Sunday, December 27, 2015

Sunday Snippet: Words Not Necessary

Well, it's my last snippet post of the year and I'm happy to note I didn't miss a week. That's a goal achievement I'm proud of.

Going into 2016, I have quite a few projects on tap for release and I'm very excited about those, too. I may roll a new weekly blog feature or try a newsletter this year. If anyone is interested, please don't hesitate to contact me to be added to the list.

Not much on the television front this week. I watched the finales for The Librarians and Agent X. According to my google fu, Agent X isn't renewed for another season, which is kind of disappointing. Since there are only ten episodes, I may try my hand at recapping the one and only season. We'll see what time allows.

On a side note, I did enjoy the Doctor Who Christmas special. It's my fondest hope I can get into the new season when it premieres, but I don't hold out much hope. The heart of the show is missing for me and unless the Doctor gets a truly marvelous companion, I doubt I'll be interested or able to keep with the all the cleverness Moffat tries to weave.

Oh, well. Looking forward to my favorite shows returning and having more to chat about each week.

Tonight's post is from Words Not Necessary, a novella where my couple's ability to communicate without words is the stuff of legend.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Sometimes an outside observer can provide a lot of insight on a couple's relationship, even if they'll never understand it. London and Braun are so in tune with each other they rarely speak, yet their communication is evident for anyone to see.

And a sneaky peek…

London Groche popped the canopy of her plane and snapped the release for her helmet. Yanking it off her head, she resisted the urge to throw the protective cover to the hangar deck and grab the deckhand by the throat to strangle her.
Delia Carruthers handed London the post-flight checklist. "Sir, if you'll mark the problems in the boxes, I'll pull the panels myself and run the diagnostics."
London snorted, but checked seven of the nine spots on the list. She shoved the clipboard back in Delia's hands and arched an eyebrow, indicating the deckhand better get out of London's way.
Delia scrambled down the ladder then scurried over to the lab area to pull the cables that had better damned well "diagnose" what the hell happened to her plane. London lost practically everything. Radar, thrust, weaponry, comms, guidance, navigation, and the ability to signal. London flew with nothing but the engine and basic maneuverability. The LSO thankfully let her land because she had jack all way of communicating her lack of important equipment.
London threw her helmet over the side of her plane and descended the ladder. She ignored the squawk of outrage when a crew member almost tripped over her head gear. The lowly specialist picked it up and thrust the helmet toward the ladder where it would be out of the way. Everyone gave London wide berth, not wanting to test her patience. Rightfully so. She spoiled for a fight, confrontation, anything to get rid of the rage boiling inside her brain.
The callback went out over the comm system, giving the all clear for the rest of the squadron to land. London stayed on the hangar deck, pissed off because she should've been out there to help mop up the raiding enemy ships. Delia got the cables hooked up and London hovered over top of the deckhand until the deck chief showed up.
He crossed his arms over his chest. "Lieutenant, the diagnostics won't go any faster with you breathing down her neck." Abel Gordon leveled his most piercing glare on London.
She didn't flinch away from it or him. "Don't care. This is bullshit, Chief." Planes started lowering to the hangar deck, but London held her ground. "I lost damned near everything in the middle of a battle." Her voice rose, her anger getting the better of her.
Gordon held up a hand. "I'm aware, Lieutenant. We'll handle the problem—"
London cut him off. "Problems. With an 's'. You know, plural, as in multiples, more than one, and like seven too many." She advanced on the chief, a little please the big, brawny guy backed up several steps.
Her mouth opened to continue but a firm grip on her bicep had her swinging around ready to blast whoever had the balls to interrupt her tirade. Her lips clamped shut and her shoulders sagged. The only person with the power to suck the wind from her sails. Braun Orilly. CAG, best friend, lover, and calming presence. He didn't need to tell her to shut the hell up. He understood her frustration and irritation, but he didn't put up with his pilots making asses of themselves. Not even her.
He raised both eyebrows. "Really? In the middle of the deck, you're going to go into mega-bitch mode?" He didn't speak, conveying everything with his expressive face.
London shrugged and made a pointed look at her ruined plane. "Well, yeah. Plane's down, which means I'm out of commission." He knew her well enough to know being stuck would drive her insane.
Abel backed away, turning to issue orders for the incoming pilots' post-checklist. The crew scattered, dashing to and fro to carry out their assigned tasks. London barely paid attention, her gaze on Braun while they continued their non-verbal conversation.
He draped an arm around her back and dipped his chin. "You know they'll fix it up or assign a different plane for you." His silent admonishment hit home with a quirk of his brow.
She rolled her eyes and wrinkled her nose. "Right. I'll draw Stinko's plane and smell like rotten eggs for three days." The guy got his call sign for a reason.
Braun threw his head back and laughed and the tension she carried finally broke. Her posture relaxed and a chuckled escaped before she could stop it. Braun hugged her close, giving her a hard squeeze then jerked his head toward the corridor leading the crew quarters. London gave a quick shake of her head and held up five fingers. She'd follow in a few.
Delia glanced in London's direction, her fingers swiping over the handheld panel, feeding information into the diagnostic equipment. "How do you do that?"
London frowned. "Do what?" She tilted her head to one side, confused by the question.
Delia snorted. "Are you kidding? You just had an entire conversation with Captain Orilly and never said a word." She gave London a look like she should know exactly what Delia meant. "How do you do it?"
London lifted a shoulder. "I don't know. We just do." Uncomfortable with the scrutiny, she arched an eyebrow. "Don't you have a sick plane to make better?" She didn't wait for a reply, instead taking off to grab a shower and maybe some chow.
But she considered Delia's question. She and Braun did have an uncanny connection. Thinking back, London tried to remember the first time they used their non-verbal shorthand.
Her face lit up with a smile when the memory hit.
Missing planning for bombing an outpost.
Two years ago.

I'm trying something a little different for me with this one and it's fun to write. London and Braun are making it easy, which is a big bonus.



That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Sunday Snippet: Spirit's Bright Star

*meep* Pardon me while I have a small panic attack. It's somehow five days before Xmas and I have nothing wrapped. This doesn't happen, at least not for a long time. All I can say is the sages have been prolific and when they're feeding me words, I pretty much lose all track of time. So… a whirlwind wrapping session is on tap starting first thing tomorrow. Ugh.

I missed the Haven finale. See previous comment about the sages feeding me words. I'll catch it on demand in the near future. I hope. LOL

The Librarians and Agent X had pretty great episodes this week. I'm also in a good mood after watching the magic and mayhem the librarians get involved in. And Agent X makes the conspiracy theorist part of my brain work to figure things out. Two hour finale next week and I'm definitely interested in where the season ends.

That's it for TV this week.

Tonight's post is from Spirit's Bright Star, my holiday story that's coming in under the wire. Releasing this week!

Here's the mini-blurb:

Courtney Caine and Gib Gallagher incur the head of security's wrath. The top man for Space Station Gamma punishes his two best shadow operatives by putting them in charge of all the decorations for the upcoming holiday season, and they have to pull off creating the glitz and glamor without blowing their covers.

And a sneaky peek…

Gib pulled the information on the eight different themes McCall gave them and printed out a tentative supply list. Research sucked. But seeing how Courtney would pull together the perfect wife look greatly appealed to him.
The woman constantly amazed. She could operate under any kind of circumstance. When McCall needed a femme fatale, he almost always tagged Courtney for the role. Her transformations blew everyone away and she slipped into various characters with ease. Yet she managed to hold her own against thugs bigger and stronger than her feminine frame. She rarely let a target escape her grasp, the slip-up with Beno notwithstanding.
And he'd laid out a huge challenge for her. "I'll bet she really blows my mind." He rose and exited the interview room, heading for the clothing area to find an undercover wardrobe.
He'd probably need to hit up a stylist, too. He usually avoided the need, but his usual shaggy, collar-length style wouldn't cut it, not if he wanted to pull of portraying a big name designer. He wondered what Courtney would come up with… probably something super chic and ultra-sharp.
And sexy.
Geez, he needed to get his mind off Courtney and focus on the op.
But a few more moments wouldn't hurt. Her looks combined with a keen intelligence made for an intriguing package. Warm and witty, she let her guard down, but not often. The job required her to keep a certain aloof quality, or maybe Courtney cultivated the allure to make it easier to play her various roles.
She always kept the other operatives at arm's length. He understood why she might, but he wanted to pursue something, anything, with her. He'd heard the scuttlebutt—Courtney didn't hook-up with coworkers. He imagined several reasons why. A former romance gone bad. Or maybe a personal moral code. Regulations didn't state employees couldn't have relationships.
Whatever her reasons, he aimed to discover them. Puzzles intrigued him and he wanted to figure Courtney out. If he could unlock the door she kept firmly closed and determine what really made her tick, he stood a chance at something great. If she really didn't want him, he'd respect her wishes. But he'd try like hell to change her mind.
They could be spectacular together.

I'm looking forward to having this one out there. Courtney and Gib were so much fun to write.



That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Ho-Ho-Ho Under the Mistletoe—Spirit's Bright Star #MistletoeHop





Enter for a chance to win an awesome prize!

Grab your mistletoe and pucker up!

Welcome to the Mistletoe Hop, an excellent sampling of authors sharing short excerpts from their work.

Readers: Please enjoy the steamy snippets and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link. Enter by leaving a comment for a chance to receive a free copy.

Bloggers: Please check out the excellent previews and spread the word.

~*~

My favorite family tradition started about ten years ago. I got the wild hair idea to have a themed holiday tree. I had my oldest kiddo pick the theme and we came up with ideas for how to make ornaments and use things around the house to decorate. To date we've had Under the Sea, Buried Treasure, Nature's Bounty, Candy Land, Snowflakes and Cupcakes, Techno Tree, Imaginext, Noah's Ark, Seahawks Rule—much to the chagrin of my Browns loving husband, and Bells are Ringing.

This year my daughter got to choose and she wanted to do something a little vintage. We've decorated a white tree with old fashioned looking ornaments in jewel tones. She hasn't really named it yet, but I've been calling it our Vintage Jewel tree. It's really quite lovely.




After getting the tree decorated, my favorite 'me' tradition is to turn on some seasonal music, get a glass of wine or cup of tea, and decompress by reading a holiday romance. It's a nice little respite from the crazy schedules, piles of presents, and butt-loads of wrapping paper waiting in the wings.

After getting the tree decorated, my favorite 'me' tradition is to turn on some seasonal music, get a glass of wine or cup of tea, and decompress by reading a holiday romance. It's a nice little respite from the crazy schedules, piles of presents, and butt-loads of wrapping paper waiting in the wings.



~*~

Traditions are wonderful things. But what happens when you can't follow an established one? Or you don't have any in the first place? When writing as ML Skye, I tend to focus on science fiction or speculative romance, imagining a future where couples have the same issues of contemporary times, but find love in a different galaxy or another planet. They also celebrate the season, albeit in a slightly different way.

My holiday release, Season's Bright Star, features a couple who have to go undercover to bring in a wanted criminal and their alter egos are the design team for the huge holiday display on a space station. Courtney and Gib have very different upbringings and some of their traditions helped shape who they are. In Courtney's case, letting go of the not so wonderful customs could free her to pursue a terrific new path with Gib.

I had so much fun writing the book and I'm giving a digital copy away for this blog hop. Please leave a comment for your entry and share your favorite part of the holiday season. (Maybe it involves books!)

~*~

Book Tagline: On Space Station Gamma, Courtney and Gib discover love while working undercover during the holiday season.

~*~

Courtney Caine paced back and forth in the small interview room of Outpost Five, Space Station Gamma's security hub. The ass chewing she'd just received still burned and the man who caused it offered zero help. And the new assignment to fix their screw up sucked balls.
She stopped and whirled around. "Dammit, Gib, how the hell can we pull this whole 'get the station ready for every damned holiday ever' thing McCall wants?" Warren, the head of security, had to be out of his mind.
No, more like pissed off and looking to make two of his undercover agents pay the price.
Her fellow ass-chewee, Gib Gallagher, tilted his handsome head to one side and pondered her question. Courtney wished the guy didn't look good enough to eat. Tall, built, and rough around the edges, the exact type she tended to go for. And a prime candidate for the security forces, which put him out of her reach. She avoided workplace relationships like the Tanthiac plague—who needed the awkward vibes after it inevitably ended?
Gib snapped his fingers. "I've got it. We could arrive under the guise of a brilliant omnisexual designer with his overworked and harried assistant in tow."
She frowned. "You couldn't pass for an omnisexual. No way."
Gib scoffed. "I'll have you know if a hot dude or smokin' alien asked me for sex, I'd totally consider it."
And if she asked? Yeah, he'd absolutely entertain the idea. Alas, she would never broach the topic.
Couldn't. Even if she wanted to.
Courtney rolled her eyes. "Really? What kind of guy would you be attracted to?"
He answered. "Someone buff, tough, and rough. Oh… and tall. Maybe with dark hair." He waggled his eyebrows.
She snorted. "You moron, you just described yourself. That's not omnisexual. Hell, I don't think there's a name for wanting to screw yourself." She shook her head. "I don't even want to know what kind of alien you'd be into. Probably a thick-skinned, scaly Scathian,"
He wrinkled his nose. "No way. Their scales would chafe too badly and the slime green coloring kinda skeeves me out. Now the blue-toned Caprisians are another story—wait… you think I’m buff?" He waited a beat. "Of course you do. That's how we landed in this mess in the first place."
Damn. The. Man. She would not take full responsibility.
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Uh uh. You're not laying the blame on me. How do you figure it's my fault?"
He smirked. "You shouldn't have been checking out my ass. We wouldn't have lost Beno if you were focused on the job." His brow arched, daring her to counter.



~*~

Book Blurb: Courtney Caine and Gib Gallagher incur the head of security's wrath. The top man for Space Station Gamma punishes his two best shadow operatives by putting them in charge of all the decorations for the upcoming holiday season, and they have to pull off creating the glitz and glamor without blowing their covers.

~*~



~*~
Please stop by my website


Get the holiday spirit and relax! Visit the other participating authors.


Sunday, December 13, 2015

Sunday Snippet: Wires Crossed

Argh!!! The Flash, Arrow, and Agents of SHIELD left off at cliffhangery moments. But what awesome episodes!!! I have lots and lots of thoughts, but won't share here for the sake of saving some space. LOL

Haven has one more week and will end on a double episode. I truly hope it ends well, mainly because I've been with the show since the very beginning.

The Librarians and Agent X are still entertaining me. I really enjoyed last week's Agent X and can't wait to see what happens this week. Gotta say the actor playing the foil in last week's episode is making the rounds. He's been on a lot of shows I've been watching.

Looking forward to Agent Carter coming soon. I love the format and the entire cast of characters. Can't wait.

That's it for the TV roundup this week.

Tonight's post is from Wires Crossed, a novella where my main characters have a ton of conflict to work through.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Vanessa Twill and Justin Hardwick don't always see eye to eye and the tension between them is thick and taut. When a training exercise goes bad, the duo is grounded until they get their act together. Forced to communicate, they work out some issues and realize they didn't have their wires crossed… a saboteur did. Literally.

And a sneaky peek…

Vanessa Twill sat in the cockpit, watching her trainee perform a difficult series of maneuvers. "Nice job, Catnap. A little rough on the ending sequence though." She typed in a brief report on the comm screen. "I want you to spend an extra hour or two in the simulator this week."
Catnap, also known as Catherine Napali, replied, "Copy that, Lieutenant." She flew around and got into formation with the other trainees.
The next cadet flew out, not one of hers, and Vanessa settled in for a few minutes of relaxation.
"Hey, Van. Your newb made some sloppy mistakes out there." Justin Hardwick broke into the radio silence on a ship-to-ship call.
Her counterpart in training often drove her mad with snide comments and too many helpful suggestions. They rarely saw eye-to-eye on teaching techniques. From the moment they'd met, they'd been at each other's throats over the right way to whip the new squadron into shape.
Vanessa flipped over to Justin's frequency. "She didn't do anything a few extra sessions in the simulator won't iron out." And some extra attention from Vanessa.
Justin's snort crackled over the radio. "She should go back out there and run the sequence three more times. Correct the mistake while she's making it."
Vanessa rolled her eyes. Justin's answer to any and all busted moves—repeat the exercise three times or more. If they didn't run the risk of damaging multibillion dollar spacecrafts, she might go along with the stupid idea.
She went to respond but her radar panel lit up like a pleasure casino. The squawk of everyone speaking at once had her cutting the main comms to drown out the noise and hopefully help the pilot in distress. Justin's candidate spun wildly and she stayed quiet while Justin calmly tried to talk him through the procedure to get back on track. When he failed, he had no other option but to have the kid get clear of the plane.
"Red Hen, eject, eject, eject." Justin's voice rang out, loud and clear, over the line.
Vanessa sucked in a harsh breath and held it, hoping like hell the kid remembered the location of the trigger mechanism. A second and a half later, the panel blew and the seat shot up and out of the plane, which continued to spiral out of control. Vanessa slowly exhaled, her heart beating a rapid staccato. She ordered the trainees back to the ship and led the formation to the hangar deck. Justin stayed behind, waiting on the SAR transport to come out and pick Rafe Hernandez, Red Hen, up.
Coming to a smooth landing, she popped the canopy of her bird and removed her helmet. Rising up, she looked around for the deck hand that she normally handed her equipment off to, but met the angry gaze of the XO, instead.
He shook his head. "That one was a little too close for comfort, Lieutenant. Let's make sure it doesn't happen again."
Slumping back down into the cockpit, Vanessa closed her eyes and counted to ten. They were lucky no one got hurt and Rafe remembered his training. But she'd give Rafe an earful when he got back in.
Justin and Vanessa have many a battle to fight and most of them are up hill.



That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Sunday Snippet: Wings Get Clipped

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Even if you don't celebrate anything holiday related, I hope the festive nature rubs off and make December terrific.

So… Gotham. Interesting stuff building in this season. I'm truly loving all the potential and the twists and turns. I'm very curious about how they'll deal with Gordon's actions. I love how he's not afraid to get messy, but there has to be some kind of line he won't cross.

The Flash and Arrow crossover event ended up being pretty decent, especially since it bridges the setup of a new show. Could it have been better? Absolutely. But I think it accomplished a ton of stuff and stayed true to the characters.

The Walking Dead finale seemed a little flat, but I'll give the showrunners this one. The rest of the season has been so top notch; I'm willing to wait for a bigger payoff. In all honesty, I'm not super excited about adding the uber-villain into the mix just yet, even if the actor they cast is incredible. I'll reserve judgment until I see the new episodes.

Haven inches ever closer to the end and I'm on the fence about the stunt casting of Shatner. I love the man as an actor, but I hope the payoff is worth using him. I do have a ton of joy over the fact they're addressing Duke and Audrey's somewhat tumultuous relationship. It's my fondest hope the combined effort of Duke, Audrey, and Nathan will be what it takes to rid Haven of Croatoan and keep the town safe. We'll see if I'm on track very soon.

The Librarians and Agent X are still enjoyable. I like the slow reveal of John's background in Agent X and love the dropped hint in the most recent episode. Won't say more to keep the post spoiler free for now.

Last but not least, Agents of SHIELD and Doctor Who. I'm kind of excited to see where AoS ends up. I like seeing a darker Coulson, but I'm not sure I buy him getting all bent over the death of a woman he pretty much just met. Eh… we'll see what happens. And Doctor Who… well, I honestly don't have a lot to say. Or maybe I've got so much to say I can't possibly put it all in one post. Still hugely disappointed and, quite frankly, too stupid to really understand what the big freaking deal is with the hybrid crap. At least the Xmas episode looks pretty fun.

And that's it for television this week. I hope to start Daredevil and Jessica Jones over the holiday hiatus. YAY!

Tonight's post is from Wings Get Clipped, a novella where my characters bond over a huge external conflict.

Here's the mini-blurb:

In the middle of a war, a long-standing personal vendetta comes to light against Schuler Grace and Gren Gambolina's commanding officer and it puts the two soldiers directly in the line of fire. Fighting the enemy within, while doing battle with their adversaries on the warfront, Schuler and Gren form an unbreakable bond to see them through their biggest challenge.

And a sneaky peek…

Admiral Shellan sat before the Joint Council, ready to deliver his final demand. "You're going to put me in charge of the Andromeda theater." He'd already received concessions for several topics and he'd saved the most important for last.
The chairman leaned forward. "Shellan, we won't allow you to pursue a personal vendetta in the middle of a war. If that's your plan, you can stay in the Triangulum theater."
Shellan nodded slowly. "I assure you I'm not gunning for Wharton. I know the Andromeda theater and you need my knowledge." He paused, waiting several long beats. "If you want to win."
The members of council glanced back and forth between each other, two going so far as to bob their heads up and down. Shellan settled back in his seat. He'd won this round. The chairman wouldn't be able to refuse Shellan's demand to move his command to the outpost in Andromeda.
And Shellan would get his chance to take Wharton down, once and for all.
The chairman folded his hands on the table. "Admiral Shellan. You're hereby assigned as the supreme commander of the Andromeda theater. But… I caution you, on the record, about using this post to enact a personal vendetta against Commander Wharton. You'll be removed from command and stripped of all commendations if we get any kind of indication you're abusing your rank, are you perfectly clear on that topic?" Wizened eyes pinned Shellan with their gaze.
The admiral gave a curt nod. "I am." He didn't stand on ceremony and rose from his seat. "I'll leave immediately." He strode toward the exit and twisted the knob. "I'll get results. You can count on it." Yanking the door open, he walked out of the room, back straight and head high.
His aide fell into step beside him. "Sir? Everything went according to your plan?"
Shellan let a wide, slow smile grace his face. "Of course, Schwartz." He made a turn and strode down into the landing bay where his flagship waited to depart.
Schwartz leaned in closer to the admiral. "And Wharton? Did they question you about him?"
Shellan sent his aide a sideways glance. "Of course they did. They sputtered and spewed their usual ass-covering platitudes then gave me exactly what I wanted."
Schwartz followed Shellan onto the ship. "And that would be?"
Shellan turned and faced his aide. "The chance to kill two enemies in one go, Schwartz, what else?"

As my characters discover, Shellan will be huge obstacle to overcome.


That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Dress for Dinner #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

MFRW Authors Blog

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

I hope everyone is geared up for the holiday season!

For my selection, I'll be featuring an excerpt from Dressed for Dinner, the final installment in the Top Dog Pilots series.

This week, Maggie meets her uncle's new bride.

Series Tagline: Two top pilots, Max Cutter and Maggie Harper, like to mix a little personal with their professional life.

Book Tagline: A formal dinner with an admiral challenges Cutter's ability to play nice.

~*~

Maggie observed her new auntie in action. Her fingers lingered too long on the sleeves of the male officers. Her eyes flashed promises at each and every one. She thrived on suggestive words and innuendo. And she had a throaty laugh that seemed to be a mating call. Maggie would bet the woman had claws when crossed.
She aimed to find out.
Working her way through the throng of men packed around the vivacious red head, Maggie smiled sweetly. "Uncle Artie suggested I show you to the head… sorry, the facilities, so you can freshen up a bit." She turned to the disappointed masses. "Sorry, boys. She'll be back later." Maggie didn't wait for Celine to respond. She grabbed the woman's arm above the elbow and dragged her down the corridor.
Celine stumbled along beside her, the heels of her fuck-me shoes skittering on the nubby surface of the deck. Maggie shoved open the hatch and tugged Celine inside.
The other woman whirled around to face her. "What. The hell?" She tossed her head and straightened her shoulders.
Maggie smirked. "I'm sorry? You weren't done holding court?" She turned the water on and rinsed her hands. "I'm sure the guys will understand. None of them want to piss off a retired admiral."
Celine rolled her eyes and snorted. "Please. I've got Arthur wrapped. He finds it amusing when all those young bucks fawn all over me." She moved to stand in front of a mirror, adjusting the bodice of her dress.
Any lower and her tits would fall out.
Maggie shook her head back and forth. "You know, Celine. The thing about manipulative creatures like you is… you always think you're smarter than anyone else."
Celine's lips curved up in a nasty smile. "I usually am, darling."
Maggie shrugged. "Maybe. But the other thing about your type…" She moved to stand behind the other woman, meeting her gaze in the mirror. "And this is the best part, so pay attention." Celine narrowed her eyes, but said nothing. "You always trip yourself up. You can't help it." Maggie backed away, giving Celine room to refresh her lipstick. "Believe your own hype and eventually, it'll bite you on the ass."


Available on Amazon

~*~

Series Blurb: Follow the adventures of Max 'Ripper' Cutter and Maggie 'Magpie' Harper, two ace pilots at the top of their game. Whether it's surviving Hell Week, exploring uncharted space, or dealing with a unique family situation, Cutter and Maggie rise to the challenge.


Book Blurb: Max Cutter and Maggie Harper are top dog pilots, training up and coming aviators on the Pathos. Their system garners the attention of the admiralty and a new recruitment program is initiated—one with a family connection to Maggie. When she has to reveal a big secret, Cutter is less than thrilled. But they've been together long enough to smooth the choppy waters.

Until Maggie's uncle arrives with his much younger new bride, Celine Rockwell Harper. Maggie takes one look at the woman and sees a recipe for disaster. She confronts her new aunt and gives the sultry woman a warning—sooner or later, Celine will trip herself up. Celine is confident she can deal with any fallout her mild flirtations may cause.

When Maggie has to bow out of the full dress dinner with their commanding officer, her uncle and his wife, Cutter is left to handle the grasping and pawing Celine on his own—no easy feat. When the nightmare dinner party is over, Cutter welcomes Maggie's brand of cleansing his palette.

~*~




~*~
Please stop by my website

Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Sunday Snippet: Why We Fight

I hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving had a terrific one. I spent mine with some extended family and had a lovely time.

Slower than normal week in television, which was rather nice. Gotham turned in a great episode. I have much love for Alfred and this episode made me love him all the more. Haven continues to impress me. I really will hate to see the show end.

The Walking Dead fall finale is tonight, right? I'll miss having my Sunday night viewing staple, but with the holidays coming up, the time should fly. I'll have to see if The Librarians and Agent X are taking a break, too.

Last but not least, Doctor Who. I'm truly saddened I just can't seem to get into the new season. This year's Christmas special may be my last episode. I'll have to do some Whovian soul searching over the next few weeks.

Tonight's post is from Why We Fight, a novella where my hero surprises my heroine by not playing to type.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Emmett Barley, an embedded investigative reporter, pushes Pier Luphen, the squadron leader, for honest answers about the war they're fighting. She tries to take the status quo, but Emmett won't have it. He's heard the military party line his entire life and he wants the truth or nothing. He also wants Pier, but she's not willing to compromise her mission regardless of how she feels about Emmett.

And a sneaky peek…

"Luphen! Report to the CO, now, now, now."
Pier rolled out of her bunk and blinked several times. "What? Why?" She jammed her feet in her shoes and threw on a jacket. "I'm not on duty today." She'd crashed in her fatigues and t-shirt, which suited her at the moment.
A lifted shoulder met her question. "No clue, but he told me to personally escort you to his office." The aide folded his arms over his chest. "I'm not leaving without you."
Pier rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'm ready. Let's go." She preceded him out the door.
Her brain went wild, wondering why the CO would call her in on a rare duty free day. She'd been diligent lately, pulling more than her fair share of work and extra shifts. After the last run in with the CO, Pier decided being on his bad side sucked balls. She slid a glance toward the aide. His face impassive, he didn't provide an inkling for the reason she'd been summoned.
Dammit.
All too soon she stood outside the CO's office, the aide conveniently ducking into the mess hall before she could ask him anything else.
She knocked on the door and entered as protocol dictated. "Luphen, reporting as ordered, Sir." Her gaze swept the room, noting two individuals seated to the left of the CO's desk.
Both looked like new recruits fresh off the transport.
Colonel Nelson Ambry directed Pier to have a seat in the chair opposite him. "Lieutenant. You're off duty today, is that correct?"
Pier nodded. "Yes, sir. First day in over two weeks." Her heart flipped, but she made the appropriate offer. "Do you need me to cover a shift for someone, Sir?" She wouldn't cry if he said yes, but she'd want to.
Ambry shook his head. "No, Lieutenant, but I am giving you a new ongoing assignment. One you'll be responsible for from now until a date later specified." He folded his hands on the smooth surface of his desk. "You're going to be our new press liaison for the reporter coming to embed with us. It's on you to keep him safe and make sure he learns the ins and outs of what he can do and where he can go."
Pier bit back a groan. Oh, hell no. She would rather work back to back shifts for the remainder of her deployment than get stuck with babysitting detail. She'd tried so hard to stay off the radar after her last run in with Ambry.
Meeting the colonel's gaze, Pier asked outright. "Sir, have I done something recently to piss you off?"
Ambry snorted. "On the contrary, Luphen. Your behavior has been exemplary this past month." He quirked an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"
She answered honestly. "Because I have no desire to be the press liaison or to be responsible for keeping a pain in the ass reporter alive, especially if, like the last one, he has a propensity for going exactly where he's been told not to go." Her voice rose, but she quickly backpedaled. "With all due respect, Sir, someone else might do a better job than I will."
Ambry laughed, a deep, hearty sound. "Lieutenant, considering the said pain in the ass reporter is sitting in this room, I think introductions are in order." He got up and nodded toward the other two men. "Emmett Barley, meet your new best friend, Lieutenant Pier Luphen."
Pier hoped she did an admirable job of keeping her jaw off the ground when the taller of the two guys rose from his seat. Unlike the last dandified press hound, Emmett had standard issue military garb, including a flak vest, helmet, and rucksack. No leather bags, with shiny zippers, or bright, flashy clothes. But clothes didn't mean squat if the guy insisted on hitting restricted zones.

Pier is going to have a lot of fun trying keep Emmett at bay, especially when he keeps turning her preconceived notions on their head.



That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Dress for Dinner #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

MFRW Authors Blog



Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

Whew. After an extremely long hiatus from participating in the Book Hooks, I'm finally back and looking forward to diving into some great excerpts.

For my selection, I'll be featuring Dressed for Dinner, the final installment in the Top Dog Pilots series.

This week, we check in with Cutter and Maggie and see where they are now.

Series Tagline: Two top pilots, Max Cutter and Maggie Harper, like to mix a little personal with their professional life.

Book Tagline: A formal dinner with an admiral challenges Cutter's ability to play nice.

~*~

Major Maggie Harper zipped up her rucksack and placed it next to Max Cutter's beside their front door. After a six week furlough, they were headed back to the Pathos and its commanding officer, Drake Essex.
Two years with the same CO, one she respected, had done wonders to temper her penchant for requesting transfers. Or maybe the two plus years with Cutter had settled her down. Either way, Maggie looked forward to getting back out in the black.
She checked the time. Still early yet. Cutter had the shower running… maybe she'd join him. Peeling off her shirt, she hit the steps at a run and ducked into the bathroom. Shimmied out of her shorts and panties and quietly popped the shower door open.
Cutter stood with this forehead against the wall, water sluicing over his skin. He still made Maggie hot. The planes and angles of his muscles, the way his skin glistened under the steaming spray. She eased up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, sliding her hands up to his chest. Cutter grabbed one and brought it to his lips, grazing her knuckles.
"Wondered if you'd join me."

Available on Amazon

~*~

Series Blurb: Follow the adventures of Max 'Ripper' Cutter and Maggie 'Magpie' Harper, two ace pilots at the top of their game. Whether it's surviving Hell Week, exploring uncharted space, or dealing with a unique family situation, Cutter and Maggie rise to the challenge.


Book Blurb: Max Cutter and Maggie Harper are top dog pilots, training up and coming aviators on the Pathos. Their system garners the attention of the admiralty and a new recruitment program is initiated—one with a family connection to Maggie. When she has to reveal a big secret, Cutter is less than thrilled. But they've been together long enough to smooth the choppy waters.

Until Maggie's uncle arrives with his much younger new bride, Celine Rockwell Harper. Maggie takes one look at the woman and sees a recipe for disaster. She confronts her new aunt and gives the sultry woman a warning—sooner or later, Celine will trip herself up. Celine is confident she can deal with any fallout her mild flirtations may cause.

When Maggie has to bow out of the full dress dinner with their commanding officer, her uncle and his wife, Cutter is left to handle the grasping and pawing Celine on his own—no easy feat. When the nightmare dinner party is over, Cutter welcomes Maggie's brand of cleansing his palette.

~*~




~*~
Please stop by my website

In case you missed the first two exciting books in the Top Dog Pilots series.

 Surviving the Trap


Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.




Sunday, November 22, 2015

Sunday Snippet: While We Still Can

Okay, lots of TV stuff to talk about. Gotham is truly upping the stakes and I love the way they're doing it. Gordon is so focused on the crazy sibling duo he's completely missing the trouble brewing with Cobblepot and Nygma. I can't wait to see what happens next. Sleepy Hollow had a decent fall finale. I've missed a bunch of important stuff and need to get caught up.

The Flash is coming along nicely. I'm excited to see where things go, leading up to the Legends of Tomorrow premiere. The same goes for Arrow. This season, between the two shows, there's been a great combo of moving the standard story arcs along with laying great groundwork for the spinoff getting ready to debut. Way to go shows!

Agents of SHIELD keeps throwing interesting twists and turns into the story and I love it. I'm excited to see where things go.

Haven is winding down and I'll be sad to see the show end. I've thoroughly enjoyed watching the adventures of Nathan, Audrey, and Duke. I'm also hoping Syfy fills the void with something good, but I won't hold my breath.

I'm looking forward to The Walking Dead's newest episode. Again, I'm so thrilled with the way this season is unfolding. The balance of total batshit insanity, intense encapsulation, and little seeds being planted is a thing of beauty.

A quick rundown of some other shows. I'm loving the new season of The Librarians. This show makes me happy. I'm also totally in for Agent X. TNT is bringing some great stuff to the screen. Murdoch Mysteries is also coming up with great storylines, which after almost ten years, is so awesome.

Last but not least, I can safely say the most recent episode of Doctor Who hit a home run, even though I'm still not a big fan of Ishieldr / Me. I'm seriously hoping we won't see her as a companion, but I won't hold my breath. *sigh*

And that's it for this week's television roundup.

Tonight's post is from While We Still Can, a sexy short where being in the middle of a war can't stop romance.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Maura Sells and Cobb Kinkleman are fighting in a long and bloody war. During a rare moment of downtime, Cobb decides they need to get what they can, while they can and quickly convinces Maura a heated kiss. They face a bleak future and stealing a night of hot passion may be their only reprieve.

And a sneaky peek…

Maura Sells sat in the back row of the briefing room, listening to her worst nightmare. Her fellow pilot, Cobb Kinkleman—in the front row, as usual—tapped his pen on the armrest of his chair. She couldn't see the action, but the rapid staccato of sound echoed in the nearly empty space.
The CAG finished up the mission report. "As of now, you're on standby. I'll issue final orders as soon as I get the go." He paused and glanced from Cobb to Maura. "Questions?"
Maura barely held back a rude snort when she shook her head back and forth. What kind of question could she possibly have for a hail Mary op? One that would probably lead to her death? The CAG gave a terse nod and exited the room.
Cobb angled his head around and met her gaze. The knowledge rested in eyes—a good chance they wouldn't make it back. Her heart thumped hard in her chest. Lost chances, wasted opportunities, and crappy odds kept them at arms' length. Neither willing to gamble on losing the other.
A bet they had a good chance of winning today. Together.
Cobb slowly rose and made his way to the back of the briefing room. Stopping beside her seat, he nodded toward the hatch. Maura got up, a low hum of adrenaline thrumming through her veins. The keyed up feeling wouldn't go away until they got the call for the mission.
Cobb fell into step beside her. "Rec room to chill or gym to work out some aggression?" He paused at the end of the causeway.
Maura made a right. "Rec room. I want some quiet time to focus." She unzipped her flight suit, shrugged the sleeves down and off, then wrapped them around her waist.
Cobb ducked into the rec room and made a beeline for a table in the corner, one close to the comm unit on the wall. Maura slowed her pace, watching him settle into a chair and kick his feet up on another one. She sank down across from him and propped her legs up on a seat perpendicular to the rest. Cobb drummed his fingers on the smooth surface of the table.
She slapped her palm on his digits. "Stop it. We could have a long wait and I don't want to wrap your fingertips in tape when they start bleeding from your nervous habit."
Cobb smirked but slid his hands from the table. An awkward silence stretched between them and Maura searched for a topic to discuss, something they rarely needed help with.
She opened her mouth, but Cobb held up a finger. "Hold up. I have something that'll help us out." He tilted the chair back and tapped on the panel under the comm unit.
The cover popped off and Cobb reached inside to retrieve a bottle of whiskey with two tumblers stacked on top.
Maura quirked an eyebrow. "Did you have inside information that we'd draw the op?"
Cobb shrugged. "Nope. I've had this stashed for ages." He flipped the glasses over and unscrewed the lid from the bottle. "We've lost so many people lately we can't really keep up with memorializing them." He met her gaze while pouring the amber liquid into the tumblers. "This is as good a time as any to lift a glass to those who've gone before." He pushed a cup toward her.
Raise a glass to those who've gone before. Possibly before their own demise. The irony hit her square in the gut.
She hesitated for a moment then joined him in the toast. "I like the sentiment." Downing the liquid she placed the tumbler on the table and Cobb refilled it. Giving him a level look, she tilted her head to one side. "I get we're on standby, but seriously? Is your plan to get us drunk?"
Cobb lifted a shoulder. "The way I figure it… we might stand a better chance of surviving if we're totally inebriated out there."
Maura choked down the alcohol and barked out a laugh. "You might just be right."

I enjoy taking a tense situation and putting my characters on the edge of an emotional cliff. So much fun to write.



That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip side.

ML Skye

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Sunday Snippet: We Have a Winner

Well, I can finally breathe again. I'm truly hoping I'm done with the cold / viral ick / seasonal funk now. Yeesh.

Gotham had a great episode. I loved the end with two potential villains putting their heads together. That combo could lead to some truly good viewing.

The Flash is getting interesting. I have a sneaking suspicion about who Zoom is going to turn out to be, but I'll refrain from speculating for now. My biggest hint is in looking at his garb…

Arrow keeps getting better and better. I like seeing Oliver and Felicity having some conflict. And it's always fun to see Mama Smoak.

Not much to say about the other shows, but Agents of SHIELD is staying twisty and I like that. Unless it gets too hard to tell who is on what side. Then I'll be annoyed.

One final television note. Doctor Who. Yeah. So disappointed. I can't shake the feeling Moffat and company are trying to be too clever and they're sacrificing the emotional component to do so. "Sleep No More" came off as a jumbled mess, in my opinion. Maybe I'm too stupid to 'get' the cleverness. I don't know.

Tonight's post is from We Have a Winner, a sexy short where my main characters are the subject of a wager.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Kella Yates and Weston Grogan can't fight their attraction and everyone knows it. The entire crew of their ship waits in anticipation for their inevitable hook-up. When they finally cave in to their lust, the winner of the when will it happen pool can be declared.

And a sneaky peek…

Weston pushed Kella against the bulkhead and worked the zipper of her sweatshirt down. His mouth burned a trail from the column of her throat, down over her shoulder and lower, lower, until his lips closed over the taut nipple he'd exposed. His hands shoved Kella's pants past her hips and she stepped out, twisting around to grab hold of Weston's tanks, hauling him close to mesh her lips with his. Using both hands, she backed him against the bulkhead and repeated his movements. Tanks up and off, pants undone and shoved down. She went one step further, sinking to her knees and enveloping his hard length between her lips, going deep.
Weston moaned, his fingers tangling in her hair. "Damn, Kella. Give a guy warning next time."
She grinned around his cock, drawing back, but grasping the girth in her hands. "Now where's the fun in that?" Her tongue swirled around the tip, flicking back and forth. "Besides, you didn't give me any the last time."
Weston's lips quirked. "I didn't, did I?"
Shorter than normal peek, but I hope it whets the appetite.



That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Sunday Snippet: Victory is Hollow

Tis the season to battle nasty colds. Bleh. But it's a great time to catch up on my reading while drinking hot tea. :D

Television this week… The Walking Dead had a great episode. I'm rather enjoying the way we have batshit crazy episode where people are dying or might be dying then we follow it with a different pace, but no less intense episode. Seriously, kudos to the producers because I'm still glued to my screen each week.

Gotham and Sleepy Hollow again had good showings. I'm kind of ready for the twisty dance of the new mayor of Gotham to be completed and his hand fully revealed. And the same goes for Pandora on Sleepy Hollow.

The Flash is making me happy with several little twists. Having a different Wells in the mix is actually pretty fun and I’m crossing my fingers he doesn't turn out to be evil, but we'll see. I love how snarky he is towards everyone.

Arrow is also winding up with a great arc. I love the way the past is still being woven in with the present. And I’m really intrigued with Diggle's brother and what really happened. I have a feeling Darkh isn't being totally forthcoming, because where's the fun in that? LOL

Agents of SHIELD… yeah, totally didn't see the reveal of Lash coming. I should have, but I didn't. And now things are going to get really interesting. I am sort of hoping Ward gets some additional development and doesn't become a cardboard villain.

I watched the final episode of Lost Girl and got weepy because I’m going to miss that show so much. What a great run. I'll definitely enjoy a full rewatch sometime in the future.

And that's it for TV this week.

Tonight's post is from Victory is Hollow, a novella where my main characters have to face their differences and embrace them if they want to move forward.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Patience Clew and Del Mindhapel are elite arms instructors for their training academy and have a lot of tension bouncing back and forth. When two of their cadets go head to head in an illegal duel and one ends up with a mortal wound, the top teachers are confined to quarters and that's when the tension really goes out of control.

And a sneaky peek…

Patience Clew disassembled the P20 sidearm and separated the parts on the table. "Listen up, boys and girls, I'm only going over this one time." She put the weapon back together, explaining each step of the process. "Now, the weight is lighter than you're used to, so you'll have to adjust accordingly." She emptied the clip, aiming at the target in the back of the room.
The classroom erupted into cheers and applause. The students never failed to appreciate one of their instructors offering a live demonstration.
Laying the spent weapon aside, she placed her hands on the table. "Any questions?" She called on the four or five usual individuals who routinely raised their hands.
After answering their queries, she dismissed the class, reminding everyone to be at the range bright and early in the morning.
The cadets filed out of the room and her fellow instructor, Del Mindhapel, rose from his seat in the back. He moved forward, meeting her at the halfway mark in the classroom. Based on his carefully schooled features, Patience figured he had plenty to say about her session this morning.
Her lips twisted in a smirk. "Lay it on me, Del. I can't wait to hear your thoughts about my class this morning." She planted her hands on her hips, ready for anything.
Del crossed his arm in front of his chest. "You left out a few key cautions, didn't you?"
She grinned. "Yes, I did. On purpose." Her methodology rarely failed and she liked to change things up to keep the coursework fresh.
Del shook his head. "Clue me in, Patience. What's the grand plan here?" He drew his words out with a mocking tone.
Patience stood her ground. "Look, they'll learn faster when they make mistakes." She turned and went back to her table. "If they hold true to form, they'll be tearing the weapon apart and putting it back together all day. By the time they reach the range tomorrow, the logical conclusion is they'll figure out what I left out." She shot Del a quick glance. "If they don't, it's a lesson they won't soon forget." No doubt, Del would argue her point.
He quirked an eyebrow. "And you don't see the big ass safety issue staring you in the face?" Not waiting for an answer, he followed her to the head of the room. "The consequences could have explosive results. You have to know that."
She did. But she also trusted the class to figure out the potential pitfalls before they started shooting.
Lifting a shoulder, she slid the P20 into her holster. "This is an intelligent group. I'm confident they'll figure it out." If nothing else, her little group of question bees would.
Del stepped in front of her. "Pretty big risk to take with twenty-two lives." He leveled his gaze on her and wouldn't look away. "And it's not just your ass on the line. Mine's right there, too. I'm running the range practice tomorrow."
He didn't understand, probably never would.
She sighed. "I'm aware. But it would be nice if you could back off, just once, and let me try my way." He always played the safe bet. Always.
The military needed to push boundaries if they wanted to keep their advantage. The hot spots they sent these kids to never read the rule book.
Del's mouth thinned to a flat line. "Your way is going to get someone killed." He turned and strode from the room, the rigid line of his shoulders not budging an inch.
Patience shook her head. One of these days she and Del would hash out their different teaching techniques. He pushed the cadets hard on a physical level, she wanted to press them to use their minds, to think outside the tiny, little box of the classroom and expand their knowledge base by using common sense.
Del might just be surprised how bright the students could be if the academy stopped force-feeding them information.
I love writing characters that start out at cross-purposes and eventually get them together on the same page. One of my favorite scenarios.



That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye