Hungry Hibiscus

Pretty sure if Reacher owned a TV, Dark Winds would be a show he would enjoy.

Once I finish all the Reacher books, I'm moving on to Tony Hillerman's books that the series is based on.

Don't be surprised if this show makes a cameo in my fic. I can see Sydney and Reacher watching it together on her couch on a Saturday night.

Not an April Fools joke - Chapter 9 is in progress.

CHAPTER 9

Army Regulation 600-20, para. 4–14b

All relationships between Soldiers of different grade are prohibited if they—

(1) Compromise, or appear to compromise, the integrity of supervisory authority or the chain of command.

(2) Cause actual or perceived partiality or unfairness.

(3) Involve, or appear to involve, the improper use of grade or position for personal gain.

(4) Are, or are perceived to be, exploitative or coercive in nature.

(5) Create an actual or clearly predictable adverse impact on discipline, authority, morale, or the ability of the command to accomplish its mission.

Writing may be quieter right now, but the research is still going strong.

Reacher lay on his back, arms behind his head. His gaze drifted to the ceiling as the night before came back in fragments.

I know some of you were probably starting to wonder, maybe even thought, “She’s abandoned this story.” I promise, I haven’t. There may be delays (sometimes long ones 🫣), but I won’t abandon this fic.

Truth is, I work on it almost every day in some form - sketching out future scenes, jotting down dialogue, fine-tuning ideas. I’ve got a lot planned: post-story one-shots, alternate storylines, all kinds of things I can’t wait to explore. But first… we have to get through the main arc, lol.

For whatever reason, this chapter had me stuck. I think I just really wanted to get the post-first-kiss stuff right. I was also debating how much ground to cover in this one, pacing-wise.

The good news: it’s roughed out. Now I’m in polishing mode.

Life and work are still keeping me busy, so I can’t give an exact update timeline, but soon. ❤️ Thanks for sticking with me through the slow spells. 🌺

Hey, just popping in with a quick update.

Chapter 8 is still in progress - slower than I'd like, but very much alive. Work’s been hectic this summer, and I’ve also been wrestling with the tone and direction for this next chapter.

Sydney and Reacher finally shared their first kiss at the end of chapter 7, so… chapter 8 kind of has to land. No pressure, right? 😄😉

The good news? I had a bit of a breakthrough last night, so I’m hopeful the rough draft will come together soon.

Just wanted to let you know I haven’t abandoned the fic - thanks for sticking with me. 🖤 🌺

Fun coincidence for my fanfic though since Sydney's working on restoring a 1970 Chevelle. Hers has the bigger block V8 though - the SS454 😉. Still haven't decided if she's going to go with white or black racing stripes.

The main body color of hers will be the wine red though.

Hope it was worth the wait.