Sunday Snippet: Whatever It Takes

Wow, August kind offlew by. I'm always amazed how fast the week slips away, which probably means Ineed to go outside and get some grounding time in. I'm going to blink, andit'll be the holiday season. Just saying. Maybe I'll moon watch this week withthe blue supermoon happening.

Had a busy workweek. I'm finishing up an extended project and working on a new manuscript copyedit. Also gearing up for a new developmental edit and a new manuscriptassessment in September. Looking forward to working on new books in these twoseries.

Had a decent week ofviewing television. I still haven't watched the final episode of Peak Practiceseason nine. I needed good vibes this week and didn't want anything to bum mymojo.

I actually caughttwo episodes of Suspects. I finished out the first season and startedseason two. The second season is four episodes but they're both two-parters.Looking forward to seeing what happens. I'm a bit bummed that I can't watch allfive seasons of this show … unless they become available on the streamer I'mcurrently using.

Finished the firstseason of Cannes Confidential. My choice for the big bad was correct andthat makes me happy. I'm so hoping there will be a second season of this show.

Caught the secondhalf of Silent Witness's two-parter. Ended up enjoying the twists thisone took. A great cast of guest stars really added to the storyline.

Watched anotherepisode of Death in Paradise. This show makes me happy, which might seemweird because it's always about a murder. The cast is amazing and that's why Ilove it.

I'm on the fencewith Fantasy Island. I enjoyed the episode but I'm not here for havingangst solely for the sake of having angst. No thanks. We'll see how the seasonends.

Finally continuedmy rewatch of Battlestar Galactica. "Sacrifices" ended upbeing such an interesting episode even if it shortchanged a couple ofcharacters. One of the critiques I have about this show is not digging into thestorylines when they should have. The previously on Battlestar Galacticadoes a lot of heavy lifting in seasons two through four and it's notnecessarily a good thing.

Watched anotherepisode of The Batman. This one introduced Penguin and I'd forgotten howmuch I enjoyed this episode.

Caught anotherepisode of Classic Rugrats. Aunt Miriam made another appearance as didthe McNulty's.

Restarted the AgathaChristie Hour and enjoyed the episode. I have one episode left in thisseries and then I'll have to decide if I want to dive into another Christieseries or find something new.

That's pretty muchit for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Whatever It Takes,a novella that puts a couple on a treacherous path to find their version ofhappily ever after.

Here's the miniblurb:

Lysanor Bela runs the gauntlet and while she survives theexperience, it messes with her mind. She has a vision of killing BaronSaltman—and gauntlet revelations are never wrong. Lys will do whatever it takesto keep Baron alive as long as possible—even if it means walking away fromtheir relationship.

And a preview snippet…

Something's wrong. Lys should havefinished by now.

Baron backed up and glanced at thetimer. "She's been in there too long." Longer than anyone else todate.

He kept the comment under hisbreath. He wouldn't disturb the watchers. They had a job to do and didn't needto be distracted … again. Magheen's interruption earlier only drew theattention of one other, so Lys wouldn't suffer any penalties.

If only his mind seek had worked,he'd have a better idea of what might be going on with Lysanor. The unease ofnot being able to pinpoint what troubled him didn't sit well. He'd never beenblocked before.

Ready to call an end to the testand send a team to pull her out, he hesitated. Lys would be crushed if hestepped in. She had worked and trained hard to get her shot at the gauntlet. Ifshe failed, she'd lose her status and rank within the realm. Earning another chancewouldn't be easy, but Lys would do it … if only to be by his side.

She had the skill to be a master inthe magedom. And her intuition rarely missed the mark. Discovering her path wouldput them one step closer to the vision he had of their future.

So, he waited. "Gotta give hertime. At least a little more." He couldn't let her stay in much longer.

Because he couldn't lose her.

Too much time in the gauntlet couldbe fatal. The exertion needed to get through coupled with the mental staminarequired sometimes wreaked havoc on the central nervous system. And while mostrecovered, a rare few had permanent damage. He wouldn't risk that with Lysanor.

He grabbed the handheld receiver."Give her five more minutes then send in the med techs." Hanging up,he ignored the raised eyebrows of the other three people in the viewing room.

They couldn't hold his decisionagainst Lysanor. If she made it out, the watchers could chalk his caution up toan overreaction on his end. But he'd rather err on the safe side and have ateam ready and waiting.

Curling his fingers into his palms,he exhaled slowly. "Come on, Lys. Cross back through." And do itsoon…

I like the way thisstory is coming together. Lysanor and Baron have a battle ahead of them and thefight will be worth it.

 

That's it for thisweek.

Cheers!

Skye