Randall’s Ramblings, March 17, 2019

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to all the Irish!

Mother Nature had another laugh yesterday, throwing rain, sleet, and snow at us. Eventually, it turned back to rain and the snow disappeared, at least at the lower elevations. This morning, when I went to get the daily paper, snow still graced the higher elevations. 

So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on March 17th. (compliments of http://www.onthisday.com/today/birthdays):

Ebenezer Elliott, British Poet. Know as the “Corn Law Rhymer'”; Jean Ingelow, English poet; Oskar Peschel, German journalist/geography (Volkerkunder); Kristian Elster, Norwegian author (Less bror Harris); Urmuz, Romanian writer; Paul Green, American novelist/playwright (In Abraham’s Bosom); Boris N Poveloi, [Kampov], Russian journalist/writer; Siegfried Lenz, German writer (Ein Kriegsende); Nancy Sheehan, writer; James Morrow, American author; William [Ford] Gibson, Canadian sci-fi author (Neuromancer, Count Zero); Rory McGrath, British comedian, television personality, and writer (Who Dares Wins, They Think It’s All Over);

How many did you recognize? There’s definitely one or two who should be familiar, 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. I’m almost done with my second pass through the manuscript this week. Here’s another snippet:

“Uncle, this is Noah Appleman from Australia. DG Robertson sent him. Noah, this is my favorite uncle from my mother’s side of the family, Feng Lee.”

“An honor to meet you, sir. DG Robertson sends his regards and hopes we can provide some assistance.”

Feng Lee nodded and waved the men to seats. “What do you know of ISD, Mr. Appleman?”

“Please, call me Noah. I admit not much, a bit from the Internet. Whatever you guys do here, you sure know how to keep it under wraps.”

His host nodded. “We are a secretive organization, so we share little information. We address various threats to the security of the Republic of Singapore. Of most importance are domestic terrorism, apprehension of suspected militants, and protection of our national borders. Most of our personnel come from the Singapore National Police.”

“A complex portfolio. How might I assist?”

“Over the past few weeks, nine bodies have washed up on our shores. All appear to be foreigners. The identities of three are known.” Feng Lee crossed his legs and sighed. “What disturbs me is they did not enter Singapore in any legal manner, so where did they come from? I’m receiving pressure from the Prime Minister’s office to resolve this matter as soon as possible.”

“What are their nationalities? Is someone targeting a specific country?” If so, why? Noah pursed his lips. “Are you certain the bodies were washed ashore or did someone put them there to create that impression?”

Feng Lee glanced at Koh and nodded.

“We believe they are from Australia, England or the United States, where most of our Caucasian tourists originate.” Koh lifted a single sheet of paper from the desk. “The first two identified themselves but succumbed to their injuries. The one from England, a woman, is still alive. We’ll meet with her later.”

“Any idea about the cause of death?”

More next time.

I’ve also continued working on the next chapter of Ultimate Escalation. Hopefully, it’ll be finished over the next week.

Books I’m Reading

I recently finished reading Aftermath by Blair Howard. The fourteenth book in the Harry Starke series, it’s even more riveting than its predecessors. Blair never ceases to amaze me with his intricate plots and life-like characters.

What’s Harry up to this time? It’s become personal–saving members of his family and protecting those who work for him. There’s even a stunning revelation from Bob, but you’ll have to buy the book to find out more as I don’t like to spoil the fun. I hope Harry continues with more exploits for us to follow. This has been an excellent series!

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