Sunday Snippet: A Day in the Life (Shyler: Finding Home companion read)

What a weird weather week. Of course, it's March in Ohio so not exactly uncommon. We had beautiful spring-like temperatures at the beginning of the week and by Thursday it got chilly again. A little bit of snowy flakes and brrr! degrees outside.

Finished up a big project and another one on the smaller side and also started a new one. Needless to say, I didn't get a lot of television in this week.

I watched the last Midsomer Murders that's currently available. I rather hope they do another season. I love this show.

I also caught another series one episode of Peak Practice. I'm enjoying this series quite a lot.

I started the eleventh series of Classic Who and loved the introduction of Sarah Jane. I'm so sad Elisabeth isn't with us anymore. She made Sarah Jane such a great character.

I've watched about eight more episodes of Danger Man. John Drake is definitely a pre-Bond character study. The first season is a lot of fun so far.

Caught two more episodes of Gargoyles. The second season is quite a mish-mash. Not to say it's not good but a lot is going on.

Started the second episode of Strike Back's final season. This show. I'm going to miss it when it's gone.

Hmm. Maybe I watched more television than I thought. But that's it for this week. Tonight's post is from Day in the Life, a companion read to Furlough 99's Finding Home told from the droid's point of view.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Alphie is a kick ass droid who assists Inspector Shyler Lumen. He's also not afraid to offer unwarranted advice.

And a sneaky peek…

Alphie made himself as unobtrusive as possible, but listened in with a keen ear.

"Do you have rooms reserved?"

Marshton Gray certainly cut to the chase. And he'd caught their inspector off guard.

"Wasn't sure what I'd run into once I got here." Shyler took a long swallow of her CaffCola. "I was assured a single room wouldn't be an issue." Her eyes narrowed in thought. "I didn't expect to get tangled up with you, but I doubt it'll be a problem."

She couldn't be more wrong. Marshton could and would be a problem for Alphie's prickly inspector.

The galactic mogul didn't understand either. "What won't?"

Shyler crumpled up the crisp tray. "You staying with me in a single unit." Her eyes scanned the area until they landed on the trash bin. "I'll go find a porter and book it now." Hopping up, she tossed the refuse then turned and waited for him.

Alphie readied himself to be of assistance. Shyler got as far as swiping her card before Gray intervened with an alternative suggestion. Apparently a single occupancy unit wouldn't work for him. 

And why should it. The man had an entire suite in the luxe quadrant. Alphie wondered if he'd actually convince Inspector Sweetie to share the space with him.

"May I offer a suggestion? An alternative choice?"

Shyler frowned. "To what?"

Alphie had to applaud Marsh's brutal honesty. "Extremely cramped and uncomfortable accommodations."

Shyler raised her eyebrows. "What's wrong? Can't deal?"

Oh ho. Inspector Sweetie scored a point for that one. Gray needed a moment before he could speak.

He blew out a calming breath. "Why should I have to? I've got a suite of rooms in the luxe quadrant." She opened her mouth to blast him but he forestalled her. "I said rooms. You can have your own and not even have to see me." He added on for good measure. "Or hear me for that matter."

Shyler shot back. "Do you snore or something?"

The corners of his mouth turned up. "Not that I've been told."

An odd light crept into her eyes and Marsh gave her a considering look. Alphie decided Miss Sweetie might not be as immune to Mr. Galactic Mogul as she claimed.

Interesting.

Honestly? Writing the story of Shyler and Marsh from Alphie's perspective is so much fun. This one will eventually be a free read once I get the final touches added.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: A Day in the Life

Happy Halloween Eve! Our small town always has its annual trick or treat several days before the actual holiday. On Thursday, it was brisk and chilly, but we had a whole host of costumed kiddos strolling the streets. So much fun!

On the television front, Gotham had another great episode. I'm happy with how things are going on that show. Here's hoping the consistency holds through the end of the season.

The Flash and Agents of SHIELD pulled out some surprises. The new director guy on AoS is actually kind of fun and hopefully not evil. LOL I'm not gonna hold my breath on that score.

Arrow keeps making me happy. Diggle is out of prison, but who knows what'll happen next with him. The new team suffered some shake-ups. We'll see how that all shakes out.

Legends of Tomorrow delivered again. I like the new guy. And Mick is fast becoming another favorite. Brutal honesty goes a long way with this group and he's definitely not afraid to embrace the truth. LOL

MacGyver's episode might have been the set up for introducing Murdoc. I guess we'll see if the ghost pops back up again.

The Walking Dead… I skipped the premiere and watched The Talking Dead instead. I honestly couldn't see the point in watching when I couldn't bear watching any of my favorites die. I'll be watching tonight's episode… I think. LOL

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from A Day in the Life, a tie-in, free read for my Furlough 99 story, Shyler: Finding Home.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Alphie is a kick ass droid who assists Inspector Shyler Lumen. He's also not afraid to offer unwarranted advice.

And a sneaky peek…

Several hours later, Alphie had some quiet time. He got started on a scan of ISP personnel logged on transport flights to Furlough. He wanted to know the inspector's name.

Bingo! Shyler Lumen, Inspector, first grade. He scanned for everything he could find on her. She had a long list of collars for Mars Planetary Police and now with the InterStellar Police. Looked like the inspector almost always got her man.

And what was this? Girl volunteered all over the place. With BAWs—battered and abused women, food distribution shelters, and two different half-way houses.

When did the woman sleep?

Ah… another interesting fact. Shyler had no romantic connections. No past marriages or multiple living occupancy requests on file. The inspector appeared to be a loner.

She was either very careful or had been burned in the past. He dug a little deeper. Nothing on file so she was careful. Smart woman.

More than a match for Marshton Gray. Alphie had a feeling he'd see more of both.

His circuits almost singed at the potential for fun.

Alphie went into quick shut down mode and transmitted data to the Guild. The group of bounty hunters ran a tight ship on Furlough and Spider Smith, their very talented hacker, made sure he received any and all pertinent information. An ISP inspector counted as very pertinent.

Transfer completed, Alphie blinked several times, bringing himself back online. He remotely connected to the security camera closest to the Den and set a facial recog program to ping him when Inspector Lumen entered the bar. Alphie wanted to keep track of her progress.

I'm looking forward to finally putting the finishing touches on this one and getting it out there for a free download. Fingers crossed that happens soon.

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

ML Skye

Smokin' Hot—Hot and Swoon-Worthy: Shyler: Finding Home (A Furlough 99 Novella)

Welcome to the Hot for Friday blog hop!

Readers: Enjoy posts from authors with fun weekly tasks or a cool question.

Authors: Get in on the fun and join here.

Hello!

This week we're tasked with posting a piece of dialog where our hero gets to take center stage and deliver a swoon-worthy line to the heroine. I can't wait to read some hot and smooth moves from our heroes.

For my feature, I'm posting one of my favorite bits from a current release, Shyler: Finding Home (A Furlough 99 Novella).

For a little background, here are the book and brand taglines:

Furlough 99: The last stop before uncharted space. Welcome to the ass end of the universe.

Inspector Shyler Lumen always gets her man—even if she has to go through Marshton Grey to do it.

And the swoon-worthy dialog… (Bolded for convenience)

Shyler smiled with satisfaction. She had her shadow neutralized in under thirty seconds, but something didn’t feel quite right. The guy had an incredible build. Solid. Muscular. Hard.

Why didn't he resist?

And dammit, she felt a zing. Did he have to be so flipping handsome, too? She couldn't let herself be distracted by super-hot shadow man.

She huffed out a breath to regroup and got down to business.

She let go of his head, but kept her legs strategically positioned. "Well, hell. I'd hoped you'd at least try to fight back so I could use lethal force if necessary."

A whiskey smooth voice, answered with casual ease. "My mother taught me to never argue with a woman. Especially one who packs a punch."

Interesting thing for a mother to teach her son. Shyler tried a different approach.

"You have five seconds to tell me why you're following me." And explain the lack of trying to break free. "Who are you?"

Her prisoner slowly lifted his right hand. "If I may?" He made a downward motion, toward his back pocket.

The man had a truly fine ass.

~*~

Shyler would never admit it, but Marsh pretty much had her from that moment, which doesn't mean she didn't make him work for every inch of additional ground he gained. LOL

Available on Amazon

~*~

Book Blurb: Sparks fly when Inter-Stellar Police Inspector Shyler Lumen meets Mars entrepreneur Marshton Grey. She's after one of his employees who created a lethal club drug. Shyler doesn't want the distraction Marsh provides, but he could hold the key to solving her case.

Or he may end up being her biggest obstacle.

Marsh wants to help Shyler catch his former employee before he can slip the net from Furlough 99. He isn't prepared for the attraction to the tightly wound inspector, but he doesn't fight it. Shyler proves to be a fascinating puzzle Marsh doesn't come across very often.

It's a good thing he's up for the challenge she presents.

Anthology Brand Blurb: The last stop before the emptiness of unknown space, Furlough 99 is inhabited with a myriad of personalities, each one looking for something different, something they can only find at the end of the line. With a bar called the Den of Inequity and a whole station devoted to pleasure and hedonism, there's nothing that can't be found here, or won't.

~*~

Thank you for stopping by.

Please feel free to drop by my website

And don't forget to enjoy the other Hot for Friday posts!

Saturday Standard: Meet Marshton Grey

My new blog feature called the Saturday Standard is a fun little sneak peek behind the scenes featuring character interviews and other items of interest—thirteen questions about the setting, plot, or character traits, a collage of inspirational pictures I used while writing, or anything else that strikes my fancy. Each week one of my pseudonyms will post for the new weekly feature.

Today, I'm going to revisit my very first release with Ellipses Press and interview the main characters, Shyler Lumen and Marshton Grey.

This week… Marshton will be answering questions about what drives him—and reveals a small surprise.

Let's get to it…

THE SATURDAY STANDARD

ML Skye: Hello, Mr. Grey. Thank you for agreeing to answer some questions and for letting me ask while en route to your destination.

Marshton Grey: Marshton or Marsh, please. When I'm out of the office, I try to keep things casual.

ML: By out of the office, you mean your headquarters, located in Queen City on Mars. Is that correct?

Marsh: That's our main location, but I have interests all over the galaxy.

MLS: Yes, I see you're on the board of directors for several corporations and have controlling interest in more than a few.

MG: That's true. I tend to keep very busy.

MLS: How do you keep everything going and not get overwhelmed?

MG: I have great people who do a wonderful job helping me out. [He pauses] And even then, I make an occasional mistake.

MLS: Really? Can you give an example?

MG: I'm not at liberty to say at this time, which I know sounds like a cop out, but lives are at stake and I can't put them in jeopardy.

MLS: Goodness. Sounds all very cloak and dagger.

MG: It's not, really. But people close to me are involved and I need to handle the situation personally.

MLS: I would guess, if it's dragging you to the edge of the galaxy.

[Marsh's pilot announces docking is underway]

MLS: Thank you for your time, Marsh. How long will you be staying here?

MG: On Furlough 99? Hopefully not long. I have business interests on the station, but they don't call it the ass end of the universe for nothing.

MLS: [laughs] I've heard many tales.

MG: It's the ones you don't hear about that are the most interesting.

Marshton Grey is a man who's used to getting what he wants. Let's see if he can get past Shyler Lumen in Finding Home (A Furlough 99 Novella).

Available on Amazon

I hope you enjoyed the latest edition of the Saturday Standard. Stay tuned for more in the near future.

Thanks for reading!

Catch everyone on the flip!

ML Skye

Saturday Standard: Meet Shyler Lumen

My new blog feature called the Saturday Standard is a fun little sneak peek behind the scenes featuring character interviews and other items of interest—thirteen questions about the setting, plot, or character traits, a collage of inspirational pictures I used while writing, or anything else that strikes my fancy. Each week one of my pseudonyms will post for the new weekly feature.

Today, I'm going to revisit my very first release with Ellipses Press and interview the main characters, Shyler Lumen and Marshton Grey.

This week… Shyler will be answering questions about what makes her tick—not one of her favorite pastimes. LOL

Let's get to it…

THE SATURDAY STANDARD

ML Skye: Hello, Shyler. Thank you for agreeing to answer some questions, especially since I know you're not fond of being on that side of the table.

Shyler Lumen: You're right. I'm usually the one conducting interrogations.

ML: My notes indicate you've been doing it for a long time, too. First as a rookie with the Mars Sector Police then moving up the ranks to become an inspector the Inter-Stellar Police Force. Is that correct?

Shyler: Yeah, I got recruited by the ISP when they were looking for people with interplanetary connections. Mine aren't extensive, but I traveled a lot before my mom retired.

MLS: Your mother is very famous, and well-loved.

SL: She's also dead.

[A moment of uncomfortable awkwardness.]

MLS: You're blunt and to the point, aren't you?

SL: I am, yes. I think is saves time, but my chief inspector keeps telling me my abrasive attitude won't win any congeniality contests.

MLS: He's probably right, but you're under a lot of pressure right now, so I understand the desire to get directly to the issue at hand.

SL: That's nice of you to say, but I'm technically off on leave, so the pressure thing doesn't apply.

MLS: Oh, I think it does. From what I understand, one of your informants is fighting for his life. Regardless of whether you're officially on the case, you're concerned about him.

SL: I am. Glib and I go a long way. He's one of the first people who ever kept the card I gave him with the address for a halfway house. And… he saved my life once.

MLS: The card goes back to your mom's battle with addiction, doesn't it?

SL: Well, yeah. I volunteer in my downtime and when I worked vice, I handed out a lot of cards.

[Shyler's flight is called over the intercom]

MLS: I'll wrap this up so you can get going. Where are you headed?

SL: Furlough 99, an Alliance space station, otherwise known as the ass end of the universe.

MLS: [laughs] That's quite the nickname.

SL: [smiles] I think it's fitting.

MLS: Thank you for your time. I hope you find what you're looking for.

SL: Not so much what, but who, and I really need to be going.

I feel kind of sorry for whoever she's seeking. Shyler Lumen always gets her collar. Find out who Shyler wants to find in Finding Home (A Furlough 99 Novella).

Available on Amazon

More e-retailers coming soon. 

I hope you enjoyed the latest edition of the Saturday Standard. Stay tuned for more next week when we meet Marshton Grey.

Thanks for reading!

Catch everyone on the flip!

ML Skye

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Shyler: Finding Home (A Furlough 99 Novella) #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

I'm revisiting one of my first releases, Shyler: Finding Home, one of the offerings from the Furlough 99 line from Ellipses Press. I'll be posting a series of pivotal scenes over the next couple of weeks. Please enjoy!

Today's post features how Shyler meets Marsh.

Book Tagline: Inspector Shyler Lumen always gets her man—even if she has to go through Marshton Grey to do it.

Series Tagline: Furlough 99: The last stop before uncharted space. Welcome to the ass end of the universe.

~*~

Shyler smiled with satisfaction. She had her shadow neutralized in under thirty seconds, but something didn’t feel quite right. The guy was built. Solid. Muscular. Hard.

Why didn't he resist?

And dammit, she felt a zing. Did he have to be so flipping handsome, too? She couldn't let herself be distracted by super hot shadow man.

She huffed out a breath to regroup and got down to business.

She let go of his head, but kept her legs strategically positioned. "Well, hell. I'd hoped you'd at least try to fight back so I could use lethal force if necessary."

A whiskey smooth voice, answered with casual ease. "My mother taught me to never argue with a woman. Especially one who packs a punch."

Interesting thing for a mother to teach her son. Shyler tried a different approach.

"You have five seconds to tell me why you're following me." And explain the lack of trying to break free. "Who are you?"

Her prisoner slowly lifted his right hand. "If I may?" He made a downward motion, toward his back pocket.

The man had a truly fine ass.

Available on Amazon

More e-retailers coming soon!

~*~

Series Blurb: The last stop before the emptiness of unknown space, Furlough 99 is inhabited with a myriad of personalities, each one looking for something different, something they can only find at the end of the line. With a bar called the Den of Inequity and a whole station devoted to pleasure and hedonism, there's nothing that can't be found here, or won't.

Book Blurb: Inspector Shyler Lumen and entrepreneur Marshton Gray don't have much in common. A manhunt for a brilliantly mad chemist brings them together and sparks fly. Shyler and Marsh can fight the wave of change… or grab hold and go along for the ride.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Shyler: Finding Home (A Furlough 99 Novella) #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

I'm revisiting one of my first releases, Shyler: Finding Home, one of the offerings from the Furlough 99 line from Ellipses Press. I'll be posting a series of pivotal scenes over the next couple of weeks. Please enjoy!

Today's post features Marshton Grey's introduction.

Book Tagline: Inspector Shyler Lumen always gets her man—even if she has to go through Marshton Grey to do it.

Series Tagline: Furlough 99: The last stop before uncharted space. Welcome to the ass end of the universe.

~*~

Greyswell Industries—Head Office—Queen City, Mars

"What's the death toll?"

"One hundred and fifty-seven as of ten a.m. this morning."

Marshton Grey nodded curtly, accepting the information and his chief of security quickly exited the plush office. The man had gone above and beyond by keeping Marsh informed of the situation. Now Marsh had to do damage control and nip the problem in the bud. He'd already laid the building blocks to make that happen.

Marsh stood up from behind his desk, gathered his travel documents and pressed the intercom to his admin.

"Lucy, I'm unavailable until further notice."

"Have a safe journey," her soothing voice answered. "I'll see you aren't disturbed, Mr. Grey."

Marsh trusted her to do exactly that. Super-efficient, his admin would block, handle, or delegate whatever came up while he had to be off planet. He peeled off his suit and tie, and threw on a pair of comfortable dungarees. Didn't worry about an overnight bag, he had plenty of wardrobe options located where he'd be headed.

Furlough 99.

Ass end of the universe.

Available on Amazon

More e-retailers coming soon!

~*~

Series Blurb: The last stop before the emptiness of unknown space, Furlough 99 is inhabited with a myriad of personalities, each one looking for something different, something they can only find at the end of the line. With a bar called the Den of Inequity and a whole station devoted to pleasure and hedonism, there's nothing that can't be found here, or won't.

Book Blurb: Inspector Shyler Lumen and entrepreneur Marshton Gray don't have much in common. A manhunt for a brilliantly mad chemist brings them together and sparks fly. Shyler and Marsh can fight the wave of change… or grab hold and go along for the ride.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Shyler: Finding Home (A Furlough 99 Novella) #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

I'm revisiting one of my first releases, Shyler: Finding Home, one of the offerings from the Furlough 99 line from Ellipses Press. I'll be posting a series of pivotal scenes over the next couple of weeks. Please enjoy!

Today's post features Shyler's interaction with a droid on Furlough 99.

Book Tagline: Inspector Shyler Lumen always gets her man—even if she has to go through Marshton Grey to do it.

Series Tagline: Furlough 99: The last stop before uncharted space. Welcome to the ass end of the universe.

~*~

Shyler elbowed her way out of the transport and ran through her mental checklist. First, she had to find out who to cajole, threaten, or bribe to be able to work in relative peace or at least not step on toes. Second, find a place to meet, and third, well, she needed to take care of the first two before worrying about number three. She glanced around, found a porter and flagged him down.

"Can you tell me who runs security—not the official kind—on Furlough and where the best place to meet would be?" As he got closer, Shyler realized 'he' was a droid, very lifelike, but a machine nonetheless. "And um… maybe how I can get a message to them?"

Droids always threw her. She never knew if they had to have commands or if simple conversations were possible. And of course it always varied by model.

The blond machine's eyes blinked several times then looked directly at her. "Oh, they'll find you, sweetie cakes. Trust me."

Shyler couldn't help it, she laughed out loud. And felt much more at ease. An android who talked like a flaming queen? Exactly what she needed to feel more at home.

Her outburst stopped a gentleman on the glide path in his tracks. She flicked her gaze sideways and narrowed her eyes. She'd seen him before but couldn't place where. The answer hovered just out of reach, yet she knew he'd come from Mars, the rock she called home.

He had to be from Queen City, the largest metropolis on the red planet. 4.5 million souls strewn throughout—from the swank, high end condos down to the no rent tent squats—and she ran into one of them way out on Furlough?

Interesting.

Dismissing him, Shyler focused on the droid again. "I'm sorry. They'll find me?"

The porter shocked her again when he rolled his eyes. "Sweetie cakes, you've got enforcement written all over you." He made air quotes to emphasis enforcement.

Shyler chuckled. "I'm not enforcement per se. More like ISP. And I'm not exactly trying to hide it. Don't have the time to waste going covert." The guy from home moved away slowly, maybe too slowly, and it piqued her curiosity.

Available on Amazon

More e-retailers coming soon!

~*~

Series Blurb: The last stop before the emptiness of unknown space, Furlough 99 is inhabited with a myriad of personalities, each one looking for something different, something they can only find at the end of the line. With a bar called the Den of Inequity and a whole station devoted to pleasure and hedonism, there's nothing that can't be found here, or won't.

Book Blurb: Inspector Shyler Lumen and entrepreneur Marshton Gray don't have much in common. A manhunt for a brilliantly mad chemist brings them together and sparks fly. Shyler and Marsh can fight the wave of change… or grab hold and go along for the ride.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Sunday Snippet: A Day in the Life

Wow, survived something of a long week. Just now catching up on Orphan Black and again, this show eats my brain. I'm about halfway through this week's episode and I'm sitting on the edge of my seat as I type this. LOL

Tonight's post is from A Day in the Life, a free read and companion piece for one of my first releases, Shyler: Finding Home, a Furlough 99 novella. Told from an awesomely cool droid's point of view, I hope it provides as much entertainment as it did when I wrote it.

Here's the tagline:

Alphie is a kick ass droid who assists Inspector Shyler Lumen. He's also not afraid to offer unwarranted advice.

And a sneaky peek…

Just when he thought his circuitry would fry from the banality of it all, he spotted a dynamic woman exited a civilian transport. She looked determined, cranky and in a rush. Also somewhat lost.

Alphie decided she needed his brand of humor to shake her up a little.

He moved to stand in an obvious location. Hopefully she'd need assistance and ask him for help.

She moved in his direction and Alphie tugged on the bottom of his vest, catching her eye. With a quick wave, she indicated she'd like to speak with him.

Alphie started toward her.

"Can you tell me who runs security on Furlough and where the best place to meet would be?" Her eyes narrowed and he knew the moment it pinged that he was a droid. "And um… maybe how I can get a message to them."

Alphie gave her credit. Clearly caught off guard, she kept it all business, going with the flow until she could figure out how advanced his model was.

He quickly scanned through his personality files and picked one he thought she'd enjoy. His eyes blinked rapidly several times, spooling the information then he looked directly at the woman.

"Oh, they'll find you, sweetie cakes. Trust me."

The woman laughed out loud and seemed much more at ease. She didn't have a backwater planet look to her. No, more like a big city vibe, one that would not be offended by something a little off beat. His over the top drag queen persona definitely did the trick.

Mission one accomplished.

Oops. Maybe not. Her gaze slid sideways and she narrowed her eyes. The earlier outburst stopped a gentleman on the glide path in his tracks.

Alphie immediately recognized him. Marshton Gray. Stakeholder in Furlough 99, Luxury Quadrant and head of Grayswell Industries. And someone the woman thought she should know.

She must be from Queen City, Mars, but clearly didn't move in the same circles as Gray. Her eyes followed him, like she'd seen him before but couldn’t place where.

She dismissed him and focused on Alphie. "I'm sorry. They'll find me?"

Her jaw dropped open when he rolled his eyes. "Sweetie cakes, you've got enforcement written all over you." He added air quotes to emphasize enforcement and she chuckled.

"I'm ISP. Not exactly trying to hide it. Don't have time to waste going covert." She glanced toward Gray again and he moved away slowly, maybe too slowly and Alphie wondered if it piqued her curiosity or if he'd have to call for the security team she wanted to see.

Maybe if he distracted her. "Hmm… Inter-Stellar Police, not exactly total enforcement. At least not the kind we used to have around here. You guys at least provide trials for the accused." He'd been around long enough to have that unpleasant data stored in his memory banks.

The inspector, from her demeanor she had to at least have rank, clearly didn't know what to make of his off the cuff observation. He liked that.

She got back to business. "Give me a public place that has privacy so I can park it until the security people find me."

He scrolled through several locations before choosing what he perceived as the best one. "You'll want the Den." Oops, her first time here, she wouldn't know the shorthand nickname. He clarified. "Den of Iniquity… the bar up on Level 4. Ask for Varina, she'll point you to a place you can 'park it'."

"Right. Thanks."

The inspector strode away and Alphie had a feeling he'd be seeing or hearing from her again in the near future.

He'd look forward to it. But first, he probably ought to assist the very lost looking couple over by the food court.

Seriously, I loved writing Alphie so much I had to give him a brief spotlight of his own.

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

ML Skye

A Gift from the Stars—The SFR Brigade Presents: Shyler: Finding Home #sfrbp

Welcome to the Science Fiction Romance Brigade Presents, a weekly sneak peek sampler hosted by the SFR Brigade.

Readers: enjoy brief glimpses of currently available, soon to be released books, or works in progress. Authors are sharing short excerpts for your enjoyment. Please have fun and spread the joy.

~*~

This week's post is from, Shyler: Finding Home, a Furlough 99 novella from Ellipses Press, Ltd., and I'm previewing the first meeting between Shyler Lumen and Marshton Grey. Let's just say sparks fly.

Tagline: Inspector Shyler Lumen always gets her man—even if she has to go through Marshton Grey to do it.

~*~
Shyler smiled with satisfaction. She had her shadow neutralized in under thirty seconds, but something didn’t feel quite right. The guy was built. Solid. Muscular. Hard.

Why didn't he resist?

And dammit, she felt a zing. Did he have to be so flipping handsome, too? She couldn't let herself be distracted by super hot shadow man.

She huffed out a breath to regroup and got down to business.

She let go of his head, but kept her legs strategically positioned. "Well, hell. I'd hoped you'd at least try to fight back so I could use lethal force if necessary."

A whiskey smooth voice, answered with casual ease. "My mother taught me to never argue with a woman. Especially one who packs a punch."

Interesting thing for a mother to teach her son. Shyler tried a different approach.

"You have five seconds to tell me why you're following me." And explain the lack of trying to break free. "Who are you?"

Her prisoner slowly lifted his right hand. "If I may?" He made a downward motion, toward his back pocket.

The man had a truly fine ass.

~*~

Available at Amazon 

~*~

~*~

Please visit my website 

Gift yourself with more great sneak peeks!

Visit the other participating authors

Thank you for reading! 

A Gift from the Stars—The SFR Brigade Presents Shyler: Finding Home #sfrbp

Welcome to the Science Fiction Romance Brigade Presents, a weekly sneak peek sampler hosted by the SFR Brigade.

Readers: enjoy brief glimpses of currently available, soon to be released books, or works in progress. Authors are sharing short excerpts for your enjoyment. Please have fun and spread the joy.

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Well, last week I apparently forgot to add my link to the blog sign up. What can I say? I had the longest, strangest week ever. LOL

If you're interested, scroll down for the introduction of Marshton Grey. J

This week's post is from the same book, Shyler: Finding Home, a Furlough 99 novella from Ellipses Press, Ltd., and it introduces Shyler Lumen, an Inter-Stellar Police Inspector on the trail of a brilliant but deadly chemist.

Tagline: Inspector Shyler Lumen always gets her man—even if she has to go through Marshton Grey to do it.

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Flight 2289 from Queen City, Mars—Arrival Terminal—Furlough 99

Inspector Shyler Lumen hated transport flights through space. Especially when they took her to the ass end of the universe.

Long and boring, she always, always got stuck on the ones that had too many people. Her Chief Inspector would say anyone aside from the pilot and herself would be one too many in her book.

He'd be right.

But she didn't consider herself a true loner…she loved cities, the noise, the people, and the crime. But lately, she lacked tolerance for almost everything. After ten years on the job, she didn't feel like she made a difference anymore.

Burnout.

Work. Life. Everything.

She needed a change. A career overhaul. Something different that wouldn't involve a long flight when she had nothing but time to think. And fight the urge to maim the guy shoving his elbow into her ribs.

Geez, she needed to stay away from confined spaces. Total killjoy. Shyler had zero patience for forced intimacy with people she didn't know, who couldn't help but invade her personal space. Elevators, public transportation—especially when crammed full—got to her every damn time.

~*~

Available at Amazon 

Please visit my website 

~*~

Gift yourself with more great sneak peeks!

Visit the other participating authors

Thank you for reading! 

A Gift from the Stars – The SFR Brigade Presents #sfrbp Shyler: Finding Home

Welcome to the Science Fiction Romance Brigade Presents, a weekly sneak peek sampler hosted by the SFR Brigade.

Readers: enjoy brief glimpses of currently available, soon to be released books, or works in progress. Authors are sharing short excerpts for your enjoyment. Please have fun and spread the joy.

~*~

My post today features the first snippet from Shyler: Finding Home, a Furlough 99 novella available from Ellipses Press, Ltd. I'm introducing Marshton Grey.

Tagline: Inspector Shyler Lumen always gets her man—even if she has to go through Marshton Grey to do it.

~*~

Greyswell Industries—Head Office—Queen City, Mars

"What's the death toll?"

"One hundred and fifty-seven as of ten a.m. this morning."

Marshton Grey nodded curtly, accepting the information and his chief of security quickly exited the plush office. The man had gone above and beyond by keeping Marsh informed of the situation. Now Marsh had to do damage control and nip the problem in the bud. He'd already laid the building blocks to make that happen.

Marsh stood up from behind his desk, gathered his travel documents and pressed the intercom to his admin.

"Lucy, I'm unavailable until further notice."

"Have a safe journey," her soothing voice answered. "I'll see you aren't disturbed, Mr. Grey."

Marsh trusted her to do exactly that. Super-efficient, his admin would block, handle, or delegate whatever came up while he had to be off planet. He peeled off his suit and tie, and threw on a pair of comfortable dungarees. Didn't worry about an overnight bag, he had plenty of wardrobe options located where he'd be headed.

Furlough 99.

Ass end of the universe.

~*~

Available at Amazon 

Please visit my website

~*~

Gift yourself with more great sneak peeks!

Visit the other participating authors

Thank you for reading!