There’s been a fair bit of rain this week, culminating in a thunderstorm this morning. The weather hasn’t stopped the wildlife from visiting. In addition to the normal myriad of birds and squirrels, flocks of wild turkeys range from fifteen to twenty-four were in attendance on four days. Twice at dusk , eight deer also dropped in.
We attended our first local farmer’s market last Sunday since moving. Although shorter in length compared to the small business markets we participated in while living in Scotland, the three-hour event passed quickly. I sold three autographed copies of my novels, while Sylvia sold two of her poetry books and four of her laminated poetry sheets. I’m not sure yet when we’ll be there next, but we did submit an application covering numerous dates for the rest of the year. We should find out our slots in the next couple of weeks or so.
As the NBA headed toward its annual all-star events, the Detroit Pistons kicked things into high gear, winning three games and upping their record to 29-26. I hope they continue their winning ways after the all-star game!
The Michigan State Spartans played two games this week, splitting the pair. They saw a slight slide in the Top Twenty-Five, going from 9th to 11th. Their record is now 20-5. Meanwhile, the University of Michigan Wolverines played one game this week, adding another win and moving their record to 19-5. They moved up to 20th in the Top Twenty-Five. Hopefully, they’ll add another game to the win column when they play this afternoon.
“Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” – William Faulkner. Compliments of https://copyblogger.com/inspirational-quotes-for-writers/.
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on February 16th, the seventh Sunday of 2025 and the third one for February. (Compliments of https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/).
Orderic Vitalis, English-born French monk and chronicler (Historia Ecclesiastica); Giambattista Bodoni, Italian typographer (Bodoni), printer and publisher; Johann Wilhelm Heinse, German novelist and art critic of the Sturm und Drang period; Joseph Victor von Scheffel, German writer (Gaudeamus); Nikolai Leskov, Russian writer (The Tale of Cross-eyed Lefty from Tula and the Steel Flea; Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk), and playwright; Ernst Haeckel, German biologist (Causes of Evolution) and philosopher (Social Darwinism); Henry Adams, American historian and writer (Education of Henry Adams); Octave Mirbeau, French writer (Journal of a Lady’s Maid); William S. Scarborough, American linguist and author (Birds of Aristophanes); Elizabeth Craig, Scottish cookery book writer; Van Wyck Brooks, American literary historian and writer (Ordeal of Mark Twain); Albert Hackett, American actor, playwright and screenwriter (It’s A Wonderful Life; The Diary of Anne Frank); Hal Porter, Australian writer (Tilted Cross, Paper Chase); Arthur Crook, British editor (Times Literary Supplement); Bob Tadema Sporry, Dutch author; Hubert van Herreweghen, Belgian poet; Araucaria [John Galbraith Graham], British crossword compiler (The Guardian) and priest; Paul van ‘t Veer, Dutch journalist and writer (Het Vrije Volk); Peter Porter, Australian-British author and poet (Chair of Babel); Alfred Kolleritsch, Austrian poet and literary journalist; [Ervin] Aharon Appelfeld, Israeli writer (Blooms of Darkness; Badenheim), and holocaust survivor; Paul Bailey, English novelist and biographer; Richard Ford, American author (Sportswriter); Eckhart Tolle, German-born author (The Power of Now) and spiritual teacher; Dorus Vrede, Surinam poet (Otobanda; the Other Bank); Guy Gallo, American poet, playwright, and screenwriter (Under the Volcano); and Warren Ellis, British comic book writer (Red).
Any names familiar to you? There weren’t any for me this week. 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
Work continues at a good pace on Vendetta, the sixth novel in my Bedlam series, finishing chapter twelve and posting it to the two online subscription writing sites I use. There were another nineteen reviews this week, bringing the total to 181. As always, plenty of suggestions to improve my writing.
As previously mentioned the cover is a filler, as the final cover won’t be done until the entire first draft is completed. Here’s another snippet:
Around 03:00, Trevor was back in the OP. He munched on an energy bar and took a swig of water from his canteen. When he resettled himself, he used the AN/PSQ-20 Enhanced Night Vision Goggle (ENVG) to scan the perimeter. Hmm. Awful quiet. He picked up his radio and keyed the mic. He whispered, “Haggis, this is Black. Heads up. Jungle’s gone quiet. Expect visitors.”
***
In his tent, CC listened to Trevor and keyed his radio once to acknowledge the warning. Still dressed, CC dashed out of his tent, stopping at the other tents to pass the alert.
CC returned to the command tent, where he shoved his SIG Sauer pistol, and magazines for the pistol and his assault rifle in a rucksack, before donning his ATN PS31-2 night vision goggles.
Moments later, Evelyn and Rufus entered and did the same.
Bob joined them, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “What’s going on?”
“Get kitted up. Trevor said company is on the way.” CC grabbed several power bars and a full canteen and added them to his rucksack before heading outside.
“What?” Bob’s jaw dropped.
“Just do what we rehearsed earlier. Your designated station is here in the command tent.” Evelyn put a reassuring hand on Bob’s arm. “Rufus and I will follow CC. We’ll be ringed in a semi-circle between the command tent and the OP, so be careful if you begin shooting so you don’t hit one of us.”
Bob nodded before rushing to the corner and grabbing a rucksack CC made up for his earlier. He tipped over the table and took his position.
Evelyn nodded as she and Rufus dashed outside to their pre-arranged spots among the trees.
Craack! Craack! Craack!
Single shots woke the jungle.
The animals who made the jungle their home began screeching as they hurried away from the danger.
Rat-a-tat! Rat-a-tat!
CC, Evelyn, and Rufus strained with the NVGs as they searched for infiltrators.
“Incoming invaders!” Trevor spoke on the unified radio channel. “I’ve seen shots from at least four vectors.”
“Aye, Black. We’re ready.” CC removed the safety on his assault rifle as he prepared to take on their attackers.
A shadow, darker than the rest of the jungle, rose in front of CC.
With an automatic reflex, CC first a single shot.
The shadow screamed and dropped from sight.
More screams erupted as tracer fire lit up the jungle.
More next time.
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 2025 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
