Sunday, April 14, 2019

Sunday Snippet: Read Between the Lines

It's been a busy, busy week. I've got a new long-term project in a new to me genre and I’m excited to get started. Also finished up a couple of copy editing projects that were fun to work on.

About normal television viewing. I finished up the rewatch of Roswell, New Mexico. I'm serious when I say this show is kind of consuming me right now. Also caught the newest episode and it's everything I expected as to the reveal of the fourth alien but it also surpassed my expectations in so many ways. I don't know if there's going to be a triangle with Michael, Maria, and Alex but I actually like where things are right now. I'm not a huge fan of triangles but this has potential to be really interesting.

Caught another episode of Underbelly: Razor and really liked where things went. Wally leaving Kate came at just the right time and I'm interested to see how she fares without him. I'm also excited to see where Tillie and Nellie end up. Probably not in the best circumstances.

Watched two more episodes of Peter Gunn. This is such a great show for inspiration when I want to write something with a flair of noir. It's moody and stylish and the mix of grim and dark with humor is excellent.

Caught an episode of Strike Back and my heart goes out to Wyatt. At the same time, I'm totally down with Coltrane going rogue. It's such a section twenty thing to do. And the responses from the team? Perfect. I'm kind of hoping Katrina sees used-to-be Pavel as the evil force he is and switches allegiance again. We'll see what happens.

Watched another episode of Chicago Fire and loved how the group came together for Foster. Doctor Asshat definitely got the message. At least I hope he did.

Iron Fist had a great episode. I love watching Ward try to navigate through emotions. Joy, I'm not so sure about. I can't quite decide if I understand and sympathize where she's coming from or if I want to write her off the way I've written Trish off in Jessica Jones.

Caught an episode of Classic Roswell and Alex and Liz broke my heart all over again. I did love, love, love the way they took Topolski down though.

Watched an episode Murdoch Mysteries. The reporter lady drives me nuts but I loved how she handled getting William and Julie to recognize how much George contributed to their book. The murder case also entertained.

Caught the second episode of The Murders and I really like the partnership between Nolan and Kate. I want to know more about both characters.

I started Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries and I'm excited to see how this show stacks up to Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

That's pretty much it for TV this week. Tonight's post is from Read Between the Lines, a novella that started with a two-word prompt of "dear sir".

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lexa Bode finds a letter Kers Jarvis wrote to his father at the tender age of seven. Her heart breaks for the handsome firefighter. The missive covers so much, but the young Kers leaves a lot unsaid, things his old man wouldn't see, but Lexa does—she can't miss it, she considers subtext her second language.

And a snippety peek…

Lexa Bode riffled through the bottom drawer of Chief Kent Jarvis's desk. "That stupid form has to be somewhere in this desk." She hauled the gigantic OSHA binder from the drawer and flipped to the back pages, hoping to find the elusive compliance document.
A rumpled white envelope caught her attention. Slipping it from between two sheets of paper, she glanced at the front. A child's handwriting graced the surface in carefully written print. Precise and pristinely legible, the letter had been addressed to Captain Kent Jarvis and the return address showed as his son Kers.
Lexa sat down at Kent's desk, her better sense warring with the intense desire to read whatever the envelope held. "What the hell? I'm dying of curiosity." Retrieving the letter, she scanned the contents, reading all about a day in the life of a ten-year-old Kers.
Her lips quirked even as her heart broke a little at the "Dear sir" beginning. A stoic little Kers… writing formal words to his father. She tucked the letter into her pocket and went back to her desk with the unwieldy binder.
After finding and uploading the stupid form, she hesitated before putting the letter back. "One more time." She read it again and experienced the same feeling as the first time… humor mixed with sadness at how much Kers covered up. "Chief Jarvis wouldn't get it. What Kers was trying to say." He'd see a little boy trying to be a big man… but Lexa spoke subtext.
Hell, she practically grew up with it as a second language. Every time her dad came back from deployment and needed "space" to get his head back on straight. She'd become an expert at reading between the lines and hearing what didn't get said.
After working with Kent and listening to his proud and glowing praise of his Kers, Lexa had no doubt the elder Jarvis loved his son with fierce fatherly love. But something painful existed between the two men. Kent often put Kers off when he called and Lexa couldn’t figure out why.
She snorted. "Not that it's any of my business." Her heart went out to each man though.
Tucking the letter back into the binder, she returned it to the drawer in Kent's desk. Just in time too… the chief entered the office with steam practically rolling out of his ears.
Lexa quirked a brow. "You ran into the deputy commissioner, didn't you?"

I honestly love this story. Fire chiefs are near and dear to my heart; my dad retired as one.



That's it for this week. Happy reading!


Skylin

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