Sunday Snippet: A Very Awkward Evening

Had a less than productive week after having two teeth extracted. It's strange because they really weren't difficult to remove—well, one of them ended up being a little harder than the other—but it still threw me off. I think because they were on opposite sides with one on top and the other on the bottom, which made eating a tad challenging.

I also took time away on Friday to meet my daughter so we could do early voting. Very happy to have that done! I voted to raise my taxes for the school and emergency services levies.

Work stayed busy with some cleanup on two drafts and two copy edits. I also checked changes on two proofreads. Those were kind of dropped in on the fly.

Didn't quite make a full round of my usual shows this week, but I did get through about half.

Watched another episode of Mr. and Mrs. Murder and it was one I'd seen at least part of. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Caught another London Kills and I'm liking this show. The overarching mystery of what happened to the DCI's wife folded into the two cases is interesting to me. I'm a little worried about the trainee DC. Things could go really sideways for her if she's not careful.

Enjoyed another Death in Paradise episode. I kind of feel like this is the season where Commissioner Patterson gets a lot more screen time. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I enjoy him.

Finished the second half of Silent Witness and, whoo boy, what a ride this two-parter was. I'm going to be very interested in seeing if there's any fallout from everything that went down.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from A Very Awkward Evening, a sexy short about a birthday dinner interrupted by a rock-star mom.

Here's the miniblurb:

Vi Palona's rock star mom wants a sit-down meeting with Garwin Noth's academic parents, which Vi keeps putting off because her mother, Mina, has no edit button. When Mina crashes a birthday dinner, Vi figures her mom can't do much damage … but five minutes into the evening she learns how wrong she is.

And a snippety peek…

Vi took a deep breath and apologized. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have trashed you like that."

Mina shrugged. "You've never been shy about stating an opinion."

Vi shook her head. "That's not the point, Mom." Why could Mina never see sincerity when it more or less bit her on the ass?

Mina snorted. "You're right. The point is you don't need me and never have." She ran a finger along the spotless countertop. "You go to a lot of trouble to keep me from being part of your life." She stopped and faced Vi. "I've only now realized it's because you really don't like me." She turned and leaned against the cabinet.

Vi's eyes went wide. "That's not true. I love you, Mom. But sometimes…" How could she say Mina could be a bit much?

Mina picked up her train of thought. "You wish I wasn't quite so me?" Her lips curved in a sad smile.

Vi rolled a shoulder. "I've never asked you to be anything other than what you are." A rock star of high caliber.

Vi couldn't and wouldn't take anything away from what her mom had accomplished. But Vi also craved stability and touring the world didn't offer her a way to put down roots and create a home she'd always wanted.

Mina rolled her eyes. "No, you wouldn't dream of asking me to change. Instead, you cut me out of your life, never giving me a chance to be your mom."

Surprised by the accusation, Vi blinked. "What are you talking about?" Of course, Vi did want to avoid having Mina over for Gar's birthday, but she met her mom whenever she came to the city and often traveled to see her shows in neighboring states.

Except … not recently.

Mina flung her arm out, her silver bangles clinking together. "I'm talking about why I act the way I do with you sometimes. Loud, proud, and fully wowed." She pushed away from the cupboard and paced toward the sink. "You know, it hurts when your daughter is ashamed of you, especially when I finally figured it out." She paused and faced Vi.

Vi shook her head. "I'm not ashamed of you, Mom." Embarrassed by her, sure, but what kid isn't weirded out by their parents sometimes?

Mina arched her brows. "No? Really? Because you obviously lied about Garwin's folks. Which means you didn't want me to meet them." She looked away. "You didn't even give me a chance. You never do. Not since you were twelve." Her gaze met Vi's again. "You've pretty much been your own woman since then."

Is she right? Do I really not give her a chance? Maybe. The observation certainly gave Vi something to think about.

Mina took Vi's hands. "Vi, my girl, you have the right to ask me to tone down the banshee in me. And I would do that for you." She squeezed Vi's fingers.

Her mom acting normal? Vi seriously couldn't picture it. But she loved that Mina would try.

Vi smiled. "Thanks, Mom. I appreciate the offer."

Mina hugged Vi. "Forgiven?" She leaned back, keeping her arms around her daughter.

Vi nodded. "Of course." She eased away, liking the newfound thread of understanding. "Why did you really come tonight, Mom?" There had to be more than crashing Gar's party.

Mina stepped back and took a deep breath. "I have news and didn't want to wait to share it." She schooled her features.

Vi's heart dropped. Is something wrong with Mom? The thought kicked her heart rate up a notch.

A huge grin spread across Mina's face. "Tomorrow is last call for the Damn Banshees. We're done. Hanging up our axes. Retiring. Whatever you want to call it." She bounced on her toes.

Vi's mouth gaped open. "I'm sorry, what?" Mina leaving the spotlight behind didn't compute.

Mina nodded. "Yeah, and we're not fighting or pulling bitch cards or anything like that. I mean, we're all at good places—for the most part—and we've already talked about doing a reunion tour at some point if there's interest." Her face softened. "The girls and I all want to spend time with our families. I mean, hell, Gwen's got two grandos she never sees."

Vi shook her head. "I'm stunned. And I don't know what to say." She'd never known Mina as anything else but a rock star.

Mina sobered. "Say you'll have me in your life. I really want to spend time with you—as your mom—and try fun stuff like shopping and spa days and, I don't know … brunch. Things like that."

Vi huffed out a breath. "Mina Vesper going normie? I'm not sure that's possible." She laughed, trying to picture her mom doing brunch in a quiet restaurant.

Mina leaned in for another hug. "I promise I'll behave."

Vi choked on more laughter. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Mom." She pulled away with a grin on her face. "I'm going to love spending more time with you no matter what."

I'm in love with this mom and daughter relationship and writing the ins and outs of out that affects Vi's life is a lot of fun.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: A Very Awkward Evening

January kind of flew by for me and I'm not quite ready for February yet. That said, I did establish a few new habits or routines and I'm a little thrilled I kept them up for the entire month.

Had a very solid week of television viewing. I kind of let the housework slide to stay caught up on work projects and had a chance to cycle through a bunch of shows.

Ended up getting in three episodes of Chicago Med. I'm almost finished with the third season and I'm still thoroughly enjoying this show so much.

Watched three episodes of Snoopy in Space: The Search for Life. These little shorts are fun and quick to get through. Nice to have something that works as a timed break when it's needed.

Finished up The Madame Blanc bonus episodes and eagerly await another season of this super engaging mysteries series.

Ended up catching three episodes of Silent Witness. The "Fear" two-parter ended up being really terrific and I don't remember watching it before. Looking forward to the next two-part episode.

Enjoyed the final two episodes of the Classic Who arc with Two and Six. Kind of fun to revisit the former doctor, especially since many of Two's episodes are lost to time.

Got two more episodes of The Alaska Triangle in. One focused on a lost flight and the thunderbird legend and the other about Mount Hope and a possible secret base, which had remote viewing involved and that subject fascinates me.

Watched two more episodes of The Muppets. I'm still finding my way with this show. It's entertaining but really lacks the charm of the original.

Finished up Fosse Verdon. Even though I knew how things ended, I still felt like someone punched me in the gut when the final moments aired. Hat tip to the cast of this terrific limited series.

Caught the final episode of Peak Practice season six and started season seven. Sad to see Erica no longer with the practice but looking forward to some new interactions with whoever takes over for her.

Watched two more lessons of MasterClass with Bill Nye. I have a bonus episode to watch then I'll start a new class. No idea what I'll pick up next but look forward to diving in.

Enjoyed a couple of extras for The Witcher. Started out with the making of season two and then caught the characters of the continent special. This week I'll probably dive into the beasts and monsters they deal with.

Caught a couple episodes of Classic Rugrats. Season two ranks as probably my favorite overall. That might change as I get further along, but right now, I'm remembering how many of my faves are in the second season.

Watched another episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. I like the new guy even if he's not quite as quirky as Breen. As always, it's fun to see recurring characters pop up in the course of the investigations.

Star Trek: Discovery continues to amaze me. I'm enjoying the red angel saga and how intertwined everything is. Nice to have Hugh back even if he's not quite himself. Should be fun to see how that plays out.

Started the second season of Queens of Mystery. I'm rather disappointed that Matilda and Daniel aren't anywhere close to being together. Miscommunication can be a blessing or a curse and I'm hoping it ends up being a blessing. We'll see how the season goes.

That's pretty much it for the television update this week. Tonight's post is from A Very Awkward Evening, a novella that mixes rock and roll with academia with interesting and hilarious results.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Vi Palona's rock star mom wants a sit down meeting with Garwin Noth's academic parents, which Vi keeps putting off because her mother, Mina, has no edit button. When Mina crashes a birthday dinner, Vi figures her mom can't do much damage … but five minutes into the evening she learns how wrong she is.

And a snippety peek…

Well, hell. The dinner conversation definitely took a turn to the bizarre. And I obviously fucked up.

Mina went to get up, placing her napkin on the table.

Gar stopped her. "No, trust me. You don't want to be anywhere near her when sharp objects are within grabbing range. Not right now." Hell, he'd be lucky to avoid losing his balls.

Mina went contrite. "Oh, dear, I'm afraid she gets that from me. Apparently she inherited some of my not so good traits." Sitting back down, she apologized. "I'm sorry. I've ruined the evening and I swore I'd be on my best behavior. My daughter's not wrong when she says I let the rock star thing hang out all over the place."

Garwin excused himself and made his way into the kitchen. Vi stood, staring out the window, tears leaking from her eyes.

Yep. Fucked up for sure. Mina stressed Vi out on a good day. And today didn't count as good—not when she all but begged him to help referee and he'd refused.

Then again, Mina's in rare form tonight. More so than usual.

He wanted to wrap Vi in his arms but refrained. She'd needed him and he'd failed her. She wouldn't welcome him right now.

Instead of hauling her close, he pulled out a tissue and handed it to her. "I'm sorry, Vi. I got so caught up in watching Mom and Dad react to Mina's antics, I didn't pay attention to how much she stressed you out."

Vi dabbed at her face. "It's not just that, Gar. I completely sank to her depths and pulled my own diva act. I never wanted to do that in front of your parents." She crumpled the tissue. "They've been so good to me and I love them like they're my own." Grabbing another Kleenex, she blew her nose.

Gar understood. The greener grass on the other side of the fence and all that. Hadn't he felt the same about Mina's crazy-wild approach to life?

He finally wrapped his arms around Vi. "I get it. They're completely different from Mina. Why do you think I enjoy her so much? She's nothing like my mom and dad." But his enjoyment shouldn't trump Vi's trauma.

And she had a lot with her mom. Not the physical kind or even mental. No, Vi's issues were internal. Living with a larger than life personality—even one that cared about and obviously loved Vi—left a lasting impression. And not always the good kind. Vi retreated when she got around Mina. Withdrew a little, almost as if to not dim her mom's light.

He pressed a kiss to her head. "Take as much time as you need. I'll go referee." He eased away.

A voice spoke from the doorway.

"You won't have to." Mina pushed away from the jamb and moved into the kitchen, placing a beringed hand on his forearm. "You're so good for her. Don't you ever do anything to bring her pain." With a nod toward the dining area, she indicated he should make his exit.

He met Vi's gaze and she lifted her chin. He squeezed her hand and headed out, leaving the women to work through their issues.

Hopefully without sharp objects.

 

I'm having so much fun writing this one. Vi and Mina have a complicated relationship and exploring it on the page is a joy.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: A Very Awkward Evening

Whew. This week flew right by. We're still waiting on our new furnace, which I should have by my next post. My workload is bananas right now and I didn't get a chance to watch much television due to deadlines. It's also been a busy week with my daughter's golf banquet and awards ceremony and state band competition.

I started a new episode of Blue Heelers but stopped midway through so I need to finish it up this week.

I started out with Midsomer Murders and watched the first episode of the final series. The new coroner is kind of fun and recognizable from a Doctor Who episode, at least that's where I remember her from.

I'm limping through the Riverdale musical episode "Big Fun". I keep stopping the action because I don't want to miss anything. I can honestly say I'm impressed with the way this episode is put together. I love how many of the group is involved in the musical. The only thing I'm not a fan of is how much screen time Eleanor is sucking up. I realize there's a reason for it but she's right up there with Hiram in the characters I love to hate department. I do think I'll have time to finish up later tonight or early tomorrow. Then it's off to the new season of Arrow, where I'll probably weep through every episode.

I caught a few holiday movies in the background during the workday and also ended up catching a bunch of Blue Bloods episodes.

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

Here's the mini-blurb:

Vi Palona's rock star mom wants a sit down meeting with Garwin Noth's academic parents, which Vi keeps putting off because her mother, Mina, has no edit button. When Mina crashes a birthday dinner, Vi figures her mom can't do much damage… but five minutes into the evening she learns how wrong she is.

And a snippety peek…

Vi opened the door and almost groaned.

Her mother flung her arms wide and shimmied her hips. "Surprise! I told you I wanted to drop in. Here I am." She nudged past Vi and entered the foyer.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Of all the nights for her mom to call Vi's bluff… she picked this one. Why now?

Vi grabbed Mina's arm and pulled her aside. "Mom, this isn't a good time. Gar's parents are over to celebrate his birthday." And

Mina cocked her head and blinked in confusion. "I thought you said they were on some weekend retreat."

Vi lifted a shoulder, quickly covering her cover story. "They canceled to spend the evening with Gar." White lies never hurt anyone, right?

Mina waved her hand. "No matter. I've been wanting to meet the people who spawned the glorious hunk you're shacked up with." She leaned in and lowered her voice. "I'll bet they're gorgeous." She added an eyebrow waggle for effect.

Vi closed her eyes and sighed. "Seriously, Mina?" Did she always have to be so damned superficial?

Mina frowned. "You only call me Mina when you're angry. What did I do this time?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

Vi shook her head. "Never mind, Mom. We're getting ready to sit down for dinner. You might as well join us."

Mina strutted into the living room. "Happy birthday, Gar! Since I didn't know it was your birthday, I'm giving you the only gift I have right now… myself." She spun in a small circle then whipped out the rock and roll horns, bending her middle and ring fingers into the palms of her hands. "So… this is the couple who still has a little something-something going on post-divorce. Go you two." She thrust her hand forward. "I'm Mina, Vi's mom."

Lance colored up to a ruddy shade of red but clasped Mina's palm. "Lance Noth and Garwin's mother, Janice." He cocked his head to one side. "You're the lead singer for the Damn Banshees, aren't you?"

Mina flashed a grin. "In the flesh. I'm so glad I get to meet you two." She shot Vi an arched eyebrow look. "My daughter thought you'd be out of town this weekend. I'm happy you're not, even though you probably would've ditched the seminar and stayed in your room the whole time."

Janice blinked then recoiled a little. Why wouldn't she? Who the hell wanted a running commentary from someone who knew fuck-all about them? And vice versa. And, of course, it highlighted the fact Vi lied about Lance and Janice taking a weekend retreat.

Vi broke in quickly. "Dinner's on. We can all get seated." She started for the table in the corner, dragging a side chair to make room for Mina. "I hope you guys don't mind my mother joining us." And maybe ruining the entire evening.

I love this story and writing Mina brings me so much joy. It's a fun dynamic to create a character with no filter or edit button.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: A Very Awkward Evening

Wow. Next week my second kidlet graduates from high school. I'm excited for him, yet I'm also wistful for the toddler with an overly large head—it's a family thing and he completely grew into the large noggin—that used to lob blocks and legos across the kiddie gate to get my attention. Next week's post might be an emotional one.

Anyway… on to the week's TV fare. Gotham kept things nice and interesting. I love the twisty-twist with Selena and Bruce. I'm also enjoying Ivy with Oswald. She's a nice foil to his manic craziness, maybe even better than Ngyma. I do have to wonder if Jim or someone else will ever find the knife Mario tried to kill Leigh with. Honestly, her anger with him is the only thing that kind of pulls me out of the show, even though it's justified and makes complete sense.

The Flash needs a rewatch. I didn't catch all of the episode and came in late. I'm looking forward to the resolution and hope things pay off in a big way.

Arrow delivered, as usual. Even with the over the top and almost unbelievable things Chase seems to manipulate, I have no doubt the showdown on Lian Yu will be worth it. Have to admit seeing Merlyn kind of surprised me, only a little because his name was mentioned. LOL I'm really not sure how I feel about Arrow's move to Thursdays next season. I'll hold off judgment for now. But it's one more day I have to wait for new episodes and that doesn't make me happy.

Not excited about waiting until fall for new episodes of The Last Ship. It's my summer must watch show and now it's not going to be on in the summer. Bleh.

Still looking forward to the Friday night block on Syfy at the end of June. If this gets changed, be prepared for an epic rant. With Orphan Black airing its final season in June also, the month looks to be terrific.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from A Very Awkward Evening, a novella that got started with a prompt of "let's eat". I got a specific picture in my mind when I read it and, so far, it's holding up as I continue filling in the blanks.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Vi Palona's rock star mom wants a sit down meeting with Garwin Noth's academic parents, which Vi keeps putting off because her mother, Mina, has no edit button. When Mina crashes a birthday dinner, Vi figures her mom can't do much damage… but five minutes into the meal she learns how wrong she is.

And a snippety peek…

Mina made a show of waggling her eyebrows. "I gotta say, Lance, I'd have never let a smokin' hot man like you get away." She side-eyed everyone at the table then leaned in close to Gar's dad. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I'd keep you tied to my bed so you couldn't possibly escape."

Lance choked back a response. Janis, well, she definitely had a reaction. She balled up her napkin and half rose from her seat. Vi wanted to crawl under the table but the look of murder in Janis's eyes had her picking up her eating utensils instead.

She cut a healthy piece of chicken off her baked breast. "Let's eat. I'm starved." She sent Janis an apologetic glance then popped the bite into her mouth.

Hiding an inappropriate smile, Gar silently followed suit, scooping up some noodles and twirling them onto his fork.

Janis opened her mouth, closed it, then nodded and sat back down. "Yes, let's." She raised her wine glass and drained it in one long gulp.

Not very academic, but Vi gave the woman props for not tossing the liquid in her mother's face. Mina cheerfully refilled Janis's goblet and topped off everyone else's.

She raised her glass. "To a wonderful evening…" Glancing in Lance's direction, she smiled when everyone took a sip of their drink. "And maybe a steamy night."

Lance sputtered and broke out in a coughing fit. Janis drained her glass again. Gar threw his head back and laughed.

Vi closed her eyes and prayed for lightning to strike. Or a fire might be nice. Anything to shut her mom up.

After a ten count, Vi blinked and discovered her mom's gaze resting on Gar. "You know, Garwin, it's easy to tell where you got your incredible looks from." She jerked her head toward Lance. "I'll assume you got your smarts from him, too."

Gar opened his mouth then promptly closed it again. Lance kept his eating, not making eye contact with anyone. Janis squared her jaw, no doubt biting her tongue to stay silent. What the hell could anyone possibly say to Mina's blatant shit-stirring? Vi stared daggers in her mother's direction.

Mina's eyes went wide. "What? I'm just—"

Vi interrupted. "Doing and saying whatever the fuck you want? Waving your rock star notoriety at full mast? Yeah, Mina, we all get it." Burning with humiliation, Vi shoved her chair back and stood. "For you, being a bitch trumps all. So, thanks, Mom, for staying true to form and trashing everything within an hour of blowing into town." She tossed her napkin on the table and stalked from the room.

Mina could stay or go but Vi didn't want to be within three feet of the woman.

Ever. Again.

Honestly? This one is actually a lot of fun. Working through family drama is sometimes a challenge, but I'm loving this.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: A Very Awkward Evening

February 8, 2015

WooHoo! Bitten is back and Elena is pissed off. All I'll say for now since it's not airing the US yet. Season two opened with a great episode. Looking forward to seeing how everything plays out. And The Walking Dead returned. I’m watching as I type. Interesting episode so far, very different, which I like.

Over on The Flash and Arrow, good efforts by both shows. I'm happy to see Oliver back in Starling City and the angst factor cranking up to a zillion. Gotham and Sleepy Hollow were okay, especially that ending on SH.

Now I just need Orphan Black to return and make my brain explode. LOL

Tonight's post is from, A Very Awkward Evening, a novella where my heroine's mom keeps everyone entertained.

Here's the tagline:

Vi Palona's rock star mom wants a sit down meeting with Garwin Noth's academic parents, which Vi keeps putting off because her mother, Mina, has no edit button. When Mina crashes a birthday dinner, Vi figures her mom can't do much damage… but five minutes into the meal she learns how wrong she is.

And a snippety peek…

Vi bit her cheek and told a bold-faced lie. "Sorry, Mom. This weekend isn't good." She stared out the window, the drizzling rain coming down harder. "Gar's folks are headed to an academic retreat."

Mina jumped back fast. "I thought they were divorced." Her voice took on a knowing tone. "Still spending the weekend together, huh? Weird."

Vi rolled her eyes. "They split up amicably. And they're adjunct professors at the same university. Not so strange." And before she could dig a deeper hole, Vi added. "Look, why don't Gar and I stop by your hotel after the show?"

Mina sighed. "Fine. But one of these days, I am coming to visit you and I will meet your man's parents."

Vi shuddered at the thought. "Yeah, okay, Mom. See you Saturday." She ended the call and blew out a relieved breath.

She jumped when Gar wrapped his arms around her, but relaxed into his embrace.

He pressed a kiss to her temple. "My parents are not going anywhere this weekend." His lips curved against her skin.

Vi shrugged. "I know, Gar. But your mom and dad are not—in any way—ready to meet Mina Vesper." Hell, no one should be considered ready to meet her mother.

Gar turned her so she faced him. "Vi, your mom isn't that bad."

Vi backed up, poking her finger into his shoulder. "Says the man she tried to get naked, backstage, after one of her shows." She turned, walked into the living area, and dropped down onto the sofa.

Garwin chuckled and followed behind. "But she didn't succeed." He settled in beside her. "And in her defense, you were in the ladies' room when she bumped into me."

Vi shook her head. "That's so not the point, Gar, and you know it."

Poor Vi never quite knows what to do with her mom. LOL

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin