This coming Saturday, we’ll be participating in our first craft fair of 2019 at Falkland, Scotland. Our table will include knitwear, hand-made candles, pyrography (woodburning), laminated poetry sheets, and my two published novels. Hope to have a good time and sell a few things! All being well, the weather we’ve had over the past few days will continue so people will be out and about and stop by for a visit.
The bulk of the new kitchen has been completed, with just some tiling and painting to do. When things are finished, I’ll include a photo or two.
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on February 17th. (compliments of http://www.onthisday.com/today/birthdays):
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Spanish poet; Louisa Lawson, Australian suffragist and writer; Samuel Sidney McClure, Irish-American newspaper editor/publisher; Mori Ōgai, Japanese novelist and poet; Fyodor Sologub, Russian symbolist novelist and poet; Andrew Barton “Banjo” Paterson, NSW Australia, poet (Waltzing Matilda); Henri Vandeputte, Belgian author/poet (L’homme Jeune); Isabelle Eberhardt, Swiss explorer and writer; Dorothy Canfield Fisher, American novelist (Book-of-Month-Club); Ronald Arbuthnott Knox, British priest, broadcaster and author (Viaduct Murder); Georg Britting, writer; Theodor Plievier, German writer (Des Kaisers Kulis, Stalingrad); Albert Kuyle, [Louis Kuitenbrouwer], Dutch writer (Jesus’ Robe); Charles B Timmer, Dutch translator/writer (Russia Black on White); Alice “Andre” Norton, American sci-fi author (The Time Traders, The Zero Stone); Per-Jakez Helias, writer/teacher; Margaret Truman, Mo, pres daughter/writer (Murder at FBI); Chaim Potok, American novelist (Promise); Ruth Rendell, English thriller writer (Inspector Wexford novels); Dallas Adams, British actor/painter/writer (Terror From Within); and Mo Yan, Chinese novelist and nobel laureate (Red Sorghum Clan, The Republic of Wine).
How many are you familiar with? There’s definitely one or two who should be recognizable, perhaps not by name, but by the title of their work. Whether you recognize anyone on the list or not, if today’s your special day I hope you have a great one and many more to follow!
My Work in Progress
Editing continues on my third novel, Carnage in Singapore. So far I’m still on 
track to submit the manuscript to my publisher in May/June. Here’s another snippet:
Six wooden huts, each sheltered by immense monkeypod trees, stood in a semicircle near a small cave entrance at the base of Gunung Bintan, a small mountain of 340 meters. Although the occasional tourist group trekked up to the top and down the other side the huts were in an area not frequented by the groups.
A short, gaunt man with black hair, glasses and a full beard, stepped out of the largest hut. Known by the nom de guerre as Musa Rahmet, he was the local leader of Jemaah Anshorut Daulah.
Umar Darma dashed through the downpour from an adjacent hut and joined Musa. Scars crisscrossed his face, the result of a near-fatal motorcycle accident. He shook himself to remove excess water and squatted against the hut’s wall. “The foreigners are secured in their beds with chains. They won’t escape like the others.”
Musa nodded. “Has Wayan identified anyone else for us to seize from Trikora Beach Club?”
“Not yet.”
Musa waved his cigarette. “No matter. The four should be sufficient to make a statement. Too many have escaped.”
More next time.
I didn’t have much time left over to work on the final book of the series, Ultimate Escalation. However, I didn’t manage to complete some research.
In addition, I did some reformatting of two other works in progress: A Cartel’s Revenge and New World Revolution. More about these titles in upcoming posts.
Books I’m Reading
I recently finished Deep Wave (A Troy Bodean Tropical Thriller Book 2) by David F. Berens. This is an easy read with multiple humorous passages sprinkled throughout. One thing which seemed to identify Troy’s character was his hat, which he kept losing and it returned like a wayward puppy. What did Troy spot in the water–a shipwreck or something sinister? He’s hoping it might be a wreck filled with treasure. However, other parties are also interested in what he found with disastrous consequences.
Follow Troy, his brother, and friends as they rush to explore their find. David’s mix of humor, thrills, and even a bit of romance, provides something for everyone.
My Favorite Authors
Next time, I’ll introduce you to another author who has influenced my writing. Unfortunately, I ran out of time this week.
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 2019 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
