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Randall’s Rambling’s, July 17, 2016

Yesterday afternoon, we were treated to a horizon filled with sailboats–the annual sailboat race from Port Huron to Mackinac Island. According to a note from the Associated Press, 214 boats were participating this year.  While we have a ringside seat, the boats were too far from shore to make much out other than the myriad sail colors. Still, it’s always a site to behold.

If your birthday was yesterday or today, congratulations and may you have many more. Notable personalities with birthdays on July 16th and 17th include: Ida Bell Wells, journalist; Anita Brookner, writer; Dag Solstad, Norwegian novelist and playwright; Eric Stanley Gardner, detective writer and creator of Perry Mason; Donald Davie, English poet and literary critic; James Purdy, writer; and Laszlo Nagy, Hungarian poet.

Why I want to Write–What’s Led Me to This Stage in My Life

Last week, I provided snippets from my ongoing novel, ‘A Malicious Affiliation’. I’ll provide more next time, but today I’d like to share from my latest short story, ‘Trek For Survival’:

The Cessna 182 single engine plane circled around Mount Kilimanjaro. Jomo Matu, the owner of Matu Explorations, beamed with pride as he veered around the mountain while his three passengers snapped away.
 
As the aircraft began to rotate, Jomo worked the controls to return to a gentle glide, perspiration breaking out across his forehead as muscles tightened, his face in a grimace as he fought a losing battle. The plane pitched downward, throwing Jomo forward. His head met the windscreen, almost knocking him out.

“Our Father who ar—” Marc prayed while Maddison and Michael closed their eyes and held hands.

 
 The wing slammed against the side of the mountain, ripping away and putting the plane into an uncontrolled slide away from Jomo’s intended landing zone. Tail first, the craft shot over the edge of a small cliff and flipped over.
More next week.

My Work in Progress

Another busy week with work outdoors taking priority over writing. No further progress on ‘A Cartel’s Revenge’, although the three chapters I’ve posted on my two subscription writing sites have received a total of seventy-five reviews for me to sift through.

I completed the first draft of ‘Trek For Survival’ and will be editing for the remainder of the weekend before posting to the two writing sites for review.  Based on discussions with one of my stalwart reviewers, I’m also considering using the story as a basis for a longer work, either a novella or a novel.

‘Trek For Survival’ will be submitted for consideration in an anthology being organized through http://writers-net.club.  The club is always looking for new members, so click on the link and check them out.

Editing of my short story ‘Countdown to Extinction’ continued, but at a slow pace. It will be submitted to a contest next month. Didn’t have any time left over to work on ‘A Malicious Affiliation’ but hope to be back at the manuscript next week.

 

Books I’m Reading

I received a copy of ‘Camelot Games’ for an advanced read. Won’t spill the beans as the author is still working with his editor, but it’s a winner!

I’m also scurrying to finish reading two other novels, recently completed by fellow writers on one of the subscription sites before the stories go to editors.

Watch this space for upcoming news about these novels!

Blogs/Author Pages/Writing Sites I’d Like to Share

I’ve expanded this section from being only about blogs that I follow but also introduce you to some new authors and a few writing sites. Hope you’ll check out the links!

Kerry J. Donovan – If you haven’t stopped by to read Kerry’s website, you’re missing out on some great works by a superb crime and thriller author. He recently released ‘The Collection’, a selection of dark stories and flash fiction.

Stellar Animals – who says pictures don’t tell a thousand words? Check out this collection of cats, dogs, and other animals.

Writing Resources

I don’t have any new writing resources to share this week.  I hope to have something as soon as I resume my research, but it might be the end of August as I’m tying up various loose ends with the short stories. Have an enjoyable weekend.

Once again, we’ve reached the end of another ramble.  Hope you’ve found something of interest or at least useful for your own writing.  Until the next time, thank you for reading!

© Copyright 2016 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

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