Randall’s Ramblings, August 15, 2021

Looks like we went from July straight to autumn, bypassing August. Nighttime temperatures have been as low as 43F/6C with daytime temperatures struggling to reach 58F/20C). Add in near-daily showers and a bit of wind, and it definitely feels more like autumn. One bright spot in all of this–no need to water the plants!

The final results of last weekend’s small business market showed a total of thirteen autographed books and twenty-one sheets of Sylvia’s laminated poetry sheets and a few pieces of pyrography were sold. Definitely pleased with the results.

Here’s this week’s quote (Compliments of http://www.wisdomquotesandstories.com/):

“Fate controls who walks into your life, but you decide who you let walk out, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.”

So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on August 15th, the third Sunday of the month. (Compliments of http://www.onthisday.com/today/birthdays):

Luigi Pulci, Italian poet (Morgante); Bartol Kašić, Croatian writer and linguist; Matthias Claudius, German poet; Walter Scott, Scottish historical novelist and poet (The Lady of the Lake, Rob Roy); Thomas De Quincey, English writer (Confessions of English Opium Eater); Louise Colet, French Romantic poet; Edith Nesbit, British children books author (The Story of the Treasure Seekers, Five Children and It); Johan Bernard Schepers, Frisian writer (Braga); Edna Ferber, American author and playwright (American Beauty, Cimarron); Jan Brzechwa, Polish poet (The Beetle); Hans Lorbeer, German writer and politician; Jan Campert, Dutch resistance fighter and poet (Song the 18 dead); Julia Child, American chef, author and television personality (The French Chef)Peter Nicholson Gunn, Australian writer (The Churches of Rome); Kamiel van Baelen, Flemish author and resistance fighter (Mensch op Weg); Benedict Kiely, Irish author and broadcaster; Robert Oxton Bolt, English playwright (A Man for All Seasons, Doctor Zhivago); Robert L. Forward, American physicist and sci-fi writer (Dragon’s Egg, Starquake); Janusz A. Zajdel, Polish sci-fi author (The Whole Truth about Planet Xi); Tony Robinson, English actor, comedian and author; Mary Jo Salter, American poet and co-editor of The Norton Anthology of Poetry; Stieg Larsson [Karl Stig-Erland Larsson], Swedish author (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo); Rob Thomas, American writer; and Robert Macfarlane, English nature writer.

Any names familiar to you? I recognized Walter Scott and Julia Child. 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’m absolutely thrilled to share the recent five-star editorial review  Dangerous Alliance received from Chanticleer Reviews. Please click on the title to check it out.

Throughout August, all of my novels are participating in a mystery, thriller, and suspense promotion. There are eighty-five novels available through this promotion, so you’re bound to find something of interest. Why not check these out–never know when you’ll come across your next favorite author.

My Work in Progress

I completed the third and fourth edit passes of Revenge this week. There were another six new chapter reviews, bringing the total number to 757. As always, plenty of useful suggestions as always to improve my writing and very timely with editing well underway.

Here’s the final snippet:

Sam and Charlie stood next to their black and gray vehicle with bright orange wheels. “Can I drive?”

Charlie raised a brow. “Ever driven on the left side of the road before?”

“No, but there’s always a first time.”

Charlie shrugged and tossed the keys to Sam. “Try not to kill us.”

They squeezed into the small vehicle.

Sam started the engine. “Well, navigator. Show me the way.”

Charlie laughed. “Head to Front Street and turn onto Crow Lane. We need to follow the main road to Somerset.”

“Okay. Just tell me when to turn.”

Charlie glanced at the map on his smartphone. “Not long after we are on Railway Trail, the road will fork. Keep to the left.”

Sam gestured through the windshield. “There’s a sign ahead mentioning South Road and Middle Road.”

“Stay on South Road. Both end up in Somerset, but we’ll return on the other one to mix up our route as much as we can.”

They continued their journey. On either side of the road, houses and walled compounds were juxtaposed between stretches of trees. Telephone poles ran along the righthand side, while on the left, glimpses of the water could be seen.

“Slow down.” Charlie tightened his seatbelt. “Appears to be a blind curve, and this is a narrow road.”

“Not to worry—”

“Watch out!” Charlie reached over and jerked the wheel to get them back in their lane and out of the path of an oncoming delivery vehicle straddling the center line.

“Yeeeeah!”

Sam let go of the wheel.

He overcompensated as she did so.

The Tazzari plunged over the edge.

Although I concentrated on my editing of Revenge, I still completed chapter eleven of Ultimate Escalation.

With the original chapter reviews from when I posted the first seven chapters combined with crits on the revisions and the new ones, there’s been there’s been 224 reviews, and increase of ten over the past week.

My goal is to complete the first draft of Ultimate Escalation by the end of February 2022. Obviously, things might get in the way, but that’s my plan right now.

Books I’m Reading

I recently finished reading The Supremacy License (A Sinatra Thriller Book 1) by Alan Lee. While the main character, Mannie, AKA Sinatra, functions on little sleep and food while suffering multiple beatings, his love for his adopted country, American, is like a shining beacon. Add an unending supply of adrenaline and Mannie is a law enforcement hero.

The plot is well contrived, although some people think it stretches realism. However, I found it to be thoroughly enjoyable and a definite page turner. This is the first novel by Alan I’ve read, but it certainly won’t be the last!