Sunday Snippet: Down the Middle

Whew. Finally recovered from our vacation and I'm back to work with multiple projects and a possible new venture in the near future. I'm super excited about it but still need to nail down some details and make some decisions on the setup.

As mentioned, I'm doing two weeks of catch-up on the life update and television viewing. While gone, I didn't watch a lot but I did get some screen time in.

I caught two more episodes of Strangest Things. I quite enjoy the approach the show takes in trying to solve the mystery of odd artifacts.

Started The Book of Boba Fett and watched two episodes. So far, I like what I'm seeing. It's a little hoppy with the back and forth of the timeline, but I'm following that without too much trouble.

I also started Only Murders in the Building and loved the first episode. I'm excited to see where the show goes.

Watched another MasterClass lesson with Roxane Gay. She did a writer's workshop and discussed finding common ground. Very interesting stuff with this lesson and I enjoyed.

Sobbed during the Babysitter's Club episode. I think I only have one left and I'm very sad there aren't going to be more. This is such a good show.

Finally had a chance to watch the Frankie Drake Mysteries special, "Music at Midnight" and I'm so glad I got to see it. This is another show I'm sad won't be coming back.

Caught another episode of The Ready Room. This one featured Michelle Paradise and recapped the penultimate episode of season two. Really fun interview.

I finished season three of Driven and loved the finale. I'm so glad Passionflix is starting a new series. They've done a great job so far.

Watched another episode of Chicago Med. I'm not sure but this might be my last season of the show. I enjoy it, but I might take a bit of a break.

Enjoyed another episode of Batman: The Animated Series. I love how the first season kind of explored a lot of different villains and they weren't always the big bads we've come to know and love.

Caught another episode of Ted Lasso. I'm three episodes in and I'm enjoying the show. It's a tiny bit campy and I like that aspect.

Watched another episode of The Agatha Christie Hour. Very interesting conflict in this one and fun to see an uber-young John Nettles as one of the stars.

Started a new two-part Silent Witness. I actually have no idea where this one is going and I kind of like that. I do suspect the old and new cases will converge in a nasty way. Per usual.

Began a new Classic Who arc. For some reason the Psychic Circus is sticking out in my mind but I don't think I've actually seen these episodes. I'll know more next week.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Down the Middle, a sexy romance with two bounty hunters that have to work together.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Bounty hunter Ursa Goode always gets her man … if Jake Weatherwax doesn't beat her to him. But when a target escapes and comes after her, Ursa has to take Jake up on his offer to work together and split the reward right down the middle. The need for a partner rubs her wrong, but Jake definitely doesn't.

And a snippety peek…

Around five a.m., Ursa almost gave up with her plan. The bartender made last call and the DJ announced the final song. Cavil had his victim picked out but had yet to make a move.

Ursa dug her nails into her palms. "Dammit, why is he deviating now?" Usually, he wanted to be clear of the place before people started leaving to find their cars.

Twenty minutes later—the final club song still playing—Llewellyn finally led a petite blonde out the back exit. Blood thrummed through Ursa's veins but she checked the urge to bolt after them. Waiting a discreet few moments, she followed them into the alley behind the club.

The first smudges of light were noticeable overhead, but the shadows remained dark and gloomy in the street. She barely got outside before a jolt went through her system and she stood paralyzed and unable to move. When the hell did he start using a low-voltage taser?

A zip-tie tethered her wrists and she went to kick out, but quickly found herself backed into the brick façade of the building with Cavil holding on to her leg. With her hands bound, her shoulders slapped the hard surface.

Struggling to keep her balance, her head cracked against the rough-hewn concrete windowsill. "Shit. That hurt." Stars swirled behind her eyelids.

Llewellyn grasped her other leg and she went down, landing on her ass hard enough to knock the wind from her lungs. Cavil used the time to wind several rows of duct tape from her feet to mid-calf.

Ursa growled. "Son of a bitch." Her gaze scanned the alleyway. "Where's the cute blonde?" Not like him to let one get away.

Except her.

Cavil gave her a smug look. "You mean the sweet child I escorted out of the club? She's on her way home." He stooped down and leaned in close. "I ordered an Uber for her." His smirk stretched across his face.

Ursa blinked. "I'm surprised you know what an Uber is." He prided himself on being a traditionalist.

Llewellyn got to his feet. "Oh, I keep up on the latest. And I knew you'd be coming for me. I laid out a careful trail of breadcrumbs for you to follow." An expansive smile curved his lips. "After all, you're the one I'm really here for."

She realized he'd picked her as his prey and wanted to kick herself for being so stupid.

Llewellyn dusted off his hands. "As much as I'd love to stick around and play, I have someplace to be." He shoved her into the space between the building and a dumpster.

Landing on her side, she had almost zero room to move.

Cavil tore off another piece of tape and slapped it over her mouth. "Can't have you raising the alarm too soon, but we'll see you again in the near future, my lovely Ursa. Our fun and games are only beginning." Tucking the roll underneath his arm, he strolled away, whistling a peppy tune.

Ursa inhaled and exhaled deeply through her nose and wriggled around until she had enough room to yank the tape off. "You're damn right we'll meet again. And next time I'll be ready."

Like she should've been this time.

I'm very happy with how this story is coming together. Ursa is a fun character to write and when I throw Jake in, things get really interesting.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Dodging Bullets

It’s been a long and fun week. Left for vacation on Wednesday morning and we head home on Monday morning. I won’t have much in the way of viewing this week, so I’ll update next week with my regular schedule.

So far, I can honestly say the Grand Canyon is quite incredible. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous. It’s been great to see family and I’m kind of glad my husband and I both have family in the state of Arizona now. Gives a reason to return in the future.

I’ll be keeping the post brief and only note that I’ve started a new show and I’m excited to discuss next time. The life update is mainly I’m exhausted in the best way possible and I’m thrilled we got to have some time way. But I also can’t wait to get home and hug the dogs and kids.

Tonight’s post is from Dodging Bullets, a novella that has a history between the characters that they don’t let get in the way of pursuing their future.

Here’s the mini-blurb:

Sable and Gage live on the same street and survive their childhood by having each other's backs. When they grow up, they're still looking out for each other, but instead of ducking verbal barbs and flying objects, they're dodging bullets instead.

And a snippety peek…

Gage waited outside the interview room for Sable to exit. "Looks like vice let you have a go at the suspect." He fell into step beside her.

She smirked. "I didn't take no for an answer." Making the turn into the bull pen, she crossed over to her desk. "And they were kind of happy to kick him over to major crimes since he connects to the trafficking case." She put her notebook in her messenger bag and grabbed her coat.

Gage grunted. "They offer an explanation about why they didn't give your division a heads-up?"

Sable shrugged. "Red tape. The usual excuse." She headed for the corridor that would take them to the parking area.

Gage followed along. "Right. How come vice always uses that one?" The squad did sweeps all the time and didn't seem to have an issue with blaring that information all over the place.

But when it came to takedowns, well, vice could be very tight-lipped.

Sable waited until they exited the building before responding. "First, it's a convenient fallback. Second, the gambling ring they targeted has some top-level hackers so they kept the whole deal under wraps." She paused by her car. "I guess that makes sense, but there's a reason we still have internal memos. They don't get viewed as quickly as an email, but they can't be traced electronically." Popping the door, she tucked her bag and coat inside.

Gage gave a nod. "So, your guy ended up being what? Hired security or something?" He'd done some checking and Blake didn't have solid ties with the rest of the group.

Sable lifted her chin. "That's what we're going with right now. The gambling ring suspects had no idea about Blake's involvement with the trafficking. Don't be surprised if your unit gets another callout soon. Our friend Jordan spilled some tea." She turned and faced him.

Gage leaned against the back door. "Should be fun. Will I see you at home later?" He had to do his monthly visit with his mom—something he rarely looked forward to.

Sable gave a nod. "Sure. I'm having dinner with your dad. He's cooking." She flashed a grin. "Which means we might be ordering out."

Gage laughed. "Or eating cereal." Which Sable experienced many times when they were growing up.

She chuckled and clasped his hand for a brief second. "Should be home by nine. See you there."

He squeezed her fingers then backed away so she could head out. They didn't do public displays at the precinct—they hadn't been official that long and kept the relationship private. Not that they'd be able to keep it that way for long—not when his mom and brother each knew.

He made his way to his vehicle. "Ugh. Can't wait to hear what way Mom will try to trash Sable tonight." He'd only have about ten minutes to prepare.

Betty Waterson could definitely give lessons in holding a grudge.

I have so much love for this story. It’s coming together and I’m finally finding the groove and vibe I want. Fingers crossed I can get this one ready to go early next year.

 

That’s it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: The Deep End

Had a crazy week with new projects sliding into my inbox and each of them is interesting and a little different for me. I love diving into new areas. I'm also trying to get ready for a vacation and it's a little daunting because I haven't traveled much recently.

Ended up getting a lot of television viewing in this week. I had a good handle on my work stuff and kept the shows going in the background.

I finished up the first season of Moon Knight and ended up enjoying the series overall. I wouldn't mind seeing more at all.

Also finished The Hardy Boys and I'm a little torn over how I feel about where everything ended up. On one side, there are so many possibilities for a third season. On the other, I'm struggling to buy-in to the whole swap at the end and a miraculous wish being granted that one of the characters had. I'll let both sit with me for a while and see how I feel if and when a third season comes around.

Watched an episode of Peak Practice and I kind of feel for Joanna. Also kind of wondering when Andrew will be back and if he'll still be as self-destructive as he always seems to be.

Caught two MasterClass lessons with Roxane Gay. The first one discussed writing about trauma and the second offered feedback for an essay. I thoroughly enjoy the way Roxane presents information.

Enjoyed two episodes of The Babysitters Club. Again, I'm so disappointed there won't be more to the story after this season ends. This is such a great show!

Watched another episode of The Ready Room. Anson Mount had some great moments during his interview. It's always fun when the actors are huge fans of the Trek 'verse.

Caught two more episodes of Driven. I have one left and I'm excited to see how this series ends. I have a lot of love for this one.

Ended up viewing two episodes of Chicago Med. I'm starting to feel the same way about April as I do about Natalie, which is disappointing. I realize both are leaving the series, but the dings to their characterizations don't seem fair.

Watched a two-part Batman: The Animated Series and forgot how much I liked the origin story of Clayface in this one.

Started Ted Lasso after a lot of pestering from my brother. I have the first two episodes watched and, so far, it's quite good. Everyone raves about the show so I'm confident I'll enjoy the whole thing.

Caught another of The Agatha Christie Hour. Really enjoyed this one. It was actually kind of campy and fun with a lot of mistaken identity and misadventure.

Watched a two-part Silent Witness and loved the twisty turns in the show. Ended up being surprised a couple of times by things I didn't expect.

Enjoyed two episodes of Classic Who. Wrapped up the second arc and should start a new one this week.

Caught another episode of Strangest Things. This one focused on relics that were supposed to help see the future.

Finished up season three of Harrow. Gotta say I ended up being very happy with the conclusion. I truly hope we'll see a season four, even with annoying boss lady.

Enjoyed another episode of Blue Heelers. This one had some interesting reveals with Adam, which is probably long overdue.

Watched two episodes of Classic Rugrats and finished out season three. I'll be starting season four this week.

Also caught another episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. This one had a great mystery with some fun twists. I'm kind of hoping Gina is done pining for Mike but I somehow doubt she is.

That pretty much sums up the life update this week. Tonight's post is from The Deep End, a novella that explores what happens when the main character meets the wrong brother first—one of my favorite tropes.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Raelin is six months into a relationship with Eames, but isn't feeling the spark … until she meets Eric, Eames's brother. The sibling rivalry takes an ugly turn and Raelin takes a big step back so the men can mend fences.

And a snippety peek…

Eric finished his morning hike through the park and headed for the parking lot. A familiar blue SUV pulled into a slot a few spaces away from his new vehicle. He paused a moment, trying to catch a glimpse of the driver.

Sure enough, his sixth sense kicked in. "Raelin." He didn't think too hard about his quickened step.

His curiosity won out over everything else. The need to interact with her outweighed his better sense.

Stopping by his car, he gave a wave when she shut her door. "Uh, hi. Didn't know you hiked here." Lame, but couldn't just hit her with the question he wanted to ask.

Raelin's eyes widened. "Um, yeah. Usually once a week." She tucked her water bottle into her pocket. "Are you visiting? Or did you accept the job offer?"

He lifted his chin. "Accepted the job. I sublet a condo from the company."

Her lips curved in a brief smile. "Nice. I'll bet Eames is glad to have you in town." She glanced away and rocked back on her heels.

Eric took the opportunity. "Can I ask what happened? Why you split with him?"

She tilted her head to one side. "Didn’t he tell you?"

Eric rolled a shoulder. "He told me his side. I’m interested in yours." Eames didn't trash her … in fact, he basically shrugged off the whole breakup.

Raelin held Eric's gaze for a moment then gave a brutally honest answer. "Felt a spark for another guy and didn’t see a future with Eames. Didn't seem right to stay together." Her version pretty much matched his brother's account.

Eric gave a nod. "Fair enough." He almost left things there, but he had to know. "You hooked up with the guy?" He hoped he hid his disappointment that she might be dating someone else.

Figures she met someone. Why did his timing always suck?

She studied him a long moment, hesitating with her answer. "No. Haven't seen him again…" She paused, glanced away then whipped her gaze back to his. "Until now."

His eyes went wide. "Me? You felt it, too?" He'd halfway convinced himself he'd imagined the vibe between them.

Raelin ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, and I waited a full week to see if thoughts of you would fade." She waited a beat. "And they didn’t. I couldn't stay with Eames under the circumstances, even if I didn’t tell him you’re the one that piqued my interest."

He had no idea what to say and an awkward silence followed her declaration.

Eric considered how to respond, weighing options. He had a wicked attraction to Raelin, but how weird would it be to date his brother's ex? But … Eames didn't seem too broken up over the split.

He had to test the waters. "So … would you consider dinner? Or just coffee?" He lifted a hand. "No pressure or anything."

Raelin tilted her head again. "Are you asking me out?"

Eric nodded. "Um, yeah. Too weird for you?" Not that he would blame her.

Raelin thought for a moment. "Maybe. But coffee sounds great sometime."

Probably happier than he should be, Eric pushed his luck. "How about tomorrow?"

She huffed out a laugh. "I'm tied up all morning until after two, but I'm free the rest of the day." Her eyes sparkled with humor.

Eric grinned. "Tomorrow it is. The Jitter Bean?"

Raelin gave a nod. "Great choice. See you there." With a quick wave, she headed for the trail.

Eric leaned against his vehicle, a little amazed. "Huh. She felt it, too."

I'm excited about this story. I love sibling rivalries and meeting the wrong brother first is also a favorite thing to explore.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin 

Sunday Snippet: Curiosity Kills It

The first week of August didn't end up being horrible and hot. We did get some humidity but the temperatures weren't terrible. I didn't have any big work projects and got to focus on a lot of writing. I also had a terrific brainstorm idea that I hope to talk more about in the near future!

Solid week of viewing television in the background while I got to work on writing. I'm a little ahead of my weekly schedule and hope I can work another movie in this week.

I caught two episodes of The Snoopy Show. This is such a great thing to have on in the background when I need some noise and funny stuff.

Watched an episode of the Agatha Christie Hour. The slightly paranormal angle made me happy.

Enjoyed a two-part Silent Witness and ended up liking it a lot. A good twisty plot on this one.

Finished up an arc of Classic Who and started a new one. The cybermen made an appearance in the new arc.

Also got the last episode of Most Terrifying Places in America watched. The final episode focused on the unnatural world and had some good stories.

Caught another episode of Moon Knight. This show is such a nice mix of action and humor with some interesting lore thrown in. I really love it.

Watched the penultimate episode of Harrow. Next should be the big finale and all I have to say is nothing bad better happen to Fern or Cal. At this point, I don't care if James is a good guy or a bad guy, I'm not a fan at all. Fairley makes me so happy and Grace … well, I really hoped they wouldn't do a weird triangle thing, but it looks like that might be in store for next season, if there is one. Bleh.

Enjoyed an episode of Blue Heelers, which kind of picked up where the last one left off. Loved how the characters pieced everything together and got Nick off the hot seat for the most part. We'll see what happens on the next episode.

Caught another MasterClass lesson with Roxane Gay. She talked about consuming and criticizing culture and I took a couple of valuable points away with me. I enjoy listening to her so much.

Watched another episode of the Babysitters Club. I say it often, but I'm so disappointed this show won't have any more episodes. It's fun and witty but always has some great dramatic moments also.

Thoroughly enjoyed two Classic Rugrats episodes. The Passover episode is one of my favorites and I'd forgotten that was in season three.

Caught another episode of Driven from Passionflix. So much happened and cliffhanger end hit hard. Can't wait to watch the next one!

Have to say I'm so disappointed in Natalie's characterization on Chicago Med. I realize we're close to when she'll be leaving but, man, she definitely did Will wrong on this one. I loved Daniel's arc and the understated way he showed his grief over CeeCee's death.

Finished up The Force Awakens and I'm so glad I've watched the movie from beginning to end and not in sporadic pieces. Looking forward to episode VIII.

Watched another Batman: The Animated Series episode. This is probably my all-time favorite animated series and the Dr. Freeze storyline is a particular favorite in the first season.

Caught another episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. This one had a lot of twists and I liked them. Gina continues to crack me up on a regular basis.

Started a new docuseries with Strangest Things. This is another show where I've bits and pieces of episodes and I'm excited to watch them in order and all the way through.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Curiosity Kills It, a novella that puts two coworkers that have personality conflicts on the road to becoming a couple.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Pagan and Chuck push each other's buttons … and not in a good way. But Pagan has a moment of clarity when she spies Chuck in the shower—they argue so much because they fight a powerful attraction. Hooking up may not be the answer, especially since they work together, but Pagan's curiosity gets the better of her and she has to find out.

And a snippety peek…

Chuck had to take a moment. The vivid picture of Pagan writhing underneath, on top, and bent over in front of him took up residence in his brain and sent the blood flow directly to his dick.

Damn the woman. "Now I have vivid images I can't escape." Who the hell knew he had a pornographic imagination?

Apparently Pagan did.

Once he got his hard-on under control, he kept her in his line of sight, thinking he'd confront her about playing games she shouldn't. But she had masterful skill at not being caught without company at her side. Frankly, probably better for both of them.

When she left, he breathed a sigh of relief. Until he got home. He spent all his waking time daydreaming about her. Imagining how incredible the sex would be.

Scraping a hand over his head, he growled. "I can't keep doing this."

He barely managed to get through their next shift. Pretty sure she had that very thing in mind when she made all those suggestions at the picnic. Well, he'd had enough. Time to turn the tables.

He stopped her on the way out. "Okay, you win. You planted the idea in my head and now I can't close my eyes without picturing us hot, sweaty, and naked together." Leaning in, he pitched his voice low. "And this whole thing better not turn out to be a bet." He'd commit violence if anyone had money riding on this.

Pagan held up her hands. "No bets, Chuck. Not even I'm that desperate for cash."

He grunted. "Fine. What's your next move?" He hoisted his go-bag over his shoulder.

Pagan flashed smile. "Not mine, Chuck. Ours." She started for the door. "And I suggest grabbing some breakfast to discuss what happens next."

She didn't name the place, but he had no doubt where to go. Roxanne's Diner … two blocks up from the station.

I'm having a lot of fun writing this one. I love characters that have a flash moment of realization that kind of changes everything.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin