Sunday Snippet: Rewarding Experience

Another crazy week with record low temperatures for August. I'm talking wear a jacket because it dipped into the low forties at night. This week we're supposed to be back up in the mid to high nineties. Weather is wild.

Seriously jammed with work projects right now and I love being busy. I'm at the point where I'd love to have another four hours added to each day, so I don't feel like there aren't enough hours in the day. Also had to figure out a few things for my daughter's grad school, like how to drop a class and add a new one before the semester starts, which is Monday. As mentioned last week, she was in Ontario Canada for a theater festival and didn't have a lot of downtime. The good news is, she's set to go. Yay!

I didn't have a lot of viewing time this week. The verdict on my car is still out and that's been hovering in the back of my mind and distracting me. My work projects also need my full attention.

I did get to watch an episode of Elementary and ended up enjoying it. I skipped the one that I struggled to get through. I'd rather have forward momentum than get stuck and drop the show.

And that's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Rewarding Experience, a novella that puts a couple through a dangerous experience.

Here's the miniblurb:

When an explosion rocks a deep space mining expedition, injuring Trixie Bell, she realizes how much she wants and needs Jock Tennyson by her side. The grueling hours and physically exhausting work make the couple cranky and edgy, but Trixie decides to show Jock how rewarding a simple reprimand can be.

And a sneaky peek…

Trixie paused on the way to team three's location. A pop sounded above her head followed by a skitter of pebbles. She listened carefully, poised to move. There. A low whine hissed through the chute. She had about ten seconds before the first rumbling groan would occur.

"Shit. Cave-in."

Taking off at a dead run, she sprinted to the group mining an offshoot. She got to their location right before the first snap and crackle of falling debris rained down behind her. They didn't have much time to escape the cramped confines.

Motioning with one hand, she gave a sharp whistle. "Githo, githo, githo. Now. Now. Now." The shorthand phrase for get the hell out had the five-man team hotfooting past her.

She breathed a sigh of relief when they hit the larger corridor. They were out of the way. She started moving … but not fast enough to make it clear. The retaining wall gave under the pressure of the tumbling rock. And crumbled down on top of her.

Everything went dark and pain engulfed her. She spit dust and debris out and groaned. Damn. Her first thought? It sucked to be her right now.

The second? It wouldn't be easy to get her out. Shit. Shit. Shit.

An eerie quiet descended on the chute. Or maybe the roar in her ears dampened everything out. A little dazed, she took stock. Tried to move but couldn't. She definitely didn't have a lot of wiggle room. And everything hurt from her head to her toes.

The first voice she heard echoed off the stone. "Make a goddamn hole."

Jock. But how did he get here so fast?

"Trixie? Trix! Where are you?"

Buried under a crap ton of rubble. Hysterical laughter tried to escape but hurt so badly she sounded more like a wounded animal.

Her arm turned a weird angle, but she moved her fingers, waggling them a little. "Here. I'm here." She couldn't shout—pain made raising her voice impossible.

A scramble of feet and a shower of lose dirt and pebbles clued her in to Jock's arrival. "Trix? Geez." A bright spotlight swept over her. "Okay, you're gonna be out of there in no time." He shouted over his shoulder. "Bring the bags and vacuum. Now!" He focused on her again. "I'm here, Trix. I'm gonna get you out." Worry creased his face before determination settled in. "Hold tight, okay."

Trixie bit back a laugh. "Not like I have a choice." Searing flames of agony enveloped her, and she groaned.

Jock reached down and caught her chin in his hand. "Don't you die on me." Something raw and unchecked filtered through his voice and gaze. "I need you here with me, Trix."

Tears prickled behind her eyes, but she blinked them away. "Not going anywhere, Jock." It grew harder to breathe. "Get me out of here. Hurts. Like a bitch."

He gave a nod and backed away when two miners drew his attention. "We're going to start." Jock placed a makeshift shield around her head. "Shout out if anything causes more pain."

She lifted her chin. "I trust you, Jock. You know what you're doing." His engineering background would prove useful.

If anyone could get her out in one piece, Jock would be the man. Her mind drifted while she listened to him bark orders and direct the crew. How did he get down the shaft so fast? Didn't matter, because she might not have made it otherwise. The vacuum started pulling soft rubble from the pile while they moved the bigger pieces of heavy stone. Several times Jock stopped the work to evaluate their next step and to check on her.

When he lifted the shield a moment later to speak to her, his gaze held deep concern. "We have to cut three large pieces and they're all in sketchy positions. I want to fortify two while we remove the first."

Trixie tried for humor. "So … don't make any immediate plans then?"

He cracked a smile. "That would be a no." He sobered. "I promise we'll work as fast as we can." He arched a brow. "Any questions?"

Trixie gave him a wobbly grin. "Just one. How did you get here so damned fast?"

He blinked and shook his head. "Seriously? That's what you want to know?"

Her lips curved again. "Hey, I've been alone with my thoughts and nothing else for a while now. So, yeah, I'm wondering."

He leaned down, holding her gaze. "I was already on my way when the cave-in happened. Because you were right … but we'll talk about that after I get you out."

She smiled. "I'll hold you to it." He started to back away and she caught his attention again. "Hey, Jock." He angled his head around. "Thank you."

He gave a quick nod then got back to work. At this point, numbness encompassed her whole body … but she didn't want to say anything because he had enough to deal with. Including her bad attitude.

I gotta stop blaming him for the commission's bullshit. She truly couldn't imagine not having him in this godforsaken place. I need him in my life.

Drawing in a breath, she winced. It hurt to breathe. Her vision swam and a haze of blurry gray edged her perspective. She closed her eyes and drifted between paying attention to Jock's rescue orders and unconsciousness…

A little longer than normal, but I'm so happy with how this scene turned out.

 

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

 

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: First Time Ever Laid Eyes on You

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here's the mini-blurb:

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

And a sneaky peek…

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

No matter how pissed off she might be.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Rewarding Experience

Ugh. I love fireworks but my dog… not so much. Seriously, July is a rough month because various places around where I live have events and they're within hearing distance. The poor dog just shakes, trembles, and pants like it's the end of the world. Oddly enough, thunderstorms don't tend to bother her much. When they're really severe she gets a little antsy and won't settle down, but she doesn't tremble and shake. Here's to getting through the midway point of the month when the last show is scheduled. Whew.

Had a decent viewing week for television shows. Caught Endeavor and Midsomer Murders. The mystery shows are always a treat.

Caught the second part of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Started season five The Batman and it's terrific.

Watched my military shows, Band of Brothers and Strike Back. I'd forgotten how crazy Strike Back gets about midway through season four. I'm looking forward to seeing if season five keeps the frantic pace alive.

I'm almost finished with season one of Sense8. I love the interactions of the group and how the fallout from those is super awkward sometimes. I'd love to have a little more information about the whole conspiracy angle but I'm truly thrilled with how the first season unfolds.

Got another two episodes of The Sarah Conner Chronicles in and, seriously, that was some awesome television. I miss the show a lot.

I only got to episode four of Mutant X before the app pulled the show. Now I'll have to find it somewhere else. Pensacola Wings of Gold had a good episode but I'm not glued to it the way I thought I'd be. I'm almost finished with Constantine. It's a bit of a struggle to stay attached to the episodes but I want the backstory when John joins the Legends lineup.

Last but not least, Canal Road is such a great show. I'm totally invested in Spence's mystery and I want to smack Olivia for telling him to not watch the video on his wife's laptop. I'm certain he'd have the proof his wife and son's death was murder. GAH!

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Rewarding Experience, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of creating a scene that shows how much fun delivering a reprimand can be.

Here's the mini-blurb:

When an explosion rocks a deep space mining expedition, injuring Trixie Bell, she realizes how much she wants and needs Jock Tennyson by her side. The grueling hours and physically exhausting work makes the couple cranky and edgy, but Trixie decides to show Jock how rewarding a simple reprimand can be.

And a sneaky peek…

Jock Tennyson fisted his hands at his side. "What did you just say?"

Trixie Bell repeated her last statement. "I said, maybe you should try shoving your dick up your ass because it'd be easier than what you're asking me to do here." Trixie didn't mince words, not even with her direct superior.

Jock's mouth thinned to a harsh line across his face. "You wanna tread lightly, Trix. I take a lot of shit from you, but there's a line and you're close to crossing it." He spun around, slamming his hand on the desk. "I'm not the one demanding more gammite ore. The company is."

Trixie sighed. Not like she didn't know where the upped quota came from. But the company bigwigs didn't work the mines. She and Jock did.

Okay, had worked the mines. Now they'd moved up a level and, boy, did she regret accepting a supervisory position? Hell, yes.

She stalked over to the desk and perched a hip on one end. "Look, we can't hit the new numbers. It's not possible." They didn't have enough trained personnel for acid mining and the gammite hid behind several feet of solid rock.

Jock shrugged. "I asked for more workers trained in AWM, but they sent the pickers we asked for last quarter when philium was on their shortlist."

Trixie growled. "Doesn't matter. We got the quota for the philium because it's easier to work around the clock with axes and hammers. Acid wash is dangerous, especially when we don't have enough people trained in the painstaking process." Cave-ins were a definite go if the math didn't get calculated just right.

Jock countered. "We do dangerous work regardless of the process. Everyone knew that when they signed on." He pinned her with his gaze. "You knew that." When she accepted the supervisory position.

Yeah, she had known. What she hadn't counted on? The weight of possibly sending workers to their deaths because greedy assholes wanted more, more, more.

And their voracity pissed her off.

She wouldn't put more people at risk… not without trying to help. "You know what? You're right. I did know." Straightening, she planted her hands on her hips. "You know what else? I'm going in. Maybe I can train some of the workers while we mine the gammite." At least she'd make an effort.

Something Jock obviously forgot how to do.

I thoroughly enjoyed writing this scene and hopefully got both sides of the conflict fleshed out.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Need

Greetings on this final day of 2017. I hope everyone had the best of holiday seasons and wish all nothing but wonderful things for the upcoming new year. I have several goals I'll be working toward and I'm kind of excited about starting with a shiny new calendar.

Holiday movies are winding down and I'll be a little sad to see them disappear until the next holiday season. There's something a little magical about Christmas movies. My one wish would be to see some diversity and have Hanukkah, Kwanza, and even Yule or the Solstice represented. I'm fascinated by other traditions and wouldn't mind seeing some movies built around them.

The Doctor Who Christmas special ended up being good. "Twice Upon a Time" tied some things up and delved back into the shows history and, yeah, I'll give credit to Capaldi's final bow. A worthy ending to Twelve's tenure.

Murdoch Mysteries "Home for Christmas" hit all the right notes. This show is in its eleventh season and, honestly, it's only improved with age. The cast is top notch and the revolving round of historical bigwig and the guest stars that portray them rarely disappoint. I'm happy this remains on my watch radar.

I've also been enjoying Frankie Drake Mysteries—another Canadian show. I like the leads and, so far, the mysteries have been entertaining. This is a little similar to Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. If you enjoyed that one, give Frankie Drake a try.

I've started the second season of Chicago Fire and I'm a little disappointed in the whole McLeod storyline. Maybe if I had a little more to go on with why she's hell-bent on getting Boden out I might care a little more. And Benny Severied whispering in her ear isn't quite enough in my book. That said, I love everything else about the first five episodes.

I don't think I've talked about Passionflix, a new $4.99 a month subscription streaming movie service. It's brand new and they're creating original movies—and possibly series down the road a ways—and also offer several classic romantic films with more to come. To date, they have three original movies available for viewers. They're all based on best-selling romance novels and have varying levels of steaminess. The site has a convenient BON—Barometer of Naughtiness—rating system so viewers can find their comfort zone. I've been able to catch the first two, Hollywood Dirt and After Burn / After Shock. Guys… it's worth the $4.99 a month for those two alone. I'll be viewing the final new release The Trouble with Mistletoe later today. If you love romance, give this service a consideration.

And that's it for television viewing this week. This year's final post is from Need, a sexy short that might end up turning into a novella. It's a fun narrative style and little different for me.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Circe Nash and Oz Paterson, two top-notch pilots, have the strangest courtship in the galaxy—one they swear doesn't even exist. But when the need to be together hits them, they inevitably find themselves in the same place at the same time, with a little help from their crewmates.

And a sneaky peek…

And the crew did see. Oz and Circe balanced each other out. Not that they'd ever admit it.

But the long, strange mating dance or courtship or whatever one wanted to call it became the stuff of legend, kind of like the two pilots themselves.

The following is the official recollection of Circe and Oz.

Circe skated into the morning briefing at the last minute because she had trouble finding a matching uniform.

Oz deviated from his usual greeting to call her out. "Lieutenant Nash, nice to see you slide in this morning. What, pray tell, kept you today?" He quirked an eyebrow.

Circe resisted urge to slump in her seat. "Nothing important, Sir." She hoped he'd move the hell on and start the briefing.

No such luck.

Oz stepped out from behind the podium. "Let's see, two days ago, you were late because you had a little too much fun on R and R." He along the edge of the seats, heading in her direction. "Yesterday, the galley ran out of coffee and you had to wait for a caffeine fix." He stopped at the edge of her seat. "And here we are today. I'm starting to get a complex, Lieutenant." He folded his arms across his chest.

Circe smirked. "Sounds like you've got a problem, Sir." Chuckles erupted from the rest of the squadron.

Oz leaned in close. "Oh, I do. And she's sitting in front of me." He straightened. "What's the reason today, Lieutenant? Maybe we can fix whatever issue you had so you won't be late again."

Circe didn't want to be put on the spot, but she had to concede defeat. The damned man wouldn't start the actual briefing until she admitted the reason for being late this morning.

Heaving a sigh, she mumbled. "I couldn't find a clean uniform that matched." Her face heated and she kind of hoped the deck opened up and swallowed her.

Oz opened his mouth then closed it before tilting his head to one side. "Quarters after the briefing. We're going to solve your uniform dilemma." He turned and went back up front to begin going over the day's important information.

Circe waffled on the fence. Her curiosity piqued at the idea of Oz helping her out. Mortification also filled her over the state of her locker.

Not that she would tidy up. Definitely not her style.

But pushing Oz's buttons? Standard flight trajectory for her.

I'm hoping the mingling of narrative with character point of view meshes well together. We'll see how it goes and hopefully have a sexy short story in 2018.

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

ML Skye