Randall's Ramblings

Randall’s Ramblings, December 18, 2016

Mother Nature decided last weekend’s snowfall, about seven inches, was insufficient to get us started for winter. Between Friday and Saturday, we received another six inches, along with plenty of cold air.

So far I’ve managed to dig us out from both storms without too much difficulty. Just bundled up well, with three layers of clothing, two pairs of gloves, and a thick, hand-knitted hat, and I was up for the challenge.  Hopefully, I’ll get a break now, so I can do some writing!

Now on to our birthday greetings. If you’ve had a birthday during the past few days, you’ve shared it with the likes of: John Greenleaf Whittier, American poet, abolitionist, reformer and founder of the Liberal Party; William Safire, journalist and author; Bob Guccione, publisher; founder of Penthouse magazine; Jane Austen, novelist (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice); Arthur C. Clarke, English science fiction writer (2001: A Space Odyssey); Sir Quentin Saxby Blake, illustrator and children’s writer, received the Hans Christian Andersen Award (2002) and was Britain’s first Children’s Laureate (1999–2001); Nicholas P. Dallis, a psychiatrist turned comic strip writer who created the long-running strips Rex Morgan, M.D., Judge Parker, and Apartment 3-G; and Nostradamus [Michel de Nostredame], French astrologer and physician.  Happy birthday to all!

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

Research continues to play an important role in my preparations for continuing with each of my works in progress. Even though I’m writing fiction, I try to keep an element of realism within my writing. This will be particularly true with my first historical work, New World Revolution. While initially planned as a stand-alone story, I now envision this expanding to a maximum of three books, following the Alexander family from their tenant farm in northern England to their life in the New World.

My Work in Progress

Despite the amount of time I devoted to clearing snow this past week, I still managed to do more writing. The next chapter of Dangerous Alliance is underway. Last night I also completed and posted chapter nine of A Cartel’s Revenge to my subscription writing sites. I have a couple of reviews already, but haven’t had a chance to go through them.

Here’s a bit more from A Cartel’s Revenge:

They waited outside a door labeled ‘Nurse Practioner – You’re in My Hands Now.’ Javier held several paper towels against his wound while AJ and Tex stood on either side of him.

A short, rotund woman with spiky orange hair approached. “Tex, you better give me a good reason for waking me up in the middle of the night. This better not be another one of your practical jokes.” She unlocked the door and waved them inside.

“Would a gun shot be enough reason, Ann? My friend got in the way of a bullet.”

“Let’s take a look.” She led them into the examination room and flicked a switch, bathing the room in intense light.

Ann donned latex gloves and checked over Javier’s injury. “Hmm. Where I come from this is a scratch. A few stitches and a tetanus shot, and you should be fixed up.”

“I-I’ll step outside, Ann. I’ve seen you work before and you scare the bejesus out of me.”

More next time.

Books I’m Reading

Recently I finished reading Preston Holt’s third action-packed mystery, Seal of Confession. Set in New Mexico during a period of railroad expansion and the legacy of Spanish land grants, who killed an innocent man? What secret did he stumble across that led to his early demise?

Once again Preston weaves a myriad of characters into his tale, making the reader guess who really is behind the man’s murder. Railway or cattle barons, miners, and even a priest or two all seem to benefit. An excellent portrayal of the times, from the mind of a great writer.  This is worthy of five stars and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

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. This week, though, I didn’t have a chance to check any out. Hopefully, I’ll have a couple of new ones to share next time.

Writing Resources

Each week continues to bring me a step closer to the release of The Kurdish Connection, so a large part of my research time is also devoted to work on my promotion/publicity plan. Hopefully, I’ll have something to share with you next time.

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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