Sunday Snippet: Follow Me (Scorched Galaxy)

Can't believe June is almost over. This year is flying by so quickly. Or maybe it's just so much is out of control it seems that way.

Great week of work. I'm finishing up two big projects and hopefully setting up the groundwork for more. I'd love to find some balance between big jobs and smaller ones.

Had a decent week for viewing. We had some weather roll through, and I took the precaution of not starting anything when we might lose power.

I started a new two-parter of Silent Witness. Kind of an interesting premise and I'm not completely sure where this one is going. I like that.

Caught another episode of Death in Paradise, and it's one I hadn't seen yet. I do love watching the series in chronological order.

Continued my rewatch of Battlestar Galactica with "Final Cut," which is one of my very favorite episodes. There's a lot going on in this one and it's all amazing.

Finished the second season of Only Murders in the Building and, holy hell, I loved how it ended! Can't wait for season three!

Also managed to catch another episode of Classic Rugrats. It brought back some memories because my kiddos wanted to try flan because of this one.

And that's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Follow Me, the opening book of an epic space saga trilogy. I hope.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A will they or won't they wager spurs Molly and Sloan to see how long they can without getting caught.

And a sneaky peek…

Molly pondered Sloan's prediction. With their history with MacNeill, he might begin with the should've known betters, but he wouldn't end there. Her mind ticked off several follow-up scenarios, each one worse than the last.

She'd caught a glimpse of the disappointment on the commander's face just before he'd slammed the hatch shut. Damn. She hated letting him down.

Her head snapped up. "You don't think we'll end up in hack, do you?" Wouldn't be anything new for her—between her temper and her mouth, a first-name basis had been established with the marine guard.

Sloan on the other hand? Usually so squeaky clean he farts bubbles.

He shrugged again. "Who knows?"

The night's events were catching up with him. He looked so weary.

She put her feet up on an adjacent chair. "Yeah. Let's just deal with whatever happens, when it happens." She could almost feel the dull throb he must've had behind his eyes … the one where the buzz wore off and the hangover kicked in.

He closed his eyes a moment. "My head hurts too much to think about it right now." He leaned forward, elbows on the table and steepled his fingers to put pressure against his forehead, gently rubbing in a circular motion.

He continued to massage his head and she let the comparative silence draw out. Watching his fingers work, she flashed to having them on her … and in her … in the commander's quarters. Who knew it would be like that with us? They'd been friends for a long time … hell, she'd been engaged to his best friend before he'd been lost on the recon mission.

As different as night and day, Sloan and Lachlan were opposite sides of the same coin. She couldn't really make a comparison between them, and, in her mind, that probably counted as a good thing. Things are weird enough without adding my former fiancé to the mix.

Gods, how long had it been since she'd thought of Lachlan? Such a big part of her life. The first man she remotely considered as more than a great lay. The first to break through and reach her on a personal level. Then meeting Sloan and finding another friend for life? Molly counted herself lucky to be the recipient of such blessings.

She shook herself out of that train of thought. She couldn't think about Lachlan right now. Picking back up on Sloan's fingers, she got warm pondering all the things she'd love him to use them for. Long and lean, they shouldn't fit with the rest of his body. But they did. Compact, solid, and certainly built, Sloan stayed in shape. Always. Much to the hatred of the other pilots.

Molly grinned. One of the first directives Sloan sent through as CAG, a new fitness program, still made them grumble. Sloan turned a deaf ear to the complaints. In his mind, as long as they were on the run from an enemy that outpaced them in every way except the physical, his men would be as fit as possible.

That directive counted as the only thing he continued to have significant trouble with since assuming the position of lead pilot. The former CAG, well-seasoned major that he'd been, let the pilots skate on the physical side as long as they could fly planes. Molly supported Sloan's efforts wholeheartedly and agreed with his reasoning completely.

It slayed her that the one thing that set off Sloan's usually calm demeanor was a group of pilots bitching about keeping fit for duty.

Talk about a match to powder.

A riled-up Sloan? Whew. Something to behold. The man elevated a scathing set down to an art form. Using a few well-chosen words to get his point across, he left no doubt how unpleasant the repercussions would be for anyone not on board with the regimen. The pilots might not like it, but he'd earned their grudging respect for not folding under the initial barrage of very vocal feedback.

Molly had the advantage of knowing Sloan prior to the attacks. She knew what lay beneath the surface. How difficult being thrust into a position he wasn't ready for made things. She'd had firsthand experience with the slow burn of Sloan's temper. He rarely reached a hard boil but watch out if he did. And once he reached meltdown, his anger ebbed as slowly as it built. Giving him some distance for a few days tended to be a good idea.

In contrast, push her buttons and she lashed out fast and her temper faded quickly. Opposite of Sloan. They were on opposite ends of the spectrum. Which turned out to be a good thing. If she'd known how explosive they'd be together, she would have plotted a way to set up a good hard screw a hell of a lot sooner.

Even wigged out, she couldn't deny the sex had been damn good.

Speaking of … Sloan mentioned about that, didn't he? And, well, they had some time to kill.

She snapped her fingers in front of his far-away gaze. "Sloan?" Waited until he focused blue eyes on her. "Didn't you say something about mind-blowing sex?" Kind of weird to talk about it but reliving it in her head had her blood heating again, which made her uncomfortable.

Sloan glanced away, coloring slightly. "Fuck, Molly. I should have known you wouldn't let that one slide." His voice went a little sheepish like he hadn't meant to say it out loud.

But he had and they might as well talk about it.

Molly picked up on the humor, used it as the ice breaker. "Let it slide?" She shook her head back and forth. "No way. Sloan MacNeill mentions mind-blowing sex and I'm going to let it slide. I don't think so." They usually teased each other mercilessly when one of them got laid.

Except … it'd never been quite like this.

"The fact you were referencing me is the kicker. Never would have thought that possible." Molly chuckled awkwardly, desperately trying to keep things light.

Then she braced herself.

Whatever Sloan said next would set the tone between them from this point forward. She honestly didn't know what she hoped for.

This story is so close to my heart, and I've been working on the three books to iron out all the intricacies. Here's hoping I get it all right.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: First Time Ever Laid Eyes on You

Happy Father's Day to the dads out there, including fur dads and mentors. We've got beautiful weather after a very soggy week.

My work projects are bringing me so much joy right now. The books are so amazing! Also heard from one of my authors on two new stories he's got percolating right now. And I got a text message from one of my current authors that completely made my weekend. So … work is awesome right now.

Had a very good viewing week. I ended up doubling up on a couple of shows because the mood struck.

Ended up catching two episodes of the Brokenwood Mysteries. Both were pretty great. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting another one of Mike's ex-wives. And my heart kind of broke for him by the end of that episode. I'll probably finish out season nine this week.

Finished the complete run of available Classic Who episodes. Have to say in retrospect, it's weird how there have been seven doctors and only one master. That said, I'm actually kind of happy with how Seven's tenure ended. Not sure if I'll watch the movie with Eight or just skip over to New Who. It might be a few weeks before I start that.

Caught the second part of Silent Witness. This two-parter ended up being very twisty and I liked it. Looking forward to starting a new one this week.

Watched two episodes of Death in Paradise. I'm enjoying watching from the beginning in chronological order. It's nice to see how the original group came together.

Enjoyed the penultimate episode of Only Murders in the Building. What a cool twist or three. Can't wait to watch the finale this week.

Caught another episode of Classic Rugrats. This is my nostalgia show. I have so many great memories of watching this when my kiddos were little.

Watched an episode of Peak Practice. Joanna breaks my heart sometimes. And we're nearing the end of season nine when things don't go so well for her.

Continued my rewatch of Battlestar Galactica with a double-header of "Home Part I and II." These are two of my favorite episodes of season two. The fleet is brought back together, and the acting is stellar.

Enjoyed another episode of Madame Blanc Mysteries. Very interesting development at the end. I have a feeling I'll either love or hate the twist.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from First Time Ever Laid Eyes on You, a novella that brings two polar opposites together.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Nadia Blunt takes one look at Bart Uppermark and decides they'll make a great team in the air and on the ground. But when Bart shows zero interest in working together—she takes too many risks for his comfort zone—Nadia pulls out all the stops and proves him wrong.

And a sneaky peek…

Bart stood toe-to-toe with Nadia. "I haven't dismissed you yet, lieutenant." She didn't get to leave just yet.

No matter how pissed off she might be.

Nadia snapped to attention but remained silent. Rigid shoulders. Back ramrod straight. All taut anger and coiled tension.

What a woman! Just a little on the insane side, but the best natural pilot I've ever flown with.

And he wanted her. The unbidden idea popped into his brain and took up residence. Wanting her as his wingman oddly became almost an afterthought.

Bart made a slow circle around Nadia, trying to formulate a response to her outburst. "Am I to understand you're taking yourself out of contention to be reassigned with me?" He wouldn't stand for that at all.

She kept her eyes straight ahead. "Fairly sure I made myself clear … sir." She all but spit the sign of respect for his higher rank out.

Bart bit the inside of his cheek. Her smart mouth amused the hell out of him. Which shouldn't happen but he enjoyed her open candor.

He came to a stop in front of her. "I see." He sighed. "Unfortunately, that doesn't work for me." He couldn't accept her decision.

Her gaze shifted, finally landing on him. "Excuse me? Why the hell not?" She shook her head. "You were out there with me. I sucked. Worst I've flown in well … ever." She glanced away then back again, refusing to do anything but own her horrible test flight.

He cracked a smile. "And yet, you're still the best pilot I've flown with in…" He twisted her words back on her. "Well … ever." Including Mallet who'd been a kick-ass pilot.

She blinked. "I'm sorry. What?" She shook her head, clearly confused.

He pointed to the chair at the desk. "You heard me. At ease, Lieutenant. We've got some issues to work through here." He moved around the desk and sat down.

This story is finally coming together, and I hope to have it ready to launch soon!

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Fireworks

Getting a later than usual start on my blog post today. We lost power for about four hours. Finally got some rain after about ten days and the power blips. It's not even storming. Go figure.

Still moving along on my work projects. I'm so excited about the two manuscripts I'm editing. Both are part of a series with two different authors. Can't wait for the rest of the world to see them!

Had a pretty good week of viewing television. I'm still in the midst of the great clean out so not a huge amount, but a few extra hours.

Started the premiere episode of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. So far, I'm loving it. I paused mid-episode mainly because I want to be able to watch uninterrupted.

Caught another episode of Brokenwood Mysteries. Quite a good mystery for this one. Thoroughly enjoyed the episode.

Watched another episode of Peak Practice and enjoyed it. This one had some action, which doesn't happen often.

Enjoyed the penultimate episode of Classic Who's season twenty-six and I'm looking forward to the finale. Then I have to decide if I'm jumping into New Who or taking a break.

Caught the first half of a Silent Witness two-parter. Intriguing episode with some odd little twists. Looking forward to seeing how it ends.

Continued my rewatch of Battlestar Galactica with "The Farm". I have mixed feelings about this episode. Loved the creeptastic look into what the cylons are up to on Caprica. Hated the deeper dive into my most disliked character in the entire series. So, enjoyed watching with my co-watcher but tempered that with knowing what will come later with the most disliked character. Should be doing a double-header next week!

Watched another episode of Death in Paradise. I'm very happy to be starting this series from the beginning and working my way through in the established order. This is such a fun watch.

Enjoyed another episode of Only Murders in the Building. Such a great episode! Things are moving into place, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Caught the first episode of Madam Blanc Mysteries' second season. It's a holiday themed episode and actually quite terrific. I'm kind of wondering if Dom and Caron will be vying for Jean's affections, which I hope won't be the case.

And that's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Fireworks, a novella that throws a sibling rivalry into a new romance and that sets off a chain of events putting one of the characters in danger.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Adelle Lizt and Zander McKibbet are a volatile mix—neither gives quarter when they know they're right. But with two sides to every situation, they find some common ground in a very interesting place—the guest quarters on base.

And a sneaky peek…

Zander came to with a groan. "What the hell?" Why did his head feel like a battering ram wanted to escape from the inside of his skull?

Pieces shifted into place in his brain, and he jerked upright. Drugged. We were drugged. A quick search showed Adelle missing. And no Samantha. But his idiot brother remained at the table with Zander. Keith stirred and Zander kicked out at the chair across from him.

Keith's eyes blinked open, and his brows drew together. "Why'd you do that?" Reality crashed over him. "Dammit!" He snapped upright and glanced around. "Where's Sam? Adelle?"

Zander growled. "Obviously not here. That's some special woman you got yourself hooked up to." He slowly got to his feet and wavered a little.

The room spun around him then righted itself and Zander clumsily made his way to the sink and filled two glasses with water. He trudged back to the table and set one in front of his brother. Keith gave Zander a guilty look but drank the clear fluid down. Zander did the same.

When Keith finished, he set the glass aside. "So, you're thinking kidnapping, right?" He shook his head. "Why the hell would Sam do that? Adelle is just a flight instructor." His lips twisted in a sneer.

Zander slammed his hand on the table. "Think about it, asshole. Your girlfriend is probably an enemy agent or working for one. The new Starwing fighters are in production right now. And who gets the first look at any new spacecraft?" He waited a beat and answered his own question. "Flight instructors." He ran a hand through his hair.

 With Adelle being in the top-three teacher status, she would be one of the first to get the specs. Not to mention she'd also be a top candidate for flying one as soon as they were off the assembly line. Shit. If anything happened to her, Zander would cheerfully throttle his brother.

Another horrible thought hit hard. "Fuck. You're not only an asshole, you're a stupid one." He pinned Keith with a harsh gaze. "Guess what else your charming woman sees in you?" Hell, in both of them.

Keith's head dropped back. "Aw, dammit." He shoved away from the table, his fists balled up. "You think she used me to get to Dad." He whirled away, a hand swiping over his head. "I can't believe this."

Zander huffed out a breath. "Well, you'd better get your head around it." He headed for the living area and started going through Samantha's desk. "She's got us by the balls. Because if Adelle doesn't cooperate, I'd bet my next pay grade, that's exactly what Samantha's backup plan is. Trading Adelle for access to our old man." After all, he held a top rank in the military.

Keith pulled a cupboard door open. "We don't know anything for sure…" He removed a stack of notebooks and flipped the top one open. "Aw, fuck." He handed the book to Zander.

A series of encoded messages lined the pages. Keith went to the sofa and shoved everything off the coffee table then spread the tablets out. Zander shook his head. The communiques were gobbledygook and probably wouldn't help. But they were also damning information.

And Zander got angry all over again. "You sure know how to pick them, bro." He stomped over to the couch and added the notebook to the pile. "Seriously. If anything happens to Adelle because of your girlfriend, there'll be hell to pay—"

Keith jerked his head. "Shut up."

Zander reached out and thwapped Keith's head. "No. This is bullshit—"

Keith shoved Zander. "No, shut up. I'm trying to think." He flipped through the pages and then went back to the front of the booklet.

Zander's eyes narrowed but he held silent. Keith picked up the notebook Zander set down and fished around for a pen on the floor. He snagged one and started writing on a clean page, going back and forth between the two notebooks.

He glanced up. "Pretty sure I've cracked their code." He turned the book around. "Look…" He pointed to his writing then explained how he found the key. "If you'll help with this, we can possibly get an idea of where they went."

Zander blinked. "Geez. You should think about military intelligence. I can't believe how quickly you cracked the key for these messages." His brother would be wasted as a pilot.

Keith snorted. "Let's find Adelle first, yeah?" He crumpled the printed pages in his fist. "I'm so pissed. It's pretty clear she's an enemy agent. And I really liked her, dammit."

Zander lifted his chin. "The heart wants what the heart wants." He'd cut Keith a break because he really did like Samantha.

Keith sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I get it now. I shouldn't have been such an ass about Adelle." He gathered up the notebooks. "I can't do this here. Besides, we should get on the road. We might need to gear up for this."

Zander didn't argue. He headed for the door.

Keith stopped Zander on the way out. "I'm sorry about this. When we find them, leave Samantha to me."

Zander gave a nod then followed his brother to Zander's truck almost feeling sorry for Samantha when Keith caught up to her.

This story is finally coming together the way I hoped it would. Zander and Adelle are fun to write and Keith gets to learn a valuable lesson about not messing with his sibling's life.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Finding Calm

The first week of June is in the books and I got a big chunk of my garage cleaned out, which makes me very happy.

Work projects are moving along and I'm hoping to line up another project or two in the near future. I love a full calendar!

I had a decent week of television even with the great garage cleanout. I'm not up to my regular schedule yet and I'm actually okay with that.

I finished up the second half of Silent Witness and actually liked the kind of twisty ending it had. Lots of red herrings in this episode.

Started a watch of Death in Paradise. I've never seen this series from the actual beginning and I'm excited to dive in.

Caught another episode of Only Murders in the Building and I loved having some Mabel backstory. The fact she loved The X-Files as a kid makes me so happy.

Continued my rewatch of Battlestar Galactica. "Resistance" is such a great episode … with the exception of introducing a character I absolutely disliked with intense passion.

Watched an episode of Classic Rugrats. The two segments were ones I had forgotten and I'm always happy to watch those.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Finding Calm, a novella that brings a couple together after a rough journey apart.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Hank and Sunny have danced around finding happiness together so many times. Sunny botches it and learns a hard lesson at the hands of a crazed kidnapper. She finally wants to meet Hank on equal footing but the timing never seems right. Surely her cosmic bad luck has to take an upswing sooner or later.

And a sneaky peek…

Sunny flipped down through the pages, skimming the information and got very angry. "Apparently I have almost perfect genes and they want to splice them with different matches to see if a superior human can be made." The sinister reason made bile rise in her throat and she covered her mouth to keep it from escaping.

No way would she allow the insane enemy to get their hands on anything that could help them turn the tide in their favor. Sickened, she slowly and quietly made her way out of the room and edged along the corridor wall toward the doors marked Laboratory. The journey took longer than she wanted, but it hurt to move. More than she'd ever admit to anyone.

She eased the lab door open and found the area empty and eerily silent. A small row of ambient lights cast just enough brightness for her to find her way around. She discovered cloning notes, harvesting charts, and finally, ovaries, lots of samples. One with her name on the label. She destroyed hers with a test tube clamp and, for good measure, took out all the others also. The noise set off an alarm and she had to get out, crunching over broken glass in her bare feet to make her exit. Once outside the lab, she grabbed an extinguisher, the only thing close to a weapon she could find and fought her way out of the building.

Stumbling halfway to the empty field behind the makeshift hospital, she crawled, skinning up her knees and ravaging her hands. She made it to the edge and found cover in the tall brush but snagged her arms in the process. Bruised and bleeding, she stopped to rest, and pray the stitch in her side didn't mean her wound had opened up again. A hand grabbed her from behind and she bit down hard and spun around, ready to take on her attacker.

"Sunny, calm down. It's Josh. I can get you out of here. Come on."

She didn't hesitate. She looped her arm around his neck and let him pick her up. He melted back into the shadows and managed to avoid the flood lights streaming in intervals all over the back field. Once they made it to the far edge, he sat her down and caught his breath.

Sunny fought the wave of nausea the pain from her injuries brought. "Thanks, Josh. Now what?" If they didn't move soon, they'd be caught.

And she would not go back to that creeptastic hospital—at least not alive.

Josh's gaze scanned the surrounding area. "I found a ship that can get us off the planet … but I can't fly." He blew out a frustrated breath. "And the crew doesn't have a captain, which means they're arguing with each other to figure out what to do next."

Sunny closed her eyes, relief filling her. "No worries. I'm a pilot. I can fly pretty much anything." As long as she stayed conscious anyway.

Josh crouched down. "Come on then." He turned and put his back to her. "Up you go."

Sunny draped her arms over his shoulders and wrapped her thighs around his waist. Her body ached and throbbed with pain but with escape imminent she'd endure for as long as she had to.

Sunny has some issues that need to be worked through and Josh ends up being part of those issues because he's not Hank.

 

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

ML Skye