Sunday Snippet: Shit Happens

Kind of a long week and I'm glad it's over. There's something nice about starting a new week with a clean slate. Even if projects linger from one week to the next or challenges still need to be met.

We've got wild weather in Ohio again. Muggy and hot until a storm rolls through then it's lovely for a day until it gets muggy and hot again. The humidity is not fun.

Had a solid work week. One of the projects I thought was finished ended up having more revisions. At this point, the author is wordsmithing and really should leave things alone. That said, it's her last book and giving some grace can't hurt. I'm hoping to finish up a proofread on a science book this week and start a new project about a family history. I also have a developmental edit to get back to and copy edit to finish up. The copy edit is a holiday book and I'm so happy to have one of those to edit.

Had a pretty decent viewing week. I made it through my regular slate of shows, which actually made me happy. It was a busy week, and I ended up being kind of drained.

Started the week by finishing up an episode of Foyle's War. I do believe I have only the bonus episodes left.

Started a new series about Irish castles and thoroughly enjoyed the first episode. So much history I don't know, and I love learning new things.

Caught another episode of Silent Witness. The move to Birmingham seems to be resetting the series with a lot of darker content. I'm actually interested to see how this plays out.

Watched another episode of Poirot and enjoyed one of the better known classics with "Death on the Nile."

Elementary kind of blew my mind. Not sure how I feel about the whole Shinwell thing. It's going to prove interesting to discover Joan's reaction.

Enjoyed an episode of Young Justice. So far, I like the unfolding of the first season. The pacing is pretty good and the reveals are well-earned.

Also caught another episode of Star Trek Lower Decks and really loved the interactions. I honestly didn't know if I'd find my groove with this show, but I did!

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Shit Happens, a sexy short where the characters have to work through past trauma to get their act together.

Here's the miniblurb:

Nyla White, an up-and-coming paranormal cage fighter, has buttloads of potential but her 'Sh*t happens' attitude prevents her from attaining the top spot. Erik Stevens, her trainer, pushes her to use her emotions to own her talent, which Nyla is hesitant to do—because she's got strong feelings for Erik.

And a preview snippet…

You've got to talk to me…

Her shoulders slumped. "I can't, Erik." She spun away, shaking off the excess energy.

He followed her. "Why? There's gotta be a reason for shutting me out. Not letting anyone in." His frustration came through loud and clear.

As always.

She paused, waging an internal battle with herself over what to tell him. "You know I lost everything, right?" She slowly turned to face him.

He nodded. "I do."

She paced back and forth. "I can't lose this. I won't." She needed one thing no one could take away from her.

The championship and prestige that went with it would be her singular achievement. Something earned and hers to keep. Just once, she wanted things to go her way.

Erik shook his head. "That doesn't explain—" Confusion marred his features.

She cut him off. "You're the why. I can't let anyone in for the same reason I shut you out." Her voice lowered. "Because you'll see—everything—if I open up." The admission cost her some pride, but she couldn't hold the way she felt in any longer.

Or deal with his constant pushing.

Erik's mouth dropped open, then snapped shut. "Oh."

Nyla threw her hands up. "Yes, oh. Do you get it now?" She definitely couldn't work with him anymore.

Erik gave a jerky nod. "Yeah, I get it." He turned away. "And I'm sorry. I should have seen it."

Nyla's gut twisted into knots. "No, you shouldn't have. And you wouldn't have if I didn't open my big fat mouth." She crossed the floor and grabbed her jacket.

She had to get out. Get away. Keep a shred of dignity.

Shrugging into the coat, she managed a calm tone. "I'll grab my gear and find a new trainer." Heading for the door, she refused to get teary eyed and blubbery over him.

Seriously happy with how this story is coming together. Both characters have some trauma they have to deal with and some hurdles to get over.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Sh*t Happens

Ugh. What a week. I ended up succumbing to the upper respiratory yuck that started with my middle kiddo. I took him to the doctor on Monday and by late that evening, I already started feeling pretty ick. Slept most of the day on Tuesday—not kidding, about fifteen hours—and still felt terrible on Wednesday, with worsening symptoms, continuous cough, inability to breathe regularly, and basically everything hurt, up to and including my hair. Got in to see the doctor on Thursday afternoon, got tested for the flu, which came back negative, got something for the cough and came home. Finally got some additional sleep and started feeling slightly better by Friday evening. Continued to improve Saturday and finally think I've turned the corner. Going to take everything nice and slow through Tuesday and follow up with the doctor, but at least I can think clearly again. Definitely a wild ride for a few days.

Did not get a lot of television watched. Well, I did. But I don't remember a huge chunk of it. I did get some additional episodes of Batman: The Animated Series in before falling off the cliff of craziness.

Finished up "Joker's Millions," which I remember but forgot how much I actually enjoyed. Also caught "Growing Pains," "Mean Seasons," a truly excellent episode, "The Demon Within," "Over the Edge," and "Torch Song."

I hope I can still finish up the final season before HBOMax sucks the joy out of life by removing it from their service. Fingers crossed I don't end up with a new yuck thing to deal with.

That's more than anyone wanted to know about my life this week! Tonight's post is from Sh*t Happens, a novella that sees the characters circling each other with a need for connection but a big fear stands in the way.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Nyla White, an up and coming paranormal cage fighter, has buttloads of potential but her shit-happens attitude prevents her from attaining the top spot. Erik Stevens, her trainer, pushes her to use her emotions to own her talent, which Nyla is hesitant to do—because she's got strong feelings for Erik.

And a preview snippet…

"How do I reach her?" Erik waited for Nyla by pacing the half-center mark of the training circle and repeating the question over and over in his mind.

He had her fight queued up and ready for review. The list of items to cover landed on the lengthy side. He vowed to not lose his calm … she never reacted well when he came unglued. His best scenario had her coming in rested, relaxed, and ready to review and improve.

But … she entered strung tighter than a bow and only got more rigid when her gaze scanned the televisions. Okay, they'd need a change in plan. He couldn't handle a two-fisted dose of Nyla attitude right from the start.

He shut the screens off and faced her. "Let's work out first." Get the blood flowing, maybe find her happy place, then discuss the bout … worth a try.

She paused, tilted her head and opened her mouth. Erik waited, encouraging her silently to say her piece. Instead of speaking, she clamped her jaw shut and only nodded. Turning around, she started going through the opening moves of her discipline routine.

Frustration punched its way through his first layer of calm. But Erik rolled with the flow. He studied and observed, taking a big step back and watching the fluid motion of her body going through the warm-up. The graceful arc and dip of her movements, precise and near perfect through each degree, prepared her for the second phase by clearing her mind.

She takes my breath away.

He had to get through to her. Her underlying latent ability to wield magick would only grow stronger if she learned to control and use her emotions as a conduit. The breakdown always occurred when she fought her instinct to open up and remove her filters.

When she finished the first stage and eased into the second—a combination of static motion and the use of her ability—the energy in the air stayed pliant and easy to manipulate. Erik took the opportunity to join her on the circle. She faltered, only for a moment … but long enough to make her stiffen up and lose the rhythm.

She made a low growl of frustration and tried to push onward.

Erik grasped her shoulder, halting her movement. "What's going on with you?" She glanced away and his determination kicked into overdrive. "Nyla, you've got to talk to me."

If she didn't, they'd never get through this challenge.

Nyla and Erik definitely need to have a conversation even if Nyla's not a big fan of chatting about her feelings.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Sh*t Happens

WooHoo! I have a new roof on my garage and both porches. Our back porch actually includes our bathroom and laundry room and we’ve had leaks for the past five years. Here’s to not having those anymore! We went with a blue metal and it looks terrific with the slate roof of the house. I’m thrilled the job took, I’m not kidding, a day and a half. I figured it would take a week to get it all done. Glad I was wrong.

Busy week on the work front. Finished up a project and started two more. I did get some television viewing in but had a light week.

I caught an episode of Riverdale and enjoyed getting back to the regular timeline. I’m completely creeped out with Cheryl’s weird deal with her corpse brother but I love the battle of wills she’s having with the new principal. Loved having some story with Reggie. Also liked seeing Mad Dog join the group. I want Kevin and Betty to get back to their usual friendship and I’m happy to see him kind of wake up to the evils of the farmies. Here’s hoping Fangs comes back to the fold.

I watched The Will, a Passionflix original movie, and thoroughly enjoyed it! The casting ended up being spot-on and I had fun watching this one. I’ll be looking forward to the next release Passionflix puts out.

Caught another episode of Danger Man aka Secret Agent. I forever have The Prisoner in my mind when I watch these episodes even if they’re not technically related. Probably because I watched The Prisoner first.

Watched the third episode of Midsomer Murders. Enjoyed it a lot. It had some good twists and turns I didn’t expect.

Viewed another first season episode of Peak Practice. I’m not quite sure what I’m supposed to think about Will. The character is, I think, the only one who remained for all twelve series. Right now, he’s kind of a petulant, whiny child most of the time and I don’t know if I’m supposed to like him or not. Since it’s only four episodes so far, I’ll reserve judgment.

Finished up Classic Who season ten with Three and the end of Jo’s tenure as a companion. The Green Death episodes were a pretty interesting arc and I like how Jo ended her time with the doctor. Looking forward to starting season eleven.

Strike Back is back, as noted in last week’s post. I’m currently watching the first episode of the season and, wow, Coltrane definitely has a big-ass chip on his shoulder. He kind of acts like he didn’t have his ass saved by his team not so long ago. That said, I’m not all the way through the first episode yet so I’ll reserve judgment.

And that’s pretty much it for television this week. Tonight’s post is from Shit Happens, a sexy short that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here’s the mini-blurb:

Nyla White, an up and coming paranormal cage fighter, has buttloads of potential but her 'Sh*t happens' attitude prevents her from attaining the top spot. Erik Stevens, her trainer, pushes her to use her emotions to own her talent, which Nyla is hesitant to do—because she's got strong feelings for Erik.

And a preview snippet…

Erik exited the council chambers with Nyla's future in the ring intact.

Barely.

Pissed off, he headed for the competitor area behind the main ring. "The raw, untapped talent she has is wasted. She refuses to control the energy." He gave a brief nod to the sentinel at the entrance of the combatant area.

Erik had worked and worked with Nyla, trying to break through the walls she put up. But she wouldn't make a connection, something she needed to help control and harness her latent ability to manipulate magick. And he couldn't figure out why.

Slowing down, he exhaled slowly. "She needs an emotional tether to ground her." If she didn't find something, she'd never achieve her goal of rising to the top of the arena battles. "I don't even care if it's with me or not." Bullshit. He cared.

He wanted her to find a connection with him.

Yeah? Remember Gengi?

Right. That ended in wrecked lives and wounded reputations. But only because the trainer-fighter fit had been all wrong from the start.

Erik leaned against the wall outside the locker room. "Gengi Bartlemas had no business being groomed for magickal bouts." Her skill level served better uses elsewhere.

It's why I never do favors for anyone anymore.

With Nyla, he owed no one but her anything. Except she didn't always trust he had her best interest in mind. And look where that got her.

Pushing away from the wall, he paced back and forth. "She's had fifteen minutes to shower. Time to read her the riot act."

A little shorter than usual but I need to flesh out a few details and I’m not quite ready to put those on the page yet. Erik has some history he has to deal with.

That’s it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Shit Happens

Ugh. This has been a rough week. A nasty stomach virus worked its way through the entire family. So glad we're all back to being semi-normal.

Looking forward to catching Talking with Chris Hardwick tonight. I'm excited to see what he brings to the screen each week.

Legends of Tomorrow had a solid finale. I look forward to seeing how the team deals with the time quakes. Awesome to see Mick pretty much choose his side.

Riverdale keeps getting better and better. I love this show. Watching Archie screw things up makes me happy. It's nice to have a character who gets to grow and change… as long as he actually gets to do both.

Finished up season three of City Homicide and got a start on season four. I'd forgotten how much I didn't like Rhys. Can't remember if he ended up growing on me or not. Took a small break to rewatch Pitch Perfect and do my happy chair dance while viewing.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Shit Happens, a working title based on the two-word prompt that started the story, a sexy short.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Nyla White, an up and coming cage fighter, has buttloads of potential but her 'Sh*t happens' attitude prevents her from attaining the top spot. Erik Stevens, her trainer, pushes her to use her emotions to own her talent, which Nyla is hesitant to do—because she's got strong feelings for Erik.

And a preview snippet…

"Come on, Nyla. Focus. End this."

Nyla White pranced around the ring surrounded by domed magic. A cage match usually had her amped up to win, but Erik's commentary kept throwing her off. She hadn't expected him for the preliminary bout.

Her gaze skate in his direction and, as usual, she choked on the air she breathed. The man had no idea how much she wanted him. And he never would.

But having him at the match sucked balls. She could beat her opponent. No question there. Rahma Dar fought by rote and habit, never veering from her tried and true methodology of wielding her power.

And Erik helped Nyla pick out those weaknesses on her very first day of training with him.

So why am I blowing this now?

Because I'm going through the motions, just like Rahma. I'm holding back because of Erik.

Nyla needed to tap into her emotions if she wanted to defeat Rahma. Her base of power increased when she homed in on specific feelings. But Nyla couldn't risk digging deep. Staying detached made her sloppy, but she could control her force. She could.

Summoning a line of blue light, she directed the arc toward her opponent. Rahma deflected with a shield then followed through with a yellow streak of flame.

"Nyla! Use your skill. You're better than this."

Erik's admonishment grated. Nyla blew out a harsh breath then dragged in a calming one. She would not lose control. She couldn't risk exposing her feelings to Erik.

She needed him in her corner. If she didn't land a spot on the circuit, her world might crash in on her. Food and shelter rated high on her list of necessities.

So, why did you fall for him? When you know what happened with his last fighter.

Honest answer? Nyla couldn't stop her reaction any more than she could quit breathing. He got her on a level no one else had ever tried.

Not even her family, when she'd had one.

Hoping to put an end to the match and walk away the victor, Nyla pulled a double arc of red light to her fingers, letting the energy build and the tension draw. Rahma narrowed her eyes, waiting to counter whatever Nyla sent forward. Erik paced back and forth, his gaze darting between Rahma and Nyla. His focus zeroed in on Nyla and she faltered, losing the edge she'd sought by bringing her emotion to the forefront. She tamped all feeling down and let the bolts fly, flinging them away with no control.

Erik shouted. "Nyla, no!"

Too late, she couldn't call the energy back and Rahma dodged, but not fast enough. The taser-like bursts caught her in their grip before she could prepare a defensive move. Nyla fought a wave of nausea, her gaze flying to Erik. His mouth open to speak but nothing came out. Instead he blinked, tilting his head to one side. Dammit, what did he see? She quickly schooled her features, standing with her arms to her sides, her head down. An injury stopped the bout and a forfeit would be called.

She'd lost.

Erik strode over and leaned in close. "Showers. Now. I'll deal with Dar's coach and the board."

Nyla gave a terse nod and turned to exit the ring.

"Do not leave the facility, Nyla."

She paused mid-stride, ready to argue. The look on Erik's face stopped her. Disappointment mixed with something intangible. Her shoulders slumped and she started for the showers again.

Worst. Night. Ever.

I'll come up with a better title, but the sages enjoy the tongue in cheek working one.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye