Today marks the last day of the 15th annual Michigan Yard Sale Trail, spanning more than 200 miles. Although it officially begins on a Friday, many people now start setting up and selling on Thursday.
Friday and Saturday saw intermittent thunderstorms and hail, but Mother Nature couldn’t detract from the large numbers of people out searching for bargains or just having a wander. Today, the weather is supposed to be partly sunny with a high of 75F, a perfect day for checking out the sales.
We’ve met people from throughout Michigan and Canada at our tables. While we do like to sell things, most times the conversations are just as enjoyable. I even sold one autographs copy of The Kurdish Connection!
My Work in Progress
With all of the prep work for the annual sales, I didn’t manage to do as much writing as planned. However, the draft of chapter 22 of Dangerous Alliance is now completed and will be posted in a few days.
The Kurdish Connection recently received its tenth five-start review on Amazon. This one came from Preston Holtry, the author of the Morgan Westphal mystery series and the ARRIUS trilogy.
“The Kurdish Connection delivers a fast paced, Adrenalin charged tale of conspiracy, espionage and terrorism. The plot is diabolical and will keep you on the edge to the very end. Randall Krzak is a writer whose background has given him the knowledge and technical skills to craft a compelling novel requiring a seat belt while you read it. I look forward to more from this author.”
Any author would be thrilled with this kind of feedback. Perhaps you’ll be my next reviewer?
Here’s a bit more from Dangerous Alliance:
Hasan shook Gari. His slumped body slid toward the door, Gari’s head on his chest. When Hasan tried to move him, he pulled his hand back.
Blood.
“Allah, help us!”
Gari groaned as he placed a bloody hand on Hasan. “Time … to … leave—” Gari passed out.
***
Hasan continued out of the city, not stopping until he approached the area where they rested overnight. Of the eight men entering Kismaayo in these two Land Rovers, two fled the scene, battered and bruised, but for now, alive.
They wept.
***
Samatar brought the damaged Land Rover to a halt. He struggled to open the door, which fell off its hinges. Losing his balance, he fell into the sand.
Hasan rushed to his side. “Where are the others?”
Samatar coughed, blood seeping out of his mouth. “Tell … tell them we died with bravery in our hearts.” The man’s head lolled to the side as his body sagged.
Perhaps more next time.
Books I’m Reading
With yard work and yard/garage sale preparation taking up a good portion of the week, I wasn’t able to prepare my thoughts about the novel I recently finished reading. Next time, I’ll have a review of Jack Du Brul’s The Lightning Stones and Neptune Island by Tony Reed.
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.
Tai Baker – this is a newly established website/blog by a musician and author. On Mondays, Tai will be posting about the various aspects of novel writing and from time-to-time, interviews with other authors. Check it out!
I’m afraid that’s all the time I have today. Hope you’ve found something of interest or at least useful for your own writing. If you have any suggestions for a topic you’d like to read about, please let me know. Until the next time, thank you for reading!
© Copyright 2017 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
Hi Randy,
Sounds as though the yards sale will be a lot of fun. Also, looking forward to Chapter 22. It’s always a pleasure to read your work. I highly recommend your novels to anyone who enjoys a good thriller.
Also, thank you for including my new blog in your post. I appreciate that! I’m still tinkering with mine, although it’s published online. I’ll be adding a “Links Page” real soon with kinks to blogs I like and Internet sites that might be helpful to aspiring writers. I’ll be sure to add you immediately when it’s ready to go.
Best to you and your lovely wife,
Tai