#WeWriWa ~ THE SPY: What Chance Did Genna Have? #sfr

Each weekend, the Weekend Writing Warriors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

Thanks to all who visited last week. I'm sharing snippets from The Spy: An Outer Rim Novel. It's the 4th book in my series featuring strong women on the frontier of space. 

Because this is a work in progress, suggestions are greatly appreciated. Genna is at headquarters meeting with the Commissioner of the Clandestine Sector of Coalition of Planets Intelligence. I've continued where I left off last week. The Commissioner told Genna that two handlers have died trying to bring in the spy whose cover is blown. The Commissioner just told Genna, “You are going to rescue our agent.”

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. 

   “Me?” Her first mission couldn’t be one so important. Nobody would assign a newbie to bring in a valuable asset, and this guy must be very valuable if they sent two people to bring him in. Hang on, those two people died trying to rescue him—what chance did she have?
   Why would they assign such a high-priority task to her, an untried rookie?
   “You’re an unknown,” the Commissioner said, as if reading her mind, “You’ve proven that you can handle yourself no matter the task.”
   “That was just training, sir.”
   “Did you think training isn’t real? We set you and the other trainees up with real-life scenarios, situations that had already been solved. Your trainer and I were impressed with your unique perspective and methods of attacking the situations.”

Tentative blurb:

Rookie agent must rescue veteran before his cover is blown.

Genna Nogaro, new to the Coalition of Planets’ Intelligence Commission, is assigned to bring in an undercover operative in Hallart’s organization. More experienced agents died before getting him out. Were they killed by the intergalactic gangster or has the operative gone rogue?

Quintall d’Sernin, con man extraordinaire, infiltrated the mob and moved up to be the gangster’s right-hand man. Hallart has his tentacles throughout the Coalition—business, industry, and government. Quin’s finally worked himself into a valued position. All he needs is the key to mob structure in order for Coalition forces to take down the entire organization.

Genna will pose as a new recruit to distract Hallart long enough for Quin to find the key. If they work together, they can accomplish more. But Quin and Genna’s lives are jeopardized by a mole in the Intelligence Commission. Will their true roles be revealed before they accomplish their goal?

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors.

#IWSG: February Blues?

Happy Insecure Writers Support Group Day. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. We are rockin' the neurotic writing world!

A huge thank you to the awesome co-hosts for this month Lee Lowery, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Jennifer Hawes, Cathrina Constantine, and Tyrean Martinson! 

February 5 optional question - Has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did you finish it? 

My answer: nope. Well, not yet. I'm curious to read what others say.

If you've been hanging around the IWSG world for the past few years, you probably noticed that I really don't like February. Never mind Valentine's Day, never mind Hubs' birthday, or any other celebration. February in Michigan is blah. Worse than blah. It's gray, gray, gray. It's downright depressing. 

Last year, we got away for a week to the sunny Alabama coast. What a pick-me-up. This year, we're staying home while Hubs goes through cardio rehab following his heart valve replacement. By the time he's finished, Spring will have arrived. So, what can I do to prevent the February blues from setting in and spoiling the good time I'm having finishing my current WIP? 

Double up on Vitamin D

Get out in the sunshine (whenever it appears)

Turn on my "happy" lamp

Change my attitude

If I can't get to the sunshine, I guess I'll have to make some. My daughter gave me the lamp that imitates the benefits of sunshine. It really does work. 

Attitude is the chief way of getting through the February gloom that descends each year on the Great Lakes states. As much as I love Lake Michigan in the summer, it's murder on the mood in the winter. So I have to accept that and move on. Not let it take over.

This month, I'm going to finish THE SPY (An Outer Rim Novel), the science fiction romance I've been dogging around on for over a year. I wrote myself into a corner and couldn't see my way out. So I didn't bother opening the file--other than for snippets each weekend with the Weekend Writing Warriors. The encouragement and comments from the participants is spurring me on. So far this month, I've written 5k words. I'm on a roll. LOL Only 20k to go. Stay tuned to see if I make it.

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.

#WeWriWa ~ THE SPY: Genna's Mission #sfr

Each weekend, the Weekend Writing Warriors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

Thanks to all who visited last week. I'm sharing snippets from The Spy: An Outer Rim Novel. It's the 4th book in my series featuring strong women on the frontier of space. 

Because this is a work in progress, suggestions are greatly appreciated. Genna is at headquarters meeting with the Commissioner of the Clandestine Sector of Coalition of Planets Intelligence. I've continued where I left off last week. The Commissioner told Genna that two handlers have died trying to bring in the spy whose cover is blown.

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. 

Taking a deep breath, she said, “Sir, is it possible the agent turned? That he killed those sent to bring him in?”

He stared hard at her. “Absolutely not.”

His vehemence stunned her. She wouldn’t go there again.

“That’s why I called you in.”

Genna had a bad feeling about that. “Sir?”

“You are going to rescue our agent.”

Tentative blurb:

Rookie agent must rescue veteran before his cover is blown.

Genna Nogaro, new to the Coalition of Planets’ Intelligence Commission, is assigned to bring in an undercover operative in Hallart’s organization. More experienced agents died before getting him out. Were they killed by the intergalactic gangster or has the operative gone rogue?

Quintall d’Sernin, con man extraordinaire, infiltrated the mob and moved up to be the gangster’s right-hand man. Hallart has his tentacles throughout the Coalition—business, industry, and government. Quin’s finally worked himself into a valued position. All he needs is the key to mob structure in order for Coalition forces to take down the entire organization.

Genna will pose as a new recruit to distract Hallart long enough for Quin to find the key. If they work together, they can accomplish more. But Quin and Genna’s lives are jeopardized by a mole in the Intelligence Commission. Will their true roles be revealed before they accomplish their goal?

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors.

#WeWriWa ~ THE SPY: His Handler Disappeared #sfr

Each weekend, the Weekend Writing Warriors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

Thanks to all who visited last week. I'm sharing snippets from The Spy: An Outer Rim Novel. It's the 4th book in my series featuring strong women on the frontier of space. 

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. 

Because this is a work in progress, suggestions are greatly appreciated. Genna is at headquarters meeting with the Commissioner of the Clandestine Sector of Coalition of Planets Intelligence. I've continued where I left off last week. The last sentence was: Worried and distressed for the agent, Genna blurted out, “He should have gotten himself out of the field right away if he thought his cover was blown.”

“I agree, I ordered his handler to bring him in.”

“Why didn’t the handler do so?” Again, she spoke without thinking—not good to second guess a handler, or the chief himself—her trainer had taught her better.

“. . . the handler disappeared, dead, we think.”

She straightened in her chair, “When was that?”

“Two tendays ago.”

“Two tendays?” By the Matriarch. “Anything could have happened, why didn’t you—I mean, why wasn’t someone else sent in?”

“She, too, disappeared.”

Tentative blurb:

Rookie agent must rescue veteran before his cover is blown.

Genna Nogaro, new to the Coalition of Planets’ Intelligence Commission, is assigned to bring in an undercover operative in Hallart’s organization. More experienced agents died before getting him out. Were they killed by the intergalactic gangster or has the operative gone rogue?

Quintall d’Sernin, con man extraordinaire, infiltrated the mob and moved up to be the gangster’s right-hand man. Hallart has his tentacles throughout the Coalition—business, industry, and government. Quin’s finally worked himself into a valued position. All he needs is the key to mob structure in order for Coalition forces to take down the entire organization.

Genna will pose as a new recruit to distract Hallart long enough for Quin to find the key. If they work together, they can accomplish more. But Quin and Genna’s lives are jeopardized by a mole in the Intelligence Commission. Will their true roles be revealed before they accomplish their goal?

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors.

#WeWriWa ~ THE SPY His Cover is Blown #sfr

Each weekend, the Weekend Writing Warriors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

Thanks to all who visited last week. I'm embarrassed that I didn't get to everyone. Time got away from me. I'm sharing snippets from The Spy: An Outer Rim Novel. It's the 4th book in my series featuring strong women on the frontier of space. 

Because this is a work in progress, suggestions are greatly appreciated. Genna is at headquarters meeting with the Commissioner of the Clandestine Sector of Coalition of Planets Intelligence. I've skipped a few paragraphs.

The Commissioner leaned forward, his elbows on the arms of his chair, “I called you here because we have a situation that couldn’t be conveyed over comm channels.”

“I’m surprised, sir. I thought CPIC comms were the most secure.”

“No system is one hundred percent secure—we believe one of our agents is in danger and must be pulled out.”

“I don’t understand, surely her handler is in a position to protect her.”

“The agent is male, and his handler lost touch with him three tendays ago.”

“Isn’t that unusual? During training, we were told that—”

“His undercover work often put him out of reach, but he’s never been incommunicado for so long. The last thing he told his handler was that suspicions were arising about him.”

Worried and distressed for the agent, Genna blurted out, “He should have gotten himself out of the field right away if he thought his cover was blown.”

Tentative blurb:

Rookie agent must rescue veteran before his cover is blown.

Genna Nogaro, new to the Coalition of Planets’ Intelligence Commission, is assigned to bring in an undercover operative in Hallart’s organization. More experienced agents died before getting him out. Were they killed by the intergalactic gangster or has the operative gone rogue?

Quintall d’Sernin, con man extraordinaire, infiltrated the mob and moved up to be the gangster’s right-hand man. Hallart has his tentacles throughout the Coalition—business, industry, and government. Quin’s finally worked himself into a valued position. All he needs is the key to mob structure in order for Coalition forces to take down the entire organization.

Genna will pose as a new recruit to distract Hallart long enough for Quin to find the key. If they work together, they can accomplish more. But Quin and Genna’s lives are jeopardized by a mole in the Intelligence Commission. Will their true roles be revealed before they accomplish their goal?

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors.

#WeWriWa ~ The Spy: Genna Has a Mission #sfr

Each weekend, the Weekend Writing Warriors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

Thanks to everyone who visited last week. Your support and comments always give me new ideas. I'm sharing snippets from The Spy: An Outer Rim Novel. It's the 4th book in my series featuring strong women on the frontier of space. 

Because this is a work in progress, suggestions are greatly appreciated. Genna is at headquarters meeting with the Commissioner of the Clandestine Sector of Coalition of Planets Intelligence. The Commissioner speaks first.

“How do you know all this—you haven’t been out on the Rim for two years.”

“I have friends out there, friends in Security Forces, and I keep tabs on what’s happening there, in the event I ever go back.”

The commissioner tapped his upper lip, “I have a mission for you, in Malcor Sector.”

Relief rushed through her—she did have a job.

He stroked his chin, “Didn’t you serve under Commander Servary on Vesteron Colony?”

She tightened her jaw—the mention of his name brought an ache to her heart, then seeing him today when he didn’t recognize her had transformed that ache into anguish. Controlling her features, she forced herself not to reveal her feelings.

Oblivious, Vorinda went on, “Servary cleaned up the mess his predecessor left behind when he retired—too bad he isn’t still with Security. Weren’t you and he . . . close at one time?”

Helpless to prevent the heat that crept up her neck and into her cheeks, she said, “Yes, sir.”

Tentative blurb:

Rookie agent must rescue veteran before his cover is blown.

Genna Nogaro, new to the Coalition of Planets’ Intelligence Commission, is assigned to bring in an undercover operative in Hallart’s organization. More experienced agents died before getting him out. Were they killed by the intergalactic gangster or has the operative gone rogue?

Quintall d’Sernin, con man extraordinaire, infiltrated the mob and moved up to be the gangster’s right-hand man. Hallart has his tentacles throughout the Coalition—business, industry, and government. Quin’s finally worked himself into a valued position. All he needs is the key to mob structure in order for Coalition forces to take down the entire organization.

Genna will pose as a new recruit to distract Hallart long enough for Quin to find the key. If they work together, they can accomplish more. But Quin and Genna’s lives are jeopardized by a mole in the Intelligence Commission. Will their true roles be revealed before they accomplish their goal?

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors.

#IWSG: January is Great

Happy Insecure Writers Support Group Day. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. We are rockin' the neurotic writing world!

Thank you to this month's awesome co-hosts: T. Powell Coltrin, Victoria Marie Lees, Stephen Tremp, Renee Scattergood, and J.H. Moncrieff!

Happy New Year! I love January. The holidays are over. Our son and grandson were born this month so we still have celebrating to do. It's not just a new month it's a new year. Yay! A new beginning! A new start or starting over. Best of all, this year started with Hubs' valve replacement. God certainly blessed us and the doctors at Meijer Heart Center in Grand Rapids as they did a TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) which meant no open heart surgery. Hubs (and the docs) did so well he came home the next day. He looks and feels so much better. Thank you to everyone who sent healing thoughts and prayers.

This month's optional question. What started you on your writing journey? Was it a particular book, movie, story, or series? Was it a teacher/coach/spouse/friend/parent? Did you just "know" suddenly you wanted to write?

More the last one. My kids were getting ready to go off to college. My "job" of caring for them and volunteering for their activities was ending. It was my turn to do what I wanted. I'd written fan fiction with my girlfriend in high school. (At the time, we didn't know that's what it was called.) Somehow, I got away from writing until much later. I wish I'd started sooner--gotten in on the 80s bandwagon when publishers were craving romantic fiction. But then I wouldn't have enjoyed the life I had. And the experiences. 

What started you on your writing journey? I'm eager to find out.

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.