Sunday Snippet: Consortium of Chaos (a Chaos novella)

February kind of flew by, which isn't actually a big shock since it's a short month anyway. But, man, I kind of wish it went by a little slower. I'm always scrounging around for time and short months make me feel like there's less to be had.

Still had trouble focusing this week but I got a lot accomplished on my work projects despite my distraction. Luckily, I have more than one project going so I can hop around when I start to lose my concentration.

Had an okay week of viewing. I have to figure out what's going on with one of my streamers. That could take another week. But I did get through most of my usual shows.

Started with My Life Is Murder and actually got two episodes watched. I like the pickup with Alexa's brother again. I wondered if we'd see him this season. Also enjoyed both cases Alexa had to solve.

Watched the first part of Agatha Raisin. Poor James. I can't wait to find out who offed his bride. I love the interaction between all the characters, but I'm sad Roy isn't in this one. At least not yet.

Caught another episode of Silent Witness. Kind of enjoyed having another case mixed in with the ongoing saga of Sam Ryan. I'm really not sure what's going on with her and I'm not going to be super surprised if she ends up being in the clear. Also loved Nikki and Jack's date. Nice to get some backstory with Simone, too.

Enjoyed an episode of Death in Paradise. I remember bits of this one and I'm glad I got to see the whole thing from start to finish. Not a bad opening for season six.

Watched another episode of Elementary. I liked seeing Sherlock realize he'd way overstepped with the NYPD. Also loved having the captain kind of take some of his dignity back.

Caught another episode of The Batman. I'm not as fond of this season and I remember feeling this way when I watched originally. The new format grew on me, and I'll settle back in and enjoy, but I really loved the first season of this show the most.

Enjoyed the penultimate episode of The Secret Life of Amy Benson. Everything is coming to a head, and I can't wait to see how this ends.

Also rewatched the Battlestar Galactica resistance webisodes. Groundbreaking at the time, there's a lot of story packed into ten mini-episodes. And twenty years later, I'm still stunned at how prescient the writers were for what's going on in the world today.

And that's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Consortium of Chaos, a novella in my chaos series.

Here's the miniblurb:

A missing brother, a madman's sinister plot to make a perfect world, and a connection so strong it saves a life hundreds of miles away. Ashton Sylvester and Esme Von Staunton never have a dull moment.

And a preview snippet…

Ash became unsettled as soon as Esme launched. His weird sixth sense all but screamed a warning that something didn't feel right.

Smithers picked up on Ash's unease. "Can I do anything, sir?"

Ash heaved a sigh. "How about you drive me to the meeting and poke around in the shops, while I try to stay awake."

Smithers gave him a bland smile. "You have the shorter end of the stick this time."

Ash couldn't disagree, especially sitting in on another session of the Consortium of Mining and Minerals. He only listened with half an ear because he didn't give a damn about any of the drivel slated for discussion. Sadly, keeping up appearances had become a necessary evil.

Esme would be the first to remind me of that.

While the forechair droned on, Ash let his mind wander. Intelligence reports came in slowly and he needed to remedy that issue. It might be time to take on a little more risk and use the zeppelins. He'd held back on that front because piracy was rampant in the skies.

A moment of guilt hit him. If he'd used them previously, they could've discovered the camps a lot sooner. Maybe prevented the infestation of the horrible places. Kept good people from being forced to work in the mines.

Like Esme's brother.

Ash wondered if she'd made contact with Eric yet. He cast a quick eye to his time piece. He'd know in a few hours. Grayswander would send a communiqué soon.

The forechair switched the topic over to the sale of Olympus.

Ash narrowed his eyes in anger. It was a touchy subject for him. He'd voted against the mining of the mineral until more research could be done. But the limitless potential for energy derived from the refined ore had the consortium too lathered up to wait. Once it had been discovered that in its unrefined state the rock had mind-altering properties, Ash presented a motion to halt all mining until proper safety methods could be put in place.

The members got a whiff of how they could create a new market for usage … and the more dubious members of the consortium wanted to not only keep the mining of the mineral but also made the decision to make it available to the masses. Until they understood the complex nature of the meteor rock, Ash thought it should be used only for medical purposes in its unrefined state.

