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