We’ve been having milder temperatures lately, with plenty of showers, too. The daytime temperature has been hitting the upper 60s/lower 70s. However, it won’t last for long as the forecast is for daytime temperatures to only make it into the mid-50s.
The Detroit Pistons split a couple of games this week and are now 28-10. The good news is they’re still in first place in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference, seven games ahead of second-place Cleveland. Hopefully, they will continue their winning ways!
The Michigan Wolverines lost their first game of the season, falling to Wisconsin, 91-88. They were in second in the rankings, but will likely drop when the new rankings come out. Meanwhile, Michigan State beat Northwestern this week, upping their record to 14-2.
“The writing of a novel is taking life as it already exists, not to report it but to make an object, toward the end that the finished work might contain this life inside it and offer it to the reader. The essence will not be, of course, the same thing as the raw material; it is not even of the same family of things. The novel is something that never was before and will not be again.” — Eudora Welty, WD. Compliments of https://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/72-of-the-best-quotes-about-writing.
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on January 11th, the 2md Sunday of 2026 and the second one in January. (Compliments of https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/).
William Curtis, English botanist and publisher (Botanical Magazine); Antoine Schayes, Belgian historian, archivist and archaeologist; Bayard Taylor, American poet, travel author and diplomat; William James, American psychologist (The Principles of Psychology) and philosopher (Pragmatism); Gustav Falke, German author and poet (Der Mann im Nebel); Thomas Dixon, American white supremacist, novelist, playwright (The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan); Antonio Beltramelli, Italian writer (Il Gargano); Elisabeth Achelis, American heiress, writer, and proponent of the 13-month World Calendar; Oswald de Andrade, Brazilian author (one of the modernist Group of Five); Hans Kirk, Danish writer (The Fishermen); Alan Paton, South African author (Cry, the Beloved Country, Too Late the Phalarope) and anti-apartheid activist; Ernle Bradford, English historian and writer; Fischer Black, American economist and one of the authors of the Black–Scholes equation; Mohammed Abed Elhai, Sudanese writer and academic and poet; John Piper, American theologian, writer (Don’t Watse Your Life; Love Your Enemies), and Baptist pastor; Terry Goodkind, American epic fantasy novelist (The Sword of Truth); and Marc Acito, American novelist, humorist and playwright known for “How I Paid for College”.
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 Published Work
The cover of Mission: Yemen is competing in the monthly competition held by http://www.allauthor.com. It’s currently in the second round but in order to move forward, it’ll need your help.
If you like the cover and are so inclined, please go to the website and vote for it. Here’s the link: https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/20355/.
Thanks in advance!
My Work in Progress
Work continues on Temples of Abydos. Over the past week, there have been an additional six chapter reviews, bringing the total to twenty-seven. As always, plenty of positive suggestions to improve my writing.
Here’s the initial snippet:
Isabella “Isa” Wilkie lounged in a recliner in front of their wall-mounted fifty-five-inch television and flicked through the history and National Geographic channels. Not finding any programs of interest, she turned the television off. She picked up her cup of tea, weaved way through stacks of unopened boxes, and padded into the circular room off the kitchen, which they used as an office.
Now in her fortieth year, Isabella had shoulder-length chestnut brown hair and dark brown eyes, which mirrored her late mother’s. With a flawless complexion, she never needed makeup. Her smile always lights up a room when she turns it on. Her passion for history is only overshadowed by her love of animals and her disdain for injustice.
Her husband, Charles Rennie, sat in front of one of the two iMac twenty-seven-inch desktop computers positioned on adjacent desks. His long sandy blond hair was tied in a man-bun. Cheap reading glasses perched on his nose as he peered at the screen with his blue eyes. His once red beard was now peppered with gray.
“What are you looking at? I thought you were going to unpack some more boxes this evening.” A bemused expression creased Isabella’s face.
“Aye. For what we paid for this apartment, our belongings should have been unpacked for us.”
Isabella laughed. “If you hadn’t won twenty million pounds on the Lotto, we’d still be living in a three-bedroom terrace in a wee village instead of overlooking the East Sands and the Old Course.”
“True.”
Isabella sat in the empty chair at the other desk and placed her cup on a coaster. “So now that we’ve finished cataloging known Celtic sites throughout the UK, any thoughts on a new project?”
“Aye. Since I’ve been granted a year’s sabbatical from teaching medieval archaeology at St. Andrews, why don’t you request time off as well? I’m sure both the history and archaeology departments would benefit from whatever we choose to do. After all, we’re too young to retire.”
“I just wish they’d approved my Celtic program. Why should Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and the University of the Highlands and Island be the only universities doing this? After all, St. Andrews is Scotland’s oldest one.”
Charles chuckled. “Relax, Isabella. The dean and the faculty will come around to your way of thinking and set up your program.”
She finished her tea. “I suppose you’re right. What are you considering?”
“I was wondering if we should go to Gobekli Tepe in Turkey. However, I’m still pulled toward Egypt. You know my fascination with the area. Archeologists are still uncovering tunnels and shafts with the three-pyramid complex outside Cairo. Perhaps we could find a new one—even better, a new pharaoh.”
Isabella hid a grin as she shook her head. “Why not a lesser-known area? I’m sure we could find one and put our stamp on it.”
“Now you’re talking! Let’s get cracking.”
Isabella reached over and grabbed Charles’ man-bun. “Not so fast. I think it’s time for you to have another coffee. And make me a tea while you’re at it.”
“Do you want Jaffa Cakes or a Belvita Strawberry Softbake?
“Surprise me.”
Ten minutes later, Isabella called on Charles. “What’s taking so long?”
Charles entered the office carrying a tray. “The cats wanted food, so I took care of them.” He passed Isabella her tea and a package of Jaffa Cakes. “Here you go.” He sat and pulled up his search parameters. “There are a lot of places to consider in Egypt. I suggest we stay away from the more popular ones and see if we can find some obscure ones.”
“Aye. Great idea. I’ll take a look too.”
Forty-five minutes later, both Charles and Isabella leaned back in their chairs.
Charles drank his now cold coffee and grimaced. “I need a new coffee. Want anything?”
Isabella shook her head. “Oh, perhaps some trifle.” A smile lingered on her face. I do so love those creamy layers, the delicious spongey bits, fruits, and lovely abundance of sherry.”
“Aye. I can manage that. Be right back.”
When he returned, Isabella was typing an email. “Anything I can do to help?”
“No. I’m sending a note to the dean requesting a meeting tomorrow. Even though I haven’t been tenured as long as you have, they’ve let others have time off if they think the university will benefit.”
Charles smiled. “He’ll come through for you—I know he will.”
“Hope so.” She clicked send and returned to her Google search. “I’ve identified some interesting links, but so far I haven’t found anything that really stands out for me.”
“What did you find?”
Isabella turned to her screen. “I found some showing a comprehensive list of sites on a worldwide basis. However, if you want to concentrate on Egypt for now, there are plenty of locations to choose from.” She scrolled through the different areas around the country.
“Wait a minute.” Charles raised a hand to stop her. “Back up.”
She did as instructed.
“I like the sounds of Abydos. Even with the tombs of the first pharaohs found there, it’s still an underrated location.” Charles grinned as he scooted to his computer and typed Abydos in his search engine. “Let’s see what else might be note-worthy. Ah. Abydos was a cult center for several deities, eventually leading to the rise of Osiris and the temple of Seti I and the temple of Ramesses II.” He turned to Isabella. “I think this is it—at least at first glance.”
“So what do we do now?”
“Well, first, you need to meet with your dean and arrange time off. With our newfound wealth, funding won’t be a problem. I’ll dig through my Egyptian contacts and see if there is someone who might be able to point us in the right direction.”
“Okay. Let’s call it a night and clear a few more boxes. I’ll feel better.”
Charles laughed. “Aye. If you insist.”
“I do.”
Two hours later, they called it a night.
Isabella headed to the bathroom.
“I’ll be right back. Just want to check something out.”
Isabella resumed reding the novel she kept on the bedside table. Shit the light button on the clock when Charles came into the bedroom. “Where’ve you been? Were you researching all this time or plotting what to do with the remainder of your Lotto winnings? It’s 3:30 in the morning.”
He grinned as he peeled off his clothes and climbed into bed. “Just making sure the temples of Abydos are right for us.”
“Are they?”
“Perfect. Nichty nicht.”
“Nicht.”
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 2026 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
