As we hit the final Sunday of March, the clocks have moved forward an hour. Unlike the previous week, we’ve experienced more unsettled weather, with rain most evenings and through the night. There’s been plenty of cool breezes to help dry things out, but the temperature has struggled to get past 50F / 10C.
At least all of the plants we managed to buy are now safely in the ground. While we could use a few more, we’ll have to wait a bit longer for the local garden centres/nurseries to open up. As least we have a variety of colors to brighten up the flower beds at the front of the house.
“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought again.” (Compliments of http://www.wisdomquotesandstories.com/)
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on March 28th. (Compliments of http://www.onthisday.com/today/birthdays)
Teresa of Avila/Teresa de Jesus, Spanish mystic writer/saint; John Amos Comenius, Czech-speaking Moravian teacher, educator and writer; Arnold Houbraken, Dutch painter and writer; Andrew Kippis, English non-conformist clergyman and biographer; Sophie Mereau, German writer; Arsène Houssaye, French novelist and poet; James Darmesteter, French author and antiquarian (translations of the Avesta, the sacred scripture of Zoroastrianism); Rudolf Kittel, German theologist (Psalms); Maxim Gorky [Alexei Maximovich Peshkov], Russian playwright and author (Mother and The Lower Depths); Karel M J F Cruysberghs, Flemish author; Peter Suhrkamp, German publisher (Suhrkamp Verlag); Nelson Algren, American novelist (Man with the Golden Arm); A. Bertram Chandler, Anglo-Australian mariner and sci-fi author (Empress of Outer Space); Bohumil Hrabal, Czech writer (Closely Observed Trains); Edward Anhalt, American screenwriter (Escape to Athena); Dirk Bogarde [Derek van den Bogaerde] British writer and actor (Death in Venice, Servant); Gerhard Fritsch, Austrian writer; Marianne Fredriksson, Swedish author (Simon and the Oaks); Amelia Rosselli, Italian poet; Sven Oskar Lindqvist, Swedish writer (Myten om Wu Tao-tzu); Mario Vargas Llosa, Peruvian writer, poet, journalist, presidential candidate and Nobel Prize Laureate (Aunt Julia); Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt, French author and dramatist (Concerto to the Memory of an Angel); and Iris Chang, American author and journalist.
Were any names familiar to you? I must admit I didn’t spot any I knew. 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
While I did spend some time outdoors this week when the weather permitted, I also managed to complete chapter twenty-seven of Revenge, the sequel to Colombian 
Betrayal. Over the past week, there were another seventeen new chapter reviews, bringing the total number of chapter reviews to 418. Plenty of useful suggestions as always to improve my writing. I hope to get back to working on this novel this coming week.
Here’s this week’s snippet:
Javier stood offered a hand to his long-time friend. After shaking, they took seats in front of Javier’s desk. “So, what can I do for the DEA?”
Mitch laughed. “That’s what I’ve always liked about you—no beating around the bush.”
“When I was in the military, I used to call it efficiency. Now, time is money.” Javier chuckled.
“Couple of things. First, I want to congratulate you on your retirement.”
Javier nodded. “Many thanks. When are you pulling the plug?”
“Me? Not for a few more years. One of the kids is a freshman at Georgetown, and the other will join him next year. After they graduate, Bella wants to head back to Lombardy where she grew up.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Figure I’d buy a cab and schlep people around—at least when we’re not checking out the vineyards.” He shook his head. “Not sure yet. Bella wants to open a deli.”
“Why not both?”
“I thought the same, but Bella wants to do something together.” Mitched sighed. “Plenty of time to make our minds up. The primary reason for dropping in was to dangle some work in front of you.”
Javier leaned forward. “Whad’ya got?”
“A British colleague of mine needs some help. Intel indicates a drug smuggler is using Bermuda as a base to ship his product into Florida.”
Why aren’t you taking care of it?”
Mitch sighed. “We’re overstretched in the area, and this guy’s volume is too small for us to take an interest in—at least at this time. This would be an off-the-books assignment, which would give you an easy win while at the same time, I’ll improve relations with the British.”
Javier pursed his lips as he stared at the ceiling. “Okay, we’re in. How many operatives do you think we’ll need?”
Mitch pulled an envelope out of his coat pocket. “I think three or four max to handle this. All the details are here, including Cedric’s contact info.”
“Cedric?”
The name of my British counterpart.”
Who to use? Perhaps a couple of the Snakes can take some leave. Take two of my new team. Should be enough. “Count us in.”
“Fantastic!” Mitch glanced at his watch. “I better run—have a meeting in an hour at headquarters. If any questions arise, give me a shout.”
More next time.
Books I’m Reading
I’ve been reading Ancients: An Event Group Thriller by David L. Golemon. Unfortuntely, too many things bit into my reading time so we’ll have to wait until I finish it this week before I put my review together. Suffice to say I’m thoroughly enjoying the story!
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.
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