Sunday Snippet: Quell the Boom

My second senior night is in the books. We got to participate in pre-game moments for the football game, meet with our daughter on the field, and basically bask in her glory for band. We are so, so lucky with her particular group of friends. They've been together for a long time, most of them since elementary school, and it's terrific to watch how they hold each other up and make themselves accountable.

I also got to finally attend one of her band competitions. She's got a duet with another senior and they sounded terrific. I'm hoping I can make more of her shows this year.

My week was jammed with work and running around but I did get to watch some of my usual standbys, starting with Peter Gunn. I finished up the second season and got a start on the third and final one. I should have that one finished up by the end of the month.

I also caught two more arcs of Classic Who and have started on the third doctor's series. This week's episodes were, Spearhead from Space and Doctor Who and the Silurians. I rather like the third doctor so far.

Watched three more Midsomer Murders episodes. I thoroughly enjoyed each one. I'm into series eighteen, so I only have two more to go.

I finished up another episode of Blue Heelers and started a new one. The new one features an almost washed-up footie player, which is fun for me because the US, at least in my part of it, doesn't really follow soccer, unless it's during the championships. Then everyone and their brother has a team. Seriously, it's bonkers.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Quell the Boom, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Quinna Joltz and Efran Pendragon, experts in diffusing magical bombs, tend to let their rivalry take center stage, but when an unbalanced wizard plants devices that can bring down their entire city, they agree to work together. The adrenaline filled race finally gives them some perspective and a little bit of common ground to share.

And a preview snippet…

Quinna Joltz made a slow circle around the incendiary device tucked inside a spellbound container. "Tricky bastard." She'd have to reverse the spell before the bomb went off.

The person responsible upped the ante each time he—or she—planted the destructive objects. The first two were easily dealt with. This one… not so much.

She stopped and planted her hands on her hips. "I hate spellcasting." One slip-up on word order could accelerate the countdown.

Unless… maybe a general counteractive incantation would void the spell and she could disarm the explosive or render it useless in one go. Yeah… that could work.

Quinna closed her eyes and centered her mind. "Undo what's been done by the hand of another. Then subdue the bomb, squash and smother." Her fingers made a series of motions giving life to the spell.

A loud pop jolted her eyes open. A trail of smoke drifted up from the mangled heap of parts inside the container. Hot damn. She'd pulled it off.

Using a little magick, she scooped up the pieces and teleported them back to the Briarcliff estate house. Her bosses would want to go over the remnants with a fine-tooth comb. Three bombs in three weeks didn't bode well for the future.

She exited the old warehouse on the waterfront. "If the rumors are true, I'm not the only one dealing with this crap." The gossip mavens worked overtime to add any and all tidbits to the gristmill about the bombs.

They had it on good authority the Hampstead district got the same type of devices. Which meant her pseudo-rival, Efran Pendragon, probably had his hands full, too. No doubt, she'd end up in some information exchange meeting with him by the end of the week.

A smile spread across her face. "That'll be fun." He'd have his nose out of joint and she'd have to go out of her way to make nice with his cranky self.

She laughed. Or not. She could pour on the snark instead.

Heading down the darkened street, she shook her head. "Either way, he won't be happy."

For such an incredibly attractive man, he sure went out of his way to be a pain.

I'm having fun trying to combine the magickal angle with the realism of a mad bomber. Quinna and Efran are going to have their hands full.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Protect the Target

This past week I got to experience my daughter's first "senior night", this one for golf. She's my youngest and the last one we need to get through high school. Which is actually funny because she's also the most organized of my three kiddos and we haven't had to do much to get her through anything. Okay, except to maybe open the checkbook or whip out the debit card.

Anyway, the golf team had a scramble with another county team and the girls had a great time. This is a little poignant for three of the four seniors because they're all four-year letterman and they literally launched the girls' golf team for the high school. My daughter and one of her friends were the true masterminds, getting another freshman and two sophomores interested so they could form a team. There had to be at least four girls and they had five so they were good to go. In the four years they've had a team, the roster grew to eight, dropped to seven, then went back up to eight again this year. It's been exciting to watch the group grow and change and support each other.

Next up, is senior night for band and that's next weekend. I'm hoping for a non-rainy football game. This past week, the game got delayed due to lightning. Fun times.

Had a busy week overall with work but did get some television viewing in. I kept up with more episodes of Peter Gunn. I'm almost through the second season.

Also got some Classic Who in with The Mind Robber, The Invasion, and The Kroton multi-part episodes. I think I'm through the mixed episodes that are part animation and part regularly shot scenes.

I also watched three more Midsomer Murders episodes. I'm in series seventeen so I have about three more series to finish up.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Protect the Target, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Noya Vix is a walking target with a lot of magical factions coming after her, the most persistent being Lenj Gottman, who wants to exploit her precognitive ability. Booth Wanderlux is her number one protector, but he's got issues with keeping Noya out of harm's way because she refuses to lay low until Lenj is caught.

And a preview snippet…

Noya checked her reflection in the mirror. "Not bad if I do say so." And she did.

Lorna gave a low whistle. "Damn, girl. I'm impressed with our brilliance." She made a slow circle around Noya.

Brilliance might be an understatement. With Lorna's magickal help, a full-on transformation of Noya's hair, skin tone, facial features, the works, had taken place. Instead of dark brown locks, Noya sported a shimmering shade of red. Her eyes were a leafy green, which looked so different from her usual color of burnt umber. The olive of her skin now appeared as flawless and creamy. She kind of missed the shadows and planes of her darker skin tone. Lorna also made her cheekbones fuller and less angular.

Now, Noya needed to work on altering her speech pattern and her gait.

Lorna made a tsking sound. "Mm-mm-mm. Booth is gonna lose his mind when he sees you." She tilted her head to one side. "Darlin', that man isn't going to recognize you."

Noya banked on that fact. If Booth didn't immediately know her, she stood a chance of pulling off the biggest sleight of hand to nail Lenj's ass to the wall. And, dammit, she would have a hand in taking that fucker down.

Noya tried a new voice, lowering the pitch of her tone. "Do you really think so?" The sound flowed out of her mouth, smoky and sultry.

Lorna's eyes went wide. "Holy shit. You make me think of cigarettes and whiskey in a back room somewhere." She chuckled. "I take full credit for the magickal enhancement of your looks, but, Noya honey, everything else is all you." She swished her hand back and forth. "Lemme see you walk around a bit."

Noya complied, concentrating on shortening her stride to a loose shuffle instead of the usual strut she normally did. She slouched forward instead of squaring her shoulders and made a short circuit of the bathroom. The weird jockeying would take some getting used to and she couldn't hold the illusion for long, tripping up on her way back to Lorna's side.

Laughing, Noya shrugged. "Yeah, that's gonna take some work." And probably some painkillers to ease the kinks her muscles would get.

Lorna nodded. "You'll get the hang of it." She leaned in. "How are you gonna let Booth in on the new look?"

Noya made a grimace. "I'm going to do it where he'll least expect it…" She met Lorna's gaze. "Tonight… in bed."

Wouldn't that be a rare treat?

Okay, maybe not.

Noya is so much fun to write and her partner in crime for this scene is very much an enabler, which won't make Booth very happy.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: The Prank Police

I'm welcoming September with open arms. August ended up being a truly weird month. We'll see if September flows any smoother.

Decent week of television. I stuck with classic and mysteries. I finished up a 77 Sunset Strip binge watch last week and launched into Peter Gunn, logging about seven more episodes via Prime and now a marathon on regular cable.

I caught the Classic Who episodes of The Enemy of the World. Interesting segue… an episode of The Saint featured the actor who plays Two. It's just a weird little connection that made me smile.

I also watched another Midsomer Murders episode. Oddly, they're back to Causton CID again instead of Midsomer Constabulary. Obviously, it's not a huge deal, just one of those random things that popped out at me.

Yes, I'm strange.

Tonight's post is from The Prank Police, a novella that started with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

The mage academy is rife with pranksters and Zenna Doyle and Kyrk Rydercroft must corral the new recruits when they all test their newfound powers. And to top it off, the couple pulls duty at the worst time—the night of the blue moon when magic is at its strongest.

And a preview snippet…

Zenna Doyle placed her hands on the desk in front of her. "You have got to be kidding. What did we do to piss you off?" She stared the director of the mage academy down.

A slow, wide smile spread across Max Bentis's face. "Remember the saying about payback?" He quirked an eyebrow.

Kyrk Rydercroft, Zenna's partner in teaching and everything else, stopped pacing for a moment. "That it's a right bitch?"

Zenna snorted. Too damned true.

Max nodded. "That's the one." He pulled a thick folder from his bottom drawer. "Do you also remember, oh… seven or eight years ago when I was in the position you two are in now?" He made a show of casually opening the file and flipping through the pages.

Zenna shot Kyrk a sideways glance. He shook his head. No way were they going to admit remembering anything they did back in their adept minor days.

Zenna didn't like the direction this conversation headed in.

Max smirked. "And do you remember the week before finals and who the ringleaders were for the most hated time of the year?" He tapped the pages in front of him.

Kyrk muttered an oath. "Seriously? I barely remember what I had for breakfast this morning."

Of course, Max had no problem reminding them of their former shortcomings. He spun the folder around, showing the proof in vividly colored notes. Then he turned to the final page where Zenna and Kyrk, in their less than infinite wisdom, signed a promissory pledge to handle finals week whenever the presiding precept chose.

Max settled back in his seat. "Ring any bells now?" He gaze dared either of them to try his patience.

Zenna's shoulders slumped. "Fuck."

Max clapped and rubbed his palms together. "Exactly." He slapped the folder shut and stuffed in back inside the drawer.

Kyrk started pacing again. "You do realize we're due for a blue moon." He stopped. "They're going to be insane with power."

Zenna shuddered. Great Mage. The entire week would suck huge, hairy balls.

Max's lips split in a wide smile. "I absolutely know all of the above. Why do you think I saved that little trump card in the back of the file?" He pushed away from the desk and stood up. "I've been waiting for this moment for two years."

Zenna gave him props. "That's brilliantly evil. Kudos for being able to hold out this long." Honestly, she admired the hell out of the sneak attack.

Max preened for a moment.

Kyrk snorted. "Geez, Zen, don't stroke his ego. He'll be lucky if we're still standing next Monday."

A fair point.

Max shook his head. "Hey, there are two of you. The same cannot be said when you two coordinated hell week during your last year." He pinned Kyrk with his gaze. "I had to find something worthy to challenge your skill-set."

Zenna shrugged. "Fine, fine. We'll manage. At least you'll be around if anything goes totally hinky."

Max held up a hand. "Oh, no. I'm going to be as far away from this place as possible starting in"—he glanced at his watch—"about ten seconds." Jerking his head toward the door, he waved them in that direction. "Have fun."

Zenna opened her mouth to argue, but Kyrk grabbed her wrist. "Don't. As much as it pains me to say it, we had this coming." He tugged her out of Max's office. "And we don't have much time to prepare… so let's get going."

Zenna exhaled on a heavy sigh. "Let the games begin."

This story is so much fun. It took a direction I completely didn't anticipate but I'm happy with where it's headed.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Physical Therapy

Whew. Long, long week with a ton of busywork stuff along with my regular workload. I sometimes get the idea that most of my family members don't realize how long or how many phone calls it often takes to make things happen. Luckily, I'm in a position where my job isn't at stake if I need to make those frequent and often time-sucking phone calls. But… bleh.

Had an even more sporadic viewing week. I'm not fairly behind on a lot of my shows. But… I did catch up on some laundry so not a bad tradeoff. I got two episodes of Blue Heelers in while folding and stacking clothes. LOL

I got a little more of Riverdale watched but haven't finished the episode yet. I might be getting to the place where I need to switch over to music. The main reason I've been light on viewing for the past few weeks is a heavy work schedule and lots of distractions from other drama.

I have so many playlists that I listen to while driving. I should probably start listening to them while working also. Maybe I'll start that this week.

Since there's not much to report, tonight's post is from Physical Therapy, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Flint Hollywell, a talented physical therapist, loves nothing more than watching arena ball player Tappen Bligh work her magic on the playing field. But when a career-ending injury sidelines Tappen, Flint is determined to get her back on the grass where she thrives on the action.

And a preview snippet…

Flint Hollywell jumped up from his reserved seat and bellowed with the crowd before sitting back down. "Third row, midcenter. One of the best seats in the house." He'd worked his ass off to afford season tickets and never missed a match.

The Banshees were the most amazing team to watch. And Flint didn't care what kind of hit his reputation took for being a full-on fan. He wore his jersey with pride and never left home without his green and white cords, the Banshee team colors.

Tonight's game had a brutal edge underneath the stellar quality of the plays. Elbows flew and cracked against chins, shoulders, and torsos. Hip-checks and knee gouges doubled when the Banshees played the Demon Dogs. The beauty of watching the peak physicality of the players in action never failed to hold him rapt.

Even when the professional side of him winced at the damage the teams inflicted on each other.

Then again, his work in physical therapy and athletic training gave him a close-up view of what happened when bodies were pushed past their limit.

Helping those injuries heal became a bonus.

His friend Mason nudged Flint. "Tannen's on fire tonight. And the Dogs are sniffing for blood." His gaze never left the field.

Flint nodded. "Gilda's kicking their rivalry into the stratosphere. I can't believe the officials haven't called her on some of those questionable blocks."

Mason laughed. "Probably because the Banshees have only missed once when old Gildabitch plays dirty."

A valid point. Tannen's score hadn't cracked double digits yet, a rarity for her. But her assists were off the charts for this game. One of the things he loved about the Banshees? Their teamwork approach to winning. Tannen Bligh led by example and shared the spotlight with her fellow players.

Flint leaned forward, shaking his head when another block cut close to the penalty range. "Come on, ref! Make the call." Disgusted, he shoulder-checked Mason. "Gilda's earning her nickname tonight. I can't believe how blatant she's being with the use of magick." Only physical magick—primarily levitation—could be used during match play.

Spells, incantations, conjuring… all counted as illegal and weren't allowed. Gilda all but spoke words out loud while adding an edge to her elbow throwing and hip-checking.

Mason's eyes went wide and he fist-pumped the air. "Tannen's setting up to score. She's getting in place for her kick-ass combo."

Flint didn't respond. He didn't want to miss a moment of watching Tannen Bligh defy gravity with her incredible acrobatic combination.

Writing action scenes is something I thoroughly enjoy. Creating the rules for arena ball has been a fun experience.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Passion's Gate

July kind of flew by in a series of weird weather and crazy work schedules. I'm oddly okay with that. The weather is what it is… and will probably keep acting like an angry toddler. My work calendar is bursting at the seams and I'm excited about my new projects.

But… my television viewing is sporadic, which isn't a bad thing. I'm just so used to doing rundowns each week I feel like my blog is naked if I don't have a full slate. LOL

I did get a few shows watched. I started with Midsomer Murders and got a holiday episode. There's a new detective sergeant or maybe it's detective constable, but either way, I'll miss Jones. I loved that character. Which isn't to say the new guy won't grow on me. He's not bad. Good mystery also.

Started a new episode of Blue Heelers and it's rather different and I like it. I'm not sure how long the first season is, but the series is something like fourteen seasons and it's nice to have variety in format.

Caught two more episodes of Peter Gunn and Classic Who. I'm kind of excited to watch a live-action episode with Two. So far, it's been six animated episodes.

Finished the final episode of Blade. I have to admit to still being disappointed with the outcome on my rewatch. Sometimes I can have a change of heart when I've got a few years of distance when viewing a show's run.

Frankie Drake Mysteries had a great episode. I'm starting to like Grayson a little more and it'll be fun to see if Frankie's mom sticks around.

Watched the fifth episode of Daredevil and, eh, this is something of a slow-moving season. I do like where things are going and it's great to see Karen kind of have to face what she did in a previous season. That said, I'm enough of a Fisk non-fan to really not want to watch a bunch of scenes with him. And the FBI agent annoys the crap out of me. I actually think he's too smart to be playing things so stupidly. So, yeah, I hope the rest of the season evens out.

Started Riverdale's Bizarrodale episode and hope to finish it later today. This season has been dark and twisty and I like it.

New episodes of Killjoys have started and I'll be hopelessly behind on those, but I can't wait to watch this final season.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Passion's Gate, a follow up featuring the characters from Kindred Spirits.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Kirby Selwig meets Passion Gates and she rocks his world. She's a force to be reckoned with and a little out of control. Kirby is tasked with tempering her wild spirit—something she has no interest in taming. Too bad she doesn't know Kirby never fails to get results.

And a preview snippet…

Passion Gates had zero fucks to give about being welcome at Atherton's University of Magick and Alchemy.

Her gaze swept over the faces of everyone in the council room, lingering on one man in particular, before swinging back to the specimen of golden awesomeness standing before her.

Too bad she'd never have a piece of him. Not if he marched lockstep to the tune of Atherton's board. Something she'd never do.

She planted her hands on her hips. "I don't have all night. Someone needs to tell me why I've been summoned to your exalted presences." As if she couldn't guess.

Elixir. With the special little twist she'd added.

The blond stud took control of the conversation. "Well, Passion, here's the deal. We're here to meet with the board to discuss illegal tampering with a favorite alcohol in three different bars." His eyebrow quirked. "Would you like to shed some light on the situation?" His gaze challenged her to deny his supposition.

Good thing she had no plan to do so. "Well… Kirby, was it? I can shed whatever you want on the situation down to the exact incantation used to add the strong sexual component to the brew." She paused and glanced toward the board. "Unless you think it might be too much for the old hard-asses to understand." Pinning the man in the center with her gaze, she smirked.

Dean Hargrove rose to his less than impressive height. "That's enough, Ms. Gates. We perfectly understand the how. You'll be returning in one week's time to present the reason why and we'll determine whether you'll be facing criminal charges to be transferred to the magistrate." His voice wobbled on the last part.

Good. He should have reservations. And he also shouldn't expect her to fall in line.

Passion snorted. "You're wrong. I'm not one of your students; you have no jurisdiction over someone not enrolled in your precious university." She turned and started for the door but glanced back. "And I'm just getting started. You'd do well to stay out of my way, Uncle Dean." The collective gasps and chorus of shocked responses filled her with a sad sense of victory.

When she dropped a bomb, she aimed for the biggest and best impact.

I love, love, love this story. I'm having so much fun with the first novella and Passion kind of walked in and parked her bold badass self in my brain and the sages started whispering. I won't be complaining about that at all.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye