Skye Ritchey's Blog, page 7

Sunday Snippet: Hot Target

Whew! What a week.It's been something of a wild ride. My daughter starts graduate school inAthens the week of August 25, and we're still trying to figure out herfinancial aid. She's headed to Ontario Canada this week for a theater festival,which is what she'll be getting her master's degree in. My work inbox isoverflowing! I'm so grateful for all the new projects but also a little dauntedby how much I have stacked up and waiting for me to get to. My car also has anissue that we're hoping is not the computer. I'll know more on Monday. Ugh!

I didn't get muchdone on the viewing front. Too many things needed my focus elsewhere. Betweenthe phone calls for school and car problems, my brain turned to mush. Bleh.

I did get anepisode of Best in Paradise in. I enjoyed it again. It's fun to have theintroductions from the cast members.

I also got to watchthe closing episode of Death in Paradise season eight. A veryinteresting and twisty episode with a really cool gesture at the end from thecommissioner.

And I also finishedup the main draft of a holiday manuscript I've been working on for, geez,almost a year. The sages finally cooperated and threw a bunch of ideas out. I'mso happy about that.

That's pretty muchit for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Hot Target, anovella that puts a couple in the line of fire.

Here's theminiblurb:

Yates and Baylor work undercover for the mage council.They make a great team, but rarely see eye to eye. When their magical brethrenstart dropping like flies, one of them must become a hot target. Yates decideshe'll do it … Baylor's a better shot.

And a preview snippet…

Yates expected the face-first shoveagainst the wall when they got to their place. Baylor needed to work offsome aggression and he didn't mind rough sex. Her hands were all over him.She pulled his jacket down and spun him around then ripped his shirt open.She sucked on his skin, leavingmarks, branding him as hers. His head fell back, and he gave her fullrein. Welcomed the harsh breath and the sting of her teeth against his flesh.He didn't help when she struggled to get his jeans down past his hips. Hishands weren't free to assist anyway.Hissed air escaped between histeeth when her hot mouth surrounded his dick, and she engulfed hisshaft until she gagged. Easing back, her tongue swirled and flicked over thetip and down the length. She got up, yanked her shirt off, unclasped her bra,and shrugged it off, letting her breasts hang free. She pushedhim down a little and leaned in. He latched on to a pebbled tip,and her guttural moan sent more blood flowing to his cock.She worked her pants down and offthen nudged him down to a crouch on the floor. With his arms behind him,she had to do all the maneuvering. He braced his shoulders and liftedhis hips, offering his shaft to use however she wanted.Climbing over his thighs, she usedone hand to stroke over her folds. Wet and ready, she broughther fingers to his mouth, and he sucked them clean. Sliding over hiserection, she furiously rocked her hips, the heated silk of her essence surroundingevery inch.Her mouth covered his and hertongue delved between his teeth. The relentless embrace lasted until she neededair. He dragged gulps of air into his lungs and readied for more.Her lips grazed along hisjawline to his ear. "Make me come, Yates." She nipped at his lobe, ahot breath fanning along his skin.He thrust upward, nudging her backto trail open-mouthed kisses over her shoulder and down to her breast. Hesucked the skin beside her nipple, marking her, before his lips drew thetaut peak inside his mouth. He worried his teeth over the nub, biting gently.Baylor groaned low in herthroat. "Yeah, Yates. That's it." Her hands held his head anddirected it back and forth between her breasts. She bucked hard againsthim, a shudder tearing through her. "Gah, yes. Come with me,Yates." She arched her back, reaching down to fondle his balls.He tensed and came hard,gasping her name. Baylor hauled him close and helped him get his jacketoff. His fingers were numb, but the rest of his body thrummed with life.Her hands cupped his face."Thank you. I needed that." She brushed her lips over his.Yates rested his forehead on hers."Anytime." Any place. Any way.Without speaking, she untangledtheir limbs then offered him a hand up. She led the way to the shower andpulled him in with her. Yates wrapped his arms around her, letting thewater cascade over their bodies. Spent and sated, she'd finally beready to buckle down and talk facts.

This one is comingtogether in the best way. I'm very excited to see it completed!

 

That's it for thisweek.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Hot As Hades

August is being verymercurial. Instead of sweltering hot temps, which we did have last week, we'vegot—I'm not kidding—almost fall-like weather. I had to put a jacket on lastnight to take the dogs out. Granted, it was still sixty degrees, but we had astrong breeze blowing and it was chilly. Please note, I'm not complaining. But …does this mean Ohio will have blazing hot temperatures in October? Probably.

Super-busy workweek again. Finished up the mystery manuscript copy edit. Started a proofread ofa memoir on a prominent thoroughbred racing family. I still have two othermemoirs in the wings, one of which should start this week. I also have aromance to copy edit. I love being busy!

But … that means Ididn't have a lot of time for viewing television. I did, however, find out oneof my favorite actors has a new movie coming out in September and might havewatched the trailer two or three (okay, more like twelve) times. I'm excitedbecause this movie will totally be my shit and I now have something to look forwardto in a month or so.

I finished up the MyLife Is Murder episode I started last week. Again, a fun episode whereMadison got to shine. I love this cast so much.

I also started thenew series of Signora Volpe. This is another series I thoroughly enjoy. EmiliaFox is iconic for her role in Silent Witness and it's so lovely to seeher doing something new and fresh and very unlike Nikki.

That's pretty muchit for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Hot As Hades, anovella that features the god of the underworld in a role he's not comfortablewith at first.

Here's theminiblurb:

Roxie St. Clair, an up-and-coming artist, wants to live andwork on her own terms. But when the god of the underworld informs her of theunderhanded tactics of her former employer, she decides to turn the tables andfight back with a little help from Aleks Callas.

And a preview snippet…

Hades raked a hand through hishair. His feet carried him from one end of his private chamber to the other.Hera help anyone who attempted to speak to him right now. He didn't like strifebetween his mate and himself.Persephone would stay away if hedidn't try to make amends. She only had a few days left before she'd head backto the land of the living. And she always took a piece of him, the best part,with her.Hades scowled. Didn't she realizehe always became an ass when the time approached for her to leave him? After several lifetimes together,she should anticipate his moody sullenness. Striding through the underworld, noone disturbed him. As master, he would let it be known if he wanted something.But he'd be damned if he'd ask anyone where his mate had gone. He finally found her in a littlesanctuary she'd created in a far corner of his realm. It reeked of mortality,and he didn't like it. In fact, he almost summoned her to him so he could avoidentering her domain. Instead, he strode boldly insideand bellowed for her. "Seph! Come, I wish to speak with you." Persephone poked her head around acanvas, propped up on an easel. "Go ahead and talk. I'm busy." Shedipped a brush in some blood red paint and made heavy, slashing strokes acrossthe picture. Hades wandered over but didn'tdeign to look at her work. "Shall I assume you're painting me in a puddleof blood?" She snorted. "You may assumewhatever you want." A few more hefty strokes and Seph tossed the brushaside. "You always do." With that she rose and walked away withexaggerated dignity. Hades sighed. "Seph, you willreturn at once so we can settle this." He dropped down on her impossiblysmall settee and waited. Even in a huff, she couldn't denyhim for long.

This story is somuch fun. I love having gods interacting with mortals.

 

That's it for thisweek.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Hold to Let Go

Man, July felt likea decade but it actually kind of flew by. August is off to a running start andit's hot temperature-wise, which is the norm for rural central Ohio. We've hadsome big storms move through, too.

 

My inbox is jammedwith work projects and that makes me happy! I'm working on a mystery for a copyedit. I have a developmental edit on a memoir. There's a possible copy edit of anothermemoir in the wings and some research for another author. I also sent the nextset of chapters on a developmental edit to the author for review. I love beingbusy.

I didn't get a lotwatched this week. I started an episode of My Life Is Murder but have tofinish it. I also haven't been able to get back to the episode of ElementaryI started two weeks ago. I don't know … I'm not as into this episode and I'mstruggling to finish it. Maybe I should skip to the next one.

I did have a fairlygood week of writing, which also limits my screentime. I got a big scenewritten for one of my WIPs and a few smaller ones for a couple of other worksin progress. All in all a good week!

That's it for thelife update. Tonight's post is from Hold to Let Go, a sexy short thatexplores a couple's bond and the hold they have on each other.

Here's theminiblurb:

Banner Nix and Quade Newelson go way back and have a lotof baggage to show for it. When an opportunity to save their people presentsitself, they put their crap aside and work together to make it happen, eventhough their plan is in direct opposition to their leaders'.

And a preview snippet…

A sharp knock sounded outside theopen hatch.Banner didn't look up. "Ifyou're not bringing coffee, go away." She tracked the most recent fivejumps, not liking the lack of anything new.But … intuition said they werestill going in the right direction. The constant noise in her mind lurked inthe background instead of screaming in the middle of her skull. That had tocount, right? If she made a wrong move, she'd be curled up in a fetal positionunable to function because the static interference made it impossible. And hercrew would be duking it out over who got to take the helm first.Stan Harmon entered quarters andput a fresh carafe of Banner's life-sustaining liquid on the desk—well awayfrom the star chart. Smart move. The last person made the critical error ofplacing the brew dead center of her workspace. Banner nearly drew blood withthe blistering lecture she gave him."Thanks." Banner didn'tsay more.She concentrated on drawing astraight, solid line over the dashed trajectory they'd taken. She completed theaction and dropped the pencil then poured a hot cup of coffee into the dregs ofher mug. Bringing the cup to her lips, she drained half the contents whilecontemplating the next series of jumps.The scrolls had to be close. Theydidn't have many options left.Stan shuffled his feet."Banner? You got a minute?"His voice grated, breaking herbarely held together concentration. The solid eight had done wonders … but thathad been well over twenty-four hours ago.She glanced up, scowling. "Didyou draw the short straw or what?"He grimaced. "No. Ivolunteered."Stupid man. "Are you a gluttonfor punishment or just an idiot?" Okay, ouch. She drove that one home alittle harder than necessary. But Stan needed to realize he didn't have anybrilliant insight into her mindset just because they'd slept together a verylong time ago.He let out a low whistle. "Youknow, if I didn't get how you had the bitch thing ingrained, I'd swear youworked hard to pull it off." He added a zing. "No one should havethat much natural talent."Touche. She completely deserved theinsult. "What do you want, Stan?" She sipped the coffee and studiedhim. "I can't tell you anything to take back to the crew because I don'tknow any more now than I did twenty-four hours ago." She placed her mug onthe file cabinet and poured another round. "And I'm not going to waste mytime playing nursemaid." She pinned Stan with her gaze. "Everyoneneeds to follow my orders. As in grow a pair and deal. I don't care who itpisses off." Braced by the caffeine and bored with the conversation,Banner went back to studying the grid pattern. I have to be missingsomething.Stan sighed and ambled toward thehatch. "Okay, then. I'll take my leave."God, she hated the wounded puppyact he liked to pull. "Yeah. That would be great." When he hit thedoorway, she added. "And Stan? Be a good soldier and share my exact wordswith the others, yeah?"Stan's shoulders tensed, but herolled them and continued out into the corridor. Banner gave him a ton ofcredit for not telling her to fuck off.

I love where thisstory is going. The blend of sci-fi and mysticism is something I love to write.

 

That's it for thisweek.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Hell Is in the Details

Washing machineupdate. The new washer got here and I'm happy to say the mountain of clothes isnow a manageable pile. It's amazing!

Coffeemaker update.The new one arrived and it's a combo single cup or full pot. I love it. Here'shoping my caffeine habit doesn't trash this one in under a year.

Another crazy-busywork week. I finished up the mystery and the romance copy edits and started acozy mystery. Also continued with novella edits. Had a couple of calls abouttwo or three new projects. I'm excited! I also managed to get some good writingin for myself. A good week!

I didn't get muchof anything watched on my viewing schedule. I did a LOT of social mediascrolling, especially after Biden stepped aside and endorsed Kamala Harris forthe democratic nomination. That's unexpected and exciting. Also spent a lot oftime shaking my head over the GOP nomination for vice president. It's going tobe an interesting couple of months.

And that's prettymuch it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Hell Is in theDetails, a novella that explores what happens to a couple when one of themtakes the other for granted.

Here's theminiblurb:

Macyn has a one-night stand with an immortal creature andsuffers the consequences when he traps her in a maze of deception. Once free,she withdraws from her clan and it's up to Vig to bring her back from the brinkof madness.

And a preview snippet…

Macyn ignored the stab of pain from his statement. Emphasison her. Right.She inhaled deeply. "Why the hell not?" The reason better be good because his lack offaith in her pissed her off.Vig sighed. "Because you have to have your heart and mind so full of someone else the immortalcan't draw from your life force."He paused a moment. "That means you have to be openand trust someone enough to give them power over both." He kept his features schooled with theexception of an arched brow.And, okay, this time she deserved his doubt. Givingcontrol over to someone else had never been her bailiwick. She met people asequals or nothing. And she handled sex the same way.But … if Vig's idea worked, she couldn't not try."Let's say I can. How does that killthe immortal?" Because if thatfucker came back again, she'd end her life to be finished with him.Vig lifted a shoulder. "It might notkill Bartlett, but it should weaken himenough to take his life force or drain it." He met and heldher gaze. "The more you trust andlove, the stronger your bond with someone else, the faster his chi will be drained."She struggled to wrap her head around the concept. Onceupon a time, she'd have said Vig fit the role of person she trusted most andloved the deepest. And yet … she'd never told him. Then she went totally offthe rails and landed in Barnett's clutches.Not her best moment.And now … she had to get free. Obviously, shooting,stabbing—twice, strangulation, poison, fire … none of the other options she'dused worked to get rid of the horrific nightmare she'd unleased. But this—ifshe could expose herself completely to someone else—sounded too good to bepossible.Vig would be the only person she'd consider. But couldshe really give him dominion? Hadn't she had that once? With him? Yeah, maybenot so much. Tearing down walls and opening her heart didn't come easy … ifeither came at all.But she had to try to get out of her own way.She closed her eyes for a moment, then focused on Vigagain. "Explain how this would work."

This story is fullof twisty turns, and I love how it's coming together. Vig and Macyn have somebig hurdles to get through.

 

That's it for thisweek.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: A Haunting Yule (a Holiday Spirit short)

Man. Whateveralignment the planets are in has been wrecking things in my house lately. Afterthe washing machine saga, our coffeemaker took a crap. It's less than a yearold. Seriously … not the norm. But the good news is a new washer andcoffeemaker should arrive sometime this week barring any other global serveroutages.

Had a super busywork week. Finished the holiday manuscript and received a mystery and a romancefor copy edit. Picked back up with a novella I've been working on with an authorfor a while now and enjoying getting back into the groove of the book. Also hadan author reach out about a new twist on a previous project. Really fun week!

I didn't get a lotof screentime this week, but I watched a few shows. I'm in a weird place withviewing. I want to watch stuff, but my brain isn't settled on exactly what. Kindof want to binge something with a lot of seasons for a while to see if thatwill reset the needle.

I loved the episodeof My Life Is Murder. Actually really twisty with an interestingoutcome. Once again, Madison shined. I love that character.

Caught another Bestin Paradise. This one featured the farewell to Martha, which ended up beingso funny and sad at the same time. Excellent episode.

Watched another Deathin Paradise with the introduction of the new DS. Not completely sure if Ilike her or not. Stay tuned.

Started an episodeof Elementary but struggled to stay focused so I'll finish it up thisweek.

And that's prettymuch it for the life update. Tonight's post is from A Haunting Yule, aHoliday Spirit short featuring a banshee and a goblin.

Here's the miniblurb:

Holiday spirit Thom Tinsel brings an unlikely duotogether for Yule. Urika Uhl is a banshee holding on to a past she needs to letgo. Ingo Ingalls is a goblin searching for his place in the netherworld. Thom'smagick shows the couple their differences can help them build a strong futuretogether.

And preview snippet…

Ingo waded through the throng ofbrawlers in the club, intent on breaking up the melee. "What is it aboutthe holidays that make people stupid?" He stunned most of the participantsin his path with a quick grip between their shoulder and neck and a mutteredsuggestion charm for them to head home.He had the two who started thefight in his sight and had almost reached them when his counterpart Bart Nimsailed over a row of tables from the opposite end of the bar and placed bothhands on the head of the biggest fae and twisted his neck, breaking it andslaying the demon.Ingo grasped the other fighter andheld him back. "Don't or you'll end meeting the same fate." Once Bartwent in to kill mode bodies started dropping.The lead bartender cleared thebuilding and Ingo grabbed the dead demon by the feet. Bart got a hold of hisarms, and they carried him out to the parking lot where he'd be picked up forlast rites. Something no one wanted to do at the happiest time of the year.Ingo waited until they got closerto the bar entrance before going off on Bart. "This is why everyone thinkswe're only good for bashing heads."Bart only grunted.Ingo planted his feet, choking downthe urge to punch the other goblin. "It's Yule. And now some family willalways have the memory a goblin killed their relative. Can you not seethat?"Bart shrugged. "Ask someonewho gives a shit. Lethal force is authorized if more than a dozen are tearingthe place up." He started to walk away.Ingo stepped into his path. "Ihad everyone cleared out. You waited until there were only two left before youacted." Like the duo represented some massive threat.Bart sneered. "So I did.Nothing you can do about it now." He went back inside.Ingo crossed the parking lot andwent up the stairs to the owner's office to give him a report on the death andthe way Bart escalated the situation by killing one of them.After Manuel shrugged off Ingo'sconcern, he tried one more tactic. "We're headed down a dark path, Manny.We have very few allies and those only tolerate us. When we need something, noone is going to be there." Why did he have to explain this?Manny gave a cursory nod."Yeah, I hear you." He lifted his chin. "Why don't you deliverthe news? You're more tactful than any of the others."Ingo refused. "Nope. I'm notdoing the death knock for you. In fact, I'm never doing them again. I'm not theasshole that keeps taking lives." He stormed out of the office and headedhome.By the time he walked the shortdistance to his residence, his anger threatened to boil over. He found aparchment envelope hovering by his door. Thinking it might be from his boss, hetore the missive open ready to rip it to shreds. But the gold foil letteringcouldn't be from Manny. The guy wouldn't know nice stationery if it bit him onthe ass.Ingo unfolded the card.
The tidings of the seasonDon't always bring cheer.When mayhem seems to ruleThe happiest time of the year.Seek some peace and solitudeNo matter the cost.Take time awayBefore all is lost.
The address for the Goodacre Bedand Breakfast followed the invitation along with instructions for the arrivaltime and dates.Ingo huffed out a breath."Hell, yes. This is perfect." He definitely needed a break, or he'dbe knocking heads together.Something he no longer wanted to do…

I love writing theHoliday Spirit shorts. Urika and Ingo are a bit of a challenge, but I'm sohappy with how this story is playing out.

 

That's it for thisweek.

Cheers!

Skye Ritchey

Sunday Snippet: Haunted Hideaway

Whew. It's been aweek. My washing machine saga continued, and I finally called it. Investing ina new machine, hopefully in the near future before my laundry pile growsexponentially into a mountain.