Needless to say, he'd been outvoted.

The damned stuff would be society's downfall. The desire to turn a profit won out over the potential hazards Olympus presented. That kind of greed and avarice sickened Ash. Maybe he couldn't dissuade the trade for the stuff, but he could influence safe practices in the mining operations and refining processes.

Even though the council would fight him tooth and nail.

And the man leading the charge would be Mobride.

It didn't make sense. Why would he or anyone in consortium object to providing respirators to the workforce? Olympus had proven dangerous in raw form. Once processed, it lost its unstable and narcotic effect.

The answer hit Ash like a hydrohammer.

And he did not like it.

He almost interrupted the proceedings and demanded confirmation but thought better of it. He should do some stealthy digging around first.

If Ash had guessed correctly, the contrivance angered him. He might not be able to dissuade the trade of Olympus, but he would use influence and demand safe practices in the mining operations and refining processes. He didn't give a hang how it affected the bottom line and profits of the society.

He knew in his bones, he'd guessed correctly. Someone—a very big someone—in the council didn't want safe working conditions for the workforce. Instead, their preference would lean more toward fast consumption with minimal output. Hook the workers on the stuff and they didn't care how dangerous the job would … or if they got paid.

Keep the supply flowing and create more demand when the wage-earners became addicted to the Olympus. Pay them less—they wouldn't care—and hell … the plan actually came across as rather brilliant.

And damned evil.

And Ash would find a way to stop it.

I'm having so much fun writing this series. It's got a steampunk flair but doesn't dive completely into the genre.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Consortium of Chaos

Ugh, what a week. The crazy weather has me completely out of sync and my sleep patterns are trashed. Here's hoping spring gets here and I find my footing again.

I missed Legends this week and need to catch up. Same goes for The Flash, Black Lightning, and Riverdale. Seriously, my head wasn't into it at all. Gotham is also still on my catch up list.

I did watch two more DVDs of Chicago Fire. I'm really loving season five, through every heartbreaking moment even. And, man, there's been a lot this season. LOL

Also up to episode six of Jessica Jones. Gotta say I'm pretty happy with how the season is progressing. It's good to get the backstory of Jessica became "super". I will say I'm not quite sure about Griffin, friend or foe? The whole engagement think might be a red herring, yeah?

Got to catch the latest Passionflix movie The Matchmaker's Playbook. Loved it! I'm excited for the next installment, especially with W. Tyler Johnson. While I enjoyed him in Afterburn / Aftershock, he truly rocked in Matchmaker. Now if they'd only cast a few of my other fave actors, I'll be thrilled to death.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Consortium of Chaos, a Chaos novella with a steampunk flair.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Remy Deeds never welshes on a bet, until she loses to Eli Rogers, who can't understand why she backs out. But a five minute kiss, with tongue, isn't something she wants to risk, because giving up her last pack of coffee is so much easier than possibly losing her heart.

And a preview snippet…

Esme listened intently when Ash related the tactics of Baron Morbid while eating his light meal. The stalling and outright ham handedness had most of the council scratching its collective head. Not even the studious Smithers had answers for how Mobride rose to power so quickly or how the man managed to maintain such a tight rein on the proceedings.

Ash didn't expect Smithers to have solutions, but sometimes he saw things at their simplest, which usually helped. The citizens needed advocacy and Ash did his best to make sure they had a voice. Smithers and Esme helped behind the scenes, knee deep in the trenches.

Esme, in particular, walked a fine line. A fringe noble by birth, she chose to work in the service class instead of living in genteel poverty. Her father, the musician laureate for the crown, didn’t come from money. He'd lived and raised two children on the stipend granted by the Ministry of Arts, which ceased to exist when the monarchy lost control.

His older son already lost to him, Hamish Von Staunton sent his daughter off to train as a pilot for the newly developed zeppelins, something that set the peerage on its ear. Once she completed her first year, Hamish ended his existence with an overdose of unrefined Olympus. Alone, Esme completed her training and Ash recruited her at the commencement.

Her piloting skills were not only handy for transporting goods and equipment; they provided a nice cover for their more covert activities. Namely, trying to stay abreast of what the common people went through. As a pilot, she became one of them and folks opened up to her.

She'd been busy today, browsing the shops and keeping an ear to the ground. She added her observations to the conversation.

"I'm telling you, the people are tired." She picked at the crust of bread on her plate. "Tired of worrying about where their next meal is coming from. Where their loved ones are. And how they'll make ends meet." She rose and gathered the remnants of their meal. "And they're more than tired at the lack of anything resembling progress since the fall of the monarchy." Picking up the plates, she made her way to the counter.

Smithers shot her a withering look, which she ignored. Things were never more right in the world unless she found a new way to needle him. Doing something he felt was his domain proved a great way to do that.

And it had been a shit day so she'd take a small measure of enjoyment where she could.

Dumping the dishes in the wash basin, she turned to head back toward the table but caught movement in the small window off to the side of the kitchen. Peering out into the darkness, she couldn't make anything out, but a short series of knocks followed by two thumps on the side entrance had her quickly moving to the door.

"Es, hold up." Ash shot to his feet, reaching for the blade tucked into his boot. "Okay, go."

Esme pulled the door open and the heavy weight of a man collapsed against her, almost dragging them to the floor. "Argh. Ash! Gimme a hand here." She caught the guy under his arms and tried to keep him upright.

I'm very excited to put this series together. With a total of four books, the progress is coming along nicely.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Calamity of Chaos

Howdy!

Well, my week in television ended up being pretty damned awesome. Seriously, the Walking Dead kind of caught me off guard, but gotta give it to Rick. When he steps up, he sorta goes full tilt and gets it done. Not sure how I feel about the parting of ways, but I'm leaning towards it being a good thing.

Thoroughly enjoyed Castle, which is a nice change since I've been kind of 'meh' about this season. I love getting to see Rick and Kate together—that kind of never happens and it pisses me off—but the storylines either underwhelmed or made me scratch my head. Sons of Anarchy continues to rip the scabs off old wounds. I love having my smart Jax back. He's always at his best when he's not reacting to and working through shit like watching his best friend die. Very interested to see what side Tara's actions have him landing on. My hope is he'll stay smart, get the Irish out of the way, deal with the DA, and then let the emotional fallout hit. And good Christ, stay away from Gemma so she can't throw gasoline on the fire. *shakes head*

Arrow and The Tomorrow People just make my Wednesday the best day of the week. I can't say enough about Arrow at the moment, and anything I would say would contain spoilers, so *zips lips*. Haven twisted everything sideways again, but hit on a theory I had from the first episode. I kind of can't wait to see how the new wrinkle plays into the mythology. I have more thinky thoughts, but again… spoilers. LOL

So, that's my week in TV. Maybe I should get to the actual post, right? Tonight's snippet is from Calamity of Chaos, a follow up to Consortium of Chaos. The story is set in the United States and has Esme and Ash on the trail of Baron Morbid's partner. So far, it's been loads of fun to write.

Here's the tagline:

Esme and Ashton embark on a trip to America, on the trail of their nemesis's partner. Calamity ensues when they stumble upon a dastardly plot to keep them from returning home.

And a preview snippet…

Esme turned the controls of the Lady Victorious over to Del. "Keep her steady and for pity's sake call me if you run into any sky traffic." She stepped away from the helm. "I do not want to get stranded in the states with no way home except by sea."

Del snorted. "Esme, you've taught me everything I know about captaining this big ship. Since when do you lack confidence in my ability?" He lifted a brow.

Smithers nosed into the conversation. "Since you are not her, sir." He sent a smirk in Esme's direction.

She sneered. "Stow it, Smithers. I'm perfectly confident Del can handle things." She started toward the aisle leading to the staterooms. "It's the crazy Americans I worry about." Her lips curved when Smithers went pale and pasty.

She enjoyed getting him all wound up. And Del would have to deal with the hovering valet, leaving her plenty of time to cajole Ash into bed for a nice, long romp.

Ash got too caught up in Mobride's business sometimes and Esme wanted to remind him to take a little time to wind down and rejuvenate. Too much time spent around Baron Morbid's affairs would eventually have a negative effect. Esme wanted to get the guy's partner as much, maybe more, than Ash, but she wouldn't lose the man she loved to the nefarious viciousness Mobride seemed able to generate even beyond the grave.

She paused outside the door of their cabin and loosened the buttons of her bodice then gave her camisole a yank for good measure. Twisting the knob of the door, she entered quarters and found Ash poring over several sets of ledgers. The man didn't even look up when she strode across the floor to stop in front of the desk. Esme frowned. Desperate times called for desperate actions. Tugging her shirttails free, she undid the rest of the buttons and shrugged the garment off to toss it on the surface in front on Ash. Startled, he glanced up, his eyes going wide then darkening with desire. Esme slowly made her way around the edge, stopping just shy of Ash's chair. The scrape of wood on the deck became a welcome sound when Ash angled the seat so she could drop down atop his lap. Esme wrapped an arm around his shoulders, putting her breasts on display when the camisole inched its way down. Ash's tongue flicked out, wetting his lower lip and her nipples puckered in response.

She met his gaze. "It's past time for a distraction, my love." She wriggled her butt around and grinned when she got the response she wanted.

The rapid hardening of Ash's cock.

He gave her a wolfish smile then grasped the hem of her camisole, lifting upward. "You know, Es, I think you're right." He tugged the garment over her head then leaned down to draw a pebbled tip between his lips.

Esme gasped, loving the way his teeth grazed over the sensitive peak.

And yes, I'm gonna leave the rest to your imagination. :D

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Consortium of Chaos

YAY!! So far two posts in a row. Of course it's easy to start off strong with a goal…the trick is to keep the momentum going. :D

But hey, I'm motivated at the moment, so I'll just enjoy for now.

Tonight's Sunday Snippet—I can't really call it Six Sentence Sunday because I'm so terribly bad at limiting the number of sentences—is from a manuscript a little over halfway completed. The sages are evil trolls and gave me the broad strokes of the entire story, but like to dole out the important details a little at a time. Cheeky buggars.

This one has a bit of a steampunk flavor, but I can't really call it a full blown genre member. I do hope it's an enjoyable read though. :D

Let's start with a tag line:

A missing brother, a madman's sinister plot to make a perfect world, and a connection so strong it saves a life hundreds of miles away. Ashton Sylvester and Esme Von Staunton never have a dull moment.

And now for preview snippet…

Ashton Sylvester, Earl of Cranford, watched his counterpart, Esme Von Staunton, smoothly glide down onto the landing patch. The zeppelin touched ground with barely a bump. He'd been fortunate indeed when he'd fallen for the best airship pilot around, not to mention a beautiful one.

She had her cloak thrown back over her shoulders, the purple lining shimmering while she worked the controls to shut the blimp down. Ash thought the color suited her. It complemented her gray eyes, which would be very tired looking right about now.

They'd left at dawn to attend a meeting with the Consortium of Mining & Minerals. The talks went on and on. And on. And on. Hence the reason for their near midnight landing.

Esme killed the power and turned off the valve that ran the boiler. She turned and strode toward him, cloak flying out behind her.

"We're home." She wrapped an arm around his waist. "Bit late for that dinner you promised me now."

Ash sighed. "I'm sorry for it. We'll grab something light from the larder then head for our bed." She didn't need his assistance, but accepted his arm as they disembarked from the zeppelin. "You have to be as wiped out as I am."

Esme yawned. "How'd you guess?"

"I didn't have to. I can feel your fatigue. And your day started an hour earlier than mine."

A stickler for pre-flight checks, Esme rolled out of bed long before he had. If she piloted the ship, she ran the list herself.

Her head dropped to his shoulder. "Sometimes that ability of yours irritates me. I can't hide anything from you."

His lips quirked. There were also times she loved his attunement skills…usually when he made her scream in bed.

He cast a speculative glance in her direction. "And why would you want to?"

She laughed. "It's not so much that I want to…but since I can't, I feel like I'm missing something."

See…I can never keep it at six sentences. LOL

Here's a bit of what I used for inspiration for the ship…

Cheers!

Skye