Sunday Snippet: Fistful of Sorry

May is winding downand it's been kind of a whirlwind month. Or I might be hitting that age wheretime seems to fly by faster every day.

Not a bad workweek. I finished up a project and jumped back into one that had been sitting onthe back burner for a while. Also started a new one. Got some writing donealso, which makes me happy because the sages have been on an extended vacation.

Pretty good week ofviewing also. I managed to go through my slate of shows twice and finished upan episode I left hanging a few weeks ago.

Watched twoepisodes of The Brokenwood Mysteries. Thoroughly enjoyed both. I'm soexcited this show is back for another season. I love the characters so much.

Caught two episodesof Death in Paradise. Finished up season seven and ended up liking it alot. Starting season eight this week.

Started watching Bestin Paradise, which features the favorite episodes of the cast. Got two viewed,and I think I'll continue watching. They have fun intros from the cast memberand why the episode is one of their favorites.

Watched twoepisodes of Elementary and I really love how Joan is being fleshed outand using her knowledge. Also kind of happy to see some growth with Sherlock.

Enjoyed two episodesof The Batman. I remembered both and enjoyed each one. Really fun tohave Robin and Batgirl working together to take down the rogues.

Caught one episode ofSuspects and it ended up being a twisty affair, which I love. I have twomore episodes of season four and then I'll start the final fifth season.

Watched twoepisodes of Classic Rugrats. Finished up the lead-in to the movie andcaught the first episode post wedding. Fun stuff.

Also finished anepisode of Peak Practice I started a couple of weeks ago. The laterseasons seem to be a little hit or miss for me. Can't wait to finally get toseason twelve.

That's it for thelife update this week. Tonight's post is from Fistful of Sorry, anovella that puts a couple through a trial by fire.

Here's the miniblurb:

Orly Manx and Cal Luminity always approach situationsfrom opposite angles but usually end up on the same side. When Orly pushes acadet too far during training, she apologizes to Cal for not following hisadvice. But Cal isn't interested in listening or quick to forgive, which drivesa wedge between them, and Orly realizes how much she needs Cal to play yin toher yang. Clearly in the wrong, Orly can't take back her actions, so makingamends is all she has left.

And a preview snippet…

Cal could kick himself for thinkinghe could appeal to Orly's better nature and hope for the best. "Becausethat always blows up in my face." He cut through the quad and headed forthe morning session of free-time exercise in the training room also known asthe shed.Not keeping his word to Barnabasmight bite Cal on the ass. He didn't want to break the confidence, but he couldn'tsee another way to try and get Orly on board. And, of course, she didn'tcooperate anyway.Pulling the door open, Cal sighed."Barnabas can be angry if he wants to." Benson wouldn't discover hisgrandfather's meddling from Orly.That much Cal could count on.He entered the wide, airy space andtook a post along the north wall to observe Benson during his warmup. A lot ofinformation revealed itself when a plebe didn't have the pressure to performsitting squarely on their shoulders. Benson moved with ease even if hestruggled with some of the gestures needed for spell-casting.It's not lack of coordination. It'slack of confidence.

Cal understood that on a deeplevel. When he first started at the school as a student, carrying the familyname added a heavy weight to everything he did. From living up to the expectationsof the faculty to fighting against the preconceived notions of his fellowcadets, Cal's first year still topped the chart as the most tortured. Hesuffered paralyzing stage fright and almost gave up because the pressure tosucceed as a member of a founding family nearly did him in.His saving grace? Orly. She'dblazed into the school with nothing but raw, amazing talent and a willingnessto do anything necessary to become a premier mage. She also befriended Cal,according to her, despite the fact he had privilege stamped all over him. Onsome weird level, she recognized a kindred spirit … someone who wanted to bethe very best. Unlike everyone else, she didn't ask questions about or pry intohis family dynamics … mainly because she didn't care if got along with hisparents or whether he lived up to their standards. The only thing she wantedfrom him? Companionship, in and out of bed, and someone she could challenge andbe challenged by.Cal snorted. "And to this day,she still lives for the competition." Which normally didn't bother him…Until now.Because Benson Mikkleson gave awaya lot of clues during his free-time exercise. He subtly eyed the other studentsand tried to mimic their stances. Maybe because his sensitivity held him back.Or … possibly because he had a ton of baggage he needed to work on checkingbefore he really settled into his ability. Without a friend like Orly in hiscorner, Benson would probably struggle to find his place.Cal frowned. "Why can't sheremember how much we hated the grueling methods?" Because those practicesworked ninety percent of the time.Yet … how many good mages did they losebecause of an unbending structure?Pushing away from the wall, Calheaded for the exit so he could prepare for his first class. "Here'shoping Benson Mikkleson won't be in the ten percent that don't make it throughthe first semester…"

I'm very happy withhow this story is coming together. I love writing a couple with issues and Caland Orly definitely don't see eye to eye sometimes.

 

That's it for thisweek.

Cheers!

Skye