Uncategorized

Randall’s Ramblings, June 12, 2022

It’s been a mix week, weatherwise. There’s been plenty of clouds, rain, and spurts of sunshine, with temperatures about the historical averages. As we head towards the summer equinox, the days are definitely longer with first light at 04:32 this morning and last light supposed to be at 21:45. The flowers have made their appearance and the hydrangea plants heavy with their buds as they begin to change color. It’ll be a smorgasbord of color when they are all in bloom.

Last weekend’s small business market was another success. Although it was quiet, I still sold thirteen novels, while Sylvia sold two of her poetry books and nineteen of her poetry sheets. A bit under our averages but we’re still pleased with the result.

I saw yesterday the average price of a U.S. gallon of gasoline (petrol) broke $5.00. On Tuesday, we saw an eight pence per liter rise at the local pumps.  Now it’s up to £1.81, which makes it the equivalent of $8.61 for a U.S. gallon at the current exchange rate, a jump of twenty-seven cents a gallon since last week.

Here’s this week’s quote (Compliments of http://www.wisdomquotesandstories.com/):

“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” ~ Mark Twain

So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on June 12th, the second Sunday of the month:

Juan del Encina, Spanish author and composer; Harriet Martineau, British controversial journalist, political economist, abolitionist and life-long feminist; Johanna Spyri, Swiss children’s book author (Heidi); James Oliver Curwood, American journalist and writer (Kazan the wolfdog); Djuna Barnes, American author (Nightwood); Sandro Penna, Italian poet; Bill Naughton [William John Francis Naughton], English playwright (Alfie); Milovan Djilas, Yugoslavian politician and writer (The New Class); Bob Carroll, American screenwriter (I Love Lucy, Stage Two Revue, Stranger); H. C. Artmann, Austrian writer; James Archibald Houston, Canadian author and filmmaker (Tikta’Liktak); Christopher Derrick, British writer; Henry Slesar, American writer and playwright (The Edge of Night); Anne Frank, Dutch Diarist and Jewish victim of the Nazi Holocaust (Diary of Anne Frank); Brigid Brophy, British novelist (Hackenfeller’s Ape) and campaigner; Jameel Jalibi, Pakistani scholar, writer, and Urdu linguist; Rona Jaffe, American novelist (Mazes & Monsters); Christoph Meckel, German writer; Harry Glasper, English writer; Jim Goad, American author and publisher (ANSWER Me!); Jordan Peterson, Canadian psychologist and author (12 Rules for Life); and Chanel Miller, American writer (Know My Name).

Any names familiar to you? There were two for me again this week: Johanna Spyri and Anne Frank. 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 continued once again on my next WIP, Frozen Conquest. The fourth chapter has been posted to the  two online subscription writing site I use. So far, the four chapters have received fiftytw reviews, some from long-standing reviewers while others came from new people.Slide1

Here’s the next snippet:

Compensating for a skid, the pilot brought his aircraft to a gentle halt. Hydraulic lifts raised an opening, allowing enough space for the plane to enter a hidden hanger.

As soon as they stopped, a door opened on the plane and a set of stairs extended. A short, mostly bald man rushed down. “Chris! Grab my bags and take them to my quarters.”

“Yes, Mister Brown.” Chris Handler, tall, slender, and sporting a thick, black beard, handed Walter a thick legal-size envelope. “Here’s your latest messages, sir.”

Walter waved a hand. “Anything urgent?”

“No, sir. All routine. Everything is moving forward according to your plan.”

“Excellent. Bring me a black coffee and a heated croissant.”

“Right away, sir.”

Walter turned and strode along a red all-weather carpet. As he walked, he glanced around his cavernous facility housing his hidden headquarters. Built in great secrecy near the Aramis Range, Prince Charles Mountains, and at a cost exceeding five billion dollars, he considered it a masterpiece. The original above-ground facility was built by the Russian Antarctic Expedition and nicknamed Soyuz Station but was officially closed in 1989.

To ensure no one found out about his headquarters, building contractors lost their lives when one of his ocean-going vessels sank during a storm, taking its cargo of innocent victims to a watery grave.

When he reached his office, Walter entered a five-digit code onto a keypad, gazed into a retinal scanner, and pressed his index finger onto another pad that popped out of the wall.

Security protocols complete, the door clicked open, and Walter walked inside, tossing his coat onto a nearby chair. He slid into his ergonomically designed chair behind a polished oak desk. Walter pushed a button under the lip of the top.

A panel opened on the left side of the desk, and a computer slowly rose and locked into position.

He logged on as an inner door opened.

Chris entered, pushing a cart holding a china coffee pot, a cup and saucer, a sugar bowl, and a covered plate. Each was trimmed in gold with a blue D prominently displayed.

He placed the cup and saucer on a pull-out shelf and poured a cup of black coffee. After using a pair of tongs, Chris deposited two sugar cubes into the steaming liquid.  After uncovering the croissants, he stepped back from the desk, cracking his knuckles. “Will there be anything else, sir?”

Walter nodded. “Will you please stop cracking your knuckles? It sounds like you’re breaking bones.”

“Sorry, sir. Just a nervous habit.”

“Well, once we launch our operation, you need to speak to someone about it.” Drives me bonkers.

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ll buzz you if I need anything else. Dismissed.” Walter sipped from his coffee and turned to the computer screen.

More next time.

Book Promotions

6 Novels

My novels are participating in four Bookfunnel promotions this month:

THE USUAL SUSPECTS: Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense Reads group promo. There are 171 novels to choose from:

https://books.bookfunnel.com/b…THE COLOR OF Action: Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, and Sci-Fi & Fantasy with 18 novels to choose from:

https://books.bookfunnel.com/t…

Summer Chills and Kills: A Kindle Promotion: There are 84 novels to choose from:

https://books.bookfunnel.com/s…Thriller, Mystery & Suspense group promo. Another 70 novels in this one.

https://books.bookfunnel.com/t…

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

Uncategorized

Randall’s Ramblings, May 29, 2022

It’s been a mixed week with rain, clouds and sunshine, sometimes all at the same time. For the past couple of days, though, there hasn’t been any rain. However, the wind shifted and is coming from the north, making it difficult for the temperature to get into the mid-50s. At least the blooms are continuing to pop out and of course, the grass needs a cut every week.

Over the past week, the price of petrol jumped five pence a liter. Now it’s up to £1.71, which makes it the equivalent of $8.33 for a U.S. gallon at the current exchange rate. This is a jump of thirty-four cents a gallon since last week.

Here’s this week’s quote (Compliments of http://www.wisdomquotesandstories.com/):

“Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on May 29th, the fifth and final Sunday of the month:

Johann Heinrich von Mädler, German astronomer (published the most complete map of the Moon of the time, Mappa Selenographica, 4 vol. with Wilhelm Beer); G. K. Chesterton [Gilbert Keith], English writer (Man Who Made Gold); Oswald Spengler, German historian and philosopher (Decline of West); Erwin Finlay-Freundlich, British astronomer (theory of relativity); Alfonsina Storni, Argentine poet (La inquietud del rosal); George L. Funke, Dutch botanist (Flower Physiology); Ronald Russell, British journalist, author and Conservative politician; Sebastian Shaw, British actor, director, playwright and poet (High Season, Ace of Spades, Caste); T. H. White, English novelist (England Have My Bones) and author of the King Arthur novels; Desmond Shawe-Taylor, British critic and writer (co-author of The Record Guide); Neil R. Jones, American sci-fi author (Space War, Twin Worlds); Jan Hanlo, Dutch poet (Go to the Mosque); David Jenkins, Welsh librarian (National Library of Wales); Dick Hillenius, Dutch biologist and writer; Paul R. Ehrlich, American biologist and author who founded the group Zero Population Growth; and André Brink, South African writer (Dry White Season).

Any names familiar to you? There was one for me: T. H. White. 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

Slide1Work continued this week on my next WIP, Frozen Conquest. The second chapter has been posted to the  two online subscription writing site I use. So far, the two chapters have received nineteen reviews, some from long-standing reviewers while others came from new people.

Here’s the next snippet:

Walter Brown, the eighty-year-old founder and CEO of the privately held Diablo Corps, gazed out the office windows on the top floor of the Diablo headquarters in downtown Miami. Although dwarfed by much taller buildings, Brown normally enjoyed the skyline view toward the ocean.

As one of the world’s richest men, he could have lived anywhere. Few knew his name, and even fewer could boast of meeting the recluse.

Rain lashed the windows as an intermittent storm disrupted the otherwise hot and sunny day. He turned back to a sixty-four inch-monitor. Blinking red and green lights signified his worldwide operations.

When his phone rang, he stabbed at the console and put the call on speaker. “What?”

“Sir, Reginald here. Both tests were completed.”

“Excellent Have the accountants arrived yet?”

“Yes, sir. They came yesterday and are getting acclimated now. Several began work this morning, but ….”

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh … your nephew. He was caught on an ice floe after the second test. He’s still missing.”

Walter closed his eyes and pursed his lips. “Very well. Keep searching, but I doubt he’ll still be alive. However, my sister will want to give him a proper burial.”

“Yes, sir. When will you be returning?”

“I should finish what I need to do here by tomorrow morning. Expect me to arrive in the evening. Tell Chris to make sure everything is ready for me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Walter broke the connection and changed the monitor presentation. Blue lights signified the locations of major banking and investment institutions and the world’s leading stock exchanges. “Soon, we shall make our requirements known. If the G7 doesn’t bend to our demands, the might of Diablo shall disrupt their economies.”

He stepped to a self-service bar in the corner of his office and poured himself a large single malt whiskey. After taking a sip, he logged onto his computer and created a message:

To: The Chairmen and Governors of the G7 Central Banks

From: Nightmare

Stand by for my demands, which will be released soon. Failure to comply will result in the destruction of your way of life as you know it. The world cries out for truth, and I will be the sword of justice.

More next time.

The final chapters of Ultimate Escalation have now been uploaded to the two online subscription writing sites I use. My manuscript received another seven reviews this week, bringing the total to 873. Slide1

The editing process is going well. I just started my third edit pass through the manuscript, which currently stand at 77,926 words. I’ve decided that six of my foreign characters will not use contractions when they speak, to separate them from those who do.

Now it’s a case of checking for missing or incorrect punctuation, misspelled or incorrect words, and making adjustments to anything else I think needs a tweak. I’m on schedule to send the manuscript to my beta readers by the middle of June. Depending upon their feedback, I’ll be submitting it to my publisher the beginning of August.

Book Promotions

6 Novels

My novels are participating in two Bookfunnel promotions this month:

THE USUAL SUSPECTS: Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense Reads group promo. There are 168 novels to choose from:

https://books.bookfunnel.com/b…

May the First Book – Mystery Thriller Suspense group promo. There are 44 novels in this one:

https://books.bookfunnel.com/m…

Please support author such as myself by checking out these promotions. Thank you.
 

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