ML Skye - Look to the Stars & Find Romance

Quick Update in Skye Land

2010-09-07T22:44:00.000-04:00

September 7, 2010

Not more than a few weeks since my last post, that's better than I expected. :D

Landscaping took a back seat to the Great Garage Clean Out. And joy of joys…much headway had been made. The trash people are gonna love me on Friday. : )

My middle kidlet is playing golf for the junior high team this fall. So far he's doing pretty well. He's in the sixth grade and doesn’t actually go to the junior high yet, but he meets the age requirement and they needed at least three more to make their team. Needless to say, he's beyond excited and having a great time.

Last month was kick ass for me regarding word count. I exceeded my goal by 5,000+ words. That means for September, I'm going to make an attempt to focus on the manuscripts I've got more or less complete and apply a spit shine to them before submitting anywhere. Hopefully my screeners will have time to take a good long look at each one and give me their thoughts and suggestions.

Speaking of screeners, I should make my next post about them. As previously mentioned, I have four rockin' women who do a truly mag job of offering up constructive criticism. I'll try to make introductions next time. Should probably clear it with them first. ;)

I think that's all for now. Another quick update, but I figure if I keep doing them, I'll get on a more regular schedule.

Catch everyone on the flip!

Cheers!

~Skye~

Another Launch from the Skye Port

2010-08-24T00:43:00.000-04:00

Still weeding, gardening, landscaping. And I started the garage clean up project also. It's so weird how I can sit in front of my monitor on a daily basis and piddle with this manuscript or dabble with that one…and not get a bloomin' thing done.

But send me out to the yard or into the garage and when I get back…CREATIVE MANNA!! LOL

I'll honestly admit it's not like that every single day, but I think when I take the pressure off and just let my brain have some breathing room, things start falling into place. And like many others, I go through creative bursts where everything seems to just flow and come together in the exact way I want. I love those times.

Then you have those days where it's like fighting to get anything out. For myself, I still plug away, maybe not loving what goes on the page, but at least it's some type of progress. I find brainstorming sessions will help get me out of those ruts.

I'll type out ideas, jumping ahead in the story or, occasionally, random scenes that may end up going somewhere else or in another manuscript. Outlines seem to help also. If I'm stuck and I haven't outlined anything specific, I'll start one. Or…if I have an outline I'm working with, I'll revisit it and ask myself why the words have stopped flowing.

And wow…enough of that blather. Let's get to another detail session. :D

This time it's for Bucking Convention.

Almost Ready for Prime Time Manuscript #2

Bucking Convention

Rating: Spicy

How it came about:

Max and Maggie from Surviving the Trap decided they weren't quite finished yet. They wanted to see what would after they hooked up. Of course since it's them, their story couldn't continue in a strictly conventional way.

The process:

Again, no outline for this one. The title popped for me first and the story came about from that. Max and Maggie don't do things the normal way so some interesting circumstances were needed to keep that theme as a standard for them.

The idea they'd end up living together was set from the beginning, but the way they end up doing it changed from my original idea. There just wasn't enough conflict to satisfy me. At first, they were going to share quarters but not be allowed to share a bed. Then I remembered that I didn't set frat regs in stone and that wouldn’t really be a problem. And honestly, I just didn't feel that concept had teeth that would dig in and keep anyone interested.

But…the thought that they'd share quarters and maybe not be ready had possibilities and that's what I ended up going with.

So…let's catch up with Max 'Ripper' Cutter and Maggie 'Magpie' Harper.

It's approximately six months after the hook-up during Hell Week and Max has been assigned to the Asta Vera. He landed one of the plum spots that all the pilots want…deep space exploration…and the crew spends their time mapping a huge asteroid field.

Maggie is planet side waiting for her chance to grab a similar assignment. The call comes and it's not what she expects. In fact, it pretty much floors her. She's going to be Cutter's wingman.

By the way, they've both made the rank of captain. Surviving Hell Week bumped up their pay grade.

All well and good, but will living together make them closer or drive them to opposite ends of the ship?

Stay tuned…

Here's a sneaky peek…(unedited of course)

Captain Maggie Harper blew out a deep breath, flipping the folder in her lap closed. She didn't want to read anymore details about the explosion that took the life of a fellow pilot. One she was en route to replace on the roster.

It sucked to step in when a comrade was lost. Worse, when you were personally involved in the fallout.

And it didn't get any more personal for her.

She happened to be replacing Max Cutter's wingman.

Max.

Her heart tripped a little. It could have been Max. If the prayer of thanks she sent out was rude, so be it. Maggie wouldn't apologize for being happy Max wasn't the one who died in a freak accident.

They had a good thing going and she wanted to keep it that way.

Six months and no signs of slowing down.

Maggie smiled. Their interesting Hell Week interlude proved to be just the thing they needed to get through that particular bit of insanity. But they'd stumbled a bit after it was all over. Danced around the idea of letting it remain a one time thing.

Okay, she danced around it. The fear of losing Max as a friend almost won out, regardless of the really great sex.

Almost.

Cutter convinced her otherwise, two weeks after completing the quals, on the night they both made captain.

When the pomp and ceremony was over, he grabbed her hand, led her outside and practically ran back to his base apartment. He tugged her inside and immediately backed her up against the wall while kicking the door shut. She didn't have time to think or speak before his lips were on hers, creating a raging fire that she needed him to suppress.

That night clinched it for them and so far, their relationship was great.

Relationship.

Damn.

And it hit her again. She could've lost Max. And yeah, they were still new at the couple thing and trying to figure it all out…but it hurt to breathe when she thought about it.

If it hurt her to think about it, how did Cutter feel right now? Watching his wingman's ship explode? Maggie shuddered. Had to be the worst thing a pilot could witness…even though they all knew the risks.

Was she ready to deal with something like this?

Were they ready for it?

They'd be going from something quite casual -- they each maintained their own place -- to fairly domestic at warp speed.

She'd find out soon. The Asta Vera was within comm range, docking would be underway in less than three hours. And she'd give Cutter her all, because she was pretty sure she was in love with him. Maybe she'd suck at it and maybe she wouldn't.

Either way, Max would understand. No one knew her better.

She liked it that way.

And if her stomach clenched up a little? It was to be expected. New relationship. New orders. New CO.

New living arrangement.

But she'd handle all that like she always did.

Jump in with both feet and hit the ground running.

~~*~~

Will Maggie hit a wall or find domestic bliss? How does Cutter deal with it all? At least Stella Snupe isn't around to stir the pot. :D

I hope you enjoyed the blurb. Please feel free to ask questions or comment. I love to interact!

Until the next Skye Post…

Catch everyone on the flip!

~Skye~

Quick Drive By Update

2010-08-09T00:04:00.000-04:00

August 8, 2010

Probably only a quick update this go round. Been swamped under with non-writing projects galore, mainly landscaping and cleaning. I know, right? UGH!

I also have three kidlets that love to get in on the action. Er, well, maybe not love, but at least lend a helping hand. The younger two got out of working this past week for their VBS. They had a big finale on Friday evening and it was spectacular. My kids' ages range from 17 down to 8. My middle one is 11. He's at the age where he'd probably rather do something else than go to VBS, but he has enough friends there that it's bearable for him. The youngest one has too much fun with all the crafts, singing and dancing that she'll be good to go for another few years. And let's not forget the refreshments.

I have to say the ladies who head that up went above and beyond. The theme for this year was High Seas Adventure and the women came up with some truly cool treats for the crew. One night the kids were supposed to be eating clouds so they made blue jello with marshmallows and whipped cream. Awesome, yes?

After the program on Friday, they had extra items made up so the parents could see what each day's theme was. This was on top of the huge spread of cookies they laid out. Seriously…my hat's off to everyone who makes VBS happen each year, but a special tip of the brim goes to the refreshment team. :D

And that's it for now. We had a busy weekend and I'm brain dead so I'll post another Not Quite Ready for Prime Time offering in the near future.

Until then…

Catch everyone on the flip.

Cheers!

Another Launch from the Skye Port

2010-07-09T03:36:00.000-04:00

June 17, 2010 (Yeah...the date? When I actually wrote this post. LOL *sigh*)

Ugh, real life went insane again. Okay, not really real life itself, more like I had the insane urge to clean up my yard/garden/landscaping crap around the house.

Needless to say it's taking WAY longer than I thought it would. But something great did come out of all the hoeing, weeding, pruning, transplanting stuff…lots and lots of head time with characters. Seriously. I sometimes forget how being occupied with something else can open up the floodgates of creativity.

Imagine how many awesome ideas I can come up with when I hit my next project:

Cleaning and organizing the garage. LOL

And that's enough about Skye's real world. Let's head on back to the Imaginary Universe. I promised to begin sharing some details of what I'm currently working on and I'm thrilled to get started.

I'm hoping to give some info about each project…like whether it's a single title, part of an anthology or series, a shorter novella or a full blown novel. But first, I should probably talk about ratings. Here's a quick description of mine:

Tame – Sex? What sex?

Sensual – The sex isn't overly explicit

Spicy – Sex is pretty smokin'

Super Hot – Pretty explicit, no holds barred, head board banging sexy sex.

With those in mind, I also tend to be all over the map with what I write and sometimes what I think will be a tame type of story can take a turn for the wild and end up going Super Hot. So keep that in the back of your head as you follow updates on the WIPs. :D

And now for the fun part!

Here are some deets on an Almost Ready for Prime Time manuscript. What the hell is that? Quick definition: it's a complete manuscript, more or less in final draft mode. I have four wonderful chicas who screen my work and tell me whether it's good to go or if it sucks balls and needs major revisions. (I need to do a post on these truly wonderful women and come up with a kick ass name for my awesome group. :D )

Anyway, I have one more screener I'd like to get this one out to before I start the submission process.

So, here goes…

Almost Ready for Prime Time Manuscript #1

Down in Mexico

Rating: Spicy

How it came about:

This idea came from a brainstorming session with another writer. We started kicking around ideas and throwing them up against the wall to see what stuck. The general idea sprouted around a reunion between soul mates and the rest unfolded from there.

The process:

Heh…honestly, I usually use an outline when I write and I used to be almost religious about it, but this manuscript blew that out of the water. The entire thing basically came to me in scenes and I found it liberating and frustrating at the same time.

I know…go figure.

I literally had the reunion scene written for months before the rest of the story mapped itself out. And it was a kinda smudged up map at that. In the end, though, I'm pretty pleased with how everything finally came together.

This one is a contemporary novella length book and probably a single title. The sages haven't planted any additional seeds for a continuation.

Now let's meet Kiernan Darby and Lars Rademacker.

Kiernan had a meandering childhood. Her parents pulled up stakes and moved on a regular basis. She got to see the world, but yearned for a place to call home. After her parents died in a boating accident she took on work customizing boats and doing freelance diving jobs.

Eventually she bit off more than she could handle and got in way over her head.

Lars entered the military as soon as he was of age. He signed on the dotted line and never looked back. He honed his skills, followed orders and eventually earned a spot on the most covert black ops team in existence. He went into places no one else would enter and took down criminals no one else could touch.

He was an expert at getting others to do what was necessary to help him out.

So… Kiernan and Lars meet under intense circumstances. She's working for a group called EDGE, but she doesn't know it. Lars is on their trail and Kiernan is his way in.

They weren't supposed to fall in love, but they did. They formed a connection and made plans, but an extreme series of events tore them apart and now five years later they have another chance.

Can they risk it? Or will an outside force intervene once again?

Here's a sneaky peek…(unedited of course.)

Kiernan Darby had spent five long years on her own.

She'd built up a solid clientele at her diving school -- tucked away from the truly touristy parts of Mexico -- and she restored boats on the side. Sailboats…nothing with engines. And she kept a low profile about that…she couldn't afford to draw the wrong kind of attention to herself.

There was a reason she disappeared without a trace and needed it to stay that way.

Flat on her back, refinishing the hull of a sadly neglected thirty-two footer, Kiernan could see through the decay to the beauty it could be again and hummed along to some salsa music blaring from the radio. Maybe her sixth sense kicked in…or plain old self-preservation but she looked sideways through the stripped-to-the-studs, bottom of her shed to see a pair of bare feet--bare male feet--making their way toward her.

The eerie feeling staying with her, she scooted out from under the boat, slowly and quietly, keeping those incredibly awesome legs within her sight. She stepped toward the open bay door, her gun a quick grab away, and was shocked speechless by what she saw.

Sort of saw. The sun glared behind, but she had no trouble making out the bad Hawaiian shirt, unbuttoned to show a glimpse of the buff male form underneath, nor did she miss the beat up denim cargo shorts, complete with frayed hems.

The hair threw her. Long and shaggy, the trade winds had created a mad-scientist type look that warred with the aviator shades hiding the rest of his face.

Even with all that, she knew who it was. Time hung, and the hand that hovered close to the hidden gun quickly dropped to her side as his name hissed out on a breath. "Lars."

He took a step toward her, but stopped just short of touching her. "Hey." The grin that lit his face had one of her own answering back.

"Hey." Her eyes squinting, she watched him remove his shades and toss them over his shoulder.

"Everyone believes you're dead." His hand lifted, but stopped, like he wasn't sure she was actually there. "I thought you were dead."

"I am dead." And she had to stay that way.

He finally broke down and reached for her hand, holding it in his, his thumb making circular motions over her skin. The look in his eyes, those wicked, wonderful blue eyes, took her breath away. The naked expression was her undoing and as usual…they communicated without speaking.

Five years.

Yeah.

Why?

You know why.

It sucks.

Yeah.

I thought…

I know…you had to.

Or he would've spent all his time looking for her instead of the people who 'killed' her.

They both knew it.

A ghost of a smile hit his eyes.

But not anymore.

No?

No. It's safe. You're safe.

Kiernan almost buckled, her relief so palpable. "So…it worked." She waited a beat. "Took you guys long enough."

Lars laughed. And it was wonderful to hear. She'd missed that almost more than anything else.

"It wasn't easy chasing down everyone in that little operation."

She could only imagine. And she didn't want to know how many they'd lost doing so. It would make her depressed.

She smiled instead…because she hadn't lost him. "God, it's good to see you." She tugged Lars forward and wrapped her arms around him.

He was solid. Real. Here.

They were free.

It finally hit her.

Free.

To be together.

And she wanted him. Needed him.

Now.

Right this moment.

~~*~~

Right this moment. Whew. LOL

I hope you enjoyed meeting Lars and Kiernan. I'd love to get a dialog started on this manuscript, so please, if you have any questions…ask away.

Until the next Skye Post…

Catch everyone on the flip!

~Skye~

Launch of the Skye Pad...I hope.

2010-05-21T19:11:00.002-04:00

May 21, 2010

The name is subject to change, but I wanted something to differentiate between a promo post and a blog post. Probably not necessary, but hey, it helps keep it all straight in my head. : )

And argh! Again I have a huge span between posts. : (

The time hasn't been wasted though. The sages are being very, very kind to me right now and I'm definitely taking advantage.

That said, one of my goals for 2010 was to post no less than monthly on my author's blog and that just hasn't happened.

I'm going to make it happen.

I don't think I mentioned it last time, but I've developed a system for keeping everything straight. It helps me make sure I hit my word count goal and now I'm going to add a place for blogging. When it pops up at me, I'll know it's time to post something. : )

Problem solved for the win! LOL

Here's hoping anyway.

And for now, I'll sign off and put something else together – a taste of everything I'm working on and hope to find a home for publishing wise.

Until then…

Cheers!

Skye

Monthly Update??

2010-03-12T17:04:00.004-05:00

Boy, it's been a long time again.

Sales for Surviving the Trap are about where I expected them to be. I'm looking forward to the book hitting the third party sites. :D

The great news is that I have one more completed manuscript in rough draft form. I've sent it out to my critique queens and can't wait to see what they have to say.

I also have -- I kid you not -- 18 WIPs!! That's the most I've ever had going at one time. The sages are being very kind to me right now.

And since they are, I thought I might provide some brief descriptions of each one? Or maybe do some more character interviews. Those were so much fun to do for Trap.

They might just get me to remember to post and update more frequently, too. :D

Look here for an update soon.

Cheers!

Skye

Blurb and Excerpt: Surviving the Trap

2009-11-24T15:45:00.002-05:00

STORY BLURB:

Take one week of extreme training: deep space, limited sleep, next to no rations, and flying scenarios over and over again.

Add in two top guns and stir together with a healthy dose of unresolved sexual tension.What do you get?Two pilots pushed to their limits.

Can they find a way to get through a hellish exercise…and possibly into each other’s arms?

EXCERPT FOR WEBSITE:

Shaking his head again, Max was confused, and completely turned on. He really was standing there with Maggie looking like she wanted to eat him alive. Not asleep and not one of his many dreams about having her naked.

Hell’s bells…this was real.

His muddled mind finally reached the conclusion his body already had. Except he and Maggie didn’t do this. They danced around it. They flirted, they teased…but never acted on the impulses that bounced back and forth between them.

Not that he didn’t want to. He wasn’t the problem. Flaming hoops weren’t an option with Maggie…they were a requirement.

So what the hell was going on?

Grabbing her hands before she could start on her zipper, Max halted her progress even as his brain and body rebelled. “Maggie…what are we doing here?” Stupid question. It was obvious what she was doing, but he kinda needed to know why now?

***

“Staying awake. Nothing more, nothing less.” She was such a liar but they didn’t have time to get into everything they needed to about relationships right now.

Seeing that he was still hovering with hesitation, she upped the stakes. “Listen to me, Max. I’m tired. Really, really tired and we still have two more days of this bullshit.” Backing up, her hand went the zipper of her flight suit again. “I either need to fight or fuck…that, or fall asleep where I’m standing.” Slowly lowering the zipper, she held his gaze. “Your choice.”

Max blinked in stunned silence. His choice? Flaming hell. Choose the first and they’d both be brought up on charges, and frankly, he didn’t have the strength for brawling. But choose the second and it could be everything he’d ever wanted or it could mean walking straight into a minefield of recriminations once the dust settled and they weren’t more exhausted than sane.

But Max had lived with, lusted after and dammit…loved Maggie almost from the moment he’d met her. He’d just been smart enough to never tell her the last part.

Narrowing his eyes, he decided to play it cool. “I, uh…choose the latter.” Damn the repercussions. They’d deal with the fallout after catching up on their sleep.

Surviving the Trap, $1.99, Red Rose Publishing

BREAKING NEWS

2009-11-15T19:35:00.001-05:00

Salutations once again.

After an informative interview with Lieutenant Max Cutter, I had the pleasure of sitting down with his closest rival Lt. Maggie Harper.

What a breath of fresh air. Less diplomatic than Max Cutter -- but just as sincere -- the pilot provided a unique glimpse into what motivates the people who protect our interests. Take a look at what she had to say.

Transcript follows:

JTF: Lieutenant Cutter had high praise for your ability as a pilot and he seems to genuinely like you. Does being at the top of your game ever get in the way of having friendships in the pilot ranks?

MH: Now that's a great question, JT. Honest answer is yeah. Pilots are a competitive bunch and egos sometimes clash in a big way. That's not always fun to deal with.

JTF: You tend to swap the top spot with Lt. Cutter on a frequent basis so I assume you're very competitive with each other. Does that cause tension between you?

MH: Sometimes. Max and I don't hold back. We challenge each other to push ourselves further, fly a little harder, be that much better. That's not a bad thing.

JTF: How so?

MH: When Cutter and I go up against each other, it's game on. I know when he's my opponent he's already thought ahead to exactly what my next move will be. Same goes for me. I anticipate his strategy and adjust accordingly. Sometimes that means Max comes out on top. Other times, I win. But we literally fight it out, in the air.

JTF: Does that combative edge follow you at the end of a run?

MH: Hmm. Sometimes. Sure it does. There are occasions when we go past the limit and piss each other off. We'll snarl and snipe for a bit then go have a beer. It's what we do.

JTF: You frequently use the word 'we'. Do you consider yourself and Lt. Cutter a unit?

MH: A unit? Interesting word choice. No, I don't think so. A unit implies something singular and we're two very different people. But we work well in tandem because we've developed a deep level of trust when we fly together.

JTF: And when you're not flying? It sounds like you get along well with each other.

MH: Absolutely. We're great friends. And that's sometimes rare in our field. It all goes back to that clashing of egos. But I can honestly say there's no one I'd rather have covering my six, in or out of the cockpit, than Lt. Cutter. He's a good man to have around when things go south.

JTF: After speaking with him, I can believe that. Here's hoping you'll both watch out for each other during Hell Week.

MH: I think you can count on that, JT. It ain't gonna be a picnic.

JTF: Best of luck with your qualifying runs. I look forward to seeing you fly.

MH: Thanks. Grab a good seat and hang on…it's more fun that way.

I'm not sure what she means, but I look forward to finding out. Bright and early tomorrow morning.

As always, keep those news feeds set to update for the latest, breaking information.

JTF

BREAKING NEWS

2009-11-15T19:32:00.002-05:00

Oh my.

Let me start by saying I did indeed find a crewman to explain what 'running the circuit of the ship' means. It's nothing more than a workout (a solid one…this ship is huge) by making laps around the outer corridors. And yes, that's exactly where I discovered Lieutenant Max Cutter. His call sign is 'Ripper' and if he didn't get the name from the array of well-defined muscle he has, I'll be shocked speechless.

I happened to catch him, conveniently, at the end of his run and begged for a few moments of his time to answer a few questions. He graciously granted access while he cooled down en route to the showers.

Again, what follows is the complete unvarnished exchange:

SS: So, lieutenant, are you a love 'em and leave 'em or keep one in every port kind of guy?

MC: I'm—wait---what? I thought these were questions about the preparedness training.

SS: They are. Yes. Which type are you?

MC: Uh, neither.

SS: Come on, Lieutenant. It's a simple question.

MC: A simple question would be 'Hot or cold?' or 'Blue or green?'

SS: Okay. Blonde? Brunette? Redhead? Or do you go for something more little more exotic?

MC: Hell, I don't have a preference. And frankly, if I did, I wouldn't share them with you. They call it privacy for a reason.

SS: Privacy. Hmm…what a concept.

MC: Look, I don't have time for this. Quals start in less than 12 hours. Do you have any idea what that involves?

SS: Yeah, yeah. Flight scenarios, strict rationing, alert status 24/7 for a week. We've been hearing about it ad nauseum ever since this exercise was announced. No one cares about that. They want the dirt, the inside scoop on what you guys do on your downtime. I intend to show people that.

MC: Christ lady, you're—what was your name again?

SS: Stella Snupe. I'm very close, personal friends with one of the admirals backing this exercise.

MC: Close…personal...that explains a lot. But it doesn't change the fact that you, Ms. Snupe, are a menace. You've been let loose on a crew that's about to enter hell and you're trying to dig shit up?

Give it 48 hours and you'll get all the crap you want. Huge, steaming piles of it. And trust me, it'll be as ugly as it sounds.

SS: Wow, that's kind of an intense reaction. No need to bite my head off. I'm just doing my job.

MC: Yeah, well, your job sucks. Happy shoveling.

And with that, my friends, the handsome lieutenant walked away. And just when I thought I was at the end of my quest, I received an interesting piece of advice from the ace pilot.

MC: You know, I'd lay odds your close, personal friend, the admiral, never lets you near a space carrier again. I suggest you enjoy it while you can.

So, after a rough start, that was a rather nice way to cap off the interview, no? I didn't quite find the level of detail I was looking for, but all in all I think we've got a better picture of the two top pilots in the fleet.

Lt. Cutter obviously takes all this M-PAT and qualification stuff very seriously. That's probably for the best. Add to it the fact that Lt. Harper doesn't suffer fools gladly and I'd say it's a solid one-two punch when they're in the air.

Something tells me that's a very good thing.

If anyone can survive the rigors of the upcoming week, my money's on them.

All for now—

The Skipper

BREAKING NEWS

2009-11-15T19:22:00.003-05:00

Salutations once again.

Great news. Managed to land some face time with one of the two top pilots going into Hell Week, Lieutenant Max Cutter. He made several interesting points that I'd like to share with you.

Here's a transcript of our conversation:

JTF: Lieutenant Cutter, the ratio of male to female personnel in the military is close to an even 50 percent. Why then, are there so few woman pilots?

MC: I'm not sure there's all that much of a gap in the pilot ranks, but it is harder for women to qualify for fighter pilot status.

JTF: Why is that? Would the deck be stacked against them?

MC: Depends on how you look at it. Mental and physical limitations affect both sexes. Women have an advantage over men when it comes to multitasking. It's why they tend to excel as transpo pilots and make more efficient and cost effective decisions on their runs.

Physically, it takes a lot of stamina to fly a spacecraft weighing close to two tons. It makes sense that men would have the advantage when pulling out of the turns or flips used to maneuver the fighters. But the physicality can hold men back, too. A guy over 6'2" can't fly combat missions…he's too tall to fit in the cockpit. But that doesn't mean he can't fly other types of crafts.

A pilot has to withstand and hold out against tremendous force while flying at high rates of speed. Women who make the grade as fighter pilots are at the top of their game both mentally and physically.

JTF: Speaking of women who make the grade, Lt. Maggie Harper is one of the few. What are your thoughts about her ability?

MC: Lt. Harper is, without a doubt, one of the best there is. She's a straight up, natural born pilot.

JTF: So, she's not only qualified, she excels at what she does. Do you find that it challenges you to be a better pilot?

MC: Because she's a woman?

JTF: Yes.

MC: Maggie's ability as a pilot challenges me. Being female has nothing to do with it. She'd be spitting mad if it did.

JTF: Then equality is important out there?

MC: Of course. I think a case could be made for it being important everywhere. I'd be strung up if I didn't note that.

JTF: Excellent point. And tying into the equality theme, you and Lt. Harper seem to alternate in the one-two spots whenever there's a new qualification run. Any chance either of you will let some new blood into the top seeds this go round?

MC: There's always a chance for that kind of opportunity. We all have off days. Anyone can bust a maneuver, blow a landing or completely miss the trap, which will cost them points and lower their score.

JTF: Even you?

MC: The brass isn't telling us much, but this is the most difficult scenario we've ever dealt with, so everything's up for grabs. I know I'm ready. I also don't plan to make it easy for anyone. I doubt Lt. Harper will either.

JTF: Do you work together to make it harder?

MC: Maggie and I? No way, it's not set up like that. But we fly together a lot, so we're good at knowing what the other will do.

JTF: And that's helpful?

MC: Absolutely. Being able to anticipate what your wingman will do not only looks good, it could save your life. Yeah, it's a big help.

JTF: Then, I'll wish you the best out there, Lieutenant. Thank you for the exceptional information.

MC: You're welcome. Enjoy the show.

Fascinating discourse about what it takes to be a fleet military pilot. Interesting that Lt. Cutter didn't discount the non-fighter ranks but also seems to respect them.

With less than a day to go for the program launch, it's a safe bet that all personnel whose qualifications hinge on the outcome are feeling the heat.

Even the best and brightest.

Keep those news feeds set to update. Lieutenant Maggie Harper is up next.

JTF

BREAKING NEWS

2009-11-15T18:48:00.002-05:00

Greetings Blogorama Readers!

It's been a crazy 24 hours.

First of all, a ship the size of the Mythos makes chasing down anyone a daunting challenge. But I did it! I found Lieutenant Maggie Harper, better known as Magpie to her fellow pilots, in the galley of all places. She'd just filled a tray with loads of food, so I knew she'd stick around for a while.

I plopped down beside her and launched into a quick fire interview. Here's the down and dirty (completely uncensored):

SS: Lieutenant Harper, I appreciate your time and willingness to answer my questions.

MH: (after swallowing a huge bite of food) Yeah, well, make it fast. I still have to hit the showers and grab whatever sleep I can before we start quals in the morning.

SS: Right. No problem. First up, how do you combat the sensory overload from being surrounded by so many hot guys?

MH: Excuse me, what?

SS: Oh, come on. You all but trip over extremely attractive men every time you turn around. Do you find it all distracting? I know I would.

MH: Gads…who are you? And who the hell let you loose on the ship?

SS: Stella Snupe, Blog reporter for the Daily Dash. I, um, have some pull with one of the admirals behind this project.

At this point I believe Lt. Harper may have rolled her eyes, but it was hard to tell with all the noise and confusion of a new group of pilots lining up to binge one last time before strict rationing.

The lieutenant took several more bites of food before answering my original question.

MH: Okay, Ms. Snupe, for your information, the military is damn close to a 50/50 mix of men and women. I'm as much in danger of tripping over a woman as I am a man. Does that answer the question to your satisfaction?

SS: For now, thanks. You mentioned hitting the shower. Is there any possibility you'll be hooking up with someone -- male or female -- before, during or after?

I don't mind telling you, dear readers, I thought Lt. Harper might need emergency intervention. Apparently my question so completely threw her it made her choke and spew the rather large gulp of water she'd just swallowed. Needless to say, I gave her plenty of time to recover. I even handed her a napkin, to wipe her face.

MH: Stars above, you've got some guts, lady. First, no comment. Second, I'd dial the personal questions back if you don't want to get kicked off this ship. And third, if you've got 'pull' with an admiral, maybe you can interview him and find out why we're all out here doing mass preparedness crap when we've been in peace time for over 70 years.

SS: I'm sure I could, but nobody wants to know that. The public wants to know what's going on behind the scenes. You know, who's doing who and whether the sex is great or not.

MH: That's a truly sad statement and I guess you should consider me nobody. Because I'd really like to know. Especially since my flight qualifications are tied into this whole M-PAT thing. And while we're on the subject—

Unfortunately, Lt. Harper didn't finish what sounded like the beginning of a tirade. Her watch alarm beeped, signaling her turn to hit the showers. She abruptly ended the conversation, but not before I got one final answer out of her.

SS: Lieutenant? Do you know where I might be able to find Lieutenant Max Cutter? I'd really like to speak with him also.

Friends, I'm not sure if it was a trick of the lighting, but it looked to me like the beginnings of a grin might have curved over Maggie Harper's lips before she gave me an answer.

MH: You might find him running the circuit of the ship. He mentioned working out before turning in for night. Good luck with that.

And she left. No explanation as to what the 'circuit of the ship' meant or even a good bye, but that's okay. I'm sure some kind soul will be happy to point me in the right direction, after I complete this update.

Wish me luck, my faithful readers, I'm off to wrangle an interview with the very eligible (rumor has it anyway) Lt. Max Cutter.

Stay tuned!

The Skipper

BREAKING NEWS

2009-11-15T18:46:00.004-05:00

JT Faxt, reporting directly from the ASC Mythos just prior to the launch of the military's newest program, Mass Preparedness Assault Training (M-PAT). As previously reported by numerous news organizations, the goal of Hell Week, as the M-PAT training has been not so affectionately dubbed, is to prepare our fleet for anything and everything.

The question burning up the wireless relays is why? Why do our top pilots need to complete a series of next to impossible attack and landing sequences in order to remain qualified for active flight duty? And why strip them down to basic rations? We're a peace-time society with more than enough food, water and personnel to go around. Why make our already highly trained pilots repeat scenarios every few hours with slight alterations each time? What will less than four hours rest between launch and land do to this elite group?

Is the whole exercise nothing more than an elaborate way to separate the wheat from the chaff? And, if so, again the question to be asked is: why?

So far, those answers have not been forthcoming. But they will be. The press corps has finally been allowed into the inner sanctum of the space carrier and we have brief access to the pilots and crew. We'll see what they have to say about gearing up for an intense week of training.

Keep those news feeds set to update.

JTF

****************************************************
JT Faxt is brand new to the Wireless News Group. Fresh out of university, his curiosity motivates him to seek answers by asking questions that discover the 'why' and 'how' people do what they do. He's made a name for himself by chasing down the details of the story and reporting them first. Keep your news feeds set to update and watch JT climb the ranks.

BREAKING NEWS

2009-11-15T18:38:00.004-05:00

Greetings from Hell Week!!!

Yes, I said Hell Week.

Your favorite on the beat blog reporter scored a coveted spot aboard the ASC (that's Aircraft Space Carrier for those not in the know) Mythos just when things in the military space program are gearing up to a fevered pitch.

But seriously? Who hasn't heard about the Mass Preparedness Assault Training or M-PAT? Ah…the military and their acronyms. And who isn't tired of the same recycled information, covered 24/7 since the announcement of this exercise? Is anyone not bored to tears yet?

I know I am.

What do we really care about? Certainly not silly war games in a peace time society. No, we care about the ins and outs of the behind the scenes drama.

Am I right?

That's why this reporter will be taking a different approach to gathering information. Will I wait for the daily briefing, containing the same carefully reworded information we've received since day one? I don't think so. What do we really want to know about the inner workings of a spacecraft carrier?

Yes, you wanna know as much as I do. What do the elite of the elite pilots really think about each other? Who hates whom? Where do they go for downtime on a ship the size of small city? And of course the big questions. When do they find time for sex? Where do they have it?

Yours truly has made it my personal mission to chase down the two top pilots, Max 'Ripper' Cutter and Maggie 'Magpie' Harper, and find out the burning answers.

Wish me luck!
The 'Skipper' (<-- Cute 'call sign' given to moi by a rookie pilot. Isn't it sweet?)

**********************************************************************
Stella Snupe is an award-winning investigative journalist. After 25 years, she walked away from the trenches to focus on something fun and exciting, instead of dreary and depressing. Five years ago, she established the Daily Dash and it quickly became the most highly visited blog in the blogosphere. Her philosophy on life is: Live for fun, laugh for life, but always get the dirt.

Ahem tap, tap, tap Is this thing on?

2009-11-15T17:51:00.004-05:00

I'm so excited!!

And well, I'm also a bit behind but I'm pleased to annouce the release of Surviving the Trap from Red Rose Publishing.

Come and find out what happens with Max and Maggie.

Feedback has been great and I appreciate everyone who's commented on it so far.

And since I'm neck deep in NaNoWriMo, I'll add that a continuation of our pilots' story is in the works. Tentatively titled Bucking Convention I hope to submit it to Red Rose sometime in December.

As part of the fun of release time, I'm going to turn my blog over to two individuals reporting directly from the Mythos. They'll provide some up to the minute details of what Hell Week is all about.

Catch everyone on the flip--

M.L. Skye

Buy Now: Surviving the Trap - $1.99

Finally a new update

2009-09-29T02:26:00.008-04:00

Finally! Time for an update!

I HAVE A RELEASE DATE!!!

November 5, 2009!

I also have a new cover. The wonderful cover artist, Annie Melton did excellent work.

Here's the new one:

We couldn't use the previous version since it had been released through a different publisher. I was disappointed, but I have to admit, I got super lucky to have two covers that I fell in love with.
So...coming soon! Here's a link to a blurb and excerpt.
And hopefully a link to a trailer for the book. :D
Check back!
Cheers!

Wow...do I need to update...

2008-12-30T23:59:00.002-05:00

First, some good news: Red Rose Publishing will be releasing Surviving the Trap sometime in the near future.

I'm so excited to have this come out again as it was only available a few weeks before Aphrodite's demise. The manuscript will be going through the edit process again and I can't wait to get the first round back from my editor. It'll be strange to take off my own editor's hat and doff the jaunty writer's cap again after a long, long hiatus. But I'm chomping at the bit to do so.

Additional news...The sages are cooperating and I'm working on a couple of novellas that I'm hoping will be part of two anthologies. One is sort of holiday themed and the other is set way out in the outer edges of space, on a last stop station that draws all sorts of interesting individuals. I'd love to write for a nice long while in this playground...cross your fingers that the words keep flowing.

More updates to follow...hopefully with a release date for Surviving the Trap.

I'll keep you posted.

ML Skye

Announcing: Surviving the Trap - January 29, 2008

2008-01-23T15:22:00.001-05:00

Hi!

This is it...my debut for Aphrodite's Apples writing as M.L. Skye.

Surviving the Trap

Take one week of extreme training: deep space, limited sleep, next to no rations, and flying scenarios over and over again. Add in two top guns and stir together with a healthy dose of unresolved sexual tension.

What do you get?

Two pilots pushed to their limits. Can they find a way to get through a hellish exercise…and possibly into each other’s arms?

For a tease...the cover art:

And how about an excerpt?

Shaking his head again, Max was confused. And completely turned on. He really was standing there with Maggie looking like she wanted to eat him alive. He wasn’t asleep and this wasn’t one of his many dreams about having her naked and hell’s bells…this was real.

His muddled mind finally reached the conclusion his body already had. Except he and Maggie didn’t do this. They danced around it. They flirted, they teased…but they never acted on the impulses that bounced back and forth between them.

Not that he didn’t want to…he wasn’t the problem. Flaming hoops weren’t an option with Maggie…they were a requirement.
So what the hell was going on?

Grabbing her hands before she could start on her zipper, Max halted her progress even as his brain and body rebelled. “Maggie…what are we doing here?” Stupid question…it was obvious what she was doing, but he kinda needed to know where her head was.

Maggie should have known he’d make her explain. “Staying awake…nothing more, nothing less.” She was such a liar…but they didn’t have time to get into everything they needed to right now.

Seeing that he was still hovering with hesitation, she upped the stakes. “Listen to me, Max. I’m tired. Really, really tired and we still have two more days of this bullshit.” Backing up, her hand went the zipper of her flight suit again. “I either need to fight or fuck…that, or fall asleep where I’m standing.” Slowly lowering the zipper, she held his gaze. “Your choice.”

Max blinked in stunned silence. His choice? Flaming hell. Choose the first and they’d both be brought up on charges…and he frankly didn’t have the strength for brawling. But choose the second and it could be everything he’d ever wanted or it could mean walking straight into a minefield of recriminations once the dust settled and they weren’t more exhausted than sane.

But Max had lived with, lusted after and dammit…loved Maggie almost from the moment he’d met her. He’d just been smart enough to never tell her the last part.

Narrowing his eyes, he decided to play it cool. “I, uh…choose the latter.” Damn the repercussions…they’d deal with the fallout after catching up on their sleep.

I hope you enjoyed this excerpt...

For full novel visit:

http://www.aphroditesapples.com/

January 29, 2008

Enjoy!

Exciting News!!! Watch This Space...

2008-01-22T00:42:00.000-05:00

Coming Soon...

Surviving the Trap

An original novel

M.L. Skye

Watch this space for more information.

ML Skye - Look to the Stars & Find Romance

Quick Update in Skye Land

Another Launch from the Skye Port

Quick Drive By Update

Another Launch from the Skye Port

Launch of the Skye Pad...I hope.

Monthly Update??

Blurb and Excerpt: Surviving the Trap

***BREAKING NEWS***

BREAKING NEWS

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Ahem *tap, tap, tap* Is this thing on?

Finally a new update

Wow...do I need to update...

Announcing: Surviving the Trap - January 29, 2008

Exciting News!!! Watch This Space...

BREAKING NEWS

BREAKING NEWS

BREAKING NEWS

Ahem tap, tap, tap Is this thing on?