Sunday Snippet: Juvenile Behavior

Well, the big super bowl game is on tonight and I’m watching a Star Trek Next Gen marathon instead. LOL Don't get me wrong, we still have all the food and trimmings, like WAY more than we need, but with several televisions in the house, the game can be merrily playing in the kitchen and living room while I hunker down in my writing cave and watch something totally different. If anything really exciting happens, the family will let me know. :D

So, next week The Walking Dead returns and I'm not sure if I'm super-excited or not. I think I am, but won't know until I see the new episode. And Bitten is coming soon, February 15 on Syfy. Definitely excited for more of that show.

My usual shows all had great episodes. I completely forgot to mention The Magicians in last week's post, but I'm seriously liking that show. And Lost Girl is in its final run of episodes. I've seen the way it ends and I'm definitely watching the last hurrah. I hope another show with fae-releated characters turns up sometime.

The Flash ended up surprising me, which I'm always thrilled to have happen. Arrow also threw in an interesting reveal and I'm speculating like mad now. Legends of Tomorrow mixed up the teams and I'm down with them doing that on a regular basis.

Agent Carter has such a great mix of humor and tension. I almost wish there could be a longer season, but I'm also kind of happy with the brevity, mainly because the writing stays pretty focused and doesn't dart off on too many tangents.

Last but not least, The X-Files had one of those instant classic episodes that I could watch over and over again. I can't wait to talk to my brother about it. Teen Wolf, again, feels rather choppy, but I've been thinking about that and have come to the conclusion it's supposed to feel that way, especially since the creepy doctors can warp time, or whatever it is they do. So yeah, I just needed to have that last little piece click into place. LOL

And that's it for television this week.

Tonight's post is from Juvenile Behavior, a novella that started with a wild hair idea and has blossomed into an old family feud that needs to be settled by my main characters.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Freddie and Owen, top Adepts putting cadets through their paces at the Mage Academy, are very much in love, but refuse to act on their attraction. But when the Mage Principal has enough of their antics, he strips them of their rank and tenure and pushes them to act like grown-ups instead of juvenile delinquents.

And the preview snippet…

Orville Parker glared in his son's direction. Owen tried to muster up an appropriate response… but hell, he'd had too much fun to even try and deny the charges his father made. Cooling his heels in the maze with Freddie had been worth finishing off the bottle of Amberlane, even though the potent alcohol had been banned since the elder Parker's days at the Mage Academy. The stuff went down smooth but packed quite a punch, and sometimes the amber liquid induced hallucinations and could also trigger a dormant ability. Still, nothing his dad could say would change Owen's mind.

"You're both barred from classes."

Except that. Owen wouldn't stand to have something he'd achieved taken away because he'd actually gone and had fun for once. He opened his mouth to protest.

Freddie beat him to the punch. "Are you insane? You can't lose your two best instructors."

Ha, best argument yet. "Yeah, what she said." Owen held his dad's gaze. "Who else do you have on the roster that can teach new cadets how to master the gyroscope with their minds?" Exactly no one.

Orville shrugged. "We'll get by. You two aren't getting back into a study room until you've cleaned up your acts."

Freddie snorted. "What's to clean up? We have the highest percentage of cadets who make it through. No one else is even close."

Orville acknowledged her words with a brief nod. "True. But…" He paused. "When my top two Adepts are acting like recalcitrant teenagers, something must be done about it. And treating you like the age group in question seems a good place to start."

Owen didn't like the inference. "Since when does blowing off steam get lumped in with juvenile behavior?" Geez, his dad needed to relax a little.

The elder Parker lifted a brow. "Invisible shaving cream in the west corridor…" He held up a finger. "Levitating candelabras in the chapel." He added a second. "Exploding confetti balloons in the main bathing suite. Cheap parlor tricks are beneath Adepts at your level." His hand slammed down onto the heavy oak of the desk. "You're supposed to set the example. The cadets follow your lead. You're the grown-ups." He growled. "Act like it, dammit."

Owen didn't have an argument, except… "Look, Dad, no one got hurt. That should count for something."

Freddie chimed in again. "Damn straight. Do you have any idea how much skill it takes to pull off half the stuff we did without putting anyone in the healing chambers?"

Orville shot her a blistering look.

She lifted a shoulder. "Okay, stupid question. Of course, you do." She met his gaze. "What do you want from us here?"

Orville rose from the edge of the desk. "Sixty days probation where you two have to refrain from doing any kind of spell casting or conjuring." He held up a hand to stop any protests. "If you refuse, that's it. You lose all privileges and any tenure you've gained."

Freddie gasped. Owen didn't blame her, the punishment didn't quite seem to fit juvenile role his dad had cast them in. But… the man had a point, even if Owen hated to admit it.

He stood. "Fine. What do you suggest Freddie and I do to alleviate stress and tension?"

Orville lifted a brow. "You've got sixty days to figure it out. And I if I have to explain the myriad of methods you can use to bust boredom, you can't be my kid."

Freddie chuckled then laughed outright. Owen blinked and looked at his dad a little closer. The man couldn't be serious. Except… yes, he could.

Well, hell's bells. He'd be happy to oblige his old man.

Shrugging, Owen reached out and grabbed Freddie's hand, hauling her out of the chair. "Let's go, Freddie. I'm pretty sure we can figure out some grown up stuff to do."

Freddie smirked. "Sixty days, right? Yeah, plenty of time to get and be creative." Turning, she gave Orville a backhanded wave. "Just remember, you're the one who made this rather grand suggestion."

Oh, if only having fun would be that easy. LOL But Freddie and Owen have an uphill battle to wage.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Order of Aggression

What a rainy, miserable week. But hey, at least we didn't have any snow.

Not a lot of new television to watch, but the Bitten finale did not disappoint. Especially the ending. Whoa! If there's not a season three, there better at least be a movie to explain that whole dealio.

Finished up a rewatch of the X-Files. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed the last two seasons, even without Mulder. Getting ready to begin Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and get back into Teen Wolf. Plus keep up with the last episodes of The Flash and Arrow.

Orphan Black is back next Saturday and I can't wait to get a double dose of clones. Looking forward to how the Castor guys fit into the story.

A final random note, I read Eliza Dushku is joining the cast of Banshee for season four and I have very mixed feelings. I thoroughly enjoyed her as Faith on Buffy, but her last few roles have underwhelmed me. Here's hoping she does a great job and fits in well with the cast.

Tonight's post is from Order of Aggression, a novella where my main characters are tasked with an impossible quandary, but are trapped by honor to carry out their orders.

Here's the tagline:

When Ames Braddock is ordered to take out an enemy outpost with possible civilian casualties, he calls on Parker Hart to be his second, but Parker balks at the idea. Ames isn't thrilled with the mission, but he needs Parker and he's not above using aggression to bring her in line, which gets the job done, but also backfires when she demands satisfaction.

And a preview snippet…

Parker Hart blinked. "Um, no. Uh uh. Absolutely not." Her head jerked back and forth. "Find someone else."

Ames Braddock squared his shoulders before crossing his arms over his chest. "Excuse me? Did you just refuse to follow an order?"

Parker held her ground, planting her hands on her hips. Ames could go into battle mode all he wanted. She wouldn't be his second for this particular mission.

She nodded. "Didn't know you considered asking me to help you take out an enemy outpost an order, but yeah, I guess I did." She didn't move or flinch when he narrowed his eyes.

He studied her for several extra-long moments. "You can't refuse, Parker. I need you on this." Something close to pleading crept into his gaze. "I don't trust anyone else. Just tell me why you won't help."

Her mouth dropped open. "Do you want the list numerically or alphabetically?" She finally broke her stance and started pacing back and forth.

He started to speak, but a quick flick of her wrist stopped him. He frowned but stayed silent.

"Geez, Ames." Her feet traveled the length of the room twice before she continued. "First, and seriously the deal breaker, is the civilians. I can live with collateral damage when it's not the human kind." She slid him a sideways glance. "You know this." She resumed pacing. "Second, we can't pull off taking out an outpost without using enhanced magic, right?" She stopped and met his gaze.

He didn't contradict her.

She grimaced. "You also know I hate being all jacked up, jumpy, and unable to control and direct the power as well as I normally can… which brings me back to potential civilian losses." She paused again. "I can't believe you're okay with innocents getting hurt." Whipping around, she didn't give him a chance to reply before she added. "And last, no wait, third, why the hell do you always come to me when you also know I can rarely say no?" She spun around, unwilling to let him see how much she didn't want to let him down.

He moved silently, but she counted his footsteps until he stood behind her. His hands grasped her shoulders, but he didn't make her face him. She sent up a silent thank you to the universe.

Giving her a gentle squeeze, he leaned a little closer. "Parker, I'm not thrilled we might see civilian casualties. You get that, right?" He waited for her nod before he continued. "And we'll exhaust every last option before seeking enhancement because I want to limit any possible chance of harming innocents." He dropped his hands, moving around to stand toe-to-toe with her. "And I already told you why I always choose you. I don't trust anyone else to care as much as you do." Using two fingers, he lifted her chin. "Your inability to say no never factors."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Bullshit. But okay. When you're ready, I'll have your back."

He gave her a wide smile. "Thank you. Plan on a forty-eight hour window. We'll leave at first light the day after tomorrow." He stepped aside and strode toward the exit.

Parker turned, but didn't follow. She needed a few minutes to swallow down the reservations fighting their way up from her gut. Ames would try, and fail, to avoid needing enhanced magic, which meant she had less than two days to get her head around being responsible for harming those who didn't deserve it.

And prepare to give up one more piece of her already running on empty soul.

This one started out as something of a speculative romance, but the sages kept saying it needed magic. They won. LOL

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Ringside Seats

October 5, 2014

Greetings!

Ugh. I got a few days off and decided to get a nasty cold. LOL Nothing like mixing sinus meds with everything else. :D

This week in TV is almost a bust. I don't think I've watched anything in real time, with the exception of Sons of Anarchy. No comment from me, but my big wish from a few weeks ago still holds true AND I'm pretty sure Jax is fighting a war from within. We'll find out if I'm on the right track soon. J

Arrow premiers this week and hopefully I'll be home to watch it live. I can't wait. And this time next week should see The Walking Dead gracing my screen again. YAY!

Tonight's post is from Ringside Seats, a short story where expending magical energy is like foreplay for my main characters.

Here's the tagline:

An unclaimed attraction leads to some aggressive flirting in the apprentice's ring, when Vita Morj and Keb Pennyson are challenged to see who'd win in a magical bout. It may end up a draw, because neither opponent plans to give quarter.

And a preview snippet…

Vita raised her hands and drew on the energy in the ring. A small fireball formed and grew, then split into three parts. Each piece floated outward, spinning and growing larger. When they hovered in the center of the ring, she flung her arms wide to unleash each one on Keb.

He easily dodged the orbs of flame and sent a power ball of water shots to rain down atop her head. The stinging orbs drenched her face and shoulders and Vita retaliated by flicking her wrist and sweeping Keb off his feet to land face first in the smoldering ash from her earlier missiles. That should take him a moment to recover.

But he surprises her, flipping his body over and waving a hand. Lightning zapped down from the rafters and she got a jolt when it hit the water pooled at her feet. Damn the man. She needed to bring out the big guns. Taking a moment to regroup, she shook off the tingly sensation and gathered up as much energy as she could muster then pushed outward. Keb went flying, smashing into the protective mesh surrounding the confines of the arena.

She didn't pause, following up with a water trick of her own, dousing him each time he tried to stand. He whirled in a crouched position and flung out a hand, knocking her back with a burst of energy. She landed on her ass with a hard thud then scrambled to get up before he could make another move.

Keb lifted a brow when he stood and faced her. "Had enough?"

She smirked and flexed her fingers. "No way.

Gotta say… magical bouts are really fun to write. :D

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye