Sunday Snippet: It's Academic

Ugh. A long week again. At least it was more about recovery than ongoing crises. Had a flurry of work projects come in and I'm glad to have some new stuff to dive into.

Had a short week of television viewing. I started with The Brokenwood Mysteries and quite enjoyed the episode, which featured sharks and spiders and I'm not a huge fans of either so there's that.

Finished up an episode of Blue Heelers and started another one. I'm kind of amazed how themes from almost twenty years ago are even more prevalent today. The episode focuses on colonization and theft of indigenous artifacts. Very interesting.

Started a new two-part Silent Witness. I remembered bits of this one but not all of it. Should finish up the second part this week.

Caught the second to last arc of season 18 of Classic Who. The Master has returned and I'm pretty sure he'll be then end of Four. Sometimes I like not remembering how and when the regenerations occur.

Finished up UFO Witness and enjoyed the series overall. I'll be starting a new series this week but haven't decided what it'll be yet.

Watched two more episodes of The Muppet Show. Helen Reddy and Harry Belefonte were the guest stars. I really enjoyed Harry's episode.

Started a rewatch of Prime Suspect. I'd forgotten how thoroughly asshattish the men were toward Jane in the early seasons. I wanted to kick all of them in the balls.

Finished out the week with Peak Practice. Can't say I'm a big fan of Will's lady friend but I can't quite put a finger on why I'm not fond of her. Overall a good episode.

That's pretty much it for this week. Tonight's post is from It's Academic, a novella where the characters clash on the regular but eventually figure out how to coexist.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Chaos and control don't mix, but Kari Pride and Thorn Summers must find a way to balance the two or drive each other mad when they become roommates. By the end of the semester, Thorn tempers Kari's sloppy habits and she makes him yield his ruthless organization for some much needed spontaneity. When their relationship gets personal, they have to figure out how to navigate new territory.

And a preview snippet…

The elder precept, Arnold Markum, led Thorn to his dorm, rambling on about familial tradition.

The older gentlemen all but quivered with giddiness. "And it's my fortunate luck having a former legacy member in good standing with the mage society stop in with you."

Thorn's grandfather couldn't stay, but at least he'd dropped Thorn off and helped unload his stuff. His mother couldn't be bothered, the rift with her father too deep to set aside. Thorn loathed being in the middle of their tug-of-war.

The man rattled on again but finally said something that interested Thorn. "You'll be sharing your room with someone." They entered the building and started for the stairs.

Thorn welcomed having a roommate. He needed to interact with people and stop going it alone all the time. His brother Thrace relished the social scene and group gatherings. Thorn wanted to break out in hives thinking about it, but having one other person would be a good start.

He hoped he got along with whoever he shared space with.

Markum slid his finger down the check-in sheet. "Ah, yes. Kari Pride. She's just arrived and should be joining you shortly if she's not already in your room."

Kari. Female. Thorn blinked. He didn't realize the academy had coed rooms.

The elder clucked. "Hope you don't mind. We've gone mixed gender in the last three years, but only when necessary. We're full up this semester, so you're in the coed dorm." He nodded down the hall.

Thorn shrugged. "I'm thankful to be here. I don't care who I room with."

Pride. Not a legacy name. His grandfather made him memorize all the first families. Thorn looked forward to expanding his horizons with someone other than a supposedly approved name.

Markum handed Thorn the key then knocked twice on the door. "Thorn Summers arriving. Okay to come in?"

A muffled response came back. "Sure."

Thorn unlocked the door and cracked it open to find his new roommate Kari riffling through a box. She angled around and lifted her chin in a greeting. Her amazing green eyes spared a glance before turning back to finding whatever she searched for.

Wow. This could be an interesting semester.

Thorn and Kari will have some bridges to build and it's so much fun writing them while they figure it out.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: It's Academic

Well, it's homecoming weekend and our football team won the game last night, which is an amazing feat. They came from behind and pulled out the win. The weather took a cool turn and the group we hosted for the pre-festivities had a lovely evening to take pictures.

Had a super-busy week leading up the big group activity, but I did get some solid viewing in. I'm working through Luke Cage and I like the newest season but I'm a little disappointed in pushing the anger angle. I'm hoping it ends up being worth the character assassination. Looking forward to the second season of Iron Fist.

Caught the third episode of Driven, Passionflix's first limited series. I'm really enjoying this one. So far, everything they've released is pretty terrific. Can't wait for the holiday offering this year.

The Last Ship's second episode kicked some serious butt. I hang on the edge of my seat each week to see what happens next. The hour flies by too. Why can't time move that fast when I'm stuck waiting somewhere? LOL

Also got another episode of Peter Gunn's first season out of the way, along with several episodes of Classic Who. Watched the second episode of Penny Dreadful and, holy crap, there's some crazy stuff going on in this show. I love it.

Caught episode five of Wynonna Earp. This show improves with every new twist. Not sure how I feel about Mamma Earp, but I'm in for the ride. Also watched an episode of The Dresden Files. Someday I need to read the books this series was based on.

Caught the next to last episode of Canal Road. As I predicted in something like episode two or three, my money is on the lawyer for setting everything in motion and getting rid of Spencer's family. We'll see if I'm right with the final episode.

I watched the DVD of Hairspray and really liked it. This is a movie I didn't catch the first time around and I had fun watching.

The rest of the week, I filled in with the usual marathons of Murder, She Wrote and In the Heat of the Night. I'm pretty sure I've almost made my way through both series with only a few hit or miss episodes being left to watch.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from It's Academic, a novella that got its start with a writing community prompt of creating a story where the main characters have to be roommates.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Chaos and control don't mix, but Kari Pride and Thorn Summers must find a way to balance the two or drive each other mad when they become roommates. By the end of the semester, Thorn tempers Kari's sloppy habits and she makes him yield his ruthless organization for some much needed spontaneity. When their relationship gets personal, they have to figure out how to navigate new territory.

And a preview snippet…

Kari Pride arrived entered the Stonebridge Academy for Magical Arts via the backdoor. "Not like I'm used to entering any other way." Not technically allowed to spell-cast—until she officially checked in—she'd thumbed her nose at protocol and transported to the receiving area at the rear of the campus.

She had no other way to get to the academy. Her mother packed house the moment Kari accepted the scholarship to complete her studies at the prestigious school. With the landlord breathing fire and brimstone—because her mom skipped town—Kari paid the man with the only currency she had—spells. If the board of elders found out, she'd be expelled before she even had her first class.

She sighed. "At least he'll keep his mouth shut." She'd taken the precaution of showing him what would happen if he didn't.

Funny how silence spells seemed to get the point across. Ten minutes of not being able to speak made extracting his promise to never reveal her identity easy. Now she had to put the freedom of creating on-the-fly casts aside.

Stepping up to the counter, she gave her name to the attendant.

The man looked down his long, thin nose. "You're a scholarship student." His eyes held censure.

Kari met his gaze dead-on. "I am." She didn't elaborate or offer additional information.

Why bother when he'd clearly decided she didn't warrant his respect.

He glanced behind her then off to either side. "And do you have no belongings?" He placed his clipboard on the counter between them.

Kari treaded lightly with her answer. "I've got a friend waiting at the dorm entrance with my things. He's not a guardian so I didn't think he was allowed on campus." In reality, her belongings sat in the landlord's driveway, warded with a spell to keep him touching anything.

A simple phrase would have her boxes waiting when she got her assigned room.

The attendant's lips flattened in a straight line. "Yes, well, you'd be correct. Only staff, students, and parents are allowed within the campus grounds on check-in day." He slid the clipboard in front of him. "You're in Stanville Hall, second floor, room twenty-two." Pointing to a row of carts, he droned on. "You may check out one of the trolleys but it's not included in your allotment so there will be a fee." He quirked one thin brow.

Kari snorted. "Yeah, no thanks. I've got it covered." With an illegal spell, but covered nonetheless.

Now she needed to find out if she had a roommate and if they'd checked in yet. Luckily, Mortimer—the name she'd given the attendant—got distracted by a loud crash at the main entrance. Kari quickly turned the clipboard around and found her room number. She did have a roommate. Thorn Summers. And he hadn't arrived yet.

Sliding the list back around, she walked away from the counter. Thorn. What a name.

Her lips curved. "I wonder if he has any siblings. And if their names are Briar or Spike?" No matter. "At least I'm in the clear."

She made her way across the oval-shaped courtyard and into Stanville Hall. Once she got up to the second floor, she found her room and muttered an incantation. Slipping her key into the lock, she opened the door. Her boxes sat stacked in the middle of the room.

She'd have to get them moved. Her scholarship precluded her from choosing a roommate so she got stuck with whomever the committee picked. Hopefully, Thorn could deal with a female dorm partner. Not like she could do anything if he couldn't. She literally had nowhere else to go.

Peeling the tape from the top box, she shook her head. "Thanks a lot, Mom."

I'm having a lot of fun writing this one. Opposites attract is one of my favorite tropes.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: It's Academic

Well, it's my last snippet post of the year and I'm happy to note I didn't miss a week. That's a goal achievement I'm proud of.

Going into 2016, I have quite a few projects on tap for release and I'm very excited about those, too. I may roll a new weekly blog feature or try a newsletter this year. If anyone is interested, please don't hesitate to contact me to be added to the list.

Not much on the television front this week. I watched the finales for The Librarians and Agent X. According to my google fu, Agent X isn't renewed for another season, which is kind of disappointing. Since there are only ten episodes, I may try my hand at recapping the one and only season. We'll see what time allows.

On a side note, I did enjoy the Doctor Who Christmas special. It's my fondest hope I can get into the new season when it premieres, but I don't hold out much hope. The heart of the show is missing for me and unless the Doctor gets a truly marvelous companion, I doubt I'll be interested or able to keep with the all the cleverness Moffat tries to weave.

Oh, well. Looking forward to my favorite shows returning and having more to chat about each week.

Tonight's post is from It's Academic, a novella where my characters start out on the wrong foot but quickly get in sync.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Chaos and control don't mix, but Kari Pride and Thorn Summers must find a way to balance the two or drive each other mad when they become roommates. By the end of the semester, Thorn tempers Kari's sloppy habits and she makes him yield his ruthless organization for some much needed spontaneity. When their relationship gets personal, they have to figure out how to navigate new territory.

And a preview snippet…

Kari dumped the laundry basket of clean clothes on her bed and longed to leave them there. She'd much rather be practicing spells or making potion blends to use in class. But the past week taught her a little effort on her part paid off in unexpected ways.

Sitting on the edge of her mattress, she sorted the pants from the tops, the socks from the underwear, and piled her sports bras and pajamas in their own stacks. She started with her pants, folding some and laying the others off to the side to hang up. She did the same with her shirts. Rising, she hung up the clothes and stowed the in the closet and put the others in her dresser. Her bras went into cubby beside her bed and her pajamas went in the matching one on the other side, with the exception of the set she'd wear tonight. She stashed it under her pillow. Standing back, she nodded. Her bed looked neat and tidy, which would make Thorn a happy camper.

Speaking of, he entered their room and dumped his books on the desk. "It's laundry day. I'm here to help—" He broke off, getting a look at her bed and the empty basket. "Wow. You're done already?"

Kari grinned. "I am. Thought we could maybe go to the catacombs and work on a couple of projects." One of the unexpected benefits she'd discovered.

Thorn didn't mind pushing the envelope. Legacy family or not, he believed in testing his limits, which meant trying new things and revisiting ancient magick no longer in use. Their "extra projects" had become the highlight of the semester.

Thorn flashed a smile. "Let me grab a quick shower and I'll meet you there." He rubbed his hands together. "Ten minutes." Reaching into this closet, he retrieved his shower gear and fresh clothes then dashed out of the room.

Kari chuckled and dug out her spell book, some oils and powder for potions, and stashed both in a satchel. Draping the strap over her shoulders, she exited her room and headed for the pentagon, the academy's main courtyard surrounded on all five sides by schools of magick. Kari resisted the urge to pinch herself. If she dreamed the last month, she didn't want to wake up.

Crossing the upper half of the pentagon, she strode toward the tip where the entrance to the catacombs sat buried under the college of magickal healing. The underground crypt encompassed the entire space under the pentagon, a series of maze-like tunnels and dusty rooms filled with texts, magickal objects, and tons of historical artifacts.

Skipping down the stairs to what looked like a basement entrance of the building, Kari pushed on the two semi-recessed squares on either side of the stairwell and activated the door to the catacombs. She slipped inside and quickly sealed the entrance behind her. Lighting a small flare, she made her way to the room she and Thorn had been using for their projects. Filled with rows and rows of shelves lined with books and scrolls, the space had an antechamber where they practiced new spells and tried to get old ones to work.

Planting the flare in an alcove, she settled down at the table and pulled out one of the books they'd been reading from. She let her mind wander a little; she didn't want to work too far ahead. Thorn filled her thoughts and she shied away from the reason why. A crush didn't mean much and she considered the burgeoning feelings she had for him nothing more than infatuation. They were way too young for a forever kind of thing.

If forever love even existed.

The sound of footsteps approaching settled her firmly in the present, the future evaporating in the mist. Glancing up, she cracked a smile when Thorn entered, freshly showered and raring to get on with their projects. Kari tucked the desire for more in a dark corner of her heart and greeted Thorn with a wiggly fingered wave.

His answering salute made her laugh and broke the tension crawling up her spine.

I'm loving the mix of magick and romance. Kari and Thorn are so much fun to write.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: It's Academic

July 7, 2013

Hello!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Fouth and got to see lots of lovely fireworks displays. I'm lucky enough to be invited to another extravaganza next weekend. Never too many fireworks, right?

Tonight's post is from It's Academic and in keeping with the firecracker theme, the couple definitely has some sparking, crackly chemistry. :D

Here's the tagline:

Chaos and control don't mix, but Kari Pride and Thorn Summers must find a way to balance the two or drive each other mad when they become roommates. By the end of the semester, Thorn tempers Kari's sloppy habits and she makes him yield his ruthless organization for some much needed spontaneity. When their relationship gets personal, they have to figure out how to navigate new territory.

And a preview snippet…

Thorn entered his room and groaned. "God damn, Kari."

He couldn't see the floor, her clothes tossed haphazardly all over the place. Kicking her stuff aside, he made his way to his corner and set his books on the desk, after shoving her—lunch?—into the trash bin. Flinging his pack onto the bed, he turned around in a circle and basically found the place in utter shambles.

He couldn't live with the chaos anymore. He'd either kill Kari or she'd kill him if he didn't set some kind of boundaries. He'd let her get too comfortable with the sloppy mess in the interest of keeping the peace.

Not anymore.

With a quick decision made, Thorn gathered up everything of Kari's and dumped it in the middle of her half of the room. Grabbing a spare sheet from under his bed, he rigged up two hooks and some sturdy twine and attached the sheet with clothespins. People could give him shit about being prepared, but sometimes it saved his sanity.

Like now.

Stepping back to observe his handiwork, Thorn figured his solution would work just fine. The door opened in the middle of the far wall, so no worry about walking through one half to get to the other. He shouldn't have to see or deal with Kari's slobfest from this point forward.

Heaving a relieved sigh, a weight already gone, Thorn got started on reorganizing his half of the room. Fifteen minutes into his cleaning ritual, the door burst open and Thorn braced for a reaction.

Kari skidded to a halt just inside the entrance. "What. The. Hell?" She frowned and kicked the heavy oak closed with her booted foot.

Thorn shrugged. "You obviously need clearly defined boundaries. Consider this set up as example number one."

Kari strode to the edge of the sheet and flicked her gaze between the two spaces. "Geez, Thorn, you could've mentioned something. I'd have tidied up if you had."

Thorn's fingers itched to strangle her. "I damned well did mention something. Repeatedly."

Kari's lips quirked, but she choked down her laugh. "It's hilarious. Have you seen what this looks like from here? Our cookie cutter sized room now looks more in the vicinity of a postage stamp."

She had a point, but he'd be boiled in hot oil before he'd agree.

Her gaze rose and met his. "Where did you come up with this painfully stupid idea?"

Only the genuine curiosity behind the snarky words had him supplying the answer. "My mom. She split the room I shared with my brother this way." He gave her a pointed look. "Thrace lived like a slob, too."

Kari snorted. "My mom would've lit a match and walked away."

She spoke the reply quietly, an undertone of sadness in her voice.

Thorn had no idea what her relationship with her mom had been, but burning everything sounded harsh. "Wow." What else could he say?

Kari's lips twisted with a half-smile. "Yeah." She bent down and started picking her clothes up off the floor, refilling the open drawers of her dresser. "Why'd your mom split you two up that way? Other than the neat versus messy thing."

Thorn answered before thinking about it. "Because when we fought, she had to mediate and that took time away from—" Shit, he never shared crap about his mom's drinking habits. "Well, I mean, it took away time from something else she'd rather do."

A very knowing and understanding gleam crept into her eyes when she glanced over her shoulder in his direction. Kari recognized the lie for what it meant. Thorn wanted to staple his mouth shut.

But she surprised him by sharing her own truth. "Mine went on binges. Ugly ones." She went back to sorting her clothes, turning away to focus on the task. "Used to have to shut myself up in our pantry to avoid flying objects."

Well, hell. Common ground. Who knew it would be mothers who had issues with alcohol.

Thorn yanked half the sheet down and crossed over into her space, bending down to help her fold the pile on the floor. "Mine did the slow and steady thing. Always waited until we got home from school to get started and didn't stop until she crawled into bed."

Kari paused and met his gaze, hers full of commiseration. "Sucks."

Thorn agreed. "Yeah." He worked steadily, grabbing a shirt and neatly tucking the sleeves under the back before flipping it in half and smoothing the wrinkles.

Kari laid a hand on his. "Thorn. I got this. It's my mess, I'll clean it up." She wrinkled her nose. "And make an effort to keep the clutter to a minimum."

Thorn believed her. Didn't mean he couldn't help.

He smiled. "Goes faster with two doing the work." He handed her the tank top in his hand and snagged another one from the dwindling pile.

Kari lifted a shoulder, but didn't argue. Thorn considered the lack of a snarky comeback progress. Maybe because they shared a similar situation from childhood, they'd finally broken through the wall of discontent built from the moment they met.

Thorn sort of hoped so. A truce would be great. So much better than spending the whole semester acting like combatants on a battle field.

Kari stopped again, tilting her head sideways to study him.

Okay, a reprieve might not have been reached.

He lifted a brow. "What?"

She answered. "Nothing. I mean, well, I'm hungry and thought about heading to the commissary for dinner. Wanna join me?"

He almost fell over, but quickly nodded. "Sounds great." He put the neatly folded pile of clothes on top of her dresser and got to his feet. "We could go now and finish this up when we get back."

Kari grinned. "Awesome. They're having one of my favorites tonight. Grilled cheese and tomato soup." She pushed her bottom drawer shut and stood up, grabbing her ID from the clutter on the desk.

Thorn chuckled. "Comfort food. There's nothing like it."

Kari strode toward the door, but shot him a look over her shoulder. "I know, right? Let's go."

Thorn checked his pocket, making sure he had his identification then followed her.

A definite truce. The rest of the semester looked to be shaping up.

Humming one of his favorite songs, he closed and locked the door and picked up his pace to catch up with Kari.

And common ground is achieved and a thawing of the ice begins. Instead of constantly being at each other's throats, Kari and Thorn find better ways to spend their time. :D

And that's it for this week!

Cheers!

Skye