Sunday Snippet: Muse It Up

Whew. It's been a very long week. A slow leak in one of my tires means I've been filling with a portable device every other day or so. Add in the oven going out on our stove and scrambling to find another one on top of the tire issue. We did get the range replaced and hope to have the tire situation under control this week. Bleh.

Weird weather again. Storms and some back and forth temperatures. I really hope we don't pay for the somewhat mild temperatures by having a super-hot October and November. Would also love to not have flooding from the rain. We've been very lucky so far.

Work projects were gnarly again. Started a new copy edit that, well, went okay as far as the copy edit part is concerned. The story? All over the place. I don't have to be the target audience for the manuscripts I edit, but whew! I struggled with this one because I had a hard time following the plot, which I don't run into very often at the copy-editing stage. I'm also working on a manuscript evaluation and that is going pretty well. I'm very interested in the subject matter, which always helps.

I made a little progress on getting my side project ready to go. Hopefully, I'll be able to do more this week. I'm kind of excited to see if I can make this happen before the end of the year.

Had a terrible viewing week. The copy edit needed a lot of my focus, which isn't a bad thing. I made it almost halfway through my usual shows.

Started with Marple and enjoyed the mystery. Very fun to have two Janes in the story. Also enjoyed getting a glimpse of nostalgia with Miss Marple and her childhood.

Watched another episode of Britain's Most Scenic Counties and learned more new things about Kent. I'd love to visit someday.

Caught the season two premiere of Return to Paradise and quite enjoyed being back in Dolphin Cove. Loved having Jack Mooney make an appearance again and having him kind of give Mackenzie a fatherly type of tough love. She does need to sort things out with her past before heading back to London … if she heads back.

Started an episode of Poirot but didn't get it finished. I'll pick it back up this week. I hope.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Muse It Up, a novella where an author finds his muse after suffering from writer's block.

Here's the miniblurb:

Nate Shaunessey can't get in the groove to write his new supernatural series. When he meets the new bartender, Hunter Gallagher, at his local pub, a muse is born. The only problem? Nate's afraid to tell her she's his latest inspiration.

And a snippet preview…

Nate stretched the kinks from his shoulders. "Whew. Mind's still spinning with ideas." But he needed a break.

After six hours of sleep, he made coffee and had a breakfast wrap of scrambled eggs, sausage, and spinach. That fueled the morning writing session. Now he headed for the kitchen to throw some sandwiches together.

Spreading mayo on some sourdough bread, he huffed out a breath. "Gotta go fast and easy." He'd put another four hours in on his laptop then hit the treadmill or a hiking trail.

Grabbing his water pitcher, he scooped the sandwiches up and went back to his writing nook. He'd already decided he'd be dropping in at the Library again later. Tonight would be coffee only. No doubt he'd have another late night or early morning with his fingers flying over the keyboard.

Leaning back, he finished off one of the sandwiches and let his thoughts drift to Hunter. He looked forward to seeing her again … but dialed back the excitement a little. Mainly because he had no idea if he should mention how she had kickstarted his brain.

He shook his head. "Do I thank her? Or just play things cool?" He definitely didn't want to make things weird.

He hated not being sure how to proceed, because he really found Hunter attractive. But … he got the feeling she'd been through something recently. Maybe she'd share.

He kind of hope so … he wanted to know everything about her. "Whoa. Calm down, Nate. Think about this." Things could go sideways … especially if he clued her in to being his muse.

But he wanted to be honest. Subterfuge worked well in his books but rarely played out with good results for him in real life. His last relationship went south because his girlfriend liked to play head games. She would run hot then cold and try to lead him on a merry chase, which he didn't have the time to figure out or the desire to pursue.

He snorted. "Didn't take her long to pack up and move on when I basically admitted my deadlines were more important than playing what does Melanie want all the time?" Which made him something of a dick, but he could live with that label.

At least he couldn't be accused of cheating or leading Melanie on. He'd made a clean break and wished her nothing but the best when she left. After that, he steered clear of getting involved with anyone new and focused on finishing the series.

Nate won't keep his interest in Hunter a secret for long and he won't hold back how much influence she's having on his new series.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Monumental Headache

It's so weird to be almost halfway through the month already. Time is weird. Last week felt like it dragged on forever but also had a lot of stuff jammed into it.

Weather ended up being crazy with a tornado warning that thankfully went north and east of us but did touch down in several places in our county. We've got more volatile weather headed our way this week. Maybe. It makes me bonkers how not accurate the weather reports are now.

Work projects ended up being a little exhausting this week. I had a project that should have been simple but spiraled into a bit of a mess. We finally got that one all figured out, I think. I finished up a copy edit and started a new one. And I got to dive into a new nonfiction book project that I'm excited about.

On a small side note, I've been feeling the pull to get my side project launched and ready to go. To that end, I'm working on some Halloween shorts that I hope to have ready to go in October. Fingers crossed!

Had an okay viewing week. I did make it through my regular list of shows and did more binge watching of Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise.

Thoroughly enjoyed an episode of Marple. There were so many twists and turns but I loved the ride.

Caught another episode of Britain's Most Scenic Counties and continued the exploration of Kent, which I'm enjoying a lot.

Watched the finale for Beyond Paradise season four. So happy with everything. My frustration with Anne turned out to be for naught. She really kicked everything on its side. So glad Smith is not going to be around anymore. Truly loathed that guy. Thrilled to bits that Esther and Archie are giving things a go and that Kelby has a sweetheart. I cried when Zoey left on her adventure, but I loved her maps bringing Esther and Archie together.

The Orient Express episode of Poirot hit weird for me. Such a stellar cast but things felt a little off and I'm honestly not sure how I feel about the ending, which is quite probably by design. I think visually filmed plays out differently than the visual that reading creates. I don't know.

Elementary had another interesting episode and I'm wondering how the escalation is going to go with Sherlock's meeting guy. Very glad the captain and Detective Bell are aware of what's going on with Sherlock's concussion situation.

Caught an episode of Young Justice that I vaguely remember watching during the show's run on television. With so much going on with three different story points, I actually enjoyed the action.

Watched another episode of Star Trek Lower Decks and, once again, thoroughly enjoyed the antics of the crew. A lot of fun seeing them confront past issues on Starbase 80.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Monumental Headache, a novella that explores what might happen after a one-night stand that turns into something more.

Here's the miniblurb:

Cadee Walsh has a high stress job and needs to blow off steam. She spends the night with Worth Pettigrew, recharging from the incredible sex. Imagine her mortification when she finds out he's her new boss.

And a snippet preview…

Cadee wanted to hunt Matt down and punch him.

She inhaled slowly and met Worth's gaze. "To be clear, I am not prone to workplace romances. In fact, you're the first and only one I've ever had." Her fingers flexed on the table. "And it's not like I knew I'd literally run into you two hours after you left my house." She exhaled on a long breath.

How could she get Matt to understand she had zero interest in him?

Worth broke open one of his rolls. "I don't think anyone had that one on their bingo cards." He spread a little butter on one half.

Cadee huffed out a laugh. "True." She sobered. "I'm really not sure what to do about this whole Matt situation. I've never encouraged him. I'm clear when I say I don't want to go out with him." She sighed. "This sucks. Even if I wanted to see you outside of work, it would only give him ammunition to create drama and make life hell." Grabbing her fork, she stabbed a pile of lettuce onto the prongs, picturing Matt while doing so.

Worth placed a hand on hers. "Hey, the salad didn't do anything to you." His thumb brushed over her skin. "But I get it. Murdering a pile of lettuce is better than committing actual homicide on a coworker." His lips twitched.

Cadee rolled her eyes. "You're awful. But you make a good point." She set the silverware aside. "That said, I can't deal with having a guy act like he's my boyfriend and warning off other men I might like to go out with because he thinks we're in a relationship." She paused. "Which we are not." Her teeth ground together.

Worth cocked his head. "Would you? With me?" He shook his head. "Sorry, what I mean is … you said warning off other men you might like to go out with. Am I one you might consider?" His fingers stilled on her hand.

Cadee pressed her lips together. "Damn. That kind of slipped out unexpectedly." She straightened and squared her shoulders. "I won't deny I've thought of you since our night together, even when you're being a pain in my ass at work. But … don't you think Matt will make anything and everything difficult?" She hated even saying those words out loud because doing so gave more power to the guy trying to make her life hell.

Worth lifted his chin. "It's possible. Mainly wanted to see if there's a chance here." He settled back against the booth cushion, picking up his fork again.

Cadee narrowed her gaze. "Meaning there's a possibility you'll be sticking around?" Did she want him to?

She took a moment and turned the thought over in her brain. Yeah. She wouldn't mind getting to know him. But working together might make things difficult even without Matt's interference.

Worth lifted one shoulder. "I've been thinking about it. I loved the travel when I first started but I'd like to settle and I have connections here." He met her gaze. "I know we'll have to navigate some choppy waters, and I can't promise I won't be a pain sometimes, but I'm interested in seeing where things go with us."

Cadee smiled. "I think I'd like that."

This story took a path I didn't expect but I'm rolling with it because I love it.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Mixed Signals

September is off to an okay start. Still feeling a little off … not really frustrated more like being stuck in limbo yet feeling like there's something that needs to be done. It's weird.

Had several thunderstorms roll through, which did a lot of back and forth with the temperatures. Today is cool and sunny, but midweek was steamy hot. Pretty sure it'll get to boiling again in the near future.

Not a bad work week. Finished up the proofread and started a new copy edit. I had a great call with a new author, and I'll be starting on a manuscript evaluation this week. Really excited about this book. Also had some breakthroughs on several of my WIPs, which is always a bonus!

Had a decent viewing week. I made it through my usual slate of shows and binged some Death in Paradise again. This show has kind of nudged Midsomer Murders out of the top spot of my go-to shows.

Started the week off with Marple and, again, I really enjoyed the mystery. Kind of fun to see Tommy and Tuppence in their later years.

Watched another episode of Britain's Most Scenic Counties. I enjoy seeing all the green areas in Kent. Also loved seeing the different types of boating available.

Caught another Beyond Paradise. Loved that Kelby's girl actually made it to Shipton Abbot. Kind of hated the awkwardness of the dinner party Anne threw with Mister Smith. But I loved the vague ending when Humphrey went to confront Smith with his decision. Methinks Smith let something very important slip during the dinner. Can't wait to see if I'm right.

The Halloween themed episode of Poirot ended up being such a fun ride. Well, as fun as murder can be anyway. So many twists and turns.

Elementary ended up being pretty interesting. I'm kind of holding my breath with the small clues and hints about the possible serial killer luring Sherlock into a dangerous situation. Also kind of interested in Joan's situation with becoming a mom.

Watched another episode of Young Justice. Thoroughly enjoyed the fallout from the training exercise and also loved seeing Connor interact with the New Genesis team.

Caught another episode of Star Trek Lower Decks and once again loved it. This show is so good.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Mixed Signals, a novella that explores a second change at romance after a friendly fire incident.

Here's the miniblurb:

Avery and Trigg, both undercover cops, can't keep their relationship going. Their work makes it hard to stay connected. When mixed signals results in Avery shooting Trigg in a friendly fire incident, she wants to set the record straight and maybe test the waters to pick up where they left off.

And a snippet preview…

Avery Squire watched the ambulance pull away. "I can't believe I shot Trigg Bertelli." Nothing like pulling the trigger and having her ex significant other get in the way.

At least she'd caught him in the shoulder. If he hadn't stepped into her line of fire, she'd have had a clean target. Why the hell had he been there? Her undercover unit spent weeks setting up the sting operation in the backwoods bar and grill suspected of laundering money.

She shook her head. "Someone got their signals crossed." Raking a hand through her hair, she found her superior officer and turned her weapon in.

The paperwork would be a bitch. Friendly fire incidents sucked.

She cocked her head. "How did the second unit end up at our operation?"

Her boss, Morley Rafer, snorted. "Sheer shit luck. Gregson had two guys undercover with the Dirty Bastards motorcycle gang, and they picked tonight to make a drop." He gave her a pointed look. "You should head out. Take a couple of days." He paused. "This isn't on you. There's no way you could've prevented what happened." His chin lifted. "I'll keep you posted on Bertelli's status."

Avery nodded. "Yeah, thanks." She turned to leave, keeping the rapidly setting in reaction at bay until she slid behind the wheel of her car.

She'd shot Trigg Bertelli. The very last person on the planet she'd ever want to harm. Okay, do more harm to. Because she'd loved him once.

Resting her head on the steering wheel, she let out harsh laugh. "Hell, I still do." Not like she ever stopped.

But … he had a significant other, and she wouldn't get in the way of that. Besides, he'd never want her again. Not after she'd ruined their relationship by not being able to smoothly step in and out of her assumed roles. After she split from Trigg, she'd finally got help and now worked regularly with a therapist.

She heaved a sigh and started the engine. "Too bad I realized I needed to get my shit together a little too late." But at least she'd be able to unpack the trauma of shooting her ex.

This one is coming together in a way I didn't expect and I love that.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin