Overall, the weather’s been good this week. Little rain, plenty of sunshine, but a chilly breeze. We went to DeVilla Forest twice for long walks and of course, plenty of chats with dog walkers we met.
Unfortunately, we also made a trip to the emergency room Friday night. When I was asleep, Sylvia woke me up. She was fully dressed and said she was going to A&E because she was having heart palpitations. Sylvia never mentioned they had been occurring for the last six weeks but they weren’t stopping last night. I took her to the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy. After an EKG, chest xray, blood work, etc., they decided to keep her overnight as their tests revealed she had a previously undiagnosed heart murmur. The consultant said Saturday afternoon they’d be keeping her in until they sorted things out. Sylvia will be receiving a pacemaker. She said after her recovery, she planned to go snowboarding in the Alps and bungee jumping in the Himalayas. I better get some rest!
Here’s this week’s quote (Compliments of http://www.wisdomquotesandstories.com/): “Most people are stronger than they know. They just forget to believe in it sometimes.”
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on April 24th, the fourth and final Sunday of the month:
Robert Bailey Thomas, American journalist and founder (The Farmer’s Almanac); Nikolaj Bestuzhev, Russian Navy officer, writer and painter (Decembrist revolt); Karl Leberecht Immermann, German writer; Vicente Fidel López, Argentine historian (La Novia del Hereje); Anthony Trollope, English novelist and poet (Barchester Towers); Carl Spitteler, Swiss poet (Prometheus & Epimetheus; Nobel 1919); Eduardo Acevedo Díaz, Uruguayan writer (Ismael, Grito de Gloria); Jaroslav Hašek, Czech writer (The Good Soldier Švejk); Kurt Pinthus, German-American writer; Robert Penn Warren, American poet and novelist (All the King’s Men, Pulitzer 1946); Clement Freud, British writer, radio personality, and politician; Patricia Bosworth, American actor, journalist, writer, and biographer; Sue Grafton, American author of detective novels (“A” Is for Alibi); Eric Kripke, American television writer, director and producer (Supernatural); and Siarhey Balakhonau, Belarusian writer.
Any names familiar to you? There were four for me: Robert Bailey Thomas, Anthony Trollope, Robert Penn Warren, and Sue Grafton. Whether you recognize anyone on the list or not, if today’s your special day I hope you have a great one!
My Work in Progress
Earlier in the week, I was on a roll with Ultimate Escalation, completing the final seven chapters, bringing the first draftg to forty-seven chapers and 73,414 words. My manuscript received another twenty-five reviews, bringing the total to 724. Once again, plenty of suggestions to enhance my writing. I’ve also added three beta readers to my list.
Here’s another snippet:
They were soon escorted to Steve Wright’s office. After handshakes, they took chairs around a small conference table. Steve, his bald head shining, poured coffee for his guests. “It’s not every day the secretary of state contacts me to do a favor for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Whatever you need, Trevor, it’s yours.”
“Thank you, Steve. We have a two-fold mission. I assume you’re aware of the recent turmoil in Punjab?”
“Yes, my counterpart in Lahore keeps all of the mission in Pakistan apprised of unrest—we all do. No telling if or when it might spread to other factions—this country’s a powder keg waiting to explode.” Steve sipped from his cup.
“I’ve been cleared by the chairman to fill you in on the purpose of our visit. We suspect several former Russian Spetsnaz soldiers were involved in the Punjabi unrest. Another of our teams is heading to India now to verify activity there.”
Steve nodded. “There’s a rumor circulated by the Pakistani intelligence services regarding this. Don’t know if they’re trying to cover up something they did and it got out of hand, or whether it’s a valid concern.”
“It’s definitely a concern.” Trevor pursed his lips. “Imagine two nuclear powers embroiled in a bitter conflict over losing some of their territory. It’ll be worse than the continuing feuds over Kashmir. The chairman is worried they might resort to the use of weapons of mass destruction to hang on to their land.”
Steve pulled a business card from a pocket and scribbled on it. “Here are my official contact numbers. My personal number is on the back.”
“Thank you, Steve. We’ll keep you in the loop while we’re in Karachi.”
“Sure thing. What the other matter?”
Trevor glanced at the rest of his team. “Three of our multi-national group were following Russians from Dubai to Karachi. After they arrived here, we soon lost contact.”
“Hmm.” Steve rubbed a finger across his smooth chin. “Our nurse was contacted by one of the local hospitals. They said an American was in critical condition after being caught up in a terrorist attack at one of our hotels. They want all foreign hotel chains to leave the country. You might recall Sheraton pulled out years ago after a series of attacks.” Steve waved a hand in the air. “I’m getting sidetracked. The hospital reported the American had a broken arm and leg and multiple lacerations, including a deep wound on the side of his head. He’s been in a coma, but this morning he regained consciousness. We haven’t identified him yet. There weren’t any documents on his person when medical personnel took him to the hospital.”
“One of our team following the Russians was an American. Would it be possible to visit him? If he’s our colleague, we’ll recognize him.”
“Of course. “Steve spoke briefly on the phone before returning the instrument to its cradle. “The nurse will call the hospital now and clear the way for you. We’ve also reserved an armored vehicle for you during your stay.”
“Outstanding, Steve. I’ll let the chairman know you’ve gone out of your way to accommodate us. I’m sure he’ll contact the secretary of state.”
Steve’s face beamed. “Thanks, Trevor. If there’s anything else I can do, just name it.”
Trevor stood and shook hands. “We’ll be in touch.”
“I’ll take you to the motor pool, so you can collect your ride.”
Another snippet next week.
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
