Showing posts with label Zinging Barbs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zinging Barbs. Show all posts

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Sunday Snippet: Zinging Barbs

Welcome February! The shortest month seems like a great time to start new things. I've challenged myself to post every day on Bluesky and I picked drawing one oracle card from a random deck each day. So far, I'm two for two.

I'm also going to launch the side project I've previously talked about. Tip Jar Shorts is a fun way to get sexy romance short stories right to your inbox. The blog is up and running and still a work in progress. I'm so excited to see how things go! If you're interested, check it out!

I had a busy work week with a challenging copy edit but it's almost complete and I'm happy I got to work on this mystery series. A few more bits and pieces to check and it'll be on its way to the publisher.

Had a somewhat quiet viewing week. Between getting Tip Jar finished up and the copy edit, I needed a quiet background to get everything done.

Caught another Batman Beyond episode. I remembered this one and enjoyed during my first run through of the show.

Enjoyed an episode of Classic Rugrats. I'm in the final season and catching some episodes I haven't seen before.

Watched another episode of One Lane Bridge and I'm still enjoying the show. It's kind of a slow, moody narrative and I'm rather into that right now.

Caught another episode of London Kills and I'm kind of wondering what the hell is going to happen next. I'm also wondering what the superintendent thought would happen when he tried to run.

Enjoyed another episode of Death in Paradise. The vibe is very different with season eleven and I'm kind of okay with that. I like the new sergeant and I'm looking forward to seeing where things go with Florance doing an undercover stint. I like that the reason is tied back to a previous murder.

Loved the episode of Beyond Paradise that I caught this week. I'm interested in how Humphrey and Martha work through their issues and was so happy to see her rebuff Archie, even if he's portrayed by one of my favorite actors. I'm still on the fence with Martha's mom. I can't quite decide if I like her or not. We'll see how the rest of the season goes.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Zinging Barbs, a sexy short that reunites some of the characters from the South of the Border series.

Here's the miniblurb:

Relic finder Vaughn Dyson sticks much closer to home since Faulkner Roush saved her life, but when an artifact all but lands in her lap, she insists on taking it to the university for safe-keeping, which Faulkner can't argue about even if they'll be late for a party in their honor.

And a snippety peek…

Vaughn circled around trying to keep the three masked attackers in her sight. "Where's Faulk when I need him." Why the hell had she not considered a Saturday for being a bad day to drop off the artifact?
The university had very low on personnel on the weekends. Especially when a festival clogged the streets with traffic. Vaughn would bet the three goons had been in the van they passed.
The tallest assailant made a grab for the artifact. "C'mon, lady. Just give us the statue."
His two cohorts spread out, trying to flank her on either side.
Vaughn shook her head. "I don't think so. This is staying where it belongs." She gauged the distance to the vault room.
No way she could make it before being overcome.
But … Vaughn wouldn't give it up. Her best option would be to at least maneuver toward the entrance. Another goon made a lunge in her direction. She held the artifact above her head and danced around him, moving away from the vault. Dammit.
Twice more she dodged and weaved, keeping a firm grip on the figurine. The men were getting pissed off … but must be conscious of the statue's value because they were careful when they made their attempts to get it from her. That wouldn't last much longer.
After another attempt, she stopped in the middle of the room and raised the artifact above her head. "That's it. I'm done playing this stupid game." She made a downward motion, ready to smash the ancient piece into dust.
Faulk breezed into the room. "Vaughn. What's taking so long."
She huffed out a breath. "Had a surprise greeting." She tucked the valuable statue under her arm.
Faulk snorted. "It's only three. You've taken on more." He quickly fanned along the way in her direction, drawing the attention of the men.
Vaughn rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, can't fight and protect the artifact at the same time." She eased her way toward the vault room.
Faulk made a hum of agreement. "I see your dilemma. Want some help?" He stopped and planted his feet, bracing for action.
Vaughn slid her gaze sideways. "Thought you'd never ask." She spun out of the way and dashed into the storage area.
Faulk went to work throwing a punch to the midsection of the tallest goon. He spun and kicked out, landing a solid blow to the knees of the smallest assailants. He went down and Vaughn focused on getting the item safely put away.
She quickly keyed in the combination to the vault and placed the artifact inside. Closing the vault, she flexed her fingers and loosened her muscles in her neck and shoulders. Then she went out to help Faulk kick some ass.

I'm striving to get this series written and ready for publishing. Working on a fun side story helps keep the creativity going.


 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday, May 8, 2022

Sunday Snippet: Zinging Barbs (a South of the Border bonus free read)

What a crazy week of weather. We had rain, rain, rain, which is probably great for the gardens—as long as the plants are hardy. We also had some close to freezing temps in the wee hours of the morning.

Another super-busy work week. Started a few new projects and I'm humming along on some others. I like having a variety of work and I definitely have that right now.

Another slower week for television. I got started again on doing some clearing out and sorting of stuff I've put off way too long. The good news is I've discovered a ton of missing socks, which makes me very happy.

I watched the second episode of Harrow's third season. So far, I really, really dislike the new boss. But … I kind of love the dynamic between Harrow and Fairley. Discovering Grace is married is something I'm on the fence with, but we'll see what happens there.

Caught another episode of Blue Heelers. I'm a little disappointed to find out I won't be able to watch the bulk of the series now. It seems to have been removed from the streaming service I've been watching it on. Maybe it'll pop back up again. I still have the season to finish then I'll see what happens.

Enjoyed another lesson of MasterClass with Neil deGrasse Tyson. This one talked about systems of beliefs.

Finished up Young Wallander: Killer's Shadow and it did not disappoint. I hope there's another season of this show.

Watched two episodes of Classic Rugrats. I enjoy having this show on in the background when I'm reading emails.

Caught an episode of Chicago Med and, wow, I'm starting to wonder a little if this is Conor's last season. Things seem to be ramping up quickly.

Enjoyed another episode of The Snoopy Show. This one had a bunch of spring-like vignettes.

Watched another episode of Loch Ness and there didn't seem to be a lot of forward momentum on the case, but little revelations popped up and into the storyline. I'm excited for the next episode.

Finished up the second part of Silent Witness. I'm kind of happy Thomas didn't do something sketchy with the information he had on the ex's new boyfriend. Even though she pretty much deserves anything he hands out. She's a piece of work.

Managed to finish an arc of Classic Who. I'll be starting a new one this week. I'm still on the fence with Mel as a companion. She does a lot of screaming.

Also watched the last episode of The Laundry Guy. I actually hope he does another round of episodes. I thoroughly enjoyed the six available.

Watched the Marvel Assembled: The Making of Hawkeye. Honestly, I really loved the first season and I'm kind of hoping there will be another, even if it's primarily Clint-free. Some great groundwork is out there if they continue this.

Started a new episode of The Hardy Boys. I love the mystery of this season and I can't wait to finish this episode.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Zinging Barbs, a bonus free read set in the South of the Border universe.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Relic finder Vaughn Dyson sticks much closer to home since Faulkner Roush saved her life, but when an artifact all but lands in her lap, she insists on taking it to the university for safe-keeping, which Faulkner can't argue about even if they'll be late for a party in their honor.

And a snippety peek…

Faulkner Roush smashed the accelerator and shot past a large van then jammed on the brakes when another car cut him off. "Dammit!" He slid his gaze to his passenger. "Why the hell are we doing this again?" A spot opened up and he zoomed through.

Vaughn Dyson barely held on to the artifact, wrapped protectively in padding and paper foam. "Because my luck is shit—even though this beauty practically fell from the sky into my lap—and the black market dealers would probably kill to get their hands on it." She angled her head toward him. "You don't want to put our friends in danger, right?"

As if. And definitely hell no. Like he and Vaughn, their friends had to fight to be together. Lars and Kiernan, Vail and Ellery, and Hayden and Lilith finally had peace and calm in their lives. He and Vaughn didn't need to wreck their friend's hard-won happiness.

Of course, their status as a couple might be short-lived … if they couldn't make it to a gathering in their honor.

Taking a sharp left, he squeezed through the alley behind the university. "You know we're gonna be late. Again." They'd been late to the formal ceremony at the university bestowing an award for the return of the jade relic that had brought them back together.

Vaughn rolled her eyes. "Remind me again who made us late for that award?" Her lips curved in a sexy grin.

Faulk grunted. "Technically?" He flicked his gaze sideways. "You did. That dress all but begged me to strip it off…" He veered to the right and drove into the parking garage, pulling up to the freight entrance. "And I didn't hear any complaints or protests." He did, however, hear her vocal moans during their steamy sex on the sofa.

She smirked. "What can I say. You in a tuxedo is a big turn-on." Popping the handle, she ducked out of the vehicle. "Be back in five. I'm only taking this one floor up. It'll be safe in the vault until Tuesday." Pushing the door closed with her ass, she quickly entered the elevator and headed out of sight.

After five minutes passed, Faulk drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "Come on, Vaughn. Don't get sucked into any debates with long-winded professors." He'd give her a little longer then all bets were off.

They had someplace to be.

I have a lot of love for Vaughn and Faulkner. Their story is coming along nicely and we'll get to visit with more characters from the South of the Border series.


 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin