Sunday Snippet: Whipped Cream and Chocolate Dreams

September has ushered in yo-yo weather. We had record low overnight temperatures this past week and we're supposed to end up with record high temperatures this week. My sinuses are not happy right now.

I'm still finishing up the copy edit for the extended project and should have it ready this week. I'm looking forward to starting a new project in the next week or so. September is shaping up to be a busy month and that makes me happy.

Didn't have a bad week of viewing. I got a lot of episodes in and finished up a series, which means I get to start a new one this week. I have no idea what that will be yet, but probably a mystery.

I caught two episodes of Death in Paradise. One I remember seeing before and the other new to me. This is why I love going back and watching in chronological order.

Also watched two episodes of Fantasy Island. Enjoyed both for the fantasy aspect. Did not enjoy the angst factor. As usual, you take a perfectly good couple and break them up for a stupid reason. Depending on how the next few episodes go, I'm probably done with this show.

Enjoyed two episodes of The Batman. Bane and Catwoman were introduced and the Catwoman episode was a lot of fun. The Bane episode wasn't bad either.

Caught two episodes of Classic Rugrats. The four vignettes were all ones I'd remembered and pretty fun to watch again.

Finished up the Agatha Christie Hour and enjoyed the final episode. I love mistaken identity hijinks and this episode had a splashy party to boot. So much fun.

Caught the second half of Suspects and thoroughly enjoyed watching the team unravel the tangled web of who did it. Also kind of great to get some insight into the characters' personal lives.

Finally watched the season nine finale of Peak Practice. It was as hard as I thought it would be. I'm not looking forward to Andrew's personal life being a main focus of season ten, but I'll still be watching.

Finished the second half of Silent Witness. This one ended up being very twisty and I like that. Looking forward to the next two-parter. Might get more insight into Jack's character.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Whipped Cream and Chocolate Dreams, a novella where a dream tender and cupid have a running challenge that brings three characters together.

Here's the miniblurb:

Nita, Deacon, and Callen fall victim to Morpho, the Dream Tender, who plants vivid imagery in their minds while they slumber. When the trio wakes up primed and ready for action, they try to fight the erotic pull, but fail.

And a preview snippet…

Deacon stayed outside, chilling on the hammock, after Cal and Nita went in to stream a movie. "I've seen the entire Marvelverse at least twice." Tipping his bottle to his mouth, he finished off the remaining cider.

He loved having Nita back in their small beach town. Growing up, he'd looked forward to when she'd arrive on Memorial Day weekend to spend the summer with her gram. She started coming their seventh-grade year and somehow brought Deke and Callen into her circle from their initial meeting in the ice cream parlor. Being year rounders, he and Cal went to the same school, but they rarely hung out together.

Until she arrived that first summer.

Once Nita showed up, she insisted the first two people she met had to stroll the beach in the mornings with her—before it got crowded and they had to start working their summer jobs. For a decade, the trio spent time together for three months each year during high school and college. And Cal became Deke's best friend.

The past three years, Nita couldn't make it for more than a week or two. She landed a job managing a chain of boutiques as soon as she graduated from her university.

Deke tsked. "Then her gram got sick." An aggressive form of cancer took her life within six months of being diagnosed.

Nita came down with her parents for the funeral. He and Cal attended but they had work commitments. Deke worked for the local fire department and Cal's computer science degree made him an in-demand consultant. When she called to say she'd be moving down full-time, he and Cal met to coordinate their schedules.

And talk about Nita. Both cared for her but wouldn't compete with each other. If she wanted one, she'd let them know. Deke had a thing for her going way back. He dated but not seriously. Cal ended a two-year relationship right after college and only did casual hookups since then.

Shaking his head, he got up and put his bottle in the recycling bin. "Time to call it a night. Thoughts are getting a little too cozy right now." He headed inside to find his bed.

I'm having a lot of fun with this story. This trio of friends is a joy to write and I love playing with the dynamic between them.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Whipped Cream and Chocolate Dreams

I'm loving the fall weather! Mild temperatures are so lovely and the pretty colors popping on the leaves are incredible.

Another great week in television. I completely forgot to mention Riverdale's premiere. Man… I love the show. I had so many questions after the premiere my head spun for a while.

But first… let's get to this week's shows. The Flash had a great episode. I like the new Cisco. I'm definitely looking forward to more of how Barry and Iris work out their issues. Legends of Tomorrow also had a great showing. I do truly enjoy the character's interactions.

Okay, Riverdale. Loved, loved, loved the premiere. I like where things are going and while I could do without Hiram, I'll be interested to see what kind of havoc he'll create. Having Archie take a darker path is also going to be fun. And whenever Dark Betty makes an appearance I notice. I loved her giving the lowdown to Cheryl. Speaking of… wow, Cheryl's got some issues, yeah? All in all, I'm excited to see what else happens. The dark hood killer will hopefully not take out any of my faves. I'm already a little miffed one of the characters I like might not be with us anymore.

Gotham keeps getting better. It always seems to throw in a twist I'm not expecting and I love it. Nice to see Lee back, whatever her drama might be.

Arrow is also throwing some nice twists into their plotlines. I'm down with Oliver being a dad, but I was very much hoping he would make Raisa William's guardian so he can still do his second job.

Continuing on with Midsomer Murders and also got my holiday movie and show list started. I plan to completely overdose on holiday fare this year.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Whipped Cream and Chocolate Dreams, a novella that started with a weird prompt about having the characters find an ice cream planet. I couldn't quite go that far afield but I like where the prompt took me.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Nita, Deacon, and Callen fall victim to Morpho, the Dream Tender, who plants vivid imagery in their minds while they slumber. When the trio wakes up primed and ready for action, they try to fight the erotic pull, but fail.

And a preview snippet…

Nita Bouls blew a damp tendril of her bangs out of her face and finished scrubbing the base of the display case. "Hey, Cal, can you plug the freezer in? I finally got the scuff marks off the bottom."

Callen Le Beau popped his head around the corner. "Are you sure you didn't miss a spot? You've been working on that thing all afternoon."

Nita smirked. "I'm sure, you asshat." She threw the wet, soapy sponge in his direction.

Deacon Huffman picked that moment to walk through the space behind the counter, carrying a pile of used drop cloths. Nita's aimed missile smacked him in the side of the face, bounced off, and landed with a gloppy plop on the floor. Nita gasped and bit back an inappropriate laugh. Deke picked the wrong time to get between her and Callen.

Deacon shot her a scathing look. "What the hell, Nita? I'm not the asshat." He used his shoulder to wipe away the suds on his ear. "Your aim sucks."

Nita grabbed a towel from the back of a café chair and hurried over to Deacon. He presented such a comical picture, she didn't trust herself to say anything.

Deke let her dab at his cheek and neck. "Dammit, Cal. You never know when to dial it back about ten clicks, do you?" His lips twitched and he choked down a chuckle.

Callen did his best innocent impression. "Me? I only asked if she got everything. Not my fault it took her from lunch until two seconds ago to finish her job." He cracked a grin.

Deke waved Nita away and crossed the newly tiled floor to the huge carton they'd turned into a makeshift trash bin. "That freezer plugged in yet?" He shot a backward glance toward Cal when he stuffed the wadded up drop cloths inside.

A sheepish look crossed Callen's face. "Er, no. Getting it now." He disappeared around the corner.

A moment later the freezer hummed to life and Nita quickly checked to make sure the sliding doors were all closed.

Deke snagged the towel and finished getting the soapy residue off his face and neck. "Okay, Mr Mouth, I finished painting the trim. What, exactly, have you been working on all afternoon?"

Callen darted back out into the main parlor and motioned for Nita and Deacon to stay put. "Glad you asked, Deke." He held up a finger. "Be right back."

He ducked into the work area and came back out, carrying a large canvas covered object. He placed it on the floor in front of the display case.

He jerked his head. "Deke, come give me a hand here." Whipped off the canvas and Nita's eyes widened then her gaze flew to Cal's.

"Oh… I don't know what to say… except thank you."

Cal shrugged. "No need for thanks. I wanted you to have something of your gram's so I cleared most of the dry rot from the original door, cut it down, and made the sign." He nodded to Deke.

Deacon helped Cal turn the slab of wood.

"I did both sides… thought we could hang it in the big window so it's visible from the outside but you can still see the message from in here, too."

Touched by the gesture, tears sprang to Nita's eyes.

Cal reached out. "Shit, I've made you cry. I'm sorry."

She wrapped an arm around his waist. "No, don't be sorry. They're happy tears, not sad." She hugged him. "I love it." She grabbed Deke's hand. "You guys have been awesome helping me out here and getting the place ready to reopen." She shook her head. "Too many memories and too easy to get lost in them without having you two as a distraction. I couldn't have done any of it without you."

Deke pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'm glad you called."

She almost hadn't… and she would have regretted it for the rest of her life.

This one is a joy. I love having the camaraderie between the trio of friends.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye 

Sunday Snippet: Whipped Cream and Chocolate Dreams

Hello!

So… The Walking Dead didn't disappoint. And Chris Hardwick's Talking Dead makes me happy. LOL

Arrow is amping up the action, and true to my word, I did recap the pilot episode over on my Universes Altered blog this week. If I'm not overloaded with deadlines this week, I'll hopefully have the second episode recapped by the weekend. Or, I might hit Bitten and catch up with that one so I can do current recappage.

GAH! So many choices. LOL

Tonight's post is from Whipped Cream and Chocolate Dreams, a fantasy novella that's been so much fun to get started!!

Here's the tagline:

Nita, Deacon, and Callen fall victim to Morpho, the Dream Tender, who plants vivid imagery in their minds while they slumber. When the trio wakes up primed and ready for action, they try to fight the erotic pull, but fail.

And the preview snippet…

Morpho, the Dream Tender, prowled his domain, cursing the damned cupid, Lovecastle. The stupid lovemonger tricked Morpho into making a wager he'd lose… all to show him how 'easy' it could be to hook up otherwise happy mortals in romantic entanglements.

Morpho stopped pacing. "Romance. Bah!" He flung an arm outward. "Hearts and flowers and love songs. What do I know about any of that crap?"

Lovecastle popped into Morpho's dwelling. "My dear chap, who said anything about kitschy tropes? I know I certainly didn't." The cupid rolled his eyes. "You're making this difficult on purpose, aren't you?"

Morpho resisted the urge to strangle his nemesis. "No, I'm not. But I don't have your tricks of the trade. No lust-tinged arrows, not a trace of love dust, and not a drop of whatever it is you use to make your targets go wild for each other."

Lovecastle smirked. "The secret weapon of all premier cupids—Aphrodite's Ambrosia, the aphrodisiac that makes anyone look good, no need for a money back guarantee."

Morpho snorted. "You sound like a used car salesman." He stomped across the room and flopped down on his comfortable chair.

Lovecastle laughed. "You're the one bemoaning their existence. I'm only rubbing your face in it."

Morpho wanted to punch the cupid in the nads. "If you're only here to be a pain in my ass, go away."

Lovecastle shook his head. "Dream Tender, you've got everything you need at your disposal, but you're too stupid to see how easy you could make this."

Morpho quirked a brow. "Really? Care to share?"

The cupid made a tsking sound. "Well, gee, Dream Tender…" He emphasized Morpho's title. "I already did."

A light bulb went off and Morpho cursed his stupidity. Why hadn't he thought of using his realm? He ruled the dreamverse. He didn't need a bag of lame ass tricks.

Lovejoy snickered. "And there it is… all the brain cells finally firing at once." He settled down on the black, leather sofa and kicked his feet up on the onyx-encrusted table. "If I may be so bold as to suggest—"

Morpho shoved the cupid's feet off the table. "Shut it, you wanker. I've already got the perfect dreamscape in mind."

Lovejoy's mouth dropped open. "Wanker? Really?" He snapped his mouth shut and crossed his arms over his chest with a huff.

Morpho sneered. "It's better than dickhead, which was my first choice." He got up and shooed Lovecastle off the sofa. "Now make tracks, cupid, or I'll forget my promise to never give you nightmares again."

Lovecastle shuddered and blipped away, wisely refraining from any parting remarks.

Morpho let a wide smile cross his face. His forte—such a simple solution. And he did have an exact scenario in mind.

Whipped cream and chocolate dreams.

So far, the conversation between Morpho and Lovecastle has been my favorite thing to write. The dialog just jumped from my head to the page—a rare occurrence.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye