Sunday Snippet: Under a Crescent Moon

We had a bit of a thaw with temperatures just a little above freezing. It's not going to last long but nice to step outside and not have it hurt to breathe.

Work ended up being very busy this week. And I made some progress on my side project. Hoping to launch by February, but that's not a given. I am crossing my fingers though.

Didn't quite make it all the way through my usual shows. I did add a new one, which I think I'm going to enjoy.

The new show I added is One Lane Bridge and I watched the first episode. There's a bit of a paranormal twist to this that I'm very interested in.

Caught another episode of London Kills. It was nice to get some Billie backstory. Also nice to see movement on the larger case. Looking forward to a new episode this week.

Enjoyed an episode of Death in Paradise. New sergeant is fun, and the mystery ended up being interesting. Looking forward to more of season eleven.

Watched another episode of Beyond Paradise. I'm enjoying my favorite actor's character in this. Loved the mystery and piecing everything together.

I started an episode of Elementary and I'm enjoying it. I'm not quite sure what's going on with Watson's guy, but I have a sneaking suspicion there's more to him than we're seeing and not in a good way.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Under a Crescent Moon, a sexy short featuring conflict between a couple when a secret is revealed.

Here's the miniblurb:

Tyra Blanc, a top military pilot, harbors a secret love for classic old romance movies. When she's not paying attention during a briefing, her superior officer, Dev Dravenish, reveals her weakness and Tyra is caught between wondering how he discovered the information and how to deal with the all-out ribbing coming her way.

And a sneaky peek…

"Dismissed."

Tyra's head shot up. Shit. She'd zoned out again. Sliding from her seat, she wondered if...

"Lieutenant Blanc, a moment, please." Dev called out from the podium.

Yep. He'd noticed. Dammit.

She walked up to the front of the briefing room. "Sir?"

Dev folded his arms over his chest. "Little distracted this morning?" He arched both brows.

She winced. "Not so much distracted as … well … maybe a little unfocused." Yeah, that sounded lame even to her.

Dev's eyes widened and he dropped his arms. "A little unfocused? You were all but snoring back there." He leaned and pitched his voice low. "If our nocturnal activities have you nodding off during briefings, maybe we should find alternative ways to spend our time together."

Tyra deserved to catch some grief for almost—okay, actually—falling asleep, but what else did he think they should do if not having sex?

She tilted her head to one side. "You think we should do what? Read books? Have a tea party?" Not much two people could get into that didn't involve the rest of the ship.

Like sitting in at a card game or maybe catching up at the rec room bar. Possibly sitting through entertainment shows.

Dev shot back. "Gee, I don't know. Maybe you'd rather watch some old romance classics." His lips quirked. "Something with a noir flair."

The room went a little dark when what he meant dawned on her. He shouldn't have any kind of knowledge about her secret passion for the old-time black and white romance films. Her reasons for loving the genre were extremely personal and very private. Having Dev whip the subject out left her feeling naked and exposed … even if they were alone in the room.

She didn't like having her secret trotted out and used against her.

Her gaze narrowed. "How did you know about that?" She hissed the words out.

Dev blinked in surprise then backpedaled. "Josh told me in a drunken confession during a game of cards."

Son of a bitch. It figured. And, oddly, hurt.

Tyra schooled her features. "And did your brother share the information with everyone else?" A little bruised and battered, her heart twisted in her chest.

And anger made her vision swim.

Confused, Dev shook his head. "No, it was just him and me. Why? What's the big deal?"

Tyra ignored the question, needing to escape before she said something she shouldn't. "Fine, whatever. I'll be sure to pay attention during the briefing tomorrow." She lifted her chin. "No problem." She stomped off, biting her tongue and fighting back tears.

Dev wouldn't understand why she couldn't talk about the topic. And she didn't have the capacity to explain right now. Not when memories were crowding her thoughts, and she fought the urge to drown in them.

I love digging into weird quirks that create drama between characters. Tyra and Dev are kind of on the cusp of something more, which might be in jeopardy now.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: To V or Not to V (a V-World novella)

Winter blast is lingering for at least another week. Our low is supposed to minus eight on Tuesday. And I'll probably have to go out when it's that low. I can't wait.

Lighter than normal work week, but I had come copy editing on my plate. Finished one project and started another one. I also have some new stuff floating in the wings and will hopefully start that soon.

Had an okay week of viewing and made it through the full slate of shows. I'll be starting a new one this week and I'm pretty sure I have the show picked out.

Finished up the series run of Mr. and Mrs. Murder. I quite enjoyed this show. Sometimes I got annoyed at the antics but mostly loved the interactions between the characters.

Caught another episode of London Kills and loved the twisty turns in the episode. I'm loving the vibe between the characters and I'm happy to see Billie become a full detective constable. Looking forward to the next episode.

Loved the Christmas episode of Death in Paradise. The beginning of season eleven is off to a great start. Really cool to see Dwayne again.

Enjoyed another episode of Beyond Paradise. My favorite actor showed up and I'm very excited to see what happens. Still not sure about the mom. Can't quite figure out if she's going to be an anvil between Humphrey and Martha or supportive.

Watched another episode of Elementary and quite enjoyed. I'm not really sure about Joan's new love interest. I actually think he's a bit annoying.

Caught another episode of Batman Beyond and loved it. I remembered this one and possibly caught an easter egg related to Batman: The Animated Series and the Gray Ghost character. Fun times!

Enjoyed the last episode of the eighth season of Classic Rugrats. I'll be starting the final season this week. Very much looking forward to picking back up with new episodes once my rewatch is complete.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from To V or Not to V, a V-World novella.

Here's the miniblurb:

Mallory Biden and Surge Tempest work side by side to police crimes in V-World, a virtual reality recreation area where anyone can live out their wildest fantasy. But when Surge goes rogue to track down an old nemesis and enters the Void Zone, a dangerous, untraceable place he helped create, Mallory will risk getting trapped inside to pull him out.

And a sneaky peek…

Mallory entered Rick's workspace and sat on the chaise recliner. Her leg bobbed up and down with nervous tension while she waited for her brother to finish his computations.

Rick rose from his seat, grabbed a pair of V-Goggles and handed them to Mallory.

She swung her legs up and settled back in the recliner. "Okay. You're sure you can track me?" The goggles dangled from her finger, and she spun them around a couple of times.

Rick turned toward her. "Yes, Mal. I'm sure." He fiddled with the second set-up, matching it to the one he had monitoring Surge's movements. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." He focused back on the screen in front of him. "You are my fave sibling, you know."

Mallory snorted. "I'm your only sibling, you idiot. But I'll take the compliment." She pushed out a nervous breath. She trusted Rick, sibling jokes aside. He wouldn't let her get trapped or stuck in the grid with no way out.

In short, he wouldn't let her down. He never had.

Lifting the goggles, she adjusted them to fit her head. "You'll drop me in, right? No matter where Surge is or what he's doing?" Her anger had settled into a cold ball in the middle of her stomach. It actually helped. Enabled her to be as calm as she could be about the situation.

V-World and some of the things that went on there made her queasy. The work took her to the less desirable places, the sex rooms, the shoot 'em galleries, the speed zones, where seasoned participants often took advantage of newbies who didn't know the ropes. But she got to nab those abusers.

The VZ, almost impossible to police, had a lawless atmosphere. The speed zones in the VZ thrived on high speed, adrenaline charging chase and pursuits. The shooting galleries didn't get progressively harder. Participants dropped in both sections and if they got pegged … game over. The hackers couldn't enter the ranges again and they had to find a new form of fun. The sex rooms in V-World had a racy, raunchy vibe. The VZ went ten steps further, adding a darkly twisted depravity to the acts available.

She'd grown up around violence and mayhem, they tended to not faze her. And she had a bit of a kinky side, but most of what transpired in the VZ made her want to heave. The outer fringes she could handle, they inclined toward the deeper sections of V-World. The rest of the zone, though, like virtual reality hopped up on syntho, the latest highly addictive narcotic. Insanity ruled the streams in the VZ.

Rick cleared his throat, and Mallory snapped her attention back where it should be. He glanced in her direction. "Mal. I know how important this is to you." This being Surge. "I'll slide you into whatever scenario he's got going on. First as an observer—you'll have a thirty second window before you can actualize—after that, you decide when to go hot."

Mallory frowned. "Why the delay?"

Rick shook his head. "Jesus, Mal. This isn't like V-World where we can see what's going on once we have the trace. If Surge is in the middle of a fire fight, you could get killed. Literally." He stopped short, took a breath and continued. "I don't mind covering your ass while you're in the zone, but I'll be damned if I'm taking over on a permanent basis."

Mallory didn't say anything. She couldn't have if she tried. He'd hit on the topic she didn't want to think about. Rick would pick up the slack if anything happened to her, but he'd be hard pressed to hold everyone together the way she did.

Her brother liked lurking in the background. Liked just being there to cheer, egg, and urge everyone else on, to save the day with a slick program or to pick up the pieces and put her back together when she occasionally shattered under the strain of being the HBIC of their covert little group that monitored and played oversight for the sprawling virtual scene.

If she got lost or couldn't make it out, he'd do his best to step up and lead even though they both knew it would never be enough.

Giving him a curt nod, she sat back, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Okay. Hook me up and send me in."

She heard the keystroke—the last thing she'd hear of the real world until Rick pulled her out or she left of her own accord—and opened her eyes. The blue-green-red of the goggles reflected off her irises, and she was in.

Oh. My.

This series is so much fun to write. I'm very excited to see where it goes with Surge and Mallory.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Top Honors

The winter blast is still underway. I'd love to send some of our precipitation out to California to combat the wildfires burning LA right now. Another 3-5 inches of snow in the next day or so. Thankfully, I don't have to really go out for anything until the end of the week.

I made progress on my side project. I have a few more things to upload and some links to get set, then I'll hopefully be ready to launch. I also did some future planning on what manuscripts to focus on next. At least it's movement!

Very light work week again. Still working on the readthrough for my friend and I completed a manuscript proofread. Hoping to have another new one to get started on this week.

Not a bad week for viewing. I had some distractions but nothing major. I also think I've found the next show I want to watch on one of my streamers.

Finished up the premier episode of London Kills. This is definitely going to be a wild season. Can't wait to see more.

Caught another episode of Death in Paradise. Kind of sad to see JP leaving but excited to see what happens next. Marlon is growing on me so that's a good thing.

Started the spinoff Beyond Paradise and enjoyed the opening episode. I'm interested to see where things go with Humphrey and Martha. Not sure about Martha's mom. So far, not a fan. I do love the team and look forward to more interactions with them.

Watched another episode of Elementary. Enjoyed the dynamic with the Sherlock regular, the math guy. Also kind of enjoyed the Joan and Kitty scenes. I'm not sure what's going on with Kitty but I don't think she's really committed to the group therapy thing. We'll see if I'm right about that…

Finished up the second part of the opening episodes of Batman Beyond. I'm excited about this rewatch. The theme song alone makes it worth another visit to this one.

Enjoyed another Classic Rugrats episode. This one was the launch of All Growed Up and I hadn't seen the bookend with the original babies. Such a fun episode.

Also finished up an episode of Peak Practice, which I ended up liking. Will is still a bit of a prat but and I really, really dislike the finance guy, but overall, this ended up being a great episode.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Top Honors, a novella that brings a couple together even with the dad being a pain in the butt.

Here's the miniblurb:

Katie Beal and Hilton Hillion have a very public breakup after she fails him from basic flight. Two years later, Forbes Hillion bumps into her at Hilt's graduation from the academy and sparks fly, but Katie won't go down the same road again … after all, her career can't withstand another setback from Forbes's dad.

And a sneaky peek…

Katie debated about confronting Forbes that night when he stopped by her apartment.

She let him in and gave him a chilly greeting. He narrowed his gaze but settled on the sofa in the living room. She couldn't put off asking him. She needed to know if he'd broken his promise.

She squared her shoulders. "I had an interesting meeting with my CO today."

Forbes blinked. "Damn. I'm shocked my old man moved so fast." He huffed out a breath.

Katie crossed the room and opened the door. "I'd like you to leave." She met his gaze. "Now." Anger kicked hard against her ribs.

Forbes held up a hand. "Wait." He got up.

Katie shook her head. "No. You promised you wouldn't butt in. You're not a man of your word." And, damn, if disappointment didn't smack up against the anger.

He moved to stand beside her. "There's a reason I stepped in. Please let me explain, then I'll leave." His eyes held a wary appeal.

Katie heaved a sigh. "Fine." She shut the door. "Start talking." Folding her arms over her chest, she clamped her jaw.

Forbes ran a hand through his head. "I had no intention of butting in until I came across some important information." He filled her in on his dad's transgression. "He had no business judging you for something he'd done himself—especially when the outcomes were so different." His voice softened. "And … he's depriving the service of a top-notch instructor in the process."

Shock washed over her. She really shouldn't be surprised Walsh had a past, but she wouldn't have pegged him for this. And it kind of explained why he'd reacted the way he had when Katie failed Hilton.

She relaxed. "You still had no right to stick your nose in." Especially when she'd asked him not to.

Even if the outcome worked in her favor.

Forbes reached for her hand. "Yes, I did. I love you, Katie, and I'll do whatever it takes to right my father's wrong. You shouldn't have to pay the price to ease his guilt." His thumb stroked over her skin.

She fought past the surprise of his admission. "Okay … when you put it like that"—he said he loved her—"I can't really argue." She had so much to say, but the love thing had her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth.

Forbes squeezed her fingers. "So, you understand?"

Katie nodded. "Yes. I do."

He let go of her hand and twisted the doorknob.

Katie shook her head. "Where are you going?"

Forbes glanced over his shoulder. "I said I'd leave if you listened." He held her gaze. "I really am a man of my word."

She tugged him back. "And I'm allowed to change my mind." She wrapped her arms around him. "Stay?"

I love the variation on one of my favorite themes / tropes of meeting the wrong brother first. Katie and Forbes are a lot of fun.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: To Create a Spy

Hello 2025. I truly hope this year is better than I expect it will be.

I have some goals for this year, and one is to finally launch my side project. I've been putting it off, and I think I finally figured out why. Instead of FOMO, fear of missing out, I have FOFU, fear of fucking up or, a kinder version, FOMU, fear of messing up. I need to get over that.

We're under a winter weather advisory and I have to leave super early in the morning to pick my oldest up from work. I'm debating whether I should fill up my tank now or just wait and do it on the way. We're only supposed to have an inch of snow, but I'm not sure about the freezing rain and ice. I'll monitor and decide soon.

Very light work week. I'm working on a readthrough of a series for a friend and I'm so excited for this project! I'm also hoping I have some new work starting this week. I have tentative dates in my calendar, but nothing set yet.

Had an okay week of viewing. I've been in a weird mood and haven't been watching as much as I could have. That said, I have been getting a lot of writing done so I'm not complaining.

Caught another episode of Elementary. Much happier with where Joan and Sherlock in this episode. The vibe is very different from the first two seasons, and I think I'm okay with that.

I started a Batman Beyond rewatch. I have a lot of love for this show and look forward to diving back in again.

Enjoyed another episode of Classic Rugrats. Once again, I didn't remember either of the vignettes, so I had fun watching.

Watched an episode of Mr. and Mrs. Murder. I hadn't seen any of this one and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think there's one episode left, and I'll have to find a new show to watch.

Almost through the season three premiere episode of London Kills. This could end up being a wild ride. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from To Create a Spy, a novella with characters inspired by the original series of La Femme Nikita.

Here's the miniblurb:

Mariah St. James isn't what she appears to be when she's recruited by a covert black ops group hell bent on using her supposed skill set. But when she finds an ally in Matthew Jamison, she thinks she might actually survive the rigorous and deadly training … until he betrays her by leaving her alone in a dangerous situation.

And a sneaky peek…

Matthew had to get a grip. He'd just put both their lives in danger.

Over a kiss.

Why now?

Since he'd picked her up from the prison and all through her training, he'd never been compelled to act on the strange connection he shared with Mariah. Yet today, he'd not only acted on it, but turned it into a measuring stick. Pushed at her to see if she'd learned the stuff they didn't teach.

She had. And learned it well.

What is it about Mariah that sucks me in? Ten years in Division and he'd never once been tempted to put his ass on the line for another operative.

He'd wined. He'd dined. And yes, he'd bedded when necessary.

Always on command from someone else. Under orders. He did what they asked, when they asked.

Matthew didn't indulge in attractions with other operatives or staff. And he suffered no delusions regarding the peril he faced by doing so now. Yet it will continue. Under wraps, completely in secret, but there will be more with Mariah.

The big question in his mind? How long before I can't control the pace? And that begged the next query. How much damage will the fallout inflict and who will be left standing?

He needed to step back, assess every angle, weigh the consequences. But his brain kept revisiting the feel of her lips under his. Her initial surprise gave way to a soft yielding tinged with an underlying heat. She'd wanted more, would have let him take it further regardless of their location.

Good and bad.

Matthew didn't doubt they'd resist the pull between them. But if either of them stepped wrong while on premises, containment wouldn't be far behind. Mariah needed to learn that. Hold it close and never break protocol while in the confines of Division.

If his decade of experience with the ins and outs didn't stop him, she would have to remind him. And the fact that he wanted more and didn't care if it proved deadly, gave him one certain undeniable fact. She's the most dangerous thing on the planet right now.

Heading back to the hub, Matthew found Axyl and asked him to load the upcoming mission data to his panel. A brief stint in the field would be a wise move and Matthew intended to wait no less than twelve hours to get out there.

I think this novella will be the opening for a three-part series. I'm having a lot of fun writing this and I'm excited to see where everything goes.

 

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

ML Skye