It’s been another breezy, damp and dreary week–for the most part, with temperatures struggling to get to 46F/8C. There were a couple of afternoons where the sun ventured out and we took advantage both times to go for a walk in a nearby park/play area. At least we’re starting to see the days slightly extend in length! In the meantime, all we can do is make the best of it. At least the dreaded ‘s’ word is staying away!
Here’s this week’s quote (Compliments of http://www.wisdomquotesandstories.com/): “You decide every moment of every day who you are and what you believe in. You get a second chance every second.”
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on January 23rd, the fourth Sunday of the new year. (Compliments of http://www.onthisday.com/today/birthdays):
Friedrich von Matthison, German poet (Adelaide); Christian A. Vulpius, German novelist & dramatist (Rinaldo Rinaldini); Stendhal [Marie Henri Beyle], French writer (Le Rouge et de Noir, a Chartreuse de Parme); Herbert Bedford, English author and composer; Herbert David Croly, American author (Promise of American Life); Oton Zupancic, Slovenian poet (Zimzelen pod Snegom); Freda Utley, British scholar & author; Joseph Nathan Kane, American non-fiction writer & journalist (Famous Firsts); Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński, Polish poet (Zielona Ges); Dusan Kostic, Serbian writer; Walter M. Miller Jr., American sci-fi author (Hugo, View from Stars); Derek Walcott, Caribbean poet (Omeros), Nobel Prize for Literature 1992; Gatewood Galbraith, American author & attorney; and Elvira Lindo, Spanish writer & journalist.
Any names familiar to you? I struck out this time. Whether you recognize anyone on the list or not, if today’s your special day I hope you have a great one!
My Published Work
All of my novels are participating in a Terrifying New Year promotion, running from now until the end of January. With 118 novels available, there’s bound to me something to catch your interest.
In addition, The Kurdish Connection, Colombian Betrayal, and Mission: Angola are participating in a first-in-series promotion for mysteries and thrillers. There are sixty-four novels in this one.
My Work in Progress
This week I posted chapter twenty-three of Ultimate Escalation to the two online subscription writing sites I use. My manuscript received another seventeen reviews, bringing the total to 509. As always, plenty of suggestions to enhance my writing.
Here’s another snippet:
Vladimir tilted his head. “Earlier, I started to ask about your crew when we were interrupted by the presence of the Americans.” He glanced upward. “How did you pick your crew?”
“The Russians are all experienced with the Lyre class before the submarines were decommissioned. Rather than being trained so they could be deployed on another class, they were abandoned by the navy. Since the Iranians had already trained in Russia, it didn’t take long to provide the necessary guidance to work on the Negodyay. Of course, they aren’t involved in driving the submarine nor with the armaments.”
Chug! Chug! Chug!
“What’s that, Comrade Captain?” Wide-eyed, Mishka point toward the sound.
“Nothing to worry about. Just one of the many supertankers transiting the straits. If there was a potential for danger, the sonarman would alert us.” Pushkin chuckled as the sub shifted downward. The helmsman is adjusting our depth to ensure we won’t be involved in an accidental collision.”
Mishka kept staring upward as the sound of the tanker faded. “Do accidents happen often?”
“On occasion.” Pushkin shrugged. But not to us.”
They moved forward, stopping by the periscope station. “Would you like to take a look?” Pushkin gestured toward the controls.
“Da.” Vladimir stepped closer.
“Watch what I do.” Pushkin demonstrated, turning in a complete circle before stepping back. He tapped a control. “Hold this button if you want to focus on a particular ship.
Vladimir took over, mimicking what Pushkin showed them. “A great way to sneak up on your enemy.” Vladimir stepped aside, allowing Mishka a turn. What armaments do you carry?”
“The Negodyay has six torpedo tubes. There is storage space for eighteen to twenty torpedoes or the same number of cruise missiles. We have a mixture of both. In addition, we always carry a dozen mines.”
Vladimir pursed his lips. Can you hit an inland target?”
“Depends on the distance from the submarine. Our missiles can travel as far as six hundred sixty kilometers.”
“What if I wanted you to sink a ship?”
“Not a problem if we’re within fifteen kilometers for our torpedoes, but closer for the mines, which are usually placed in the projected path of the target.” Pushkin snapped his fingers. “Would you like a demonstration?”
“What? Here?” A grin spread across Vladimir’s face. “Da!”
Pushkin returned to the periscope and performed another search. “A perfect opportunity to cause confusion and mayhem.”
“What did you find?”
“Have a look—two Iranian patrol boats.” He stepped aside.
Vladimir scratched his head. “But what if you miss?”
Pushkin shrugged. “We acquired several American MK67 anti-ship mines a couple of years ago. We’ll use one on each boat. If any identifiable debris is found, the Americans will be blamed.”
“Captain, you’re full of surprises.” Vladimir glanced at Mishka. “What do you think?”
Mishka nodded. “Any opportunity to show America in a negative light is a good one, Vova. I say do it.”
More next time.
Books I’m Reading
I recently finished reading Feathers, the newest release by Blair Howard. Another riveting plot by a master storyteller. Detective Kate Gazzara is embroiled in a cat and mouse game with a deadly killer, who always seems to be a step ahead. As with all of Blair’s novels, this one is full of twists and turns. Combined with larger-than-life characters, this one will keep you turning the pages. Heartily recommended.
This brings us to an end for another week. I hope you found something of interest. 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 2022 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
