Sunday Snippet: On the Circuit

It's been a wild and busy week! I'm buried with work projects, which I'm thrilled to have—even if I could use about four more hours in each day. Good problems to have.

Had a slower than normal television viewing week, but I kind of expect that when I'm trying to keep plates spinning with work and only have a small wobble here and there.

I caught two episodes of Hawkeye and I'm kind of bummed there's only one left. I'm loving this show a lot.

Caught the season three premiere of Harrow and I already intensely dislike the new boss. That said, I kind of love the shifting dynamics of the character relationships. Fern could grow up just a little, but I like where everyone else is for the most part.

Watched another episode of Blue Heelers and liked the way everything played out. Really good case of the week on this one.

Enjoyed another MasterClass lesson with Neil de Grasse Tyson. Learned about cognitive bias and have a much better understanding of how that works.

Caught another episode of Young Wallander: Killer's Shadow. Poor Kurt gets his ass kicked on a regular basis. Glad to see Reza get bumped up to detective. Poor Rusk has a lot going on at the moment.

Got two more episodes of Classic Rugrats in and thoroughly enjoyed. I love the call outs to stuff from my younger years. That's why the original show is genius. Enjoyable for parents and kids.

Watched another episode of Chicago Med and things got interesting at the end. Not sure I'm down with Will possibly hooking up with Agent Lee. Really kind of squicked out by Nat's involvement with the dad of her former patient. But I love the whole saga of Daniel's ex and everything that's going on with that.

Enjoyed another episode of The Snoopy Show. I like how the short vignettes are themed around a topic. This one had Halloween stuff and it was a lot of fun.

Caught another episode of Loch Ness and I'm kind of amazed how things are moving forward but at what seems like a maddeningly slow pace. A couple of big reveals in this episode.

Finished up season seventeen of Silent Witness and should start eighteen this week. Have to say I quite liked how this one ended. Glad Jack will be sticking around.

Watched another episode of Classic Who. Poor Seven just doesn't have a lot to work with. That said, I'm kind of enjoying this arc.

Enjoyed another episode of The Laundry Guy. I think I could honestly watch multiple seasons of this show. Patric needs his own YouTube channel. I'd totally subscribe.

Also watched another episode of The Hardy Boys and have a lot of love for this show. It's so much fun to talk to my brother about the episodes after we see them. Brings back a lot of eighties memories.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from On the Circuit, a novella that features dragon rodeos and two bull-fighting characters that keep the riders safe.

Here's the mini-blurb:

The popularity of breaking dragons on the rodeo trail lures Reggie Pitch to test her mettle as a bullfighter. She works her way up from green recruit and tries out for the big show with Dwight Merlyn as her trainer, which proves intimidating because not only is he attractive as hell, he's a third generation handler and his family breeds the rankest, meanest beasts on the circuit.

And a preview snippet…

Dwight arrived at the bar and scanned the room for Reggie. "Not here yet. Good." He needed time to come down from the high of facing down rank bulls for the last several hours.

The rodeo owner, Jeb McCallister, signaled Dwight over to the counter. Dwight ambled over, ready for anything. Jeb had a lock on the circuit in this area. He owned the arena, the bar, and most of the supply shops. He also had shares in the crew quarters and family housing.

The dragons were the only thing the man didn't have a financial interest in … Dwight's family had full control of the stock and breeding of the beasts. What started out as a relationship of necessity between the two clans had turned into lifelong friendship—at least for three generations. Dwight respected the hell out of Jeb, even when he butted into Dwight's personal life.

Jeb tapped the wood surface. "Get this man a shot."

Mathis, the bartender and one of Jeb's brothers, poured amber liquid into a glass. "Hell of night out there. New bull fighter is coming along." He slid the tumbler toward Dwight.

Dwight gave a nod. "Yeah, she's got some chops." He downed the drink.

Jeb snorted. "Hell, she's got more than that. That little slip of a woman put on one hell of a show." He leaned his forearms on the bar. "She gonna stick around?"

He left the real part of the question unasked. Would Reggie follow Nordstrom?

Dwight inclined his head. "Far as I know. She gave Nordstrom the boot right after you did." His lips curved when he remembered how well she'd handled that scene.

Jeb cocked his head to one side. "Tread carefully, my boy." The warning tone had humor laced through it.

Dwight huffed out a breath. "Always do." He spied Reggie enter and pushed away from the bar. "But I appreciate the advice." He lifted his chin. "Even if I don't plan on taking it."

Jeb and Mathis rolled their eyes. Dwight didn't care. He'd pretty much made up his mind to let nature take its course with Reggie. If they ended up twisted around each other, so be it.

He could question the choice later.

I love this story so much! As a rodeo fan, I'm challenged by writing the scenes with the dragons, but moments like the preview are fun to dig into.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: On the Circuit

Orphan Black. If you're not watching this show, why aren't you? LOL I rave about Arrow and Bitten, but in all honesty, Orphan Black hits every single one of my hot spot kinks for television. The writers always throw something into the mix that catches me completely by surprise and seriously, with the amount of television I watch, that's hard to do. LOL

Truly, if you're looking for something awesome to sink your teeth into, find the first season and don't look back. The acting is top notch—any show that has a lead actress who can pull off no less than nine different roles, usually at least four to five simultaneously, is worth its weight in gold. And the supporting cast is stellar. Go. Find. Watch. You won't regret it.

Tonight's post is from On the Circuit, a short novella featuring dragons and bullfighting. Yes. Combined. LOL

Here's the tagline:

The popularity of breaking dragons on the rodeo trail lures Reggie Pitch to test her mettle as a bullfighter. She works her way up from green recruit and tries out for the big show with Dwight Merlyn as her trainer, which proves intimidating because not only is he attractive as hell, he's a third generation handler and his family breeds the rankest, meanest beasts on the circuit.

And the preview snippet…

Reggie finished putting the final touches on her greasepaint fighting face. Her design garnered raves from the female followers. She grinned and the long, exaggerated black and white smile looked appropriately menacing.

Too bad the dragons wouldn't give two shits.

She put the cap back on the jar of ebony paint and tossed her brush into the cleaning bin. The door burst open behind her and she angled around to see what moronic ass dated to barge in while she tried to get ready to face two tons of snarling beast.

Sam thumped across the floor, his booted feet clomping on the teakstone tiles. He grabbed up a bunch of her shirts—she really needed to do some laundry—and started stuffing them into a satchel.

He shot her a nasty look. "Come on. We're outta here." He shoved two pairs of leather pants into a new bag. "I'm off the ticket."

Reggie's eyebrows rose. "What the hell happened?" She could guess… Sam's riding skill didn't quite pass muster in the big leagues.

And the McCallisters didn't carry anyone. A rider pulled his weight and brought in paying fans, or they lost their spot. Sam also shirked his time in the stables. Mucking stalls didn't rate very high on his scale of fun things to do.

Shit. Reggie sank back down on the stool. She'd just earned her spot at the main event—with a little help from Dwight Merlyn when he said she'd never cut it.

She got back up and strode over to Sam. "I'm not leaving." She yanked a pair of boots out of his hands. "I just got moved up to the big show. No way am I walking away from that." She tossed her gear back on the floor.

Sam slapped his hands on his hips. "But you'll walk away from me?" His eyes narrowed. "Or did Dwight get a hold of you?" He sneered the words.

Reggie took a deep, calming breath. "Dwight put me through the paces, Sam, you know that." He'd watched most of her training sessions… like a damned hannock bird. "I proved my worth."

Sam moved in close, grabbing hold of her belt loops. "I'll bet you did." He hauled her forward, banded his arms around her, and slid his hands down to her ass. "How many times did you wrap your luscious legs around him, Reggie? Did you show him how well you ride the big dragon?" He squeezed her cheeks hard, grinding his groin into her hips.

She lifted her foot and stomped down hard on the top of his, sending him backwards.

He yowled with pain. "What the hell, Reggie?" He hopped around for a moment then shook his foot back and forth.

She jabbed a finger into his shoulder. "I don't ride dragons, Sam. I get between them and idiots like you when you get bucked off." She twisted around, needed some space between them… before she punched him in the mouth. "The fact you think I used my skill in bed to move up the ranks is insulting. I'm damned good at what I do." She paced the length of the small room. "But you've got one thing right. I'm definitely walking away from you." She jerked her head toward the open door. "Get out. Now." She whirled around, sickened by the sight of him.

Sam's strong fingers gripped her arm. "I don't think so, Reggie. I brought you here." His tone dropped to a menacing level. "I can take you away, too." He squeezed her bicep hard enough to make her wince.

Reggie drew her leg back and swung it forward, connecting with Sam's groin. He doubled over, letting her go.

She shoved him toward the exit. "Not fucking likely." Sam stumbled over her discarded boots, but she urged him along. "I'm staying. If you try to get in my way, I'll do more than kick your balls up to your throat." She gave him a smile, hoping to use her face paint to full effect. "I've been watching the wranglers, Sam. I've learned a thing or two about castration." She put her palm against his chest and pushed him across the threshold. "Don't even think about coming back here." The door slamming in his face gave her a victorious thrill.

For about five seconds. Then the butterbees started. Less than fifteen minutes to show time and her blood pressure soared through the roof. The beasts would sense her anger and she'd be useless in the arena.

Damn Sam Nordstrom. No, damn Reggie Pitch. She didn't have to take the bait and then get pissed off. Her booted feet paced the floor and she tried to shake off the rage and fury still rolling through her. A deep breath in, then exhale slowly. Again. And again. And again. Her shoulders relaxed and she inhaled, filling her lungs to capacity, holding the air in until it burned.

