Sunday Snippet: Next Year Same Time

A lovely week with warmer temperatures and some rain. Excited to see some spring weather rolling in. It's supposed to be in the high fifties and sixties this week and I'm totally down with that, even if it gets chilly at night.

Not a bad week for writing either. I played catch-up on a few more manuscripts and fleshed out some plot bunnies. The sages are on a roll right now and I'm not sure what prompted their creativity. I won't complain though.

Good week of television also. I watched a couple of movies starting with Enola Holmes, which I ended up really enjoying. Glad to hear there will be another one at some point. I also watched a total favorite of mine, Grease 2. This is one of those cases where I loved the sequel more than the original. Seriously.

I restarted my watch of Picard, picking up with episode six. Wow, a lot to unpack in that episode. I'm excited to see what happens next.

I finally started Chicago Med. I've been waiting to see the first season and ended up getting access. Enjoyed the first episode.

Caught two episodes of Peak Practice. I ended the second season and started the third. Both were good episodes.

Watched another episode of No Offence. I like the overarching storyline for the new season and the wrap-up of the previous season's fallout. I'll be honest and admit I'm not keen on the new supervisor but I'll reserve judgment for now.

Finished up the second part of Silent Witness and it was as twisty as I thought it would be. Enjoyed the two-parter.

Started season fifteen of Classic Who. Pretty decent opening arc the lighthouse setting. Interestingly, it ties into one of those unsolved mysteries of the unexplained and I love it when the show does that kind of thing.

Caught another episode of UFOs: The Lost Evidence. This one focused on Area 52 and what might or might not be going on there.

Two more episodes of The Muppet Show are complete. I'd forgotten about Harry the mad bomber. He made an appearance and blew some stuff up.

That's about it for television and this week's wrap-up. Tonight's post is from Next Year Same Time, a novella where crazy circumstances spark a romantic interest.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lita Vonn is a store owner who gets caught up in a bank robbery and makes a connection with the negotiator, Saber Reyes. Saber questions her desire to get together and offers an alternative suggestion—next year, same time, they'll meet at the coffee shop across the street.

And a snippety peek…

Saber Reyes dialed the bank number and hoped someone responded. He'd worked hostage situations but never as the lead. He'd find out today if he had the stones to run a team on his own.

"Hello … I'm supposed to ask who I'm talking to and let you know I'll be speaking for the man in charge in here."

Saber blinked. "Okay. I'm Detective Reyes. You can call me Saber. Are you allowed to tell me your name?" A muffled conversation followed.

"Lita Vonn and I'm putting you on speaker but you're only to address me."

Saber frowned. Definitely not what he usually dealt with. Made things more challenging.

He agreed to the terms. "Fine, Lita. Is everyone okay? What does the man in charge want?"

One of the sheriff's deputies waved to get his attention. "Boss, I'm not sure what's going on, but can you hear this?"

A rapid staccato beat in steady increments could be heard in the background. Saber's eyes widened. Holy shit. Someone knew Morse code and decided to send a message.

He muted the phone. "Can you isolate that on this screen? It's Morse code." He glanced up. "Anyone familiar with Morse code? I need someone to translate while I'm on the call."

"Saber, the man in charge wants to know how much authority you have." Lita's voice came through the phone.

The series of beats stopped.

Saber shifted focus back to the current situation. "I'm fully authorized to negotiate and resolve this situation. What are his demands?"

Lita responded, "The man in charge wants a signed release from Judge Sharnell, stating the defendant in case number CR-1557895 is free to go and does not have to report to the holding center tomorrow." She paused and started again. "He also wants a plane ticket and safe passage to the airport. He'll have all the funds he needs from the bank."

Saber frowned again. "I'll get to work on the release, but the judge is in court. I might not be able to reach him right away." He definitely could, but he needed to buy some time.

Lita had a whispered conversation then replied. "You've got three hours. The ticket can be for anywhere that doesn't have an extradition agreement with the US."

Saber blew out a breath. "All right. I'll find the next available flight and arrange for transportation." He waited a moment. "Is there anything else?"

Lita responded quickly. "Stay on the line. And keep your snipers off the roofs if you don't want dead hostages."

Saber bit back an expletive. "All right. Done." He motioned the commander of the tactical team to pull his men back.

Then he waved the man over and gave him the order to put his sniper teams in the upper floors of the neighboring buildings. Not ideal, but workable. He shifted his gaze to the computer screen and Morse code translations.

MiC is Chuck Barnaby. Armed with semi-auto rifle. Strapped with explosives. Very jumpy and erratic.

Damn. Solid information. Combined with the docket number, Saber should be able to put a good profile together for their man in charge.

He gave the order to contact Judge Sharnell to apprise him of the situation and keep the man informed. He pulled up the case and reviewed the charges and the judge's orders. This wouldn't end well for Barnaby. Unless he gave himself up, which Saber's gut said wouldn't happen.

He went back to the call. "Lita, you've been very helpful so far. Keep up the good work." He hoped she understood his loosely coded message. "Let's do our best to keep everyone calm and comfortable for now. I'll be in touch soon about the plane ticket."

I love the adventure angle of this story. Saber will be halfway in love with Lita before he meets her face-to-face.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Next Year Same Time

Hello, December. Per usual, the weather in Ohio is crazy back and forth. Super cold for several days then sixty degrees then back to super cold again. And rain. Lots and lots of rain. Bleh.

It's been another busy workweek with a rush job for a holiday release and finishing up another manuscript. Throw in car trouble on Friday with not one but two vehicles and, yeah, lost the whole day. LOL

Television was a mixed bag of viewing pleasure. I finished out last week with Pensacola Wings of Gold watching a pretty interesting episode where one of the marines got set up by another government worker. Lexx's second season is at the wobbly part where one episode is great and the next is not so much. Also caught a Hallmark movie, An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving, which has three of my favorite actresses. Should be following up with the Christmas movie this week if my schedule doesn't blow up again.

I have to take a moment and rave about The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. This show always ends up making me smile, even when the storyline is somewhat sad. The fifth episode ended up making laugh out loud and I needed it this past week.

I followed up the funny with some serious emotional drama in Strike Back. Almost through season five, which should catch me up for season six. I gotta say this show does a great job at not letting the members of section twenty save the day in an easy fashion. Two steps forward and five steps back is things usually go for them.

Chicago Fire is kind of losing me with this whole deputy commissioner bullshit. Kind of like Chicago PD lost me with sticking someone in just to put a leash on Hank. I'll finish out this season but if there isn't a big change, I'll be skipping the next with the exception of crossover episodes. I love crossovers.

I'm almost finished with Luke Cage's second season. I'll be honest, I'm really disappointed there won't be more and supposedly it's because of the whole Disney + streaming service that's not even launched yet. I'm all for choice and options, but when services get overly proprietary, they sometimes shoot themselves in the foot. I hope that doesn't happen here.

Passionflix debuted another Quickie with Dry Spell and it was funny and sweet but not sugary. I enjoyed it.

I also caught Murdoch Mysteries and liked seeing Terence back again. Finished out the night with a Christmas Belle, a holiday spin on Beauty and the Beast.

Not a bad week of viewing. Tonight's post is from Next Year Same Time, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of writing a story with the characters marking a milestone in their lives. Another prompt suggested making the anniversary of a horrible or scary event.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lita Vonn is a store owner who gets caught up in a bank robbery and makes a connection with the negotiator, Saber Reyes. Saber questions her desire to get together and offers an alternative suggestion—next year, same time, they'll meet at the coffee shop across the street.

And a snippety peek…

Lita Vonn poked her head into the main hub of her shop. "Norma, can you handle things here?" A huge online order needed to be filled and Lita had to make a trip to the bank across the street.

Norma Willis looked up from wrapping a pair of candlesticks. "Sure, boss. What's up?" She finished the set and moved on to a ceramic dish.

Lita held up the deposit bag. "I've got the auction proceeds here and we could use the green in our account." Once a quarter, she held a cash-only sale to the highest bidder to move product and make way for new items.

The success of the last one combined with the large online sale over the weekend had visions of a beach vacation dancing in Lita's head.

Norma flashed a smile and twisted her long mane up into a topknot on her head. "I'm down with getting this out the door, so I'll be out on the floor here." She motioned to the entrance. "Go on. Get that money deposited."

Lita squeezed Norma's shoulder. "The new color looks good on you." She referred to the almost electric shade of blue Norma now sported.

Norma laughed. "I like it better than the hot pink, which would probably look better on you, blondie."

Lita snorted. "Yeah, um, no. I'm not patient enough to sit through a long coloring session." She pushed the door open. "I'll be back ASAP to help get that order out."

Norma called out. "You're just too chicken shit to go for a bold new look." Her laughter followed Lita halfway across the street.

Hell, yes, I am. When it came to hair color, Lita played with highlights and lowlights sometimes, but always kept her original shade. But… maybe a pink streak or two could add some pizzazz to her look.

She entered the bank and stopped short, sucking in a startled breath. What the hell? Why are the employees crouched on the floor? Fuck! A robbery? Damn, damn, damn.

Before she could get turned around to go back the way she came, a tall, skinny man gave her a sneering smile. "Welcome to the shit show, blondie. You'll do." He motioned her forward with a semiautomatic rifle.

I'll do? For what? Damn, damn, damn.

Lita moved to the spot he indicated and stood there, the deposit bag tucked under her arm. She focused on staying calm and not giving in to the shaky fear trying to hold her in its grip. Her dad always said fear proved a tricky thing. It could get a person killed or keep them alive. Please let it keep me alive. Please, please, please.

Skinny man let his jacket fall open, revealing a vest rigged with explosives. "Name's Chuck Barnaby. You're gonna wanna remember that when the big, bad negotiator calls." He swung wildly toward the cowering employees. "Not usin' these fucking bank drones to do my talking, so looks like you're it." He moved past her to lock the doors then came back and thumped his fist on the receptionist's desk. "Park your ass right here and wait for the call."

Lita followed the instructions, making her way to the desk, placing the deposit bag on the floor beside the chair. She had no idea how her legs managed to move, but she sank down in the oversized seat and pushed out a shaky breath. Placing both palms on the wooden surface, she almost laughed at how sweaty they were. I'll probably ruin the polish. Seriously, her brain picked that to focus on?

Barnaby propped a hip on the edge of the desk and trained the rifle in the direction of the employees before leaning in closer to Lita. "Comfy, darlin'?"

Lita quirked a brow. "Does it matter?" Stupid to push her luck, but she wouldn't let her fright control her.

Chuck laughed. "Not one bit. All you need to do is get ready to answer the phone."

Lita nodded. What else could she do? Except say a prayer to the universe that Chuck Barnaby didn't open fire… or blow himself and everyone in the bank up.

I'm enjoying these characters. Lita is fun to write and her introduction to Saber over the phone will be the next scene. Can't wait to finish it.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Next Year, Same Time

Well, The Last Ship finally dropped another death on me. And of course it's someone I did like. That said, they weren't in my no kill zone so I'm bracing for impact this week. LOL I still think the president is a potential bad buy. There's just some slightly slimy about him, in my opinion.

Killjoys had a terrific episode. I seriously love having everyone show up, even if only briefly. I'm kind of thrilled Fancy didn't end up dying last season, and I realize this isn't the first time we've seen him, but I like watching him in action.

Dark Matter definitely has my interest. I did worry after the "meh" first episode, but since then, they've hit on all cylinders. Loving the interaction between Five and everyone else. I also can't wait to see what happens with the android.

Busy week kept me from sinking back into Strike Back, but I did watch more Babylon 5. One of my favorite things about season two is how things start coming together. Random bits that didn't seem to be important become so. I love that!

That's all for television this week. Tonight's post is from Next Year, Same Time, a novella that got its start with a scene prompt. Write a scene where your characters mark a milestone. I liked the whole idea!

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lita Vonn is a store owner who gets caught up in a bank robbery and makes a connection with the negotiator, Saber Reyes. Saber questions her desire to get together and offers an alternative suggestion—next year, same time, they'll meet at the coffee shop across the street.

And a snippety peek…

Saber marveled at Lita's ingenuity. He had no idea if she'd been in the military, but her quick thinking and constant information updates made the entire operation run a lot smoother. Confident she'd received his coded message, he gave the go for the takedown of Chuck Barnaby.

With one sniper shot and a battering ram to the door, the situation went from red to green in less than five minutes. The hostages came pouring out of the building and Saber did a quick headcount. When he came up one short, his gut twisted into a knot.

Surely they didn't lose anyone? None of the sitreps pinging in his ear mentioned casualties. Moving forward without thinking about it, he stopped when one last person exited the bank, flanked by two officers. A woman, wearing a quirky ensemble of business casual khaki pants and an olive green cardigan paired with a formfitting t-shirt, featuring a graphic screen print of a popular television show. Her feet were clad in black combat boots. The getup totally worked on her.

Lita. It had to be.

She blinked against the sunlight then got her bearings. When her gaze met his, a smile spread across her face. Walking ahead of her escort, she thrust out her hand.

Saber grasped her palm and shook. "Lita Vonn?" Her fingers trembled a little, but she nodded. "Saber Reyes. You did a terrific job in there."

She glanced down and blushed. "Thanks. My dad's former military. Taught me Morse code and made sure I used it when we went hiking or camping." A shaky laugh escaped. "Who knew it would come in so handy?"

Saber flashed a grin. Her no-nonsense ponytail and triple-pierced earlobe—just the one side—had an inappropriate surge of lust flickering in his veins. He immediately liked her, a rare occurrence.

His luck with relationships bordered on pathologically awful.

Tugging her aside, away from news cameras and microphones, he questioned her. "Are you okay? Need a paramedic to look you over?" She didn't look worse for the ordeal, but why take any chances.

Lita shook her head. "I'm okay. Seriously." She glanced over his shoulder. "But I'm very late in relieving my part-time help." Her fingers wiggled in a wave.

Saber turned spotting a young woman with blue hair standing outside a storefront. His gaze traveled upward to read the business name—Vonn Emporium. He directed his attention back to Lita.

Nodding toward the store, he asked. "Yours, I assume?" The window display showed an eclectic product line, books, colorfully woven tapestries, crystals, and an array of antiques.

Lita beamed with pride. "Yes. The name kind of gives it away, doesn't it?" She chuckled, the sound a little raspy.

Saber's lips curved in a smile. "Business owner and kick ass inside woman. I'm duly impressed."

Lita blushed again, but recovered quickly. "I'd love to have you stop by after closing. I could buy you a cup of coffee or dinner." Her gaze held a lot of interest and her tone suggested more would be on the table.

Saber had been down the hero-worship road before. Lita wouldn't be the first woman who'd offered to hookup after surviving a dangerous situation. But she is the first you've ever been tempted by.

Right. So not a good idea. Even if his body completely disagreed with him.

Saber offered a suggestion. "I'd love to, but I feel like I'd be taking advantage of a crappy situation."

Her disappointment showed, but she masked it quickly. "I understand. No problem." She started to back away. "You're not interested."

He jumped back in. "No, no. It's not a lack of interest. Definitely not." He moved a little further down the alley, hoping for a little more privacy. "Look, let's try this. If you're still up for coffee or dinner in six months, I'll take you out." He glanced away then met her gaze again. "You see, this isn't the first— Well, I mean—" Geez, he couldn't sound like a bigger dick.

Lita's eyes went wide. "Oh, my god. You've been burned before, haven't you?" Understanding dawned and she laid a hand on his forearm.

Saber shrugged. "More than once, so I'm gun shy. It's not you or anything."

Lita's lips twisted in a wry grin. "Good to know." She removed her hand and stepped away again.

Saber reached out, grasping her shoulder. "We could meet in the coffee shop across the street, say in January? Around this time." Probably stupid, but he hoped she'd be game.

Lita tilted her head to one side. "And if coffee goes well, we'll move on to dinner?"

He grinned. "Sounds perfect." He waited a beat. "And thank you."

She gave him a long, considering look. "I have a feeling the wait will be worth it."

Honestly, the title is a working one so be on the lookout for a change in the future.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Next Year, Same Time

Hi!

I hope everyone who celebrates the 4^th had a safe and happy one filled with lots of fireworks!

Some great TV even with the holiday week. Defiance keeps getting better… and darker, which I love bunches. Dominion also keeps me coming back. I'm not quite sure I have everything down but I like to be kept guessing. Forgot to mention The Last Ship… loving it. I have a thing for shows with ships and combine it with a mutated virus, I'm totally there.

Tonight's post is from, Next Year, Same Time, a novella with a little suspense to start things off.

Here's the tagline:

Lita Vonn is a book store owner who gets caught up in a bank robbery and makes a connection with the negotiator, Saber Reyes. Saber questions her desire to get together and offers an alternative suggestion—next year, same time, they'll meet at the coffee shop across the street.

And a snippety preview…

Lita kept drumming out words, hoping like hell the negotiator had figured out her tactic.

Barnaby swung around, glaring in her direction. "You're making too much goddamned noise. Stop it."

Lita snapped at him. "You're holding a fucking gun on me and you're strapped with explosives. Excuse me if I'm a little freaked out and shaky right now." She paused, mid-sentence.

The guy responded. "Are you trying to be a smart ass?" He waved the sidearm back and forth.

Lita quieted her tone. "No, I'm stating a simple fact. You're gonna have to cut me some slack here."

He tilted his head, studying her for a few moments. "Yeah, okay, but watch that smart mouth. I'm in charge here."

Lita breathed a sigh of relief.

Saber quietly asked, "Everything okay in there?"

Lita answered. "Yes, it's fine. We're all still okay." She quickly tapped out a new message. He's pacing back and forth, getting impatient.

Saber replied. "I understand. We're working to get everything in place."

Something in his tone gave Lita confidence he'd been following her covert dialog.

Chuck snapped out a question. "What's taking so long? I want that document."

Saber spoke, calm and rational. "The ETA is approximately fifteen minutes." He paused, then continued. "Lita, can you have everyone ready?"

A quick burst of what sounded like static echoed over the line, but Lita got the coded message.

Barnaby squawked. "Ready for what? Nobody goes anywhere until I have what I want."

Saber agreed. "Yes, we're aware. I'd like Lita to prepare everyone for when the exchange takes place. Is that okay?"

Chuck gave a jerky nod, going back to silent mode.

Lita relayed his non-verbal response. "Mr. Barnaby is in agreement." A little more quietly, she added. "I'll have everyone ready."

Saber replied. "Thank you. Fourteen minutes, Lita. Hang in there. Keep me posted, all right?"

She fought the urge to smile. "Okay." Her fingers went back to work, pinpointing Barnaby's location along the outside wall.

So far, I'm having loads of fun writing this one. And I know I say that a lot. LOL

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin