Last night I watched a thrilling Final Four basketball game between one of my favorite, the University of Michigan, and Loyola Chicago. Although Michigan jumped out to a lead, Loyola quickly fought back and twice led by ten points. However, the Michigan team proved too tough and eventually clawed back, winning by a twelve-point margin. Commiserations to Loyola and congratulation to Michigan!
The final game of the 2017-2018 NCAA men’s basketball season will determine this year’s national champion. Will it be Michigan or Villanova, who blew past Kansas? It should be an exciting finish to the season.
This past Thursday was supposed to be the season opening for the Detroit Tigers. However, Mother Nature had something to say about baseball being played in March in Michigan. The game was delayed until Friday. Although the Pittsburgh Pirates were the victors 13-10, it was a great game.
Mother Nature came back yesterday, delaying the game until today, when the two teams will play a double-header to close out their only meeting of 2018. I hope she lets them play!
My Work in Progress
Not much to say about Dangerous Alliance as I continue to edit. My current plan is to complete the editing process by the middle of May and begin submitting to a number of publishers.
As promised last week, here’s a snippet from one of my other works in progress, New World Revolution:
“Mary, I—” William placed his hands on the table’s patterned woodgrain surface and lowered his head.
“What is the matter?” Mary’s eyes widened. “Has something happened?”
“The crops—I don’t know what we will do.” He lifted his head, tears brimming. “We work hard on our land each year to provide our due to Tobias Sutton, and still have enough left for us to live on and perhaps sell a bit to buy what we might need. This year, we can’t even pay Tobias.”
Mary gathered her apron in her hands, twisting the stained cloth into knots. “There must be something. Talk with Sir Percy’s agent. We’ve been faithful tenants. Perhaps he’ll help.”
“Yes. I’ll seek him on the morrow at the castle and explain our problem. I must make him understand.”
Mary stood and walked over to William, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Husband, you’re a good man. This must be a test from the Lord. You’ll see us through.”
***
“William, what can I do for you today? Is this Thomas? He’s growing into a fine young man, your double.”
“Thank you, Master Sutton. I’ve come because, er, ah well, I have a problem.”
“Most of the tenants have troubles this year. A blight or whatever pestilence is causing payment shortages.” Tobias stared at William. “’Tis the same for you?”
He nodded, ashamed to look Tobias in the face. “Yes, most of the wheat and turnips are spoiled.”
“An issue for everyone. In normal times, I can help out the better tenant farmers, but this year … I can’t make any promises.”
“I—I understand, Master Sutton. I wanted you to know. The boy and I will bring you the best of the crops and try to sell the rest at the market. I hope we can meet our due.”
“Bring what you can in three days’ time. If suitable, they will be used in the castle. Otherwise, I’ll be at the market with you.”
Perhaps more next week.
Books I’m Reading
I recently finished Stoddard’s Gold by John Rose Putnam. Set during the mid-1880s, we join John’s well-crafted characters in the California mountains, searching for the elusive shiny metal–gold.
This novella has everything–good guys, bad guys, a possible budding romance, with plenty of intense drama. For me personally, the story was too short, but John could easily make this into a full novel and create even more intrigue. This was the first story I’ve read of John’s and it won’t be the last.
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.
Moran Communications – The Write Stuff – the author of numerous fiction and non-fiction works, check out his blog, books, and his suggestions for writers.
That brings us to a close for another week. Hope you’ve found something of interest or at least useful for your own writing and reading. 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 2018 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
