Just looked outside and noticed the various birds enjoying a snack from the feeders in our apple tree. This morning we have blue jays, cardinals, juncos, chickadees, tree sparrows, and woodpeckers all helping themselves to seeds and suet, while mourning doves scurry across the ground after fallen food. One of our cats is watching the show from a window. He found it too cold–when I checked it was 11F/-11C, but at least the snow has stayed away.
Let’s see who from the writing world were on the birthday list this past week. We have Frank Nelson Doubleday, founder of Doubleday publishing house; Carl Sandburg, U.S. journalist, poet and biographer; Umberto Eco, Italian novelist (The Name of the Rose); Gao Xingjian, novelist, playwright, critic; awarded Nobel Prize for Literature (2000); Doris Kearns Goodwin, biographer, historian, political commentator (No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The American Homefront During WWII and Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln); Marcus Cicero, Roman statesman and author; and Isaac Asimov, American writer of over 300 books including Foundation and I, Robot. Happy birthday to all!
Coming Soon
My first novel, The Kurdish Connection, will be released soon by Moonshine Cove, Publishing, LLC. Here’s what it’s about:
In their daily struggle for survival, Iraqi Kurdish scavengers uncover a cache of chemical weapons. They offer the weapons to fellow Kurdish rebels in Turkey and Syria to assist in their quest to free an imprisoned leader and create a unified homeland. After receiving a tip from an unlikely source, the newly formed Special Operations Bedlam team is called to arms!
Travel with Craig Cameron and his international team on their covert operation as they weave their way through war-torn regions seeking to locate and recover the weapons before they can be used to cause irreparable harm and instigate a world crisis.
The odds are stacked against them. Can they manage to keep their operation hidden and prevent further clashes before it’s too late?
My Work in Progress
While I’m waiting to complete the final editing of The Kurdish Connection, I continue to press forward with research and writing on my first historical novel, New World Revolution. Two chapters have been posted thus far to the subscription writing sites I use. With a total 29 reviews, I’ve received plenty of suggestions to further improve my writing and bring an even better story to readers.
During the past week I had hoped to complete the next chapters of Dangerous Alliance and A Cartel’s Revenge but it wasn’t to be. Too many requirements begging for my attention and insufficient time.
This week a reviewer sent me an idea for a new suspense/thriller. I won’t spill the beans on the plot just yet as it will be some time before I start working on this one. However, I do have a tentative title: The Fickle Assassin. More as time passes.
Books I’m Reading
During the past week I finished reading The Pharaoh’s Secret by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown. I’ve always been a bit Cussler fan since I read his first novel a long time ago.
This story involves the fearless duo, Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala. Someone has uncovered an ancient toxin which supposedly can cause immediate death and also restore the dead. Add in a beautiful and brainy woman and you have a successful recipe to combat evil. If you even Mr. Cussler’s novels, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one, too.
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. With the beginning of a new year, I’d also like to include some lighthearted sites I stumble across, whether comedic or with animals.
Jay Colby – Jay writes about life, inspiration, and motivation.
Writing Resources
With plenty of events still being closed from 2016, I found I still didn’t have much time to spend searching for new writing resources. Most of my research was spent in the past, looking for items of interest to support my historical fiction.
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 2017 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved.
