Sunday Snippet: Celebration at Midnight

Geez, halfway through the month already and I feel like I'm stuck in reverse. Not to say I'm not getting anything done. I am. Most of it is work related, which I'm not complaining about. But … I do need to do a better work-life balance. Even my daily oracle card draw is pointing me in that direction.

I'm still buried under multiple projects, and all are making solid progress. I've never had so many nonfiction manuscripts and I'm actually enjoying being able to switch back and forth between the variety of genres there and with my fiction manuscripts. I have a holiday horror story, a romance, and a mystery in fictional work.

Not a bad viewing week. I made it through my usual round of shows did get to add the new show. I enjoyed it and will add it to my current roster. There's one additional show I'd like to work in, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to.

Caught another episode of London Kills and, yep, the beginning of the showdown with David and Vivienne started. Can't wait to see what happens next. Rob and Billie should probably brace for impact.

The new show I started is Dark Winds. So far, really enjoy the premise and the pacing. The acting is top-notch also. I had a sneaking suspicion the new deputy would end up being more than met the eye. Glad I was right about that.

Watched another episode of Death in Paradise and enjoyed it. I'd seen most of this one at some point on Ovation and I liked having the full episode from beginning to end. I'm also enjoying Darlene a lot. Glad they added her to the team.

Enjoyed another episode of Beyond Paradise. It's so much fun watching Martha's mom going on dates. I'm also interested in how things shake out with the fostering situation. Very cool to have some Margo backstory also.

Caught an episode of Elementary and I'm kind of sad Kitty is headed for parts unknown for now. I do love that her story had a satisfying resolution. Also so happy we got to see how she kind of saved Sherlock from himself.

Watched another episode of Batman Beyond. Inque made another appearance and that was fun. Also kind of cool to see Bruce back in the field and how much Terry tried to protect him.

Finished up with an episode of Classic Rugrats. Enjoyed both vignettes and also discovered I have more episodes than I thought I had left. This isn't bad news.

And that's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Celebration at Midnight, a holiday novella featuring Presley, Gunnar, and Frazier from Merry and Bright.

Here's the miniblurb:

Presley, Frazier, and Gunnar finally have New Year's Eve off at the same time and plan to celebrate with a quiet evening at home. Two days after Christmas, Gunnar is shot trying to bring in a felon and Frazier's fire department gets the call. Presley is on duty in the emergency room when the men come in and the trio comes face-to-face with their personal lives mixing with their professional careers. Once Gunnar is in the clear, they have even more reason to celebrate at midnight.

And a snippety peek…

"Can't believe we've got a trafficking station in the heart of this old neighborhood." Gunnar moved into position between a wheelie bin and the garage of the unassuming colonial they were getting ready to raid.

He crouched and readied for the go order, taking in the formerly well-kept backyard. Shrubs and bushes were bare but also tangled together in need of a good pruning. A sitting area had wooden furniture with peeling paint and some of the bricks were covered with patchy spots of overgrown dead grass.

Gunnar frowned. "The decay is probably worse on the inside…"

A noise at the rear of the garage drew his attention. An unknown door opened, and a man walked out and caught sight of Gunnar. Everything crashed together at once. Why didn't they know about the door? Because it didn't look like a door existed. The timing sucked and the op would probably be blown.

Gunnar didn't have time to do much more than turn toward the guy before the man fired a round, catching Gunnar in the vest above his heart. A second bullet zinged toward him and ripped through his shirt tearing at the flesh in his shoulder and whizzing past his ear. Searing, white hot pain gripped him, but Gunnar returned fire, winging the assailant.

Shock and disbelief warred for dominance followed closely by the realization the shot knocked the wind out of him because he struggled to breathe. His hands tingled, no doubt a reaction to getting shot. He had the foresight to key his radio twice before he dropped like a stone and sank toward unconsciousness.

Through hazy vision, he noted the shooter grabbing his shoulder and the strike team moving in. Over the roar in his ears, he caught the sound of doors being smashed in and the shouts of the strike team announcing their presence. One of his fellow officers apprehended the fleeing man and they would end up getting the traffickers.

Gunnar finally succumbed to inky darkness … with one last thought.

Fraz and Presley are going to freak the fuck out.

I love this trio so much. They're the first throuple I wrote, and I'm happy they're still giving me ideas for their story.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Celebration at Midnight

Well, July kind of blew right by. It's been a busy month with a lot going on and that always makes the days seem to speed along.

Had a decent week finishing up a work project and making some solid headway on a couple of my personal projects. This is on top of having one kid in NYC and another that landed in the ED then got admitted to the hospital for three days and two nights. Thankfully, he's doing okay.

Actually got a lot of viewing completed also. I'm currently watching The Force Awakens. It's kind of a rewatch, but I haven't seen the whole movie from start to finish … ever. I've always come in at weird random places so I've seen the whole thing, but not in chronological order. I'm strange that way.

Also caught another episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. This one had a very interesting twisty mystery and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Watched the second half of Silent Witness and kind of loved where it ended up going. I like the way the two-part episodes are playing out right now.

Enjoyed another episode of Classic Who. Ace keeps growing on me. I love her as the companion for the Doctor. There's way less screaming, which is a bonus.

Caught another episode of Most Terrifying Places in America. This one focused on ghostly encounters and I enjoyed it.

Watched another episode of Moon Knight. Honestly, I kind of love this show. It's a little campy, which keeps the darker aspect of the storyline in check. It works for me and I love it.

Ended up enjoying another episode of The Hardy Boys. There are a lot of twists and turns this season and some have worked better than others. Joe truly annoyed the crap out of me but I think they might pull all that together by the end of the season.

Caught another episode of Peak Practice. I ended up enjoying the less soap-operaish storyline this week.

Enjoyed another MasterClass lesson with Roxane Gay. This week she talked about revisions, editing, and proofreading. I love that phase of writing and I loved what she had to say about her methods. She's also not a big fan of the phrase kill your darlings. I've never liked that one and it's nice to have someone like Roxane say she doesn't either.

Watched another episode of The Babysitter's Club. I'm honestly so disappointed there won't be another season of this show. It's really coming together in this second season.

Caught an episode of The Ready Room. This one featured Shazad Latif and I completely enjoyed the interview. He had some great insight.

Enjoyed the second episode of Driven. Tawny can die in a fire and that would make me really happy. Not sure I like the dude or, well, possibly dudette following Riley. Becks makes me very happy. I love this series so much.

Watched another episode of Chicago Med. I'm so surprised Will kind of shut Natalie down. Not that it wasn't deserved, but I was surprised nonetheless. Glad to see Maggie might not lose Ben. I'm seriously not sure what the hell is going on with April. Should be in for some interesting future episodes.

Caught another episode of Batman: The Animated Series. This is probably my all-time favorite animated show ever. I'm happy I'm rewatching again.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Celebration at Midnight, a novella featuring one of my favorite trios—Presley, Gunnar, and Frazier—for a New Year's Eve tale.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Presley, Frazier, and Gunnar finally have New Year's Eve off at the same time and plan to celebrate with a quiet evening at home. Two days after Christmas Gunnar is shot trying to bring in a felon and Frazier's fire department gets the call. Presley is on duty in the emergency room when the men come in and the trio comes face-to-face with their personal lives mixing with their professional careers. Once Gunnar is in the clear, they have even more reason to celebrate at midnight.

And a snippety peek…

Presley Griffith entered the kitchen to find her men, Gunnar Stewart and Frazier Boyle, with their heads together by the coffeemaker.

She cocked her head. "Is this a private conversation or can anyone join in?" She had to make sure because they had a habit of pulling surprises out of their asses around the holidays.

First with Gunnar and Stewart giving her the merriest and brightest Christmas ever two years ago—they'd been a committed trio since then—and then when she'd bought a secluded bed and breakfast and found a brownstone to share with the men the following Christmas.

The guys glanced over their shoulders; Frazier giving her cheeky grin and Gunnar gracing her with a slow smile. Her thumb brushed over the interlocking trio of bands on her ring finger—the best gift ever from her guys. She loved them each more than anything.

Gunnar handed her a mug. "Anyone can't join but you can." He took a long gulp form his cup.

She arched a brow. "Because?" She loved the playful vibe coming from the men.

Frazier turned and propped his hip against the counter. "We aren't getting Christmas together this year, but we all have New Year's Eve and Day off. We were talking ideas." His uniform shirt hung open and he started doing up the buttons.

Gunnar gave a nod. "Yeah, stay in or find a party? O'Malley's has a few spots left and the Silver Dagger is doing this rooftop thing with heaters and fire pits for the countdown." He finished his coffee and rinsed out the mug.

Frazier tucked his shirt in. "What's your preference?" He met her gaze with raised eyebrows.

Presley shrugged. "If I get to choose, let's stay in. Do something quiet and intimate with just us." She loved going out with the guys but since they'd finished the large renovations on the brownstone, she enjoyed spending time in their home.

Gunnar and Frazier did a quick high-five.

Gunnar grasped her hand and tugged her forward. "We were hoping you'd say that. Fraz is handling the food. I'm going to take care of getting some adult beverages. And we want you to work your magic and create a theme for the evening." He dropped a kiss on her nose. "If this becomes a tradition, we'll swap responsibilities next time."

Her heart warmed. They went above and beyond giving her new things to look forward to.

She wrapped an arm around Gunnar. "I'm loving this already. I'll come up with something." Easing away from Gunnar, she gave Frazier a quick hug. "This is a great idea."

He flashed a grin. "Let me know when you decide on the theme. I'll plan the menu around it." He grabbed his wallet and phone. "Gotta head out. We're dropping off the last load of gifts from the toy drive." He leaned in and caught her lips in a quick, hard kiss. "Love you." He gave Gunnar a nod and headed out the back door.

Gunnar reached for his jacket. "I have to head out, too. I've got a briefing with a task force this morning." Shoving his arms into the coat, he cupped her face and slanted his mouth over hers.

She wrapped her arms around him and sank into the embrace. Gunnar moaned and slipped his tongue past her lips. He lingered for a moment, conducting a leisurely exploration before easing away.

Brushing his thumb over her cheek, he lifted his head. "I love you, Pres." He gave her one more kiss before turning to grab his phone from the counter.

She walked with him to the door. "I love you, too. Have a good one." She waited until he got in the car before stepping away from the window.

Refilling her mug, she took a seat at the table, several ideas popping into her mind. "Hmm. I'm thinking pajamas and a blanket fort, just for something fun." Bringing the hot brew to her mouth, she blew across the top.

Of course the blanket fort will be sexy.

This trio has my heart. I have such a great time writing their dynamic and following the progression of their relationship.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin