It’s hard to believe another month has already sailed fast. Where does the time go? They, whoever they are, say time marches on. It definitely does!
How did trick or treating go last night? We certainly had some tricks–at least from Mother Nature. All of our attempts to clear up fallen leaves this week have been for naught, between daily rain and increased wind. The good news is there aren’t many leaves left on the trees. The forecast for next week is three-four consecutive days without rain, so no guesses what’ll be on the cards!
So, who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on November 1st. (Compliments of http://www.onthisday.com/today/birthdays):
Benvenuto Cellini, Italian sculptor, goldsmith and author (Perseus); Étienne de La Boétie, French judge and writer; Pierre Pithou, French lawyer and scholar (Les Libertés de l’église gallicane); Georg Philipp Harsdörffer, German poet and translator; Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux, French poet and critic; Paul Daniel Longolius, German encylopedist (editor of Grosses vollständiges Universal-Lexicon); W. H. Grattan Flood, Irish author and composer; Stephen Crane, American novelist (Red Badge of Courage); Grantland Rice, American sportswriter (New York Herald Tribune 1914-30, Colliers 1925-37; Sholem Asch, Polish-Jewish novelist and playwright (East River, Three Cities); Hermann Broch, Austrian novelist (Sleepwalkers, Bewitchment); Edmund Blunden, English poet and critic (Undertones of War); Naomi Mitchison, Scottish author (African Heroes, Return to Fairy Hill); Nordahl Grieg, Norwegian poet, dramatist and novelist (The Defeat); Jean Tardieu, French dramatist; Henri Troyat, Russian-French author and historian; Zenna Henderson, American sci-fi author (Anything Box); John H. Secondari, American author and newscaster (Open Hearing); Ilse Aichinger, Austrian writer (Die größere Hoffnung); Edward A de Jongh, Antillian author (The Arch); Gordon R. Dickson, Canadian-American sci-fi author (Genetic General); Rudy Kousbroek, Dutch writer and literary (Leopold the Buch); A. R. Gurney, American playwright (The Dining Room); Kim Krizan, American writer and actress (Slacker, Dazed & Confused); and Louise Boije af Gennäs, Swedish writer and novelist (Stjärnor utan svindel).
Anyone familiar to you? This was another unknown group 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!
My Published Work
I learned yesterday the audio version of Colombian Betrayal has been approved and is heading to retail shortly. Before long, you’ll be able to grab a copy!
For those who are unaware of this story, here’s the synopsis:
A Colombian drug lord watched her profits diminish over the years. Unable to increase market share because of a shrinking consumer base and a new international competitor, she form an unholy alliance.
Olivia Moreno, head of the Barranquilla Cartel, struck a deal with a regional leader within the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Little did she know but she initiated her own death warrant. FARC had an unknown support group who wanted a foothold in South America – Islamic State.
Forced to flee, Moreno is captured by a small CIA team. Fearing for her life, she spins a tale about using her money and manpower to destroy ISIS. Laws and rules of engagement mean nothing to her, only her life and family matter.
Will team leader AJ Bruce strike a deal to turn the tables on ISIS and stop them from launching a concentrated attack on the United States? Or will they be too late? If successful, will Moreno’s reward be total control of Afghanistan’s poppy fields or will she be doubled-crossed?
My Work in Progress
I finished my second edit pass of Xavier Sear: Angola this past week. Based on feedback from my advanced reader team, I’m considering changing the name to: Mission: Angola (A Xavier Sear Thriller).
The verdict is still out on the name change, but I have another month to make a decision before the manuscript is ready for submission.
This one was a bit of a challenge to write. Unlike my previous novels, I haven’t been to Angola, so plenty of research went into this one. As one of my readers told me overnight, “… this book went that extra mile. I think it’s a masterpiece.”
There are still a few more readers to finish and I plan to do two more edit passes before I deem the manuscript at a point to send it off. Stay tuned for further updates!
This week I also continued working on Revenge and New World Revolution, but I didn’t finish any chapters–too much time spent on Angola. Hopefully, this upcoming week I’ll be able to move both stories forward.
That’s all for this week. I hope you found something of interest and will continue to follow my writing journey. 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 and hope you drop in again.
© Copyright 2020 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
