Sunday Snippet: Vicarious Living

The first week of February is pretty much in the books and didn't start off too badly. I ended up with several new projects in my inbox and that never fails to make me happy.

Had a very good week of watching television. Considering we got hammered with a bunch of snow and ice, I'm glad I had power to keep the lights and television on.

I watched a little more of PassionFlix's Seduction and Snacks. Holy crap, the awkwardness is off-the-charts terrific. Kudos to the actors for nailing that down with skill and talent.

I finished up an arc of Classic Who and started a new one. The daleks feature in the current one and Davros. Jury is out on whether I'll like it or not.

Caught two episodes of The Alaska Triangle. Finished the first season and started the second. The Alaska Bigfoot episode ended up being more interesting than I thought it would be and the Dark Pyramid episode completely sucked me in. So many weird and unexplained or completely covered-up bits to unpack and explore.

Watched two episodes of The Muppets. The show is growing on me a little. I'm enjoying having the core group in different surroundings.

Started Harrow on the recommendation of my brother and enjoyed the first two episodes. I'm so curious about the overarching mystery and can't wait to find out more.

Enjoyed two episodes of Peak Practice. Season seven is moving right along and has a bit of a different feel to it. So far, I like it.

Finished up Bill Nye's MasterClass and started a new design class with Es Devlin. I think I'll enjoy her instruction and hopefully get some cool ideas.

Caught the two-part The Witcher: Bestiary shorts from season one. Kind of nice to get names and a bit of the lore behind the monsters.

Watched one of my very favorite episodes of Classic Rugrats with "The Santa Experience." My oldest and I used to watch this holiday episode a lot.

Enjoyed two more episodes of Chicago Med. I'm on the fence with whether or not I like Will and Natalie together. Sometimes I think they're perfect for each other and sometimes I think they're terrible together. I like that I can't decide which way to go on this one.

Caught two more episodes of Snoopy in Space. These are so much fun and I love having the human peanuts as the technical crew for Snoopy and Woodstock.

Enjoyed another episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. I'm almost finished with the last available season and I really, really hope there will be more.

Watched another two-part Silent Witness and finished out season fifteen. Based on what I read of the episode teasers, sixteen looks like it's Harry-free. I'm a little bummed but also diving into new stuff I haven't seen.

Loved the latest Star Trek: Discovery episode. This show is so good right now. Makes me excited for season two of Picard and the new show that debuts later this year.

Last but not least, I caught another episode of Queens of Mystery. I'm a little bummed about the lack of communication with Daniel and Matilda but slow burns can also be fun. I love the background mystery of Matilda seeking information about her mom's disappearance. Can't wait to find out more about that.

That's it for the weekly television update. Tonight's post is from Vicarious Living, a novella that has the main characters working through some issues together and finding romance while doing so.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Sometimes adversity can be overcome and living vicariously through fantasy proves to be a good thing. Lola Humes and Wright Wesslop discover a mutual way to cope when they meet at their group counseling sessions. They're not supposed to interact outside the anonymous therapy gatherings, but neither is very good at following the rules.

And a snippety peek…

Wright questioned his agreement to meet Lola. "My sponsor warned me about hooking up with people in the program." Even knowing they weren't supposed to mingle, he couldn't resist her.

When he got to the shop and opened the door, he found her waiting inside, her foot tapping on the ground.

She surged forward. "This is probably a terrible idea. An unwritten rule says getting involved with someone in the group is off limits." She chewed her lower lip for a moment. "But I don't find someone with a kindred spirit very often. I kind of want to see where things go here." She met his gaze and held it.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad that's out of the way." He nodded toward a booth. "I'm all for working a program, but I also want to find little shards of joy where I can." Motioning for her to precede him, he let her choose what side of the table to sit on. "You're not my sponsor, so the way I figure things, if we end up being a bad influence on each other we can go to our respective corners and chalk it up to a lesson learned." Did he sound like a raging asshole?

She flashed a wide grin. "Whew. So happy you get it. I don't want to corrupt anyone or anything." A laugh bubbled up and out. "I picked the right place for a meeting tonight."

He smiled, enjoying her open honesty. "Yeah, you did. What brought you? Do you work or live close?" Holding up two fingers, he mimicked pouring coffee to the server, who gave a nod.

Lola laughed lightly. "Actually, both. I work from home and I'm over on Maple." She arched a brow. "We're practically neighbors." She snagged a menu and opened it.

Wright huffed out a breath. "Wow. Who knew?" He pulled glanced at the open folder in front of her. "You said the danishes are good? What do you recommend?" The server headed their way with two mugs and a pot of coffee.

Lola pointed to the middle square. "I'm having the cream cheese, but the fruit ones are great, too." She slid the menu toward him and her fingers brushed his.

A zing traveled up his arm and his gaze met hers. Did she get the same jolt? How could she not?

She grinned and nodded. "Yep. Kindred spirit. Like I said."

His lips curved and he put the menu away, waiting until the server poured a full mug of coffee before giving his order. "I'll have what she's having."

Lola chuckled. "Two cream cheese danishes." She smirked. "For now."

The server gave them a smile. "I'll be right back." She made a quick turn and headed for the counter.

Wright settled back against the cushioned seat. "Okay, Lola Humes, since we're practically neighbors, fill me in on the important stuff. What do you do for a living?"

As far as openers went, it would do. By the time they finished their danish, he wanted to have a solid idea of what made her tick.

I'm kind of pleased with how this one is coming together. It's a little out of my comfort zone and I like the challenge.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin