It’s been colder than normal all week. On Saturday morning, we woke up to snow falling. We ended up with just over three inches, which made the morning drive pretty hectic. By the afternoon, the major streets were cleaned but the side streets into housing areas remained snowbound.
Once again there was another decrease in gasoline (petrol) prices this week, with a further three pence shaved off the price to £1.42 a liter. However, with the current exchange rate, the equivalent price of a U.S. gallon dropped eleven cents to $6.80. Meanwhile, diesel dropped a penny a liter to £1.51, but with the exchange rate, this actually led to a decrease of eleven cents a gallon to $7.22.
So far we’ve had a great Xmas market at the local mall. I sold thirty-eight autographed copies of my novels, while Sylvia sold thirty-two of her laminated poetry sheets, thirty-one of her poetry book marks, and four of her poetry books. Let’s hope the second week is as good as this one!
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” –Stephen King. Compliments of https://www.inc.com/glenn-leibowitz/50-quotes-from-famous-authors-that-will-inspire-yo.html.
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on December 3rd, the first Sunday of the month. (Compliments of https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/).
Hryhorii Skovoroda, Ukrainian poet and philosopher; Mary Lamb, British author (Tales from Shakespeare); France Prešeren, Slovenian poet (Krst pri Savici); Green Berry Raum, American lawyer, politician, author, and Brigadier General (Union Army); Joseph Conrad, Polish-English novelist (Lord Jim, Heart of Darkness); Herman Heijermans, Dutch writer (Kamertjeszonde, Diamond City); John Urzidil, Austrian-American writer (Die erbeuteten Frauen); Kate O’Brien, Irish writer (Without My Cloak); Nigel Balchin, English author (Business for Pleasure); F. Sionil José, Filipino novelist (Rosales Saga) and Philippine National Artist for Literature; Franz Josef Degenhardt, German poet and author; Mel Smith, author, actor, and comedian (Morons From Outer Space); and Grace Andreacchi, American author.
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
This week, I finished hand wrote chapters twenty-two and twenty-three of Mission: Yemen, Xavier Sear Thriller Book 2. I still have to type them up and post them to the two online subscription writing sites I use.
Reviewers continue to check out my work and provided another seven critiques this week, bringing the total to 426. As always, there are plenty of recommendations for me to consider, and I’m always appreciative of the time and effort people put into reviewing my work.
Here’s another snippet. Please keep in mind that since these are first-draft chapters, things will likely be changed once I get to the editing phase. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions to improve the story, please let me know.
Prince Hussein peered through the branches of the date palms at the two young women. That Shatara is a feisty one. She would make someone a decent wife, but that would ruin my plans for her. He sipped from a glass of tea as he watched them.
“Excuse me, Prince Hussein.”
The prince turned and glanced at the young male servant.
The boy held a letter in a shaking hand. “This came for you a few minutes ago by a special rider.”
The prince took the envelope and waved a hand to dismiss the youth. What’s this? He tore open the letter.
My dear Prince Hussein,
Beware. There are eyes on you, which might make things difficult. Tread carefully so you keep below the National Security Bureau’s radar. Otherwise, you might face the same charge as Hamed Kamal Muhammad bin Haydara of being a destroyer of Islam, who was fortunate to avoid public execution.
My friends and I shall do our utmost to protect you and those around you but do not dally in your efforts to advance Saudi interests at the expense of Yemeni peace and prosperity.
A friend.
Prince Hussein tore the letter into small pieces before wadding them together and shoving it into his pocket. Who is this friend? What does he know about my real plans? He shook his head. I must convince Shatara to sign the document accusing her father of supporting Ansar Allah.
He poured the rest of his tea over the balcony and returned to his office.
More next time.
I’m continuing to work on the new project as a co-author with Michael Maxwell, the author of over thirty novels. The tentative title is The Great Rebellion – Finn Harding Book One. It’s a romantic alternate history of the American Civil War. I’m currently working on a new chapter four when time permits at the Xmas market.
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.
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