Sunday Snippet: Automatic Failure

Another busy week in the books and I'm gearing up for a chaotic ride for the upcoming one. I have a colonoscopy scheduled for Tuesday and, frankly, I'm not excited. But at least it'll be done and over early in the week.

Ohio is still doing the back and forth weather stuff. At least it's not a wild fluctuation. More like fifties one day, high thirties the next. I'm not complaining because it's time for the cool down and I like chillier weather.

I have a slow start to my work week because of the colonoscopy, but I have a full of projects. A copy edit and a design proofread are underway and I should have another copy edit sliding in by midweek. I also have an author Zoom session either Tuesday or Wednesday. I very much enjoy the variety of projects I'm working on. I'm also looking forward to a possible collaboration on a fun idea with a few colleagues sometime soon.

Had an okay viewing week. I had time to hit the back burner shows but found I needed a break. My focus slipped by the weekend and I ended up keeping them on simmer for now.

Started the week with Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Season three is kind of a wild ride and I waffle between enjoying having Phryne's dad causing problems and wishing we had more episodes without him.

Caught another episode of Foyle's War and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's one I remember from my first run through of the series. The acting is top notch throughout from beginning to end.

Enjoyed another episode of Beyond Paradise. I love Martha and Humphrey with their foster daughter. Kind of bummed Esther decided to break things off with Archie. Hopefully, that's a red herring.

Watched another episode of Poirot and enjoyed it. I don't have any memories of watching this one before and I always love how terrible Hastings is at Miss Lemon's filing system.

Elementary ended up being excellent. I like Joan trying to navigate having a half-sister. The case also proved interesting. And definitely a little scary.

Caught the season three opener of Batman Beyond. Always fun to see the Royal Flush gang. I'd forgotten how this one ended and I enjoyed it.

Also watched an episode of Lower Decks. I'm very much enjoying how many easter eggs are in this show. Lots of fun!

And that's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Automatic Failure, a novella that throws a family-dynamic challenge into a couple's journey.

Here's the miniblurb:

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…

Well, fuck.

Knox frowned again. "What the hell? Did you tell him to fuck off?" His dad had some serious stones on him.

She snorted. "Why bother? You already beat me to it." She started walking again. "Apparently, that's why he came. Because you cut all of them out of your life." She shot him a sideways glance. "He seemed to think he needed to fix things with us." She waved her hand. "I wished him luck after explaining how we left things." She met his gaze head-on. "The whole if I didn't fight the transfer and shipped out, we were through." Her tone took on an icy quality.

Knox winced then groaned. "Ultimatums aren't my strong suit. That was stupid of me." He dropped his bag and reached out to stop her. "If nothing else, I owe you an apology." And a whole lot more.

She held his gaze. "Okay, you apologized. Now what?" Glancing around, she made sure they didn't have an audience. "Look, we kind of live in each other's pockets here. Are you gonna be able to handle that?" Her brows arched.

He didn't blame her for doubting he could. "Piper, regardless of my old man's interference, or how I got here, I'm glad for this post. I knew within the first week I'd made a mistake by letting you leave without resolving anything. For telling you we were through if you did." He paused, letting two crew members pass before continuing. "Is there somewhere we can go? To talk?" He really didn't want any distractions.

She lifted her chin. "Sure, I'll show you to quarters." She took off again. "Every officer has their own space." Her lips quirked when she glanced over her shoulder. "The one and only perk of being this far out."

He grabbed his bag and followed her until she stopped by one of the doors.

She pointed to the blank ID label. "This will be you. As soon as you check in with the quartermaster." She pushed the activation switch and the door slid open.

He placed his bag at the foot of the bed. "How far away are you?" The quarters were roomy, which surprised him.

Her lips twitched. "Just across the hall. They try to group us by designation. Pilots with pilots, engineers with engineers and so on."

Knox nodded. "Okay, good." He had to test the waters. "So … will you have dinner with me? Give me a chance to make up for being a dick?" He almost wouldn't blame her if she said no.

She flashed a smile. "I'd like that." She nodded toward the corridor. "Get checked in with the quartermaster or they won't serve you in the galley." Crossing the deck, she opened her door. "I'll meet you at 1800." She entered her quarters.

Knox couldn't keep a wide smile off his face. He'd better get moving if he wanted to get started off on the right foot with Piper.

And he definitely wanted to do exactly that.

Knox has a wee bit of groveling to do and he's perfectly okay with that.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: An Answer to Fate

It's been a busy week. We're still kind of off-kilter after the loss of our doggo. Our younger one is adjusting and I'm thankful for that. Our vet office is amazing, and they've been wonderful throughout this whole process.

Ohio weather is being very Ohio right now. Warm up, cool down, something kind of in between. I had to clear snow off my car at the beginning of last week. It didn't stick around, which is okay with me. I don't mind snow, but I'm also not quite ready for it yet.

Work was very busy this past week. Had a terrific Zoom meeting with an author and two other members of a team I often work with. We're getting ready to hand over the project for the next steps. Also had another Zoom session with a different author and they're making headway on their memoir. Finished up a developmental edit and we're getting ready to hand that one off also. Had an older project pop back up and I think we have that one resolved. I also finished up a copy edit and started a new proofread.

Not a bad viewing week either. I made it through all of my usual slate of shows. The next two weeks are going to be a little iffy, but I'll make an effort to stay current.

I started with the season three opener of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. The introduction of her dad was fun, and I liked seeing Jack show a little jealousy.

Also caught another episode of Foyle's War and I'd forgotten how much of a role Andrew played in this episode. If I remember correctly, we won't see him again for a while.

Watched another episode of Beyond Paradise. I'm enjoying Archie and Esther's romance a lot. I loved Humphrey being in the uncomfortable position of having to question Martha as a suspect to clear her. And I'm so glad Anne finally spilled the beans about her biopsy.

Enjoyed an episode of Poirot. I love Hastings and Miss Lemon investigating and then chatting about Poirot. The lengths he went to to protect the countess kind of charmed me.

Elementary had a great episode. Discovering Joan has a half-sister is interesting. I also love how tangled up everything ended up being. Bringing Mycroft into the equation is a snare that will have some repercussions, I think. Especially with the NSA showing up again.

Caught an episode of Batman Beyond and thoroughly enjoyed it. I remembered it from my original watch. Getting Ace's backstory is great.

Also got to watch another episode of Lower Decks. The characters are starting to gel for me, and Mariner is way less annoying this season. Very glad I stuck with this one.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from An Answer to Fate, a novella that kicks of a trilogy of stories.

Here's the miniblurb:

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's mind needed to be sharp if she wanted to pull this escape off.

After every meal, she’d excuse herself, find the closest empty head and force herself to throw it all up. She loaded up on fluids to combat the dehydration, but it helped only minimally.

And all the while, she continued to feed Luther’s delusion that she’d finally be willing to accept him in her heart.

The day before her planned departure, Quillan almost stumbled into a meeting between five of the seven cyborgs on base. Staying out of sight, she listened to their heated debate regarding the plans for her destiny.

She overheard vital information, and it completely gutted her. Stunned, she considered leaving that very moment but discounted the impossible idea. On top of that, a deep-seated anger coiled through her belly and the need for revenge became her guiding factor.

Dining later with Luther, she pretended the food still had her malleable as she quietly listened to him expound on the meaning of love.

"So you see … we can be bonded together and help bring a new order to the entire universe."

Without the narcotic effect of the drugs, she had difficulty not spewing her rage … but she’d need every scrap of strength she had for her escape.

With the meal complete, Quillan excused herself. "I'll be right back." She allowed her gaze to hint at something else.

The quick flash of teeth from Luther’s grin made her cringe inwardly, but she gave no hint of what he had coming.

She hit the head and, after expelling the contents of her stomach, Quillan removed the knife she'd secreted away from its hiding place in her boot. She palmed the blade, familiarizing herself with its weight and heft.

It's time.

Giving her head a shake to muss up her hair a little, she fought a wave of dizziness. Undoing the top two buttons of her shirt, she exited the bathroom and cast her gaze over the space she’d grown to hate. She wouldn't miss this fake façade of a residence.

She struck a seductive pose. "Luther…" She called his name softly.

He turned and his face lit up at her provocative pretense.

He didn’t see the knife leave her hand, didn’t realize what had happened until it stuck out of chest … just below the reinforced plating leading down from his shoulder. His pierced heart beat the final few staccatos of life.

Walking calmly over to him, Quillan loomed over his body waiting for his breathing to cease. “My heart will never accept you. Never.” Yanking the knife out, she didn’t take time to clean the blade as she exited the room.

This story is going to be tricky to get right. I'll probably end up waiting until I get at least the second book finished before releasing this one, mainly to make sure I don't have to plant seeds for book three.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: All Tied Up (Top Dog Pilots bonus)

I'm going to start with a doggo update. We thought our older doggo was doing better but, sadly, that wasn't the case. The vet took an aspirated sample of her lymph node, and the results came back as cancerous, probably MAST cell. The prognosis is never great for that diagnosis. But we planned to keep her comfortable and spend as much time as we could with her. Unfortunately, she took a turn for the worse and on November 7, we let her go to the great beyond. Hardest decision to make but she stopped eating and couldn't really afford to lose more weight than she already had. My heart hurts right now, but we're trying to ease the loss for our other doggo and that's been a blessing.

Obviously, even with everything going on with our dog, work continued. I finished up a proofread and have a new one scheduled for the upcoming week. I also have a couple of client calls and I'm excited about those. I'm in the middle of a copy edit for an opening book to a new series and it's going well.

I had an okay viewing week. I made it most of the way through my regular shows, with the exception of Lower Decks. I'll get back to it this week. I hope.

Finished up the second season of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. I love the Christmas in July episode so much. There's some subtle groundwork being laid for the final season and I appreciate being able to look back and see it.

Caught another episode of Foyle's War. I really wanted to smash everyone working against Foyle in the face. The arrogance of the military spies grated hard on me this time around.

Beyond Paradise ended up being a lot of fun. I like the romance with Archie and Ester. And I love Humphrey and Martha with their fostering. I'm a little put out with the mom being so cagey. I get the why but it's annoying. I'm kind of hoping she ends up confiding in Zoe.

Watched another episode of Poirot and enjoyed it. I loved having him hoodwinked into solving a murder because an author wrote himself into a corner. And having the author kind of save the day was fun.

Elementary ended up being a great episode. I love Sherlock putting forth effort in his relationship and getting it wrong for the right reasons.

Enjoyed another episode of Batman Beyond. Loved Bruce and Max working together to find Terry. I had some vague memories of this one but didn't remember everything that happened.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from All Tied Up, a bonus short feature Max and Maggie from the Top Dog Pilots series.

Here's the miniblurb:

Maggie Harper has the man she wants and a job she loves. But sometimes she has to pull out all the stops to keep life interesting. And that means Max Cutter better be ready for whatever Maggie comes up with next.

And a sneaky peek…

Her mouth is bliss…

Cutter closed his eyes. "Always expect the unexpected from you but this…" He tested the limit of the sleeves again. "Being all tied up is something else." His breath hissed out when she all but inhaled his dick. "Geez, you're gonna kill me."

And he'd die happy.

Maggie slowly backed off his erection and met his gaze. "Get over it, Cutter." She sucked hard on the head. "You'll enjoy what I have planned." Gliding down to the base one more time, she slowly dragged her tongue along the underside of his length on the way back.

Letting go, and leaving his rigid flesh bobbing for more, she got to her feet and turned away from him. Her hands reached around and sensuously eased her tank upward, exposing her back to his gaze. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the garment sailing across their quarters. Angling her head around, her lips kicked up in a sexy smirk. Her fingers teased along the waistband of her shorts, inching the fabric down then pulling it back up. Her hips swayed to music only she could hear in her head. With another suggestive peekaboo, she lowered the bottoms halfway down her hips. Cutter bit back a groan … he loved her playful vibe as much as he wanted to be buried deep inside her.

Maggie finally dropped her shorts and shuttled them across the deck with a quick kick before she turned and faced him in her altogether. She prowled toward him with a hungry look in her eyes. Stopping just short of his knees, she put two fingers under his chin and tilted his head back.

Leaning in, she met his mouth in a quick hot kiss. "Time to deliver on my promise." Her head slanted and she caught his lips again.

Nudging him back against the cushions, she straddled his thighs and sank over his cock. He'd love to clasp her thighs and give her the ride of her life. Instead, he curled his fingers into his palms and flexed his hips as far as they'd go with his arms behind his back.

Maggie broke the kiss and grinned down at him. "I think I like this setup." She planted her hands on his shoulders and rocked her hips.

Cutter grunted. "This is me not complaining." He leaned forward and laved one taut nipple.

Maggie gasped. "Ahhh. I want more of that…" Her fingers dug into his skin.

Cutter smirked. "Whatever makes you happy…"

This is such a fun series, and I love writing Max and Maggie.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: All Jacked Up

Welcome, November! Honestly, October had great points and not-so-great points. Having a sick pet is not fun. Trying to figure out exactly what's going on isn't either. But she appears to be doing better so that's a plus.

We had a spectacular trick-or-treat night. The weather ended up being cooperative. Chilly but not cold, slightly windy but not gusty, and no rain. The past few years we've had flurries, frigid temperatures, rain, and the blowy, serious wind that makes everyone miserable. Having almost perfect weather is a nice change.

Had an okay work week. I finished up a copy edit and started a new proofread. Finalized a developmental edit with only formatting left to do before it moves over to a copy editor. I have a bit of research to do for the other developmental edit I'm working on and I should have that at least started today.

Not a bad week of viewing. I made it all the way through my current slate of shows. I didn't hit the backburner ones but, again, sick doggo equals a lot of time.

Started with Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and I'm almost finished with the second season. I really did enjoy the downfall of Jack's former father-in-law. I also loved how disgusted Rosie ended up being with her dad. Christmas episode is up next and it's one I love to pieces.

Caught another episode of Foyle's War and finished out the second season. I'd forgotten Andrew crashed his plane and he had a bit of a romance with Sam. Looking forward to starting the third season.

Watched an episode of Beyond Paradise and thoroughly enjoyed Humphrey and Martha interacting with their new foster. Also quite enjoyed the Ester and Archie banter. I really hope Kelby ends up getting a girl because he's the sweetest guy ever.

Enjoyed an episode of Poirot. A lot of twisty-turns in this one and Poirot getting all bent over Hastings using the bathroom as a darkroom was hilarious.

Elementary ended up being very interesting. I'm kind of wary of Joan trying to get a mole inside Moreland's company. I think it's for protection so Moreland's enemies can't hurt Sherlock and, by extension, Joan. I'm very interested in whether Moreland is setting this up on purpose or if he's just underestimating Joan. Should be fun to find out.

Caught an episode of Batman Beyond and didn't really remember this one. Ended up liking it a lot. Always good to see Bruce out of the manor.

Lower Decks was so much fun. Beckett is growing on me and Boimler isn't annoying me as much either. And the theme song is still stuck in my head. I think it might be my favorite out of all the Trek shows.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from All Jacked Up, a novella that pulls a couple together after one gets injured.

Here's the miniblurb:

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 to do both.

And a sneaky peek…

Ollie ducked his head inside the VIP quarters half expecting to find Lita misbehaving. "Time for a quick check in." Pleasantly surprised to find her seated in the wheelchair, a splotch of paint on her cheek.

She set her roller aside. "I could use a bit of a break." Her gaze swept the space then met his.

He took the bag of ice over and handed it to her. "You've got twenty minutes to chill with this." Taking a seat on the small sofa, he looked around the room.

She'd made a lot of progress. And it looked like she'd stayed in the chair. Her knee hadn't swelled up anymore.

She tilted her head, almost like she guessed what he'd been thinking. "I'm not overdoing it." Her chin lifted. "But the work is going fast. In fact, I'm gonna suggest if I finish the other two walls, I could maybe do the head too." She arched her brows, asking for permission.

Ollie frowned. "Kind of cramped, isn't it?"

She nodded. "But I could sit on the toilet for the two walls bracketing the door and use the chair for the other two. The shower takes up most of one wall so there's only about twenty four inches that need paint." She pointed to the brush. "That's two spans with the roller."

Ollie got up and went over to judge the space. "Are you going to be able to maneuver from the chair to the toilet then back again without putting pressure on your knee?" He had serious doubts.

She lifted a shoulder. "Honestly? I don't know. But I promise if I have any trouble, I'll stop and wait." She met his gaze. "I swear." She held up two fingers as her oath.

Yeah, maybe she could accomplish painting the small area. But why the volunteering?

He narrowed his eyes. "This is an attempt to get off Netts's shit list, isn't it?" Would probably take more than a little extra bonus spit-shining.

She grinned. "Think it'll work?"

He shrugged. "It might … if you don't do anything else to damage your knee." He'd give her props for thinking the idea through. "What made you think of doing the head?"

Her lips quirked but she glanced away. "Kinda think your better nature is rubbing off on me." She pulled the ice off her knee and set it aside.

Checking the time, he realized the twenty minutes flew by. "My better nature?" He chuckled. "That might be a first." He sobered. "But maybe let's not make it a habit. I kind of like you in rebel mode." He snagged the cold pack and headed for the hatch.

Lita followed behind him. "I just need to lose the attitude, right?" She rolled to a stop. "Having something to do definitely helps."

Ollie turned after undogging the hatch. "As long as you don't overextend yourself, you'll be golden." He stepped through the opening. "See you in two hours."

She gave him a jaunty wave, and he redogged the hatch and keyed in the lock code.

He hated making her a prisoner, but she seemed to be doing okay. Maybe even better than okay. Enough so he wanted to thank her for not making his job harder.

His mouth curved. "And I have the perfect plan to show my gratitude."

If she stayed true to her word…

Enjoying this one. I love Lita and Ollie and making them redefine their relationship.

 

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

ML Skye