Randall's Ramblings

Randall’s Ramblings, April 23, 2017

Yesterday, I began one of the season’s rituals–cutting the grass. Aah! Nothing like the scent of fresh-cut grass. Of course, by the time I get the first cut completed, I might be thinking something else.

We’re off to a beautiful start to the day. Brilliant sunshine, almost warm (a light chill in the breeze), and not a cloud in the sky. Long may it last!

My Work in Progress

This week I attended a monthly reading group at one of the district libraries. They purchased ten copies of The Kurdish Connection last month and I joined them to explain about my writing journey, answer any questions, and sign their books.  They came prepared!  Two members had even downloaded maps for Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, and had drawn the routes mentioned in the story.  It was pretty impressive. So were their questions, which came rapid-fire for almost ninety minutes. It was a great experience and they are already looking forward to purchasing the sequel.

By the way, The Kurdish Connection finished fourth in the weekly cover contest held by a website called Author Shout. Not too bad out of fifteen.

Speaking of the sequel, Dangerous Alliance is slowly moving forward. Once again, external forces kept me from the keyboard, but I did manage to add a few words to the chapter. It’s not for lack of trying but lack of hours in the day!

Here’s a bit more from Dangerous Alliance:

“You and Marco go to the refrigerated hold, a container to unload.” Luigi handed Trevor a piece of paper, a number scrawled in block letters.

Trevor and Marco headed into their designated work area to prepare the designated container. Trevor disconnected the cooling pipes from his side, waiting for Marco to finish.

A piercing scream enveloped the hold’s normal noises. Trevor dropped the cable he held, rushing to the source.

Luigi approached Trevor. “What happened?”

“No idea. I disconnected the hose on my side and waited for Marco. The next thing, he screamed.”

“Is there an—” Trevor glanced behind Luigi as he glimpsed a long shadow ascending the stairs in the back of the hold. Wonder who it is?

More next week.

Books I’m Reading

As I mentioned last time, I finished Justified and Sacrifice by Carolyn Arnold. I enjoyed both but didn’t have a chance to craft my reviews. Here are my thoughts:

Justified

Carolyn Arnold has done it again!  Justified continues the crime adventures of Detective Madison Knight and her partner, Terry.  It’s Christmas time, but no rest for the detectives of the Major Crimes Division as a dead body is found. Madison, definitely an A-type personality, gives the crime the same attention as she does with every murder. Focused on identifying the culprit, she is at odds with Terry, her boyfriend, and even her police sergeant. Despite this, Madison believes that everyone deserves her undivided attention.
Who is behind the death of Claire Reeves? There’s certainly no lack of potential candidates, but why was she killed? Love, money or blackmail? Madison and Terry take us on a journey through Claire’s past. For every person cleared new clues point to someone else. Undeterred, Madison forges forward with Terry’s assistance until they find the culprit. A great journey and I couldn’t put it down.  Well done!
Sacrifice
In this third book in the series, Madison Knight goes adrift of the police chief when the son of one of the city’s wealthiest and most influential people turns up dead. Pressure mounts as the police chief denies Madison’s access to the dead man’s father, almost to the point of collusion. This is an intense story, with Terry worry he might be out of a job, especially after Madison is suspended for pushing the boundaries far too much.
Terry carries on as best as he can, until Madison is reinstated. Together, they sift through clues and determine not only where the man was killed but by whom. A great thriller, with plenty of mystery and intrigue as the story unfolds. Another great one by Carolyn Arnold!

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.

 

 

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