I finally finishedthe very, very long proofread and thankfully should have the final queriesanswered this weekend. I have a new holiday manuscript for copyediting and it'sabout halfway complete. Have I mentioned I love holiday stories?

Not a bad week of viewing.I got a few extra shows watched this week.

Caught the secondepisode of My Life Is Murder and thoroughly enjoyed it. I've mentionedhow much I love the characters, but Madison had such a great role in thisweek's episode.

Watched another Bestin Paradise. This episode introduced Martha and I enjoyed her run on theshow with Humphrey.

Finished the two-partepisode of Death in Paradise where Florence says goodbye for a while.Such a sad but great send off for her.

Started anotherepisode of Elementary. Should have it finished up later tonight. I'mquite enjoying this second season so far.

Caught anotherepisode of The Batman and remembered it from the first watch I did.Excellent story that dives into the symbiotic relationship between Batman andhis rogue gallery.

That's pretty muchit for the life update. Tonight's post is from Haunted Hideaway, anovella that features a ghost bringing a couple together.

Here's theminiblurb:

Harley Rand meets Ruck Tate when she moves back to hersmall hometown and leases an apartment in a historic village. Little thingshappen from the moment she moves in—items mysteriously end up in differentlocations, the doorbell rings and no one is on the other side, and randomthings go wrong in the apartment. Intrigued, Harley dives into the history ofthe buildings in the village and discovers a few fun facts and a couple ofunsettling ones … like the building is probably haunted. Harley believes inghosts but has no idea how to broach the topic with the handsome superintendent.She may not have to … Ruck has a few secrets he's not quite willing to divulge,even to the lovely new tenant.

And a preview snippet…

Ruck drummed his fingers on thesteering wheel. "Figures she's as hot as she sounded on the phone."He'd rather hoped she would be unattractive and less his type.Nope. Harley Rand hit all the tickyboxes. Sense of humor. Total confidence. A smokey voice that had a touch ofsass to it. One that also revealed more about her than she probably wanted. Yep. He could totally fall for thenew tenant in apartment three. Too bad she had about zero interest in datinganyone. Not with a bad breakup being part of the reason she decided to returnto her hometown.Ruck grunted. "The guy who lether go is an idiot." Or maybe just blind.None of Ruck's business. Exceptshe'd been open about the need for a fresh start. And her plan to avoid gettingtangled up in a relationship.Ruck understood … to a point. He'dhad five terrific years with his wife before an icy road and a reckless drivertook her life. Grief had a hold on him for the first three years after theaccident. He'd slowly emerged on the other side and while he didn't go outoften, he'd tested the waters a few times over the past twenty-four months.Pulling into the parking lot of thefoundation office, he cut the engine. "Too bad the first person to really strikemy fancy wouldn't be interested." Slipping out of the cab, he headed forthe door next to the maintenance bay to get some equipment to tend the hugeplanters by the visitor center.An eerie thought struck him. Heprobably should've warned Harley about the possibility of weird sounds at oddtimes during the day and night. Then again, she'd mentioned working there backin the day. Maybe she already had experience with the old building's quirks.Ruck snorted. "I'd bet there'sone thing she didn't have to deal with back then…" And hopefully shewouldn't have to now.But he wouldn't hold his breath.Only a matter of time if he didn't miss his guess.

I love working withan established location and adding fictional elements to the story. So muchfun!

 

That's it for thisweek.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Halloween Haunt (a Lantern Jack tale)

You know, I love agreat fireworks display … but … I don't love almost a full week of randomnonstop barrages from different locations where I can't even see them. Becauseat least I'd be able to enjoy something while my poor doggos are huddledagainst me shaking and freaking out. In all seriousness, I don't begrudgepeople having the funds and knowledge to celebrate with fireworks. But I alsohate the first week of July for anyone who has pets that can't deal with theshow.

It's been a weirdweek with a toilet repair followed by a washing machine leak that needed fixed.I'm still working on the leak because, seriously, it's never a simple thingwhen I'm involved. I'm crossing my fingers for not having anything elsewater-related to deal with this week.

Had another superbusy week of work. I'm slogging through a very, very long proofread and I'm almostat the finish line. Completed a copyedit that ended up having some consistencyconcerns but ended up being such a great story. And it's a holiday book! I loveediting holiday manuscripts.

Didn't get a lot ofviewing in, mainly because the proofread is difficult subject matter and solong I don't want to risk losing my spot by getting distracted. I definitely don'twant to do a lot of repeat work because I lose my place.

I did get to watchan episode of My Life Is Murder. I so enjoy this show. The charactersare such a delight.

I also finished upthe episode of Elementary that I started last week. I have to admit I'mnot quite sure if I'm down with Mycroft possibly being a bad guy. My guess ishe's working with someone we've seen before, and I have two people in mind. Staytuned to see if I'm right.

And that's it forthe life update this week. Tonight's post is from Halloween Haunt, aLantern Jack tale featuring clairvoyant and a vampire.

Here's theminiblurb:

Lantern Jack is back to right another wrong. Hadria Hardcastleis a clairvoyant medium who runs an investigation agency—she solves theunsolvable. Safford Sturgeon is a six-hundred-year-old vampire tired of hisundead existence. When a trail of dead bodies leads Hadria to Safford's frontdoor, she has to decide if he's guilty or being framed. Safford won't make herjob easy, but meeting Hadria shakes him out of his lethargy and promises tomake his life worth living.

And a preview snippet…

Safford Sturgeon closed his laptopand frowned. "The death of my contractor can't be a coincidence." Notwithin a month of his personal assistant and six months of the manager of hisart gallery.Three people in his trusted, butvery limited, inner circle.Safford curled his fingers into hispalm. "Someone wants to turn my life upside down." And they weresucceeding."You're not wrong. Even whenyou avoid the rest of the world, it has an uncanny ability to intrude."Safford eyed the ugly monstrositysitting on the table in his kitchen. "What the hell are you?" Hesniffed the air. "Ugh, you wear the stench of several centuries." Hewrinkled his nose.The pumpkin smirked. Smirked!It spoke again. "Hi, Pot, I'mKettle." The gourd paused a moment. "You do understand the reference,don't you?"Safford snorted. "Of course,Kettle. Why are you here? " Disturbing my inner musing.The pumpkin sighed. "The nameis Jack and I'm here with a warning."Safford rolled his eyes."Spare me the doom and gloom. I've seen several lifetimes of it. Why doyou think I've limited my contact with outsiders?" Which definitelyincludes talking vegetation.Jack scoffed. "Because you'rea cranky old man with his boxers in a bunch?"Safford snarled his response."No, you moronic gourd. It's because I don't want to be bothered by anyoneelse."Jack grunted. "Too bad,bloodsucker." He wobbled to the edge of the table. "Your past isgetting ready—if you'll excuse the pun—to bite you on the ass."Safford narrowed his eyes. "Doyou have anything to do with the murders of my friends?" He'd smash thesneering pumpkin to pieces if he did.Jack tsked. "No, I came totell you to make a list. One of your enemies is making a move."As if Safford didn't already know.Jack moved back to the middle ofthe surface. "Don't dawdle, Sturgeon. While you're making that list,you're going to learn about what vengeance can do to wreak havoc on theuniverse."Safford didn't relish the idea, buthe sighed and dragged the notebook he'd already set out forward and startedwriting.Jack waited until Safford had onefull column before he started his tale of woe. "A long, long time ago Igot very angry…"

The Lantern Jacktales are a lot of fun to write. I love letting Jack get his snark on.

 

That's it for thisweek.

Cheers!

Skye 

Sunday Snippet: Guts and Glory

I can't believewe're at the end of June already. It's crazy how fast time is flying right now.Probably because of the whole respiratory yuck that ate up most of the month.Thankfully, that seems to have finally run its course. Feeling so much betternow.

Had a super busywork week. Playing catch-up isn't my favorite thing on the planet. But I didfinish a proofread and made solid progress on the other two projects on myplate.

Had a very limitedviewing schedule this week, mainly because I really wanted to make as much of adent as possible in my work. I had my usual background comfort shows playing inthe background with Perry Mason and Midsomer Murders. I love thechannels dedicated to one show, which is how I get Midsomer whenever Iwant. And Perry Mason is easy to find on the classic TV channels.

I did catch an episodeof Best in Paradise and enjoyed revisiting how JP got reacquainted withRosie. I'm enjoying the cast member introductions to each episode.

I also watched thefirst of a two-part Death in Paradise. I'd seen a bit of the episodebefore and knew what to expect but it's very powerful to watch from the beginning.Looking forward to the second part this week.

I started anepisode of Elementary and didn't make it all the way through. I'llfinish that one up later tonight.

And that's prettymuch it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Guts and Glory,a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's theminiblurb:

Ghosts, spirits, ghouls, and spooks are big business forRoyal McKnight and Gamble Preacher, who each head rival teams that deal withand sometimes get rid of the specters. Gamble fears Royal is in over her headwhen a nasty ghoul wreaks havoc on the city and can't be banished, but Royalhas an ace up her sleeve and doesn't need Gamble's assistance … until her teamis in danger and Gamble has to save the day.

And a preview snippet…

Royal McKnight entered herheadquarters and living space through sublevel two. "What a night."She shut and warded the door leading from the abandoned subway tunnel thenheaded for the first flight of stairs that would take her to sublevel one.She shrugged out of her long jacketand draped the garment over her shoulder before entering the small enclosurethat would take her to the first floor of the former First United Bank, whichnow operated as the base of operations for her team of ghost hunters.A side door opened and her secondin command, JJ Hardaway ducked into the hexagon-shaped landing from the parkinggarage that also doubled as their decontamination area. Clad only in a pair ofloose warmups, a sure indicator he'd tangled with something—ghost, spirit,ghoul, or spook—and ended up covered with ectoplasm … or something worse. She'dheard a call go out but couldn't respond, because she'd had her nose to theground following a possible lead.JJ shook his head and jerked histhumb behind him. "I recommend avoiding the decon area for at least anhour. It'll take that long for the smell to dissipate." He ran a handthrough his damp hair. "And I might need spend another thirty minutes inthe shower." A shudder rippled over him.Royal arched her brows. "Do weneed to debrief first?" She kind of hoped not … a ton of research beckonedher.JJ rolled his eyes. "Nah.Nothing special about the callout. Standard spook removal." His lipsquirked. "Except for the part where the spook went corporeal just as Isprayed the deterrent on it."Royal grimaced. "Ugh. You gotskunked." No wonder JJ warned about the stench.Spooks could manifest in solidifiedform for brief periods. If they were doused when they had a physical shape,they exploded in a barrage of congealed spookly bits. Yuck.JJ rolled a shoulder. "Happensto the best of us." He nodded toward the steps. "Heading up ordown?"She lifted her chin. "Up.Gotta hit the stacks and do some research." She paused a moment."Have you heard any rumblings about the old library?" She'd stakedthe place out based on a rumor she'd overheard at the Gilded Chalice, herfavorite watering hole.JJ grunted. "Only thatPreacher's crew has been sniffing around that area." He nudged the door tothe first floor open then held it for Royal.Royal bit back a curse."Figures. It's been a while since we bumped up against them." Notlike both teams didn't have enough work with sightings and subsequent removals.Gamble Preacher and his group werefriendly—for the most part—rival ghost hunters. Former military, Preacheremployed other fellow soldiers from all branches of the armed forces. Royal'scohorts all carried on a long-standing family tradition, each either inheritingtheir role or coming to the team after an otherworldly experience. She oftenput her instincts and knowledge of folklore and urban legends up againstGamble's precisely planned operations and often got better results. But … afterfifty years of dealing with the spectral population—because a group ofwell-meaning but seriously misguided novices accidentally opened a portal fromthe afterlife—no end to the spooky visitations seemed to be in sight. Whichmeant there should be more than enough room to work without a lot of overlap.JJ padded over to the monitoringstation and fist-bumped with his partner Marcus. "Need you to take abreak. Gonna need someone to scrub my back."Marcus covered his nose with hishand. "Yeah and hold their breath while doing it." He winced."Man, you reek."Royal chuckled. "I was tryingso hard not to point that out." She waved the guys off. "Go on, youtwo. I'll take the tablet with me and keep an eye on the panels." She startedunloading her tools of the trade onto the desk.The guys headed for the secondfloor where the living quarters were. Royal draped her jacket over the back ofthe chair and grabbed the oversized device, switching the feed from thecomputer monitors to the tablet. Keeping only one weapon tucked into herpocket, she headed for the elevator to take her to the third floor.Her gut all but screamed they had anasty ghoul on their hands, and she wanted to be one step ahead of Preacher andhis gang.  

I'm excited aboutthis story. I'm in the very beginning stages but the sages are feeding me a lotof great ideas.

 

That's it for thisweek.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Gotta Make a Living

We definitely had ahot 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 quitecaught up on my work projects but I'm making headway. Thankfully none of themhave red line due dates. I did manage to finish a proofread and will be sendingit on its merry way later today. I still have another proofread and a copy editto work on this week.

Had an almostnonexistent viewing week. Between playing catch up on my work projects andstill being kind of bleh, I stuck with my comfort viewing of Perry Masonand Midsomer Murders. I did work in a few binge episodes of Death inParadise on regular television.

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

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

Here's theminiblurb:

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

And a preview snippet…

Claire entered through C&P'sprivate executive alcove and took the elevator up to the corporate officesuite. The need to put this case in the done column meant she called Conrad assoon as she walked in her door. She didn't even get a chance to change out ofher tarty clothing before Conrad insisted she bring the file.Rolling her eyes, she sighed."Should have waited until I'd changed into something morecomfortable." But he sounded almost desperate to see the information.The lift slowed to a stop, and acreepy feeling assailed her when she got out. But she chalked it up to being inthe building so late. She always had an uneasy feeling when she had to meet herclients under clandestine circumstances.Conrad's office door had been leftopen a crack. Clair nudged it and entered the room. She found the desk lamp onbut the chair empty and turned at an odd angle.Frowning, she resisted the urge to flipthe switch for the overhead lights. "He might not want anyone to knowwe'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 killerremained or not. She stooped down, dreading the thought of touching Conrad, butneeding to get a general idea of how long he'd been dead. She reached out, herhand trembling, but the elevator pinged again.Thinking quickly, she beat a hastyretreat behind the door. The killer could be coming back or trying to leave. Orit 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. Herpurse would have to do as a makeshift weapon. Wouldn't be the first time she'dused that tactic.A man entered, wearing a trenchcoat and fedora, his gaze scanning the room. Claire had to move now, before hediscovered her. She raised her arm, intent on slugging him in the face frombehind, but he spun and blocked her, jerking her forward. The momentum carriedher past him and into the wall next to the door jamb.Well, damn. Definitely didn'tanticipate his quick reflexes.His voice rumbled from behind her. "Whatare you doing here?" His hand flattened against her shoulder blades,keeping her pushed forward.Considering she only caught aglimpse of a face she might have recognized, she stayed silent for the moment. Sheneeded a hot minute before she figured out how to handle this dilemma. Andshe'd rather not do it smooshed up against the wall.Not a great position to be in.

I love writing thisstory! Claire and Niles are fun characters and weaving in some noir-type vibesis a favorite thing of mine.

 

That's it for thisweek.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Going to Extremes

Happy Father's Dayto anyone celebrating. For those not for whatever reason, I hope your day isfilled with peace and calm and you find your joy.

It's been a reallyrough week. I definitely didn't make it through the worst the week prior. I hada lot more yuck to get through. Thankfully, I'm now down to some nagging congestion,but I can breathe again and I'm not coughing every five minutes, which makes mehappy because we're due for some awful heat this week.

Managed to staymostly on top of my work projects. I'm not as far along as I'd like to be, butI'm within my window to meet my deadlines. Not being 100 percent isn't fun butat least I can work around being less than my best. If I had a job with set hours,I'd still probably be fighting through the slog of upper respiratory yuck.

Had a very slowweek of viewing. I didn't have the brain power to get involved in much ofanything but comfort shows like Perry Mason and Midsomer Murders.

I did catch anotherBest in Paradise and thoroughly enjoyed the introduction from DonWarrington. It's fun to hear him speak without the Caribbean accent.

I also watchedanother Death in Paradise and it's one I only saw bits and pieces ofwhen it first aired. Nice to see if from start to finish.

That's pretty muchit for the life update this week. Hopefully I'll be back to somewhat normal fornext week's entry.

Tonight's post isfrom Going to Extremes, a novella that got a start from a writingcommunity prompt.

Here's the miniblurb:

In a magickal realm where dragons are born and raised, aproctor is using dark arts to gain control over the mystical beasts. To stophis plot, the undermage, Clemson Sentre, sends his best wranglers, Osana Wrangand Calix Sentre, to remove the proctor from power during an event with anesteemed rival. But the dangerous and daring plan goes awry and puts the couplein peril and makes them face how they feel for each other.

And a preview snippet…

Osana Wrang bumped intoCalix Sentre when she rounded the corner to the undermage's chambers. "Um,sorry about that." She stepped back and smoothed her palm over her shortcape. "Did your uncle summon you, also?" There could be no wayClemson Sentre found out about her recent liaison with Calix … right?Not that it mattered.They didn't break any rules by sharing a bed … er … couch then a bed. ButClemson might not be thrilled his protégé nephew decided to hook up with her.At least I'm hisfavorite student—and wrangler—ever. Calix lifted his chin."He did. Any clue what this is all about?" He propped a shoulderalong the wall.Osana shook her head."Nope. You don't think he found out we're…" She trailed off becauseshe had no idea how to refer to their new status.Friends withbenefits?More than coworkers?Rivals that smash onthe downlow?She pulled her thoughtsin and met Calix's gaze. "Sorry. Never mind." What they calledthemselves didn't matter right now.Calix's lips curved ina smirk. "No. I don't think. Wouldn't matter anyway. We're grown-assadults and the two best dragon wranglers on his campus." Folding his armsover his chest, he grunted. "And we're at the top of the mage roster also.Having incredible sex doesn't change any of that." His eyebrow arched,daring her to counter his statement.She couldn't becauseshe got hung up on the incredible sex part. Because, yeah, no argument there. Whichhe'd know considering they'd been friends since entering the Silverwing Academyas students seven years ago. Even if their kinship made no sense. Theyapproached everything from opposite ends. Calix slid into whatever he tackled withmeasured thought and astute reasoning. She jumped in feet first and sloggedthrough whatever stood in her way.Calix cleared histhroat to get her attention. "Os? Am I wrong? Has everythingchanged?" A note of worry entered his voice.She blinked."What? No. Well, of course, it changes a little, but not the importantstuff." She'd stab herself in the before she let that happen.Calix pushed away fromthe wall. "Then let's see what the old man wants, yeah?"She nodded. "Absolutely."Lifting her hand, she knocked on the heavy teak doors.

I just started thisone and I'm already having so much fun writing this duo. Can't wait to see whathappens next.

 

That's it for thisweek.

Cheers!

Skye