Sunday Snippet: Fireworks

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here's the mini-blurb:

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

And a sneaky peek…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keith jerked his head. "Shut up."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Fireworks

June is coming to a close and I can honestly say this feels like the longest effing year while at the same time the days are flying off the calendar. It's bizarre and baffling. 2020 is probably going to go down as the year I want to forget but won't be able to. LOL

Rather slow week of television but I did get a few things watched. I started with Kings of Broadway, a charity program on YouTube. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Started season three of Danger Man and thought it would be color episodes, but it's not yet. Enjoyed the first episode.

Caught another episode of Strike Back and Strike Back Declassified. I've only got two episodes left and then I'll have to start a rewatch because I love these characters so much.

Started a new episode of Blue Heelers and look forward to seeing how it ends. I like this Aussie drama and have a feeling I'll be seeing a lot of familiar faces.

Watched another episode of Gargoyles. It's one I don't remember so it was nice to have something to sink into. I think I'm about a third of the way through the second season.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Fireworks, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

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

And a sneaky peek…

Zander McKibbet pumped out a rapid set of leg presses. He'd been at his workout for close to an hour and finally found his groove. Fifteen more minutes and he'd call it a day.

"Hey, McKibbet! You've got a phone call." One of the trainers brought a wireless handset out to him.

Zander growled. "Are you kidding me? I'm in the middle of my reps." He did the final three of his set and snagged the handset. "What?" His terse tone should make the other person shake in their boots.

"Bro, I'm gonna fail flight school if you don't help me."

Okay, his brother wouldn't cower in fear, but he should've at least clocked the suck-ass timing. Keith had a copy of Zander's schedule. Hence calling him in the middle of his workout.

Giving up the hope of finishing, Zander got up and wiped down the leg press. "Keith, slow down and explain what happened." Finals didn't start until the following week.

Keith huffed out a frustrated breath. "You've got to talk sense into my flight instructor. The stupid bitch just informed me I'm done. She won't even let me take the finals."

Zander frowned. How did that work? An instructor couldn't bar a cadet from taking the final flight runs. Unless they had a damned good reason. And, frankly, this did not count as something he wanted to get sucked into even if he understood how upset Keith must be. Hell, I'm upset for him. But Keith needed to grow a pair and stand up for himself.

Zander exited the gym and headed for the locker room. "Keith, I'm not keen on getting between you and your flight instructor. If it was one of my old ones, I might be willing, but I'm not familiar with Lieutenant Lizt." Other than being up on her credentials, which were impeccable.

Keith made a garbled choking sound. "Trust me, you don't want to be. She's a rank bitch."

Zander stopped walking and held the handset away from his ear. That's the second time Keith trashed his instructor. All because she's a woman? Shaking his head, he tucked the receiver between his chin and shoulder to open the locker room door.

Keith's voice took on a note of desperation. "Zan? Zan, are you there?"

Zander stopped at his locker and pulled it open. "Yeah, what were you saying?" They'd have an in-depth conversation about Keith's misogyny later.

Keith gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm begging here, Zan. Please. I mean, come on, bro. You know how disappointed Dad will be if I don't get my wings."

Zander rolled his eyes. Maybe. But he'd also probably like it if Keith actually earned them. The gold pips didn't just get handed out because someone wanted them.

Stifling that train of thought, Zander caved. "Fine. I'll stop by the training facility and at least speak to her; see if she'll sway her decision." His brother crowed his relief. "No promises, Keith. I'll talk to her. That's it."

Keith signed off. "Thanks, man. I know you'll pull through for me."

Zander stared at the handset. "Don't count on it." But he'd give the request his best try.

Only because he'd had a few truly crappy instructors who went out of their way to break students. And they'd piled on him because of his dad.

Zander wouldn't let the same happen to Keith.

I have to say, I'm very pleased with how this story is coming together. The sibling dynamic is one of my favorite things to write and I love Zander and Keith.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Fireworks

February 19, 2017

Okay, I ended up watching The Walking Dead and enjoyed having the group back together. As always, The Talking Dead made me happy, too.

An off week for The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, which meant I got to start a binge watch of Daredevil. So far, so good. I have two more episodes of season one to watch and I'm loving it.

Arrow's episode with the origin of Wild Dog ended up being terrific. I'm so happy they got a season six order. Arrow is consistently one of my favorites.

Riverdale continues to be must-see for me. It's not perfect, but I like that. Lots of room to grow the characters and plot threads. I'll be waiting patiently for the next person to slap Alice Cooper… or to bring her down. Either is okay with me.

Caught up on Murdoch Mysteries and happy to see Brackenreid back. I enjoy him a lot. Looking forward to this week's episode.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Fireworks, a novella with one of my favorite tropes—sibling rivalry.

Here's the mini-blurb:

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

And a sneaky peek…

Adelle Lizt dragged in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Better get to it." She rose and tucked the fit rep under her arm then strode to the door to poke her head out. "McKibbet, you're up." She didn't wait to see if his expression when he left his classmates.

Instead, she walked back to her desk and waited for him to enter and be seated. She hated this part of her job. Delivering bad news ranked right up with a visit to the psychiatrist and having dental work completed of things she didn't enjoy.

Keith McKibbet remained at seated attention, his gaze focusing on the wall in front of him.

Adelle propped a hip on the edge of the desktop and opened his file. "Cadet McKibbet." When he met her gaze, she continued. "I'll give it to you straight. You're not going to qualify for finals. Your current scores are too low." She handed him the folder, something she didn't have to do.

But she found letting the student see their marks in black and white usually helped them accept their fate.

Keith scanned the documents, doing the math. He closed the fit rep and returned it to her.

She placed the packet on the desk and crossed her arms in front of her. "Do you have any questions?" Again, she didn't have to give her students the opportunity to discuss her decision, but she tried to let them have a chance to vent.

Keith pursed his lips and gazed in her direction for several moments. His displeasure rested between his set shoulder blades, his clenched jaw adding to the tension.

Flicking a glance out the window, he voiced a question. "What's it going to take for me to stay in?" He met her gaze again. "I need to qualify and there has to be something I can do to make the cut." His knee bounced up and down, an additional sign of his frustration and anger.

Adelle shook her head. "I'm sorry, Cadet. There's nothing. You don't have the chops for this program." He had above average intelligence but lacked the coordinated skill and quick reaction time it took to fly.

His tension snapped and he jumped up. "You can't be serious. I waited forever to get into flight school. You can't fail me." He paced back and forth, working up a good head of anger. "What is your problem with me?"

Adelle straightened. "With you, specifically? I don't have one." She tapped the file on the desk. "The numbers speak for themselves. You're not cut out to fly fighters and I won't put anyone else at risk by putting you in the air or out in the black. You'd be a danger to yourself and them." She struggled to keep her voice even and not let her rising irritation show.

Keith snorted. "I think you mean I'd be a danger to your perfect career." He whirled around and stepped closer. "That's why you're failing me, isn't it? Can't have your next promotion delayed, can you?" He sneered the words and took a step back.

Adelle bit her tongue to keep from lashing out. "My record speaks for itself. You're not the first cadet I've failed and you won't be the last. Moving up the ranks has nothing to do with anything. You saw your scores." Dammit.

He gave a slow nod. "Oh, yeah. I saw them alright. You've got discretionary control. I'm close enough you could bump me a few points up."

Adelle managed to keep her jaw from dropping. "So, basically, you're asking me to fudge the numbers." No way in hell would she start something like that now.

McKibbet shot her a hot, angry glance. "I'm not asking you to do anything. I'm saying it's in your power to do something." He rolled his eyes.

She moved and stood toe-to-toe with him. "Yes, well, it's not going to happen. I don't plan to start cutting breaks anytime soon." Why start now?

Keith gave her a smirk. "Yeah, I figured as much." He started toward the door but glanced over his shoulder. "You haven't heard the last of this yet. I've got some pull of my own and I do plan to use it." He sailed out the door, not bothering to wait for a response.

Adelle blinked, caught between being stunned at the total disrespect he'd shown and being pissed she'd let him get away with being an ass. She turned and rounded the desk, yanking the chair out before sitting down.

Picking up the folder, she grabbed her stamp and inked the spot in bold, red letters for failure. Flipping the file shut, she placed it in her drawer and got ready to move on to the next cadet—one who'd be going on to the qualifying run next week.

But her mind strayed back to Keith McKibbet's parting words. Surely, he'd let his anger make an empty threat. He'd calm down and move into a field better suited for his skill set.

Right?

She could only hope.

I ended up being very happy with how this scene came together. I'm looking forward to diving in and getting this one done.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Fireworks

August 17, 2014

I kind of love this time of year. New shows are being buzzed about and my returning favorites are beginning to film their new seasons. My Tumblr dash is full of fun news and tidbits of information about the upcoming storylines. For me, it whets my appetite and makes me hungry for more. J

I'm watching The Last Ship as I type my post for the week and I sincerely hope it gets a second season. Oddly, it's one show I haven't heard anything about. Of course, my schedule blew up and I haven't had time to do my usual search for info. Here's hoping I have a little time this week to do a seek and find mission. J

Tonight's post is from Fireworks, a short story where those lovely and awesome bursts of colorful lights play a role.

Here's the tagline:

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

And a sneaky peek…

Adelle leaned on the railing, the boat gliding smoothly along the water. Strong arms wrapped around her waist and she closed her eyes, relishing the warm ball of desire settling in her stomach. So very different from the first time she'd traveled the river with Zeth.

He leaned in, his breath fanning her cheek. "Stop it. We've come a long way since then."

Her lips curved. "How do you always know what I'm thinking about?" She turned and faced him, placing her hands on his hips.

He grinned. "Because my head's in the same place, but thinking forward instead of back."

She nodded. "I hadn't quite made it to the looking ahead part." She rested her head on his shoulder. "But I would have eventually."

His hands drew her closer. "I know. And we'll find Keith in much better spirits for this year's fireworks display."

She snorted. "Thankfully, we won't have a double show for people to watch." She lifted her chin and met his gaze. "Unless you and I give them one."

He cupped her ass. "We could skip the topside display and have a private viewing in our stateroom." He waited a beat. "Naked."

She chuckled. "Hmmm. I like the way you think."

I have to say it takes a little bit of time for them to get to the place they're at in this scene. J

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

ML Skye