Sunday Snippet: Judge a Book by Its Cover

It's been a wild week. Between work and other commitments, I've been frazzled. My sleep schedule is all over the map and I'm not enjoying the fits and starts of trying to get rest. But … I'll adjust. Hopefully soon.

Our weather has been all over the place. We had a sixty-degree day followed by snow and thirty-four degrees. The day after Thanksgiving is supposed to be in the upper teens for the high. I'm side-eyeing Mother Nature right now.

Work projects are coming in and I think I'm booked through the end of the year. I'm pleased because December can be a sketchy month sometimes. I don't mind downtime, but I'm definitely not prepared to have limited income this year.

Had a terrible week of viewing. Too many distractions and said lack of sleep kept me from getting much watched.

I did catch an episode of Mr. and Mrs. Murder and kind of enjoyed it. Some familiar faces as guest stars this week. The mystery was a little lackluster but a good episode nonetheless.

I also caught some marathons of Midsomer Murders. I kind of love the streaming twenty-four hours of one show channels. It's fun to set a favorite and have a go-to comfort watch whenever I want.

I'm also looking at a few new shows but haven't decided which ones I want to pick up. I'm also hoping to get back to my rewatch of Battlestar Galactica. My viewing partner will help determine if that's going to happen. So much more fun to watch with someone else who loves the show as much as I do.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Judge a Book by Its Cover, a novella that brings a couple together when they bust up a cheating ring.

Here's the miniblurb:

Zeth Herrickson has to catch the culprits in a cheating scandal at the academy. Coorah Blair normally sits at the top of his list when things aren't right—except she's the one who brings the matter to his attention. They work together to track down the participants and go after the ringleader, who is much closer to both than they'd believe.

And a preview snippet…

Coorah entered Black Satin Coffeehouse and sighed. "Of course, Zeth arrived early." She'd hoped to have a few minutes to collect her thoughts.

Zeth lifted his chin, acknowledging her arrival.

Whatever. I'm used to flying blind. Winging it had long ago become her default mode.

She ordered a coffee—black, one sweetener, no frou-frou crap—and carried it over to his table.

Settling across from him, she swung her legs under the surface and bumped her knees against his. "Sorry." She crossed her ankles under her chair and tried not to focus on the way their legs remained touching.

Zeth flashed a smile. "No problem. These tiny cafe tables are hell for normal-sized people." He swiveled on the chair slightly and stretched one leg out.

Coorah's lips curved. "Exactly." Considering the coffee shop originally served only fairies, the small furniture made sense…

But the place also made the best java on campus and finally caved in to pressure from the academy and lifted the ban on non-little folk. Didn't mean the management had to make any other accommodations, though. And they didn't.

Coorah popped the lid off her cup. "I did what we discussed. Made copies and returned the originals to the proper class folder." She took a long swallow of her drink. "I have the list of novices who participated, and I'll compare against the next set of tests." She had no doubt the names wouldn't change and figured she might end up adding more.

Zeth nodded. "Good. I've got some feelers out for who might be behind the whole deal." He named a few people.

Coorah grimaced. "I can eliminate one. Alistar McCabe. I went out with the guy." She held up a hand. "I know. What was I thinking?" Shaking her head, she shrugged. "Selling spells, yes, he'd totally try to make a buck that way. But he's not smart enough to come up with the test thing."

Zeth narrowed his eyes for a moment then bobbed his head up and down.

She rather liked he took her word for striking McCabe from the list.

Having a lot of fun with this one. Coorah's taste in men is going up a notch, and she's not sure that's a good thing.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Judge a Book by Its Cover

Still battling the generalized blah left over from the flu. The good news is that I got lots of sleep with naps and getting to bed earlier. The bad news is I'm behind on work projects but I should be able to make up my lost time this week. Fingers crossed anyway.

Had a decent week with television. I caught two episodes of Chicago Med and the second one made me sad. It's kind of the first time I've been hit a little sideways by one of the plot lines.

Enjoyed a holiday episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. I always find it cool to see how the holidays look in the middle of summer for shows set in New Zealand and Australia. Also started the fourth season of the show and, once again, I love seeing recurring characters pop up when I least expect them.

Caught the second part of Silent Witness and actually enjoyed how it ended. It's another one I'd forgotten.

Watched another arc of Classic Who. I'll be honest, Teegan rather annoys me but I think the character will end up growing on me. I do like Five a lot.

UFO Conspiracies had an interesting episode focused on fireballs. I enjoy seeing how other countries handle sightings.

Caught two episodes of The Muppet Show. Elke Sommer and Sylvester Stallone were the guest stars. I enjoyed the Stallone episode more than I thought I would.

Skated through the season two finale of Prime Suspect. I'd forgotten how awkward and messy that episode ended up being.

Watched the season four finale of Peak Practice. I'm getting into the new partners and I'm glad Andrew is sticking around. Looking forward to starting season five.

Caught another Master Class with LeVar Burton. He talked about podcasting during this lesson and I have an interest in starting one at some point. I got some great information about how to approach the idea.

Enjoyed another episode of Inside the Episodes: The Witcher. Episode ended up being one of my favorites and I loved the behind the scenes insight.

Watched London Live: Jennifer Hudson. I think I like Berlin Live better, but I enjoyed the music from Jennifer.

Caught some New Rugrats episode shorts and a special cast episode. Oddly, there was some footage from episodes I haven't seen yet so I'm hoping that means new ones are on the way at some point. I'll be starting a rewatch of the classic show in the next week.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Judge a Book by Its Cover, a novella that has my main characters falling for each other while trying to solve a mystery and avoid a scandal.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Zeth Herrickson has to catch the culprits in a cheating scandal at the academy. Coorah Blair normally sits at the top of his list when things aren't right—except she's the one who brings the matter to his attention. They work together to track down the participants and go after the ringleader, who is much closer to both than they'd believe.

And a preview snippet…

Zeth didn't want the jealous kick when Coorah mentioned dating Alistar McCabe. None of his business who she went out with. Or didn't.

He shuffled his mug on the tray. "The gossip mill is going to have a wild time with speculation about us. Apologies in advance for that." He grimaced.

Coorah waved off the concern. "The grist can only improve my rep. More likely to damage yours though." She smirked.

Zeth huffed out a breath. "Maybe it's time I started to live a little dangerously." Add a little excitement in his life.

Coorah laughed. "We'll see how you feel next time we meet."

Zeth quirked a brow. "Coffee, again?" Might get boring in a hurry.

Coorah shrugged. "Sure. Or we can mix it up a little. I mean, we both have to eat. Why not lunch or dinner?"

Zeth got a jolt at the mention of dinner. An image of her sprawled on his couch after eating takeout took residence in his mind. And stayed there.

He shook his head. "Uh, sure. Either works for me." As long as he didn't get more erotic imagery.

Coorah's lips curved. "Let's try lunch at the Ivy? Day after tomorrow?"

They'd have time to do more digging.

Zeth nodded. "Yeah, that works. They've got the best—"

Coorah finished. "Chicken salad." She closed her eyes in bliss.

Zeth grinned. "Absolutely."

So … they both liked the chicken salad at the Ivy. He wondered what else they had in common. Surprisingly, he couldn't wait to find out.

A bit of a wicked idea hit and he couldn't resist not acting on it. "Coorah, don't flip out on me, but I'm going to kiss you before I leave—just to cement our ruse."

She huffed out a breath. "Nice of you to ask, but not necessary." She leaned across the table and captured his lips in a hard kiss, catching him off guard. "Feel free to pay me back whenever…" She slid off the chair, scooped her coffee cup into her hand, and tossed it in the trash on her way out the door.

Zeth blinked and shook his head. "One of these days, I'll learn." He got up and walked out of the coffee shop in a daze.

Coorah and Zeth are so much fun and having them work together to solve a mystery is a joy to write.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Judge a Book by Its Cover

We're past the halfway mark of October already? Geez, this month is flying by fast. Then again, it's been a somewhat difficult month for me workwise. Brain-draining would be an apt description.

So… television has been an important escape this week. Sunday night shows Doctor Who and The Last Ship ended up being terrific. I'm so happy to be excited for New Who again. The Last Ship kept things interesting. I'm a little confused why the guy got executed at the end, but I have a suspicion it'll be a turning point of some sort.

Arrow's premiere actually blew my mind a little. The fight scene juxtaposition of Oliver in the prison and Felicity in her apartment with Diaz is probably the best choreographed scene I've witnessed to date. Seriously, it's amazing. And, honestly, the rest of the show followed suit, leading right up to the surprise end. I'm excited to see what happens next.

The Flash remained good. Nice to see Cisco, Kaitlyn, and Ralph bonding and helping each other out. Looking forward to more of that. Riverdale… well… went full-on batshit with a whole new twist that I actually can't wait to watch unfold. The thing with Archie in detention isn't bad. I love the whole Veronica getting around her dickhead dad with Cheryl's help. Speaking of Hiram the 'Hole. Does anyone else want to smack the smarm out of him? Every time he's on screen I want to punch him in the face. That's some good acting by otherwise nice guy Marc Consuelos.

In other show news, I caught the first episode of Underbelly Files and enjoyed it. Caught Babylon 5, The Sarah Conner Chronicles, Birds of Prey, and Lexx in sci-fi fare. Pensacola Wings of Gold had a great episode where I wanted to bitchslap the billionaire dude who wanted his daughter saved at all costs. I also caught Strike Back, which had a great episode featuring Grace and her badass skills. And finally, I caught another episode of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I have a lot of love for that show.

That's it for television this week. Here's hoping my work and sleep schedule get back on track and I can enjoy even more during the near future.

Tonight's post is from Judge a Book by Its Cover, a novella that started with a writer's community prompt of "think high school mystery with a cheating scandal". Definitely a fun prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Zeth Herrickson has to catch the culprits in a cheating scandal at the academy. Coorah Blair normally sits at the top of his list when things aren't right—except she's the one who brings the matter to his attention. They work together to track down the participants and go after the ringleader, who is much closer to both than they'd believe.

And a preview snippet…

Coorah Blair grabbed another exam and placed it in front of her. "This is my least favorite part of the job." Teaching, she loved and the fae academy gave her an open forum to share her knowledge.

Grading tests, though… bleh.

Her lips curved. "Figures I'm totally there for the physical testing of skill but not so much for the learned angles." She had reputation for flash and flair and she worked hard to keep it intact.

She finished the second class exams and started on the third group. By the third final, she discovered a pattern. Going back, she thumbed through the first two files, pulling the questionable documents. By the time she completed the other four folders she found several more.

Putting the exams side by side on the desk, she carefully examined each. "Son of a bitch." Fifteen tests had the exact same answers.

Anger churned in her gut. She liked to push the envelope and question authority on a regular basis—especially when Zeth Herrickson, the academy's magistrate got involved—but she didn't agree with cheating in any form.

As much as she hated the idea, Zeth needed to know about the tests and he needed to fix the situation. Right freaking now. Gathering up the offensive pages, she filed them in a folder to make copies later. The other exams went to their appropriate class file and awaited a return during the next session.

Bile rose in her throat, anger mixing with disgust. She swallowed it down. Giving rein to her temper wouldn't help. Not now.

Rising, she steeled her back and shoulders. "Brace for impact, Mr. Magistrate." She exited her classroom and marched over to the teacher's wing to confront Zeth about the entire situation.

I'm having a lot of fun with this one. I love adding suspenseful elements to the story and having my main characters work out what's going on.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Judge a Book by Its Cover

Well… Winter Storm Jonah, or whatever its name is, missed my part of Ohio. I'm not complaining in the least. For everyone else dealing with the massive snow dump, I hope you're all safe, warm, and enjoying the blizzard as much as possible. J

One thing though… why are we naming winter storms now? I mean I was alive for the Blizzard of '78 and referring to it the Blizzard of '78 works just fine for me. Is there a reason we have to give names to snowstorms? I get naming hurricanes and tropical storms, typhoons, etc., but eh, giving monikers to snowstorms seems like something a bored Weather Channel employee decided to cook up to brighten their day. Just saying. LOL

Let's see… big X-Files revival premieres tonight. I'm super-excited! One of my all-time favorite shows is coming back and I don't even care if it sucks huge ones. LOL I'm watching a marathon on Chiller right now, so my day is going really great. J

The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow had kick ass episodes. I kind of love Legends, the snarky banter makes me happy. I could watch an hour of nothing but the characters trying to out snark each other. That said, the jury's out on how well this group with mesh together, but I'm all in to see what happens.

Agent Carter's two episode premiere didn't disappoint. I've got some hopes for what happens with the New York contingent. I also loved meeting Jarvis's Mrs. Very cool and awesome character. J

Last, but not least, Teen Wolf's episode entertained, as usual. It might just be me, but the last few episodes have something of a choppy feeling, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just a little confusing.

That's it for television this week…

Tonight's post is from Judge a Book by Its Cover, a novella that came about from a theme prompt of cheating scandal. I love my writing groups!

Here's the mini-blurb:

Zeth Herrickson has to catch the culprits in a cheating scandal at the academy. Coorah Blair normally sits at the top of his list when things aren't right—except she's the one who brings the matter to his attention. They work together to track down the participants and go after the ringleader, who is much closer to both than they'd believe.

And a preview snippet…

Coorah left Zeth's alcove armed with a plan of action and a date for coffee. How the hell did that happen? Okay, she knew how they came up with the idea bringing down the person making money off the novices. They'd spent the last hour going over the best possible methods.

The coffee part tripped her up though.

Why did she say yes? Because he'd asked her, of course. But, no, that made zero sense. She didn't do coffee and she definitely didn't do anything with magistrates. But you're working with him on the cheating thing. Right. Didn't explain why her brain took a vacation and all of a sudden went to crazytown.

But he looked so damned hot, glancing up from the notes he'd taken, and she'd blurted out a yes before thinking. The magistrate and the queen of mayhem. Wouldn't their being together set tongue wagging? Why would he want to tarnish his stellar reputation by hanging out with her, especially since she had a habit of ignoring the rules? He couldn't possibly really want to get involved with her.

Unless… Coorah smacked her forehead. Of course, Zeth had a reason for asking her out. They couldn't very well meet in his alcove all the time. Grabbing coffee made a great cover so they could discuss their covert activities. She'd been so… stunned… over his invitation and her response, she'd made a mad dash for the door. Could she be more of an idiot?

Figuring out his reason should have made her feel way better. But… her stomach churned. She shouldn't be upset, right? How stupid could she be to think he actually found her attractive and wanted to spend time with her? Especially when she didn't want to date the guy.

Shaking her head, she made her way out of the building and started for her small suite of rooms. "Come on, Coorah. You don't really want to get tangled up with Hard Ass Herrickson, do you?" No, totally a bad idea.

Except… she kind of had the insane notion she wouldn't mind getting involved with Zeth. And bad ideas were her forte.

I'm having a blast writing this one. I love characters that start out on the opposite end of the spectrum and find common ground that leads to something more.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Judge a Book by its Cover

Hiya!

Whew. What a week. I've been wearing my editor hat, trying to keep up with some pressing deadlines. But I have had a little time to write on some current WIPs AND keep up with my heavy slate of TV shows.

First… Arrow returned! Great episode. Seriously, I feel like I'm watching a movie every time it's on. And Banshee did not disappoint either. Also, Lost Girl? I'm sooooo happy it's back. I love the cast to bits!

So, tonight's post is from Judge a Book by its Cover, a novella with magic and mayhem, two of my favorite things.

Here's the tagline:

Zeth Herrickson has to catch the culprits in a cheating scandal at the academy. Coorah Blair normally sits at the top of his list when things aren't right—except she's the one who brings the matter to his attention. They work together to track down the participants and go after the ringleader, who is much closer to both than they'd believe.

And a preview snippet…

Coorah strode into Zeth's alcove and yanked the heavy curtain, closing off the area to prying eyes and ears. "We've got a huge problem on our hands and you need to fix it."

Zeth glanced up from the text he studied. "Excuse me? Have you been cursed? Hexed? Bespelled?" He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. "Since when do you, the bane of my existence, come to me to fix problems?" He lifted a brow. "Especially when you're the one who usually causes them."

She made a growling sound in her throat. "Look. Act like an asshat later. This is important." She dropped down onto the chair opposite his desk. "I just graded an entire class worth's of spells that had the exact same answers." She leaned forward, placing her forearms on the paper strewn surface. "As in word for word. Verbatim. Exactly the same."

Zeth straightened, his hands dropping to grasp the arms of the chair. "They cheated." He wrinkled his brow. "Honestly? I would have put you right at the top of the list." He tsked. "Except you're bringing it to my attention, so I suppose I'd have to strike you from it… or at least move you down a couple of spots."

She narrowed her eyes. "I. Do not. Cheat. Ever." She rose from the seat and leaned in, getting in his face. "Maybe you shouldn't make assumptions until you know all the facts." She sat back down. "Or judge a book by its cover." She waved her hand. "Something like that."

Zeth's respect for Coorah went up a notch, how could it not? She might drive him insane on a daily basis, but it took guts to call him on his bullshit.

He rested his elbows on the desk, steepling his palms. "You've got a point. And I'm sorry." He met her gaze. "But tell me, why do I have to fix the situation? You discovered the problem."

She snorted. "Because you're the magistrate, right? You enforce policy and arbitrate when necessary."

He nodded. "Yeah, but what do you suggest here? I've got what? Tests with the same answers? Were they all from the same class?"

She shook her head. "Well, no. Only a handful from each." Her shoulders slumped. "Meaning you don't have enough to go on. The law of averages wouldn't necessarily preclude a fraction of the same group coming up with the same answers."

He inclined his head. "Exactly. Without some kind of pattern, it won't do a damned bit of good to bring anyone in." He lifted a brow. "So what's my next move?"

Her mouth dropped open. "Are you really asking me?" She blinked. "I have no idea how to even respond."

He didn't blame her for being shocked. "Start by giving me your impressions of the students with the same answers." He clarified. "I'm looking for the motivation. Are they struggling in class? Pulling a prank? Why do they all have the same answers?"

Coorah tilted her head, pondering. "They're not having problems." She snapped her fingers. "They're lazy. Why do the work if they don't have to?"

Zeth bit back a grin. She'd nailed his suspicions pretty quickly.

He prompted. "So, that suggests what?"

She didn't hesitate. "Somebody's making a tidy profit."

Again, he gave her props, and made a split second decision. He wanted her help to track down the money man.

Zeth leaned in. "I wanna know who that is." He waited a beat. "Are you in?"

She met his gaze. "You want my help?" She glanced around the room. "Are you sure you're not the one who's bespelled?"

He chuckled. "I'm not under a spell. You've got the inside track. You know what to look for and who's involved so far." He settled back against the seat again. "Look. We don't see eye to eye on everything. That's a bonus. Coming from two different angles should speed the process along, yeah?"

She considered the idea. "It won't hurt. And I do wanna nail the person, or people, to the wall. I'm not a big fan of making profit off our cadets."

Zeth's lips curved. "Then let's get 'em." He rifled around on the desk to find a notebook and flipped it open. "Let's start with who's involved…" He glanced up, catching the slightly mortified look on her face. "Problem?"

She jerked her head. "No, no. Just trying to wrap my head around the idea I signed on to work with Hard Ass Herrickson." She held up a hand. "Give me a minute, will you?"

Zeth laughed, long and loud. Coorah Blair had just crossed over into enemy territory, also known as responsibility… new ground for her.

This one has been so much fun. I love opposites attract to find balance stories and Zeth is the one who definitely catches on to that fact first. J

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye