Happy New Year, everyone! Hope 2021 is filled with good health, prosperity, and is a rewarding year for you.
Mother Nature missed the Christmas snow, but it’s certainly been more like a winter scene since. Not a lot of accumulation–just enough to turn everything white. The days are already getting longer; well, at least the amount of daylight is, and it won’t be long before the dreary days will subside. I hope.
I can’t share any quotes with you today as the site I choose them from seems to be down. We’ll have to wait until next time.
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on January 3rd. (Compliments of http://www.onthisday.com/today/birthdays):
Pietro Metastasio, Italian poet; Charles Palissot de Montenoy, French writer/politician; Douglas William Jerrold, author/playwright/wit (Punch Mag); Henry Handel Richardson [Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson], Australian novelist (Richard Mahoney); John G Fletcher, American poet (Epic of Arkansas); Osip E Mandelstam, Polish/Russian poet/author (Kamenj); J. R. R. Tolkien, British author (The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings); Pierre Drieu La Rochelle, French novelist/essayist (Gilles); Roman Brandstaetter, writer; Thomas Stuart Willan, historian; Roger W. Straus, Jr., American publisher; Morten Nielsen, Danish poet/resistance fighter; Marcel Dubé, Quebec playwright; Betty Rollin, actress (Crossing Delancey)/author (Last Wish); Glen Larson, American television producer & writer (Battlestar Galactica, Magnum PI, & Knight Rider); Blanche d’Alpuget, Australian novelist, biographer; Francesca Lia Block, American author; and Alex Wheatle MBE, black British novelist.
Anyone familiar to you? I’m sure most people have heard of J. R. R. Tolkien. 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
All four of my published novels are participating in a Book Funnel promotion to kick off the new year. It’s called Welcome to 2021 – A New Chapter. Why not click and check out the 124 novels on offer? You might find someone new to read.
My Work in Progress
The end of 2020 saw the completion of chapter nineteen of Revenge, the sequel to Colombian 
Betrayal and posted it to the two online subscription writing sites I use. There were another tweleve new reviews this week, bringing the total number of chapter reviews to 305! Plenty of useful suggestions to improve my writing.
Here’s another snippet:
“In order to carry out Allah’s wishes, we must be prepared to blend into our environment. You were chosen because you survived our last battle. We—I honor you with this opportunity to strike fear among the infidels in their capitol. You must not fail.”
“Abdul—sorry. Alberto, when will we attack?” Gamal laced his fingers together and twiddled his thumbs.
Alberto picked up the first set of papers and slid them toward Gamal. “You will now be called Bennie Johnson. As our photographer, you’ll be responsible for tracking our target and learning everything you can about him.” This man deserves to die for what he did to me. He rubbed the three-inch scar on the left side of his neck. A slow and painful death—just like Michael’s, may Allah bless him.
“Find out what he does, where he goes, and who he meets with. Do the same with the woman who was with him when you took his picture. When I was active with ISIS, I learned preparation is critical to success, so we won’t set a date—yet.”
Bennie ran a hand through his long black hair as he checked each document. “These are perfect. What about a phone and cash?”
“Patience.” Alberto picked up the second set of papers and passed them to a bald man with dark, piercing eyes. “Zafar, you will use the name Justin Thompson. As our weapons expert, you will be responsible for killing should the opportunity present itself. May Allah guide your bullets.”
“Thank you, Alberto.” Justin grinned. “I will not let you down.”
Alberto tilted his head. “I know, which is why I selected you.” He pushed the final set of documents toward a man missing the pinkie and ring fingers on his left hand. “Walter, I’ve saved the best for last. You must prepare explosive devices capable of causing this man great pain before he meets his God.”
More next time.
Books I’m Reading
I recently finished reading ARK FOUND: An Omega Files Adventure (Book 2) by Rick Chesler. An intriguing plot, combining fact and fiction into a fast-paced story, taking readers across the world chasing Noah’s Ark. Treasure Hunter Carter Hunt and his sidekick Jayden Takada find themselves in a manned submersible on the way to the resting place of the Titanic in search of a map. Before long, they’re attacked by another group who don’t care for historical works per se, but rather their value.
With realistic characters, Rick has created a story filled with action, adventure, angst, danger, and even some humor. For those who love to be immersed in a fictional world to forget everyday events, this one is for you. I won’t spoil the story for you, but suffice to say I’ll be picking up the next one in the series.
That’s all for this 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 and hope you drop in again.
© Copyright 2021 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
