Sunday Snippet: Ill-Timed Case

Hello, September. Here's hoping you're not as maniacal as August. I'd love for the weather to make up its mind and hold for a while. I don't imagine that will actually happen.

Had a lovely day off to travel to the Hocking Hills area to meet up with my cousins on my mom's side of the family. We're hoping to make it an annual event. I couldn't take the whole weekend, but it was so much fun to spend time with them. Bonus points for being close enough to my daughter's location for grad school that I could take some of the things she forgot.

Still insanely busy with work and I'm happy for the new projects coming my way. Also kind of thrilled they're all a bit different so it's not the same thing for each manuscript.

Had an okay week of viewing. I got to watch a few things when I needed a break from wall-to-wall words. Sometimes it's nice to have a minivacation to reset my brain.

Caught an episode of The Batman and enjoyed it. It's a two-parter so I'm hoping to watch the second half this week.

Enjoyed an episode of Classic Rugrats. I don't really remember this one, but the later seasons of the show weren't watched quite as many times as the earlier ones.

Got an episode of My Life Is Murder watched and loved it. Again, Madison really stole the show. And the wink-wink-nod to Xena at the end was fun and awesome.

Started an episode of Signora Volpe and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens when Sylvia's undercover assignment is discovered.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Ill-Timed Case, a novella that brings a couple together for a bit of cat-and-mouse fun.

Here's the miniblurb:

Rex Van Adder, private investigator, has more cases than he can handle. Enter Gracie Lee, along with a dead body, and Rex scrambles to keep his head above water, especially since he knows Gracie is involved but can't figure out how.

And a snippety peek…

The first gray streaks barely lit the sky before Rex ended up back in the alley where his mystery woman disappeared.

After a careful look in the shadowy nooks and crannies, he huffed out a breath. "Think I finally figured out how she disappeared." She had to be using one of the old storefronts as an access to the underground system.

He went back to check more footage to be certain his hunch panned out. "I'll be damned. That's a genius-level move." He got up to pour some coffee, mentally planning how to surveil the city block she'd used as her access point.

He'd narrowed her route to down four stores and wanted to get back to see if she'd left a trail he could pick up.

He started for his desk and got a call. This time from Avery.

He didn't both with pleasantries either. "If you want to see the evidence, you can come down to the precinct. Maybe you can make sense out of some of the things we found."

Rex's lips quirked. "What's wrong, Marlow. The gray skies and rain making it hard for you to concentrate?" A little needling never hurt, especially when Marlow deserved it for dragging Rex out of bed in the wee hours.

Marlow snorted. "More like zero sleep for over twenty-four hours and a dead body with your name on it." He huffed out a sigh. "Seriously, nothing about this murder fits normal parameters. And you always have your nose in weird shit nobody understands."

Yeah. Thanks to his professor dad.

Rex tsked. "Marlow, you're not wrong about that. But why the rush? You've barely had time to get the autopsy results." Not that they'd probably learn anything new.

Marlow grumbled something under his breath before responding. "Look, Rex. Someone got to this guy when pretty much no one was supposed to know he was in the city. Either your information is wrong, or there's a clue we're missing in McGuinness's stuff. Whichever it is, the trail's going cold and not just from the fucking rain." He paused then added. "I'll be here for another hour then I'm being forced to take mandatory downtime for the next twenty-four hours, which means…"

Shit. "Barkerson's taking over until you're back." While Marlow reluctantly worked with Rex and other private detectives, Stu Barkerson absolutely refused to consider anyone outside the twelfth precinct as an ally and regarded all of them with suspicion.

Marlow chuckled. "Yep."

Rex grimaced. "Be there in ten." He ended the call.

Damn. He'd hoped to buy some time to track down the mystery woman. Then again, if he didn't want to deal with his cranky old man on an hourly basis, Rex needed to get a jump ahead on Dougray's case. Except … his mystery woman and McGuinness's murder were connected. And he would find out how.

His gut never steered him wrong.

I'm having such a terrific time writing this one. Rex and Marlow are a hoot, and Rex is nudging me to set Marlow up in a future story. Stay tuned!

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye 

Sunday Snippet: Gotta Make a Living

We definitely had a hot week and I'm so glad I got rid of most of the yucky upper respiratory crud. We're due for some major storms later today so that should be interesting.

I'm still not quite caught up on my work projects but I'm making headway. Thankfully none of them have red line due dates. I did manage to finish a proofread and will be sending it on its merry way later today. I still have another proofread and a copy edit to work on this week.

Had an almost nonexistent viewing week. Between playing catch up on my work projects and still being kind of bleh, I stuck with my comfort viewing of Perry Mason and Midsomer Murders. I did work in a few binge episodes of Death in Paradise on regular television.

That said, I did start the new season of My Life Is Murder and I'm loving the premiere episode so far. So nice to have Alexa and Madison back!

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Gotta Make a Living, a novella with a sexy noir vibe.

Here's the miniblurb:

Niles finds Claire standing over a dead body and can't decide if he should call the cops or haul her into his arms. Claire makes the choice easy by asking him if he sees any smoking guns. They decide they better work together to find the killer before Claire is framed for a murder she didn't commit.

And a preview snippet…

Claire entered through C&P's private executive alcove and took the elevator up to the corporate office suite. The need to put this case in the done column meant she called Conrad as soon as she walked in her door. She didn't even get a chance to change out of her tarty clothing before Conrad insisted she bring the file.

Rolling her eyes, she sighed. "Should have waited until I'd changed into something more comfortable." But he sounded almost desperate to see the information.

The lift slowed to a stop, and a creepy feeling assailed her when she got out. But she chalked it up to being in the building so late. She always had an uneasy feeling when she had to meet her clients under clandestine circumstances.

Conrad's office door had been left open a crack. Clair nudged it and entered the room. She found the desk lamp on but the chair empty and turned at an odd angle.

Frowning, she resisted the urge to flip the switch for the overhead lights. "He might not want anyone to know we're meeting." Hell, she didn't really want anyone to know.

Creeping further inside the space, she almost tripped over a body. Glancing downward, she barely smothered a gasp. Shit. Conrad!

She had no idea if the killer remained or not. She stooped down, dreading the thought of touching Conrad, but needing to get a general idea of how long he'd been dead. She reached out, her hand trembling, but the elevator pinged again.

Thinking quickly, she beat a hasty retreat behind the door. The killer could be coming back or trying to leave. Or it could be the cleaning people. Whoever … she didn't want to get caught.

Trying not to breathe too heavily, she cursed leaving her gun behind in her haste to give Pesterman the file. Her purse would have to do as a makeshift weapon. Wouldn't be the first time she'd used that tactic.

A man entered, wearing a trench coat and fedora, his gaze scanning the room. Claire had to move now, before he discovered her. She raised her arm, intent on slugging him in the face from behind, but he spun and blocked her, jerking her forward. The momentum carried her past him and into the wall next to the door jamb.

Well, damn. Definitely didn't anticipate his quick reflexes.

His voice rumbled from behind her. "What are you doing here?" His hand flattened against her shoulder blades, keeping her pushed forward.

Considering she only caught a glimpse of a face she might have recognized, she stayed silent for the moment. She needed a hot minute before she figured out how to handle this dilemma. And she'd rather not do it smooshed up against the wall.

Not a great position to be in.

I love writing this story! Claire and Niles are fun characters and weaving in some noir-type vibes is a favorite thing of mine.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Ill-Timed Case

Whew. It's been a week. Had another trip to the emergency department with a family member and, thankfully, things seem to be okay and we're getting closer to having some answers.

Had an okay week of television viewing, mainly because my brain was kind of scattered all over the place. Started out with watching the behind the scenes and episode breakdowns for Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries. Thoroughly enjoyed both.

Caught both episodes of a Silent Witness two-parter. This is one I kind of remembered and I ended up liking it a lot. Some cool intrigue mixed with the science.

Enjoyed two more arcs of Classic Who. I believe there will be a new companion joining the crew but I'm not sure how soon that happens.

Watched two more episodes of UFO Witness. This one isn't nearly as entertaining as the lost evidence series but I'll finish it out.

Caught four episodes of The Muppet Show. Pearl Bailey, Jean Stapleton, Loretta Lynn and Alice Cooper were the guest stars. I'd forgotten about the Alice episode and really enjoyed watching it again.

Enjoyed two more episodes of McCartney 3, 2, 1. It's so cool to watch the breakdown of how many happy accidents shaped the sound of Paul's career.

Watched two more Master Class lessons with LeVar Burton. The first was a case study of Roots and how that story impacted so many. The second was about the importance of the oral storytelling tradition. I'm so glad I gave this series of lessons a try.

Got two more episodes of Peak Practice viewed. I didn't finish the second episode, mainly because one of the characters annoyed me so much I couldn't watch it. I'll pick back up with the next one and see if I missed anything important.

Caught another full episodes of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and I'm almost finished with another one. I'm sort of on the fence with this show right now. I literally hate Blackwood with a passion and I'm close to saying I'm done because I can't stand him.

Enjoyed another episode of Star Trek: Discovery. I gotta say I'm impressed with the narrative so far. There's some serious intrigue I'm enjoying along with a mix of new concepts that I'm fascinated with. Lorca is compelling to watch.

Watched another episode of Chicago Med. I'm enjoying the second season a lot and I might have to go look up the crossover episodes again.

Caught another episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. I really love this show. I switched to a different streaming provider and should be able to continue the second season without a delay.

I'll probably finish out the week with another episode of New Rugrats and another Chicago Med. I'll discuss those next week.

That's it for television recaps. Tonight's post is from Ill-Timed Case, a novella with a little cat and mouse between the characters while they try to piece together a mystery.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Rex Van Adder, private investigator, has more cases than he can handle. Enter Gracie Lee, along with a dead body, and Rex scrambles to keep his head above water, especially since he knows Gracie is involved but can't figure out how.

And a preview snippet…

Nighttime excursions were Gracie's favorite. "But I'll have to be extra careful from this point forward." Lover boy could be bothersome.

She'd only caught a glimpse of him and, even with his hat pulled low on his head, no one could mistake the chiseled cheekbones and day-old scruff on his face. One of my weaknesses. He walked with confidence and his keen gaze missed nothing. He'd spotted her, which rarely happened when she didn't want to be seen.

She shivered a little. "And he's taking up entirely too much space in my head right now." She shifted a little closer to the burning flames under the mantel.

The heat of the fire warmed her while waited for Sam Baldwin, the deputy police commissioner. The nights they'd spent by the hearth were too numerous to count. Her lips curved. She loved the man like a father—even though he'd fired the shot that killed hers.

Glenn Lee grew up with Sam but they'd landed on opposite sides of the law. As a beat cop, Sam arrived at a private residence when the silent alarm had been tripped. He'd followed procedure, identifying himself and ordering the thief to stop. But Baldwin also followed protocol when the robber drew a weapon and fired a shot.

Sam's heart broke when he discovered Glenn Lee under the black ski mask. Baldwin had tried so hard to keep Glenn on the straight path, but old habits were hard to break. Not even having a twelve-year-old daughter made a difference. And it should have.

Of course, when Sam found Gracie sound asleep in her dad's car, he immediately took her in and raised her as his own.

"And I've been with him ever since." Going on twelve years now.

Sam came in and settled beside her. He and Gracie discussed McGuiness's murder. After giving her initial impression of the room and the shambles it had been left in, she recalled her narrow escape.

She shrugged. "Avery Marlow got the call out. And he was joined by some lo— er, lordly-looking guy in a fedora and trench coat." Geez, she'd almost used her nickname for him, but covered just in time.

Baldwin slid his gaze sideways for a moment. "I'm guessing your mystery man will end up being Rex Van Adder." He paused a moment. "You'll have to be cautious. He has a nose for solving his cases." He chuckled. "I'd love about a dozen men like Van Adder to counter my straight-shooters like Marlow, but Van Adder doesn't play by the rules."

Gracie smirked. "Neither do I."

Baldwin gave her a long, level look. "Just be careful, Gracie. There's more to this business with McGuiness and his gem. Use Van Adder if you can to find out why this rock seems to be so damned important."

Gracie nodded. She would enjoy the challenge of snaring Rex Van Adder.

I'm having a lot of fun with this one. I've got a love for trying my hand at writing with a noir flair and this story lends itself nicely to creating that style.

That's it for this week.

 

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Ill-Timed Case

Argh!!! The Flash, Arrow, and Agents of SHIELD left off at cliffhangery moments. But what awesome episodes!!! I have lots and lots of thoughts, but won't share here for the sake of saving some space. LOL

Haven has one more week and will end on a double episode. I truly hope it ends well, mainly because I've been with the show since the very beginning.

The Librarians and Agent X are still entertaining me. I really enjoyed last week's Agent X and can't wait to see what happens this week. Gotta say the actor playing the foil in last week's episode is making the rounds. He's been on a lot of shows I've been watching.

Looking forward to Agent Carter coming soon. I love the format and the entire cast of characters. Can't wait.

That's it for the TV roundup this week.

Tonight's post is from Ill-Timed Case, a novella where my main characters play a fun game of cat and mouse for a while.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Rex Van Adder, private investigator, has more cases than he can handle. Enter Gracie Lee, along with a dead body, and Rex scrambles to keep his head above water, especially since he knows Gracie is involved but can't figure out how.

And a preview snippet…

Gracie Lee breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "That was too damned close for comfort." She crept through the boarded up store and made her way to the lower level.

She retrieved her data device and typed a quick message to her surrogate father, Sam Baldwin. [Our man betrayed. Yours are on scene. Need a pickup by the fourth street underground]. She tucked the messenger back inside her pocket and headed for the hidden entrance to the underground rail system. She'd be traveling through an abandoned part and shouldn't be spotted by anyone.

Like the man with Avery Marlow. She thanked the heavens for her innate sixth sense. She didn't have to turn to know she'd caught the man's interest because his gaze bored into her back when she walked away from the mid-grade hotel McGuiness summoned her to earlier.

Sadly, she'd arrived too late. Dougray already lay dead in the alley, stabbed through the heart. A brief search didn't turn up the jewel he'd brought for sale and she'd risked going to his room to find it.

She'd come up empty there, too. Dammit. Dougray had to have left a clue or something to indicate where he'd hidden the jewel. Sam would have to pull some strings to get her access to the case file.

The device in her pocket chirped, startling her. She paused in the darkened corridor and checked the message.

[Car is waiting. Come to my location and we'll decide next move].

Heaving another sigh, she picked her way to the fourth street panel door and entered the stations main hub. The dank interior smelled musty with disuse, but she'd grown used to the aroma after using the location so often. Climbing the steps to street level, she quickly entered the waiting vehicle, snuggling into the plush interior to ward off the evening chill. The rain picked up and her mind drifted to the handsome stranger again. Gut instinct indicated she'd be seeing him soon.

And she didn't quite like the thrill of anticipation she got when thinking about him.

Settling in for the ride, she shrugged off the idea. "Sorry, lover boy, I don't have time for romance right now."

I love writing a mix of urban fantasy and noir and this one is a fun blend of both.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Gotta Make a Living

Wow. Only two months left in 2015. Where did my year go? LOL

TV round up… pretty great this week. I have a feeling The Walking Dead is going to blow my mind. I couldn't watch Doctor Who due to a crazy, insane, busy weekend, but I'll catch up soon.

Gotham and Sleepy Hollow were quite good. I love how Gotham is all about the rise of the villains and the focus on the new crop, but I'm really enjoying Nygma's slow burn. I'm pretty excited to see where things go there. And Sleepy Hollow's crossover with Bones ended up being pretty fun.

The Flash and Arrow are still ranking high on my 'can't miss anything' list. Both seasons are kicking serious ass and I hope it continues.

Agents of SHIELD had what I think will end up being one of my favorite episodes of the season and I'm pretty excited to see more. I don't know, even with all the various different plot threads vying for attention, I feel like this season is actually better and more cohesive than last season. This is not a bad thing.

Lost Girl is almost over. *sniffles* I'm dying to see how it ends even though I'm going to miss the show so much. And The Murdoch Mysteries had a great episode last week. I'm looking forward to more this week.

That's it for now. I'm still trying to figure out if I love The Romeo Section or not. Will keep everyone posted.

Tonight's post is from Gotta Make a Living, an urban noir novella where my main characters meet over a dead body.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Niles finds Claire standing over a dead body and can't decide if he should call the cops or haul her into his arms. Claire makes the choice easy by asking him if he sees any smoking guns. They decide they better work together to find the killer before Claire is framed for a murder she didn't commit.

And a preview snippet…

Claire fixed her face into a serene mask. "Certainly, Niles." She arched a brow. "Or would you prefer Mr. Chesterfield?"

He let go of her hand and put a little distance between them. "Niles is fine." His shoulders remained tense. "My family is off limits. Our working together doesn't include you making stops at the one-twelve for any reason." He pinned her with his gaze. "Clear enough?"

Claire nodded. "I think you put a shine on it and made it sparkle just enough for me to understand." She didn't like being at cross-purposes, so she'd play nice.

For now.

Claire had a good deal of experience reading people and retaining random facts. Niles wanted his rank and file relatives left out of their investigation. She intuited he'd bring in whomever necessary once they cracked the culprit, but he'd want every last detail nailed down before bringing his brother, or any one of his other family members with influence, in.

She had an uncanny knack for remembering things. She didn't know that much about Niles, but he thought she did. She'd read an article mentioning the black sheep of the Chesterfield family—Niles—and the scathing burn of the rebuttal his brother Nelms provided. Niles might not be part of the police force, but he did his part to keep the city safe.

Now, reading between the lines, Claire figured Niles for a loner, one who didn't care to play by the rules and didn't mind stretching the lines of the propriety when necessary. She rarely misinterpreted her gut reactions.

Considering she spent a good bit of time walking through murky shades of grey when it came to getting what her employers needed, she thought having Niles in her corner could only help.

Claire rose and crossed around the desk, stopping just shy of Niles. "Now let me get something off my chest." Her hand smoothed a nonexistent crease from his tie. "You'll find me more agreeable if you ask instead of demand. I don't like men who underestimate my intelligence or ability to cooperate when there's a reason to do so." And she really wanted to like Niles.

He grasped her fingers, removing them from his chest. "I don't think you're stupid, Claire. Far from it. You know a hell of a lot about me. I know jack all about you." His voice went sexy smooth. "I like balance, and we're not there yet."

She smiled. "What else would you like to know about me, Niles." She'd pretty much become an open book if he wanted her to.

And she rather hoped he did.

The cat and mouse game between Niles and Claire is so much fun… and when they join forces it gets even better!

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye