Today started out again with a bit of gloom, caused by low-hanging clouds and some fog. The temperature’s a bit cooler, but we certainly can’t complain as it’s still warm—just the sizzle has been reduced.
Earlier this morning, I posted my first author interview with AJ Wallace. I decided to keep the interviews separate from my regular blog postings as they’re about the authors, not me. Hope you’ll check it out.
Anyone out there celebrating a birthday today? I had one earlier in the week—even received a buy one ticket, get another one free offer from the Detroit Tigers!
Here’s a few people from the writing world who share today with you. (compliments of http://www.onthisday.com/today/birthdays):
William Joseph Behr, German writer; Aleksander Kuprin, Russian author (Pojedinok); Zona Gale, American novelist; John Buchan, Gov-Gen of Canada/writer (Battle of Somme); Guillaume Apollinaire, French poet/movie critic (Alcoola); Johannes Lindeboom, vicar/church historian (Neth Archives); Earl Biggers, author (“Charlie Chan” detective series); Jules Romains, French novelist/playwright/poet (Men of Good Will); Emmy van Lokhorst, Dutch author; Christopher Isherwood, English novelist (Goodbye to Berlin); Julio Cortázar, Argentine writer (Blow-Up, Underground Game); Humphrey Searle, England, writer (20th Century counterpoint); Ben Bradlee, American editor, journalist, executive (Washington Post); Alain Peyrefitte, French politician and writer; Naïm Kattan, Canadian novelist and essayist; Gordon Greig, journalist; Cornelis B Vaandrager, [Cor Vaan], Dutch poet (Long Live Joop Massaker); Will Shortz, American crossword editor; Daphne Caruana Galizia, Maltese journalist (Panama Papers); and Eric D. Snider, American humor columnist / movie reviewer.
Recognize anyone? I did, but not as many as in some weeks. Even if you didn’t spot any familiar names, I hope you have a great birthday and many more to follow.
News About My Published Work
My debut novel, The Kurdish Connection, moved up to 50th on Goodreads’ Political Thrillers list! However, if you ignore books from such best-selling authors as Vince Flynn, Tom Clancy, Dan Brown, Robert Ludlum, Frederick Forsyth, David Baldacci, John Grisham, John le Carré, Ken Follet, Jack Higgins, Nelson DeMille, and Stephen King (combined, they account for forty of the top fifty novels), then The Kurdish Connection would be tenth!
My second novel, Dangerous Alliance, will be released soon by Solstice Publishing. It’s currently with an editor. Stay tuned for more information.
United Nations’ sanctions are crippling North Korea. China has turned her back on her malevolent partner. The North Korean military machine is crumbling, unable to function. Oil reserves are minimal and the government seeks new alliances.
Cargo ships are disappearing along the Somali and Kenyan coastline at an alarming rate. Speeches abound, but inaction emboldens Al-Shabab to seek their next prize: Kenya. The terror organization controls land but requires weapons.
Bedlam Bravo team leader Colonel Trevor Franklin (Ret.) leads the small international team into East Africa. Tempers flare as the team is embroiled in a political quagmire. The axis must be stopped to avert an international crisis but at what cost?
My Work in Progress
Efforts continued with Carnage in Singapore during the past week. Four chapters were completed and posted to the two online subscription writing sites I use. Carnage in Singapore received another fifty-three chapter reviews over the past week, bringing the total to 366. Watch for another snippet in next week’s post.
Books I’m Reading
I recently read a book of short stories by Brad Carl. the author of the four-volume series, Grey Areas has Brad turned his writing talents to a series of captivating stories in 6 in the Styx. Each well-crafted story provides a glimpse into Brad’s the zany sense of madness which make’s his genius shine through. Fast-paced, I read the entire collection in less than two hours.
Experience his humor and sense of adventure as we explore these plots through a mixed cast of characters which would fit into any genre. Brad makes it seem so easy, yet it’s quite a switch from writing novels to exhibiting the vision needed to create such complete and spell-binding scenarios. Well done!
I also completed Megalodon by Scott Skipper. This is a delightful tale about a prehistoric shark who’s attacking whales in modern times. A Salvage expert learns of the monster and takes off in pursuit, along with a cast of quirky characters.
The storyline is good and there is plenty of action. As with most stories, there’s also a villain, who wants the shark for himself. Simple to read, if you’re looking for a story with characters who fit the story and not worry about intricate twists and turns, this is the one for you.
Blogs/Author Pages/Writing Sites I’d Like to Share
I’ve expanded this section from being only about blogs that I follow but will also introduce you to some new authors and a few writing sites. While I spent hours reading through various links doing research and preparing to post my first author interview, I didn’t have time to find anything to include here.
This brings us to a close for another week. I hope you 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 2018 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