The jangle of spurs on teakstone had her sputtering, ready to let loose with a right hook to Sam's face. Her arm drew back and she spun around, her gaze colliding with Dwight's instead.

He propped a broad shoulder on the door jamb. "That was quite a show, Reg. I'm thinking we oughtta sell tickets next time."

Dwight might just have to make a move if Sam's really out of the picture. Stay tuned to find out.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Six Degrees of Separation

Apparently an awards show aired earlier tonight. LOL I didn't watch the Oscars because I got sucked into Doctor Who and The Walking Dead. I have an episode of Banshee to catch up on then I'm ready to start my new TV viewing week. YAY!

As promised, tonight's post is from Six Degrees of Separation. It follows the events in The Souvenir and delves a little deeper into the fallout when Ramona and Melick realize how they feel for each other.

Here's the tagline:

Melick Traynor and Ramona Peartry, two Academy of Light magicians, have a single passionate encounter after Ramona nearly loses her life to a dragon. But when they navigate their new relationship status, Melick has to step down as Ramona's precept, but neglects to tell her why.

And the preview snippet…

Ramona shifted on her cot. The healing chambers didn't offer much in the way of entertainment. She'd already been banned from practicing spells. Too disruptive to the other four patients or something stupid like that.

Bored and cranky, she had no to blame but herself. It sucked.

Technically, after five days in the infirmary, she should've been back in classes and working on achieving the next level. They'd repaired the more extensive damage to her knee after tangling with the dragon, but not even two binding spells seemed to be enough to get her up and on her feet. She knew the biggest reason had nothing to do with the dull throb that wouldn't quite go away. She might be great at acting tough. But she hated pain. Yet that didn't keep her down for the count.

Nope. The big, bad reason she couldn't seem to get out of bed related to one thing.

Fear.

It terrified her to think she might have permanent damage. Sure. But if she had to be honest—and she kinda didn't have an option since she had nothing to do but think about stuff—she didn't know if she could face Melick on equal footing after the whirlpool tryst.

He'd opened up something, broken through her defenses and changed the rules on her. And yeah, he stopped in to visit her every day but the maddening man hadn't mentioned the hot encounter at all. What, exactly, should she think about that?

Too many different things, dammit.

She had time on her hands and it forced her to run through every scenario. Goods ones. Bad ones. Yesterday she'd almost grabbed him and begged him to explain what he'd been thinking that first night back. If only to get the big asshat to have a reaction. Yet she couldn't bring herself to spit it out.

Usually she had zero problem asking point blank questions, but found when she really gave a damn about the outcome, the words didn't come so easy. And it sorta pissed her off. She could pull off elaborate pranks and jokes, but didn't have the ability to have a very serious conversation?

Mage's bones, what an idiot.

She settled back down in the bed and whipped out a deck of cards. A distraction would do wonders to restore her mood.

Melick needs a good, strong lesson in Communication Skills 101. LOL

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: The Souvenir

February 17, 2013

I have a wonderful secret to share. Watching an all-day marathon of Firefly makes catching up on mountains of laundry more fun than it should be. LOL

Tonight's Snippet is from The Souvenir featuring two of my favorite characters. (Yes, I know. I say that frequently. :D) It has a follow up in the works called Six Degrees of Separation that I'll preview next week. I'm hoping to submit both at the same time.

Here's the tagline:

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 here's the preview snippet…

Ramona Peartry let out a loud whoop.

The extra practice she'd put in finally paid off. The elusive quadruple somersault followed by a double barrel roll had finally been attained. Showy stuff and usually frowned upon, but she'd set a goal two years ago when she'd entered the Academy of Light so to actually achieve it? Divine Master, she felt infused with warmth and a sense of accomplishment.

She made several giddy flips and dips in celebration and couldn't wait to get back to campus and throw her solid win in Melick's face. She obviously did not lack the stamina and control to pull off the difficult maneuver.

Not anymore.

Her face split in a wide grin. Crowing to him would be the highlight of this semester. Melick Traynor might be her precept, an elder adept who tried to mentor the lower level cadets, but she counted him as a friend, too. She'd become a ward of the Master Sage when her parents died and had grown up alongside Melick.

Now, at the age of twenty, and halfway through her training, her pranks made him insane, but he made her just as mad with his rigid adherence to the rules. And yeah, things had been a little weird lately. She caught Melick looking at her like he'd seen her for the first time. The way she looked at him sometimes. It put a strain on their interactions. Having something to make him proud might nudge them out of the funk they'd been in.

She made a slow, steady bank around the back of the practice field and spun forward to head home. A strangled gasp escaped when she looked up and saw her worst nightmare headed directly toward her.

A huge, gleaming red, dragon…one that spewed fiery flames from its mouth.

Holy underworld.  She'd just flown into big time trouble.

Ramona biting off more than she can chew? Nothing unusual. Getting her out of the scrapes is half the fun of writing for her. :D

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye