After a week of heavy frost and temperatures not climbing out of the upper 20s (negative celsius) it was a great surprise this morning, when I found out it was 40F/5C) and all the frost in sheltered areas had finally melted. Of course, with the colder temperatures we did have a fair amount of sunshine and now we’re back to the normal gray skies.
For those of you who were following me on Twitter, my new account is @rjkrzak1. Hope to see you there.
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on January 22nd, the fourth and final Sunday of January compliments of https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/:
Francis Bacon, English statesman, Lord Chancellor (1617-21) and philosopher (Novum Organum); Richard Blackmore, English physician and writer; Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German critic and dramatist (1st ever dramaturge); Lord Byron, English romantic poet (Don Juan); Ludger Duvernay, Canadian printer and publisher; Hermann Lingg, German poet and playwright; Ferdinand Christian Wilhelm Praeger, Dutch-British pianist, composer, composer, and writer (Wagner As I Knew Him); Constance Collier, British actress and writer (Rope, Stage Door, Whirlpool); Francis Picabia, French avante-garde artist, writer and typographist (Amorous Parade); Helen Hoyt, American poet; Charles Morgan, English writer (Fountain); Ben van Eysselsteijn, Dutch writer and playwright; Arkady Gaidar, Russian children’s writer; Robert E. Howard, American pulp fiction author (Conan the Barbarian); Carl F. H. Henry, American theologian and publisher; Harilal Upadhyay, Gujarati Author, Poet, Astrologist (Gujarat is a State of India); Herwig Hensen [Flor Mielants], Flemish poet and playwright; Piet Van Lishout, Flemish writer (Eva & I); Howard Moss, poet/editor (New Yorker); Tom Blackburn, writer; Joseph Wambaugh, American police writer (“The Onion Fields”); Joe Esposito, American author and friend of Elvis; Michael Cristofer, actor/writer (Little Drummer Girl); Francis Wheen, English writer & journalist; and Subhash Ram Prajapati, Nepalese writer.
Any names familiar to you? There were two for me: Francis Bacon and Lord Byron. 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
As i mentioned last time, in early January, I took a tumble down the stairs. I ended up seeing a sports massage therapist and have my third and final session tomorrow. In the meantime, my writing has been disrupted and not at my normal amount, but I have been back at it, with the first twenty-one chapters completed.
Since the last update, there were another twenty-four reviews, bringing the total to an even 400. As always, plenty of good suggestions to improve my story and I’m greatly appreciative of the support.
Here’s another snippet:
Maddie and Reginald climbed out of the Sno-Cat. After they pulled their tools and explosive packs from the cargo compartment, they trudged across the tundra to a line of stakes they had placed earlier in the day.
Breathless, Maddie dropped her tools onto the ice and gently sent the explosives down. “This is hard work, Reginald. I thought it would be easier—just drive up to a spot, drill a couple of holes, drop in the fireworks—and bang; you’re done.”
“In your dreams.” Reginald laughed. “The only thing easy about this job is picking our way across the ice back to the facility.”
As Maddie placed an explosive package into the first hole, she studied the terrain. Always peaceful, but there’s an underlying danger to being here. Satisfied with her placement, she moved to the next spot.
Without warning, the ice gave way.
Yeeeeah!
Maddie clawed at the surface as she slid toward the gaping chasm.
“Reginald! Help!”
Her feet dangled over the side as she tried to stop her momentum. She screamed again.
Just as she was about to disappear, two hands grabbed her.
“Hold on, Mad—”
Reginald tugged on the straps of her backpack, pulling her back from the chasm. “I—I got you.” He fell backward as he yanked her clear from impending death or serious injury.
Back on his feet, he inched Maddie further back from the hole until they were both a safe distance away.
Maddie threw her arms around Reginald. “Thank you so much for saving me. I thought I was going to die!”
“Aw shucks, Maddie. Can’t have you doing that.” Reginald grinned. “Besides, I’m enjoying being out here with you.” He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a squeeze. “You going to be okay?”
Maddie pulled out of the embrace and nodded. “Yes. It was a bit scary, but I’m okay now—thanks to you.”
“Think nothing of it. Besides, you’d try the same for me if the situation was reversed.”
“That’s true, but I still owe you.” She adjusted her sunglasses and grinned. “Perhaps I can buy dinner tonight?”
He smiled. “You’re on.” He pointed to the next hole. “Ready to continue?”
More next time.
Promotions
Five of my novels (all but Revenge and Ultimate Escalation) are participating in the January Mayhem & Motives: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Reads. This one allows five books per author and there are currently 206. novels participating. Why not check it out? You might find your next new author.
https://books.bookfunnel.com/mysthrillsus-jan/x889tdt70j
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 2023 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
