Sunday Snippet: Fan the Flames

Gearing up for a busy week with work projects and my youngest's graduation from college. I think we're also going to have some nasty weather, which should be fun.

Had a solid week of work and writing, which makes me very happy. I might be finding my groove again. I so hope I am. I'm not a fan of being unable to focus when I need to.

Had a decent week of television viewing. Made it through the modified list of shows and started over.

I caught the final two behind the character bonuses for My Life Is Murder. I'm somewhat hoping there's another season. Based on a little research, I think there might be.

Also watched two episodes of Madame Blanc Mysteries. Both were enjoyable. Kind of sad to see the pub owners no longer with the cast but interested in Dom's uncle being a possible addition. Hopefully he won't be too shady.

Enjoyed the two-part Silent Witness. A lot of twists and turns in this one and I liked them. Looking forward to starting a new two-parter this week.

Finished up season six and started season seven of Death in Paradise. I'm excited to dive further into Jack's tenure as the DI. It feels like this is when cast members start their merry-go-round of coming and going. But I'm looking forward to more of this show.

Caught another episode of Elementary and Moriarty is making their presence known. I'm kind of interested in how this might play out over the seasons. I'm very much loving the dynamic with Sherlock and Watson.

Watched another episode of The Batman. I guess it was the season two finale. It always kind of annoys me when the first season is twice as long as the remaining ones. That said, pretty sure Robin makes an appearance in season three so there's that.

Enjoyed an episode of Classic Rugrats. Again, these were new-to-me vignettes. Not sure what happened with season seven during the original run, but I'm happy to see those now.

Also finished up the Peak Practice episode I started a while ago. Hoping to get another one in this week.

That's it for the life update. Tonight's post is from Fan the Flames, a novella featuring a cupid that has to bring a couple together, but they don't make it easy for him.

Here's the miniblurb:

A modern-day cupid discovers a couple with matching auras and thinks he'll have an easy time matching them up. Right ... not so much. While Jamie and Alix definitely have the hots for each other, one big obstacle stands in their way—Jamie's job.

And a preview snippet…

Alix met the gaze of the man speaking and studied him for a moment. Attractive, except for that nasty comment, he looked tired and a little cranky. But he had to have some knowledge of her work.

Her lips curved upward. "You must be referring to the VanDyne house, the one that featured prominently in the holiday parade of homes last year." Her gaze scanned the other committee members. "The strict guidelines for the design parameters required the full Victorian treatment. Mr…"

The man's lips thinned. "O'Riley, but everyone calls me Jammer." He shifted in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest.

Alix knew the name. Joe mentioned Jammer on a regular basis. He failed to say the guy had a massive stick shoved up his ass.

She gave him a sweet smile. "Jammer it is then. Part of my job is to follow the client's requirements to the letter. In the case of the VanDyne home, the homeowner's association dictated a lot of the design features we went with." Moving the presentation along, she started to turn over the first board.

Jammer jumped in again. "What makes you think you can handle the design for the common areas and living quarters in a fire department while adhering to commercial code?" He quirked an eyebrow.

Alix flipped the board, her color scheme of rich earth tones with pops of red, black, and white drawing appreciative nods from the other committee members. "To answer Jammer's question, my degree is in residential and commercial interior space planning. I'm well-versed and up to date on all codes." She took the design board and started it around the table.

Glancing in Jammer's direction, she paused for half a second to see if he had anything else to bitch about. He brought his coffee mug to his lips and stayed silent.

Alix propped two boards side by side. "Since Jammer seems to have the most concerns, I'll offer to scrap the leather chairs and sofas, the dart boards, the flat screen TVs, and billiard tables for the living room along with the oversized eight burner stove, double fridge and freezers for the kitchen, and do away with the weights and cross fit equipment for the exercise area, if everyone agrees it's not what a firehouse needs." She met Jammer's gaze. "However, the frou-frou bedding with pom-poms for each of the bunks is a sticking point. I refuse to give up creative control for the sleeping area." She smirked then passed the two boards around then revealed the actual bunk room design. "All kidding aside, I'm aware you guys are on shift for twenty-four hours and my goal for the bunkroom is to make it comfortable during downtime." She pointed to the key features. "Semi-private berths, with space and charging stations for your electronic devices, and a fold down desk area will accompany each section." She started the last board around to the buzz of approval from most of the committee. "Bedding can be brought in, so if anyone isn't happy with the cool blues, taupe, and sienna color scheme, they can bring on the pink and polka dots." A round of laughter greeted her pithy remark.

Mr. Grouchy had the design boards laid out in front of him and had, so far, kept his mouth shut. Alix wondered if he'd get on board or go further into ass hat territory.

I love this story so much. Alix and Jamie are a lot of fun to write and bringing them together is a huge treat.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Fan the Flames

Hello, May! I'll be honest, I had a momentary freak out when I realized we're a month away from being halfway done with the year. It's so weird how time seems to fly by so fast but it also drags on for what seems like decades. Geez.

Had an okay week of television. I started a new to me show The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which I enjoyed. It's pretty creepy and I'm intrigued enough to keep watching.

Watched the penultimate episode of Picard. It went in a direction I didn't expect and I'm not quite sure how I feel about where things are at the moment. I'm looking forward to the finale.

Caught another Passionflix holiday Quickie. Sexy Scrooge ended up being pretty good. I liked the couple's chemistry and the Uber driver was fun.

Started another new episode of Blue Heelers. I'm almost finished with this one and I'm interested to see where things go. They're starting something of a serialized continuation and I'm down with that.

Watched Chicago Med and enjoyed it. I'm four episodes in and I'm getting a better feel for who the cast is. It's helpful to have some experience with the Chicago crossovers.

Caught another episode of No Offence. Things are moving along at a good clip and I'm pretty interested in seeing where the new boss lands where Viv is concerned. I kind of love the feud between Nora and Viv.

Started the first part of Silent Witness. This one is very twisty and I can't wait to see if I'm right about who the killers are.

Watched another arc of Classic Who. I'm kind of amazed at how a show from thirty years ago manages to kind of hit on things that are happening right now.

Ended up getting in another episode of UFOs: The Lost Evidence. This one featured segments on death-bed confessions from government officials and military people.

Also managed to finish the first season of The Muppet Show and I'm getting ready to start the second. First guest star is Don Knotts, which should make for a fun show.

That's it for the weekly update. Tonight's post is from Fan the Flames, a novella that features a cupid bringing a couple together.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A modern day cupid discovers a couple with matching auras and thinks he'll have an easy time matching them up. Right ... not so much. While Jamie and Alix definitely have the hots for each other, one big obstacle stands in their way—Jamie's job.

And a preview snippet…

"Sorry I'm late, Joe."

Joe handed Jamie a folder with the presentation schedule. "No problem. They're waiting for you, go on in." He clapped Jamie on the back.

Jamie did a quick scan of the designers listed in the file on the way to his seat. The chief shot him a brief glance of disapproval, but didn't bust Jamie's chops. No doubt the man had read the after action reports. Settling back, Jamie half-listened while the introductions were made, his eyes drawn again to the file. Alixandra Golden, currently with Gung Ho designs, rang a bell. He shifted slightly and took a long drink from his coffee mug. Gung Ho, a catchy play on the owner's last name, specialized in residential design. And Jamie remembered why Alixandra seemed familiar. He'd toured one of the holiday homes she designed. A sugary confection of gingerbread Victoriana that made him want to heave before he'd hit the second floor. Strictly speaking, she'd remained true to the period, capturing the flair of Victorian flounces with a mix of antique originals and beautifully crafted reproductions. Why anyone would want to live among so much frou-frou lace and floral prints, he'd never understand. The whole house reminded him of the Candy-land board game he'd played as a kid.

And she wanted to do the interior of the fire station's residential area? No effing way. Not if he had anything to say about the subject.

She took her spot at the center of the room and brought out her design boards, propping them on the easel, the top one facing away from her audience. Doing a slow five count to focus her thoughts, she smiled and opened her mouth to start her presentation.

Jamie rolled his eyes. "Is the reason you have your design boards facing away because you're going to dazzle us with pink, frilly concoctions and an explosion of chintz fabric?"

The banter in this story is so much fun to write. Joe starts out being very grumpy but he changes his tune in a big hurry.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Fan the Flames (Cupid's Bow)

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. Whether you have offspring, fur babies, or play a surrogate parent role for someone, you're awesome!

My weekly television roundup is kind of jammed with goodness. I caught two episodes of Krypton and I'm completely sold on this show. I'm hoping it gets another season.

Also caught two episodes of Endeavor. Finished up the first series and started the second. I rather enjoy this show and really like the actor in the lead role of Endeavor Morse.

My DVDs this week were movies. Blackhat and Red Dawn. I didn't finish Red Dawn but I'll catch it at another time. For me, the original Red Dawn is going to be hard to top.

Finished up the first arc of Classic Who with "An Unearthly Child". I also started "The Daleks" and watched about half of the first episode. Over on CW Seed, I started the live action version of Constantine and enjoyed the first episode. I'm hoping to get through the whole season before new episodes of Legends of Tomorrow begin.

I still love Gotham. The totally batshit craziness brings me a ton of joy with each episode. I'm so happy this show truly found its footing and delivers great viewing with each new week.

Also caught some additional season six episodes of Chicago Fire and another from season five of Chicago PD. I'm a little miffed they're making a mole of one of my fave characters but I'll see how it all plays out. I truly hate Woods though. Just saying.

Arrow and The Flash both had great episodes. I like seeing the two couples work through their roadblocks. That said, I honestly can't wait to see both villains go down. I'm pretty much done with being patient.

Riverdale brought more crazy and I'm still an episode behind. I do like how much tension simmers below the surface and how quickly alliances have to be made and discarded. Kudos to Mark Consuelos. He makes me totally hate Hiram. I also have a small suspicion about who fired the shots at the mayoral debate but I'll refrain from saying… in case I'm completely off my guess. LOL

I got another episode of Blindspot in and, well, I'm trying to figure out Roman's goal. I really don't want him to be another Shepherd so here's hoping that's not the direction they're going in.

Quick mention for Ghost Squad. Caught two more episodes and seriously enjoy the hell out of this show. The emotional toll is interesting to watch and the slow erosion of trust in anything also packs a punch. Great stuff.

Brief shout out for The Sarah Conner Chronicles. Rewatched the pilot episode and, damn, I forgot how awesome that was.

Last but not least… some thoughts on Jessica Jones. I finished the second season and honestly hate Trish with the passion of a thousand burning suns. I have no idea where they'll take her if the show has a third season, but off a tall building in Manhattan wouldn't bother me one damn bit. If they can redeem her, I'd be on board, but I'm honestly not all that interested in seeing a redemption arc for her. I hate her that much right now. I do hope Malcolm and Jessica end up back on good terms and I was happy to see Jessica stop by to see Oscar and the kid. I'd welcome a third season if we get one.

And that's it for my jam-packed week in television. Tonight's post is from Fan the Flames, a Cupid's Bow tale.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A modern day cupid discovers a couple with matching auras and thinks he'll have an easy time matching them up. Right... not so much. While Jamie and Alix definitely have the hots for each other, one big obstacle stands in their way—Jamie's job.

And a preview snippet…

"Hey, Joe. I'm on my way. Got a slow start this morning."

Jamie O'Riley hated being late. And he loathed leaving voice mails when he really needed to talk to a live person. But at least he'd called in a head's up to one of his coworkers.

Known as Jammer to his friends, Jamie had a thing for punctuality. Given his profession, that sometimes seemed odd. Emergency calls ran long, shifts went into overtime, and buildings burned at no one's convenience.

Jamie gave up arguing the logic of being on time whenever possible a long time ago.

Another thing he hated? Getting roped into sitting on committees. Especially when it involved him losing a bet.

Just because he had an interest in architecture and design didn't mean he wanted to sit through endless meetings about the building and interior work of their new fire station.

And okay, Mojo owed Jamie the payback for letting it slip Mojo had started dating the monster truck rally girl… woman… whatever, for which the rest of the crew spent way too much time ribbing him over. But the guy didn't have to volunteer Jamie, did he?

Mojo's little prank stuck Jamie directly on the stupid approval committee. The one who decided today would be the day to finish up the presentations and make a choice for interior designer.

Of course, no one anticipated it would be the worst of the worst days for him. He hadn't been scheduled for a double shift. And he certainly hadn't expected to lose a victim—a kid, no less—to what appeared to be vehicular manslaughter.

Not the best circumstances to work with—zero sleep and not enough coffee in the world to get rid of the monster headache he had going on.

He should get a double espresso, but no, he didn't have time to duck into the coffee shop. Besides, he couldn't stomach the flirty barista today. Her double entendres usually amused him, but not after the forty-eight hours he'd just had.

And yeah, he'd considered taking her up on the blatant, in his face, wanna get busy innuendo more than once. He'd started relationships with less to go on. Not that any of them lasted long.

He'd have to be satisfied with the steaming mug he'd brewed while he showered to wash the stench of the last few days off this morning. Getting ten hours of sleep first would have been nice. Hell, five hours would've been great.

Coffee would be served at the presentation. At least he hoped so. He might have to maim or kill someone if there wasn't any available.

Pulling into the parking lot, he cursed at the time. Ten minutes late. He rolled to a stop and cut the engine. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he hastily ran his fingers through his hair, trying to tame the too long length. His plan had been to get it cut yesterday, but that didn't work out at all. Later today, if he had to do it himself.

Popping open the door, he grabbed his coffee and slid out of his truck and locked the vehicle. Pocketing his keys, he strode toward the station. With any luck, the three designers would get their ideas out of the way in short order.

If not… there might have a good chance of being treated to the sound of his snoring.

Jamie's going to wish he'd been able to catch some sleep once he gets into the meeting. He won't know which way is up when he meets Alix.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Fan the Flames

September 27, 2015

*sigh*

Sit back and get a little comfy. I'm going to blather on about my disappointment in the new season of Doctor Who, which feels almost sacrilegious, but necessary. Maybe if I purge myself, I'll enjoy the show more.

So… as mentioned before, I'm not a huge fan of Capaldi as the Doctor. This has nothing to do with his acting. I enjoy his work. But… here's the thing… I just can't get past the fact he's been two other characters besides the Doctor in the Whoverse—Caecilius in The Fires of Pompeii and John Frobisher in Torchwood: Children of Earth. But wait! What about Eve Myles? She played a character in Doctor Who before being in Torchwood. Why doesn't that bother me?

One simple reason. The character she played in The Unquiet Dead, Gwyneth, by rights, could have been an ancestor of Torchwood's Gwen, so… my brain has no problem wrapping around the idea. But Capaldi's characters? Not so much. Wanna know why?

Because THE DOCTOR doesn't have ancestors on earth. Even if I bought the idea Caecilius could be John Frobisher's ancestor, I can't buy the idea they're somehow related to the Doctor. EVER. It's just a big, fat NOPE.

Do I take this Whoverse stuff way too seriously? Oh, hell yes, I do. LOL But… I miss the continuity of the earlier Davies seasons. The sweeping emotional arcs we got in even a single episode. And Moffat is more than capable of writing that way. I mean Blink is one of the most emotional roller coaster episodes I've EVER watched on TV, so he's got the chops to connect with me on that emotional level… when he's not trying to be too quirky or clever or whatever the hell he's trying to be with the gimmicky shtick he's been throwing out lately, especially with the two opening episodes of this season. They were disjointed and messy and I'm honestly not sure what I was watching, but it's not the Doctor Who I love.

And no worries if anyone vehemently disagrees with me. I'm totally okay with the rest of the planet loving the Doctor as much as they always have. I'm just not quite there yet—maybe I never will be—but I'm hoping Moffat rises to the challenge of keeping me as a viewer.

Whew. I feel WAY better now. Thanks for letting me vent. LOL I think I'll rant a little more on my sister blog, or you know, copy this and post it there, too. :D

I could go on about having new episodes of Lost Girl to watch, but I'll save it for a later post.

Moving on… Tonight's post is from Fan the Flames, a novella with a very dapper cupid who has his work cut out getting the hero and heroine together.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A modern day cupid discovers a couple with matching auras and thinks he'll have an easy time matching them up. Right... not so much. While Jamie and Alix definitely have the hots for each other, one big obstacle stands in their way—Jamie's job.

And a preview snippet…

Alixandra Golden pulled into the parking lot of Station Ninety-Five and cut the engine of her brand new, previously-owned vehicle. Only three years old, it still had warranty left on it, but a price tag she could afford.

Especially if she left the design firm she'd taken a vacation from.

She exhaled slowly. "Here goes nothing and everything."

Popping the trunk, she slid out of the car and walked around to retrieve the portfolio that held her storyboards. She shouldn't be as nervous as she was. She'd worked on this project in her free time for several months and knew the design inside and out. The exterior of the new station house, situated behind the current one, only had to pass inspection before the work could begin on the interior living and working space.

The presentation didn't worry her. The outcome did. If she landed this, she'd be able to work for herself—one of her life goals—almost two full years sooner than she'd planned. 

Her dad, a battalion chief—though not with this station—could've probably paved the way for the job with a simple recommendation. The regular bidding process through the city didn't come into play for the project. The funds had been earmarked with an endowment from a very grateful citizen whose house had been saved by the department.

It didn't hurt he happened to be the fourth wealthiest person in the entire state.

Alix specifically asked her father to take a giant step back and keep his yap shut. Two of her four brothers, three of her dozen plus cousins, an uncle, a godfather and one of her best friends had all been sworn to secrecy as well. Thankfully not all of them worked for the city, but all were employed by the service.

Alix already had an inside track, growing up in and around the fire service. She spent her childhood crawling through and hanging out at station houses. The firsthand experience would be reflected in her design for the residential rooms.

Grabbing her oversized case and the wooden folding easel, she propped both against the bumper of the car and pulled out a small mirror from her handbag. She checked her makeup, smoothed on a bit of lip gloss, and made sure her mascara hadn't smeared. Then she slid her feet into a pair of mid-heel pumps, tossed her beloved flip-flops in the trunk and closed it.

One of the reasons she wanted to start her own design business? To shed the need to wear professional garments all the time. Of course she'd dress appropriately when dealing with clients, but while doing the actual design work, she favored casual, comfortable clothing.

She checked her linen skirt for wrinkles, took a deep breath, grabbed her stuff, and entered the building, a full thirty minutes early for the meeting. Her best friend, Joe, one of ninety-five's firefighters, met her at the door.

Alix gave him a quick smile. "Did you get it?" She hoped he remembered.

Joe nodded. "Of course I did. Five gallons of rocky road, stashed in the freezer, waiting for your grand gesture." He grabbed her easel and carried it into the conference room.

Alix hugged him with her free arm. "Thank you. You're the best." She wanted to follow custom and since she had the first spot for the presentation, she knew the drill… ice cream all around.

She might be cheating just a little, but showing the committee she had a strong grasp of how the firefighters and paramedics lived while on shift, should give her a leg up. Breaking the ice by using one of many traditions also boosted her confidence, which she'd take.

Joe flashed his lopsided grin. "You'll blow them all away, Alix." He gave her a smacking kiss on the cheek. "I'm gonna go guard the freezer until after you're done."

Alix chuckled and waved him off, looking forward to some quiet time to run through her plans one last time.

I've had so much fun writing this one. It's almost ready for beta readers!

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Fan the Flames

Week four…I think it's safe to say I'm getting in the habit now. :D

Seriously, I've read and seen that posting fresh content really helps when readers want to interact and/or check out an author they've discovered or grown to like. Thankfully, once I get into a groove, I tend to stay there.

Okay, for this week's Sunday Snippet, I'm featuring a preview from Fan the Flames. This story got a start almost twenty years ago. I know! What the hell, right? What can I say? Except I'm really glad I NEVER throw out anything I've started. LOL

In all honesty, this book needed the hook and that didn't come to me until recently. What's the hook? Lovejoy the Cupid, of course. :D He's what the story needed to mesh and gel…and get Alix and Jamie together.

Let's start with a tag line:

A modern day cupid discovers a couple with matching auras and thinks he'll have an easy time matching them up. Right...not so much. While Jamie and Alix definitely have the hots for each other, one big obstacle stands in their way: Jamie's job.

And now for the preview snippet (featuring Lovejoy)…

Lovejoy felt the zing. The one indicating two potential matches were in the same vicinity. He closed his eyes and let his instinct guide him.

Up and over the high rise office buildings of the city, through the factory district, onward, across the river and down into the charmingly quaint suburb of Reese Woods.

It had been a long while since he'd found his quarry on the outskirts of the city. This must be a special case.

Lovejoy picked a wrought iron park bench and settled down to wait. He watched the humans go about their everyday lives and wondered which two unsuspecting people he'd be zapping with his arrow.

Time would tell. He'd see the auras of the couple and know.

Pulling a bag from his coat pocket, he figured he might as well feed the birds while he passed the time.

Does anyone remember The Avengers? Not the Marvel Comics heroes, but the BBC television show? Patrick Macnee and Diana Riggs? My inspiration for Lovejoy is Steed. Not in the super spy way, but more in the uber cultured man kind of way. :D

That's it for this week. Stay tuned for more.

Cheers!

Skye