Sunday Snippet: Bad Chemistry (Uncivil Revolution)

I hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving had a wonderful one. We're always low-key. We head to my dad's, eat, converse for a while then head home to nap in a food coma. We definitely had a good time.

The weather is crazy weird again, which is actually kind of typical for the end of November. It's usually a little colder and the question of whether it'll snow or not. Now it's more like up and down temperatures that go back and forth to drive anyone with sinus issues to the pharmacy to stock up on meds.

I finished up the episode of Ted Lasso I started and thoroughly enjoyed. I'm iffy on Jamie's redemption but hopefully it'll continue and stick. I honestly hated that character so much last season.

I also spent the week watching a large chunk of Batman: The Animated Series as mentioned in last week's post. I started with episode seventeen of season one and continued through episode thirty. I'll be watching more this week with a plan to finish out November with my memorial to Kevin.

One of the things I love most about revisiting this series is finding overlooked gems in the rewatch. There were a couple of episodes I'd completely forgotten about and it's nice to see them again.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Bad Chemistry, the opening novella in a three or four-part series.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lex Durban and Charlotte Martin do their best to survive in new world hierarchy, each with a different kind of target on their back. But when they have to undertake the dangerous task of moving refugees to a new location, Lex wants Char to stay behind so only one is in danger, but Char has other ideas.

And a sneaky peek…

Lex stood at parade rest, in front of former General Mulroney.

"How's it looking out there, Lex?" Fit for his age—at least sixty, by Lex's guess—the general split open a sunflower seed with his teeth.

"We're low on supplies, but the base is secure. My attachment of men went above and beyond to make certain, Sir." Several skirmishes to make their point had been necessary.

Mulroney shot Lex a swift glance. "Lose the 'sir', son. It's not necessary here."

Old habits died hard. Lex nodded. It would be easier if he didn't respect the general as much as he did.

Mulroney leaned forward. "Glad to hear you're secure. Because I need all but two men for another location." He spit the seed shell into a metal bin on his desk. "And don't worry. We'll restock your supplies before you leave." Mulroney popped another seed. "I hate to pull the men, but District Four needs them." He nodded toward the lone chair, opposite his desk. "Have a seat and I'll brief you."

Lex sat, feeling oddly out of place in the informal setting of the general's hunting cabin. Not exactly a place he ever imagined as a base of operations for military excursions. Then again, he never dreamed he'd muster out and sign on with a covert, underground campaign.

But he had. And became a better man for it.

He leaned forward, ready to listen.

The general got right to the point. "I got a call from Jack Cooper two days ago. District Four is his former constituency—or part of it—and they've got more refugees than they can handle."

"The Sector Police won't let people into the cities?" They'd seen more and more of the larger cities go on lockdown.

The general shrugged. "We're not sure. Cooper's trying to get intel. I'm sending in two units to help keep the peace and transport folks out to your location." Mulroney pinned him with his gaze. "Can you handle it?"

Lex nodded. "I'll handle it, Sir." He tapped the file on the desk. "If you get me everything on the list, we're good to go." He'd deal with it, even if they didn't get the supplies, but the general didn't have to be told. The man picked Lex for a reason—he got the job done.

Mulroney's smile spread across his face. "Expect incoming within two weeks, maybe sooner."

I'm hoping to have this series plotted out and ready sometime next year. The ideas fly fast for a period of time then the sages get tired and need to focus on something else for a bit.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Automatic Failure

Whew. November is almost over and I'm not sure where the month went. Crazy weather continues. It warms up then plunges into the cold depths. We've had a dusting of snow twice. I don't mind the cold, but I like it better when it gets chilly and stays that way. The back and forth makes me cranky.

I did finish up one of my work projects and have a brief break on the second one. I thought I'd get some things accomplished around the house but I ended up having two new works projects land in my inbox. Definitely not complaining but I think one of my new goals will be trying to create better balance.

I, again, didn't get a lot of anything watched this week. I started an episode of Ted Lasso but put it on hold when I got the new projects.

I plan to view as many episodes of Batman: The Animated Series as a memorial to Kevin Conroy, as I can. I can honestly say, Kevin is my Batman. He's he first voice actor I ever looked up online because I loved his work in the animated series so much.

One bit of great news is I'm three-quarters of the way done with my holiday shopping. I might even start getting the gifts wrapped and bagged. Then it's off to gather stocking-stuffers.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Automatic Failure, a novella that mixes a sibling rivalry, family drama, and a couple doing what's best for everyone.

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…

When Piper passed the med tech station, Ana snagged Piper's arm. "Oh, no, Lieutenant. Let's get you some coffee and a few moments alone. You don't look like you need to be riding on elevators or behind the wheel of a car right now." Ana directed Piper to a small waiting area, pushed her into a chair, and poured a cup of the fragrant brew. "Now you just drink this and take five to compose yourself, then you can head on out."

Piper blinked the tears from her eyes and took the mug. "Thanks. And sorry for pulling you away from your job." She needed to get a grip and get on her way.

Ana dropped down into the chair beside her. "Honey, you don't have to apologize. That one"—meaning Abel—"is a piece of work. And if what I think happened, happened. You just saved yourself from needing a pain-in-the-ass extraction."

Taking a sip of the coffee, Piper choked on it. Ana's words conjured a hilarious image of medical equipment raising Abel, kicking and flailing, up into the air. After the nasty scene, she'd needed the humor.

Ana patted her hand. "There you go. You're all set now." She got up and headed for the door. "Want my unsolicited advice? Check out the older one. He's a looker and I think he got all the good genes." She waved and went outside.

Piper cocked her head to one side. "Wouldn't that be a wild twist?" She downed the rest of the coffee and placed the mug on the counter.

Heading toward the elevator, she didn't know what to think when she pressed the button to head down to the main level. Entering the enclosed space, she absently selected the ground floor indicator and waited for the brief ride down. Getting dumped—could it even be called that when Abel had ulterior motives for dating her in the first place—stung, but oddly didn't hurt as much as she would have expected. Especially considering she'd stepped aside because her personal feelings were involved.

"Hold the door, please!"

Piper flung her hand against the sliding panel and almost laughed when Knox stepped onto the car.

His eyes went wide but he recovered quickly. "Thanks. I appreciate it." He glanced at the selection and nodded when he noticed the main lobby selected.

The doors slid shut and the elevator started its descent.

Knox kept his gaze forward. "As you've obviously discovered, my brother can be an idiot." He shot her a sideways glance. "I swear no one dropped him on his head, but he gets it honest."

Piper's lips curved. "Do I want to know which family member he takes after?" She bit her tongue for being snarky, but Knox barked out a laugh.

And Piper flashed back to Ana's advice…

This story is shaping up and is so much fun to write. We've got the sibling rivalry in the books and the family drama follows soon after.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: An Answer to Fate

We've had the most insane weather this week. Three days in the high sixties and low seventies then a thirty degree drop on Friday with rain, rain, rain, followed by another dip in temperature and snow in an area not far from where I live. I predict a lot of people will end up with upper respiratory issues in the near future.

Had a very busy week with work projects. The two I've been working on are both wrapping up and we're down to the final tweaks and polishing. I've thoroughly enjoyed both and I'm looking forward to a small break to get some additional things accomplished around the house.

I didn't watch much of anything this week, mainly because I needed the quiet focus again. I did get most of the way through Resisting Roots and I started Enola Holmes 2. I have so much love for this movie!

I also got an episode of Star Trek: Discovery in. I'm thrilled everyone is back together and I love the changing dynamic of the characters. Looking forward to seeing more of this season.

I'll hopefully be back to a partially normal viewing schedule in the next week. I also found a streaming service that has a classic television network I've been missing for the past three or so years. I'll be giving that a whirl soon.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from An Answer to Fate, a novella that starts a three-book series.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Quillan Jaymes and Jeb Paladino finally get their act together and declare themselves a couple. Too bad that's when everything goes wrong.

And a sneaky peek…

Quillan Jaymes sat in Isolation, an IV drip in her arm hydrating her system and replenishing essential nutrients. It had been four days since she’d had sustenance and two weeks of half rations prior to that. But she’d made it out, worse for the experience, but out.

"Six months with the cyborgs and those creepy cybots."

Four months of that being poked, prodded, stroked, stimulated, tormented and tortured by six different cyborg models.

And for what?

"A stupid special destiny foretold in some ancient texts?"

They’d been smart and saved Luther for last. By the time she'd been taken by cybot escort to him, she’d figured out enough to know that docile was the game of the day. Luther, not letting Quillan leave his side, spent days in the chamber with the cympath—a human with telepathic ability hooked up to machines. So Quillan played along, sitting with him and listening to the cympath drone on and on in the abstract way it had of doing.

Luther put his hands on Quillan's shoulders. "I want you to listen to the words, hear them, feel them." He'd squeeze gently then ease away.

Eventually Quillan tuned out the various ramblings that were related to the mundane running of the base and started picking up the musings of destiny-related details. She got to a point where she almost knew what the cympath would say before it uttered the words.

She shook her head at the weird connection she'd had with the being. It had been somewhat intuitive, and oddly, Quillan didn’t question it.

And it gave her the discovery of what the cyborgs were after.

They were after her … literally.

"I'm the key."

The bridge … between life and death, cyborg and human, destiny, fate, creators, creations, and the one who could not be named. The cympath laid everything out in front of Quillan and the pieces clicked into place. She held the fate of two races in her hands and neither of them knew it.

The event that brought her to the attention of the cyborgs, the swirling cluster of stars she’d entered then hurtled through, had been a piece of the puzzle … one she’d been certain would mean her death. Because she'd had an out-of-body experience.

Her guide, the cympath presenting itself as Luther—which she didn't know at the time—had told her to let it happen. "It's a new beginning and there is nothing to fear."

Well she didn’t fear anything.

Not anymore.

"It is a new beginning; all my sins wiped away … a clean slate." She held the knowledge close to her soul.

After several weeks of nonstop interaction, Luther finally assumed she couldn’t yet understand the cympath. "It's okay. We'll take some time, get reacquainted, and you'll come to know your heart." He paused a long moment. "And you'll realize I belong there."

 Quillan played along. She talked to Luther, told him her secrets, her fears, her insecurities, gaining his trust. For an entire month they did nothing but converse on every topic Luther could think of … philosophy had been a favorite, but he discussed poetry as well … as a concession to her.

During that month, Quillan had been free to explore the base, with an escort, and she wandered the ever-changing landscape carefully taking it all in.

 The next month saw an alteration in demeanor for her relationship with Luther. The others were impatient with the progress forcing Luther to revise his plans. The change had been subtle at first with a touch here, a caress there. By the end of the week, Quillan's suspicious nature screamed warnings, but she continued to play along.

 Another week passed before she realized the food had been drugged and she only figured it out because she lost patches of time. Luther also became more aggressive in his pursuit. Quillan needed time to make a plan.

For the next two weeks, she only ate half her food and suffered through Luther’s special brand of love, pretending a responsiveness that made her skin crawl. But the pretense allowed her to move about the base freely now, without the escort. Having to endure the long, slow, numbing kisses had her heaving what little she ate afterward.

In the guise of quiet wandering, she mapped out a route to the docking bay. The trick to the ever-changing landscape had been to ignore it and focus on what she knew. She counted steps and turns and twists for three different routes during the last week she'd been on the asteroid.

Then she stopped eating the food.

A little longer than I usually put up for a preview but I like the way this scene is going and wanted to share most of it.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: All Jacked Up

November is off with a bang. We've had way higher than normal temperatures this past week. It's throwing me off kilter to have seventy-five degree weather right now. The trees are bare but it's like summer outside. Weird.

I had another busy week with work projects. I also got my new washing machine and got caught up on laundry. Last but not least, I think I have about half my holiday shopping done. I'm trying hard to be ahead of things this year.

I didn't get a lot of viewing completed this week. I've been on a kick where I need quiet time to get things done. I did watch a couple of things…

Caught the premiere episode of season two of Only Murders in the Building. Gotta say, I love how they've kicked the season off. This is such a fun show.

Also watched an episode of Peak Practice and ended up enjoying it a lot. I like it when they have characters who've been on previously. Adds a bit of realism.

And that's pretty much it for the life update this week. I think I'm going to catch up on a couple of movies this upcoming week. Stay tuned.

Tonight's post is from All Jacked Up, a novella that features a couple who end up together after one gets injured and starts driving everyone around them nuts.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lita North is injured and ordered to stay off her feet for forty-eight hours which doesn't go over well because Lita doesn't do inactivity. But when Ollie Tulver gets stuck babysitting her after she disobeys the order, she has two choices—continue being a pain in the ass or toe the line. Lita being Lita, she decides do to both.

And a sneaky peek…

Ollie paused with the lid halfway off. "Is that what you think you are to me? You think that's how I look at you?"

She shrugged. "I think it pisses me off when you answer a question with a question. No, actually, questions." She waved her fork, lasagna and all. "You just said if the positions were reversed, I'd feel sorry for you. I assume that means you feel the same for me right now." She stuffed the food into her mouth.

Oliver blew out a breath. "Geez, Lita. There's a lot to unpack there." He cut his portion into chunks. "First, there's a difference between feeling sorry for someone because you commiserate with their situation and feeling sorry for them because of pity." He sent her a hard look. "The fact you even consider I'd go for the second option slices deep." Maybe a little deeper than it should.

Frustrated because he let her get to him, he used more force than necessary to break his roll apart. Maybe he couldn't exactly define what they had—something more than friendship but no boundaries crossed. How did she not know pity would be the last thing he felt toward her?

Lita shook her head. "I'm sorry. That was a bitchy thing to say. We're better friends than that."

Ollie took a bite of food. "I thought we were." He chewed and swallowed. "But I can see how you'd maybe wonder. I mean, Netts ordered me to keep you in line, and I'll follow through no matter what, but I'm also trying to imagine how I'd feel if Cramer ordered me to basically sit in isolation and do nothing." He'd get stir-crazy but wouldn't be the pain in the ass Lita proved to be.

Her lips quirked. "No doubt you'd handle it better than me. Inactivity has always been my enemy."

Ollie smirked. "No, you are your own worst enemy. Inactivity is only a convenient excuse."

She laughed. "Yeah, okay." She dug into her salad. "There's a lot of truth in that statement." Glancing up, she shrugged. "Pushing against barriers is kind of my thing. Probably good I've got someone who points out the error of my ways." Her gaze flashed with a flirty vibe.

Ollie blinked when the flirtation in her eyes turned a little hot. The something more than friendship might be edging closer to crossing a boundary. And maybe he wanted to nudge that idea along a little.

He gave her a long, steady look. "You can count on me for that and … whatever else you need."

Lita lifted her chin. "Hmm. Good to know." Her lips curved into a small grin.

They finished eating in companionable silence.

Ollie stacked the trays and gathered up the crutches before handing them to her. "Now's the time to hit the head if you need it." He made sure she stayed off her leg until she entered the small area.

When she finished, she settled in the wheelchair and handed the crutches over without argument. A win in his book. He took the walking aids outside then retrieved the trays.

Pausing by the hatch, he checked the time. "I'll come back in two hours again. You'll probably be close to finished by then."

Lita, armed with the roller brush, saluted him. "I'll be impatiently waiting for your return."

Ollie chuckled and exited the quarters. If she behaved, he'd bring a nice ice bag for her therapy.

I love writing Lita and Ollie. She genuinely hates being cooped up but Ollie is going to make things interesting for her.

 

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

ML Skye