Sunday Snippet: Bomb's Away

So… premiere for The Last Ship? Everything I expected and more. I have so much love for this show. I'm also going to have a huge bar tab by the time the season ends if episode one is any indication. I almost sit on the edge of my seat hoping like hell none of my favorite characters will meet their end.

And of course, some of them do. LOL

I've got a bunch of theories about this season, which I won't share to avoid possible spoilage… but I don't trust the president at all. One specific moment in the premiere episodes turned the table with how I feel about that guy. Just saying.

Currently watching the finale of Wynonna Earp and my fingers are crossed for a second season. Have no clue if Syfy will be cooperative and make that happen or not.

Still rewatching Babylon 5 and Strike Back. I'd forgotten how much Strike Back crammed into each episode, especially during the first season. Contrast the breakneck pace with Babylon 5's slower build in its first season. I sometimes miss having a nice, long arc to settle into a show and really get to know the characters.

Killjoys and Dark Matter return soon and I'm patiently waiting to get back into the gritty realm of both. Bring it on.

Tonight's post is from Bomb's Away, a novella that starts with a bang and keeps the shots coming.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A power struggle, an explosion and communication breakdowns. Sometimes it takes a really big boom to move things in the right direction.

And a sneaky peek…

Great Maker, the carnage.

Ronan Sidwell surveyed the damage with tired eyes. When would it end? The enemy struck them. They struck back. Over what?

A tiny moon in the solar system that didn't count as habitable most of the time?

A spiritual shrine to the opposition and a resource mecca for his side. Ronan thought it would be simpler to just blow the damn thing up than continue fighting over it. Too bad he didn't get a say in the decision process.

A bomb. A fucking bomb in the complex. And the second time the compound had been rocked by an explosion, but the first one came from an air raid. What would be next… poison in the food supply?

"Captain Sidwell, Sir?" A young marine tapped him on the shoulder.

Ronan flicked his gaze toward the man. "What is it?" He read the name tag stitched to the soldier's uniform. "Corporal Wayne?"

The corporal shuffled his feet and looked down. "Um, I know you and Lieutenant Ungaro are busted up and all, but I thought you'd want to know she got hit in the initial blast." He raised his gaze, wary and uncertain.

Ronan felt the floor shift under his feet and his heart skipped a beat. "Is she—"

Corporal Wayne put out a steadying hand. "She's okay. Sorry, Sir." He dropped his arm when Ronan moved away. "Gunnery Sergeant Bennington and I dragged her out of the debris and hustled her to sickbay." He sighed. "She busted up her knee from what we could tell."

Ronan grimaced. "I'll bet that was fun. Getting her to go with you."

Wayne shook his head. "If you'll pardon me for saying, not so much, Sir." He met Ronan's gaze. "The lieutenant has definite ideas about sickbay and none of them involve going."

 Ronan cracked a smile. "She's definitely got strong opinions." An awkward silence stretched out. "Thanks for the update, Corporal. You're dismissed."

Wayne bobbed his head. "Sir." He snapped off a crisp salute and moved forward to help clear debris.

Ronan should do the same, but he turned and headed toward sickbay. Of course she'd probably be pissed he'd checked on her. He could always use the pretext of wanting to see how many pilots the explosion on Sublevel Three affected. Kiara flew for him. Maybe he could get away with sticking his head in and just making sure she didn't have more extensive injuries. Yeah, he'd do that. Or, worst case, he'd use the injured pilot fallback—anything to keep her from knowing about his worry.

Ronan and Kiara definitely start in a dark place—personally and professionally—what's a little bomb added to the mix, right?

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: The Baracas File

Well, tonight is the rescheduled premiere date for The Last Ship. I fully respect TNT's decision to postpone the airing and I'm very much looking forward to watching the start of season three.

Wynonna Earp's lead-in to the finale blew my mind. I'm not sure if the show will have a second season, but I'm so hoping it does. That said, I don't trust Syfy the way I used to. At least I know Killjoys and Dark Matter will be showing up soon.

Orphan Black. Wow. Seriously, just wow. While I'm incredibly sad next season will be the last, I'm also kind of excited because I know it'll far surpass anything I expect or can anticipate. As for the finale, once again, Rachel proved she's the biggest bitch on the planet. I'm rather looking forward to a major toppling of her reign of terror. I can always keep my fingers crossed that what she thinks she wants and deserves ends up being her total undoing, right?

Still working my way through the first seasons of Babylon 5 and Strike Back. Someday, when I have copious amounts of spare time, I want to get back into recapping and sharing my joy for my favorite shows. There's something fun and rewarding about interacting with other fans.

Tonight's post is from The Baracas File, a novella started from the prompt of one character is a cop and the other a reporter investigating the death of his brother / her partner. Since I love sibling stories, I couldn't resist this one.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Briggs Felderzon, an investigative reporter, will stop at nothing to discover what's in the Baracas File, the contents of which results in his brother's death. Myrrh Gold, his brother's partner in the Inter-Stellar Police, decides to help him… but Briggs isn't sure he trusts her.

And a sneaky peek…

Zell Felderzon pulled up outside Myrrh Gold's building. "You sure you've got a secure location for the file?" He nodded toward the thick folder tucked inside his partner's satchel.

Myrrh smiled. "Growing up with a safe-busting family means I've got better than average safeguards installed." She flipped the cover over her bag and reached for the door.

Zell grabbed her shoulder. "Seriously, we're walking targets while the file is in our possession. We don't know how far up this goes and if it's more than the inter-stellar police involved." The tension in his grip tightened.

Myrrh placed her hand over his. "I know, Zell. I'll be careful." She held his gaze. "We'll do this together and bring everyone involved down." Popping the release, she eased the door open and exited, walking up to her building and keying in the entry code.

Zell didn't pull away until the big glass panels shut behind her. Myrrh shook her head, but appreciated his concern. Making her way to her apartment, she inserted her keycard and waited for the entry to slide open. She immediately scanned the room, her gaze lingering on the dark corners. Once satisfied she had nothing to fear, she crossed over to the decorative tapestry hanging on the wall and unlocked the access to the hidden safe by pressing on a series of points on the artwork. The wall moved outward and her safe slid forward. After a retina scan and biometric verification, the keypad appeared and she punched in the seven digit code to open the door.

Retrieving the file from her satchel, she secured the contents in the small space and locked everything down. She heaved a sigh and rolled her shoulders. Zell had her all nervous and twitchy. No one knew they had the file. They'd taken great pains to make certain.

Didn't stop her gut from churning, though.

She and Zell were stepping way beyond their jurisdiction and pay grade by digging into the Baracas file. Myrrh headed for her bedroom sanctuary and stripped down to the skin before crawling between cool sheets. Finding a comfortable spot, she closed her eyes and ignored the sense of trepidation seeping into her bones.

Three hours later, her phone rang and she fumbled to answer. She didn't get a greeting out before the bad news hit her ears.

Her partner had been found dead in his vehicle—sitting three blocks from her residence.

I'm loving the way this one is coming together. Need to find the time to really sit and finish writing the whole thing.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Banter and Brawling and Sex, Oh My!

YAY! The Last Ship premieres tonight and I’m very excited! In other television news, it's definitely summer and I've only got two active shows going until later this evening.

Wynonna Earp is crazy good. I need to watch this week's episode, but last week's twist caught me off guard. In a totally great way.

Orphan Black's lead-in to the finale proved excellent as always. Rachel continues to grate on my nerves, but kudos to her for playing Evie Cho and outmaneuvering her with such brutal precision. And, of course, the surprise at the end made the episode kick ass awesome.

I started a rewatch of Babylon 5 and Strike Back. I know, opposite ends of the spectrum but both are terrific shows. I need to find something else to watch after these. Any suggestions… let me know.

Tonight's post is from Banter and Brawling and Sex, Oh My, a bonus bit / sexy short featuring Max and Maggie from the Top Dog Pilots series.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Max Cutter always goes along for the ride with Maggie Harper. He pretty much has to… she always gets into the most interesting situations and someone has to cover her ass.

And a sneaky peek…

Maggie loved the adrenaline rush of a good brawl. Throw in a bunch of assholes picking on a lone stooge and having Cutter throwing punches right beside her and Maggie got almost giddy with excitement. Nothing like a good throw down to get her blood flowing and happy endorphins to flood her system.

More of the beefy miners jumped into the fray and the rest of the patrons either took cover or engaged in the melee. If Maggie didn't miss her guess, the regulars were probably sick of the rude and obnoxious workers swarming their favorite drinking hole. The poor guy who'd been the target tried to hold his own against three of the goons. Cutter jerked his head toward the fracas and Maggie nodded.

They'd have his back.

Making their way across the crowded floor, dodging fists, pool cues, and flying bottles, Cutter and Maggie flanked the mining official and offered some additional protection. Cutter laid one of the attackers out with an uppercut to his chin. Maggie got a little more physical, grabbing hold of the smallest of the bunch and driving her knee into his groin. When his legs buckled, she faceplanted him on the table. One man remained and he went for broke, taking a running leap and tackling Cutter to the floor. Maggie shooed the official away and lifted a chair to bust over the last man's head.

A piercing, shrill whistle rang throughout the bar. A security team burst through the doors and immediately started stunning anyone who didn't cease and desist. Cutter tossed the guy away from him, sprang to his feet, and grabbed Maggie's hand.

She didn't ask questions, following and trusting he had an escape route in mind.

He led her past a bank of restrooms then ducked out into a storage corridor, the recycled air a welcome change from the stale booze and cigarillo smoke of the bar. The safety lights provided just enough illumination for them to make their way through the maze of crates and stacked shelving units. The heavy door clanged shut behind them and the sudden quiet almost killed the excited buzz coursing through Maggie, until Cutter glanced over his shoulder and took her breath away.

The short strands of his hair spiked upwards and the glow from the overheads gave him a rakish appeal. A hot rush of lust kicked the thrill back into her night. She grabbed his arm, swinging him around to face her then tilted her chin to plant a hot kiss on his lips.

I love this couple so much. Looking forward to a few more features with them.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Automatic Failure

Whew. Even though the television pickings are fairly slim for the next week or so, still some great stuff to watch.

Orphan Black, once again, didn't disappoint. One of the things I love about this season is how nuanced the layers are. Every time something is resolved, a new snag reveals itself. The enemy of yesterday is the ally of today. Terrific writing and stellar acting make the entire show shine.

Wynonna Earp still makes me happy. I'm intrigued by the little seeds dropped here and there and look forward to more of the origin backstory.

The Last Ship starts next week and I can't wait to see where things go. I'm kind of holding out hope some underhanded tactics are being used regarding Rachel, but I won't hold my breath. This show loves to kill off my favorite characters. LOL

I'm sadly not overly excited about some of the other newer shows. Preacher didn't really grab me with the trailers and I never got into Fear the Walking Dead. I do look forward to the return of Killjoys and Dark Matter, which should provide some good fodder for my blog posts.

And that's it for television this week.

Tonight's post is from Automatic Failure, a novella with one of my favorite tropes—sibling rivalry. Throw in additional family drama and I can't wait to sit and type up a storm.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Piper Kemp, a flight instructor, moves aside to avoid letting her personal feelings influence a decision about whether to pass one of her students. But when he crashes and almost loses his life, Knox Petruci steps up to defend Piper and opens a can of worms because her student happens to be his brother.

And a sneaky peek…

Squaring her shoulders, Piper pushed the door open and breezed into his hospital room. The stony look on Abel's face said everything. He'd received word already. Damn. She'd hoped to break the news to him. She walked to his bedside and laid a hand on his arm.

Abel jerked away. "I don't want to see you." He glared in her direction. "You knew. That's why you stepped aside. You wanted to see me crash and burn."

Piper sucked in a harsh breath. "No, Abel, I didn't know for sure." Instinct didn't always win and she'd been proven wrong before.

Abel snorted. "You had a feeling then. And you fucked up my chances when you refused to participate." He crossed his arms over his chest and winced when the movement jarred his torso.

Piper back away, but defended her action. "I made the right call, Abel. I couldn't be impartial and you know it. Not when I'm dating you." He'd asked her out the very first day of class and she'd resisted until the final three weeks.

Still… she'd own the conflict of interest.

Abel stared ahead. "Yeah, well, your timing sucked. I tensed up because you made me doubt my skills." He swung a nasty look at her. "So I choked. Thanks for that."

Piper's temper flared. "Abel, you don't have the chops. I didn't know for sure, but I do now." She moved closer to his bed. "You busted the last three moves out of six. Ones you cleared in the simulator." Her tone lowered. "Being in the air is what trips you up." And almost got him killed.

Abel rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Piper. You don't have to worry about my failure or me anymore. Whatever we started is over now." His voice took on a mean tone. "I don't need you anymore."

Piper's mouth dropped open. After weeks of pestering her to go out with him and relentlessly pursuing something on a personal level, he whipped out the oldest reason in the books for why. She wanted to believe his cruel remark amounted to his way of lashing out due to the circumstances. But the truth easily wormed its way into her heart and mind.

Abel used her… or tried to. And she'd blown his plan to hell by not adhering to his playbook. How frustrating for him. And very enlightening for her.

Piper pasted on a smile. "In that case, I'll take my leave. Take care, Abel. I hope you're not laid up too long with the broken legs." Turning, she made her way to the door, tears of anger and humiliation burning her eyes.

She reached for the handle, but the door burst open and she collided with the flat surface.

The person on the other side righted her. "Sorry, Lieutenant." He introduced himself. "Knox Petruci. Abel's brother." He stuck his hand out.

Piper got a hold of her churning emotions and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you." Her gaze clashed with his knowing one.

He'd heard the conversation between her and his brother. Well, damn. The day couldn't get worse.

Piper pulled her hand away. "I'll get out of your way so you can visit with your brother." Darting around him, she quickly exited the room and dashed down the corridor. Embarrassment and shame washed over her and her eyes welled up again.

Wow, nothing like the utter humiliation of a public breakup, especially when it happens in front of family. Piper's a tough gal, she'll get over it. J

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

ML Skye