Sunday Snippet: Zootropolis

WooHoo! I have a new roof on my garage and both porches. Our back porch actually includes our bathroom and laundry room and we’ve had leaks for the past five years. Here’s to not having those anymore! We went with a blue metal and it looks terrific with the slate roof of the house. I’m thrilled the job took, I’m not kidding, a day and a half. I figured it would take a week to get it all done. Glad I was wrong.

Busy week on the work front. Finished up a project and started two more. I did get some television viewing in but had a light week.

I caught an episode of Riverdale and enjoyed getting back to the regular timeline. I’m completely creeped out with Cheryl’s weird deal with her corpse brother but I love the battle of wills she’s having with the new principal. Loved having some story with Reggie. Also liked seeing Mad Dog join the group. I want Kevin and Betty to get back to their usual friendship and I’m happy to see him kind of wake up to the evils of the farmies. Here’s hoping Fangs comes back to the fold.

I watched The Will, a Passionflix original movie, and thoroughly enjoyed it! The casting ended up being spot-on and I had fun watching this one. I’ll be looking forward to the next release Passionflix puts out.

Caught another episode of Danger Man aka Secret Agent. I forever have The Prisoner in my mind when I watch these episodes even if they’re not technically related. Probably because I watched The Prisoner first.

Watched the third episode of Midsomer Murders. Enjoyed it a lot. It had some good twists and turns I didn’t expect.

Viewed another first season episode of Peak Practice. I’m not quite sure what I’m supposed to think about Will. The character is, I think, the only one who remained for all twelve series. Right now, he’s kind of a petulant, whiny child most of the time and I don’t know if I’m supposed to like him or not. Since it’s only four episodes so far, I’ll reserve judgment.

Finished up Classic Who season ten with Three and the end of Jo’s tenure as a companion. The Green Death episodes were a pretty interesting arc and I like how Jo ended her time with the doctor. Looking forward to starting season eleven.

Strike Back is back, as noted in last week’s post. I’m currently watching the first episode of the season and, wow, Coltrane definitely has a big-ass chip on his shoulder. He kind of acts like he didn’t have his ass saved by his team not so long ago. That said, I’m not all the way through the first episode yet so I’ll reserve judgment.

And that’s pretty much it for television this week. Tonight’s post is from Zootropolis, a contemporary novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here’s the mini-blurb:

Mackenna Sycks is looking to raise money for a wildlife refuge in Africa. When Walton Conley offers to back her project, she balks, thinking the hot shot playboy has ulterior motives. He does, but he's also a whiz with fundraisers and surprises Mackenna with gala affair dubbed Zootropolis.

And a snippety peek…

Mackenna stopped by the zoo and completed her exit interview. Normally, she had a uniform to fall back on, but she'd turned hers in when she arrived. Which meant her street clothes were now covered in muck and dung after the director asked her to check on a gazelle trying to deliver a newborn.

Mackenna slid behind the wheel of her jeep. "Nothing like a little free labor for a laboring cow." At least the mama and fawn were doing fine.

By the time she'd helped the vet with the distressed animal, accepted her eternal gratitude, and put down new bedding for the pair, she had less than ten minutes to get to Walton's office for the initial fundraising meeting.

Starting the engine, she shook her head. "Of all the days to not have a spare outfit." Mess didn't begin to describe her current appearance, but she didn't want to miss the meeting.

A quick call to let the office know she'd be a little late went to voice mail. Mackenna made the cross-town drive in record time and took an extra five minutes to clean up as much as possible. She traded her rugged tennis shoes—covered with things not really fit for the general public not to mention an office—for a pair of flip-flops, but she couldn't do much to remove the fluid stains from her cotton blouse. She shucked it off, choosing to go with only her camisole. Her loose-fitting pants were worse for the wear and she couldn't escape the clinging aroma of, well, animal, but Walton would understand. After all, he'd witnessed firsthand what her job entailed.

Swallowing down discomfort, she squared her shoulders. "It's just the two of us. If he wants to reschedule, at least I made the effort to be here." Strolling up to the main doors, she exhaled slowly and put a wide smile on her face.

A wasted effort because Walton got one look at her when the receptionist showed her into the conference room—where at least twenty people sat around the huge table—and nearly blew a gasket.

Pissed off but trying to hide it, he dismissed the group. "Uh, ladies and gentlemen, I believe we've had a breakdown in communication. Let's break this up and I'll schedule a time we can regroup." He shot Mackenna a scathing glance.

She hunched her shoulders and blinked rapidly. Who the hell were all these people? Carrie said Mackenna and Walton would still be discussing how to organize and plan the benefit. When did two become almost two dozen?

When the door closed, Walton whirled around. "Are you trying to shoot yourself in the foot? Look at you? What the hell happened?" He stalked back and forth, anger rippling off him in waves.

Mackenna's ire rose. "I didn't know people would here. Carrie didn't mention it. She assured me this was supposed to be you and me only." She planted her hands on her hips. "As to what happened. I helped deliver a gazelle fawn as part of my exit interview. Something I didn't expect, clearly, and instead of being a raging asshole, you might consider I at least showed up instead of ditching what I thought was a simple information exchange." And she did call … but not his cell phone as he'd requested … she left a message on the company voice mail.

Because she didn't quite know what to do with Walton yet. The attraction for him threw her off and she didn't want to cross into his personal sphere. Only, right now, the urge to smash him into the wall ranked well above what his looks did to her.

Walton frowned. "Carrie was supposed to let you know I pulled together a group of donors—the largest one I've ever accomplished, I might add—who'd be willing to foot the entire bill for the gala so all the proceeds would go to the rescue foundation." His brows furrowed. "Did she not pass that along?"

A surge of guilt rose because Carrie had called several times and Mackenna ignored each one. Her best friend liked to pry and cajole Mackenna into leaving her comfort zone. Putting her firmly in Walton's orbit would be a very Carrie thing to do. And Mackenna didn't need the help. She couldn't get him out of her mind without Carrie's added assistance.

Mackenna met Walton's gaze. "She might have tried calling but I've, uh, been a little busy. I don't know why she didn't just text me the update." Okay, a total lie, but Walton didn't need to know Carrie liked to play matchmaker. "And I left a voice mail on your main office line." Weak, so weak.

Walton's eyebrows shot up. "Did you lose my personal number?"

She couldn't meet his gaze. "No. But I had a rough morning and dialed the first number listed for you, which is the office." She shrugged. "I didn't mean to wreck your plans or make a scene in front of a bunch of donors." Turning away from him, she started an apology. "I'm truly sor—" The words died in her throat when she got a look at a fully realized mock-up of his plan for the gala event. "Holy… Wow." She spun back around with her mouth hanging open.

Walton's shoulder twitched. "I spent the past few days between phone calls putting that together. Sometimes, when an idea hits, I can't stop the flow." He moved forward and picked up one of the pieces, a paper-mache elephant.

Mackenna blinked, guilt surging upward again. "You … made the whole display?" It took up most of the credenza, full of animals, habitats, people, tables, chairs, and she had zero problem picturing what it would look like in her head full to scale.

He'd definitely gone above and beyond. And, dammit, the man really had a knack, which she had to acknowledge.

She huffed out a breath. "Damn, you obviously know what you're doing when it comes to pulling off the impossible."

I like the vibe between Mackenna and Walton. They’re willing to admit the attraction but neither will jump into anything with the other. It’s so much fun to write.

That’s it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Zipline and Sinker (a South of the Border novella)

February 16, 2020

Ugh. What a rough week. I've been battling some wicked-bad insomnia lately and I hate walking around like a zombie and trying to catch some much needed rest whenever I can. Not a fun time.

I did have a wonderful revelation on Thursday, which was my youngest's eighteenth birthday. To date, the husband and I have successfully raised three offspring to adulthood. Now to get her through prom and graduation then off to college. LOL

Slow week for television, mainly due to the insomnia. I caught a full arc of Classic Who and had a thought… the Daleks have been around for a long, long time. Just saying.

Got back into Gargoyles and watched a couple of episodes. The second season is super long and it'll be a while before I get through all of the various stories.

Watched a few episodes of Danger Man. This is pretty much a rewatch of the series for me, but it's nice to have a thirty-minute show to sink into while I'm doing dishes or cooking dinner.

Caught an episode of Murdoch Mysteries and finally discovered what would happen with the neighbors. I'd forgotten about the hotel detective and his mad vendetta against Murdoch. All in all, a satisfying wrap-up to the storyline. Sadly, the widow might end up rearing her vengeful head at some point in the series. That should be interesting.

I watched another episode of Arrow and I can honestly say I'm impressed with Stephen's performance. He brings the emotional element to the screen every episode. That said, he mentioned in an interview that Emily's decision to not be involved in most of season eight made the show feel kind of wrong (absolutely paraphrasing here) because Felicity is the heart of the show and no Felicity means no heart. I totally get that. But… it's kind of cool to see the reunions Oliver is having with people from his past. Talia and Thea teaming up could be a show on its own, especially if Nyssa got involved at some point. Just saying. Also really interesting to see what's going on in the futurescape, especially with the twist at the end of the episode.

Getting ready to start an episode of Riverdale and watch the premiere episode of Strike Back's final season. I also plan to watch the Passionflix original, The Will sometime this week. Looking forward to some great screen time.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Zipline and Sinker, a South of the Border novella.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Vaughn Dyson is a relic hunter who goes out of her way to save old treasures and preserve their place in history. But when Faulkner Roush gets word she's trying to smuggle a priceless artifact out of South America, he has to track her down before a rival, out for profit, group gets to her.

And a snippety peek…

Faulkner Roush answered the phone after checking the screen. "Yo, Vail. How's the quiet life treating you?" His buddy had gone and found the woman of his dreams and finally settled down.

Something Faulk envied… even if he'd had his shot. Too bad the woman Faulk wanted didn't do the whole stay in one place thing.

Vail gave a short answer. "Good." Then he dropped a bomb. "Someone put a target on Vaughn's back and the payoff is in the six-digit range."

So, it finally happened. Vaughn Dyson, otherwise known as the woman who never stayed in one place, had pissed someone off enough for them to eliminate her. Faulk shouldn't give a damn. She'd pretty much told him to fuck off the last time he'd seen her.

But he did give a damn.

Putting Vail on speaker, Faulk headed for his bedroom. "Where is she?" He grabbed his go-bag and checked it over.

Vail sighed. "Intel's sketchy, but she's somewhere in…" He rattled off coordinates for an area. "I know. It's a lot of land mass to cover."

Faulk keyed in the digits and snorted. "Yeah, it is. Remote and hard to navigate." He knew the region well. "Who put the bounty on her?" He'd have to know who in order to know what to expect.

Vail didn't hesitate. "Bishop Cramer." He snarled the name, no doubt because he'd had a run in or two with the black market kingpin.

Faulk growled. "Fuck. It figures." Dammit, Vaughn.

Only Vaughn would get trapped in such a crappy place with a price on her head issued by the man who probably hated her more than most. If his goon squad got her, no one would ever find the body—

Vail broke into Faulk's musings. "Look, I can get free and meet you. I can also call Lars and Hayden, see if they can help—"

Faulk shook his head. "No need." While he'd welcome the assist—after all, Lars owed Faulk for saving his life after a nasty meet-up with a knife—he'd travel lighter and quieter alone.

Searching his memory, he scrolled a little further on the map, zooming in to get a better look and—bingo—he found what he needed.

Faulk tapped the screen. "I might need a place to regroup after I get her out. Is the offer to visit still open?"

Vail's confusion came through when he answered. "Uh, always. It sounds like you already know where you'll find her."

Faulk snorted. "Not the precise location… but I do know exactly where to look."

A little mission not far from an abandoned excavation site. Working with Vaughn gave him a slight advantage—he knew her thought processes—but Cramer's men wouldn't take long to track her down. Faulk had maybe twenty-four hours before she'd be in the red zone of their sites.

If she's not already.

Vail wished Faulk luck and ended the call.

Faulk hit the ground running, called in several favors, and planned to be parachuting back into Vaughn's life in just over six hours.

I love this little adventure romance series. Faulk will get to visit with at least one other couple from the other books and Vaughn will make some new friends.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Zanzibar Blues

So, we finally have snow in Ohio. Not a lot but enough to remind people it's actually winter. This isn't a bad thing. I'm hoping that means we won't have blizzards in April or May. Just saying.

After a very slow January workwise, February is going like gangbusters. I'd rather be busy than not so no complaints here. I did have a slow week of television though.

I started with an episode of Murdoch Mysteries and enjoyed it. Fun to see a familiar face with Ruth's brother showing up. Should be interesting to see what happens with Henry now that Ruth has access to loads of money again. Also interesting happenings with William and Julia's neighbors. I'm still not quite sure what to expect with them.

Caught the Frankie Drake Mysteries finale for season three. Always fun when a character returns to stir up trouble for Frankie and the girls. I'm hoping season four continues to have a big focus on the friendships.

Arrow's second episode ended up being better than I anticipated. Interested to see what happens with Lyla. I truly love the mix of present and future in these episodes.

Caught another episode of Midsomer Murders and quite enjoyed it. It's fun when the case doesn't quite go where I think it will.

Also watched another series one episode of Peak Practice. I gotta say Will's wife is quite the piece of work. I have no idea how long she lasts but I'm thinking it's not through the end of the series. That's not a bad thing.

I saved the best for last. I finally watched the season four premiere for Riverdale. I'd be lying if I said there was no ugly sobbing involved. Because there was. A lot of it. I honestly didn't expect less, I mean I'd been warned by at least three people to have a box of tissues. Needless to say I did and used an undetermined amount of said box.

I can honestly say I can't imagine a better tribute to Fred Andrews. I loved how pretty much everyone put aside their grievances—Reggie and Cheryl in particular—and paid homage to a stalwart member of the community. Reggie's gesture with providing a hearse moved him up a notch on my like-the-guy meter. And Cheryl's conversation with Mary and her about face regarding the parade had a nice symmetry. I have no clue what the hell her deal is with CorpseJason but I don't need to know for this episode to work so well. Relenting on having a parade to celebrate Fred's life and put the focus on someone not a Blossom is big badass energy and I'm here for it.

FP taking on a role of filling big shoes also worked well for me. Figuring out where Archie was and what he planned to do when he found out who ended up being responsible for Fred's death and his subsequent response of calling in Archie's friends showed a good bit of foresight for the former Serpent leader. I also loved the way he handled asking Archie if he'd mind an escort home. I knew what was coming. I figured out what Cheryl wanted to do. And, man, I literally grabbed the box of tissues and pretty much sobbed through the whole thing. Throw in Jughead's obituary and the reaction shots of people reading—the focus being on the grown-ups, friends and enemies—and, yep, the tears flowed again.

Shannen Doherty's guest appearance was a nice touch. For those of us who are a certain age, the poignancy of having her involved in memorializing Fred and, in turn, Luke Perry packs a punch and creates a nice thread that goes from beginning to end.

The other part I found poignant is Betty at the cemetery by her dad's grave. Season three ended with Hal being murdered by Penelope and it's easy to forget that happened and have it eclipsed by Fred's demise. The trashing of his plot, while sad for Betty, serves as a solid visual reminder of where things left off.

Finally… the last scene of Archie in the garage sifting through memories of his dad, the only scenes that actually showed Fred in action, was extremely well done. Kudos to KJ, the writing team, and the film crew for what, I'm sure, had to be a difficult time.

All in all, a terrific sendoff for Fred and Luke. Next week, I'll dive back into the normal batshit crazy world of Riverdale and enjoy the hell out of it.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Zanzibar Blues, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

When Higg Astley is brought in for a clean-up job, maintaining order over a raucous and rowdy crowd, in a roadside tavern, his first goal is to keep the house singer, Liberty Vans, from partaking in the nightly brawl. No easy feat when Liberty is the surrogate daughter of the man who owns the bar.

And a snippety peek…

God, would she ever be rid of the stink that man left behind? "We had sex twice—" Liberty shot Marko a glare. "After I had too much to drink." Pausing a moment, she waited until her stomach stopped roiling at the memory. "You'll notice I've been sober for the past three months. Only drink tonic water and lime now." And lived with the knowledge she'd fucked up by ever tangling with Stanic.

Marko waved a hand. "Yeah, yeah, I've noticed. Doesn't matter when Stanic still has a hard-on for you." He went back to pushing the debris toward the trash cans.

Liberty heaved a sigh. "Not my fault, but it is becoming my problem, which I've transferred to you." And she'd never forgive herself for bringing the shitshow to Marko's door.

Marko shrugged. "Like I said, I've got a plan." He bent down and started putting the broken items into the bins.

Liberty continued mopping. "What's your big plan?" He'd had more than a few and none had stopped Carver's goons from being huge troublemakers.

Marko glanced over his shoulder. "Let me worry about the solution. You focus on your show."

Liberty didn't argue but she added one final zinger to the conversation. "While you're at it, you might wanna find out why Carver wants this place so badly—aside from the fact he hates you." And made sure the entire county got the news.

Marko sighed. "Working on that too. Not easy when Carver owns most of the county not to mention the officials." Which included the local sheriff and his deputies.

Liberty stuck the mop inside the bucket and gave Marko a big hug. "Look, my dad always trusted you… said I wouldn't even be here if you hadn't saved his life in the desert hellhole you got deployed to." Both men fought during Desert Storm.

Marko chuckled. "That's true enough. Smartest thing your old man ever did was marry your mom and move the hell away from here." Back to her mom's hometown about an hour north.

Liberty squeezed Marko's shoulder. "But it left you alone to deal with Carver." Who had a twenty year grudge against Marko.

His gaze darkened. "I couldn't leave her alone… especially knowing what Carver likes to do with his possessions." He spit the words out, anger rising in his tone.

The her being Lulu Smoulders. The love of Marko's life and the reason for Carver's stupid vendetta. Stupid because Carver married Lulu while Marko fought a war.

Liberty backed away but held Marko's gaze. "You gave her refuge during the stormy patches and got five good years with her." Lulu finally left Henry Carver when she landed at the bottom of a set of stairs after an argument with him.

She couldn't remember if he'd pushed her or if she'd fallen while trying to get away from him. Didn't matter. She'd had enough.

Liberty wrung the mop out. "Not nearly long enough for you two, but more time than you expected. That matters, right?"

Marko nodded. "You know it, Lib. And I'm not going anywhere." He grabbed another armload of debris. "This bar is mine. The land is mine. And Henry Carver will not get his hands on it, even when I'm dead and in the ground."

Liberty lifted her chin but kept mopping. No way could she voice her fear about Carver making the part about Marko being dead and in the ground actually happen.

This one is coming along pretty well. I'm going for something of a Roadhouse vibe and I think I've got it down.

That's it for this week. Happy reading.

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Zane's Ghost

Hello, February. An extra day in the month probably won't make much difference, right? Eh, January already felt like an entire year, so here's hoping February doesn't.

Another slow week for television viewing, but not a bad one. I finished up season three of Riverdale and, whew, what an ending. Talk about jamming a crap-ton of stuff into forty-three minutes. That said, wow. I'm still processing all the crazypants. I'm very glad I can start season four this week. I'll be dreading the first episode but can't wait to see what happens from here. Hopefully something utterly horrible for Hiram is on the horizon but I doubt it. Sigh.

Midsomer Murders had a good opener for series twenty-one. One down and three to go. Then I have to find another show to start. I have a few on my list to check out.

Caught another episode of Peak Practice. I went back to the first season again. I'll watch another of the final season this week.

Watched another full arc of Classic Who and have one more set before starting the last season with Three. Looking forward to Sarah Jane episodes.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Zane's Ghost, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

When Zane Warchild goes down in the line of duty, Kella Fine blames herself—after all, she realizes her mistake when she crosses a personal line and steps way back from Zane. Gray Warchild grows quickly tired of Kella wearing her guilt like a badge and putting his brother's ghost between them.

And a snippety peek…

Gray Warchild opened the door to his parents' home when the knock came. Nothing unusual about answering, especially when he'd been coming down the stairs anyway. What did happen to be unusual? Greeting the police chaplain flanked by the commissioner and a precinct captain at eleven fifty-two pm.

Instinctively knowing they wouldn't be bringing good news, he stepped back and invited them inside. "I'll get Dad." He started for the study where his parents were watching the end of a classic movie.

The chaplain grasped Gray's shoulder. "Better bring your mother, too." He didn't add why, but Gray didn't need the details.

 His brother had either been shot or killed and Gray hated the sense of certainty… that he'd been right about Zane not being a good fit for the force. How many times had they argued about the way Zane took the job for granted? All because of the Warchild surname.

Too many to count.

With his gut roiling, Gray entered the study and met his dad's gaze. "We have company." He didn't elaborate, but he didn't need to.

Benton closed his eyes for a brief second then shut off the television and reached out for his wife's hand. "Come on, Maggie. We'd better see how bad it is." He wrapped an arm around her and preceded Gray out of the room.

The commissioner broke the news. "Benton, Maggie, Gray, we regret to inform you Zane was slain in a line-of-duty incident earlier tonight in a task-force operation. Captain Gelding has the details, if and when you're ready to hear them." He placed a hand on Benton's shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss." He stepped back and let the chaplain take over.

Mark Shaunessey nodded toward the small sitting area to the right of the stairs. "Shall we? I know this is a shock, even when it's the family business." He guided the elder Warchilds into the room and looked back toward Gray.

Gray shook his head. "Go on. I'd like to speak with the commissioner and the captain." He met the commissioner's gaze. "Thank you for coming, sir. I know Dad appreciates the gesture." His brain spun with questions but his mother's training kicked in. "Can I offer either of you a drink? Take your coats?" Mundane chatter but soothing in a weird way, especially when his mom finally started quietly crying.

The commissioner shook his head. "Nothing for me, thanks. I'm headed down to the docks to meet with the union leaders. Please let Benton know I'll check in later. My phone is on and I'll take his call, no matter what time it is, if he needs anything." He showed himself out.

Gray turned to Captain Gelding. "Sir… do you know if Kella, Officer Fine, has been informed? Was she on the task force?" As Zane's partner, she'd no doubt take the news hard.

Gelding shook his head. "No, Zane signed on for the extra duty time. Officer Fine wasn't involved. I'm not sure if she's been told, but news travels fast." He opened his mouth to say more, but closed it when Gray reached for his jacket.

He shrugged it on. "Would you mind giving Dad the commissioner's message? I'd like to check in on Officer Fine. She doesn't have any family she can lean on and this is probably going to hit her hard." Gelding probably didn't know how hard and Gray wouldn't be the one to tell him.

The captain cocked his head to one side, but didn't argue. "I'll let Benton know. Make sure you check in with your folks soon. They're going to need you." He waved Gray off.

Gray quickly exited the house and dragged in a deep breath of air. He didn't look forward to the meeting with Kella—especially after everything that had gone down between the three of them—but she shouldn't be alone in her grief.

Hell… he didn't want to be by himself in his. And Zane drove Gray to the edge of sanity on a regular basis.

Exhaling slowly, he fished his keys out of his pocket. "But he was still my brother no matter what."

And he's the man Kella loved.

I'm excited about getting this one finished up. I love writing the sibling dynamic especially when it's kind of messy.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin