Sunday Snippet: Calling Bull

It's amazing what a dusting of snow on the ground can do to boost holiday spirit. We got just a tiny bit last night and it looks so pretty today.

Gotta say the mid-season finales for my shows pretty much pulled out all the stops. The Flash left Barry hanging in a very precarious place. Not sure I'm totally down with where everything is going, but it's fun to watch. Lost a good character on Legends of Tomorrow in the form of two goodbyes. I do appreciate the revolving door aspect of the show and look forward to seeing how the others interact without their friends. The holiday trimmings of the shows provided a nice backdrop.

Arrow killed it. James is setting up quite the legion of doom in Star City. I'm very interested in seeing how that plays out when the season returns. If his little cohort who got him out in the first place tries to harm Felicity or Curtis, I'll be really pissed. Just saying.

Riverdale shook things up with breakups all over the place. Yikes. I have another interesting theory about Alice Cooper. Can't wait to see if I'm right. Oh, and this theory doesn't involve FP, at least not about their past.

I'm all caught up on Gotham. Gotta say it hurt to watch Alfred and Bruce tear each other apart. I get where Bruce is coming from, I do, but the whole being a brat is kind of pissing me off. That said, rock bottom isn't always an easy trip to take so I'll be patient. Sophia is proving to be a formidable force. I had a sneaking suspicion she was more of a puppet master than anyone originally thought. It's also fun to see the stories with Butch and Tabitha and Ed and Lee unfold. Seriously, Gotham upped it game and I'm loving it. Having Harvey walk away though… yeah, that one hurt, too.

Murdoch Mysteries continues to be excellent. I can't wait for the holiday episode. I think I'm looking forward to it more than Doctor Who this year. I really can't wait for the new doctor and new showrunner. Honestly, I'm so very disappointed in where Moffat took the show. It lost the heart I always loved. Yes, I'm sure I'm in the minority.

I've started watching my stash of holiday shows. I had to get a new laptop and I'm slowly but surely getting all the episodes transferred over. My Plex server is getting a lot of use this week. Also looking forward to The Trouble with Mistletoe when Passionflix premieres the movie!

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Calling Bull, a sexy short where my main characters are very good at calling each other out on their bullshit.

Here's the mini-blurb:

No one knows Ivy better than Ward. A fact she truly hates sometimes. But when he pushes her into a corner, she either comes out swinging or learns to forgive and forget.

And a snippety peek…

Are you trying to kill another partner?

Ward's words rang in Ivy's ears and she gave the punching bag a hard shove. Tears welled in her eyes and she dashed them away.

Damn Ward for making her get emotional in the first place. Stupid, idiot man. Would she never learn? Not like she didn't have two decades of experience dealing with Ward the Walking Wonder's utter perfection.

She should leave the unit. She clearly didn't have her head in the game right now. But having Ward illustrate, point by point, how far down she'd fallen made her want to stick around—if only to prove him wrong. But her recent track record gave him a lot of ammo.

Yeah, high speed chases that end up putting your rookie partner in the hospital have a way of doing that, Ivy. No shit.

Even her inner voice mocked her stupidity. "You've been listening to Ward too long."

"I know you're not talking about yourself. You never listen to me." Ward stepped into the room and closed the door.

God, she truly didn't need more from him today. Too raw, wounded, and close to the edge to have him stuff more recriminations in her face.

She made a strangled, choking sound. "You are such a pain in my ass."

Ward smirked. "Trust me when I say this, Ivy. The feeling is nothing but mutual." He moved further into the room.

And sucked out all the air. "Why are you here?" She met his gaze. "Did you forget something on your long list of Ivy's recent screw-ups?" No doubt he could rattle off a zillion more ways she could get someone else killed.

He lifted his chin. "Considering you should have it memorized, I wonder why I have to keep repeating the same things over and over."

She rolled her eyes. "No one asked you to be my keeper. So why don't you stop?" Because he couldn't help himself. Ever.

Ward advanced another step. "Because you're hanging on by a thread, Ivy." He got up close and personal. "You already crossed the line once. Doing it again is—"

If Ivy didn't care so much for Ward she wouldn't take his words to heart so much. Then again, something has to give soon and Ivy's going to fight it every step of the way.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Calling Bull

Whew. What a week in television! First, Teen Wolf pulled off a pretty interesting ending for the summer finale. That being said, I'll happily watch Theo die in a fire created by Parrish if that ever happens. Just saying.

The Last Ship threw in a few more little twisty bits. I tweeted last weekend about wishing they'd stop killing my faves and boot off the Ramseys. Here's hoping someone heard my plea. LOL

Defiance turned in a kick ass finale. I'm so hoping it's not the end of the series, but if it is, I could live with the way it ended. That said, I think there's a buttload of potential left and hope to see more from this show. Dark Matter ended up being way better than I thought. Finally have more info about Two. It's a little sketchy but enough to keep me interested. And wow… I have to say I didn't see the end coming with Six. I'll leave it there for anyone who hasn't seen how things are left, but yeah, I'm in for more.

Not sure what Syfy has slated for their Friday nights now, but whatever it is, the shows have a tough act to follow. Fingers crossed for good stuff.

Haven't mentioned Dominion lately, but again, good show that's holding my interest. We'll see how they leave things for their finale. Haven is starting soon and I'll probably be a blubbering mess when it's over because I love that show so much. Stay tuned. LOL

Tonight's post is from Calling Bull, a sexy short where my hero knows my heroine a little too well and isn't afraid to remind her.

Here's the mini-blurb:

No one knows Ivy better than Ward. A fact she truly hates sometimes. But when he pushes her into a corner, she either comes out swinging or learns to forgive and forget.

And a snippety peek…

Ward Farthington barreled through the corridors with one thing on his mind. Find Ivy Tweed and make her see reason.

He rounded a corner and almost collided with a desk sergeant. "Sorry, Frank." Ward took a step back. "Did Ivy come this way?" His gaze swept the crowded hall.

Frank gave a quick nod. "You bet she did." He leaned in, lowering his voice. "And she looked pissed as hell. You didn't have anything to do with that, did you?"

Ward sighed. "Don't I always?" He could push Ivy's buttons without even trying.

One of the many drawbacks to growing up with her, first next door and then later, after her dad died, in his family's attic bedroom. He'd moved to the basement less than a year after she moved in, the added distance not always helping to tame the wild hormones pinging at age sixteen.

Frank jerked his thumb toward the equipment room. "Think she ducked in there. Quieter than the locker room and Barney's punching bag is still hanging up." His hand clamped on Ward's shoulder when he started to walk away. "Don't be too rough on her, boyo." He slapped Ward on the back and strolled away.

Ward rolled his eyes. A precious flower Ivy would never be. Her name sometimes suited her, clinging to bad habits a good pruning might circumvent. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly and strode to her latest hiding place.

With his hand on the knob, he hesitated. Maybe Frank had a point and Ward should just leave her alone.

This one is coming together so nicely. I can't wait to finish and share with everyone!

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Calling Bull

Hello! First up, I'm happy to say I'll be celebrating twenty-four years of marriage as of tomorrow, April 22.

I'm lucky enough to have found a great guy who puts up with my overwhelming need to write and create. He may not always get the why, but he gets the need and stands behind me. Pretty great, no?

Happy anniversary, wonderful man!

Tonight's post is from a short story entitled, Calling Bull. It could expand out to a full novella, but right now the characters are focused on each other in three scenes. A fourth is niggling in the background but hasn't fleshed itself out yet. J

Here's the tagline:

No one knows Ivy better than Ward. A fact she truly hates sometimes. But when he pushes her into a corner, she either comes out swinging or learns to forgive and forget.

Here's the snippety peek…

"Bullshit!"

"Bullshit!"

Ward's mouth snapped shut the same moment Ivy's dropped open.

Her finger jabbed him in the chest. "I called it first." She whirled around and stalked toward the door.

Ward snorted. "You did not. I've been calling it for years, Ivy. Years." He drew the word out for emphasis.

She stopped, her shoulders going squared. Her head tilted to the side and Ward braced for impact. Or an uppercut to the jaw.

Neither came.

Ivy slowly turned, facing him and holding his gaze. He'd be damned if he'd look away first.

He didn't have to. Ivy got a faraway quality in her eyes, and when she opened her mouth, she spoke very, very quietly.

"Your words may be true, but this time, Ward…this time you crossed a line." Her gaze snapped back, clear and focused. "And I'm definitely putting you on notice. Do not ever go there again."

She calmly turned around and exited the room. Not even slamming the door as usual.

His nostrils flared. He wouldn't have to go there if she'd just take a damn moment and think before she acted. Just once.

Right. Ivy rarely thought anything through, working on pure instinct and gut reactions. He'd been harsh, bringing up her partner's death, but hells bells, she'd damned near gotten a rookie killed with her balls to the wall, high speed chase last night.

Gotta love it when your immediate superior knows exactly which button to push to get a reaction. LOL

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin