Today’s the start of the fourth consecutive day with plenty of sunshine and no rain. The temperature has even made it into the low ’50s (max 13C), but a chill in the breeze has made it feel a bit cooler. We’ve finally been able to clear away the winter detritus and dig over the flower beds at the front of the house. Today’s project will be to start in the back!
Due to the current world situation, we continue to see the price of gasoline (petrol) increase. Over the past week, the price of a liter climbed five pence to £1.62 or the equivalent of $8.22 for a U.S. gallon at the current exchange rate. Thank goodness we have small engines in our cars.
I’ve been watching the 2022 NCAA March Madness basketball games. The two teams I follow, Michigan and Michigan State, won their opening games and have moved to the round of thirty-two. Go Wolverines and Spartans!
Here’s this week’s quote (Compliments of http://www.wisdomquotesandstories.com/): “Music can change the world because it can change people.” ~ Bono
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on March 20th, the third Sunday of the month:
Ovid [Publius Ovidius Naso], Roman poet (Metamorphoses); Balthasar Bekker, Frisian theologist (Examiner of Comets); Friedrich Hölderlin, German writer; Karl August Nicander, Swedish poet; Matthias Keller, German hymn writer (O Farther un High); Carel Vosmaer, Dutch art historian/poet/editor; Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian playwright (Peer Gynt, Hedda Gabler); Obe Postma, Frisian poet/geography/historian (Frisian Clay Farm); Karin Michaelis, writer; Börries von Münchhausen, German poet; Siegfried von Vegesack, German writer; Kathryn Forbes, short story writer (mama’s bank account); Donald Featherstone, British writer and wargamer; Carl Reiner, American comedian, screenwriter, (Your Show Of Shows; 2000 Year Old Man; The Dick Van Dyke Show), director (The Comic; The Jerk), and author; Shaukat Siddiqui, Pakistani Author, Journalist and Political Activist; Anthony Blond, British publisher (The Publishing Game, Book Book); Alexander Gorodnitsky, Russian geologist and poet; David Malouf, Australian author; Elizabeth Gille, writer translator/editor; Gerard Malanga, American poet and photographer; Jay Ingram, Canadian television host and author; Pamela Sargent, American sci-fi author (Venus of Dreams, Cloned Lives); Curt Smith, American author and media host; Touré, American writer; and Andrzej Pilipiuk, Polish writer.
Any names familiar to you? Only one stood out for me: Carl Reiner. 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
All of my novels are participating in a Mystery & Suspense / Mystery, Mystery & Suspense / Suspense, and Mystery & Suspense / Thriller promotion called Mayhem and Motives. Why not stop by and check it out? There are 100 novels to choose from:
https://books.bookfunnel.com/m…
Colombian Betrayal and Revenge are also participating in a separate Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense / Mystery, and Mystery & Suspense / Women Sleuths promotion entitled March Fun Reads. There are 99 novels available in this one:
https://books.bookfunnel.com/c…
I also found out The Kurdish Connection, Dangerous Alliance, and Carnage in Singapore are now
a finalist in the 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards in the series competition. They are competing in the Global Thriller category for high stakes fiction. I’ll have to wait until the end of June to find out if they are selected as a first place winner. Fingers crossed!
If you’re looking for a Mother’s Day gift (at least in the UK since it’s coming up on 27 March) for those special people in your life, there’s still time to pick up a copy (or several). Sylvia’s debut poetry and prose book, Colours of My Life, would make the perfect gift.
Colours of My Life is available across the Amazon network. Just click on the title anywhere in this article to find the universal link and your perfect gift.
My Work in Progress
This week I completed chapter twenty-nine of Ultimate Escalation. My manuscript received another sixteen reviews, bringing the total to 600. As always, plenty of suggestions to enhance my writing.
Here’s another snippet:
Thick, black smoke filled the warehouse as both trucks belched. The Indian drivers killed the engines before they hopped out of the cabs.
“Open the doors—now!” Mishka waved his hands as he coughed. “Hurry before we all suffocate!”
One of the drivers approached Mishka. “Do not worry, sahib. Once the engines run for a few minutes, the smoke will stop.”
“Will they get us to our destination?”
“Of course, sahib.” The driver grinned. “My cousin, who is the second driver, is also a mechanic. He will fix any problems.”
The doors screeched open. Within minutes, the air had cleared inside the warehouse.
Mishka glanced at his fellow Russians. “Time to load up and head to Amritsar. Vedant and more of his followers will meet us at his family’s property.” He gestured toward the driver standing next to him. “What’s your name?”
The man grinned, showing several missing teeth. “Bikram, sahib. I am at your service.” He pointed to his cousin. “His name is Foola.”
“Benedikt, you ride in front with Foola, and I’ll be with Bikram. The rest of you divide up and hop in the back of the vehicles.” Mishka stepped toward Benedikt. “Make sure we take everything. There’s something about this place I don’t like.” Mishka glanced around. “It feels as if the building has eyes.”
Benedikt nodded. I feel the same as you. Ten minutes and we can depart.” He yelled at the others to check everything. “Hurry up, you halyavshchik! Stop being lazy—we don’t have all day.”
Fifteen minutes later, the engines roared into action. The Russians climbed aboard, and their two-vehicle convoy left the warehouse, thick, black smoke dissipating behind them.
* * *
Raj took a final photograph of the departing vehicles before dropping his camera into a shoulder bag. He ran into the warehouse through the open doors.
Empty.
He fished his cellphone from a pocket and dialed. “Sir, the foreigners left the warehouse.
“Thank you, Raj,” Senior Field Officer Chatterjee said. “Take two men and follow them. Report back whenever you find something of interest or when they meet with someone.”
“As ordered, sir.” He raced around the corner, hopped in a beat-up yellow Hindustan Ambassador taxi, and pulled out his Research and Analysis Wing identification. “Official business! I need you to follow two Tata trucks. I believe they’re heading north, perhaps to Srinagar.”
“Sit back, sahib.” The driver gunned his engine and sped along the narrow streets. “We shall find them.” He blew his horn at two pedestrians as he motioned them out of his way. The taxi rocked as he swerved around them.
Raj grabbed the panic strap. “I would prefer if you do not kill us.”
The driver grinned. “I am the best driver in Chandigarh, sahib. Do not worry. Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, will protect us. I keep a statue of him in the truck to ensure we have a safe journey.”
Guess this is a good time to believe in Indian superstitions. “I hope so.”
The driver nodded. “Wait and see—no harm will come to us.”
After five near misses, the driver gestured through the windshield. “Look, sahib. Two white Tata trucks, turning onto Highway Five. Are those the ones you are interested in?”
Raj peered through the window. “Yes! Don’t get too close but follow them.”
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 2022 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
I recently found out that Mission-Angola (Xavier Sear Thriller Book 1) has moved from the slush pile to the long list for the 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards in their Global Thrillers category. A long way to go yet in the competition, which will be stiff as always.
No, this isn’t my book. Rather, it’s Sylvia’s debut poetry book. Released under the pen name of Sylvia Grace, Colours of My Life is a collection of Sylvia’s poetry and prose and wraps up with a couple of short stories, including one about Christmas, which is appropriate for a book being released at this time of the year. Encouraged by a myriad of people who purchased her laminated poetry sheets and have asked whether she would put her work in a book, she’s finally taking that step.