Sunday Snippet: Quixotic Cake Capers

Had a slower work week and got a good bit of cleaning and clearing done. I also got some solid viewing time in. I'm also somewhat stunned that August is just around the corner. This year is flying by.

I started my watch week with Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries and got two episodes finished. The first one did indeed have Percy the Putz involved in his usual shenanigans. The second one made my heart ache but I thoroughly enjoyed getting some background on Birdie. I'm loving the episode titles for the second season as much as I loved the first season's. Can't wait to finish season two up this week, which I think is probably doable.

Caught two episodes of Silent Witness. These finished out the eleventh season and I'm getting into the seasons I've definitely watched before. I'll be starting season twelve this week.

Enjoyed two arcs of Classic Who and I'm getting close to the end of the seventeenth season. Not sure how many more Four has but I'm excited to start Five's tenure soon.

Finished up UFOs: The Lost Evidence. I thoroughly enjoyed both seasons and got a few neat little plot bunnies from what I viewed.

Caught four episodes of The Muppet Show and finished out the second season. The guest stars were Bob Hope, Teresa Brewer, John Cleese, and Cloris Leachman. Looking forward to starting season three.

This was my week for finishing up seasons. I watched the last two episodes of The Hardy Boys and I'm so excited there's going to be a second season. I really enjoyed how everything played out and I'm so happy everyone got the ending they deserved. Also kind of thrilled there's a seed planted for more possibilities for the eye.

Watched two episodes of Peak Practice. The first one finished out the third season where everyone said good-bye to Beth and Jack. The second started season four with Will on the hot seat trying to save the practice. Glad to see Andrew sticking around for a bit and I kind of liked the new doctor.

I finished up the Master Class with David Carson. I enjoyed getting his insight to graphic design and learned some new things. I also started a new class with LeVar Burton on storytelling. I'm very excited to work through this series of classes.

Caught two episodes of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. I'm loving how accepting the group is being about Theo and I'm kind of interested in how the academy stuff is playing out. I like Nick okay but I'm a little twitchy about his motives. Can't wait to find out if there's more going on there.

Enjoyed two more episodes of the Brokenwood Mysteries. I loved this show. The wine episode ended up being a great little mystery and the golf course episode was thoroughly enjoyable. I loved seeing the story play out on that one.

Started Star Trek: Discovery and have to admit I'm cautiously optimistic. I quite enjoyed the first episode. I'm looking forward to more.

Watched two episodes of Chicago Med and have to say again I'm so glad I'm finally getting to watch this series from the beginning. I'm getting close to the end of the first season and I'm looking forward to season two.

Passionflix premiered season two of Driven and the first episode rocked. I loved the first actor that played Colton but the recast works very well. Looking forward to the next three episodes!

Started UFO Witness and liked the first episode. It's only a single season so I'll see where things go.

For nostalgia's sake, I started the new version of the Rugrats (heretofore referred to as New Rugrats). The original will always have a special place in my heart since all three of my kiddos loved the show. It had the rare ability to appeal to little ones and grown-ups with so many inside jokes. The new version is quite charming and I'm happy to say I think I'll enjoy it.

Last but not least, I started a new episode of Blue Heelers. It's a two-parter and looks to be kind of interesting with lots of bridges being burned and internal affairs out for blood.

Whew. That's if for television this week. Tonight's post is from Quixotic Cake Capers, a sexy short that has a modern-day fairy godmother sweeping in for the save.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Tori Plum decides a making a cheesecake for Gray Calhoun isn't beyond her capabilities even though she's definitely not a domestic goddess. Seventeen tries later, she's ready to call in the troops or throw in the towel.

And a snippety peek…

By lunchtime, the debacle with breakfast still took up space in her head. She'd only made it through two pages of edits for her author. "Damn. I need to get cracking. I have to finish this and start my new book by the weekend." She stretched her arms over her head and put her fingers on the keyboard.

And her phone rang. Of course.

Grabbing it, she flushed with guilt when her author's name displayed on the screen. "Hi, Mona. How are you today?"

Mona heaved a sigh. "Conflicted. Have you started the edits for Dazzle Me yet?"

Tori chuckled. "Only just. I have about two pages done."

Mona squeed. "Eeeee. Good. I want to rework that part in the middle we talked about. Make the conflict crystal clear and up the stakes. Can we reschedule our start date for two weeks?"

Tori exhaled on a relieved breath. "Let me check." She glanced at her calendar and did a double-take. Shit. Her one-year anniversary with Gray snuck up on her.

Mona cut into her thoughts. "I can probably get it to you by next week if you've got something else scheduled."

Tori shook her head. "No, no. Two weeks is fine. I have another project starting but we're in the final-touch phase. I can work you in then."

Mona thanked her and they ended the call. How did she almost miss her anniversary with Gray? Probably because she didn't set a reminder.

"I should do something nice for him." Ha … or order something nice.

No. Dammit. There had to be something edible she could actually put together. Gray would be gone overnight, surely she could make something that didn't require turning on the stove and breaking out in hives.

"Cheesecake. No baking required for that, right?" Cream cheese, graham crackers, and whatever else to make a delicious dessert. "How bad can I possibly eff it up?"

Poor Tori will find out exactly how much in the near future. Having a lot of fun with this one.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Quitters Never Cheat

Another crazy-busy week but I got a lot of television watched. Finished up some short-term projects and got started a new long-term project that I'm excited about. July is almost over and I'm kind of surprised by how fast it's flying by.

On the television front, I actually got four episodes of The Muppet Show watched. Julie Andrews, Jaye P Morgan, Peter Sellers, and Petula Clark were the guest stars. Had a funny conversation with my brother about the reason I've been rewatching the series—mainly because it's something I remember us doing when we were way younger—and he regaled me with how he remembers certain skits more than he remembers the guest stars … and that's actually kind of true for me, too.

Ended up getting in two episodes of The Hardy Boys also. Really excited the guys got into the secret room and I loved how they completely disagreed about what to do with the pieces of the eye. Interested in what Stacy's game actually is. Something tells me she's not quite as ready to trash everything to do with the circle as she claims. I love how shady all the possible baddies are on this show. I can't wait to see how the first season ends with the finale.

Caught two episodes of Peak Practice and enjoyed both. I liked being able to see Beth and Jack grieve for their loss. Andrew is definitely growing on me, which is a good thing because he sticks around for a long time. Will is Will and I like him as he is.

Watched two more Master Class lessons with David Carson. The first focused on designing impactful magazines and I got some good information from that one. The second one was about designing your future and had the four group members trying to predict what their future would like in design. It was interesting and I liked the group overall.

Enjoyed two more episodes of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The final with midwinter as the backdrop ended up being really good. The opener of season two with the epiphany set some interesting dominoes in play. I'm kind of excited to see where things go.

Loved the finale of Street Legal. I'm kind of hoping there's a second season because I'd like to know where the characters end up going. I kind of didn't see the partners hooking up coming but I'm interested in how that ends up playing out.

Caught two episodes of Chicago Med. Both were excellent. I'm so happy I'm finally able to catch this show from the beginning.

Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries had a great episode. Watching James and Peregrine tiptoe around each other makes my heart equally happy and sad. I love seeing the ramifications play out with them though. Next episode looks really good with Percy the Putz stirring the pot again.

Watched the second part of Silent Witness and ended up really enjoying the ending. I think I caught it during my initial run because I vaguely remember how things played out.

Got a full arc of Classic Who in and enjoyed the four episodes. I'm still not sure about the whole new regeneration of Romana but we'll see how the season plays out.

Caught another episode of UFOs: The Lost Evidence. I'm nearing the end of season two and I'm not sure if there's another season or not but I quite enjoy this show.

Started a new episode of Blue Heelers and, so far, it's interesting. There's a reporter that's annoying but otherwise good story rolling out.

Started a new-to-me series with Brokenwood Mysteries. I loved the first episode and look forward to see how the next few hold up to the premiere.

That's pretty much it for television. Tonight's post is from Quitters Never Cheat, a novella that has the main characters reuniting after a breakup.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Robbin Rhayne, a talented sculptor, believes she has to suffer for her art. Ewan Arthur makes her almost reconsider the concept—sex has never been better with anyone—until he wants more and she won't commit. Several years later she runs into Ewan again and the spark is still there … too bad they're both in relationships with other people.

And a snippety peek…

"Argh!" Robbin Rayne tossed her gloves off and swiped a hand across her face. "It's terrible." Her latest sculpture lacked … hell, everything.

Robbin paraded around the metal, steel, and iron structure. "No heart, no emotion, no life." Her work suffered.

Her creative mojo abandoned her—leaving half-assed monstrosities in its wake. Robbin shook her head. "So much for my brilliance." After selling all of her previous work and garnering some critical acclaim, she'd hit a wall. "None of my new pieces speak to me." Or anyone else. Not that she'd shown them to many people yet. Her coworkers at the factory and Stan. Man. I thought hooking up with Stan would spark some creativity. No such luck. Then again, she'd picked Stan because she didn't want to get sucked into anything too deep. But they didn't have much of a connection either. He liked to show off and tried to impress her and she let him do both, hoping some of his confident bravado would seep into her. But Stan barely cared about her struggle with her current projects. He loved the zeroes in her bank account from her previous sales. Liked that he didn't have to support her financially—even though he hated her job at the factory and never mentioned it when he introduced her to his friends and colleagues. When it came to her new material, he'd shrug and say the piece looked fine. Fine? What the hell did fine mean?

"Would be nice if he offered a supportive comment now and then."

You had that once … with Ewan.

Ewan Arthur.

She'd done her best work when they'd been together.

"But Ewan made everything too easy." She feared becoming complacent.

Of having life become too good. Ewan gave her stability, which often became a death knell for creativity. So why does all your new stuff suck? A damned good question. One she didn't want to examine too closely right now.

Robbin is about to face a reckoning but it'll take her a while to admit what she needs.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Quit the Music

It's been a busy week with medical emergencies—not mine, thankfully—and vacationer pickups. Also had a few work projects to get worked in.

Had a great week for television. Started out by finishing up the sixteenth season of Classic Who and I got a start on season seventeen. Interesting choice to have Romana regenerate as the princess of the final arc. We'll see how that plays out.

Watched another episode of UFOs: The Lost Evidence. The focus was on the Royal Air Force and I enjoyed the episode. I also started the next one which feature sacred sites and UFOs.

Caught two more episodes of The Muppet Show. Lou Rawls and Cleo Laine were the guest stars. Had a great conversation with my brother about watching this show while we were growing up.

Enjoyed another episode of The Hardy Boys. The jury is still out on whether the grandma is a good force or a not-so-good one. I'm really excited to watch the next episode with the secret room.

Watched another episode of Peak Practice and, yep, a tragedy occurred. I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing the last of Beth and Jack, which is actually what I expected. I'll look forward to their sendoff.

Caught another Master Class with David Carson. This one talked about working with clients and I got some solid information from the session. I might not work full-time with graphic design, but I do work with clients on a regular basis and the lesson had some good strategies for meeting expectations that can apply universally.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina had an interesting episode. I'm still not a Wardwell fan and even less so after this episode. I'm kind of excited to see what Cerebus is going to bring to the story and Zelda made a bold choice I didn't quite expect.

Watched the penultimate episode of Street Legal. I have to give Steven Lund kudos. I loved his journey in this episode. Olivia overstepped in a way I didn't quite believe. I hope there's a bit of an explanation in the final episode of season one.

Enjoyed another Ready Room recap. I'm having a lot of fun with guest stars who were previous cast members. I might not be able to say the same with season two. I'm not a Q fan in the slightest. Here's hoping the writing makes me change my mind.

Finished up another episode of Blue Heelers and enjoyed it. I also caught another episode and started a new one. I'm creeping up on the halfway point of season three.

Caught an episode of Chicago Med. Again, I really enjoyed the multiple threads. Will's arc impressed me. I loved the opening scene with Rhodes and Will working together and getting along, mainly because of the reactions of the rest of the team.

Watched another episode of Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries. Bertie cracks me up. I love Samuel and Violetta. I'm hurting for Peregrine and James but I can't wait to see more and how they work things out. I miss Fleur and I'm kind of hoping we'll see more characters of the Adventuress Club. So far, season two is making me very happy.

Enjoyed the first part of Silent Witness's two-parter. Nikki's dad is a piece of work. I'm kind of glad I can't remember how things play out with him. Looking forward to seeing the second part this week.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Quit the Music, a novella that has a family reunion one of the characters isn't sure they want.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Prosper Bates, bartender and music lover, hears Drew Langerford play and his songs haunt her. Drawn to the gorgeous musician, she falls hard for him, but when his mentor shows up, the new relationship may end before it even gets started.

And a snippety peek…

Prosper grabbed whatever she could fit inside a suitcase, an overnight bag, and a backpack.

It's your eighteenth birthday, meaning my obligation is done. Don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out.

Prosper refused to cry or let the tears gathering in her eyes fall. "Thanks, Lanie. Kick me out three months before graduation." And after midnight.

She zipped up her bags, slipped her backpack over her shoulders and carried the other two into the living room. Prosper kind of hoped her dad would, by some miracle, show up and finally make everything right. Not much chance of that and her mom stood with her arms folded over her chest, tapping her foot on the floor. Prosper wouldn't bother asking if she could at least have twenty bucks to get some food.

Prosper turned before she left the house. "I hope you find your true happiness, Lanie. Have a great rest of your life." She dragged her stuff out the door and headed down the sidewalk.

Mixed feelings of being free and scared at the same time hit her. "What am I supposed to do?" She had nowhere to go.

She wanted to at least graduate. Overwhelmed, she entered the park and sat down on the bench ready to let the tears fail. She had a job, weekends at a small diner, and she could probably get ready for school there. But where could she sleep?

For tonight, right there. She didn't have anywhere else to go and no money to get a room somewhere. Her phone had a full charge but she didn't want to risk using it. The older model didn't stay juiced if she tried to do more than make a call.

A man entered through the gate and Prosper hunched down a little. When he got closer, he shined a flashlight her way. She stared straight ahead, hoping he'd leave.

He didn't. Instead, he made his way toward her. Thankfully, he wore a uniform and a badge.

Stopping beside the bench, he arched an eyebrow. "Miss, what are you doing out after curfew?"

Prosper started to make an explanation then paused. "I'm not out after curfew. I turned eighteen today." A fully functional adult in the eyes of the law. "I don't have one anymore."

The officer stooped down and asked her a gentle question. "Okay, then, what are you doing here?" He rested one arm on his knee.

She didn't know how to respond. The urge to protect her secrets and how much her mother hated her made words stick in her throat. But the officer's understanding gaze showed concern not judgment.

Tears welled in her eyes and Prosper gave a watery answer. "I guess I'm homeless and I didn't know where else to go." Could she sound any more pathetic?

The officer moved up to sit next to her on the beach. "Why don't we start over? I'm George Dearman, an auxiliary officer with the city. And you are?"

She looked up and held his gaze. "Prosper Bates, kicked out my home two hours ago." Her stomach twisted when she said the word aloud.

George gave a nod. "I retired after thirty years on the job. I'm auxiliary now and I patrol the park two nights a week. I'm glad I found you tonight." He pitched his voice a little lower. "Why don't you tell me what's going on…"

Her whole sad and sordid tale spilled out and, by the time the first blue tinge of dawn began, she'd released a lot of her pent-up emotions.

George slowly stood up. "Why don't I take you down to job and family services and we'll see if we can get you into some temporary housing."

Prosper grabbed hold of the lifeline but had to know the reason he gave one to her. "Why are you helping me?"

George didn't hesitate with his answer. "I had a wife and daughter. Both were killed in a head-on collision. My little girl would've been your age."

Prosper paused, hit with a weird notion. "I can't take her place." She wouldn't have a clue how to act like a loving daughter.

George gave her a sad smile. "No. No one can. But if Maddie were still alive, I'd want someone to help her if she ever found herself in a situation like yours."

Prosper didn't say it, but Maddie would never have found herself in a park at the ass crack of dawn.

Because she'd had two loving parents who had given a damn about her.

I'm very pleased with how this story is coming along. Prosper got a rough break but she'll turn things around.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Quick Draw

Happy Independence Day if you're in the US. If not, I hope you're having a terrific weekend. Our weather is very pleasant and mild so I'm not going to complain about that. I will express frustration with random people letting off fireworks, but only because our doggos hate them.

Had a truly jam-packed, great television viewing week. Started and ended the week with No Offence. I finished up the series and I'm not disappointed at all. What a experience!

Also watched Silent Witness and I'm almost through the second episode of the two-parter. I watched the first part at the end of last week and should have this one finished up by the time I'm ready to post this blog entry.

Caught another arc of Classic Who. The fifth part of the key has been found so I'm almost ready for season sixteen to come to a close. So far, I've been on the fence with this season but it's enjoyable.

Watched an episode of UFOs: The Lost Evidence. This one dived into the cover-ups in the US. I'm always fascinated by how much this show reminds me of the X-Files. I love it.

Enjoyed two more episodes of The Muppet Show. Rudolf Nereyev and Elton John were the guest stars. Really enjoyed Elton.

Caught an episode of Peak Practice. I'm starting to like the new doctor. He kind of rubs everyone the wrong way but I truly feel for the guy coming to a small village where the residents are all used to things being a specific way.

The Hardy Boys had a terrific episode. I'm kind of interested in how the boys are dealing with starting at a new school and uncovering their mom's past there.

Dove into another Master Class with David Carson. I didn't think I'd get much out of the whole collage lesson but I did walk away with a few ideas about how textures and colors work together on a physical level.

Watched Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and, wow, Sabrina definitely had a bomb blow up in her face. I'm kind of glad to see it but also now wondering how everything is going to play out. Still not a big fan of Wardwell.

Caught another episode of Street Legal and thoroughly enjoyed. I'll be honest … I'm not always a fan of Olivia but I enjoyed her interaction with Emily. I'm also really interested in the dynamics of the partners. Definitely going to enjoy watching the rest of the episodes.

The Ready Room had a great recap and family reunion with Wil, Jonathan, and Brent. Such a fun episode and really looking forward to the next one.

Caught an episode of Chicago Med and really enjoyed it. I'm totally down for the rivalry between Halsted and Rhodes but I'm looking forward to when they're really great friends too.

Started a new episode of Blue Heelers. I'm kind of interested in how this one plays out because Nick has been getting on my nerves lately. We'll see if that improves or not.

And that's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Quick Draw, a sexy short featuring characters that get off on the wrong foot.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Utah Slace has a constant stream of male visitors coming and going from her apartment and Hoyt Lancelot, her neighbor, draws the quick conclusion he's moved in next to a prostitute. Utah decides he needs a lesson in why making snap judgments is not a good idea.

And a snippety peek…

Hoyt Lancelot crawled into bed a little after midnight. "Never fails. I always move during bad weather." He pulled the sheet up, setting a mental reminder to actually make the bed when he got up.

The play of lightning on the walls kept him awake for a while. The rumble of thunder getting closer. During the quiet moments, he listened to the sounds of his new apartment.

Rolling to his side, he tucked his hand under the pillow. "Always takes a while to settle in to the vibe of a new place." He closed his eyes, drifting to sleep.

A loud pounding woke him up. Glancing at his phone, he squinted to make sure he had the time right. One thirty a.m. What the hell? Throwing the sheet off, he got up and went to his front door, looking out the peep hole. A tall, skinny man stood with his head resting on the door of the apartment across the corridor. The paneled wood opened to reveal a woman wearing a kimono over a tank top and … a pair of cutoff scrubs?

He blinked and shook his head then checked again. "What a combination." Right, like his metal band T-shirt and boxers ranked high on the fashion charts.

The woman wrapped her arms around the guy then tugged him inside her living space. Hoyt narrowed his gaze then went back to his bedroom. Flopping down, he heaved a sigh. He had a feeling it would be a weird night.

Around five a.m., the utter quiet woke him. No more rain or thunder. He got up to take a leak and glanced outside the window. Heavy fog lined the street, the powdery yellow light from the lamppost barely visible.

On the way back to bed, he heard knocking out in the hall again. He changed direction and glanced out. A woman in a scruffy jacket shuffled her feet her fingers clenching and unclenching. The door opened to reveal his neighbor wearing the same attire from earlier. Hoyt stepped away, his mind spinning. He looked out one more time and the woman withdrew a crumpled up handful of bills and handed them to his neighbor.

Hoyt's stomach dropped. "What the hell is going on next door?" He tamped his curiosity down. "No, don't go there." None of his business anyway.

He eased back into bed and closed his eyes. Too amped up to sleep, he grabbed his phone and scrolled through some news sites. Thirty minutes later, his eyes got heavy and he yawned. He'd read another news bit then try to rest some more.

At eight thirty, he jerked awake with his phone on his chest. Blinking to clear his vision, he sat up and stretched, wincing when his shoulder hitched for a moment. Damned injury.

Rubbing at the spot, he got up and made his way to the kitchen. "Need coffee and a hot shower." He set the pot to brew and ducked into the bathroom.

The heat from the water helped loosen up his shoulder and by the time he got out, he could move freely. He'd have to ice it later then maybe head to the station house to make use of the whirlpool. He hadn't caught up with the guys in over a week.

Throwing on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, he poured a cup of coffee and put two pieces of wheat bread into the toaster. "Gotta finish unpacking the rest of the kitchen so I can actually cook something." The toast popped up and took the butter and jelly with him to the table.

He had another month of rehab before he'd be cleared to return to duty at the fire department. At least he'd picked up some extra shifts behind the counter at Boscoe's. The bar featured his drag queen sister as the headlining act and she'd put in a good word for Hoyt.

He grinned. "I'm a better bouncer than a bartender but that crowd takes care of its own." And he'd been included as family even before he started working there.

Scooting back, he rinsed his cup and washed the knife then grabbed his keys, wallet, and phone to head out for some groceries. When he exited his apartment, he almost bumped into a guy wearing camo fatigues and a black T-shirt. On the way down the steps, he heard the guy knock on his neighbor's door.

Exiting the building, Hoyt glanced up to the row of windows on the second floor. "Geez, she gets a lot of visitors."

I think I might live next to a sex worker.

I love how this story is coming together. Hoyt's first impression is so off the chart wrong and it's going to be fun when he has to shift gears after he meets Utah.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin