While the first day of spring passed us by on the calendar on the 20th of March, we’re beginning to see glimpses it might really be here in our little patch on Lake Huron. Migratory birds, such as the red-winged blackbird and the robin are returning. Ducks and geese are now heading north instead of south.
Several neighbors, cooped up for weeks, are smiling as they skim across the grass on their riding lawn mowers. While this seems a bit optimistic at this early stage, these are all signs winter might be over. Needless to say, we have brilliant sunshine, blue skies, and the lake is like glass.
My Work in Progress
Why do I keep writing? Why not–I’m enjoying the journey. Of course, it doesn’t hurt when a reviewer of Dangerous Alliance, my main work-in-progress, compares my writing to Steve Berry, a New York Times and international best-selling author, with over 21,000,000 copies of his books in print. I know my work isn’t to this type of standard, perhaps one day, but I’ll take whatever comparisons people want to make, especially if it helps sell books!
Once again, almost everything, except some marketing and publicity of The Kurdish Connection, took a back seat to everyday requirements. I hope things settle down so I can resume writing on a daily basis.
I doubled my word count on the next chapter of Dangerous Alliance, and hope to have it posted for review this week. The overall number of chapter reviews for the fifteen chapters posted on the two subscription writing sites I use increased from 245 to 268. Plenty of useful feedback, which will aid me when I enter the editing phase.
Here’s a bit more from Dangerous Alliance:
A gaunt Somali woman, dressed in a stained guntiino, garbasaar, and shash (dress, shawl, and scarf) with two children in tow, reached the gates. She leaned on a post, struggling to remain upright. The children, covered in tattered Western clothing, slumped to the ground.
The three men dashed forward, David carrying water bottles. “Give them small sips of water. They’ll be dehydrated and thirsty. Too dangerous to let them drink fast and it might kill them.”
***
Two hours later, George woke with a start. What woke me? Total quiet engulfed the camp. Not a sound ventured forward to break the calm.
Sounds like several cars backfiring disturbed the night.
Gunfire!
Adults screamed children cried. George and Alf dove off their cots, hugging the floor. The gunfire and screams intensified.
“Alf. Stay down. I’m going to check this out.”
“George, are you crazy? Keep on the floor until Ian or David contact us.”
“But what if the camp is under attack? Perhaps, I can do something.”
“Are you insane?” Alf grabbed George’s arm. “Stay put. We’ll find out soon enough what’s happened.”
Perhaps a bit more next week.
Books I’m Reading
This week I finished reading Angelina’s Secret (Jeweled Dagger Series), the debut novel of Diane Merrill Wigginton. This is an interesting story of opposites–a strong-willed English woman of aristocratic birth who abandons societal norms and lives life as she sees fit. Add a Frenchman who can’t decide if he’s a pirate or a duke and sparks fly.
Set in the 18th Century, Lady Stewart and Captain Deveraux first cross paths when the ship she’s on is captured by pirates, continues in London, eventually leading to a mansion in France. A great glimpse into the openness of their relationship as they carve a niche in society. Full of adventure, excitement, intrigue, and love, this is an easy and enjoyable read. I look forward to reading the sequel.
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. However, with the day-to-day commitments this week, I wasn’t able to check out new sites. Perhaps 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 2017 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved.
