Sunday Snippet: Get a Room

Whew. Very long week of scorching temperatures and tinder-dry conditions. We need some rain in a big way. Also, the end of my street is closed, which is kind of inconvenient but not terrible. It's the height of construction season and it shows with multiple road projects going on.

Super busy week with work projects and shifting my schedule around a little. I'm very happy to have a full calendar even when it overwhelms me a little.

School starts this week and I'm excited for my husband, who really enjoys interacting with the students, teachers, and staff. Looking forward to hearing how his first week goes with the kids coming back.

Had a decent viewing week. Made it most of the way through my shows, including one of my back-burner ones. It also looks like a few of my faves are getting ready to return to my streamers.

Started season two of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and enjoyed all the newcomers. Jack's former wife and his father-in-law along with Dottie's sister. Phryne doing a fan dance also ended up being fun.

Enjoyed the mystery on Madame Blanc Mysteries. Kind of fun having John back but I'm hoping it's not going to be a lot of him. Also wondering if there are some cracks in Jean and Dom's relationship. I'll be a little sad if there are.

Finished up season thirteen of Death in Paradise. I'm oddly sad to say goodbye to Neville. But I'm really thrilled he's leaving with Florence. A fitting end for the character.

Watched another episode of Poirot and quite enjoyed the mystery. Having the ongoing Monopoly game going throughout the episode was fun.

Elementary ended up being very interesting. Having Sherlock working with Moreland ended up being entertaining and I'm very interested and wary of why Moreland is really in New York. That ending hinted that all may not be what it seems, which isn't that surprising. I hope it gives Joan the chance to kick ass on Sherlock's behalf.

Caught another episode of Batman Beyond and loved how Terry and Max teamed up to handle Curare. This was a great episode.

Lower Decks once again charmed and annoyed me. That's the running theme for this show. That said, I enjoy it enough to definitely keep watching.

Got most of an episode of Reacher viewed. It's the penultimate ep so I'm paying close attention to the details. Because … details matter. Just saying.

Peak Practice is hopefully back on target for this week. I started a new episode but didn't get all the way through.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Get a Room, a novella that gives a couple a second chance at romance.

Here's the miniblurb:

Talon and Haim have a complicated past. When she returns and asks Haim for a favor, they're ready to act on their attraction again … except they keep getting interrupted.

And a snippety peek…

Talon followed Haim into the house, trying to figure out how to explain.

She opted to go with direct honesty. "Ben and I got divorced not long before he started his residency." That full year of internship at their university hospital exposed a lot of issues.

Haim's eyes widened. "That's been a few years ago."

Talon nodded. "Yeah, it has. But it didn't take me long after he started his internship to realize we'd never be truly happy…" And start to question if they ever were.

Haim narrowed his gaze. "Did he cheat on you?" A low growl entered his tone.

Talon stared at her hands for a long moment. "We cheated on each other. Ben with several of his colleagues and me … well … I cheated on him in a completely fucked up way."

Haim stayed silent, and she thanked mentally him for that. Because she needed a moment to figure out how much to say. The truth or a half-assed version?

She pushed onward, deciding to lay everything out. "I married Ben because he's a good guy and I knew he'd be a great doctor, but he sensed I couldn't fully commit with my whole heart." So he didn't either.

Haim blinked in surprise. "What? Why?"

She held his gaze. "Because my heart already belonged to someone else and always would."

Haim's eyes went wide again. "You mean … all this time…" He trailed off and ran a hand through his hair.

Talon lifted her chin. "Yeah. My heart has always belonged to you, even when I was too stupid to realize it wouldn't accept anyone else." Not her greatest moment.

Haim shook his head. "Can we sit a moment?"

An odd question considering they were in his house, but she nodded. "Uh, sure." She followed him to the sofa and settled next to him.

He turned toward her then shocked her by cupping her face with his hands. The warmth of his hands seeped into her skin. When he leaned in close, her breath caught in her throat.

A groan escaped when his lips caught hers. Ahhhh … she'd missed this. Him. Them.

Snapshot memories rolled through her mind. Why hadn't she trusted they could be happy together? Not a fair question. She needed to make her way and chase her dreams and couldn't do that from here. Not at first.

Haim eased away and rested his forehead against hers. "Can you stay? We've got lost time to make up for." His thumb brushed over her cheek.

Talon wished she could and almost caved to the idea.

But … she gently shook her head. "We do have a lot of catching up to do but…" She put some space between them. "If I'm going to pull this retreat off, I have to go. Now." She added regret to her tone. "Or I'll never leave. And I want to keep this group happy." Especially if she wanted to expand her offerings.

Haim stood and held out a hand. "Look, the camp is yours." He walked her to the door. "I'll get it ready." He fished into his pocket and pulled out a business card. "Here's my number so you can call me with details and updates and what you might need from this end."

Tucking the card into her pocket, Talon glanced up at him. "Can I call just to talk?" It would be nice to get to know him more … again … before the retreat.

Haim cracked a smile. "I'd like that."

I'm a huge fan of reunion romance and I'm having fun writing this one.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Get a Room

Well, we had a semi-nice weekend. Today is rainy and chilly but Friday and most of Saturday was sunny and beautiful.

I got a lot of television watched this week. Dipped into CW Seed's Vixen and thoroughly enjoyed the first "season". I'm almost finished with Blindspot's first season and I'm looking forward to starting season two. Watched another episode of Chicago Fire and Chicago PD this week. Not sure how much I like seeing Hank defanged on Chicago PD but I'm in for the ride either way.

Legends of Tomorrow delivered an awesome season finale. I'm thrilled with where the characters ended up and having Constatine and Gary drop their little gift on the team made me laugh.

The Flash had a decent episode. I'm actually ready for the season to be over and Devoe to be defeated. Still need to catch up on Black Lightning. I'm hoping to find time this week to watch the episodes I've missed.

I did catch an episode of Riverdale and, yeah, talk about uncomfortable. No one is having an easy time of it right now. Definitely concerned about Cheryl. Her mother is a piece of work. Fred running for mayor… that's gonna be interesting. Just saying.

I got another episode of Gotham out of the way and things did not go where I thought they would. Sofia is a piece of work. I did love the overall theme of getting people back together. "Reunion" is a perfect title for the episode.

Arrow truly continues to amaze me. I'm saddened Oliver seems to be breaking ties with everyone so he can focus on the mission, but I'm also pretty interested in how the rest of the season plays out. I'll go out on a limb and say the councilman is on Diaz's payroll, too.

I'm almost finished with season two of Jessica Jones and I'm truly thrilled we'll have a season three. That said, I hope it's a little more cohesive. It's nice to have Jessica's backstory but I'd like to see her truly throw down with a villain. Just saying.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Get a Room, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of building a scene around a tent, an ice cube, and pretending to sleep. I didn't quite stick to the whole thing, but I got the basic vibe.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Talon and Haim have a complicated past. When she returns and asks Haim for a favor, they're ready to act on their attraction again… except they keep getting interrupted.

And a snippety peek…

Talon Lance hung up the phone. "Argh! This couldn't have happened at a worse time." She got up and paced her office. "Not good. So not good." She'd reserved a block of cabins at a state park for a writer's retreat and a fire had torn through three, leaving them short and unable to accommodate the group. "I'm going to have to move the venue, because I can't reschedule the date."

Her client, Dana Morse, would freak. Dana coordinated her group of paranormal romance writers and had at least a dozen who were flying or driving in from other states. Talon landed Dana's account based on an online workshop she'd put together for a Regency romance writers' group. Talon dreamed of expanding her reach and working with other author associations, but…

She sank down behind her desk. "That might blow up in my face." She had to call Dana, but not before Talon came up with a way to salvage the situation. "Think, Talon. Where else can we do this?"

There weren't a lot of options that didn't include hotels and the group expressly stated they didn't want to be cooped inside a big building. They wanted something kind of off the grid. Great if they could get internet access for research, but cell phone coverage could optional. Somewhat close to the airport, but far enough out to have a "away from it all" vibe.

Right, not a short order.

Talon sighed and started a quick search on her laptop for alternative locations. "Dammit, the state park was perfect." The cabins were grouped together and the main lodge had a conference room for the large group discussions Dana wanted to have.

Talon had to find a place to accommodate between fifty and seventy-five authors for a long weekend, Friday through Monday. She drummed her fingers on the desk, scrolling through results and refining her parameters. She rejected anything over budget, which trashed about eighty percent of her options. She'd received a sweet deal on the cabins because she'd booked six months in advance.

Leaning back in her seat an hour later, she closed her eyes only to snap them open when her phone rang. Checking her caller ID, she cringed. Dana. What crappy timing.

Talon answered. "Lance and Talon. Hi, Dana." She put her client on speakerphone. "What's up?"

Dana launched into a tirade. "Are you serious right now? Where are we going to hold out retreat? I called the lodge. They don't have anything else they can give us. And why didn't you call me?" Her voice rose to something short of a screech.

Talon blew out a slow breath. "Dana, I'm already working on getting a new venue. I didn't call right away because I wanted to have some options before I did." Not that she had any… yet. "How did you find out? I only got the call an hour ago." And only my contact information is listed.

Dana gave a sheepish chuckle. "I've got a google alert set up for the state park. Opened my email to see the news about the fire."

Well, that explained a few things. At least Dana calmed down a little.

Talon rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Give me the rest of the day to find something." One idea came to mind, but, no… she discounted it before letting if fully form.

Even though the place would offer exactly what Dana's group wanted. No, just… no.

Dana pushed for assurances. "Do you really think you can pull off finding another place? We're two weeks out, Talon." She paused. "Maybe I should poll the group? If we lower the numbers, we might still be able to use the lodge and—"

Talon cut her off as kindly as possible. "I already asked to have the deposit refunded, Dana. It'll be in the account by the end of business today." The judgmental "hmm" coming from Dana kicked up Talon's defenses. "It's what you pay me for. Handling the details. I'll need the funds to secure another location and the sooner we do that, the better." Nothing like a buttload of pressure.

Dana sighed. "I think I'd feel better if I knew for certain you had something lined up. This is a big deal for me—us, really—since we each have goals we're shooting for with this retreat."

The gentle but not so subtle reminder of what Talon had at stake revved her anxiety up a notch.

Dana continued along… "I mean this is my first big event and I want it to become a yearly thing. And you need a win with this if you want other associations to think about doing something similar." She paused again. "You have to make this happen, Talon."

No kidding? The image she'd been fighting popped into her head. Hell, no. She couldn't, she really—

"I might know a place." Talon bit back a groan after blurting the words.

Dana cleared her throat. "Excuse me? Why didn't you say that in the first place?"

Talon gave a brief explanation. "It's a camp located in my hometown. I used to work there in the summers." Dammit!

Dana brightened. "A true blue camp? That sounds wonderful!" Her excitement buzzed over the phone.

A ball of dread settled in Talon's stomach. "Um, yeah, it's been years since I've seen the place, but I can make some inquiries, see if it's available." And then kick herself for making the suggestion.

Dana made a high-pitched squeezing sound. "Perfect! I'm loving this idea already." The sound of typing came through over the line.

Talon had no such love for the idea. "Look, keep this between you and me for now. It might take me a day or two to finalize the details. No sense in rushing announcements until I do." If she did.

And, yeah, no guarantees there.

Dana made a noncommittal response. "Sure, yeah. No problem." Her fingers still tapped on the keyboard.

Dammit.

Talon warned her client. "Dana, I'm serious. Please hold off until you hear from me."

Dana responded, "What? Oh, right. Yeah. I'll just let you get to it then, okay?"

A dial tone met Talon's ears. "Fuck." If she couldn't secure the camp—and big ass chance of that miracle happening—she'd lose her reputation and possibly her livelihood. "What the hell possessed me to mention the camp?"

Nostalgia. Easy answer.

Aside from the fact the camp would be perfect, she'd been thinking of home lately.

Home.

The place where Haim Roosevelt lived.

And the location of Roosevelt Roost, the camp facility his family owned.

God… she'd run from Chamber Corners—and Haim—ten years ago and hadn't been back for more than a quick pitstop or two since then.

Haim.

God.

She'd have to face him—and crawl on her hands and knees—to convince him to let her use the camp.

A phone call wouldn't work. No way in hell. He'd probably hang up as soon as he heard her voice.

Rising, she left her office in the basement of her condo and walked upstairs. She ducked into her bedroom and grabbed her suitcase. Packing enough clothes for the weekend, she followed with a shower and took only a little extra care with her hair and makeup. No way would she try too hard. But she had to at least look professional and in control when she knocked on Haim's door.

A bubble of nerves burst in her stomach. She hadn't been this stressed when she'd ended things with Tim. Or when she'd married him.

Her current anxiety rivaled what hit her when she'd sent the wedding announcement home to Haim's family. Coward!

Cringing, she grabbed her bag and suitcase and ran for her car. "Ready or not, Talon. You're going home."

Kind of longer than normal preview, but I ended up being pleased with how this scene turned out.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Get a Room

Happy 2016 to everyone!

I'm looking forward to a new year filled with reading, writing, and blogging. And, of course, sharing fun commentary about my favorite televisions shows.

Speaking of… I have the Sherlock special on tap to watch in the near future, hopefully tonight. Can't wait to tumble back into the wild world of deduction and keen intelligence. Also caught A Very Murdoch Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed the extra-long episode. Nicely done!

Agent Carter is starting in a few weeks and I'm crazy excited. Also waiting patiently for Arrow and The Flash to return. It's finally getting cold in Ohio and I want some hot shows to kick back and relax with.

Tonight's post is from Get a Room, a sexy short where my main characters are brought back together after a lengthy period of time.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Talon and Haim have a complicated past. When she returns and asks Haim for a favor, they're ready to act on their attraction again… except they keep getting interrupted.

And a snippety peek…

Haim Roosevelt pulled the last box out of the storage space under the stairs. He planned to turn the tiny area into a powder room, the final remodeling project to update the house he'd inherited from his mom. Her passing made the renovation possible—she refused to update the residence for decades.

And the woman never threw anything away.

He'd gone through boxes and crates filled with mementos, photos, books, linens, and trinkets. The attic and garage had so much stuff he'd dragged everything to the rec center at Roosevelt Roost, the family's summer camp, to sort through. Haim's dad started the Roost after Haim turned two and he'd grown up working there on school breaks during the warm months. His mom had run the facility until her death from a brain aneurysm two years ago.

He dragged the box to the sofa in the small sitting area and rifled through it. "Let's see what treasure you left for me this time, Mom." Pulling out four large envelopes, he opened one and discovered a bunch of photos.

He spread them out over the table. "Holy crap, Mom. Why on earth did you save these?" Aside from the fact she saved everything.

Every single image had been taken his senior year and more than half had Talon Lance in them. He had no doubt the other three would be from previous years of high school and Talon would be in the majority of those pictures, too.

He huffed out a breath. "Talon. Talk about a blast from the past." One he'd tried to forget.

Haim had asked Talon to freshman homecoming and they were "the" couple throughout all four years of high school. Everyone, including Haim, thought they'd get married and settle down after college. But plans changed when Haim's dad died during the summer after graduation. Talon went off to the state university and Haim stuck close to home, attending a local trade school where he learned the fine art of demolition, remodeling, and building. He ended up loving everything about all three.

He picked up a snapshot from their senior prom, tracing a finger over Talon's smiling face. "I thought we had something, Talon." And they had… just not a forever something.

Talon loved the city; the energy, the vibe, the freedom it gave her to pursue her dreams. Haim gave her some credit. She'd stuck with him through the first semester, but being four hours away and having a demanding course load took a toll and Talon asked for some breathing room.

Haim had his hands full with his schedule and helping out his mom, so he agreed. He figured they could talk about what to do over the summer when she came back for break.

Except she didn't come back.

She got married instead.

Yeah. Not exactly easy to come back from that, right? LOL

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Get a Room

Holy jeezits. Arrow blew my mind this week. My twitter feed was full of a bunch of not so great comments, but I loved, loved, loved everything about fourteen. And episode fifteen is supposed to be filled with even more bad-assery. And Bitten just keeps getting better and better. I seriously can't wait each week for the next episode. My fingers, and all other appendages, are crossed for a second season. Also read about the Flash pilot being filmed. Currently, that's the show I'm most looking forward to for next season.

I've also been enjoying seeing Jamie Bamber on my screen in The Smoke. He's so good at roles he can sink his teeth into, and playing Kev definitely gives him room to flex his acting chops. J

Tonight's post is from Get a Room, a novella where my couple gets to rekindle their old flame.

Here's the tagline:

Talon and Haim have a complicated past. When she returns and asks Haim for a favor, they're ready to act on their attraction again… except they keep getting interrupted.

And a snippety peek…

Haim opened the door and fought to keep his jaw from dropping.

Talon Lance stood on his front porch, looking fresh-faced and gorgeous as ever.

Haim blinked, not quite certain his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. Nope. She still waited patiently, one eyebrow raised, for him to kick his brain into gear and greet her.

He shook his head. "Talon." He shifted his gaze, checking the drive for a vehicle, wondering if she'd come alone.

Or if she had the husband with her.

A sleek, white coupe sat parked behind his truck. Empty, thank whatever ruled the universe. He shifted his attention back to Talon.

Her lips quirked. "Haim. Do you have a minute?" She glanced behind him, indicating he'd need longer than 'a minute'.

Haim stepped back, throwing the door open a little wider. "Uh, sure." He made room for Talon to enter, the ingrained manners his mother drummed into his head rising to the occasion. "Can I offer you coffee? Or something cold?" He closed the heavy oak quietly and led the way to the kitchen.

"Nothing, thanks." She followed along, her footfalls slower while she checked out the work he'd done over the last five years.

And he'd done a lot—stripped the interior down to the studs and started almost from scratch—new walls, floors, paint, furniture, the works. He stopped between the table and exit to the newly enclosed back porch. He'd put the finishing touches on the trim two days ago. Not that Talon would know or care.

Talon remained by the entrance to the room, standing next to the refrigerator. "The house looks amazing. Did you do it all?"

Haim had no desire to make small talk.

He nodded. "Yes." Crossing his arms over his chest, he bluntly asked. "Why are you here?" His mom's influence only went so far.

Talon chuckled. "Right to the point, as always." She moved forward, coming to a halt and grasping the back of a chair by the table. "I need a place to hold a benefit fundraiser and the camp is the perfect venue."

Maybe she would only need a minute. "No." He brushed past her, heading back toward the front of the house. "If that's all you needed…" He twisted the knob to open the door. "I've got several errands to run." He dragged the heavy wood toward him and swept his arm forward.

Talon planted her hands on her hips. "Unless you plan on walking, I've got you blocked in." She nodded toward his drive. "And I'm not leaving until you hear what I have planned."

Okay, Haim, think back and use your memory of Talon's old habits, my man. J

That's it for this week. Happy reading.

Skylin