It’s been another week of mixed weather–sun, clouds, and rain, but the temperature is gradually creeping up, with the past four days being in the low 70s (F/20s C). Outdoor chores continued, as they will throughout the decent weather. The biggest one this week was power washing the block paving on the driveway. Still have to add sand to fill in the gaps around the bricks, but that’ll be taken care of this week.
A few more plants were added, primarily in pots around the front door. It’s looking great with all the colors!
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on July 14th. (Compliments of http://www.onthisday.com/today/birthdays):
Caspar Abel, German theologian, historian, and poet; John Douglas, Scottish Anglican bishop and man of letters; Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, Russian poet; Mordecai Manuel Noah, American writer, journalist; John G Lockhart, [Scorpion], biographer (Life of Sir Walter Scott); Gertrude Bell, British archaeologist and writer (Desert & The Sown); Owen Wister, American novelist (Virginian); Frank Raymond Leavis, British literary critic (Culture & Environment); Irving Stone, American author (Love is Eternal, Lust for Life); Chaim Raphael, English Jewish scholar and novelist; Northrop Frye, Canadian literary critic; Natalia Ginzburg, Italian author (Family dictionary); Leon Garfield, English children’s author; Frances Lear, Woman’s magazine publisher (Lears); George E. Slusser, American scholar and writer; Susan Howatch, English author; Maulana Karenga, American author and activist; L. Brent Bozell, American author and activist; Joe Keenan, American screenwriter, television producer and novelist; Phil Rosenthal, American newspaper columnist; Brian Selznick, American author and illustrator; and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, English actress, writer and director (Fleabag).
Was anyone familiar to you? I admit there weren’t many recognizable names for me. 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!
News About My Published Work
My online book tour continued through its second week as scheduled. If you’d like to find out more, please check out: https://www.silverdaggertours.com/sdsxx-tours/previous/2 and scroll to the bottom of the page.
I also received the blue ribbon for Dangerous Alliance’s finish as one of seven First in Category winners in the 2018 Chanticleer International Book Awards. It was quite a thrill to open the package and find the ribbon signifying an outstanding achievement in my short fiction-writing career.
In addition to the ribbon, there were several additional prizes, all of which I’ll use to further enhance the promotion and marketing of my work. I’m already planning to submit a novel for the 2019 competition!
My Work in Progress
Carnage in Singapore will be released soon by Solstice Publishing. Here’s another snippet for you:
Both calls finished, Koh spoke first. “My contact stated the English woman is still at the same location, at least for now. Not sure if they’re planning to move her. He didn’t say, but he made me wonder.”
Noah nodded. “I reached someone named Johnathan Wong. He said the usual spot at eleven a.m. What does he mean?”
Koh chuckled. “Jurong Bird Park. He’s fanatical about birds. He loves to visit the Lory Loft and feed the lories and lorikeets.”
“What are they?”
“Small to medium sized parakeets. Beautiful colors.” Koh tapped the side of his head. “He’s a bit, I guess unique in how he views the world, but he’s harmless. He’s a superb source because so many people dismiss him, but he has excellent recall. Can even mimic their voices.”
***
Johnathan switched to a raspy voice. “The man said this was the first stage and more attacks are coming.”
“Did he mention any details, such as where or when?”
Johnathan shook his head and shoulders, spilling some of the birdseed. “No, but he said someone named Musa Ramen, would be pleased. I’m not sure of Ramen, it might be something else, but similar.” Johnathan smiled. “Did I do okay?”
Koh patted him on the shoulder. “Yes, you did. I’ll check back in a couple of days.”
After they left, Noah turned to Koh. “Does the name mean anything to you?”
“No.” Koh shook his head. “But I believe he’s given us a clue. One of the leaders of Jemaah Anshorut Daulah lives on a nearby island. His name is Musa Rahmet.”
More next time.
Work continued on A Cartel’s Revenge, although still at a slow pace. Chapter seventeen was posted to the two subscription writing sites I use. To date, the novel has received 223 chapter reviews. Plenty of excellent recommendations to choose from!
I’ve started the next chapter and hope to have it ready over the next few days.
In the meantime, Michael and I are moving forward with Xavier Sear: Angola. The first 
draft of chapter four has been completed. It might seem like we’re not moving forward very fast, but with eight time zones between us, we rely on email exchanges for communication.
It’s very interesting collaborating on a series such as this. While Angola was originally to be book one, Michael came up with an excellent idea to create a different beginning to the series, introducing Sear as a Clean Cut Kid. More to follow as we continue with this new journey.
Books I’m Reading
I just finished reading Victoria, the latest novel in the Lt. Kate Gazzara series by Blair Howard. Kate and her new partner, Janet, are tasked to identify the killer of a wealthy woman. Before long, two others are killed by the same individual. Coupled with Kate’s normal problems with Deputy Chief Finkle, she has more on her plate to deal with.
As with all of Blair’s novels, this one doesn’t disappoint. With realistic characters, a riveting plot, and plenty of twists and turns, this is a fantastic story which should be a must read for all who enjoy crime stories. Can’t wait for the next one!
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
Congrats to all these achievements. 🤗 I wish I could publish a book in the future. 🙂