Sunday Snippet: Fan the Flames

Gearing up for abusy week with work projects and my youngest's graduation from college. I thinkwe're also going to have some nasty weather, which should be fun.

Had a solid week ofwork and writing, which makes me very happy. I might be finding my grooveagain. I so hope I am. I'm not a fan of being unable to focus when I need to.

Had a decent weekof television viewing. Made it through the modified list of shows and startedover.

I caught the finaltwo behind the character bonuses for My Life Is Murder. I'm somewhat hopingthere's another season. Based on a little research, I think there might be.

Also watched two episodesof Madame Blanc Mysteries. Both were enjoyable. Kind of sad to see the pubowners no longer with the cast but interested in Dom's uncle being a possibleaddition. Hopefully he won't be too shady.

Enjoyed thetwo-part Silent Witness. A lot of twists and turns in this one and Iliked them. Looking forward to starting a new two-parter this week.

Finished up seasonsix and started season seven of Death in Paradise. I'm excited to dive furtherinto Jack's tenure as the DI. It feels like this is when cast members starttheir merry-go-round of coming and going. But I'm looking forward to more of thisshow.

Caught another episodeof Elementary and Moriarty is making their presence known. I'm kind ofinterested in how this might play out over the seasons. I'm very much lovingthe dynamic with Sherlock and Watson.

Watched another episodeof The Batman. I guess it was the season two finale. It always kind ofannoys me when the first season is twice as long as the remaining ones. Thatsaid, pretty sure Robin makes an appearance in season three so there's that.

Enjoyed an episodeof Classic Rugrats. Again, these were new-to-me vignettes. Not sure whathappened with season seven during the original run, but I'm happy to see thosenow.

Also finished upthe Peak Practice episode I started a while ago. Hoping to get anotherone in this week.

That's it for thelife update. Tonight's post is from Fan the Flames, a novella featuringa cupid that has to bring a couple together, but they don't make it easy forhim.

Here's theminiblurb:

A modern-day cupid discovers a couple with matching aurasand thinks he'll have an easy time matching them up. Right ... not so much.While Jamie and Alix definitely have the hots for each other, one big obstaclestands in their way—Jamie's job.

And a preview snippet…

Alix met the gaze of the manspeaking and studied him for a moment. Attractive, except for that nastycomment, he looked tired and a little cranky. But he had to have some knowledgeof her work.

Her lips curved upward. "Youmust be referring to the VanDyne house, the one that featured prominently inthe holiday parade of homes last year." Her gaze scanned the othercommittee members. "The strict guidelines for the design parametersrequired the full Victorian treatment. Mr…"

The man's lips thinned."O'Riley, but everyone calls me Jammer." He shifted in his seat andcrossed his arms over his chest.

Alix knew the name. Joe mentionedJammer on a regular basis. He failed to say the guy had a massive stick shovedup his ass.

She gave him a sweet smile."Jammer it is then. Part of my job is to follow the client's requirementsto the letter. In the case of the VanDyne home, the homeowner's associationdictated a lot of the design features we went with." Moving the presentationalong, she started to turn over the first board.

Jammer jumped in again. "Whatmakes you think you can handle the design for the common areas and livingquarters in a fire department while adhering to commercial code?" Hequirked an eyebrow.

Alix flipped the board, her colorscheme of rich earth tones with pops of red, black, and white drawingappreciative nods from the other committee members. "To answer Jammer'squestion, my degree is in residential and commercial interior space planning.I'm well-versed and up to date on all codes." She took the design boardand started it around the table.

Glancing in Jammer's direction, shepaused for half a second to see if he had anything else to bitch about. Hebrought his coffee mug to his lips and stayed silent.

Alix propped two boards side byside. "Since Jammer seems to have the most concerns, I'll offer to scrapthe leather chairs and sofas, the dart boards, the flat screen TVs, andbilliard tables for the living room along with the oversized eight burnerstove, double fridge and freezers for the kitchen, and do away with the weightsand cross fit equipment for the exercise area, if everyone agrees it's not whata firehouse needs." She met Jammer's gaze. "However, the frou-froubedding with pom-poms for each of the bunks is a sticking point. I refuse togive up creative control for the sleeping area." She smirked then passedthe two boards around then revealed the actual bunk room design. "Allkidding aside, I'm aware you guys are on shift for twenty-four hours and mygoal for the bunkroom is to make it comfortable during downtime." Shepointed to the key features. "Semi-private berths, with space and chargingstations for your electronic devices, and a fold down desk area will accompanyeach section." She started the last board around to the buzz of approvalfrom most of the committee. "Bedding can be brought in, so if anyone isn'thappy with the cool blues, taupe, and sienna color scheme, they can bring onthe pink and polka dots." A round of laughter greeted her pithy remark.

Mr. Grouchy had the design boardslaid out in front of him and had, so far, kept his mouth shut. Alix wondered ifhe'd get on board or go further into ass hat territory.

I love this story somuch. Alix and Jamie are a lot of fun to write and bringing them together is a hugetreat.

 

That's it for thisweek.

Cheers!

Skye