Sunday Snippet: All Roads Lead Home (Warlock's Curse novella)

November is continuing the crazy weather tradition. Warm a few days then frigid a few. The whiplash roller coaster is in full force. Please keep arms and legs inside during the ride and make sure you've got plenty of allergy meds and mucus relief tablets on hand.

Had a somewhat light work week and got to focus on writing, which is kind of great considering it's Nanowrimo month.

Also got some decent screen time this week. I didn't do a double rotation, but I did make a full run through of all my shows with a little overflow.

I caught two episodes of Agatha Raisin. Season two is a bit different with longer episodes and different titles. So far, I'm enjoying the fallout from the aborted wedding … and the mysteries of course.

Watched the second half of Silent Witness and started a new two-parter. I'm enjoying the kind of messy storylines. Considering this series has been around for twenty-three years, it's interesting to see how much it's changed from the beginning.

Enjoyed two episodes of Death in Paradise and finished out season three. Kind of nice to see Humphrey's wife and get an actual end to their relationship. Also great that neither really ended up being the bad guy.

Caught another episode of Only Murders in the Building. Loved how the trio finally got to work together … sort of. That might be the only thing that really sticks out as being a little off for me this season. Otherwise, I'm enjoying the mystery.

Enjoyed another episode of The Batman. I like seeing the villains kind of double up and then double cross each other.

Got another episode of Classic Rugrats in and remembered both vignettes. Thoroughly enjoyed both. It's so much fun going back to this show and thinking about watching when my kids were little.

And that's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from All Roads Lead Home, a Warlock's Curse offshoot novella.

Here's the miniblurb:

Sebastian North has a legacy to remake and he begins by searching for the one that got away, Hagan Culpepper. Hagan wants nothing to do with Sebastian. She's worked a long time to get past the hurt and damage he caused and doesn't believe he's embarked on a new path. Her return spells new possibilities and spins a few secrets she isn't quite ready to reveal.

And a preview snippet…

Sebastian North answered the door. "Nadia. Falk. Thanks for coming." He ushered them into the manor and nodded toward the beautifully appointed living room.

Nadia arched her brows. "We're not meeting in the study? You said this is an official get together." She took a spot on the sofa.

Falk made a slow walk around the perimeter of the room. "Yeah, I thought all pretentious assholes liked to loom over their guests from behind some huge monstrosity of a desk." He finally completed his circuit and settled beside Nadia.

Sebastian kept his gaze on Falk, mainly because Sebastian had no idea how to approach the topic he needed to discuss. "Yeah, well, I can't argue that point. And I'd be a hell of a lot more comfortable being a pretentious asshole … I mean I learned how to be one from the best there was." He referred to Nadia's dad Boris Manchen.

Nadia waved a hand. "That goes without saying. But you've moved past my sperm donor's machinations, right? Meaning you'll figure out how to not make mad grabs for power." She leaned back and kicked her feet up onto the ottoman.

Sebastian's chin jutted out. "Right. Exactly. Which kind of brings up the point of asking you two here…" He inhaled slowly and let the breath out with the same measured pace.

Falk grunted. "Just spit it out, man. The longer it takes you to say what you need the harder it's going to be." He slumped down and crossed his ankle over his knee.

Sebastian almost laughed. The possibility of Falk smashing Sebastian's face in increased whether he spoke or not. Because Sebastian had a big ask and Falk wouldn't like the request one damned bit. But Sebastian needed to right his wrongs if he ever wanted to remake Boris's legacy.

And that meant Sebastian needed Falk's help.

Leaning forward, he pinned Falk with a hard stare. "You won't like this, but I need your help." He didn't give Falk a chance to replay. "I have to find Hagan, and you're the only one who can put me on the right path to do so." There … he'd spit it out.

Falk blinked. "You want me to lead you to my sister?" His head jerked back and forth. "Fuck, no."

I love, love, love this series and I hope I can get it ready to go and out into the world in the near future.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Stay the Course (Warlock's Curse)

February has been the oddest month. Between weird weather and random catastrophes, it's been a doozy. I'm kind of happy to be welcoming March in this week.

Finished up a work project and made really great progress on one of the others. I'm blessed with authors who turn revisions around in record time. It's very helpful and keeps their work fresh in my mind.

I also made some progress on my new venture. Only a tiny amount, but it makes me happy to chip away at my to-do list. Brings me a wee bit closer to be able to launch.

Didn't get a lot of television watched, but I did finish up Strangest Things. I have so much fun listening to the experts discuss the weird and wonderful artifacts.

I also continued my Battlestar Galactica rewatch. This week's episode was one of my favorites, "Bastille Day." Some truly excellent parallels about picking a side and being true to a set of core beliefs.

I also started season two of The Mandalorian. I hoped to finish up Ms. Marvel before starting another Star Wars show, but I want to be up to date for season three.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Stay the Course, the opening book for the Warlock's Curse series.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Nadia Iris is at a crossroads and has to choose whether to find her path to fulfillment as an adept or stay stagnant in her current position. She decides to go on a journey quest but has to leave Falk Ridenour behind. Falk isn't happy, but supports her choice, even knowing the hardship she'll face.

And a preview snippet…

Falk stared up at the building. "Are you serious?" Even if only three stories, the height seemed daunting.

Nadia smirked with a nod. "Absolutely." She bounced on her toes and rubbed her hands together.

He glanced toward her. "And you can't use magick to scale the side?" Or keep from crashing to the ground…

Nadia's brows drew together. "Where's the fun in that?" The sideways glance she sent his way dared him to refuse.

He wouldn't—he needed to reach her and help her find her center. Falk went with the moment, mainly because Nadia had finally relaxed and showed him another side. One he liked even more than the angry, frustrated woman he had to help guide.

Placing his hand on the rough stone, he nodded. "Let's do this." And don't let us die.

She started, placing her foot on the windowsill. "Follow me." Grasping the side trim of the window, she pulled herself up then reached out for the lower edge of the porch roof.

After hoisting herself onto the slightly slanted surface, she repeated the process by placing her foot on the sill in the gable in the center of the second floor then scrabbled up onto the peak, using her arms to keep her balance. Reaching up, she gripped the eave of the third floor roof and stuck her foot on the cedar siding and pushed upward. She planted her knee on the spouting running along the roofline and launched forward onto the angled pitch of the top floor.

Falk followed her, putting his feet and hands as close to where she'd put hers as possible. He had the advantage of being a few inches taller than Nadia and cleared the first and second floor without issue. Once he almost made it to the top, he had a premonition of her—alone, bedraggled, and defeated—and he lost focus. His knee slipped off the spouting and he dropped down, scrambling to hold on to the rough shingles.

Nadia grasped his biceps, then his hand, tugging him upward. He toppled forward with a grunt his mind still full of Nadia's miserable countenance. Straightening himself up, he sat back on his butt, breathing deeply. The vision faded, replaced by her concerned face studying him carefully.

She looked him over. "You okay?"

He lifted his chin but said nothing, especially when she tilted her head to one side with a narrowed gaze. Then she dropped down beside him and leaned back on her elbows. The rightness of having at his side settled over him. He'd examine and meditate on the precognitive event later.

Nadia needed this distraction and he needed to figure out the puzzle she represented. And, if he had to be honest, he wanted to spend the time with her. Away from the classroom and training hall where she had nothing to prove. Not that she has to prove anything to me. Too bad the board of elders didn't feel the way Falk did.

Nadia nudged his shoulder. "Look up." She tilted her head back and gazed at the night sky.

Falk did as she suggested. "Wow." Stars sparkled and glittered overhead. "I see why you love the view from up here." He dropped back to his elbows to get more comfortable.

Nadia chuckled. "I come up here a lot, especially after a frustrating training session." She slid her gaze his way. "Being on the rooftop gives me perspective."

He could see why. Having the night sky spread out filled with endless possibilities would be a nice blanket to cover a rough day. Made making the climb up kind of worth it. Getting down … maybe not so much.

He angled toward her a little. "Gotta be honest. Pretty sure I'll be using magick to get down." If she thought less of him so be it.

Nadia let out a laugh. "No need for that." She pointed to the rear gable. "There's an access door to the third floor over there." Her face split with a wide grin.

Falk arched his brows. "Would've been nice to know that earlier." But he had to chuckle.

Only Nadia could convince him to try scaling a manor house just for fun.

He sobered when a brief flash of his earlier vision filled his mind. An odd sense of foreboding dimmed his enjoyment of being with her … but only for a moment. He pushed the precognitive event aside and looked back up at the sky.

I love this series. Nadia and Falk won't have an easy path but moments like climbing a house together give them good memories.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Mind the Shadows

That raging upper respiratory ick from last week is still going strong. I'll be very happy to see the end of this one. But… it made for a good week of television. And my daughter's seventeenth birthday ended up being pretty great.

I started the second episode of Endeavour's fifth season. I truly love this show and I'm enjoying the guest stars also. Caught another episode of The Sarah Conner Chronicles too. I seriously miss that show.

I went ahead and watched the first episode of Roswell, New Mexico. I'm intrigued and it should be fun to watch the reboot and the classic show at the same time. I hope.

Caught a few episodes of Classic Who this week while catching up on dishes and laundry. Also got to watch another episode of Birds of Prey. It's back on the CW Seed app.

I'm almost done with the first season of Pensacola Wings of Gold. I'll probably watch the first few eps of season two and decide from there if I'm going to continue. Caught another episode of Lexx, too.

Watched Gotham's second episode and, man, this show. It really found its footing and embraced the crazy. I'm going to miss it a lot.

Finished the week out with Strike Back and Chicago Fire. Gracie is fast becoming a favorite of mine. She's an amazing character. Also really great to see some character bonding on Chicago Fire.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Mind the Shadows, a Warlock's Curse novella.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Nadia Iris discovers the terrible truth about her lineage and confronts the man responsible. Her father's dark plan for the future isn't high on her list of things to get done… but reuniting with Falk Ridenour is. Too bad her dad has other ideas for Nadia.

And a preview snippet…

Nadia growled. "I'm not going to dinner, out for coffee, or on any kind of date with Sebastian North." She got up and paced the carpet in front of Boris's desk. "And before you even suggest it, I'm not inviting him over and I refuse to entertain him if you do." She stopped and crossed her arms over her chest. "You can suck great big donkey balls if you think you're going to dictate who I see or spend time with while I'm here." She arched a brow. "I invited Falk for a visit and I'm spending time with him whether you like it or not. Being a raging asshole won't stop me, Boris."

Boris inhaled deeply before expelling the breath he took, probably in an effort to stay calm and not lash out at her. "Did no one ever teach you manners?" He folded his palms on the top of the desk, an exquisite example of cool collectedness.

Nadia huffed out a laugh. "You've met my mom, right?" The woman suffered no one's bullshit.

He gave a nod. "Point taken." Leaning back in his chair, he said nothing else.

A concession? From him? Wow. She found it… almost disappointing after spending days listening to him rant and spew venom toward her. Those tactics she could handle.

She frowned. "It's not fun when you don't growl and snarl at me." Her endless supply of quippy comebacks never failed her when he did.

He sighed. "Is that what you really want?" His eyebrow arched and she shied away from the familiar familial trait.

What do I want? The question kicked. Hard. She wanted Falk. Preferably naked. In a bed, against a wall… hell, she'd go for levitating if it meant having him buried deep, driving the weariness from her mind, body, and soul.

Her dad clapped his hands. "Stop thinking about the whelp. He's not for you." The distaste in his tone hid something deeper and possibly sinister.

When he got up and came around to stand in front of her, Nadia backed up several steps. She didn't care to find out what his deeper agenda might be at the moment. Time to end the conversation.

She leveled her gaze on Boris. "You don't get to dictate who I copulate with. You lost that chance when you dicked my mom, deposited your warlock jizz, then fucked off." She went crude and hard, just to piss him off.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply again. "Must you be so base and repugnant?" His monotone response covered a deep-seated anger.

She quirked her brow again. "Like you were when you were doing my mother? Tell me how I'm not a chip off your block, Dad." She barked out a laugh. "Considering I have your DNA, I'd say it's absolutely necessary to be base and repugnant, not to mention a foretold conclusion I would be." She moved forward. "And don't even think about being an ass about Falk. He's coming and you're going to welcome him with open arms." She waited a beat. "Or I walk." She brushed past the man who sired her and exited the drawing room.

The constant skirmishes with her beloved sperm donor made her nauseous and she couldn't take much more before she broke. And then her dear old man would have her exactly where he wanted her. A place she definitely didn't want to be, because Boris's agenda could only mean nothing good for Nadia.

I love this series so much. The ideas pop when I least expect them to and Nadia loves playing the outsmart-her-dark-overload-wannabe dad game.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye