Sunday Snippet: Nugget Training

Apparently, the week before last ended up being bizarre not only because Mercury is in retrograde but two other planets are squaring up. I'm kind of glad I made it through the insanity. The past week had some challenges but things finally started coming together and smoothed out. Whew.

My youngest kiddo returned from Alaska where she had a great time. She graduated high school last year and she and my dad finally got to take a trip this summer. They had great weather and got to do a ton of fun sightseeing events.

Had a slightly slower than usual television viewing experience. I started out with a new episode of No Offence. Viv had quite the revelation at the end of the episode and I'm interested to see where things go from here.

Enjoyed another episode of Silent Witness. This one has some quirky undertones and I'm interested in the second part to see how everything plays out.

Caught another episode of Blue Heelers and started a new one. Since my new washing machine arrived, I've been catching up on laundry and getting some quality time in on my Australian show.

Watched a full arc of Classic Who. For some reason, I thought they only needed to find four pieces of the key, but it's actually six. Should be interesting to see how the final three play out.

Enjoyed another episode of UFOs: The Lost Evidence. This one focused on UFO tech, which I find fascinating. The theories that come out of the woodwork regarding why and how the technology is used always makes me smile.

Caught two more episodes of The Muppet Show. Guest stars were Madeline Kahn and George Burns. Both were shows I didn't remember.

Watched a great episode of The Hardy Boys. Things are starting to come together and I'm really interested in where things will end up. I'm ready for the tall guy to get served. Just saying.

Enjoyed a new episode of Peak Practice. I have a feeling the next one will have a tragedy but I rather liked the new doctor they introduced. Looking forward to more from him.

Caught another Master Class on graphic design. This one focused on life as a working designer. I didn't think I'd get much out of that lesson, but I actually did. Even if I don't want to pursue graphic design as a career, the concept of what's important in the career you choose provided some good information.

Finally, I'm watching another episode of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. This is set around Thanksgiving and there are some great character reveals. I like this show but I'm not champing at the bit to get to the next one … yet. This episode does have an awesome guest star in Michael Hogan and I'm happy to see him in the mix. Reminds me to send positive vibes out and hope his recovery is going well.

That's pretty much it for television and life updates. Tonight's post is from Nugget Training, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Bonnie Bash has issues with remembering boundaries and it gets her in trouble with Taggart Allen, her immediate superior—especially when she sometimes forgets she has to respect the rank. She quickly learns why she frustrates Tag so much when she's thrust into training a group of fifteen newbie pilots, nuggets, and not one has a clue or even cares about how the chain of command works.

And a sneaky peek…

Tag waited until the last student exited the classroom before pushing away from the wall. He'd been standing sentinel for the past half hour, dying to know how things went. From the mood and comments of the class, Bonnie didn't overwhelm them and she'd sparked their competitive spirit.

She strolled out, carrying an armload of files.

He fell into step beside her. "Turning over a new leaf, Bonnie?" He referred to her folders and the satchel she had hooked over one shoulder.

She quirked a smile. "I guess so." Pausing, she turned to face him. "Honestly, I didn't realize how horrible I must sound during the briefings until I got fifteen malcontents going off at the same time. It sucked." She started forward again.

He stifled a chuckle. About time she realized how disruptive her running commentary tended to be. Score one for him.

She did a quick rundown of the first session. "Once they got settled, we made progress. They've got lots of questions, which I expected." She waited a beat. "And they're not stupid ones. That's never a given."

Tag grunted. "You pretty much squashed that in the mud. I doubt any of them will be brave enough to waste time … theirs or yours." Another good thing since they didn't have time to do a lot of hand-holding.

They reached the end of the corridor before she gave him a sideways glance. "Pissed off I stole your speech?" Her eyebrow arched.

He snorted. "Hell, no. More like surprised any of it stuck." Seriously, she nailed it pretty much word for word.

She laughed. "Hey, if I’m going to steal, it's gonna be from the best." She walked away, grinning wide.

It's gonna be from the best…

Tag sputtered. "Wait, what? Did I hear you correctly? The best?" He took off after her. "Bonnie! Hold up."

Her laughter rang out and he did exactly what she wanted.

Gave chase.

I'm having a great time writing the dynamic between Bonnie and Tag. It's fun to explore an established relationship that undergoes a challenging situation.

 

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

ML Skye