Sunday Snippet: Fail Me Now

Okay, Riverdale, you have my attention. My high hopes were met and surpassed. Here's hoping the following episodes stay the course. My sister blog, Universes Altered, might pick up a weekly recap on this show. The acting and cast are a terrific mix and I look forward to seeing what this crew does.

Gotham's follow-up episode intrigued me. I'll lay money Leigh made a deal to stay away from Jim to spare his life. We'll see how long that lasts. Having Jerome loose in the city will be chaotic, to say the least. If the origin story I think is playing out continues, I'm in. I also love the other two prongs of the cold war between Ed and Oswald along with the mama drama between Selena and Bruce. Thoroughly love how the trio of plot threads are playing out.

The Flash returned and didn't disappoint. Future vibing is kind of cool, but something tells me the crew is going to have burnt asses before it's all over.

Legends of Tomorrow always makes me happy when they visit someone famous before they're, well, famous. Having George Lucas kind of made the show. While I rather enjoyed Malcolm and Damien's team-up, I'm not sure how much fun it'll be if it's overused. I don't, however, think Mick and Stein sharing screen time will ever get old. More of that, please.

Arrow rocked, as usual. I have some doubts about the district attorney really helping Oliver, but we'll see what happens. Having Earth 2 Laurel is an interesting twist. Looking forward to seeing what happens there. Loved the bonding moment between Curtis and Rene, too.

Finished up Strike Back through season three. Holding off on four, but should start it soon. Got caught up on The Librarians, Murdoch Mysteries, and Teen Wolf. I'm thrilled to be current on all three. Whew. Missed the premiere of The Magicians and hope to catch up on that one soon.

Decided to forego watching MacGyver for now. I might binge watch after the season is over. The show just isn't holding my attention like I want it to and the cast shake-ups aren't something I'm thrilled with.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Fail Me Now, a novella that got a writing community prompt start. The prompt suggested writing a scene with the main female character being the CAG of a command carrier and the male is the captain of his own ship, then leaves to join the military during a crisis.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Tate Emerson has no desire to fly fighters—he's worked too hard to get out from under his father's thumb. But when enemy forces attack, Indi Best comes calling with a special invitation from the elder Emerson: Join the fight or get left behind. Tate hatches a plan to do his part, but not have to take orders from his father.

And a sneaky peek…

Tate Emerson didn't play the odds.

He wouldn't be flying a freighter into a combat zone if he did.

His second in charge, Rance Dawkins, shot Tate a quick glance. "You have a plan, captain?" He turned his attention back to the flashing blips on the screen.

Each light represented a fighter. Some were enemies and others, allies. All were in the middle of a shooting match directly outside the nearly destroyed supply outpost Tate's ship had launched from.

Tate kept his gaze on the main viewer. "Yeah. The plan is to get through that line and make it to the other side." Getting through would test his pilot skills, but also prove a worthy challenge.

Rance choked out his response. "In one piece? 'Cause I'm thinking we'll be blown to shit if we try."

Tate pointed in the direction they were fleeing from. "We can't go back there. It's already breaking apart." He nudged the helmsman out of the way. "We're full up and the concourse is gonna need everything we can get through."

They had medical supplies, ammunition, rations, and fighter parts. The hold overflowed and the corridors were stacked deck to ceiling with crates and boxes. They were well beyond weight capacity, but Tate didn't care. He'd fly until the ship fell out of the black. Or got shot into exploding chunks.

Rance blew out a harsh breath. "Okay, then. What's the plan?" He settled into the navigator's chair and brought up the display.

Tate grinned. "Go right up the middle, low enough to avoid being caught in the crossfire and high enough to clear the asteroid field."

Rance groaned. "You're insane. You know that, right?" He settled back, not bothering to chart a course.

Tate shrugged. "Runs in my family." He hand-waved his 2IC's concern. "And you're used to it." They'd been running blockades together for three years.

Rance snorted. "Damn right I am." He glanced at the wide-eyed crew. "Strap in and brace for some chop. The captain's gonna guide us right up the ass crack of the enemy."

And Tate did exactly that.

I have this one plotted out and brainstormed. Here's hoping I can find time to flesh all the pieces out.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Explosive Situation

Okay, I finally finished the six seasons of Hawaii Five-0 that were available on Netflix. Only a few small quibbles, the biggest being it makes me insane when actors play two different, unrelated roles on the same show. I love Ingo Rademacher, but don't make him the parent of a kidnapped child in one episode and then call him back to play a prosecuting attorney trying to bring Five-0 down. Seriously? Were there no other actors who could have played one of those roles? Ugh.

And thank the universe the whole Gabriel Waincroft saga is over. Yeesh.

I'm all caught up on Teen Wolf and aside from wanting to throw things because they brought Theo the Asshat back, I'm loving this season.

I'm working on The Librarians and should start catching up on Murdoch Mysteries and Sherlock this week.

Gotham returned and, yeah, definitely happy it's back on my screen. Now I need all my other DC shows to come back. Also looking forward to seeing what Riverdale ends up bringing to the table. That one could be really fun or truly terrible. Fingers crossed for the first option.

And that's it for television. Tonight's post is from Explosive Situation, a novella where the characters face a tense standoff and how they feel about each other.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Hadley and Tab are the go to people for explosive situations. They work in tandem and haven't lost anyone, or each other, yet. When Tab gets caught in the crossfire on their latest mission, Hadley digs deep to save him and finally faces her feelings.

And a sneaky peek…

"To another successful mission!"

Hadley Moax tapped the edge of her longneck bottle against her partner, Tab Missoni's.

Tab lifted his beer. "Another save, another win." He tilted the bottle and drained half the liquid.

Hadley followed suit, signaling the bartender for another round. They deserved the indulgence. Hell, they deserved a month of R and R after they'd pulled off a spectacularly executed rescue operation.

Tab kicked a booted foot out, resting it on the lower dais. "You know, I thought for sure Hack's team was going to blow the entire op." He drained the beer and started on the next.

Hadley shook her head. "I can't believe he tried to play the operational jurisdiction card." She held up a finger. "First, he shows up after the briefing." She added a second. "Then, he stomped around like a child when he's informed he's not going in as point." Finally, she added a third digit to the mix. "And to top it off, he thought he could pull rank after the op went mission critical." She washed the bitter taste of anger away with her brew.

Tab snorted. "When he started spouting orders in direct contradiction to briefing protocol, I wanted to shove my fist down his throat." He rested his forearms on the bar. "But you managed to shut him up at a crucial moment." Sliding her a sideways glance, his lips quirked.

Hadley shrugged. "Nothing like an elbow jab to the back of the ribcage to knock the wind out of someone." She wouldn't be on the top of Aldus Hacksure's friend list anytime soon.

And she didn't care one damned bit. The overblown ego the man carried around could trip a horse. Shutting him up earlier would be worth looking over her shoulder for the foreseeable future.

Tab sobered. "You know he's going to carry a grudge, right?" His gaze filled with concern.

Hadley's lips curved. "Aw, I'm touched. You're worried about me." She took another swallow of her beer.

Tab leaned in. "I'm worried about us, Had. He's got the connections to split our team."

The thought jarred her. And ruined her buzz. Being separated from Tab? Worst idea ever.

She shook her head. "He wouldn't dare." But would he? "No, Tab. Hack's a pain in the ass, but he's not stupid. You don't destroy a winning combination to appease some dickhead's wounded opinion." For certain if they tried, she'd put up one hell of a fight.

Tab drained his bottle then ordered another round. "I think you're giving him too much credit. He'd like nothing more than to break us up, maybe under the guise of building better partnerships with others. If the brass doesn’t go for that, he could always dig up dirt and hope that separates us." His voice took on a menacing note.

Hadley straightened. "Look, there's no dirt to dig." Not that she and Tab hadn't entertained the idea of making more of their partnership.

At least she had. Several times.

But something always got in the way. First, Tab had an established relationship when they started on assignments together. When that ended, he expressed an interest, but she shied away from the idea, their partnership being too new to test the limits. Then, once they had a handful of successful missions under their belt, she didn't want to mess with the dynamic. Finally, Hadley's breakups with short-term boyfriends never ended well. Working with Tab meant a lot to her. An ugly ending to a workplace romance didn't rate high on her list of shit to get done.

Tab snorted. "Maybe there isn't, but the lack of anything going on wouldn't stop Hack from making accusations." His lips twisted in a smirk. "You know I'm game… anytime you change your mind." He waggled his eyebrows.

Hadley barked out a laugh. "Yeah, yeah. Maybe in twenty years, after Hack retires." The thought of working with the raging egomaniac for two decades turned her stomach sour.

Tab grimaced. "Don't even. If he doesn't step in a big pile by next year, I'm making a career change." He started on his fresh beer.

The idea had merit. But the thought of not working with Tab anymore gave her pause. Tab tilted his head to one side and gave her a curious look. Caught without a solid response, Hadley recovered the only way she knew how.

She lifted her bottle in a toast. "Here, here."

If it isn't clear here, Hadley likes to live in denial. It's a good thing Tab is very patient.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Excelling Anger

Another crazy week with weather. At least we didn't get the huge ice storm the forecasters predicted. Thank the universe.

This week in television saw a lot of Hawaii Five-0. I'm developing a healthy obsession with Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan. I'm working on season six and then it'll be a waiting period until season seven is done airing. Gotta say I'm pretty pleased with the continuity on this show. That said, I do have a couple of questions that haven't been answered yet. Maybe they'll have a resolution later?

Still need to catch up on The Librarians and Teen Wolf. Gotham returns this week, I think. I'm interested in seeing how the death of Mario is resolved.

Missed the return of Agents of SHIELD. Playing catch up on that one, too. So many good shows, so little time.

Tonight's post is from Excelling Anger, a novella that got a start with the writing community prompt of "your characters excel at many things, but they have being angry at each other down to a fine art."

Here's the mini-blurb:

Fallon and Rook are pilots who excel at many things, but they've turned being angry with each into a fine art. When they have to confront their issues, they rediscover how working together can have excellent results.

And a sneaky peek…

"And to finish off our morning briefing, get ready for a new face aboard the Merrymack. Captain Rook Stuartson is joining us this afternoon."

Fallon Bard sat up from her slumped position in the chair. The acting CAG finally had her full attention. Dan Tigress might be a great guy, but he could use some lessons on motivational speaking.

Although delivering good news proved a step in the right direction.

Several hands shot up and Dan Tigress shook his head, waving off questions. "You'll all meet him soon enough. Right now, you've got work to do. Dismissed." He stepped down from the dais and started for the exit.

Fallon rose from her spot in the back of the room and waited for Dan to pass before falling into step beside him. "Will you be leaving us, sir?" She actually hoped he'd stick around, just not as the CAG.

Tigress snorted. "Gonna throw a party if I am, Lieutenant?" He exited the briefing room and paused outside the door.

Fallon frowned. "Of course not. Why would you think so?" Okay, he had a list of reasons why he'd think she'd be happy to see the back of him.

But throwing a party? Not her style.

Dan raised his brows. "Seriously? You're not exactly a fan of the way I run things." He started down the corridor. "You've made that pretty clear."

Fallon followed and caught up with him. "Okay, true. But you're a good officer and great guy. So, no, I'm not going to throw confetti if you're leaving us."

Dan quirked a smile. "But you'll roll out the welcome mat for Captain Stuartson, won't you?" He cast a sideways glance. "You two go way back, right?"

Ha. Understatement.

Fallon chuckled. "If you consider we met in preschool, then, yeah." Rook had eighteen months on her, which he loved to remind her of.

Tigress stopped outside the command center. "And you've been a pain in his ass ever since, haven't you?" He pinned her with a surprisingly frank gaze.

Fallon opened her mouth to deny the statement but decided to shrug instead.

Dan shook his head then leaned in a little closer. "If you head down to quarters, you'll probably run into him. He arrived on ship earlier than expected." Straightening, he turned and entered the command station.

Fallon blinked, a little stunned by the gesture. Tilting her head to one side, she studied the soon to be former CAG until the door slowly swung closed. A friendly move by someone who'd put up with a lot from her.

Moving down the corridor, Fallon headed in the direction of D-deck where the officers' quarters were located. She'd missed Rook, even though their relationship ran the gamut. Friends forever, they drifted from on to off to something indefinable.  But their history meant something and she couldn't wait to get reacquainted.

I'm still in the preliminary stages on this one, but I have the story mapped out and can't wait to really dig in and get rolling.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Everyone Has a Skill

As usual, the weather in Ohio is all over the map. A balmy fifty degrees one day and single digits the next. It's crazy.

I'm working my way through my binge watch of Hawaii Five-0. I'm currently in season 4 at the halfway mark. I'm rather happy with the continuity to this point. When shows play with their history and / or rewrite it, I get a little cranky. (I'm looking at you NCIS: LA)

Need to catch up on The Librarians and Teen Wolf. Definitely looking forward to the return of my regular shows later this month.

Tonight's post is from Everyone Has a Skill, a bonus free read featuring Lita and Ollie from All Jacked Up.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A bonus scene where our heroes are trapped behind enemy lines and only one paid good attention during survival training. The other had more fun memorizing the armory's weapon selection.

And a sneaky peek…

Ollie stirred the contents of the pan over the fire. The stew would be bland, but at least filling. The ginsa root's pungent flavor when raw turned into a much milder taste when cooked.

Lita burst into the clearing, carrying a handful of something with her. "Hey, look what I found." She waved the green plants back and forth then brought them closer.

He grinned. "Wild leeks?" Taking them, he rinsed the tender greens with some water and started slicing them into the pot.

She quirked a brow. "Don't sound so surprised. I'm not a total moron." Dropping down to her haunches, she sniffed the bubbling soup.

Ollie snorted. "Never said you were. I asked if you slept through survival training." He finished cutting the leeks and wiped his knife off. "That'll liven up the stew."

Lita nodded. "Actually smells good." Her tongue darted out, swiping over her lower lip. "Here's hoping it tastes halfway decent." Laughter sparked in her gaze.

Ollie put his hand over his chest. "Ouch." He stirred the stew one more time then dished it into two cups. "Let's find out, yeah?" Handing her one, he settled down beside her.

Lita took a tentative bite and lifted a shoulder. "It's not five-star dining, but, hey, it's better than anything I'd ever cook." She tapped her cup against his.

Ollie accepted the praise. "At least we won't starve before we can make it to the extraction point." He dug into the meal.

Lita gave him a long, considering look. "Looks like I'm going to have to find a way to repay you." A sexy smirk curved her lips and she waggled her eyebrows.

Ollie chuckled. "Given your imagination, that should prove interesting."

Lita set her dish aside and crawled around to straddle his lap. "You'd better believe it."

Lita and Ollie are very fun and having them rely on each other sparks their attraction, then draws them into a deeper relationship.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Every Last Drop

A very Happy New Year to all!

Hope everyone survived the holiday season and 2017 is starting out with peace and joy.

I finished up my Great Holiday Show Binge Watch Extravaganza for the most part. Mainly single episode shows from a wide variety of dramas. I still have a couple of shows on my DVR that I'll watch after everyone goes back to school and work.

Started a binge watch of the reboot of Hawaii Five-0. After watching the Christmas episodes, I had enough interest to start the series. So far, I'm enjoying the reboot and started season two yesterday.

Looking forward to the return of my regular shows this month.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Every Last Drop, a bonus scene featuring Effy and Jonah from Unlawful Acts.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A bonus scene where the last cup of coffee can make or break someone's day… depending on who gets to it first.

And a sneaky peek…

Effy tucked one of her stakeout bags under the chair in the van. She always came prepared, especially when surveillance only required minimal effort. Changing a camera angle or adjusting a microphone didn't take a lot of work.

But someone needed to man the controls and they always worked in teams.

Setting up the equipment, she muttered. "If Jonah sicced Piney on me, I'm going to cheerfully kill the man." She grabbed a thermos from her second duffel and chuckled. "At least I got the last of good stuff.

The back door opened and Jonah popped his head inside the van. "What's this about cheerfully killing me?" He ambled up inside and dragged a large canvas satchel in with him.

Effy blinked, surprised beyond reason. "What're you doing?" Complaints about Piney aside, she hadn't expected Jonah to take the shift.

Jonah shot her a lopsided grin. "Apparently not dying tonight." He unzipped his case and rummaged around. "Cheerfully, though? Geez, Effy, that's a little harsh, isn't it?"

She lifted a shoulder. "Maybe. But since it's not a cause for concern, we'll just forget I said that, right?" Her brain couldn't quite wrap around the idea of Jonah doing surveillance with her.

Jonah glanced up. "Good. Now that we've established you're not going to kill me, I can deliver the bad news."

She braced for the worst. "Please tell me Piney's not outside waiting to ruin my night."

Jonah laughed. "Come on. I wouldn't do that to you." He waggled his eyebrows. "Especially since you were up until the wee hours this morning." He sobered. "Actually, we're pulling a double, meaning you'll be up until dawn again."

Effy straightened. "What? Why?" Wait, why complain?

At least she had a hot man to spend the next eight hours with.

Jonah pulled out another thermos of coffee. "How about I sweeten the deal with some manna from heaven?" He set the carafe beside hers. "You're not the only one who has pull with the galley crew."

Effy smiled. "Consider me all in for the double then."

Not much of a date night, but they didn't flaunt their couple status to anyone.

And Jonah ranked way higher than Piney Underwood ever would.

I love to write bonus scenes and revisiting Jonah and Effy is so much fun.

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

ML Skye