face almost killed him.

He gave a quick jerk of his head. "No. She didn't and they're not." He sounded terse, but the gravity of what she'd done warranted his tone.

The color drained from her face. "She didn't make it then." She turned away, her head resting on the wall in front of her.

Not the reaction Innis expected. As usual, she threw him off balance. He didn't have clue what to do, but they needed to talk. Shae had to get out in front of the situation.

He started forward until a sob escaped from her and her shoulders shook. Aw, hell. Tears were the last thing he thought she'd experience. Pissed-off anger, yes. But she seemed almost… defeated.

Shae angled her head around. "You were right. Damn you for always being right." Teardrops tracked down her cheeks.

Of course when she finally got mad, she directed her ire at him. Probably because she had no illusion where he'd place blame. But he'd also have her back. He always did.

Innis grasped her shoulder and guided her to the sofa. "If you're expecting an I told you so, we don't have the luxury. An inquest will be convened and we need to be ready." He had her sit and he handed her a box of tissues.

Cleaning up her face, she blew her nose. "Madwyn hasn't even been laid to rest yet. This can't wait?" Shae blinked and shook her head. "Never mind. Of course it can't."

Innis laid a hand on her arm. "We might have two days, three tops." He didn't miss the hard line her mouth formed into.

Casting her gaze downward, Shae nodded. "Fine." She twisted the tissue in her hands.

Innis blew out a breath. "We should talk, prepare. They won't go easy on you." Or him for that matter.

Shae lifted a shoulder. "Right. But it doesn't have to be today, Innis." Her tone basically said "get out and leave me alone".

And, fine. He'd give her a day. But no more.

He got up. "First thing tomorrow, Shae. We can't wait longer." He didn't budge until she met his gaze.

She held it a moment then glanced away. "Sure, first thing." She gave a pointed look at her door.

He made his way over and twisted the knob. "Eight o'clock. We can use the third flood study." Might as well get a committed time to begin.

Shae acknowledged his suggestion. "Right. Whatever you want, Innis." She leaned her head back against the cushion.

Innis exited her room, unsettled by her easy capitulation. Shae didn't usually see the light of day until after ten. The fact she didn't put up a fuss sent up a red flag.

One he should have paid close attention to.

I'm excited for the possibilities of this story. Shae is a challenge to write and I enjoy her journey so far.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Believe

Wow, what a great week of television and binge watching!

The Last Ship rocked! I can't wait for tonight's episode. So far, I love how they're not dragging stuff out and moving the plot and characters forward. Keep that up, show. I can say the same about Defiance. Moving everything along, but keeping the focus tight is awesome. I'm pretty thrilled there was a dose of closure for Amanda this week and I'm so intrigued about what's really going on with Nolan and Irisa.

Killjoys and Dark Matter continue to have me hooked. I love the dynamic between Dutch and the brothers on Killjoys and Lucy rocks. Ships with personality make me happy. With Dark Matter, I'm interested to see what our loosely group crew gets into. Keep dishing out the clues, show. I like getting them.

Strike Back broke my heart… again. At this point, I'm pretty much prepped to loose everyone by the final episode. Seriously. LOL I figure if I assume they'll all be dead by the finale, I can't be disappointed. Just saying.

All caught up on Teen Wolf and ready for season five. Looking forward to seeing how this season goes. And my binge watch of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries continues. I'm so in love with this show. Glad I've got a few seasons to sink into.

That's it on the TV front. Tonight's post is from Believe, a novella where my main characters have some issues to work out.

Here's the tagline:

Shaelyn Hardwick is a talented mage, but lacks control. When she inadvertently causes another's death, she flees under the cover of darkness. Innis Talmadge goes to the mat for Shaelyn and gets dismissed for his efforts. He tracks her down and a battle ensues. Shaelyn doesn't trust her ability, but she trusts Innis and he has to show her how to believe in herself again.

And a preview snippet…

"Shaelyn Hardwick scores again with a move bordering on illegal. Madwyn Bronte can take a free strike, but Shaelyn is allowed to counter in defense." The announcer's voice boomed in the arena.

Shaelyn readied for Madwyn's maneuver, going on gut instinct and flexing her fingers. Madwyn used the same two techniques over and over. Shae drew on her element, absorbing heat to deflect the ice or singe the objects Madwyn would hurtle in Shae's direction. Madwyn flung her arms wide and pulled off a surprise attack, using a blast of ice to form a wall then conjuring a line of cinder blocks and boards to act as shrapnel when Shae threw flames at the ice. Not bad for a timid, little mage of Madwyn's skill.

But Shae had a trick or two up her sleeve, a few new moves she hadn't perfected yet, but didn't mind using. She let a slow smile spread across her face and brought her hands together, letting the fire flow freely from her fingertips for a ten count. The ice cracked and shattered and when the blocks and wood pieces started their forward momentum, Shae spread her arms wide and tipped her head back then brought it forward. The counter measure should have dispersed the flying objects off to either side, but instead, the maneuver reversed the trajectory and everything hurtling back towards Madwyn.

Too late, Shae realized her mistake. She attempted an aggressive intervention, but didn't have the energy reserves to pull the move off. Shae expended too much when she'd tried for flash and flair instead of solid magicking.

Horrified, her eyes opened wide. "Madwyn, get out of the way!" Her warning did little good.

Madwyn tried to duck out of the way, but couldn't clear the destructive path in time. Two blocks and several pieces of wood scored direct hits. Madwyn went down, the sound of crunching bones echoing in the suddenly quiet arena. The shrapnel littered the field, dropping to the ground when Madwyn struck her head on the surface. Without a tether, the pieces had no force to keep them aloft.

Which meant Madwyn either got knocked out or…

Worse.

Shae dropped to her knees, her head slumped forward. Innis's warning before the match ringing in her ears. Don't show off. Keep control and don't attempt anything new during a match until you master control. Why the hell hadn't she listened?

Two strong hands gripped her shoulders. Innis. He would have to be right here, right now.

Shae glanced up and met his gaze. His eyes hooded, she couldn't read him at all. Probably didn't want to at the moment.

He held out a hand. "Come on, let's get you up and out of here."

Medical healers surrounded Madwyn, working on her injuries. Shaelyn couldn't do anything to help. Causing harm seemed to be her forte.

She accepted the help up. "I want to go to the infirmary. I owe her that." Dusting off her clothes, she started toward the exit.

Innis caught up. "Fine, but we'll need to discuss what happened here. Soon, Shae."

She nodded, but didn't speak. Everything she wanted to say clogged in her throat. But she'd take the reprieve. Innis would no doubt tear her a new one as soon as Madwyn got the all clear.

If she got one.

Shae's in something of a bind here, no? Here's a clue… it gets worse. LOL

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Believe

March 3, 2013

Oh, Walking Dead, just when I think I can quit you, you suck me right back in. I've been waiting and waiting to see Morgan again, and the episode did not disappoint. We'll see if I can still stomach the show after next week's showdown with the Governor. Nothing at all against David Morrissey, but eh, I'm just not feeling the menace like I think I should be. Oh well.

Wait…one last thing. The cat? The one Michonne when back for? Oh…I laughed and laughed. But honestly, how awesome to sort of see her unbend just a smidge. Even if the whole Woodbury Wackiness falls flat, it might be worth watching just to see more of that. J

All righty then…on to the post. Tonight's preview is from Believe. I'm barely started on the actual manuscript…the silly sages are feeding me scenes in no particular order. Little imps. But that's okay, I'll get the whole thing eventually. LOL

Here's the tagline:

Shaelyn Hardwick is a talented mage, but lacks control. When she inadvertently causes another's death, she flees under the cover of darkness. Innis Talmadge goes to the mat for Shaelyn and gets dismissed for his efforts. He tracks her down and a battle ensues. Shaelyn doesn't trust her ability, but she trusts Innis and he has to show her how to believe in herself again.

And here's the preview snippet…

Shaelyn entered her room and sucked in a harsh breath.

"Shaelyn." Innis pushed away from the wall, his booted heel hitting the floor.

Innis had tracked her. She should have known. Not hard to do when she left a trail of destruction behind her wherever she went.

She tossed her bag on the bed. "Innis. What brings you all the way out to the Fringe?"

He snorted. "Like you don't know. Did you really think no one would miss you? That I wouldn't?" He crossed the room, stepping in front of the door.

Smart guy. She'd had every intention of bolting outside. Unable to leave, she sank down on the bed and waited. If he wanted to talk, he could damn well start the conversation. She had no desire to help him out.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he got right to the point. "Why run, Shaelyn? An inquiry would've cleared you." Grabbing a side chair, he spun it around and dropped down onto it, resting his arms on the back.

How to answer the question? She'd taken off because she didn't want to be let off the hook. And she couldn't face staying and having everyone afraid of her. If only she'd taken his advice and slowed down a little. But nope, she had to keep pushing and testing her limits. He'd warned her…so many times she'd lost count. Be careful. Stay focused. Don't practice in the non-designated areas. Someone could get hurt.

She sighed. "You always rode my ass. I never listened."

The rapid change of subject didn't faze him. He'd always been good at following her train of thought.

Innis wouldn't insult her by denying the truth. "No, you didn't. And you learned a hard lesson."

Shaelyn almost choked. "Hard lesson? No, Innis. I killed someone."

A friend. Someone she cared about. All because she wouldn't slow the hell down.

He shook his head. "You caused their death. There is a difference."

The truth in his words almost let her believe everything would be okay. Almost. But the cold fist of pain grabbed her heart and she shuddered.

Her voice went hard. "Not in my book." No one could let her off the hook, but her.

Innis blew out a long breath. "Well, then. I guess you're through." He scooted back and rose from the seat.

Shaelyn nodded. "Damn right I am." She started to rise, but he flung the chair across the room…without moving a muscle.

She plopped back down. "Shit. But you're not, are you?" She lifted her chin and met his gaze.

His head jerked back and forth. "No, I'm not. You can stay out here on the Fringe and hide if you want. But I give you maybe three weeks before you're climbing the walls and trying to push your boundaries again. And what then, Shae? Destroy the town? Take out a chunk of the planet? Is that how you want things to play out?"

She pressed her lips together, keeping a tight rein on her reaction. He knew her too damned well. She wouldn't be able to resist the pull for long. And she couldn't control her abilities…obviously.

Innis crouched down, resting his arms on her knees. "I know you're freaked out. I get it. But you need to think things through, Shae. Reflect on your options." He squeezed her thighs lightly then stood and made his way to the door. "I'm two doors down." He pulled the door open and exited.

Shaelyn flopped back on the bed. Think and reflect. Two things she never did well. Rolling up onto the mattress, she grabbed a pillow and tucked it under her head. She tried to let her thoughts drift, to not focus on what Innis recommended. But her brain always went back to choices. Stay on the Fringe and make her own way, or go back with Innis and face the inquiry. On top of everything, she couldn't quite shake the image of her out of control power striking down a fellow mage. And that sent another even more terrifying picture running rampant.

A vision of Innis falling in front of her, smoke flying from her fingertips, grabbed hold in her head and she could not let it go.

Sitting upright, she shook her head. "No, not him." He meant too much to everyone…to her. "I won't be responsible for his death, too."

Jumping up, she grabbed her bag, tossing in the few items she'd removed the night before. She had to leave. Escape before she caused more damage.

And she needed to do it now.

Poor Shaelyn. She's going to find out there's no place she can run to that Innis won't find her. And it will frustrate the hell out of her. :D

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye