tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74447299950787612462024-03-27T02:35:17.975-04:00Creating Character Connections...One Page at a TimeML Skye's News, Notes, and AnnouncementsML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.comBlogger692125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-21621449093439273332024-03-24T17:29:00.001-04:002024-03-24T17:29:07.500-04:00Sunday Snippet: Night Watch<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ohio weather is
tripping on some kind of psychedelic drug right now. We're in our third winter
at the moment, so hopefully actual spring will happen in about two weeks. Of
course, we'll have to give or take a month because who knows how long the state
will be under the influence.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had a crazy week of
work, a mom crisis mode occurrence, and of course the weird weather, which
wreaks havoc on my sinuses.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I didn't get much
television watched this week. Too many things going on to really pay attention
to my shows.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I did get an episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death in Paradise </i><span style="font-family: arial;">watched and enjoyed it. I hadn't seen any of this
one and ended up really liking the mystery.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I also started an
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Elementary</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and should finish it up today. I love the fun
dynamic of Holmes and Watson after last week's near miss with Watson's life.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Other than that, I
might be back on track this week, but I won't hold my breath. My brain is doing
weird things and having a very hard time staying focused on more than one thing
at a time. It's driving me batshit.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's pretty much
it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Night Watch, a novella
that explores the dynamic between a couple that keeps their relationship of the
QT.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Aisley Diehl and Thad Saunders pull a shift of night
watch on the hangar deck. They're tasked with keeping their junior pilots from
being drunk and disorderly when they'd much rather be spending the evening
doing something more enjoyable—under the covers</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Aisley didn't look up from the comp
panel when Thad returned. "Sorry for bailing on you." She marked her
place in the news article on the screen then set the unit aside. "Did
Hambone give you any trouble?" She hoped not because sticking Thad with
the drunk pilot kind of sucked.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Not that Thad couldn't handle an
inebriated soldier. Hell, he'd had his share of dealing with her too many times
to count.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Thad dropped down beside her.
"Nope. But a word to the wise … he'd totally be down to hit on you if he
thought he had half a chance." His lips twitched.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Aisley groaned. "Tell me you
didn't encourage him." She did not want to deal with a puppy-dog pilot
prancing around to get her attention.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Thad laughed. "Well, it
depends on how you look at it. When he asked if I thought you'd ever go for
him, I basically said he'd be lucky if you didn't shoot him, so who knows?"
He leaned back, propping his elbows on the workstation surface behind them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Aisley chuckled. "If I'm
lucky, he won't remember the conversation at all." And if Thad kept his
mouth shut, she'd never have to worry about Hampton making a play.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The guy would be sorely
disappointed. She only went for one pilot, even if no one else knew about her
preference. Except the flyboy himself.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Thad nudged her shoulder. "Not
like you have experience there or anything." His lips turned upward taking
the sting out of the words.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She shrugged. "Yeah, okay. I
kind of do." She slid her gaze toward him. "But I remember the
important stuff." Like how they were supposed to get together tonight
instead of babysitting. "And if I forget, you always remind me." He
had her back when it counted.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Unlike her … when she'd left him
hanging earlier.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She didn't really want to think
about why. But she always got touchy when anyone started making noise about her
chemistry with Thad. Mainly because she didn't have that level of anything with
anyone else … and the thought freaked her out sometimes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Thad straightened then leaned his
forearms on his thighs. "Look … about the bullshit couple question … you
know that's the drunk talking, right?" He tilted his head giving her a
side-eye. "As in, he'd never have the balls to ask or even think about asking
that specific question if he hadn't been three sheets to the wind." He
huffed out a laugh.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Aisley rolled her eyes. "More
like ninety-seven sheets, but who's counting?" She sighed. "I
shouldn't get so twitchy about lame stuff, but I like what we have and really
want to keep our…" She trailed off a moment. "Whatever this is on the
down-low." Did that sound as stupid as she thought?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Thad's lips twisted in a wry grin.
"Yeah, I get it. Once we start defining this thing, or if we acknowledge
it to anyone, the whole dynamic changes, right?" He met her gaze. "Why
mess with a good thing?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Aisley gave a quick nod.
"Right. No one else gets to slap a label on us until we're ready…"
She glanced away. "If we ever are." She would never push for more because
being official would complicate things.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Thad sat up again. "Do you
want to be? Ready, I mean?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Aisley had no idea how to answer.
"Can I get back to you on that?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Thad narrowed his eyes. "You
could. But we've got a long night ahead of us. What'll it hurt if we run
through some future plans?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. But
she owed him for taking Hambone on alone.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Exhaling slowly, she turned to face
him. "Okay. Where do you see us in six months?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm kind of excited
to see where this story goes. I have a very loose outline of story beats and so
far, the characters are filling in all the blanks.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmyaohY2HW-NXu85Nld7jLyrPj65HQljfJ6gdkKiBTxXSSsJHaec3s5CFXarS7haqVt-Z5oSvyY-Zu2nt115s4z8zMP5j5TKLF_2AfaTjYmK_1LGSXCcvSAUkF1sg_RJbHE7ZVDpds9yuBN65VwDaJaWw6NjRPe1PIbvysshntuEHVnqrnJR1NW7bQkM/s443/Night%20Watch%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="126" data-original-width="443" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmyaohY2HW-NXu85Nld7jLyrPj65HQljfJ6gdkKiBTxXSSsJHaec3s5CFXarS7haqVt-Z5oSvyY-Zu2nt115s4z8zMP5j5TKLF_2AfaTjYmK_1LGSXCcvSAUkF1sg_RJbHE7ZVDpds9yuBN65VwDaJaWw6NjRPe1PIbvysshntuEHVnqrnJR1NW7bQkM/w400-h114/Night%20Watch%204.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-9429189829166967472024-03-17T16:46:00.002-04:002024-03-24T17:29:21.093-04:00Sunday Snippet: Napalm at Night<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Happy St. Patrick's
Day! It's been a chaotic week with work projects and life stuff going on. And
my distraction levels are making me frustrated. But … I'm still getting stuff
done so I can't really complain.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I definitely didn't
make a full round of shows this week. Just didn't have the bandwidth with my
focus being all over the place.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I did catch an
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and had vague memories of watching this the first
time around. Joker episodes are hit and miss in the version of the dark knight.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched an episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My Life Is Murder</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm almost finished with
this show, and I'll miss it when I'm done. Such a fun cast of characters.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Midsomer Murders</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and again enjoyed the mystery. I'd seen
something of a similar nature of the plot based on a true story, so this
episode ended up being a lot of fun.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finished up the final
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> season twenty-five. I'll be starting season
twenty-six this week. Ended up really enjoying the limited episode run.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's pretty much
it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Napalm at Night</i><span style="font-family: arial;">,
a novella that mixes a Viet Nam War vibe into the plot.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Napalm at night is dangerous stuff. Jensen Wallis, an
extraordinary helicopter pilot, makes her fair share of early dawn rescues
after enemy forces unleash the potent explosives on her fellow soldiers. She
comes to the aid of Rip Rafferty's squadron and gets them to safety, but not
before the enigmatic man sets her curious nature on fire</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Rip spun his empty shot glass on
the table, trying to decide if he'd order another. A shadow fell across the
surface, but he didn't glance up. He hadn't made up his mind yet and the
private would wait a few moments before heading back behind the bar.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The smoky voice that haunted his
dreams broke the quiet. "Can I buy you a drink, Gunny?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Rip's gaze shot upward, and he
blinked … not quite certain the vision standing before him wouldn't disappear. She
still invaded his dreams every night but, of course, never stuck around when
the light of dawn broke every day. When her smile spread slowly across her
face, his heart kicked hard against his ribs. <i>She's really here</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">And a decision to have another
suddenly appealed greatly.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He couldn't contain a grin.
"Damn. You're an incredible sight to brighten the surroundings." He
remembered his manners. "And a welcome distraction." He pushed the
chair opposite him away from the table then held up his glass. "Another drink
sounds great."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She turned toward the bar, but the
private already had two shots on a tray and headed their way.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Jensen smirked and settled across
from him. "Terrific service. You don't even have to get the bartender's
attention to place an order." She tilted her head, her gaze roaming over
Rip.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He didn't mind, because he looked
his fill, too. She surpassed his fantasy dreams. Of course, she'd opted against
the standard-issue ponytail. Still damp hair grazed her shoulders, and the
fresh scent of something light and airy tickled his nostrils. His body reacted
more to her than the entertainment troop full of gorgeous women that pulled out
yesterday.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Something extremely sexy about
imagining what her fatigues covered instead of a full-on display of her assets.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">His lips curved. "It's really
good to see you. In person, I mean."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She shot him a confused look.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He dropped his chin. "Uh,
apparently when my fever kept spiking, you were in my dreams." The part
about her not leaving them could wait.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Her eyes widened. "I heard you
insisted on waiting until your men were treated and your wound got infected."
She shook her head. "You're lucky sepsis didn't set in."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Rip grunted. "They were in
worse shape. But it got a little sketchy for a while." More than a little,
but he'd survive.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She placed her hand on his.
"You're pretty damned amazing."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Rip didn't agree, but he wouldn't
ruin her compliment by arguing. Not when he craved her company so badly.
Something about Jensen Wallis intrigued the hell out of him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">So far, this story
is chugging along at a wonderful pace and the characters are following their
expected trajectory. We'll see if that holds.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZ_tZStSVe7i39QS77uDnPILs_AkqBatZVDRNi6DKXbQvibaFdZok7wAFQlyqj8kO_giu3-_RRYjC2ef29frA05fZN9M9jzYJwAREHLNTDMqXv2eEv_2C1v8V1Q85Wihe6l3FDrni-m5gR8HON_a2PsDZhT11xFhyphenhyphenWaeWLKhmBH3ZvC7-4GQlpMcGOcA/s650/Napalm%20at%20Night%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="525" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZ_tZStSVe7i39QS77uDnPILs_AkqBatZVDRNi6DKXbQvibaFdZok7wAFQlyqj8kO_giu3-_RRYjC2ef29frA05fZN9M9jzYJwAREHLNTDMqXv2eEv_2C1v8V1Q85Wihe6l3FDrni-m5gR8HON_a2PsDZhT11xFhyphenhyphenWaeWLKhmBH3ZvC7-4GQlpMcGOcA/s320/Napalm%20at%20Night%204.jpg" width="258" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-75113983596151166852024-03-10T15:05:00.001-04:002024-03-10T15:05:14.127-04:00Sunday Snippet: My Best Friend Is a Cyborg<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Man. What a
crazy-busy week. Our weather is still being contrary. Warm and spring-like a
couple of days followed by another blast of winter. My sinuses are not
thrilled.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I didn't get through
a full round of television this week. I had way too many irons in the fire and
needed to focus. My brain doesn't want to cooperate at all. Thankfully, I have
three current projects, which lets me bounce around when I can't concentrate on
one specific thing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I did get a holiday
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My Life Is Murder </i><span style="font-family: arial;">watched and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's interesting
to see how the southern hemisphere celebrates the holiday in the middle of
their summer.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I tried to watch the
behind-the-scenes </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin, </i><span style="font-family: arial;">but it wouldn't play. That's two
seasons now that I can't access the specials. I'm kind of bummed about that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I started the new
season of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Midsomer Murders </i><span style="font-family: arial;">and loved the episode. I'm excited to dive
back into this series. It's fun to see an older Betty.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness </i><span style="font-family: arial;">continues to be very intriguing. I really
want to know who's behind the curtain pulling the strings.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death
in Paradise </i><span style="font-family: arial;">and remembered some of this one. Mainly the beginning and the
end. Not sure what happened to the middle part and why I missed it the first
time around but it's nice to finally see the whole episode.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed an episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Elementary</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I like the slow progression of trust being built with
Sherlock and Watson. I have a sneaking suspicion that Sherlock now knows Joan
isn't being paid by his father anymore. I'll be interested to see how that
plays out.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's as far as I
made it for viewing this week and that's it for the life update. Tonight's post
is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My Best Friend Is a Cyborg</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, a novella that explores what happens
to a couple when life throws them a curve.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Ibby Stoke finds out her best friend is a dreaded and
reviled cyborg, and it sends her into a tailspin, making her wonder if the man
she loves is a mecha-human. Phil McNulty is everything she's ever wanted, but
if he's not all man, Ibby isn't sure she can deal with the reality</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The pilot briefing room acted as a
refuge even if safe havens might never exist again.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ibby's throat swelled with unshed
tears. "What the hell is going on?" She paced back and forth, trying
to wrap her head around the last hour of her life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">"Did I really try to choke out
my best friend?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Okay, former best friend. She couldn't
count Art as a best anything now. No way.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Big droplets leaked from her eyes. Memories
whizzed through her brain. Art picking her up after a particularly brutal
argument over who got the next ride on the tilting rockawhirl … which Ibby
lost. Art stepping in when her date for the formal dance bailed at the last
minute. Going through basic training then flight school together…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ibby swiped at her cheeks. "I
will not cry for mecha-human cyborg." The betrayal cut deep.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">How could he keep his status a
secret from her? How could he let them alter him?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She paused and slammed her fist
into her palm. "How could he lie to me?" That wound would stay raw
and open for a long time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Phil strolled into the briefing
room. "He technically didn't. He had orders not to say anything." He
snarled the words out.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ibby whipped around. "Are you
fucking kidding me? All mechs have to register. Who the hell ordered him to
not—" She broke off and shook her head. "No. No way. Are you telling
me the council ordered him to say nothing and didn't make him update his status?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Phil snorted. "Oh, it's worse
than that, Ibbs." He leaned in and lowered his voice. "Art didn't
have a choice. The <i>council</i> didn't give him one. They made the call before
Art even regained consciousness…" His voice trailed off and his head
jerked back and forth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">A cold chill slithered down Ibby's
spine. "He didn't consent? Then that means…" She couldn't speak the rest.
<i>That means anyone could be a cyborg</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Phil grunted. "Yeah. Exactly."
He lifted his chin. "From what Art told me. He's not the first and
definitely not the last. This is the first stage of a new standard operating
procedure." His lips twisted in a grimace.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ibby sank down onto one of the
cushioned seats. "Fuck. The hits just keep on landing, don't they?"
Her shoulders slumped. "How? How can they think this is a good idea?"
Stupid question … it didn't matter if the concept sucked when could keep boots
on the ground and butts in the cockpit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Not when they needed soldiers to
win a damned war.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Phil settled beside her. "Oh,
it's a terrible decision. And it's going to bite the convening authority on the
ass. But they're banking on having enough of their enhanced soldiers in the mix
before having to go public." He paused a moment then added his conjecture.
"My guess is they're starting small. Something Art said is pinging in my
brain. They didn't replace his brain. He's still got his memories, feelings and
all that." He huffed out a breath.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ibby shook her head. "Not sure
that helps. Any way you look at it, the idea sucks." Her heart hurt,
thinking about what the council had done to her friend. "I mean, look at
me. Art's been in my life for over a decade. But I can't forget what I know
now. How can that not change the dynamic between us?" And how could she be
feeling so much pain for he'd gone through?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Phil kept his gaze straight ahead.
"Honestly, it does change everything. Of course, it does. Yet … how we let
this revelation play out is up to us. Mech aside, do we trust Art? If his
memories and feelings haven't been altered? Do we raise a big ruckus? Make it
clear to the convening authority we won't accept this bullshit?" He
finally turned to meet her gaze. "If we do that, what does it do to the people
that didn't have a choice? Do we have a right to blow up their lives when they
didn't consent to the enhancements?" He sighed. "I'm pissed off
because the council trashed any kind of good option by starting this program
under a veil of secrecy." His eyes flashed with anger.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ibby blinked, the rapid-fire
commentary swirling in her mind. "Damn. You're right. They basically took
any form of choice of acceptance out of our hands, but they also put soldiers
like Art in an impossible situation." She got up and paced back and forth.
"Shit. I can't deal with this right now. I just can't." Her heart
rate spiked, and she itched to punch something.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Phil reached out and caught her
hand, tugging onto his lap. "Then don't. Focus on something else." He
caught her face in his hands.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Yeah, she could do with a
distraction. Phil had a knack for giving her exactly what she needed. And
right, she needed him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She leaned forward and meshed her
lips with his.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">This story took a
turn I didn't expect and that always excites me. Looking forward to finishing
this up and launching it!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qekg4cyaE_GoaZDti7iRklEWbgiBDA1_P4sYhCmbY2RS3Ul17R9L7fIeOUjdju8wO8OX7-miTgeoESfLfwDi5byFeB0L0xyDxiXivWkpmd7DZ69OCBOOM-Icwko_ra_hfe6NwTBLkESbsRMcF2CFCXGtBnHihLKnR8DcJhujF69_PqWgPIdwmyAO2Kw/s512/My%20Best%20Friend%20Is%20a%20Cyborg%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="343" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qekg4cyaE_GoaZDti7iRklEWbgiBDA1_P4sYhCmbY2RS3Ul17R9L7fIeOUjdju8wO8OX7-miTgeoESfLfwDi5byFeB0L0xyDxiXivWkpmd7DZ69OCBOOM-Icwko_ra_hfe6NwTBLkESbsRMcF2CFCXGtBnHihLKnR8DcJhujF69_PqWgPIdwmyAO2Kw/s320/My%20Best%20Friend%20Is%20a%20Cyborg%204.png" width="214" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-60051006637890976792024-03-03T16:12:00.002-05:002024-03-03T16:12:43.671-05:00Sunday Snippet: Morning Sickness<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, March
definitely enters the year with a roar. We've had the crazy weather that hops
back and forth between warm and cold along with snow showers, thunderstorms,
and thirty-degree temperature changes in twenty-four hours. Weirdly, it's
somehow fitting that March is my birth month. Volatile and a wee bit mercurial.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">My focus is still
all over the place, but I have multiple work projects, which helps when I need
a change of scenery. It drives me batty when I read the same paragraph over and
over because I keep getting distracted by everything. Being able to hop from
one manuscript to another helps in a weird way.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had a decent week
of viewing. Still not quite getting a full slate in, but I'm happy with the
shows I'm keeping up with. I'm having issues with one of the streamers on a
device, but I got the show watched despite the tech glitches.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started out with the
finale of <i>Agatha Raisin</i>. I have a bonus behind-the-scenes episode to
watch then it's on to a new show. I'll miss this one. I've had so much fun
watching the characters interact and solve mysteries.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another <i>Silent
Witness</i> episode. So sorry about Jack's dad. And the whole deal with his mom
is beyond sad. Very nice to see Nikki be there for him. I'm wondering about
Simone at the moment and Sam is playing a very cagey game.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another <i>Death
in Paradise</i>. I'd seen most of this one and enjoyed it the first time. I
love Martha to bits and can't wait to finish Humphrey's run to start <i>Beyond
Paradise</i> in the near future.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another episode
of <i>Elementary</i>. Interesting episode and I'm almost sorry the FBI lady
will live to show up again in the future.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught an episode
of <i>The Batman</i>. I had vague memories of watching this the first time but not
everything. I'm still not sure how I feel about Batgirl. I think I end up
liking her better once Robin enters the show.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another
episode of <i>Classic Rugrats</i>. I didn't remember either of the vignettes,
which I'm kind of happy about. The later seasons were kind of hit or miss for
us when the kiddos were young.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finished the second
season of <i>The Secret Life of Amy Benson</i> and I'm really hoping we get a
third. I'm invested in the characters and want to see what happens next.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's pretty much
it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from <i>Morning Sickness</i>,
a novella that explores what happens when a couple isn't quite ready for
parenthood.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
miniblurb:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Dava Whales has all the classic signs of pregnancy,
except she can't possibly be with child—she's a solider in the middle of a war
and religiously takes her mandatory birth control shots. When Warren Carter
suggests Dava get checked out, the pricklier than usual officer goes
ballistic—especially since Warren is the other half of the parental equation</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Warren braced for anything when
Dava waved a paper in front of him. "What are you giving me here?" He
took the sheet but didn't look at it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Her lips twisted. "Not a kid,
so you can relax." She plopped down into a chair across from his desk and
slumped against the backrest.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Warren didn't visibly react, but
relief filled him … and maybe a twinge of disappointment. "Then what's
going on with you?" A kick of worry crawled down his spine.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Did Dava have some kind of serious
illness?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">A vice tightened around his heart
at the thought. He couldn't lose her … Wait, no, he couldn't lose his friend
and pilot. They weren't anything more than that, with the exception of the
benefits package they took advantage of.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Dava waved a hand toward the paper
she'd handed him. "It's all right there on the page. I'm one of the lucky
three percent of the entire population with a very specific reaction to the new
birth control shots." Her shoulders slumped. "They make my body think
it's pregnant … hence the morning sickness and crazy symptoms." She grimaced.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Warren finally glanced at the
fitness report. "So, the mood swings, bouts of fatigue, and throwing up
are because of the shots?" Damn, it sucked to be her right now.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Dava snorted. "Let's not
forget the whole crazy impulse to jump you whenever you're within five feet of
me. I mean—" She broke off, her eyes welling.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Warren put the report down, backed
away from the desk, and rounded the edge to kneel in front of her. "Talk
to me, Dava. Come on, let's work through this." He caught her hand in his
and tugged her up and over to the small couch in the corner. "Tell me
what's wrong." He got her settled then eased down beside her.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Tears spilled over lashes, and she
shook her head. "Nothing. Everything. I have no idea." She rubbed at
her cheeks.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Warren wrapped his arm around her,
and she buried her face in his shoulder. He stroked his palm over her head,
letting her cry because he could only imagine the emotional roller coaster she
couldn't stop. Hell, his head spun, and he didn't have the excuse of pinging
hormones.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">When she finally exhausted the
waterworks, her head lifted. "Geez, I'm such a mess." She dabbed at
her eyes with her shirtsleeve.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Warren huffed out a laugh. "At
least we know why." He hugged her close. "I'm sorry you're going
through this. What can I do to help?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She raised her chin and held his
gaze. "Brace for impact. Because Kellerman said it'll be three months
before they can get the old version of the shots." She patted her pocket.
"I have meds to keep me from throwing up, but everything else…" She
exhaled on a long sigh. "Is still going to be a problem." Her lips
twisted in a wry smile.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Warren let out a low whistle.
"So … the mood swings and fatigue…" Damn … for three months.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Dava gave a nod. "Yeah, they
aren't going anywhere for a while." She flashed a smile. "On the
flipside, neither is the impulse to get you naked so there's that." Her
eyebrows waggled.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Warren's lips quirked. "I'll
try very hard to be accommodating whenever the urge strikes." The least he
could do.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Their life would be rather
interesting over the next ninety days…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Warren is in for a
bumpy ride, but Dava is worth the rollercoaster experience.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXB4Wd9N1ZpfW2ezXqRUu4h-2AlBVio5Fsb3RKyiShx3Ntq4KudsXVz4rYL2W4aCIxukfLHEZMvItErmvHVscr8lCiSCsXOUXLwqKQK7nbb0c3chmxcLeblobCjT2OwI6S2x4304MPvXIybFN-gCJLJu3LHpnNKPLbFc6wh4TAO87Qajuq9BvNHjFRlNQ/s461/Morning%20Sickness%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="461" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXB4Wd9N1ZpfW2ezXqRUu4h-2AlBVio5Fsb3RKyiShx3Ntq4KudsXVz4rYL2W4aCIxukfLHEZMvItErmvHVscr8lCiSCsXOUXLwqKQK7nbb0c3chmxcLeblobCjT2OwI6S2x4304MPvXIybFN-gCJLJu3LHpnNKPLbFc6wh4TAO87Qajuq9BvNHjFRlNQ/s320/Morning%20Sickness%204.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-44526229576250726622024-02-25T20:47:00.000-05:002024-02-25T20:47:21.477-05:00Sunday Snippet: Missing You<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">February kind of
flew by, which isn't actually a big shock since it's a short month anyway. But,
man, I kind of wish it went by a little slower. I'm always scrounging around
for time and short months make me feel like there's less to be had.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Still had trouble
focusing this week but I got a lot accomplished on my work projects despite my
distraction. Luckily, I have more than one project going so I can hop around
when I start to lose my concentration.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had an okay week of
viewing. I have to figure out what's going on with one of my streamers. That
could take another week. But I did get through most of my usual shows.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started with </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My
Life Is Murder</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and actually got two episodes watched. I like the pickup
with Alexa's brother again. I wondered if we'd see him this season. Also
enjoyed both cases Alexa had to solve.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched the first part
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Poor James. I can't wait to find out who offed his
bride. I love the interaction between all the characters, but I'm sad Roy isn't
in this one. At least not yet.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Kind of enjoyed having another case mixed in
with the ongoing saga of Sam Ryan. I'm really not sure what's going on with her
and I'm not going to be super surprised if she ends up being in the clear. Also
loved Nikki and Jack's date. Nice to get some backstory with Simone, too.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed an episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I remember bits of this one and I'm glad I got to
see the whole thing from start to finish. Not a bad opening for season six.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Elementary</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I liked seeing Sherlock realize he'd way overstepped
with the NYPD. Also loved having the captain kind of take some of his dignity back.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I'm not as fond of this season and I remember feeling
this way when I watched originally. The new format grew on me, and I'll settle
back in and enjoy, but I really loved the first season of this show the most.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed the
penultimate episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Secret Life of Amy Benson</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Everything is coming
to a head, and I can't wait to see how this ends.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also rewatched the </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Battlestar
Galactica</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> resistance webisodes. Groundbreaking at the time, there's a lot
of story packed into ten mini-episodes. And twenty years later, I'm still
stunned at how prescient the writers were for what's going on in the world
today.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And that's pretty
much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Missing You</i><span style="font-family: arial;">,
a novella that brings a couple together after a lot of ups and downs.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Clara Small, the best undercover operative in military
intelligence, tends to burn bridges instead of building them. But when she
destroys the one she needs the most, she has to find a way to make amends,
which won't be easy because Wes Elliot rarely gives second chances</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ah damn, I'm tired</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Too tired. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Clara tossed over from
her stomach to her side. She and Xen met up with a resistance group just
outside of Delphinia and, luckily for them, got invited to crash for a while at
their base of operations in the former hospital. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Basic needs … food,
water, and, oh yeah … a shower, met, Clara just wanted to sleep and not wake up
for a week.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Except she couldn't
sleep. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Damn it all to hell</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She rolled to her back and
stared at the ceiling. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Why wouldn't her brain
shut the hell up? Not even a tri-net game with a hot guy—who cared if he looked
an awful lot like Wes—or her usual chin-ups seemed to break through the
tension.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Oooo-kay. Run it
down then</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She jumped back here … Deimos
… under need-to-know orders … for what? Some epic deep cover mission to
infiltrate the enemy camp only to get her ass kicked by some raven-haired
amazon before she'd barely even left her ship. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Geez … she still had
aches from that little set down.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">But Clara had the last
laugh. She walked away … Richter—1, Raven Bitch—0.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">And Xen. Thank the universe
for Xen. She hadn't expected an ally, but she got one. Thank the universe he
hadn't been killed in action as reported. They needed everyone they could find on
their side.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">At least she hoped she had
an ally. Xen had been hooked up with Sharee, a possible enemy agent or maybe
just someone who played both sides to their own benefit. When the other woman
ripped off Clara's ride, Sharee didn't leave Xen with much of a choice but to
throw in with Clara.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Her gain. Sharee's
loss. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">So … why did she feel
like shit?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Because I fucked
everything up again</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">.
She didn't like how things were left with Wes. Which explained her edgy,
jumbled-up feeling that wouldn't let her sleep.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Clara's in a deep,
dark place, and when she finally realizes Wes is the light at the end of her
tunnel, things get really interesting.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_E_v_oOdgMfptXoNAC2OEexgvkPcfr4GGm8H1zq4qCIDzEiuWmv9mqsFzPWZ8uK4dp12bowUR9ki1IYS34zw1b5XdDxZnwfGHdcICeET1JF4l7_HkRQE4rzFiKWQduFMjJMtT5MQyodepGV4pxbbeLnYDyWVRbs3ZrGvqd5NtP0IMbmKmQ7MUgI3-0CA/s551/Missing%20You%203.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="124" data-original-width="551" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_E_v_oOdgMfptXoNAC2OEexgvkPcfr4GGm8H1zq4qCIDzEiuWmv9mqsFzPWZ8uK4dp12bowUR9ki1IYS34zw1b5XdDxZnwfGHdcICeET1JF4l7_HkRQE4rzFiKWQduFMjJMtT5MQyodepGV4pxbbeLnYDyWVRbs3ZrGvqd5NtP0IMbmKmQ7MUgI3-0CA/w400-h90/Missing%20You%203.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-36687681231335842332024-02-18T21:17:00.003-05:002024-02-18T21:17:35.219-05:00Sunday Snippet: Midsummer Mayhem (Capital City Seasons)<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's been a rough
week where my brain wants to do anything but focus on work. We also got eight
inches of snow on Friday and the temps dropped way down again. My sinuses are
not happy at the moment.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Not a bad week of
viewing television. The whole distraction thing kind of kept me from getting a
full slate watched. I did get through most of my normal shows.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I started out with </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My
Life Is Murder</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I kind of like the new assistant but I'm wondering what's going
on the Maddie. I also love seeing actors from other shows pop up on this one. I
didn't realize how much Australian and New Zealand shows I've been watching.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and finished up the two-parter. Kind of wigged
out that James is getting married to someone else. But I loved the interactions
in this one.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Continued the eight-part,
I think, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. This season is very intriguing with a lot of twists
and turns. I'm looking forward to seeing how everything plays out.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and didn't remember seeing any of this one.
Happy to have it in the watched pile.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Elementary</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. The introduction of Moriarity is something I've looked
forward to. Not sure how I feel about Joan lying to Sherlock, but I'll reserve
judgment until I see how it rolls on screen.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Enjoyed seeing Scarface again. Also liked peeling
back the layers of Hugo Strange. He's an intriguing character.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I don't remember either of them from the original
run and liked both. Such a fun show.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Secret Life of Amy Benson</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Very interesting twist with
Maggie coming back. I can definitely see how the books this series is based on
would captivate readers. I do think there's a little loss of translation from
the page to screen, but I really love this series a lot.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's pretty much
it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Midsummer Mayhem</i><span style="font-family: arial;">,
a novella in the Capital City Seasons series.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Chris Renfer, alpha team leader for the strategic tactical
unit, falls for Melanie Pramble at first sight, but she's new to the city and wants
to get her bearings. But when Renfer's team is stuck in a bad situation,
Melanie is the go-to person for negotiation and Chris can only hope their
beginning doesn't end before it makes headway</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Chris knocked on Jess and Murph's
door two minutes before seven. "What the hell am I doing here?" He didn't
really want to unload his personal issues on two of his closest friends.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Jess greeted Chris with a sheepish
smile. "Come on in. Slight change in plan…" She led him into the
entry space. "We're still having drinks, but we've got company." She
nodded toward the living room.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Chris held up a hand. "Look,
no problem. We can reschedule." He'd take the unexpected out and thank the
universe.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Jess shook her head. "Uh-uh. Stick
around." She led him into the living area.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Murph glanced away from his
conversation and lifted his chin. "Chris. Glad you could make it." He
thrust his palm forward.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Chris shook hands then got a
glimpse of their additional guest. A gorgeous woman turned and flashed a very
brief smile. Chris sucked in a harsh breath but recovered and grinned.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ben made the introductions.
"Chris, this is Melanie Pramble. She's hopefully going to be joining Margo
and Graham as a new partner." He slid his gaze toward Melanie. "No
pressure, of course."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">New partner? As in she might be
sticking around? Chris sincerely hoped so.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He automatically put his hand out.
"That's great. Welcome to Capital City."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Melanie clasped his palm. "Oh,
I'm not staying. Yet. I'm headed back to New Boniface first thing in the
morning." Her voice betrayed her doubt about signing on with Ben's team.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Chris cocked his head. "Lovely
area. I can understand your reluctance to leave." But he'd be the first to
hope she decided to do so.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Jess stepped in. "Melanie
missed her transport out of town so she's staying at one of Angus's apartments.
We're waiting on the keys, which Angus is having sent over." She looped her
hand around Chris's elbow. "Why don't we get you something to drink?"
Guiding him toward the kitchen, she leaned in a little close. "Really
sorry about this mix-up. Murph will take Melanie over to the apartment then you
and I can talk." She headed to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of
ale.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Chris took another look in the
living room and decided his restless itch had met its match in Melanie Pramble.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He took the bottle from Jess and
tugged her off to the side. "Yeah, about that? My deal earlier? Might not
be as bad as I thought."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He glanced toward Melanie again. He
couldn't seem to stop looking at her. Yep. Things definitely looked up.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Jess followed his gaze and shook
her head. "Chris, my man, you better not mess this up for Murph. She
hasn't said yes to the offer, yet." She frowned. "She's got some
reservations."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Chris tsked. "Why not? Seems
like she'd be a great fit." Not that he would know, considering he'd met
her five minutes ago.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Jess lifted a shoulder. "Full
disclosure? She's worried things will be awkward. She met Ben when we were
split, and they almost hooked up." She met Chris's gaze. "So, don't
scare her away. Murph really wants her to join the team."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Chris narrowed his eyes. "I
don't care if they almost hooked up. Are you okay with him possibly working
with her?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Jess's lips quirked. "Honestly?
I have no idea. But I'll use Ben and Jim as a guidepost. If they got past any
weird vibes, I'm confident Melanie and I can do the same."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Chris flicked his gaze toward the
living room again. "Here's hoping."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have a lot of
love for this story. Chris is one of my favorite characters from the first
book.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8c3bg4YWFBlILHniNynCHBWC-yY3mLzrlfZANNp5dRydmeW_QgPF8f4YUVeyu05SMPyj6CtFWdDjJL-i5stkNzsmYrsnnlo6HNWhy1nSiKyaoXkf7kCinOqeFvjNz4Gxf6qxU4cMmFzobkKPTmNK4k62K-0QMl9hKoViuf0Hme4Tw7osIEvM9En6WDi0/s1050/Midsummer%20Mayhem%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1050" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8c3bg4YWFBlILHniNynCHBWC-yY3mLzrlfZANNp5dRydmeW_QgPF8f4YUVeyu05SMPyj6CtFWdDjJL-i5stkNzsmYrsnnlo6HNWhy1nSiKyaoXkf7kCinOqeFvjNz4Gxf6qxU4cMmFzobkKPTmNK4k62K-0QMl9hKoViuf0Hme4Tw7osIEvM9En6WDi0/s320/Midsummer%20Mayhem%204.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-20790981151581131502024-02-11T15:57:00.005-05:002024-02-11T15:57:52.781-05:00Sunday Snippet: Matchmaker's Men<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Happy Valentine
week to those who celebrate. I'll throw in Galentine, friends with benefits,
and all things hearts and flowers, too. February is a short but sometimes
brutal month. Celebrate whatever you can.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Very busy work week
with some great projects. Ran into a few glitchy things in a manuscript and
that slowed my flow down. I actually enjoy that sometimes. Makes me stop and
think about the story and how to suggest better changes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Semi-decent viewing
week. Made it through my shortened list of shows but had no time for my rewatch
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Battlestar Galactica</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started off with
the season three opener of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My Life Is Murder</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Still enjoying this show
so much. I think three is the last season so I'm going to savor it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started a new
two-part </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Very much enjoyed the antics of Wilkes and I'm a
little bummed that Bill and Toni aren't really connecting. Also kind of wish
Roy had more to do.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched the season
twenty-five opening episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Kind of cool to see Sam Ryan
again. I think this season is focused around one main case and I'm kind of
excited to see where it goes. Also kind of great to see Nikki and Jack maybe
get their bookmark on the same page. We'll see how that goes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Very interesting premise for this one. Enjoyed
the unraveling of the case to find out who did it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Elementary</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I like Joan's resistance to staying with Sherlock
but it would be more interesting if she actually said why she didn't want to
stick around.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I'd forgotten about this one and kind of loved how Barbara
figured out who Batman is then decided she had it all wrong. Fun episode.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I have vague memories of the two vignettes and
rather enjoyed both.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Got another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Secret Life of Amy Benson</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> in and pretty much loved it. The story
is moving along and I'm excited to get more details to her past.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's pretty much
it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Matchmaker's Men</i><span style="font-family: arial;">,
a sexy short that's somewhat Valentine's adjacent.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Nova Anell and Matz Yarmacher belong together, but
neither wants to be the first to admit it. But when their crew mates start
working behind the scenes to put Nova and Matz together, they have no choice
but to face what they feel and decide what to do next</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Matz only wanted to ask if she
understood what he meant.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He almost swallowed his tongue
instead.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nova Anell stood in front of him completely
naked. <i>No way is that a mistake</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Of course, he'd seen her nude
before. The military didn't designate between sexes. A soldier either got with
the program or they got pushed out. But showering after a shift didn't have the
charged atmosphere of truly seeing her and taking a good, long look.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She fit his ideal picture. She had a
toned physique but also had soft curves that complimented the angular lines
defined by the physical toll of their work. Not perfect because why would
anyone want a cookie-cutter partner. He sure didn't. He wouldn't change one
thing about her.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Am I dreaming?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> Did the air suddenly get sucked
out of the room? The pressure in his head exploded outward, filling his entire being
with a combination of lust and full-on admiration<i>. How is this really
happening?</i> And how long had he actually wanted something more with Nova?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Long enough to avoid thinking about
the idea lest the universe would implode. He wondered if the deck would drop
out from under him if he moved … because his luck would run in that direction.
But his feet itched to challenge reality even if he woke up from whatever
strange dream he lived in right now. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Unable to resist testing the
theory, he slowly headed in her direction. So far, so good. No faded imagery,
no obnoxious alarm buzzing to wake him, and no mushroom cloud hovering in the
background.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Stopping inches away from her, he
held her eyes. "You're sure?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He needed her to understand he
couldn't go back. He wanted her to be okay with the change in dynamics. There
would be a lot more than a shower happening from this point onward.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Matz lifted his chin. "Be really
sure…"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I love this story.
It's fun to write a group of friends and colleagues pushing two people who
belong with each other together.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFDtwTRc-hErXwC18R84DymU1q0Q6aowjTSiL9bZP4hPpSL7VudxA1KrT3GPNv-Q9pTgmYuUX1GnCg5fBOmFwUAxqFLSLoHqXIxUuzvz0FUsQdVveHltuc71RzHxpmrA2Zck67ZA9iYPGbaS7xRiWH4U__pzMHB6zYVwVNlwnSvnCO8tS56l8DjOgR1w/s468/Matchmakers%20Men%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="106" data-original-width="468" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFDtwTRc-hErXwC18R84DymU1q0Q6aowjTSiL9bZP4hPpSL7VudxA1KrT3GPNv-Q9pTgmYuUX1GnCg5fBOmFwUAxqFLSLoHqXIxUuzvz0FUsQdVveHltuc71RzHxpmrA2Zck67ZA9iYPGbaS7xRiWH4U__pzMHB6zYVwVNlwnSvnCO8tS56l8DjOgR1w/w400-h90/Matchmakers%20Men%204.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-41027998432339936542024-02-04T15:30:00.004-05:002024-02-04T15:30:51.576-05:00Sunday Snippet: Manifest Legend<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, the shortest
month is off to a banger start. I had a full slate of projects and managed to
get through two before their deadlines. The other two aren't due until midweek,
and I have two more starting this week. I'm so excited to have a full calendar!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had a semi-solid
week of viewing. Made it most of the way through my current round of shows and
I'm hoping to continue the same this week. We'll see if the workload allows for
it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started off with a </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My
Life Is Murder</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> behind the scenes interview with Lucy Lawless. Ended up
thoroughly enjoying it. Should be ready to start season three this week.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finished up the
two-part </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Somewhat disappointed with how the storyline
played out with James and Agatha. But also really enjoyed the mystery. I love
the reveals from Sarah's past and Bill and Toni better stay together or I'm
going to lose my mind.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught the second
half of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and I'm rather happy my fear did not come to
light and the grad student didn't drug Nikki's drink. I also love that she basically
said, yeah, no thanks to him. I would not mind if Nikki and Jack took their
shot. We'll see how that goes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I really don't remember any of this one,
so it was nice to have no expectations going in. Actually enjoyed the mystery
unfold.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed an episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Elementary</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Very fun watching Sherlock interact with Joan's family
and the way her mom kind of planted the seed for Joan to stick around and work
with Sherlock.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I remember watching this the first time around, but I guess
I was thinking Batgirl didn't show up until season three. So wrong on that
count.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Again, these were two vignettes that I didn't
remember, so it was nice to have new to me stuff to watch.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm enjoying the
second season of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Secret Life of Amy Benson</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Episode two had some
good reveals and I'm kind of excited to see where things go in the next one.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Peak Practice</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I'm really, really not interested in the whole
Andrew and Kate saga. The ex-husband is a total dick and Andrew is a blockhead
if he can't figure out Richard is behind everything. Will be skipping the next
episode and moving on to Will's return.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Didn't have time for
my </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Battlestar Galactica</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> rewatch this week and I skipped </span><i style="font-family: arial;">VIP</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> because
I wanted to get </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Peak Practice</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> in. I'll try to pick up with those if time
allows.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's pretty much it
for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Manifest Legend</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, a
prequel setup for the Insula Ara ~ Sanctuary Island universe.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Insula Ara is a mystical island offering sanctuary to
those in need, but when she reveals herself for the first time, Cedric Edward
Teasdale, former crewman of a privateer, almost blows his chance for refuge …
and a reunion with his lost love</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">A warm hand smoothed
the side of Ceet's face, and he turned over in his sleep. "Dammit,
Emaline, ye haunt me even in my dreams."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Feminine laughter
filled his ears. "Well, Cedric, you deserve no less. Leavin' me the ye
did. But I'm not ahauntin' you, ye daft man. I'm sitting right beside
you." A sharp pinch on his bicep followed the statement.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ceet bolted upright and
scrambled to the edge of the bed. "Emaline? What? How?" He blinked and
shook his head. "This can't be possible." Or could it…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He reached under the
pillow and retrieved the compass. <i>Did you bring my love back to me?</i> The
device grew warm under his palm.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ceet threw the covers
back and slid to the edge of the bed. "Emaline Gruder, I've missed ye, I
have." His hands cupped her face. "And I love you." His vision
grew misty, and his head dropped.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Emaline threw her arms
around him. "And I you, Cedric." She eased back. "And if I
understand how this is supposed to work, we'll have all the time we ever wanted
to be together." She hugged him close again.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ceet wrapped his arms
around her. "Ah, Emaline. I surely hope so. I surely do." He shifted
his position and patted the bed then tugged Emaline down beside him. "This
island, Sanctuary is her name, is wonderous and full of marvels you've never
imagined." His gaze went to the rafters of the room. "She can create
buildings, like this here abode. And she made a barn and provided animals for
my use." He met Emaline's gaze. "But you have to be certain about
what you want, my love. Once yer committed, you can't leave. At least that's
how it works for me." And he didn't regret his choice … except for the loneliness.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Which seemed to be
resolved.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Emaline placed her head
on Ceet's shoulder. "My darling, Cedric. Why would I want to leave? I've
wanted to spend my life with you for as long as I can remember. When I got ill
and you didn't return, my heart broke." Her voice grew thick and heavy.
"And then I was somewhere in between. Dead but not. Wavering but tethered
because I didn't get a farewell from you." She clasped his hand. "Now
I'm here and we can have a life together…" Her head angled so she could
meet his gaze. "But it's a little different for me. When someone else
needs the island, I'll have to go away. But I'll always return to you.
Always." She straightened and glanced around the room. "And to my new
sanctuary … Insula Ara."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ceet hauled her close.
"Then it's time to start our life together…" His mouth claimed hers
and everything in his world turned bright and brilliant.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">This one is almost complete
and I'm excited to get it out there and maybe spark some interest in the Insula
Ara universe.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtLRvFjQ58Thjq_wK7k_-O2EoRx8ErEZtl5APCzU-Ligo5D-jT7Tbj-nHpafgemKsnW4YyTY9OhR18URSs2DTwBYmXzYtOdMkCHUNGYTsd0Jxa7q9I8zdwK_rc_axQHOA9yOO9my_FmPeYR_r-zlJpsdn7gF6Bu_Npi2LOsFnu8P-5qBguZ8pCcj-1Xc/s750/Manifest%20Legend%205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="750" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtLRvFjQ58Thjq_wK7k_-O2EoRx8ErEZtl5APCzU-Ligo5D-jT7Tbj-nHpafgemKsnW4YyTY9OhR18URSs2DTwBYmXzYtOdMkCHUNGYTsd0Jxa7q9I8zdwK_rc_axQHOA9yOO9my_FmPeYR_r-zlJpsdn7gF6Bu_Npi2LOsFnu8P-5qBguZ8pCcj-1Xc/s320/Manifest%20Legend%205.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-83185379557747697042024-01-28T16:31:00.002-05:002024-01-28T16:31:29.093-05:00Sunday Snippet: Make the Call<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Geez. I can't believe
January is almost over. It's been a month. Hell, it's been a year and we're only
through the first month. Heh.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had a crazy-busy
work week and I'm so thrilled! Several new projects are in my calendar and I'm
moving full steam ahead on my new venture. Truly hoping I'll have it ready to
launch in the next few weeks.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Solid week of
viewing. Didn't quite make it through my full list of shows, but the new work
projects are taking priority and I'm totally okay with that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started with </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My
Life Is Murder</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. So much fun to see Renee O'Connor acting with Lucy Lawless
again. A great episode.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha
Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> episode. Nice to have James back even though I have a feeling he
won't be a permanent fixture. The episode ended on a cliffhanger so I'm looking
forward to picking back up this week.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched the first
of a two-part </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. The tension building in this episode ended
up being excellent. I'm a bit disappointed in Nikki's story thread. The student
seriously screamed creepy stalker from the first moment he popped up on screen.
I have a very sneaking suspicion he did something and if true, I really want a major
repercussion. I'm also hoping like hell Jack's family isn't going to be smaller
by the end of the next episode.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and had seen bits and pieces of this one. So glad I
got to watch the whole thing. I like getting backstory for the island cast.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed an episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Elementary</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Kind of loved Sherlock sort of being there for Watson at
the end. The dynamic between the two characters is fun to watch. Getting a
glimpse of Jane's backstory is also nice. Makes me wonder about the lawyer guy
though. I'm not a fan of fast and loose storytelling.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started season two
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I remember being so disappointed they changed the theme
song. I do rather like the introduction of Batgirl.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Loved this the first time it aired and
thoroughly enjoyed again. So much fun.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Starting my viewing
schedule over again. </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Secret Life of Amy Benson</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">VIP</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, and </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Battlestar
Galactica</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> will hopefully get a watch this week. I also need to pick back up
with </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Peak Practice</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> in the near future.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's pretty much
it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Make the Call</i><span style="font-family: arial;">,
a novella that puts a former couple back on track to a reunion.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Gia Pimm has everything she wants, but a reminder from
her mother—that Gia will always suffer when good things happen—makes her walk
away from Nolan Curry. But when she needs antibiotics, she swallows her pride
and makes a call to the man who has them—Nolan</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">After finishing his call to the
ship, Nolan turned at the sound of someone entering the yurt much sooner than
expected. "That was a lot—" He broke off when the colony leader gave
him a brief smile.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lila lifted her chin. "Will I
be seeing transfer paperwork for one of my best protégés?" She nodded
toward the couch and followed Nolan over to sit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nolan winced. "Er, yes. And I
should've talked with you before calling up top to get the process
started." He shrugged and kept his mouth shut, unwilling to dig a deeper
hole.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lila sighed. "This isn't a
complete surprise. Gia hasn't been happy down here, even if she's been an asset
to the committee. Her experience on both sides of the fence gives her a unique
perspective to work from." Leaning forward, Lila rested her elbows on her
knees. "So, I have to ask if you're sure about letting her reenlist."
She pinned him with her gaze.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nolan didn't blink or waver. "I'm
sure. Always have been. Gia's the one you should probably ask about being
certain." His words lacked heat, but the undercurrent couldn't be missed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lila tilted her head, studying him
a moment. "Do you know why she cut ties and ran?" She straightened
and settled back against the cushions. "Have you ever wondered what she's
afraid of?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nolan's head jerked back.
"Gia?" He snorted. "Pretty sure she has no fear. Have you ever
seen her in action?" Gia held her own better than most men.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lila's lips curved. "I have,
yes. But I'm not talking about being a soldier or even a leader down here. I'm
referring to her past." She sobered. "I'm not breaking a confidence
or anything. My question stems from watching her with you on the way here then
observing her with Rand down here. Mr. Simpson is what I call a safe bet. He
makes no demands on Gia, and he definitely doesn't challenge her status quo.
Instead, he takes passive aggressive action by doing the exact opposite of what
he should." Lila met Nolan's gaze. "That's why he's in medical. And
it's why she's finally ready to face the truth. They're not meant to be
together."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nolan narrowed his eyes. "Then
why?" He stopped and shook his head. "Actually, never mind. I think I
get the point you're trying to make." Pausing a moment, he turned her
words over before continuing. "To answer your original question, no. I
can't say I've given thought to what she might be afraid of." But he would
be now.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lila nodded. "I kind of
figured. That's why I wanted a few moments with you. I don't care about the
proper protocols for Gia returning to the military. But I do care about
her." She gave him a sheepish smile. "And you, too. The protection
you provide by staying in orbit is paramount to our success with this project. I
want you and Gia to be happy together."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nolan lifted his chin. "I
appreciate the insight you've given me. It's probably way past time for Gia and
me to have a heart-to-heart conversation." He tamped down the
embarrassment of not ever doing so before.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lila arched her brows. "I
assume you won't be dipping into the population for your endless supply of
female companionship anymore?" Her lips twitched … just a little.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nolan flushed hotly, but he
refused to squirm under her scrutiny. What happened between consenting adults shouldn't
concern Lila. And he made sure anyone who came to visit had a clear definition
before they set foot on his ship.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He shrugged. "After Gia left, I
swore off getting entangled with anyone else." He focused back on Lila.
"With her coming back, my time will be spent working on our relationship."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lila grinned and patted his hand.
"I'm very happy to hear that."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I love writing
couples who find their way back to each other. Nolan and Gia have a journey to
take and they're finally heading in the right direction.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_U0CtCKt7BliwNivyRfgsl9k8BIa49FllcBsRgDN4rKdjh9Jsh8UfUeRzLCF4pFelrMhAuIFCUAMAL2_zIMPDJlJKZc5736Otb3HeqzEN4jIEW0y98HXi6CCiQOAbY3szLxjkFbeA1ehCJrUiOklCy0Qd5NjpXCXIUhIyyS7E-DJHmmAlzVvbVi8uQU/s688/Make%20the%20Call%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="688" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_U0CtCKt7BliwNivyRfgsl9k8BIa49FllcBsRgDN4rKdjh9Jsh8UfUeRzLCF4pFelrMhAuIFCUAMAL2_zIMPDJlJKZc5736Otb3HeqzEN4jIEW0y98HXi6CCiQOAbY3szLxjkFbeA1ehCJrUiOklCy0Qd5NjpXCXIUhIyyS7E-DJHmmAlzVvbVi8uQU/s320/Make%20the%20Call%204.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-15889410981376617092024-01-21T17:08:00.001-05:002024-01-21T17:08:29.070-05:00Sunday Snippet: Major Issues<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Still bitterly cold
in Ohio, but by midweek, we'll see high forties and low fifties and lots of
rain. We're going to have a lot of sick people in the near future. The back-and-forth
weather is horrible for keeping folks healthy.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Busy work week
again, which I'm so thankful for. I'm also working on my new venture and should
have news soon. I'm hoping by February.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Decent viewing
week. I didn't quite make a full run-through of all my shows, but I got very
close.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started with </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My
Life Is Murder </i><span style="font-family: arial;">again. Very interesting episode with some fun backstory. I love
getting more information about the characters.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched a holiday episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. This one kicked off season four and it ended up being
a lot of fun. I loved the mix of characters.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally continued
my rewatch of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Battlestar Galactica </i><span style="font-family: arial;">with the feature of Razor. We had to
backtrack a little to pick up with this one. I'd forgotten how much I loved Lee
in this special feature.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught an episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, which finished up a two-parter. I feel for Jack, and
I loved getting some more details about his family. I feel for what Ryan's been
through, but I'm glad Jack is finished covering for his brother.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. This is another episode I didn't get to
see, and I quite enjoyed following the clues. Looking forward to another
episode</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Elementary</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Lots of twists and turns in this one. Also loved Joan
trying to find Sherlock a sponsor and him not quite being able to just say he
doesn't want her to leave at the end of her contract.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught the final episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman </i><span style="font-family: arial;">season one. Excellent finale with three of the big bads
trying to unmask Batman. Also loved the introduction of Commissioner Gordon.
Looking forward to starting season two.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Both vignettes were ones I didn't remember
so nice to have something new to me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started season two
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Secret Life of Amy Benson </i><span style="font-family: arial;">and rather liked the first episode. I'm
a little curious how much book detail is being left out, but I don't think it
takes away from what we're seeing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also started an episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">VIP</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> but didn't get to finish it. I'm not even sure what's going on
yet.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's pretty much
it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Major Issues</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, a
novella that cements a couple's relationship by pitting them against an old
foe.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Ellis Wright, a damn good pilot who works hard at her
job, runs into an old nemesis—Major Anton Bernhard—and he tries to put her on
the defensive again. But Ellis isn't the same raw cadet from five years ago. This
time around she'll bring in her backup—Trey Shuttleworth—if she can convince
him the rumor about her affair with the major isn't true</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Trey Shuttleworth stood outside his
dad's quarters ready to knock on the bulkhead. But his hand paused midway to
the metal framing. The elder Shuttleworth had the handset to his ear and his
head bent over a fitness report.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Trey lowered his arm and waited …
interrupting Will Shuttleworth, commanding officer of the ship, never went well.
Not even if Trey happened to be related to him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">"Yes, admiral. I've got the jacket
right in front of me. Ellis Wright, ensign." He flipped through several
pages. "Looks like she's more than qualified. Her scores are damn close to
my son's."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Trey's eyes widened. "Shit. I'd
like to meet this Ensign Wright." Especially if her stats almost matched
his.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Because he worked his ass off to
top the roster when he went through flight school. Anything less would've been untenable<i>.
When your dad sets the bar high, you learn to hit altitude at an early age</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">That had been his reasoning. He
wondered what Ellis Wright had to prove…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">"She did what with whom?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Trey risked a quick look inside his
dad's quarters. His dad quickly flipped to the last page of the file and
scanned the contents. Trey bit back a groan when Will frowned.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Not a good sign</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Will leaned back in his seat.
"Is this information verified? With qualifications like hers, she wouldn't
need to—" He broke off and listened for a moment. "Right. Okay. I
appreciate the heads-up, admiral. I'll keep this in mind." Another pause then
a quick nod. "Yes. Thank you." He ended the call and heaved a sigh.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Trey tried not to form any
judgments about his dad's new pilot, not when he only had one side of the
conversation. But the part he'd overheard sounded pretty damning. Whatever Ensign
Wright did and who she did it with—and frankly, it wouldn't be much of stretch
to guess—an admiral felt the need to warn her new commanding officer.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">His dad pinched the bridge of his
nose and shook his head.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Trey took the opportunity to knock
on the bulkhead. "Hey, Dad. Did I catch you at a bad time?" He took
one step into the quarters.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Will glanced up with his eyebrows
arched. "You're here early. You made good time." He closed the file
and absently tapped it with his forefinger.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Trey tucked his cover under his arm
and nodded. "I did, yeah. I can come back later if this is a bad
time." He'd like to catch up with his old man, but only if he wouldn't be
distracted.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Will lifted his chin. "Why
don't I meet you in the mess? I've got a couple of things to check on then I'll
be free to visit." He rubbed his palm over the file.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Trey put his cap back on.
"Sure, Dad. You want the usual spicy noodles with stir-fried veg?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Will's lips curved. "Sounds
good. Thanks." He glanced down to the fitrep again.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Trey turned and headed for the
hatch.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">His dad picked up the handset but
called out. "Hey…"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Trey angled his head around.
"Yeah?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Will gave him a tired smile.
"It's good to see you, son. I won't be long."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Trey flashed a quick grin and
exited quarters. His mouth twisted into a frown as soon as he cleared the
threshold. He had a new mission as soon as he got back to his ship … track down
whatever information he could get on Ensign Ellis Wright.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I like how this
story is coming together. Trey is going to have a lot of fun trying to figure
Ellis out.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsdvIW_NQiuICBNsedBk7W6EVrXs_Wdf3Zq17f18QdJfDkc1zlZlEk6Yg3_sdavCcZ7Hc_BuOutA6KspjhG3_MsGgQ-L39pyJOxPxLLuAUfhggs9RIW-aJ_md5tM-UKdvF13QDCYIPMcFafOHhom1k9zUsLAb6aBfI54gkHkghaYENJPT9HtNGkANt-U/s574/Major%20Issues%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="126" data-original-width="574" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsdvIW_NQiuICBNsedBk7W6EVrXs_Wdf3Zq17f18QdJfDkc1zlZlEk6Yg3_sdavCcZ7Hc_BuOutA6KspjhG3_MsGgQ-L39pyJOxPxLLuAUfhggs9RIW-aJ_md5tM-UKdvF13QDCYIPMcFafOHhom1k9zUsLAb6aBfI54gkHkghaYENJPT9HtNGkANt-U/w400-h88/Major%20Issues%204.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-86034211217052907422024-01-14T15:38:00.003-05:002024-01-14T15:38:32.484-05:00Sunday Snippet: Luck Runs Out<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Brrrr. It's cold
outside. Thankfully, we only lost power once during the first gusty windstorm
and didn't lose it all while the wind howled over the last three days. And I
can live with a couple of inches of snow. Not a huge fan of temperatures in the
teens but layers help when I have to take the dogs out.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had a super-busy
work week and I'm thrilled to have my calendar filling up with projects. I like
to stay steady because it keeps me motivated and focused. When I have too much
free time I get lost in a haze.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Not a bad week for
viewing. I made a full circuit through my regular shows minus the rewatch of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Battlestar
Galactica</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. The power blip caused a delay there.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started the week with
</span><i style="font-family: arial;">My Life Is Murder </i><span style="font-family: arial;">and enjoyed the episode. The mystery ended up being
pretty decent.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught the second half
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin </i><span style="font-family: arial;">and thoroughly enjoyed. The cast really hits on all cylinders
and even though I miss James, I love the vibe of these characters.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started a new two-part
</span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I'm kind of happy to see Jack's familial issues. His
brother is a piece of work and I'm interested to see where things go with him.
Rather like the new colleague. Looking forward to seeing how she fits in.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I didn't really remember this one so I enjoyed it.
Fun to see the commissioner on the suspect board.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Elementary</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and quite liked the way Sherlock ended up being on
the outs with both Joan and the captain. Fun episode.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I'm nearing the end of the first season and all
the players are established for the most part. And the episodes are holding up
fairly well.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I didn't remember either of the vignettes so
really enjoyed watching both.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finished out the
first season of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Secret Life of Amy Benson</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I'm intrigued and
interested in how things are going to play out in the next season, which I'll
probably start this week.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also managed to
finish the episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">VIP</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> that I started last week. Looking forward to a
new one this week if time permits.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for the
life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Luck Runs Out</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, a novella that
fits into the Queen City, Mars universe established in the Furlough 99 series.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Domino Montgomery and Webb Wellesley are totally
different personally and professionally, but they work seamlessly together.
When they land an off-world transport assignment, they have to babysit a
condemned prisoner and deal with an impish captain who's hiding a wee bit of a
secret of his own</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Alarm bells went off in Webb's
brain. "What's the situation?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Bilar lowered his voice. "Your
guy is in an induced coma, and he needs to stay that way."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Domino frowned. "Not exactly
SOP, but also not out of the ordinary realm. What's going on, Captain."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Webb winced a little. She always
took liberties. And often demanded things out of their reach.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Captain Christian held her gaze.
"The prisoner is the zoner who released Sheen at the Underground. He's
altered because of the reaction." Bilar leaned forward. "He went from
basic fun guy to full on sociopath because of the drug." He held up a hand
when Domino opened her mouth to ask a question. "The concern here is his
access to a trust account, which means he could try to buy his way out of
facing charges. His family already got him relocated to Venus for his
trial."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Webb caught the brief flash of
something—a mix between rage and pain—in Domino's gaze. <i>Wonder what that's
all about?</i> Then a memory hit him. She'd lost a friend at the rave.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Domino kept her voice steady.
"I'm supposed to keep this guy sedate and comfortable when he caused more
than a hundred people to die?" Her fingers gripped the arms of her chair,
her knuckles going white.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Bilar grunted. "You're
supposed to do your job. I know this is a tough one, but you've never let me
down and I'm counting on both of you to not start now." His tone softened.
"The change in venue isn't going to save him from prison. Doesn't the idea
of him never seeing the light of day mean something?" His eyebrows arched.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Domino slumped. "Yeah, I
suppose it does." She exhaled on a long, slow breath.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Webb braced his forearms on his
knees. "The only thing better would be a one-way journey to the
underworld." The image of dragging body after body out the rave reared up
in his mind.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Captain Christian agreed.
"True, but we won't he sending him there." He picked up the panels
with their briefing notes. "Wheels up in ten. We're flying you to the <i>Lucky
Shamrock</i> and you'll pick up duty from the prison medics."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Domino slipped her device into her rucksack.
"Sir." She got up and quickly left the room.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Bilar gave Webb a long look.
"Goes without saying she'll get the job done but keep an eye on
things."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Webb nodded. "Copy that."
He slung his duffel over his shoulder and made a quick stop on his way to the
hangar.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He definitely needed to get that
deck of cards.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">This story is
coming together and I'm excited to see where it ends up. Very pleased with the
progress so far.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguA3qCTbKhtRSjptdbKQ36cEVs6J7yjGvT9XYpUbKkSjBu3llYr0NTs7-V5ZU2TJNZA3wOe4aUYqeRtcDvuEJptHMFY8Zg_RyxTmrjefZIvwgpQMUh17EHc5t3w9kJGaEhoD4q0b2Wcdjbon5758BppCJCArDWpea1SBPY4JMDAcVW17GhyW23lENIxBQ/s468/Luck%20Runs%20Out%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="118" data-original-width="468" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguA3qCTbKhtRSjptdbKQ36cEVs6J7yjGvT9XYpUbKkSjBu3llYr0NTs7-V5ZU2TJNZA3wOe4aUYqeRtcDvuEJptHMFY8Zg_RyxTmrjefZIvwgpQMUh17EHc5t3w9kJGaEhoD4q0b2Wcdjbon5758BppCJCArDWpea1SBPY4JMDAcVW17GhyW23lENIxBQ/w400-h101/Luck%20Runs%20Out%204.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-60040752320190870462024-01-07T15:06:00.005-05:002024-01-07T15:06:41.900-05:00Sunday Snippet: Lover's Lament<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, January in
Ohio has been the usual weird warm one day, cool the next, and hey, let's throw
some snow into the mix. It's not a lot of snow, but it's enough to be annoying
until we get the first really good blanket of the white stuff.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Solid work week. I
had a bunch of projects going and added a few to my calendar. I'm kind of excited
to be delving into some new territory. I also got a lot done on my new venture
and updating my website, which is very much needed. I've neglected it for far
too long.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had a decent week
of television. Didn't quite make it through every show, but I got most of my
current slate watched.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stared the week
with </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My Life Is Murder</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and kind of liked seeing a bit of Alexa's past even
if her friend ended up being the culprit.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught the first
part of a two-part </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Enjoyed it for the most part. I'm not
a fan of the whole lack of progress with Bill and Toni, but I loved having Roy
back.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finished up the
second part of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and I'm disappointed they lost Adam after a
handful of episodes. What a twist though.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, starting the fifth season. I'm very much enjoying
being able to watch all the episodes in chronological order.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed an episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Elementary</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I kind of like the lack of boundaries and the need to
establish them. This episode kind of brought that idea home in a big way.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. "Grundy's Night" ended up being so much
fun and it's one I didn't quite remember from my original run through.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic
Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I actually didn't remember either of these, so it was fun to
watch.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally, started a
new episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Secret Life of Amy Benson</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I'm enjoying this series,
but I also feel like a lot is being left off the screen. Probably the biggest
fallback when adapting books for viewing. That said, I love that Passionflix is
doing this. So many books to choose from and they've chosen some of the very
best.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for the
life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Lover's Lament</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, a novella that
explores what happens when things are stretched too thin.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Taryn Untied and Holmes Selari, two soldiers under a
constant stream of pressure, start making mistakes due to lack of any kind of
down time. Their superior officer finally orders them to take R&R on the Lover's
Lament and promises to conveniently forget their location if anything else goes
wrong. Thirty-six hours of alone time should clear up their cranky attitudes.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Holmes Selari attempted to tighten
a bolt on the landing strut of his bird. "Come on, dammit." The
wrench slipped and his knuckles grazed the undercarriage of the craft.
"Son of a bitch." The tool went sailing through the air and skidded
across the floor, which did nothing to ease Holmes's frustration. "Why
isn't there a number five hex wrench over here?" <i>Is it too much to ask to have the most commonly used tool available for
repairs?<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Holmes riffled around the pile of
equipment, searching for the elusive size he needed to finish the job on his
landing gear. Unable to locate a number five, he whirled around and came
face-to-face with the chief. The wrench Holmes tossed got placed on the
workstation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Newman folded his arms over his
chest before he spoke. "We're short on the size you need, so you'll have
to check the station next door." He stomped over and grabbed the correct
wrench then returned. "I'm going to suggest you save the temper tantrums
for the rec room, sir. Tools do not get thrown on my deck." Robbie stepped
in and tightened the bolt on Holmes's plane.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Which only pissed him off more.
"Maybe if you had the tools we need while we're covering your ass, shit
wouldn't get thrown." <i>Okay, I'm
being a dick, but damn, it's been a day</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Taryn strolled over with her head
tilted to one side. "Yeah, chief. This crap with your deck crew not
catching things and having empty workstations is getting old."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Robbie leaned in closed, his voice
dropping to a snarl. "They're doing their best. Doesn't help when you guys
come down here and do nothing but bitch the entire time … from the moment you
step foot until you leave."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Holmes snapped, his voice rising.
"Don't talk to me about doing your best when you're the one asking my
pilots to help out." They couldn't be stretched any thinner and the deck
chief knew it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Robbie pushed back. "None of
your other pilots put my crew at risk by throwing shit."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Taryn added her two cents. "Is
that right? How about your crew putting us at risk because they're not doing
thorough evaluations?" She stared Newman down.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Say,
what?<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Holmes growled. "Why am I
hearing about this now? When did this happen?" If he missed a memo or an
after-action report, his ass would be in a sling.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Taryn held up a hand. "It
happened earlier today, and I'm on the hangar deck so I could find you and fill
you in."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Robbie rolled his eyes. "Nice,
lieutenant, don't even give me a chance to address the concern with the crew.
Terrific." He flung an arm out.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Holmes lost his cool.
"Goddammit, chief. This is—"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">"Enough!" A voice boomed
from the direction of the corridor.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The XO poked his head out from the
briefing room, a harsh glare on his face.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Holmes sighed. <i>Well, fuck. Now shit'll
get interesting</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Having a bit of fun
with this one. Holmes and Taryn definitely need a break, but at this point,
they're hoping it won't be in the brig.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRxNPf2c57a6Z05GaJVCkntqHtVLII2ZM9cmbuiI3SDgyRrbahMcwB5_Uf1sFGzxTfu4oqAU4P3bbDLCmP6LqeaxNWM-DjZwbKu_5miyN_wK9twx-FZCycdwxtQNM-xgP4KspZahZ-_m__RvdmfRriRyob3oJ-P1gyyLII5-m0fzifsa1HTpDQ-8Ds8I/s468/Lover's%20Lament%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="136" data-original-width="468" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRxNPf2c57a6Z05GaJVCkntqHtVLII2ZM9cmbuiI3SDgyRrbahMcwB5_Uf1sFGzxTfu4oqAU4P3bbDLCmP6LqeaxNWM-DjZwbKu_5miyN_wK9twx-FZCycdwxtQNM-xgP4KspZahZ-_m__RvdmfRriRyob3oJ-P1gyyLII5-m0fzifsa1HTpDQ-8Ds8I/s320/Lover's%20Lament%204.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-46749471939797037272023-12-31T15:19:00.000-05:002023-12-31T15:19:03.422-05:00Sunday Snippet: The Lottery<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, it's kind of
fitting that my last blog post for 2023 is on the actual last day of the year. I'm
taking that as a good vibe to carry into 2024.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had a semidecent week.
Finished up a couple of things that needed attention and started to get my website
updated after a very long dry spell. I'm also very close to launching the new
endeavor I've been working on for several months.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Did pretty much a
full run-through of my usual slate of shows. I have a whole lineup of holiday
stuff I want to watch also. I know it's weird to wait until after the holiday
is over but I've been very Scrinch-like the past couple of weeks, mainly
because of the yucky cold.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started out with </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My
Life Is Murder</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and enjoyed the episode. I will say I still get a little put
off by how prickly Alexa can be. I'm sure that's by design, but it annoys me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> kind of crushed me a little. I love Agatha
and James and having them kind of end things breaks my heart. But I do love they
ended on a soft goodbye instead of a harsh one. Looking forward to the next episode.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started a new
two-part </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and I'm kind of surprised how things played out.
Did not expect the new guy to have such a dark secret. I love that he exposed
it himself. Can't wait to see how this ends.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught an episode of
</span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and it's one I'd seen before. Meeting Humph's dad
explains so much. I love how this episode played out. Looking forward to
starting </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Beyond Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> to see if there's more of Humph's family.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Elementary</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Loved diving into Joan's previous life a little. I'm
very intrigued by her and having glimpses into her former profession is always
fun.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally continued
my rewatch of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Battlestar Galactica</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. This episode had some great moments
even if it ended up being heavier on the cylon lore. Hoping to catch another
episode in the near future. Also need to backtrack a little and watch the webisodes
and movie.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I actually remembered this one because Alfred
ended up being a lot of fun. I love it when he steps out of his comfort zone
into his former life.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught an episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I have vague memories of this one, especially Angelica
trying to be silent. In all fairness, she got robbed for once.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Secret Life of Amy Benson</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I have one more left for the
first season. So far, I'm enjoying it, but I'm glad I have season two ready to go
because I have feeling the first is going to end on a cliffhanger.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finished up my episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">VIP</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> from last week and started a new one. I forgot I didn't get all
the way through the episode because I remembered how it ended.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And that's pretty
much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Lottery</i><span style="font-family: arial;">,
a novella that creates a dilemma for an established couple.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">A devastating illness tears through a space colony and
repopulation is paramount for continued survival. Veronica Fine and Garrett
Delroy think they'll be exempt from the lottery which will match up prime
candidates for procreation, but word comes down all members of the colony have
to participate, even members of the military. When they're matched up, both
suspect some behind the scenes maneuvering from the planetary leader</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I
hate it when he's right</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">.
Veronica hadn't prepared for a cagey back and forth. She'd pretty much relied
on her righteous anger to make the chancellor see the error of her ways.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Biting back a sigh, she muttered, "So
much for that." She followed Lydia into her inner sanctum.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Veronica took the time when
crossing to the desk to shift gears and strategize. Garrett quietly closed the
door and joined them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lydia gave each a bright smile.
"I have coffee available and cold drinks in the cooler. Would you like
anything?" She raised an eyebrow.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Garrett shook his head, but
Veronica played a hunch. "I'd love some coffee. You have the best around,
so the scuttlebutt says." Put Lydia in the subconscious role of serving
and catering to them all while adding compliments about her taste.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Garrett's lip kicked up in a small
grin. "Nice." He voiced the word in a low tone.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lydia turned and made her way to
the coffee pot. "My assistant Josie gets all the credit. She's got very
specific ideas on what makes for a perfect pot of coffee." After pouring a
mug for Veronica, she sent Garrett a questioning glance. "Are you sure I
can't get one for you?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Garrett gave a nod. "You've
sold me on trying. I'll take a cup, thank you."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lydia returned with both coffees
and retrieved a carafe of water from the cooler. Taking a moment, she retrieved
a large glass and set it beside the pitcher. She also took time to pull her
chair out and get settled.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She poured some water then pinned
Veronica and Garrett with her gaze. "Vying for the advantage is fun, but
let's get right to the reason you're here. You don't want to participate in the
lottery, is that correct?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Veronica blinked. "Geez. You
don't ease into anything, do you?" She might be pushing their luck, but if
the chancellor wanted plain-speaking, Veronica would provide some.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lydia wielded her answer with blunt
force. "No. Not when the fate of our survival depends on me." She dropped
the pretense of domesticity, got up, and leaned forward. "It depends on
you also. Everyone has to do their part." Straightening, she added,
"Including you."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Garrett took a sip of his coffee.
"Does doing our part include being manipulated into producing a kid?
Because there's no way some behind-the-scenes shenanigans aren't involved
here."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Veronica wanted to kiss him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lydia's shoulders twitched. "I
did make sure you and the lieutenant were matched. It's a perk of being the
chancellor." Her tone lacked remorse.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lydia started to doubt how much of
a hand the elder Delroy could have in this situation. Her heart sank a little. She
really did get Garrett's uncertainty now.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lydia propped her hip on the edge
of the table. "Let me explain how all this works." She placed a flowchart
on the surface. "You have six months to conceive a baby, or you can opt
for egg-sperm fertilization." She pointed to the two-pronged approach. "Either
via carrier or via Veronica."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Veronica tsked. "I'm not down
with that. I hate the idea of tubes and equipment making a child." She should
know.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She'd lived the experience of
having no parents because she'd been conceived via a test tube.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">But she also couldn't get on board with
being forced to copulate with Garrett. Not because she didn't find him
attractive. Hell, she wanted to jump his bones on a regular basis … but not to
have a kid.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lydia frowned. "I'm presenting
your options. You can decide how you'd like to proceed with Captain Delroy. I
only mentioned outside fertilization as part of the plan."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Veronica shot back. "If you
can game the system, you can keep us out of the loop. Being presumptuous isn't
a license to wreck the status quo. And you were casting a long line with the
assumption Captain Delroy and I would welcome this intrusion … at this time …
in this way." The low boil of anger started rolling again.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lydia quirked an eyebrow.
"Would you rather take your chances to match with others?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Garrett growled low in his throat.
"Not a chance."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">A kick of something primal settled
in Veronica at his forceful answer. "What he said." The very idea of
Garrett hooking up with someone else pissed Veronica off.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lydia clasped her hands together
and placed them in her lap. "Then we could explore harvesting an egg and
using Captain Delroy's sperm to fertilize and implant into a surrogate."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Veronica popped out with a harsh
"No fucking way." She jumped to her feet and leaned forward. "Will
you make me do this."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">This story is
coming together in an unexpected way and I'm happy for that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidJJFRXp6Zjhxy8UhDLgrNLg5-pB_XxqI4KcAT7MeV_LdB97EnQ0JfQOnPPmr8GiCkSl9iEEMoMG-7iZ-iKe4F8bcGftBIzK-hXsG6_WrjhjuufniXUAntrVlMTEOYzexrMntm-8PSv_cSsEgtl-iiLBtmYy5mmMz76f0TIfMb2s1HLfazXCxrBjfSZHQ/s400/The%20Lottery%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="400" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidJJFRXp6Zjhxy8UhDLgrNLg5-pB_XxqI4KcAT7MeV_LdB97EnQ0JfQOnPPmr8GiCkSl9iEEMoMG-7iZ-iKe4F8bcGftBIzK-hXsG6_WrjhjuufniXUAntrVlMTEOYzexrMntm-8PSv_cSsEgtl-iiLBtmYy5mmMz76f0TIfMb2s1HLfazXCxrBjfSZHQ/s320/The%20Lottery%204.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-5139204295104985932023-12-24T21:30:00.005-05:002023-12-24T21:30:58.619-05:00Sunday Snippet: Losing the Light<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Happy holidays to
all who celebrate. We're having a quiet weekend at home to avoid spreading all
of our cold germs to anyone else. I'm very okay with that.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started two new
projects this week and slowly getting back to semi-normal while fighting the
cold making the rounds through our house. My husband currently has it again.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Made an almost full
run through of my current slate of television shows. I've been trying to make
sure I get plenty of sleep, so I hopefully don't end up with a setback with the
cold.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched an episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My Life Is Murder </i><span style="font-family: arial;">and remembered I'd seen most of this episode
before. Enjoyed watching it again.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started another
two-part </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin </i><span style="font-family: arial;">and rather enjoyed the dynamic between James's
sister and Agatha. Looking forward to the second half.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finished the second
half of a </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> two-parter. I'm kind of excited to see where
things go with a new person on the team.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I don't remember watching much of this one before,
but I do have recollection of at least one scene. Interesting that one of the
guest stars is a regular on Agatha Raisin.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Elementary</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Thoroughly enjoyed it. This show definitely intrigues
me.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I think there might be one more episode of season
one left.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I remembered both of the vignettes and
enjoyed watching them again.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Secret Life of Amy Benson</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I'm still intrigued by everything and
can't wait to find out more about Amy's past.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finished the week
out with an episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">VIP</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I have vague memories of watching this
during the initial run of the series. Lots of fun.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for the
personal life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Losing the Light</i><span style="font-family: arial;">,
a novella that brings a couple back together after a bad breakup.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Walker Garrett always does the right thing—except when it
comes to Barret Danks. Barret never listens when she doesn't want to hear
what's said, but Walker's ultimatum has her accepting a post on a newly
terraformed planet. With him in the air and her on the ground, working out
their issues doesn't seem likely … until Walker gets a call to meet with
Barret's boss</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Walker shot up out of
the chair. "You want me to do what?" He raked a hand through his
hair.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Laura held his gaze. "I
think I made myself clear. I'd like you to pick a group—a small one—of trained
soldiers to help form a security force down here." She leaned back in her
seat.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Walker snorted. "You
want an official goon squad." <i>She's
mad</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Laura shook her head.
"No. Not official and not a goon squad. This would only be temporary
assistance." She got up and walked the length of the small room.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Walker huffed out a
breath. "Temporary show of force you mean." He pinned her with a hard
stare. "That's how the public will read this, especially with the word
force in the title." She should know better than anyone how word choice
worked.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Laura hand-waved his
concern. "Call it whatever you want. A tactical unit, a unified detail,
the semantics will work themselves out. The key idea is promoting safety and
our current police enforcement isn't trained or equipped to handle the kind of
maneuvers the opposition is using." She sighed. "I wish this wasn't
necessary. The group opposing unification is well organized and vocal. But the
majority of settlers elected me and I'm the duly recognized leader whether the
rabble rousers like it or not." She paced back and forth. "We're in a
unique situation here, Captain Gansett, not one I like being in but here we are."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Walker found her
argument sound even if he didn't like it. "When you lay everything out, I
see the hurdle you have to overcome. So, okay, I'll find a team to help out
down here." Hopefully without stretching themselves too thin.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Laura paused. "I
don't think you understand. <i>You</i> need to lead the team. I trust you and I
want you to head up the new task force." Her emphasis kept getting
stronger.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Walker bit back another
sigh and sank back down into his chair. "You realize that's gonna put me
in a very uncomfortable position, right? I'll have to assign someone to take
command up top." And he barely had his 2IC on board.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Laura gave him a
pointed look. "You're not going to like my next request either. Barret
Danks will be your second in command. I insist on it."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Walker blew a gasket. "You've
got to be kidding me." He got up and paced. "First you steal her, and
now you're going to make working with her a stipulation?" He met her gaze.
"You know our history, don't you?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She would. Laura
researched everything down to the last detail.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She had the grace to
nod. "I do. But I also know you two to be professional and more than
capable of putting aside any personal drama you might have for the greater
good."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Well and truly trapped,
Walker put the ball back in Laura's court. "If this is a dealbreaker, you
should probably let Barret in on her new role." Because no way did Barret
know yet.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Laura's cheeks went
pink. "I already planned to do just that." She gave him a small
smile. "I didn't mention our meeting to her because I wanted your
agreement first." She hooked her hand around his bicep. "I'll have
quarters assigned to you and expect to see you in two days."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Resigned, Walker gave a
nod. "Yes, Madame Premiere. I'll see you then."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Heading back to his
transport, he not so calmly accepted his life would be chaos for the
foreseeable future.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reunion romances
are some of my favorite to write and Walker and Barret's story is one I'm
enjoying a lot.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_W1XGGPvnhfGa8mcLcmGAWrvaC_MvBsU0IWVglAJ53mjy2_wgW_IWFhx9E994csrvVCbNtFBxL1Nz549GajRi7BlxRaPTm6FF1wZn_FXyKgbUaCQoDwPqu-X5ZKeH4JTFqiCyWJnTYzdSuzAQiqQrio9G_HqDQ_Q2Nz9SzJn5komLlYdQBRt51AVmOhE/s400/Losing%20the%20Light%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="400" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_W1XGGPvnhfGa8mcLcmGAWrvaC_MvBsU0IWVglAJ53mjy2_wgW_IWFhx9E994csrvVCbNtFBxL1Nz549GajRi7BlxRaPTm6FF1wZn_FXyKgbUaCQoDwPqu-X5ZKeH4JTFqiCyWJnTYzdSuzAQiqQrio9G_HqDQ_Q2Nz9SzJn5komLlYdQBRt51AVmOhE/s320/Losing%20the%20Light%204.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-23599779158731035032023-12-17T18:03:00.003-05:002023-12-17T18:03:36.440-05:00Sunday Snippet: Lockdown<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I got slammed with
a nasty cold and definitely feel it this week. Completely derailed my daily
relaxation stress reducer posts. I'll hopefully catch back up next week or
start over again for the new year.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finished up several
work-related projects and added a few to my calendar. Hoping to start the new year
off with a full slate to stay busy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Not a bad week of
television, even with the icky cold making me super tired and exhausted.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My Life Is Murder </i><span style="font-family: arial;">and enjoyed it. I'm still trying to get
used to the New Zealand locale with the second season. Still a fun show.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught the second
half of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Feel very badly for James, who kind of seems like
the odd man out of the group. Loved how this one played out.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started a new two-part
</span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness </i><span style="font-family: arial;">and not sure on the new pathologist. He's not bad, I
guess. Clearly, it's time to shake things up for Jack, which probably means
things won't go well when his brother gets out of prison.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death
in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, which is one I didn't remember. I'm getting into the Humphrey
episodes I missed on the first watch.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Elementary</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and quite liked the dynamic. I'm very interested
in getting into more of what happened with Joan's medical career. Sherlock is
definitely true to form and I'm getting into this version.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I think I have one or two more episodes of the first
season then a bit of a shift to the second one.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. For some reason, I think I might have missed
a season or at least some episodes. I'll do a run through after I finish up the
sixth season.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Continued with </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The
Secret Life of Amy Benson</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I'm intrigued by how the season is unfolding and
I'm kind of interested in where things are going to go.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finished out the
week with an episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">VIP</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Some familiar early aughts faces in this
one. Also a fun episode.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's pretty much
it on the life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Lockdown</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, a
novella that brings a couple together in a unique situation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Tod Langkowski and Mitzi Stahl are trapped when a power
outage aboard their ship locks them in the training area. The commander and his
CAG have a unique opportunity to examine their relationship—and where it should
go—with zero interruptions</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Mitzi loved the lower deck gym that
doubled as a training area. "Especially when I'm pissed off due to a
run-in with Major Pain in the Ass Moore." She continued punching the heavy
bag while listing her issues with the XO. "She's nosy." Jab-jab. "Annoying."
Jab-punch. "And she has the whole control freak thing down cold."
Punch-jab. "And stupid Tod thinks she's <i>all</i> that. And I'll never
get why." She jabbed the bag with a double right-handed punch.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">A voice called out from behind her.
"Maybe stupid Tod picked the best candidate out of a limited pool of
people."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Fuck</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She gave the bag another hard
punch. "It figures you'd overhear me letting off steam." She paused
and glanced his way.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He moved into the gym then stopped,
his arms folded over his chest. She liked the way his shoulders pulled at his
uniform T-shirt. The man stayed in shape. She'd give him full credit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">A lot of officers that made the
leap from being in the trenches—so to speak—to working behind the line let
their fitness suffer. Granted, Tod only had a year commanding a carrier under
his belt, but Mitzi doubted he'd be one of the flabby flexers. He'd never throw
his weight around, literally or figuratively. Not his style.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She quirked a brow. "Why are
you here? Is this a torment Mitzi thing or a commanding officer to CAG
thing?" She'd bet her next pay grade Belinda the brave gave Tod an earful.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Tod's lips twitched. "Can't it
be both?" Not a confirmation or a denial.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Mitzi shrugged. "Why
not?" Except it hadn't been both lately.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The fact they hadn't found their
footing yet bothered her. They rarely took more than a few days for their usual
patterns to emerge. Belinda played a role this time around.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Tod snapped his fingers. "Mitzi.
Where did you go?" A tinge of concern entered his gaze.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She shook her head. "Sorry.
Zoned out for a minute." She'd never admit where her head went because he
didn't need the added pressure. "What did you need?" After doing
battle with Belinda, Mitzi didn't want to throw down with Tod, too.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He frowned at her change of
subject. "Had a briefing with Belinda about engineering and—" He
stopped speaking when the lights flickered, flashed bright … then went out.
"Ugh. That." Tod growled. "Shit." His eyes slid closed.
"Wait for it."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The autolock engaged on the hatch
leading into the training area.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Well, hell. She really should've
expected the safety measure, especially on a newer ship. Perfect. Just what she
needed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Mitzi rolled her eyes. "Guess
we're stuck." <i>Won't this be fun?</i> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Having a bit of fun
with this story. Mitzi and Tod are getting an outside hand from the person
Mitzi least suspects of help.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFsEP1_2VmfCQfO2c9Uq-SR13490veShMQ6qavHKFNPInIQjAKwzs9ltDGVvpQHSOyB91nxchGqvdwoUrEyYGRRxkbcrVoz_eTG6n_bW62kHCuDV616HRmR0HFfR7O1WiSSj0Ke95lJg_HRAv6Ekh35I9ZpCQBrMr0QKkJSTewRnkxccdeiCapxgIRpw/s468/Lockdown%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="136" data-original-width="468" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFsEP1_2VmfCQfO2c9Uq-SR13490veShMQ6qavHKFNPInIQjAKwzs9ltDGVvpQHSOyB91nxchGqvdwoUrEyYGRRxkbcrVoz_eTG6n_bW62kHCuDV616HRmR0HFfR7O1WiSSj0Ke95lJg_HRAv6Ekh35I9ZpCQBrMr0QKkJSTewRnkxccdeiCapxgIRpw/w640-h186/Lockdown%204.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-70309149932043376812023-12-10T16:14:00.002-05:002023-12-10T16:14:34.953-05:00Sunday Snippet: Living with Scars<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm having a weird
month so far. I'm doing well with posting daily relaxation, stress reducer
things to avoid becoming the Scrinch (Scrooge and the Gringe combined), yet I'm
also feeling kind of down, which is not the norm for me. I'm thinking a happy
medium might be the best I'll do this year and I'm okay with that.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had a week of
busywork projects, which ended up being kind of fun. I like jumping around and
moving back and forth between jobs. Keeps me on my toes and paying attention.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had a solid week of
television. A lot of what I worked on this week let me have background noise
and I got a lot of shows watched!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I started with the first
sixtieth anniversary special for </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Doctor Who</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Thoroughly enjoyed having
Ten and Donna back together. Looking forward to the second special this week.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Trying out a new to
me show with </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Elementary</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Watched the first two episodes and I like it so
far. I didn't watch at all when it originally aired and I'm looking forward to
seeing more of this show.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught two episodes
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and should be semi-close to the end of season one. Looking
forward to more of this one.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed two episodes
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Liked both and loved the play on vintage TV shows
the ghost stories episode had.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched two episodes
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">VIP</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and remembered one from the original airing of the show. Lots of
fun with the ice bullets before they were really a thing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My Life Is Murder</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and ended up liking it a lot. The drag
queen setting was fun and the snark fest between Alexa and the manager deserves
a chef's kiss.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha
Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> episode. It's the first of a two-parter so I'm excited to see what
happens next. Very fun to watch Agatha and James navigate living together.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finished the second
half of a two-part </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Actually liked how this one played
out. It's cool to revisit old cases and the one they went back to ended up
being an important one.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death
in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> episode. I'm enjoying Florence and Humph working together. And
I'm fond of the JP and Dwayne dynamic.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also started a new
Passionflix series with </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Secret Life of Amy Benson</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Got the first episode
in and I'm intrigued so far. Looking forward to seeing how the two seasons play
out.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for the
life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Living with Scars</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, a
novella that explores the reunion of a couple after one has a traumatic
experience.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Britta Dane, a woman who avoids entanglements, lets Yale
Sullivan get a little too close. But when she finds a way to put some distance
between them, she lands behind enemy lines. When she finally returns, a little
broken and torn up with guilt, she has to find a way to get her brand of normal
back</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ralinda "Rally" Anderson
quickly became the bane of Britta's existence. Rally got a taste for being a
squadron leader while Britta served her penance in maintenance. And the younger
pilot didn't want to give up her new-found status.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Britta figured a nice little chat
should take place. "Hey, Rally. Hold up a minute."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ralinda's shoulders tensed, but she
waited by the exit. Britta struck a casual pose, leaning against the bulkhead
with a foot propped on the surface. Then she stared Anderson down with a calm façade.
<i>It's the best way to get the upper hand</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Rally huffed out a frustrated sigh.
"Did you want something?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Britta lifted a brow. The girl had
a set of brass ones. Britta would give Ralinda props for pushing back.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">But Britta quickly set the tone.
"I'm sorry. I think you meant 'Did you want something, sir'." Britta
straightened, pulling rank and enjoying it. "Last I checked, I'm a
lieutenant and you're still junior grade."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Anderson's nostrils flared, but she
kept her cool. "Is there something I can do for you, sir?" She
sneered the question, barely keeping a civil tone.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Britta smiled at the cracks in the
pilot's armor. "You can tell me what your problem is."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Rally's eyes widened. "With
what? Unless you mean you specifically, sir."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Smart girl.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Britta nodded. "Sure, Rally.
Let's start there." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I've been
back on rotation two weeks and you're either on my ass or so far up it, I can
smell what you had for your last meal."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Rally flushed, but tersely
explained. "You're a menace, sir."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Britta laughed. "I'm supposed
to be, Lieutenant. Our job is to do as much damage to the enemy as
possible."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Rally shook her head. "Not my
meaning, and you know it."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">And finally, they were getting
somewhere. "Okay. Why don't you explain—specifically—why you think I'm a
menace?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Rally loosened up. "You're
hungover … All. The. Time. You've lost discipline. You have zero focus. And
sometime, probably in the very near future, you're gonna get yourself—or one of
us—killed." She heaved for breath, dragging air into her lungs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Britta quirked a brow. "Wow.
Been saving that up for a while, haven't you?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ralinda lifted a shoulder.
"Look, you asked. I don't wanna fly with you—veteran hot shot or
not."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Britta slowly lifted her chin.
"Good to know. But just to be clear…" Britta lifted one finger.
"Haven't had a hangover in a month…" She added a second digit.
"I've never had discipline outside of a cockpit." A third finger
joined the first two. "Even unfocused, I still fly circles around
you…" She lifted her little pinky. "And the weight of that chip on
your shoulder will kill someone before I <i>ever</i>
do." Britta moved to stand toe-to-toe with the other pilot. "You
don't have to like me … but you'd damned well better respect the rank I
hold." Britta pinned Ralinda with her gaze. "If you can't do that … I'm
sure we can find some transport ships for you to pilot around the fleet."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ralinda sucked in a harsh breath
and opened her mouth to blast Britta. She quickly snapped it shut again and
held her tongue, looking away to hide the angry flash in her eyes. A very wise
choice.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Britta smiled and patted Rally on
the shoulder. "Nice start. Keep the attitude in check and we'll do just
fine." Turning, Britta walked a few steps before angling her head back.
"You're dismissed, Lieutenant."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Continuing down the corridor,
Britta felt better than she had since she got back. One problem down, a zillion
more to go. Including one gigantic challenge named Yale.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm trying to rein
this story in. The sages keep feeding me ideas and I won't be able to use all
of them but it's a great problem to have.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquehglB_Vbj0pN3JFq5xjkzjY3mag3nfOhzeKM2WKMosVG4FWMN0D9GbR2QbAigbGnKIv9_miqCA2Ji6iK1LcgBZ0pCkM_t-J2Gk2I4Or6XW__sWOKJ9svPwAuXNMBIG-HnGEka4bnVUnjR70psR1opdzYlja3pa3r1gjrxDb0bUwwtxkklqlhBIiZh8/s468/Living%20with%20Scars%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="72" data-original-width="468" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquehglB_Vbj0pN3JFq5xjkzjY3mag3nfOhzeKM2WKMosVG4FWMN0D9GbR2QbAigbGnKIv9_miqCA2Ji6iK1LcgBZ0pCkM_t-J2Gk2I4Or6XW__sWOKJ9svPwAuXNMBIG-HnGEka4bnVUnjR70psR1opdzYlja3pa3r1gjrxDb0bUwwtxkklqlhBIiZh8/w400-h61/Living%20with%20Scars%204.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-53612481048496434482023-12-03T16:05:00.004-05:002023-12-03T16:05:51.588-05:00Sunday Snippet: A Little More<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Not sure I'm ready
for December. The last few months have really flown by, and I can't seem to keep
up. I must be getting old. Or life is coming at me fast and that's why I'm struggling
to stay in the moment.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And because I'm failing
at staying in the moment, I started a daily post for self-care on Instagram and
Blue Sky. Each day I'm going to post something that I do just for me to help me
shed stress and enjoy a few minutes of me time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">To that end, I
might be including some television shows, so keep an eye out for a few specials
that aren't in my normal rotation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I did get two episodes
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My Life Is Murder</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> in this week. I'm a little puzzled by the change in
location from Australia to New Zealand, but I'm running with it for now.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I also finished up
the bonus episodes from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> season two and caught the premiere
of season three. I kind of miss Gemma but Toni is a lot of fun.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched two
episodes of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Hard to say goodbye to Thomas and it's weird
to not see Clarissa at the Lyell anymore. I do like the new vibe Jack and Nikki
have. Looking forward to seeing if they add any new cast members.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also enjoyed two
episodes of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Camille left for Paris and Humph is
working through the new dynamic. I really enjoy this show and I'm so glad I can
see it in chronological order.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finished </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Only
Murders in the Building</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and I did get the villains right. Excellent third
season and I'm excited about season four because who saw that one coming with
the new victim?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and enjoyed it. The dynamic between Bruce and
Alfred is a lot of fun.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. The two vignettes are ones I remembered and
enjoyed the first time around. I love it when the parents truly have no idea
what's going on.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">VIP</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. The over-the-top villains are always entertaining. I truly miss
that sometimes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also watched
another episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Peak Practice</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Once again, I'm not interested at all
in one of the storylines, but I do love the two new cast members and what's
going on with them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And that's it for the
life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">A Little More</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, a novella that
brings a couple together and makes them deal with how to work and play together.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Lexie Krost and Tighe Milligan work and live together—and
a little more—on a remote base in the depths of space. They shouldn't act on
their attraction, but the pull is strong and once they've crossed the line,
they have to figure out how to be a little less</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lexie's nerve endings still tingled
and once they made it to quarters, she turned to face him. "Your rack or
mine?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Tighe nudged her around and moved
her up against the hatch. "Don't care." He grabbed a screwdriver and
shoved it into the latch to maintain privacy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">When his mouth ghosted over her
skin, making her hot and flushed, she moaned. "Mine's closer." Maybe
by two whole feet, but still…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He smirked. "Yours it is
then." He picked her up, putting her hot core close to his hard dick.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She ground over his shaft where
their hips joined. "Doesn't take you long to recharge." And, holy
crap, she couldn't wait until he filled her.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Tighe rolled a shoulder. "Like
you said … we only took the edge off. I'm ready to experience the full Lexie
treatment." He made the short walk to her bunk.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lexie flicked her tongue against
his ear. "Mmm … and I'm ready to give it to you."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">They reached her berth, and he settled
her inside. She stripped off while he shucked his boxes and yanked his shirt
over his head. His hard body made her mouth water.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Tracing the ridges of his abdomen,
she glanced up to meet his gaze. "You getting in or what?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He put a knee on the edge and slid
up into her space. She yanked the curtains shut and moaned again when Tighe's
mouth clamped onto a nipple. Her boobs were erogenous zones and he had serious
skill. While he worried one with his lips, teeth, and tongue, he treated the
other to a mix of kneading the whole globe combined with tweaks and tugs using
his fingertips.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She threaded her fingers in his
hair, holding him close to her, humping his hair-roughened thigh. She searched
for and found his hard cock and did some playing herself. Fisting the girth,
she tugged firmly then lowered her palm to his balls. Fondling the sacs, she
also stroked his perineum.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He let her nipple escape his mouth.
"Oh, fuck, yes."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She grinned. "You like a
little ass play. You have no idea how much that turns me on."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">His tongue flicked over her other
nipple. "Lexie, babe, you can do whatever you want with my ass."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She gushed more fluid at the
thought "I'll definitely keep that in mind. But. right now, I kinda need
this hot, hard dick buried deep inside me."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Tighe grabbed her hips and shifted
her around to straddle his thighs. "I'm all yours." His hands slid up
her sides to cup her breasts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She shuddered with anticipation,
rose up, and sank slowly over his rigid length. "Oh, yeah. Perfect
fit." He filled her, stretching her out a little.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He held her gaze and closed his
lips over her areola, sucking hard. Lexie planted her hands on either side of
his shoulders and rocked her hips. Tighe switched sides, drawing the other pebbled
tip between his teeth, worrying the nub then flicking his tongue over it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She responded by getting wetter and
moving a little faster. "Won't last long. You feel too good inside
me." More like incredible.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Tighe leaned back and gave her a
quick grin. "I'm primed and ready. Let's see if we can get you off more
than once." He bucked up against her, flexing his thighs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Her eyes slid closed at the
exquisite sensations rolling through her. He might be the death of her. But
what a way to go.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm having a lot of
fun writing this one. The sages decided to lean in to the erotic side of things
and they keep trying to up the heat factor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwqWKg7dpzC_E1PSodBTW7tMu3PR-q8_e65RT8TyrcRSR2EUrHesREsy17tZL4UX23XeVQl9nFRgByb8LAyxf7K0IWix3laT4jOQKLzi_W5fUrofOLl3sh10RPbEv45wUxRUanil1JpJAzQB9PLt9I1HEdQBkrzSPUYnhef3BTLPSquWU9F5zk8kffnvU/s468/A%20Little%20More%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="132" data-original-width="468" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwqWKg7dpzC_E1PSodBTW7tMu3PR-q8_e65RT8TyrcRSR2EUrHesREsy17tZL4UX23XeVQl9nFRgByb8LAyxf7K0IWix3laT4jOQKLzi_W5fUrofOLl3sh10RPbEv45wUxRUanil1JpJAzQB9PLt9I1HEdQBkrzSPUYnhef3BTLPSquWU9F5zk8kffnvU/w400-h113/A%20Little%20More%204.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-45302123989460582142023-11-26T15:22:00.004-05:002023-11-26T15:22:50.272-05:00Sunday Snippet: Leading the War Effort<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I hope everyone who
celebrates US Thanksgiving had a lovely holiday. Mine was low-key, which is how
I enjoy the holiday the most. As usual, my husband cooked for ninety-seven people
instead of the three that were here, but that means leftovers and readily
available meals for a few days!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Kind of a light
week for work projects in varying stages. I ended up getting a decent amount of
writing completed. I finished up two manuscript drafts and I'm in the
fine-tuning stage for those. I'm excited to start revising! I also did some additional
planning for the other ventures I'm trying to launch soon. Should be an
exciting December!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had a great week of
television viewing. I got an extra show in this go around but still didn't get
to pick back up with my </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Battlestar Galactica</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> rewatch. Hopefully this
week.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I ended up watching
two episodes of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I'm sad that Clarissa is leaving but
look forward to new faces. Can't wait to pick up with the second half of the
current two-parter. It ended on a cliffhanger.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also got two episodes
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> in this week. Started season four, which I'm enjoying.
Humph is a lot of fun and Dwayne has been very entertaining so far.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ended up watching
two episodes of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Only Murders in the Building</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> also. Finished the
penultimate episode last night and, wow, I love this show. And … I'm pretty
sure I guessed correctly with a slight twist on the murderer. Can't wait to
watch the final episode.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed two episodes
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. One I remembered and the other one I didn't so really
enjoyed that one. Not sure how many episodes are left in the first season but
looking forward to more.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught two more episodes
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I did remember both. An interesting bit was the
theme changed for one episode then went back to the original. Weird what I notice
when I'm streaming shows.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">VIP</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. The over-the-top storylines are so much fun. I really
miss some of the shows from the late nineties and early aughts.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed a behind-the-scenes
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My Life Is Murder</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I'll be starting season two this week,
unless there's another bonus episode.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also watched a
behind-the-scenes episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. A lot of fun to see and hear
the actors talk about their characters. There might be one more BTS for season
two then I'll be moving on to season three.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Picked back up with
</span><i style="font-family: arial;">Peak Practice</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I skipped ahead a little because I honestly don't care
about Andrew and Kate's torrid relationship. Might try to work another episode in
this week.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's pretty much
it for this week's life update. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Leading the War
Effort</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, a novella that puts a bit of a spin on soldiering a la Jason Bourne
or Steve Rogers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">North Normandy becomes the test subject for a super
soldier project and his first mission is to rescue his captured father. Frankie
Gant knows the venture inside out, but lacks the emotional connection her
superiors feel the candidate will need. Frankie acts as North's handler and
when the planned op goes south, she risks her life, undergoing the same process
to pull both men out of enemy territory.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">North entered the training room to
find testing equipment and devices instead of workout mats and accoutrements.
"What's going on?" He looked forward to more routines with her.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Frankie sent him a too-bright
smile. "Welcome to phase three." She slapped electrodes on his chest
and reached up to affix one to his temple.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He caught her hand. "Hold up.
Slow down." He tried to catch her gaze but kept picturing her naked, which
didn't help his thought process.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Frankie quirked a brow and tilted
her head slightly.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He let go of her hand. "Sorry.
So that means I finally passed muster?" Would've been nice to know he'd
cleared the hurdle.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Her face colored and she cleared
her throat. "Yeah. Yes. Your unorthodox approach seemed to get
results." She finished applying the electrode to his head.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">His voice lowered. "That was
all you, Major." Pleased when she gave a slight shudder, he added,
"You issued a challenge and I only rose to the occasion." In multiple
ways.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She moved away, which also gave him
a kick of satisfaction. <i>She's not immune to the wild chemistry—even if she'd
like to be.</i> He liked the thought.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">But … he let her have some space.
"What's next? Phase three is all monitoring, right? Checking my body's
reaction to the meds and testing strength and endurance?" Which should
increase at a steady rate.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Frankie nodded. "We'll draw
blood to make sure you're not having adverse reactions to the medication. We'll
run scenarios for the physical examination, and I'm adding a final series of
cognitive tests to track the enhancements." She paused then continued.
"Not that you needed much. You have a remarkable level of base
intelligence."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">North cracked a wide smile. "I
hear a compliment there. A rarity coming from you." He couldn't resist
poking at her armor a little.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Frankie shrugged. "I give
credit where it's due."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">North snorted. "You should
take the credit, too. You're the heart of this program, Major. The department
brass has no idea what a gift they have with you." Or they did and chose
to be assholes about it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Frankie lifted a shoulder.
"I'm more like a headache, but I fight for what I believe in." She
checked the placement of the tabs then grabbed the wires.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Then why didn't she fight for
herself? North wouldn't rock the boat right now, but someday he'd press for
answers. Because he needed to know why she didn't push harder for herself.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Currently, he hoped he had her full
support. "What about <i>who</i> you believe in? Will you fight for me, Major?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She held his gaze. "Yes,
always."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">His heart rate kicked up and he
thanked the universe she hadn't hooked him up to the machinery yet.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I love, love, love
this story. North and Frankie are so much fun to write and I can't wait to finish
this one.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBTAG86RQ_6kyic9R_1xCygGpxA421PdePrpa5A9DKiZMyfGYmS_2rjZVEzWQCP5npnldY9gdC7aFHOzFSFxo37T15BSPpRnoYqopG7Bwaix6BQQAdkGkAvrzXU4KJhpQdHn8psW3Xb4ZTsehJWLZmcH-Iie0T5xnSFkqa0fz9q9Aj4LvlBD1ktRdpKc/s514/Leading%20the%20War%20Effort%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="514" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBTAG86RQ_6kyic9R_1xCygGpxA421PdePrpa5A9DKiZMyfGYmS_2rjZVEzWQCP5npnldY9gdC7aFHOzFSFxo37T15BSPpRnoYqopG7Bwaix6BQQAdkGkAvrzXU4KJhpQdHn8psW3Xb4ZTsehJWLZmcH-Iie0T5xnSFkqa0fz9q9Aj4LvlBD1ktRdpKc/s320/Leading%20the%20War%20Effort%204.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-59885939815908854052023-11-19T14:37:00.000-05:002023-11-19T14:37:35.035-05:00Sunday Snippet: Last Best Chance ... for a Good First Impression<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Entering thankful
week with so much to think about and be grateful for. There's a lot going on in
life right now and some of it's not great. But … there's also so much that's good
and I always try to focus on the good stuff. I spent way too many years as a
glass half empty girl. The stress of that did not do me any favors.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I got to edit an
amazing holiday story, which I didn't expect and I'm so happy I got the project.
It's from one of my favorite authors too!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">My husband started
a new job that he can do during his off season from the golf course, which is an
amazing opportunity.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I got to watch a
play my daughter did the entire lighting setup for, and I'm so glad I got to go
and see what she's accomplished with her theater major. I already get to hear her
radio show for her media production major. She has a semester left and I can't
wait to see the amazing things she does with her future.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had a pretty decent
week of television viewing. I managed a full round of my current slate of shows,
minus the </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Battlestar Galactica</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> rewatch. Hoping to pick it back up this
week.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started out with
the first half of a two-part </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Kind of an interesting case
mixed in with the personal aspect for the characters.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death
in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. This is an episode I got to see part of before and it's nice
to have the full context of everything that happened.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Loved the episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Only Murders in the Building</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. So awesome to see Theo again. I love
his friendship with Mabel. I'm kind of hoping the trio is back together by the
next episode, but it's fun to see Mabel interact with other people. Going to miss
seeing her in her aunt's apartment though.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. This one introduced the Riddler. I'd forgotten
how much teamwork between Yin and Batman was in this one.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I kind of remembered both and liked being able to
sort of rewatch and still be a little surprised.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught an episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">VIP</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. This one ended up being a lot of fun and had some terrific
character moments.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched an episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My Life Is Murder</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Nice to see Alexa kind of joining in and
participating in a celebration. Here's hoping we get more of that in later episodes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also got another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> in. This ended the second series and had so many great
moments. I'm excited to see what season three brings.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And that's pretty
much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Last Best Chance
… for a Good First Impression</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, a novella that has a fun first meeting between
the main characters.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
miniblurb:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Cadence Coll, a top pilot, dreads her new assignment to
the Cressida because the</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><i style="font-family: arial;">scuttlebutt has the CAG known for his rigid
adhesion to the status quo. Nik Garrick likes order and structure, and his new
flying ace has a mile-long list of infractions. Cadence and Nik discover first
impressions aren't always what they seem and a rush to make a judgment isn't
the best idea</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nik poked his head out
of the office. "Lieutenant Coll, a moment?" He walked back to the
desk and settled on the edge.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Cadence entered.
"You needed to see me?" She unzipped her flight suit and shrugged out
of the sleeves.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nik grunted and
indicated she should take a seat. "Noticed you took your third late-shift
rotation. I'm assuming it's to avoid early shifts?" He hated to call her
out, but he couldn't have her swapping schedules all the time. "If you
want to drink your weight in Carmonite ale, you'll have to do it when you have
R and R instead of inconveniencing your squadron because you can't roll out in
the morning." He ignored her narrowed gaze and continued on his tangent.
"Gotta say I'm disappointed you're living up to the information in your
jacket. What happened to turning over a new leaf?" Her current spate of late
shifts didn't bode well for her.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Cadence's lips thinned
but she stayed silent.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nik tsked.
"Nothing to say for yourself?" Another layer of disappointment edged
into his gut.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Cadence tilted her
head. "Sure you're though listing my detractions? Nothing else to
add?" She tied the sleeves of her suit around her waist, flexing her
fingers a couple of times.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nik lifted his chin.
"I'm through."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Cadence planted her
hands on her hips. "Well, then. For the record, I'm not switching so I can
drink my weight in Carmonite ale, and I don't have a problem with early
shifts." She rocked back in the chair. "I've been switching rotations
with Bowser because he has a thing with a hot petty officer who's assigned to
first watch, which means Bowser only gets to spend time with her in the
evenings." Her voice took on a hard edge. "To top it off, he's usually
scheduled with Markum who the petty officer dumped for Bowser. Bowser wanted a
little time to deal with the rivalry before flying with Markum again." She
settled the chair back on its legs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nik huffed out a
breath. "So, what? You took it upon yourself to solve the problem?"
Why didn't he know any of this?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Cadence shrugged.
"That's one way to look at it."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nik cocked his head.
"Is there another?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Cadence lifted her
chin. "Try this on for size. Maybe the end goal was to make <i>your</i>
job easier."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nik frowned. "How?
If I don't know about problems, I can't fix them." Did she not get that?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Cadence did a head tilt
of her own and her voice went flat. "Does it ever get heavy?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nik furrowed his brow.
"Does what ever get heavy?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Cadence folded her arms
across her chest. "Carrying the weight of the universe on your
shoulders?" She got up. "From now on, I'll stick to my schedule—no
more switching out to help a fellow pilot." She started for the door.
"By the way, I hope you'll note—in my jacket—how I avoided punching my
superior officer in the mouth. It might be nice to have some positive to
balance out the negative." She sailed through the door with grace and
dignity without waiting for a response.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nik shook his head. "Well,
I got that completely wrong." And Cadence let him go on a track before she
calmly delivered the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Could I be more of
an ass right now?<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Hell, no.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">And she'd totally
called his bullshit—rightly so. His preconceived notions definitely played a
role in his thought process. He needed to apologize … but not before he did
some internal reflection.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">"Why did I so
easily assume the worst about her when she's shown me nothing but good?" <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I love this story.
It's so much fun writing characters that don't always get things right then getting
them to figure things out.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeMmcg7XDjTeEFq1Le5JFbESDgcNI39LQxh1DuTYc31QuSTYNndDl6yJpUr7MQckVJbk7UNqHTol9PMKdrv7SLL51chPdnQUZYxTiYWlz9ertZNez0_Z6ClbwxGAckEy5I0XeMffUXSNKdTY-VXhjMIbbZVZISiXPIx-PPD7J-6_mRp51tKuxXmK_hMk/s400/Last%20Best%20Chance%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="283" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeMmcg7XDjTeEFq1Le5JFbESDgcNI39LQxh1DuTYc31QuSTYNndDl6yJpUr7MQckVJbk7UNqHTol9PMKdrv7SLL51chPdnQUZYxTiYWlz9ertZNez0_Z6ClbwxGAckEy5I0XeMffUXSNKdTY-VXhjMIbbZVZISiXPIx-PPD7J-6_mRp51tKuxXmK_hMk/s320/Last%20Best%20Chance%204.jpg" width="226" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">ML Skye</span></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-61279102473644495712023-11-12T17:29:00.002-05:002023-11-12T17:29:26.466-05:00Sunday Snippet: Kick in the Burn<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">November is
continuing the crazy weather tradition. Warm a few days then frigid a few. The whiplash
roller coaster is in full force. Please keep arms and legs inside during the
ride and make sure you've got plenty of allergy meds and mucus relief tablets
on hand.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had a somewhat
light work week and got to focus on writing, which is kind of great considering
it's Nanowrimo month.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also got some
decent screen time this week. I didn't do a double rotation, but I did make a
full run through of all my shows with a little overflow.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I caught two episodes
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Season two is a bit different with longer episodes and
different titles. So far, I'm enjoying the fallout from the aborted wedding …
and the mysteries of course.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched the second
half of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and started a new two-parter. I'm enjoying the
kind of messy storylines. Considering this series has been around for
twenty-three years, it's interesting to see how much it's changed from the
beginning.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed two episodes
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><i style="font-family: arial;">in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and finished out season three. Kind of nice
to see Humphrey's wife and get an actual end to their relationship. Also great
that neither really ended up being the bad guy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Only Murders in the Building</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Loved how the trio finally got
to work together … sort of. That might be the only thing that really sticks out
as being a little off for me this season. Otherwise, I'm enjoying the mystery.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I like seeing the villains kind of double up and
then double cross each other.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Got another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> in and remembered both vignettes. Thoroughly enjoyed
both. It's so much fun going back to this show and thinking about watching when
my kids were little.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And that's pretty
much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Kick in the
Burn</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, a novella that brings a couple together during a marathon work
session.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Jaden Scratch and Ridge Quartermain spend a lot of time
comparing notes about flying. Working late into the night filling out fitreps
on their pilots, their conversation takes a very personal turn and kick in the
burn takes on a whole new meaning</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ridge got his shower and changed
into a uniform. He bumped into Petty Officer Jansen in the mess when he stopped
to order the coffee for what would surely be an all-night session.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He apologized for breaking their
not-date. "Um, duty calls. I won't be able to make it tonight."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Maria shrugged. "I understand.
Maybe we can get together another time." She zeroed in on a marine lance
corporal and quickly took her leave.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ridge started to make his way down
to the office … not horribly upset about the missed opportunity, which
surprised him. Even if Jansen completely fit his type—easy on the eyes and lacking
gumption. But, eh, lately the easy-pickings, high-wattage sex drive package
didn't make for satisfaction. Having a night off to take stock and go through a
million fitreps—especially with Jaden—might be more stimulating.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ridge had to own being a little
intimidated by Lieutenant Scratch. She had looks, brains, and a natural ability
to fly, all things he admired. What his dad called a total package. Jaden also
had a sterling reputation, getting along with everyone. And … she seemed to
know exactly what she wanted from life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Aside from flying, Ridge had no
clue. His dad wanted a son who moved up the ranks—and Elliot Quartermain made
that happen. A friendly conversation here, a glowing reference letter there. Ridge
didn't have to do more than show up for duty. Sometimes the interference
chafed, but sometimes it came in handy—like now, when he ended up being six
weeks behind on fitreps.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ridge entered the office to find
Jaden setting stacks of reports out. Her casual attire threw him for a moment.
He assumed she'd be in uniform—her by-the-book reputation almost warranted
fatigues at the very least—since they were on duty. Instead, she had some
flirty ensemble in two shades of purple. The color suited her.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">And made him drool a little.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She glanced up and caught him
staring.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He flashed a smile. "Did I
miss the memo? The one that changed this to a casual work session?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I love writing this
couple. Their story has been a lot of fun to dive into and it's coming together
nicely.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3C2Sl9VIcHwmLKuJeZHNjdDhpwirCXWlTYsdrZ3UAk_I2gIdRImb4oItVZhZwoyi1zdsumEpx6zqSui3IpKROrRG6g5TdAj75zQmUQR_soFZu2KPpuZExvGc2PTJnxdqyiF7ZLPUHx5PNS6O2n4dbrsoHaP69qmtS_0rHyJJgoq27bhAVjJK9wXKRegU/s468/Kick%20in%20the%20Burn%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="142" data-original-width="468" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3C2Sl9VIcHwmLKuJeZHNjdDhpwirCXWlTYsdrZ3UAk_I2gIdRImb4oItVZhZwoyi1zdsumEpx6zqSui3IpKROrRG6g5TdAj75zQmUQR_soFZu2KPpuZExvGc2PTJnxdqyiF7ZLPUHx5PNS6O2n4dbrsoHaP69qmtS_0rHyJJgoq27bhAVjJK9wXKRegU/w400-h121/Kick%20in%20the%20Burn%204.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-77985985976659279372023-11-05T15:13:00.003-05:002023-11-05T15:13:47.964-05:00Sunday Snippet: Keeping Up with Honor<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ugh. Turning the
clock back is a bummer. I've been reading arguments for staying on standard
time or making daylight saving time permanent. I think I'm coming down on making
DSL permanent, but either way, it would be nice to not have to turn the clocks
in any direction.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had a busy work week
and hit my daily goals to stay on target for project dates. I also got a lot of
writing in and updated some completed manuscripts for my new venture. I truly
hope to launch it before the holidays.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Not a bad week of
watching television. I'm debating on how many streamers I'm going to keep
because they keep raising their prices. I'm okay with paying more if it's not
all going into shareholder pockets. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of
deal SAG-AFTRA can make with the studios. That might also help me decide which
streaming platforms I'll be keeping.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I ended up starting
a new </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> two-parter and struggled a little with this one. Domestic
violence is a hard watch and there aren't many clues to who the culprit is. I'm
hoping to finish the second half later today.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death
in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and enjoyed it. I'm a big fan of Humphrey and can't wait to
finish his run so I can watch the spin off </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Beyond Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Only Murders in the Building</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and enjoyed it even if a lot of the
scenes were goofy. It's kind of nice to have the comedic skills of the cast on
display.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Got another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Battlestar Galactica</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> in on my rewatch. This one had some good moments
with a lot being left unsaid, which ends up biting a few people later.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, which finished up the two-part origin story of Clayface
and put Yin on the tentative side of the Batman.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I remembered the first part with the submarine imagination
scenario but forgot about the one where they discover Chuckie is left-handed. I
love going back to these episodes and seeing them again.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">VIP</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and enjoyed it. It's fun to see the characters out of
their element. It's also fun to see Val figure out what's actually going on.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My Life Is Murder</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Nice to have a bit of Alexa backstory about her
husband and how his death still affects her.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And that's pretty much
it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Keeping Up with
Honor</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, a novella that puts a couple on a collision course with their future
after splitting them apart in the present.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Honor Brock goes against orders and runs a fool's mission
to find a lost artifact. Rush Masterson tests a theory and risks his life to
track her down. Once he finds her, he has to keep up because Honor won't go
back until she has what she wants</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Rush's words slapped her hard. She
deserved the scorn. But the broken trust stabbed at her heart.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She spoke to his retreating back. "I'm
sorry, Rush."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Maybe she could show him they still
had a shot. No, she'd blown her chance with him. She had been selfish, wanting
one night with him in case she ended up not making it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">But she'd survived and he'd
followed her. Now she'd have plenty of nights with Rush, but not the kind she
wanted.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She sighed. "Well, I can still
save the fleet." Packing up her bag, she hefted it over her shoulder and
went out to meet Rush.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He studied her for a long moment,
his face inscrutable. "Where to?" He arched an eyebrow.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She ached to touch him, to rewind
to the obs deck and tell him everything she should've told him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Instead, she grabbed a map and
nodded toward downtown. "Ancient history museum. About five
kilometers."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Rush huffed out a breath.
"Long walk. Why don't we find something to get us there faster?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She tilted her head to one side.
"Okay, not a bad idea." She crossed the street to a parking garage.
"Think anyone left their key in the ignition before they fled?" She
peered through the windshield on the vehicles closest to her.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Rush dropped down, running his
hands along the under carriage of a van. "Probably not, but they might
have a spare set, in case they got locked out." He moved on to a small
coupe.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Her face flamed. She should've
thought of that. She mimicked his actions, coming up empty in her row. Rush
started on the next section, and she did the same.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Two cars in, her fingers grazed a
familiar oblong shape. "Rush. Think I hit paydirt here." She gave a
hard tug and the magnetic box fell into her hand.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Sure enough, a spare key took up
the space. A shadow fell over her in the dim light. Rush glanced down and
cracked a slight smile. She stood up and pressed the unlock button. Rush pulled
the passenger door open and slid inside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Honor followed, wrinkling her nose.
"Man, remind me to crack a window if we ever have to flee a planet
again." Musty, stale air circulated when she started the engine.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Rush nodded toward the dash.
"Fuel?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She checked the gauge. "Half a
tank. Plenty enough to go downtown and back." She backed out of the space
and drove out of the garage, headed for the museum, carefully navigating the
buckled areas of the pavement.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She slid a couple of looks in
Rush's direction. He stared straight ahead, his face set in hard lines. <i>I
did that to him</i>. The responsibility ate at her. And she had no idea how to
make it right. Or if she could, no matter how much she wanted to. Then again,
she didn't ask him to come along and chase her back home. So yeah, he owned
that one.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">With no traffic or lights, they
covered the five kilometers in short order. She parked in front of the museum
and shut off the engine. Rush popped his door open and walked around the front
of the car.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Honor waited a few moments, getting
her head back in the game. "Find the artifact, figure out the ship, head
home." Everything else could wait.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Rush braced his hands on the
window. "You coming?" Impatience laced his tone.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Heaving a sigh, she nodded.
"Yeah, let's get this done." She stopped. "Shit. No lights or
power. Why didn't I think of that?" Maybe because she'd been consumed with
fear and doubt about the mission.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Rush smirked. "No idea, but I
did." He reached into his bag and brought out two lights.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Damn the man for pulling her ass
out of the fire. Again. She got out of the car, grabbed one of the torches, and
stalked to the unlocked entrance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm actually having
a lot of fun with this story. It's kind of my favorite what-if type of
scenario.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5UeCoWetMHj6U5PWUqJ_JueNSYuLIzWL1w7Gt1UgneYRCSCsYCPM2wknUwFC_5cgitYH4zNefvMYi4woowS99TWNsHs8z40_6S0LMAkFMBJ2CFjsNA10O8LLgbxvUwui_EPyYxgWUfy_zPz1OvcEnveaTfKIrgeto7NOO1iKAUMpDmGJz-YCktUn5vY/s468/Keeping%20Up%20with%20Honor%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="118" data-original-width="468" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5UeCoWetMHj6U5PWUqJ_JueNSYuLIzWL1w7Gt1UgneYRCSCsYCPM2wknUwFC_5cgitYH4zNefvMYi4woowS99TWNsHs8z40_6S0LMAkFMBJ2CFjsNA10O8LLgbxvUwui_EPyYxgWUfy_zPz1OvcEnveaTfKIrgeto7NOO1iKAUMpDmGJz-YCktUn5vY/w400-h101/Keeping%20Up%20with%20Honor%204.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-59832339133296107402023-10-29T16:21:00.002-04:002023-10-29T16:21:20.696-04:00Sunday Snippet: Keeper of All Things Secret<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">We had another week
of record high temperatures, which means we'll be having brisk, chilly weather
this week. Time for more soup! Trick or treat is actually on Halloween this
year and we're supposed to have rain and wind. Should make handing candy out
lots of fun.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had another busy
work week and also got a good bit of writing done. I'm very close to being ready
to launch my new venture. I think everything is lined up.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had a decent week
watching television. I'm still in that weird place of needing silence to focus
sometimes, which is truly odd for me. I usually need some kind of background
noise going on.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ended up catching
two episodes of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My Life Is Murder</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and enjoyed both. Alexa is growing on
me a little more. I'm very interested in getting some additional backstory for
her.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched a full episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and started another one. I'm kind of crushed they're going
to drag out the whole deal with James. I kind of love them together.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught the second
half of the </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> two-parter. Ended up liking the twists in
this one.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed an episode of
</span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I remembered this one from my sporadic watching on
the Ovation channel. So weird that this episode timed so closely to Haydn's
death. She guest-starred in this episode.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Only Murders in the Building</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Seriously enjoyed this one. But
I do miss having the trio solving the mystery together.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught an episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. It was the first of a two-parter and introduced the
origin of Clayface in this version.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I remembered one of them but not the other. Kind of
nice to be surprised.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">VIP</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and enjoyed it. It's fun when the whole team goes out for job.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And that's pretty
much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Keeper of All
Things Secret</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, a novella that features political intrigue and a hot couple.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Gili Main, chief of security for an orbiting space
station, supports her boss who is up for reelection. Parr Minerval is an
excellent leader and should have the election in the bag. But his opponent is
playing dirty and Gili appoints herself as the keeper of all things secret to prevent
the wily upstart from twisting the facts to his advantage</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Gili straightened Parr's lapels.
"I know you do. And I hate that you have to go this direction to guarantee
safe passage through the Danzig Sector." She pressed a kiss to his lips.
"If people can travel without fear of pirates or raiders dogging their
steps, there's less of a chance your opponent will gain a foothold." And
Sal Hander would make a terrible director.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The man drank too much and gambled
too much, but somehow managed to maintain his political capital and leverage.
Probably by underhanded tactics. He had a cadre of worker drones that always
took a fall if their boss got out of hand.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Parr's shoulders slumped. "You
know how I feel about the lack of transparency." He walked away, his back
now rigid with tension.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Yeah, she understood the weight he
carried. But she also grasped, on a level he didn't, the importance of
protecting those who came and went from this station—the ones who put their
lives in the hands of the director—no matter the smokescreen needed to make it
happen. "Parr, you do good work here. As long as you always have the best
outcome for everyone in mind, you'll keep doing that job." Because people
like Sal would use the position to line their pockets and screw everyone and
anyone over.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Parr turned. "Good intentions
don't always win, Gili. Someday the wrong deal will be made, and the
repercussions won't be worth the cost." He gave her a determined smile.
"But not today. The Danzigs have too much to lose." He opened the
door and exited, leaving her to discreetly follow a little later.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Gili waited the usual five minutes
then left the cabin. "Someday Parr is going to really get why they call it
a discretionary fund." Until then, she'd keep him out of the line of fire.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">This story is a lot
of fun. I enjoy this couple so much, and it's kind of my jam to write an
established couple trying to keep their relationship together during a
conflict.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrPJJ3AEKCfq5hprHIWx8P69N6eBqCN1nPWjaZf-E_08A7ScC7qZsCfzuWX4n6OcX5KY2jk_z_HUTHOS3373A5XadQlZ4VUc55ZZO0RokwW6aYtFHIkOOn9f972RXup-CdZ78Bf1Jv4tCxrpT7WAVfEnIrkcYXSEcJkxn5vqndgAjZxuR4Yik4tkPXYU/s400/Keeper%20of%20All%20Things%20Secret%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="400" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrPJJ3AEKCfq5hprHIWx8P69N6eBqCN1nPWjaZf-E_08A7ScC7qZsCfzuWX4n6OcX5KY2jk_z_HUTHOS3373A5XadQlZ4VUc55ZZO0RokwW6aYtFHIkOOn9f972RXup-CdZ78Bf1Jv4tCxrpT7WAVfEnIrkcYXSEcJkxn5vqndgAjZxuR4Yik4tkPXYU/s320/Keeper%20of%20All%20Things%20Secret%204.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-75404905671382004002023-10-22T15:48:00.000-04:002023-10-22T15:48:21.440-04:00Sunday Snippet: Just One Moment <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I can't believe
October is almost over. We have our fall weather in full swing though and that
makes me happy. Made two batches of potato soup over the weekend because we had
rain and chilly temperatures. Perfect for this time of year.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had a busy work
week with one difficult but fun project and another in the final stages. Also
got a lot of writing completed. I finished up the two manuscripts from last
week and I'm doing final read throughs before sending off to beta readers. I'm
so excited!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had another light
week of watching television. I go through phases were I'm either need to focus
on other things and can't have background noise or I'm not quite in the mood to
watch anything.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I did get another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Only Murders in the Building</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> watched and I'm enjoying season three.
It's a little jarring to not have the trio as tight as they have been, but I
like the different dynamics playing out.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and loved it. I remember this one from my original watch
and it's fun when Alfred has to save Bruce's butt to keep his secret safe.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Both had good moments with Dil and I'd forgotten
how cute some of the episodes were after he came along.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">VIP</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and liked having some Nikki backstory. I can't remember
if we get anything for Quick and Kay or not.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught a
double-header of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Battlestar Galactica</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> with "Exodus" parts one
and two. I can honestly say there's not a wasted moment in the almost two hours
of viewing. These two episodes are premium … even the parts I hate that feature
Sam and Leoben, my two least favorite characters.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's pretty much
it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Just One Moment</i><span style="font-family: arial;">,
a bonus story currently featuring the characters from the Capital City Seasons
series. The title is going to change, but I haven't made that alteration yet.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">A life-threatening situation and a couple in love. Just
one moment to say everything that needs to be said</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The squawk and echoing chirp of two
phones had Chris Renfer slapping at the nightstand beside the bed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Melanie Pramble reached over him.
"Both phones. That's weird." She retrieved her phone and dropped his
beside the pillow.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Chris swiped over the screen.
"Renfer." The fuzziness of sleep left him when Angus Murphy's low
growl issued a terse greeting.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Melanie's conversation drifted
across the bed. "Yes, Margo. I'm sure he's on with Angus now. Yes, I'll
ask him." She angled toward Chris. "Can you put it on speaker?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Chris tapped the screen. "Sir,
you've got Melanie and me now." A slow swirl of adrenaline filled his
veins.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Angus cut directly to the chase.
"This storm has the city under siege between flooding and fire." He
exhaled slowly. "Ben and Jess are on their way in. I need your group and
the rest of Ben's team. The whole damned bunch." The muffled sound of him
speaking to Margo came through. "To save time, Margo's going to call
Roberts in. We're asking Roz to be on standby."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">A streak of lightning outside lit
up the room. Melanie had clothes set out for him and she hastily stuffed her
legs into a pair of canvas cargo pants.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Chris gave a nod. "Yeah,
that's good. We'll be in as soon as we can get there." Thunder rolled and
the sky lit up again.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Angus ended the call and Jim slid
from the bed, dragging his shirt from the top of the pile Melanie set out. He yanked
it over his head while walking to the window. A torrent of rain slashed against
the pane and an eerie glow flickered to the east. <i>Must be the fire</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Melanie put her hair up in a
topknot. "It's ugly out there, isn't it?" She grabbed two oilskin
coats from the closet.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Chris grunted. "Gonna be a
bitch to get down to HQ." Of all the nights to leave his vehicle at the
station.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Melanie shrugged. "We could go
underground … if it's not flooded." She put another set of clothes into a
go bag and started packing one for him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Chris finished dressing and stuffed
his feet into his boots. "Thanks. You didn't have to do this." But he
appreciated her forethought.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Because he had no doubt they'd need
the extra clothes before this crisis ended.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Melanie leaned closer to the
window. "Instead of going underground, we should take the skywalk. I can
already tell the tunnels will be flooded." Her lips twisted in a grimace.
"I can't even see the building across the street."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Chris nodded. "Skywalk it
is." He zipped his bag and grabbed hers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Melanie draped the oilskin slickers
over her arm. "At least we have access from here. I don't think I'd want
to try and cross any of the roads right now."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">They exited the apartment and headed
up to the top floor skywalk entrance. Their trek between buildings took on a
surreal atmosphere with the lightning flashing and thunder booming the entire
way to HQ. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm having fun with
this one. It started out as something very simple and took on a life of its own,
hence the title change. I have another couple I'm going to feature in the new
version of Just One Moment…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaHhvHx4vpS7LlwElWk-q1KKVCUcB2r3H0WJ3_Y5wRJa372xC6FnvHOOxOdG66xiaHBTFwm9RwbHMqUNUlqTL25dWe9rAv1roORZVL8kCqscY0RPsmyYV0i1t55xOC0SugC7yEqF2Xtlgi7IrtoG7fb2UWa3nbBKXKFvaD50yLTH3oQpzx9hW4KYb00g/s414/Just%20One%20Moment%20Spec%20Rom%202.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="115" data-original-width="414" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaHhvHx4vpS7LlwElWk-q1KKVCUcB2r3H0WJ3_Y5wRJa372xC6FnvHOOxOdG66xiaHBTFwm9RwbHMqUNUlqTL25dWe9rAv1roORZVL8kCqscY0RPsmyYV0i1t55xOC0SugC7yEqF2Xtlgi7IrtoG7fb2UWa3nbBKXKFvaD50yLTH3oQpzx9hW4KYb00g/w400-h111/Just%20One%20Moment%20Spec%20Rom%202.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-8067849614031410112023-10-15T15:29:00.001-04:002023-10-15T15:29:16.104-04:00Sunday Snippet: Jammed In<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whew. Very busy
week and we had crazy weather to top it off. I'm not a fan of the back and
forth super warm one day then very chilly the next. Wreaks havoc on my sinuses,
which is never fun.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also had a busy
work week with multiple projects in various stages of completion. The sages
also picked this week to start chattering in my ear, which is excellent because
I got a lot of writing done. I'm almost finished with two projects and so
excited! Brings me one step closer to getting my new venture launched.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Had a very light
week of watching television. With so many irons in the fire, TV took a back
seat to everything else. I'm honestly in a bit of a weird place with content I
want to watch. I've been in the mood to binge shows, but I hate to do that when
I have subscriptions to a number of streaming services. Then again, I haven't
watched anything on Netflix in forever and I pay for that monthly. Thankfully, other
family members watch a lot of that streamer.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I finished up the </span><i style="font-family: arial;">VIP</i><span style="font-family: arial;">
episode from last week and kind of enjoyed the Tasha backstory. I love television
from the late nineties.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">My Life is Murder</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Alexa is growing on me a little. She often grates,
which I think is a character trait. Blunt honesty is fine, but there's a cruel
edge to hers sometimes and I'm not a fan of that in a main character.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. The cast of characters is so much fun. I love when the
sidekicks get in on the action. I kind of pegged the murderer early in this one,
but I like being able to pick them out then see how they actually committed the
crime.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started a new
two-part </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I'm enjoying the slightly different format in
this season, but I miss having the team function as a team together.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. One of my favorites that I got to watch all the
way through the first time. I agree with Humph … the genius of the murder kind
of blew me away.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Battlestar Galactica</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. The opening eps of season three are so,
so good. Actually, the first twelve episodes are pretty terrific. After that,
things kind of go slightly sideways, but this show is still one of the best
I've ever watched.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's pretty much
it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Jammed In</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, a
novella that brings a couple together during an emergency situation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
mini-blurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">A simple clean up goes awry when a junior officer mixes
the wrong chemicals together, leaving senior officers, Barrie Scott and Walsh
Clinton, to sort the mess out. The two ranking members have to fight their
feelings when they're forced to double up and share a bunk until the
contaminant is cleared</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Two hours after Walsh left, Barrie
had a good schedule ready for him and headed up toward his office.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The alarm klaxon sounded for a
chemical spill—a series of low tones in rapid succession.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The overhead communication system
kicked on. "Attention all decks, pass the word. Lieutenant Scott and Captain
Clinton report to junior officer quarters." The alert repeated and the klaxon
continued.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Barrie took on at a dead run.
"Dammit, Washout." Her gut screamed he'd be behind whatever happened.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The guy could fly like a dream but
his common sense out of the cockpit left a lot to be desired. A chemical spill
could be a nonevent or a major catastrophe. With Ford Callis, aka Washout, involved
she'd lean toward catastrophic.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She charged down to the junior
pilots' quarters and pushed her way through the growing crowd. "Make a
hole, people." She stumbled to a halt beside the drop door.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Sure enough, Washout paced back and
forth, his gaze pointed upward as if seeking divine inspiration—or
forgiveness—from the universe.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The drop door confirmed
catastrophic. "What did you do, Washout?" She really didn't want to
know.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Callis started to explain, but
Barrie caught sight of Walsh and held up a hand. "Hold up. Captain Clinton
is making his way through the spectators. No need to explain twice." She
gazed at the black tar-like mess in the bunk room, her nose burning and eyes stinging
even though the six-inch thick, hydraulically sealed hatch did its job keeping
the toxic fumes at bay.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The contamination level gauge still
registered in the red, but slowly crept down. Judging by the crawl of
progression, at least another twenty-four hours would be needed before the all
clear to unseal the hatch. Who the hell knew how long before they could get
everything back in order for use?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Walsh finally arrived and heaved a
sigh when he got a look inside the space. Barrie nodded, indicating Washout
could begin his explanation. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Callis flung an arm out.
"Look, basically I was busting out the cleaning, but I came in after
someone else had already put sealant on the deck." He frowned. "I used
the Exceliclean, and, well, you can see what happened." He waved a hand
toward the window.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Barrie cringed. Geez. He mixed a
powerful cleaner with the still-wet sealant, which created the tar-like
substance covering the deck. To top everything off, the interaction caused
noxious fumes that could burn skin on contact, harm nasal passages and lungs,
and irritate eyes. All of which created major problems.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Walsh nailed Washout with a hard
glare. "Callis, what's the first rule of working with chemicals?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ford flushed. "Check the log
to see what's been used before." He squirmed under the scrutiny of
everyone there.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Walsh didn't relent. "And the
second?" His eyebrows arched.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Callis sighed. "Confirm there
are no hazardous interactions when going with something new?" His face
flushed deep red.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Walsh got up close and personal
with Washout. "Did you follow the rules?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">A round of snorts and laughter
followed the question.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Washout mumbled his reply.
"No, sir." His red-rimmed eyes filled with fluid.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Barrie stepped in. "And now
we've got twelve pilots cut off from their racks and their gear until the
contaminant levels are in the green and the mess can be safely cleaned. Do you
know how hard it is to remove that tar crap?" Not that she had more than a
passing knowledge of the difficulty, thank the universe.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Callis sighed again. "I have a
feeling I'm going to find out."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Walsh slapped him on the shoulder.
"You're damned right. But first you're going to the infirmary to get
checked out and cleared for duty." He turned to address everyone.
"Quarters are off limits. Check the ready room after 1500 to get temporary
bunk assignments. Until then, the rec areas and gyms will have to do." His
voice rose over the outburst of displeasure. "See the quartermaster for
gear and uniforms."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">People started to disperse, but
Barrie stayed back. Her mind spun, trying to picture how to manage this
situation on top of the update project.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She met Walsh's gaze. "So,
what's the plan?" She had no doubt he'd be roped into solving this crisis
too.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Having a lot of fun
writing this one. I love having a random catastrophe bring a couple together.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgomRPFkRkLpa3df2P0hUn_0gWnaLZw6vcYNGjdM604c4Jd3iIke9ZCiXo6o29RtsokVO_ZFkkoy6Xgef5cSmgSNcrkezJ4wbZ0rE8H4nMnvIpeT2JRKAHMixqL6miyc8mVk_rTThCUaeg1fwE48bFw0zQr3yw0uONJf1X6IlancCA4Xjbp9ppiadWygZY/s468/Jammed%20In%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="117" data-original-width="468" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgomRPFkRkLpa3df2P0hUn_0gWnaLZw6vcYNGjdM604c4Jd3iIke9ZCiXo6o29RtsokVO_ZFkkoy6Xgef5cSmgSNcrkezJ4wbZ0rE8H4nMnvIpeT2JRKAHMixqL6miyc8mVk_rTThCUaeg1fwE48bFw0zQr3yw0uONJf1X6IlancCA4Xjbp9ppiadWygZY/w400-h100/Jammed%20In%204.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">ML Skye</span></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7444729995078761246.post-68870772138226836502023-10-08T14:55:00.003-04:002023-10-08T14:55:51.169-04:00Sunday Snippet: Intimate Bond<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And our above
normal temperatures are over for now. Most of the week ended up being kind of
hot and humid. Friday brought some rain and cooler weather, like a twenty-degree
drop. It definitely feels more like fall.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Busy with work
projects and I'm getting closer to launching the new venture I've been working
on. I'm not quite ready for prime time but I'm getting there. So excited!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Kind of a slow week
for viewing television. I had some distractions and ended up being focused on
other things.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I caught another
episode of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Agatha Raisin</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and thoroughly enjoyed it. Agatha might end up
getting her man, but my big question is whether she'll want to hold on after
she gets him. I kind of like the true to life vibe this show has.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finished up the
second part of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Silent Witness</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and actually kind of enjoyed the twisty
turns this one took. Also enjoyed seeing Nikki and Matt try to work through a
bumpy bit.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Death in Paradise</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. I'm somewhere in the middle of whether I like how
the commissioner tries to nose in these early seasons. I love the character and
I like how he interacts with the others even if I'm not completely sure if he's
100 percent legit sometimes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Only Murders in the Building</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Lots of little shout outs to Broadway
in this episode and I liked that. Also loved seeing Oliver's son so concerned
about his dad. Kind of bummed there's a new detective, but holding out hope
we'll see our favorite one later.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started season
three of my </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Battlestar Galactica</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> rewatch. The opening episode ranks
right up there with "33" for being so well done. The next episode is also
stellar. Can't wait to watch it again.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoyed an episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Batman</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. The Joker returned and wreaked havoc per usual, which is always
fun. And Alfred's snark was on point as always.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched an episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Classic Rugrats</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Kind of fun to see some bumps in adjusting to having
Dil in the mix. I'll always have a soft spot for the first five seasons because
those were the ones I watched the most with my oldest kiddo, but I also enjoy
the newer seasons because they have a larger dynamic, especially when two more
characters are added to the mix.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Started another episode
of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">VIP</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> and should finish it up later today. I forgot how many dream
sequences this show had whether it be sleeping or waking ones. They're always
kind of odd but fun.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's pretty it
for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Intimate Bond</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, a
novella that brings a couple together during a particularly rough time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the
miniblurb:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="font-family: arial;">Lindsay Redd has a big problem with one of her pilots,
but when the younger woman goes down in flames, Lindsay can't let go of her
grief. Doyle Ingersoll has to find a way to push Lindsay back into top-gun form
and isn't above using sex to make it happen</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sneaky peek…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Doyle knew Lindsay's game—even if
she considered her hunting him down for sex anything but a game.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He stealthily kept watch. He'd draw
her out—when the time came. Until then, he'd drop a few subtle truth bombs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He started by leaving a coffee for
her after a long shift. He corralled her after-action reports when she pulled
back-to-back shifts. He even replenished her shower kit when he noticed she'd
run out of several items.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">And he never said a word about any
of it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lindsay came strolling into his
office and sat down, studying him for several long moments.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Doyle quirked a brow. "If you
have a need for something hot and aggressive, you'd better lock the door."
He waited a beat. "And this time say what you want up front." He
didn't have an issue with being a hard body for her, but he wanted to hear her
say the words.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Her face flushed. "Why?"
She arched an eyebrow.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Doyle bit back a sigh.
"Because I'm game for almost anything but getting caught with my dick out
isn't on the list." Something she should know.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">She made a growling sound and
rolled her eyes. "No, I get that part. Why are you doing shit for me?
Being nice." Her hand waved back and forth as if that explained anything.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Doyle huffed out a breath.
"Look, Linds, aside from the sex thing, I'm not doing anything for you
that I wouldn't for anyone else." How did she not understand?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">And, okay, maybe he did pay more
attention to her, but why wouldn't he? They'd been friends forever. And he
cared about her, dammit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lindsay raised her eyebrows.
"Lurking in the background? That's something you'd do for anyone?" A
small smirk crossed her face.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Doyle frowned. "If that's what
you think I'm doing, you haven't figured things out yet." He got up.
"I have somewhere else to be, but you're welcome to stay as long as you
want." He strolled out, whistling a tune, outwardly showing normalcy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Inwardly, disappointment threatened
to choke him. And, okay, maybe a twinge of frustration over her still not
getting it. But … he'd give her some space and see if she'd come around.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">This story went in
a direction I didn't expect, and I love when that happens. Lindsay is a tough
nut to crack even if Doyle knows exactly what she needs.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBMM-qvFMRUR6FevN31TxAfv9quRgHxpKivjOjQx1UX_7MBmR-BFoVLRO_3ZXW2vk6OpL3zC72Ca7GY628SOlkoVMmJseGQV9OAyrir2hrdqDswnoYWLcror00WmEGKqROyRa3BsA2pXelmYVfXcZ07iUcqF49p59iDy50iM0oyvb2CpsxRh-KPd71Mg/s575/Intimate%20Bond%204.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="126" data-original-width="575" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBMM-qvFMRUR6FevN31TxAfv9quRgHxpKivjOjQx1UX_7MBmR-BFoVLRO_3ZXW2vk6OpL3zC72Ca7GY628SOlkoVMmJseGQV9OAyrir2hrdqDswnoYWLcror00WmEGKqROyRa3BsA2pXelmYVfXcZ07iUcqF49p59iDy50iM0oyvb2CpsxRh-KPd71Mg/w400-h88/Intimate%20Bond%204.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">ML Skye</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span class="fullpost"></span>ML Skyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02824208013794011416noreply@blogger.com0