We started the week with a couple of days filled with thunderstorms. Fortunately, the rainfall wasn’t heavy and the ground received a much-needed drink. Since then, we’ve had some rain every day, ranging from a few sprinkles to intermittent showers. Things that had started to dry out are looking healthy once again.
We had another nice surprise this week at the gasoline (petrol) pumps. The price dropped another six pence per liter this week, down to £1.66. Still a long way from the £1.45 we experienced in January but every bit helps. This week’s drop brought the equivalent price of a U.S. gallon down to $7.56, a drop of forty-five cents a gallon.
Here’s this week’s quote (Compliments of http://www.wisdomquotesandstories.com/):
“Most of us don’t need a psychiatric therapist as much as a friend to be silly with.” ~ Robert Brault
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on August 21st, the third Sunday of the month:
Francois de Sales, French bishop of Geneva, writer and saint; Hubert Gautier, French engineer, wrote 1st book on bridge building; Lucretia Wilhelmina van Merken, Dutch poet; Jernej Kopitar, Slovene philologist and linguist (Slovenian Grammar); Jules Michelet, French historian (History of France, L’Amour); Leonid Andreyev, Russian journalist and writer (Red Laugh, Seven Hangs); Raymond Herreman, Belgian poet, journalist and writer (Jericho’s Rose); Roark Bradford, American writer and humorist (Ol’ Man Adan an’ His Chillun); M. M. Kaye, British writer (The Far Pavilions); Victor Rosow, Russian dramatist; Mário Pinto de Andrade, Angolan poet and politician who founded the Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA); X. J. Kennedy, American poet and author (Nude Descending a Staircase); Robert Stone, American novelist (Dog Soldiers, WUSA); Hugh Wilson, American director, writer and actor (Blast from the Past, Frank’s Place); Peter Weir, Australian director/writer (Witness, Dead Poets Society),; Ivan Stang, American writer and filmmaker (Church of the SubGenius); and Stéphane Charbonnier [Charb], French cartoonist and editor of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Any names familiar to you? There was one for me: M.M. Kaye. In addition, it’s my birthday, too. I might not be famous, but who knows what the future holds? 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
Things continue nicely with my next WIP, Frozen Conquest. Chapter eleven was posted this week. There were another twenty-one chapter reviews, bringing the total to 160, some from long-standing reviewers while others came from new people. Plenty of good suggestions to improve my story.
Here’s the next snippet:
Maddie climbed into the passenger seat of the Snocat next to Reginald. “With all these clothes, I now know what the Michelin Man feels like.”
“Better to wear multiple layers that you can easily remove if you’re getting too warm.” He smiled. “Ready for your first sojourn onto the ice?”
“What are we breaking chunks of the ice sheet off?” She studied the start beauty in front of them. “It doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Reginald shrugged. “We do it because we’re following Mister Brown’s orders. He’s a brilliant man and knows what he’s doing.”
“But when the ice melts, won’t it raise sea levels? We should want more ice in Antarctica, no less.”
“This is part of Mister Brown’s master plan to promote the necessity for the world to make vital changes to stop the planet from overheating.”
Seems nuts to me. Maddie shook her head. “I have my doubts about this.”
Reginald glanced at her. “I suggest keeping your thoughts to yourself. Mist Brown’s nephew voice similar comments—look what happened to him.”
“What really happened to Harold?”
Reginald stopped the Snocat and pointed to the right. “See that ridgeline? Harold set up the charges to calve a huge section. He was always thorough and didn’t make mistakes. However, on the day he died, I spotted Sawyer Hudson, the head of security on the ice.” He shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but Hudson doesn’t come out on the ice often. So, a word to the wise.” Reginald shifted gears, and the Snocat lurched forward.
“Why did you come to Antarctica? What was the big draw for you?”
“At first, it was the excitement of working in Antarctica. Of course, the money was twice what I would earn anywhere else in the world.’ He smiled. “I have a girl back home in Chicago. One day, I hope to save enough money and ask her to marry me. How about you?”
“Similar reasons. I’ve worked in all the corners of the world and many places in-between. When the opportunity to work in Antarctica came up, I leaped at it. I hope I haven’t made a mistake.” Should I be saying this to Reginald? He might report me.
Reginald chuckled. “Keep your nose clean and do what you’re told, and you’ll get along just fine.” He tapped a mittened hand on her knee. “If you ever have any questions or concerns, bring them to me. I’ll steer you clear of trouble—if I can.”
Maddie smiled. “Thank you, Reginald.”
Twenty-five minutes later, they traversed across a rise and down the other side. In front of them, a string of red flags—fifty yards apart—disappeared in the distance.
Reginald pointed to the flags and then the open sea. “This is the next section Mister Brown wants seeded and dropped into the sea.”
“Who placed the markers?”
“I did—yesterday. There are one hundred of them. I’ll begin drilling the holes. Each will be four feet deep. You can start placing your explosives and stringing them together once I dig a few holes.”
Maddie raised a hand to shield her eyes from the intense sunlight as she strode toward the string of flags. “Okay, Reginald. It will be the larger explosion I’ve ever done.”
“Not to worry.” He smiled. “You’ll be fine.”
“When will we set the explosives off?”
“Not until after lunch. With what happened to Harold, I don’t want to be anywhere near here when you set them off.” He gestured to the cargo area of the Snocat. “We better get started.”
More next time.
Books I’m Reading
A Five Star Sci-Fi Thriller! I recently had the opportunity to read M.D. Neu’s latest sci-fi thriller, Conspiracy-A New World (Book 3). If you enjoy stories with plenty of twists and turns, you’re in for a treat. Join Todd Landon, the Special Envoy for Terran Affairs as he continues to work with the Nentraee, a humanoid race, and impact on the growing interdependency between humans and the aliens. However, there’ s a group called Liberi Dei who wants to see the Nentraee destroyed and Earth left solely to the human race. One of Todd’s friends seemingly becomes a traitor and is assisting the Liberi Dei, while Todd’s relationship with Mi’cin falls apart. What will be the final outcome?
Treachery, deceit, and intrigue abound in this action-packed story. With larger-than-life characters you’ll be drawn further into the story as events unfold. M.D. Neu has created a masterpiece which should appeal to all readers and will keep you burning the proverbial midnight oil to find out what happens next. I know he’s caught my attention and I’ve added him to my list of favorite authors.
Book Promotions
My novels continue to participate in two Bookfunnel promotions for the remainder of August:
Summer adventure group promo. Action & Adventure and Action & Adventure / Military & Warfare. Twenty-one novels available in this one:
https://books.bookfunnel.com/lawrence01/8ctktxhlbs
Dinner and a Show! All Genres group promo. There are forty-eight novels to choose from in this one!
https://books.bookfunnel.com/dinnerandashow/yz3hvu1es8
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
