Sunday Snippet: Fyre's Masquerade (a Specter Space Station novella)

Yeesh. I'd really like Ohio weather to calm the eff down. We've had storms all week and we're getting hammered today. Severe thunderstorm warnings, tornado warnings, it's wild.

We did have a break in the yucky weather on Friday and got to attend a fun concert to benefit our local botanical garden and a local pet shelter. We had a truly great time and my extended family participated in the musical lineup.

Had a busy work week filled with some tedious little stuff and some technology problems. I did manage to get a copy edit finished up and worked on formatting a family history book that has a ton of images in it. That one is kind of challenging because the copy edit can't be done with the images in the document and I'm pulling them out and adding design tags.

Not a bad viewing week. I made it through my usual slate and started a back-burner episode. The weather kind of affected being able to finish that one. I also did another binge watch of Death in Paradise on Ovation.

Started with an episode of Marple and enjoyed it. I rather liked the cast of characters in this episode and, whew, did it have some twisty turns.

Started a new series for me with Adrian Dunbar's Coastal Ireland. I love seeing the landscape and shorelines of the country. It's so beautiful.

Caught an episode of Beyond Paradise and I'm so bummed that Humphrey has to reduce his staff by one. I hope it ends up working out by the end of the season. I also wish I understood more about why Esther doesn't want to be happy with Archie. Maybe they'll delve into that a little more.

Watched an episode of Poirot and truly enjoyed it. Always nice to see old friends and the behind-the-scenes machinations were interesting.

Elementary had a great opening to its sixth season. Sherlock's struggle post-concussion adds an interesting layer of conflict and I'm happy with Joan's response.

Caught an episode of Young Justice and enjoyed it. Great to see the team pull together and also nice to see the Justice League's trust in their ability.

Enjoyed the season opener of Star Trek Lower Decks season five. Very fun to see a mirror of the crew and how different things could turn out.

Watched The Thin Man again because I was in the mood for something fun. I need to find the other Nick and Nora movies somewhere, because they're so enjoyable.

Started an episode of Peak Practice but the thunderstorms put a halt to finishing it. I'll maybe get to it later this week.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Fyre's Masquerade, a novella the in the Specter Space Station universe.

Here's the miniblurb:

Balek Fyre made his fortune mining asteroids and just became a principal owner of Specter Station. He's ready to enjoy a new stage in his life—until the Yuli family descends on his base of operations for the galactic midyear celebration with only one thing on their minds … getting him to marry their oldest daughter, Serena. The only problem? Balek would rather spend time with her sister, Scout.

And a sneaky peek…

Balek arrived at Specter Station and docked his ship in his very own private location. "Nice to have my own section." Over a dozen landing bays occupied his sector. "I've only got three ships."

Good to know his friends believed he'd need room to grow.

He grimaced. "Which I can't do if I'm stuck with a wife." He engaged the landing cables and called the crew to the bridge. "You all went above and beyond. Expect bonuses in your pay packets when they hit your accounts." After giving them a few moments to celebrate, he went on. "You'll ship out on Fyre's Wisdom in three weeks. Enjoy your downtime."

He followed them off the ship only to be greeted by his friends—and new partners.

Wicek stepped forward and clapped Balek on the back. "A celebration is in order, and I'm not referring to your supposed impending nuptials."

Balek winced. "Give me five minutes to enjoy my new home before we tackle the subject of my non-wedding." He shook hands with Wicek then Roman and Maddox. "What are we celebrating?"

Roman spread his arms wide. "Your official arrival to our base of operations." He leaned in a little. "Just in time for the mid-year masquerade."

Maddox lifted his chin. "It's scheduled for week after next, and we thought it would be a good opportunity to make the formal introduction and welcome you to the fold in the most public way possible." His lips twitched.

Balek rolled his eyes. "You mean the most torturous way, right. You'll make me say a few words and all that." He shuddered.

Wicek grinned. "Absolutely. And, hey, if you're really stuck for something to say, you can always introduce your bride-to-be."

Roman thwapped Wicek on the back of the head. "Stop it. His five minutes isn't up yet." Roman met Balek's gaze. "You're in for an interesting day, my friend." His tone had gone serious.

Balek glanced toward Maddox. "I take it the Yulis are less than thrilled with their accommodations?" He rather hoped they were.

Maddox gave a nod. "To say the least. Every one of them have asked to be moved … with the exception of the younger sister." His lips spread wide. "She seems to love where we put them."

She did?

Balek quirked a brow. "They're in the lower quadrant?" His curiosity piqued about this younger sister.

Wicek laughed. "Yep. The mother, Zara, considers it very far beneath their stature." He stuck his nose up in the air.

Balek smiled. "Good. That makes me happy." The more uncomfortable they were the easier it should be to get rid of them.

Roman cut in. "Did you review the file I sent? My legal team couldn't find a contract regarding a promise to marry."

Balak nodded. "There isn't one. It's possible they knew my parents, but if they have documents I'd bet my next ship they're forged." He paused. "The report on their finances is the key to this whole scenario. They think I'm going to be their new purse-holder and they're going to find out I won't be." Not with how the father let his business slide into shambles.

Maddox's lips curved. "When do you plan to inform them?"

Balek flashed a smile. "After I get about a full day of sleep." They could suffer another twenty-four hours.

I love this series and Balek is so much fun to write. I can't wait to finish these and put them out into the world.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Fyre's Masquerade (a Specter Station novella)

Had a busy week with a new work project landing in my inbox. It's a holiday novel and I'm so excited because I love editing holiday stories! I'm also working on a proofread, which is a nice complement to a copy edit.

Had a slow week of viewing due to another loss of a relative. 2023 has been a rough year for the older generation in my family. I hope the final months are loss free.

I did watch the premiere episode of Cannes Confidential and thoroughly enjoyed it! It's got intrigue and charm and the cast is stellar. Looking forward to the next episode.

Also caught another episode of the Madame Blanc Mysteries. I'm slightly disappointed in the angst factor between the main characters but I'll roll through and see what happens. Very excited Gloria has a new guy even if he's competition for Dom.

Watched an episode of Peak Practice and found it kind of interesting. I liked getting some additional screen time for the deaf characters introduced earlier. Also kind of liked Andrew figuring out what he doesn't want.

Started a new two-part Silent Witness and, wow, this one had some twists and a heartbreaking scene that I almost couldn't watch. Kind of looking forward to seeing where it goes.

Caught another Death in Paradise. Enjoyed the guys trying to avoid bringing Richard in on the case while he was down with a tropical fever but loved that they ended up doing it anyway.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Fyre's Masquerade, a Specter Station novella.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Balek Fyre made his fortune mining asteroids and just became a principal owner of Specter Station. He's ready to enjoy a new stage in his life—until the Yuli family descends on his base of operations for the galactic midyear celebration with only one thing on their minds … getting him to marry their oldest daughter, Serena. The only problem? Balek would rather spend time with her sister, Scout.

And a sneaky peek…

"Mother, couldn't you get Scout to wear something other than those horrid black pants?" Serena Yuli shuddered.

Scout tore her gaze from the porthole and made a rude gesture. "Considering I've been dressing myself since the age of three, I'd have liked to see her try." She went back watching the stars go by.

Serena made a nasty comment under her breath about Scout's inability to look like more than an urchin. Scout didn't care what covered her body. Unlike Serena who always consulted their mother Zara before putting on clothes—even her underwear. How her sister made it to twenty-seven, Scout would never know.

Serena snarled. "You could have tried to look decent. We're hoping to make a good impression." She folded her hands in her lap and raised her nose in the air.

Scout snorted. "We've been on this ship for five days. None of us look our best. At least I'm comfortable." Her black canvas pants were soft with wear and her shirt and jacket were made of breathable fabric in the highest quality they could afford.

She could've swapped her rugged boots—broken in to a perfect fit—for her favorite pair of leather moccasins, but the heavier footwear drove her sister crazy and Scout needed something fun to do if she had to be part of this insane plot to trap a perfectly nice man into hellish matrimony with Serena.

Serena snapped. "No one cares about your comfort." She huffed out an angry breath.

Scout smirked. "Exactly. I'm not the one who needs to be impressive. You are." After five days with only two clothing changes, her sister definitely fell short. "What I'm wearing doesn't matter."

Niam Yuli snapped his fingers. "Enough, both of you. We're docking soon and everyone can freshen up." He shot Scout a hard look. "You're to be on your best behavior."

Scout rolled her eyes. "Yes, Dad." She'd play nice when she had to and not a moment before.

This stupid scheme to hold Balek Fyre to a promise his parents made decades ago reeked of desperation—and if he didn't see right through it, he deserved wedded hell with her sister. Scout had no doubt Balek didn't have a clue who they were. Why would he? His parents died not long after their ill-fated agreement with the Yulis. And the horrible thing? Her parents didn't care. They needed an influx of cash to save their asses. A series of bad investments had her parents teetering on the brink of financial ruin.

Scout rolled her eyes. "Maybe if they told Serena no every time she wanted a new outfit, they'd have some savings." Not that her parents ever would—they only said no to Scout.

The captain's voice came over the intercom. "We've started the docking sequence. Prepare to disembark in fifteen minutes." A garbled crackle ended the communication.

A tiny jolt of excitement coursed through Scout. While she hated the reason they'd come to Spector Station, she loved an adventure. And the idea of Serena falling flat on her face gave Scout something to look forward to also.

She smoothed down her hands down her thighs, straightening some of the wrinkles from her pants. "Let the games begin…"

I'm having a lot of fun writing this series and Balek's book is a treat. It's the last in the four-book series and all the previous couples make an appearance.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Fyre's Masquerade (a Specter Station novella)

Is it really August? Man, I'm actually kind of thankful. I'm ready for 2020 to be over and done with. It's been a very crazy year.

Had a fairly busy week of calls with potential new clients and a new project starting. It's been kind of slow since May and I'm excited to see if things pick up a little now.

I also got quite a few of my long-form brainstorming sessions converted into text. I'm seriously thrilled with this!! I can't wait to see how many I get translated and transferred over this week.

Didn't get a lot of shows watched this week, but I did catch another couple of episodes of Danger Man.

Also watched episode seven of The Witcher and I'm so happy there's going to be another season of this show.

I'll be catching the second Gabriel's Inferno movie this week, even if I have to stay up super late to watch. I'm looking forward to this one.

I'll hopefully be catching up with a few other shows also. It's been hit or miss with both time and lack of focus to get into a show.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Fyre's Masquerade, a Specter Station novella.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Balek Fyre made his fortune mining asteroids and just became a principal owner is Specter Station. He's ready to enjoy a new stage in his life—until the Yuli family descends on his base of operations for the galactic midyear celebration with only one thing on their minds … getting him to marry their oldest daughter, Serena. The only problem? Balek would rather spend time with her sister, Scout.

And a sneaky peek…

"What the hell do you mean I'm supposed to meet with my betrothed?" Balek Fyre paced the length of his small office aboard the mining vessel, Fyre's Strife. "Since when do I have one?" Unless he'd missed a major event, he didn't have a female—or male—waiting in the wings for some sparkly wedding.

Maddox Specter shifted in his seat on the holo call. "That's what I said when they contacted the station and tried to make accommodations for their arrival." He picked through a pile of papers in front of him. "The call got shuffled up to Juna because you're a principal owner now and the Yuli family isn't on your list of VIPs." He read the communiqué from Juna. "The Yulis are arriving for the midyear masquerade and are requesting a block of rooms in close vicinity to your suite so you can get to know your betrothed…" He checked the paper again. "One Serena Yuli before the announcement of your engagement at the gala event." Maddox put the page down and leaned in closer to the monitor. "You're sure you didn't know anything about this?"

Balek stopped his back and forth. "Do I look like I do? Geez, Maddox, I've never heard of these people." Then again, he'd traveled extensively through three galaxies with his mining operations. "I have no idea who this family is." And he'd be damned if they'd get away with trying to use his name and position to score a free stay on Specter Station.

Maddox leaned back in his chair. "What do you want me to have Juna do? She can put them on the banned list and when they arrive, they'll be taken into custody—"

Balek cut his friend off. "No. Not that. Have Juna direct the staff to give them reservations but put them in the lower quadrant." Plain, basic, and nothing fancy, the rooms were small and not intended for lengthy visits.

Maddox arched a brow. "You sure you want to do that?" A small smile briefly twisted his lips.

Which convinced Balek he'd hit on the perfect tactic to get to the root of whatever grift the Yulis were trying to pull.

He nodded. "I'm sure." Turning toward his desk, he moved behind it and brought up the data screen. "I've got three-fourths of a load in my hold. I'll finish up on this asteroid and get the shipment info to the broker." He keyed in an order to his belowdecks miners to increase the speed of intake.

Maddox leaned forward again. "And after that? What's your plan?"

Balek glanced up and met his friend's gaze. "To haul ass and arrive on Specter Station before they do." Almost a week before he'd originally intended, but he could move in at any time.

Maddox grinned. "I'll have Wanda make certain your new suite is ready and waiting." He got up and left the viewable area for a moment then returned. "And once you're here…"

Balek's lips twisted in a cold smile. "Once I'm there … let the game begin…"

I'm going to have a lot of fun with this story. I love all four of the men who are making up Specter Station's executive board. Balek is very rough and tumble and he'll have a good time playing cat and mouse with the Yulis.

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

ML Skye