It’s been a dry, mainly sunny week, but cold, with the temperatures struggling to reach 41F (5C). Today, it’s cloudy with a few outbreaks of sunshine. However, the forecast is showing snow, particularly north of us, where it’s already falling, although just light at the moment. Of course, it is that time of year where we can expect to see some snow.
There was a slight change to the price of gasoline (petrol) and diesel this week. Gasoline dropped penny to £1.35 a liter, while diesel increased a penny to £1.45. Meanwhile, the exchange rate has tilted in the favor of the pound against the dollar. As a result, a liter of gasoline dropped four cents to $6.50, while a liter of diesel rose three cents to $6.95.
Published Works
Revenge received a 5/5 (highly recommended) review from Chanticleer Book Reviews this week. Needless to say, I’m thrilled to share this with you. It was one of the first place winners in the 2022 Chanticleer International Global Thriller Awards for High Stakes Suspense. If you’re interested in reading the review, click on the title for the link. Here’s the final line of the review: Lovers of Lee Child and Tom Clancy will appreciate Krzak’s world-building, the detailed scenarios, and the daring rescues put forth by his heroic characters.
“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” ― John Steinbeck. 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 January 14, the second Sunday of the month and of 2024. (Compliments of https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/).
Isaac da Costa, Jewish poet; Harmen Sytstra, Dutch poet and editor (Iduna); Zacharias Topelius, Finnish historical novelist (Surgeon’s Stories); Pierre Loti, French naval officer and novelist; J. F. Archibald, Australian journalist and publisher; Wilhelm von Polenz, German writer (Der Pfarrer von Breitendorf); Thornton W. Burgess, American conservationist and author (The Bedtime Story-Books; Now I Remember: Autobiography of an Amateur Naturalist); Albert Schweitzer, Alsatian theologian and writer (Nobel 1954); Victor Segalen, French naval doctor and writer; Hendrik Willem van Loon, Dutch-American historian and writer (Story of America); Hugh Lofting, English writer and illustrator (Dr. Doolittle); George Richard Samways, English children’s writer; John dos Passos, American novelist (Manhattan Transfer; The 42nd Parallel; Nineteen Nineteen; The Big Money), poet, and painter; F. C. Terborgh [Reijnier Flaes], Dutch writer (De Turkenoorlog); Emily Hahn, American journalist and author; Anatoly Rybakov, Russian writer; Tillie Olsen, American writer (Tell Me a Riddle); Dudley Randall, African-American poet who founded the pioneering publishing house “Broadside Press”; John Oliver Killens, American writer; Yukio Mishima, Japanese novelist (Temple of Golden Pavilion); Mahasweta Devi, Indian Bengali writer and activist; Mary Robison, American writer (Why Did I Ever); Maureen Dowd, American writer; Sydney Biddle Barrows, American madam and author (Mayflower Madam); Anchee Min, Chinese writer; and Steven Soderbergh, American producer, director, writer (Ocean’s Eleven, Traffic).
Any names familiar to you? There weren’t any for me this time. 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, I penned chapters 22-30 of Mission: Yemen, Xavier Sear Thriller Book 2 during the Xmas market. This week, I typed up and posted chapter twenty-three to the two online subscription writing sites I use. I also did about half of chapter twenty-four.
Reviewers provided another seven critiques, bringing the total to 459. As always, they’ve provided 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:
Sear glared at Parvez. “Who were you talking with on the phone?”
“No one—at least no one you would know, Sayyid.”
Sear turned at the sound of feet approaching.
Wasim and Malik rushed through the door onto the roof. They hurried to Parvez’s side and grabbed his arms.
“Check his phone.” Sear pointed to Parvez’s pocket. “He was talking with someone and won’t say who it is.”
“Hold him, Wasim.” Malik yanked out Parvez’s phone and accessed the call list. As he scanned the numbers, he relaxed. I recognize the last number called—it’s Tarik’s.” He glanced at Parvez. “Why were you talking with him?”
Parvez jerked his arm free from Wasim as he glared at Malik. “It is not any of your business, but I talk with Tarik from time to time—letting him know when there are strangers, especially foreigners, in this area.”
“You better be telling me the truth. I will ask Tarik the next time I see him.”
Parvez nodded. “Go ahead—he will vouch for me.”
Sear glanced at Wasim and Malik. “Let him go.”
“Do you still want me to cook?” Sear stared at Parvez.
“Perhaps later. For now, just more tea and coffee.”
“As you wish, Sayyid.”
Sear turned and stepped through the doorway, down the stairs, and returned to the divan.
After frowning at Parvez, Wasim and Malik followed Sear.
Malik sat across from the others and patted his rumbling stomach. “What about food? I am hungry.”
“Do you think we can trust Parvez not to poison us?” Sear rubbed his chin.
“Of course.” Malik grinned. “I will stand next to him in the kitchen to ensure nothing untoward happens.”
In that case, I’m hungry, too.”
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 2024 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved