Tag: brand

Heavy winds and lashing rain hit us last night. It went on for hours, making it difficult to hear the television with the constant beating on the conservatory roof next to the living room.

While it calm at the moment, the sky is laden with thick, dark clouds. The upcoming projection is for continued rain and gusting wind up 60 MPH throughout the day, with that dreaded white stuff due to hit us between Monday and Wednesday. If the forecast is accurate, we’ll only receive a dusting but the higher elevations could see as much as eight inches!

With trees, bushes, and shrubs beginning to bud, and early flowers starting to pop out, we certainly don’t need any of this. Mother Nature has been kind to us so far this winter, with just a few flurries one evening, but she might have more in store for us yet!

So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on February 9th. (Compliments of http://www.onthisday.com/today/birthdays):

Ali Sjir Neva’i [Fani], Turkish poet/author (Mahbub al-kulub); Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian poet; Felix Dahn, German Historian, jurist and poet; Anthony Hope [Hopkins], English novelist; George Ade, American journalist/playwright/humorist (Fables in Slang); Fran Saleški Finžgar, Slovene folk writer (Our Blood, Service Girls); Amy Lowell, American poet and critic (Patterns, Sword Blades & Poppy Seed); Frederik Gerretson, [Geerten Gossaert], Dutch poet/politician); Vital Celen, Flemish writer (Puppy Love); Max Manus, Norwegian resistance fighter and author who specialized in sabotage during World War II; Charles Montgomery Monteith, publisher; Brendan Behan, Irish author and poet (Borstal Boy, The Hostage); J.M. Coetzee, South African novelist; Alice Walker, American novelist (The Color Purple, Meridian); and Janet Issaca Ashford, writer.

Recognize anyone? There was only one notable name for me this week: Alice Walker, whose Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Color Purple, also became a movie. Whether you recognize anyone on the list or not, if today’s your special day I hope you have a great one and many more to follow!

News About My Published Work

Both of these novels will be participating in an Amazon Countdown Special on Valentine’s Day starting at 12:00 a.m. PST. They’ll start $0.99 and gradually increasing in price, returning to normal on February 16th at 11:00 p.m. PST. If you haven’t read them yet, what better time to pick up a copy or gift them to someone you know.

As previously mentioned, Dangerous Alliance was one of seven First in Category winners in the 2018 Chanticleer International Book Awards in the global thrillers category. Meanwhile, Carnage in Singapore is currently a semi-finalist in the 2019 competition, with the final results due in late April. Hope you’ll check them out!

My Work in Progress

Editing continues on Colombian Betrayal (A Bruce and Smith Thriller: Book 1), which was previously called A Cartel’s Revenge in earlier posts. The name change came about after receiving feedback from my team of beta readers.

The fifth edit pass was completed last night–a few word changes and some adjustments to the punctuation. Once the last couple of beta readers provide their comments, I’ll update the manuscript as needed and begin the final edit pass.

I have a bit of a conundrum–what to work on next? Should it be Ultimate Escalation, the next novel after Carnage in Singapore? Or should it be Genesis (tentative title), the sequel to Colombian Betrayal? What about New World Revolution: A New Home or Xavier Sears:  Angola?  Both of these are the first novels in their respective series.

See what I mean? I’ll eventually sort it out, I’m sure.  In the meantime, here’s another snippet from Colombian Betrayal:

At last, the final condemned man was brought to the table to choose his weapons. He fingered the remaining knives and one of the pistols before falling to his knees. “Please. Forgive me. My family—they won’t survive without me.”

Días kicked the man in the side. “Quit sniveling and take your punishment like a man. Grab a weapon and run.”

Dejected, the man stood and walked away, his head hung low.

The last team leader glanced at his men. They each gave a slight nod before they strolled after their target.

With the slow pursuit, the prisoner approached the fence unharmed. He glanced around—no one. He placed a foot on the first plank and began to climb.

Snap!

His head jerked around at the sound of a branch breaking.

Five men stepped from the trees, their weapons by their sides.

The team leader stepped forward and motioned for the man to continue climbing.

“Why would you let me go?” He made the sign of the cross. “Are you Christians?”

“No. However, you were the only prisoner to mention a family. We do this for them, not you.”

* * * *

When the last team returned to the hacienda, Días glared at them. “We heard no shots. Where is the prisoner?”

The team leader shook his head. “He was too fast for us and was over the fence when we arrived.” He shrugged. “You said any prisoner who made it over the barrier was free.”

“I-I ….” Días’ face turned purple with rage. “I wanted them all dead.”

“You should have done your own dirty work.” As one, the team turned and headed to their billeting.

Días slammed a fist on the table. “Michael, Alberto—these are your men. Control them.”

Alberto grinned. “He’s right—you said if anyone made it to the outer boundary, they would live.”

“So, I lied.” Días laughed.

Alberto ignored the comment and gestured at Michael. “We depart tomorrow for Panama to oversee the training there. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?”

More next time.

Books I’m Reading

Not long ago, I finished reading Unchained: A Rex Dalton Thriller by JC Ryan. This is the third novel in the series. Join Rex and his trusty canine friend, Digger, as they flee from Afghanistan and head to India. Before long, they’re embroiled in a new adventure, while Rex tries to uphold the myth he died in an attack in Afghanistan.

With a riveting plot and a bevy of new characters, Rex shows his ‘human’ side regarding the welfare of others when he and Digger try to locate the missing daughter of an Indian couple. The trail eventually leads to Saudi Arabia. What happens there will be up to you to explore, as I don’t like to give away the full story. Suffice to say, you’ll be in for another nail-biting journey, so grab yourself a copy and prepare for late nights as you keep turning the pages!  I can’t wait for the next one in the series!

This brings us to a close for this week. I hope you found something of interest or at least useful for your own writing. 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.

As the first week of November draws to a close, the temperatures have dropped and there’s been plenty of rain. Nothing like what has hit part of the UK as there hasn’t been any local flooding.

Outdoor chores are more or less completed for this year, so we’ve turned to some interior decorating before our son flies over from D.C. next month. Always something to do to keep things neat and tidy. Of course, there are plenty of NCAA football games to watch in the evening (recorded) and basketball will be starting soon.

A couple of hedgehogs are still making an occasional nocturnal visit but it won’t be long before they go into hibernation. Their homes have been cleaned out and filled with fresh straw with a pile of leaves nearby if they want additional padding. Will be interesting to see if they use them again this year. Will have to get the camera set up to find out.

So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on November 10th. (Compliments of http://www.onthisday.com/today/birthdays):

Jacob Cats [Father Cats], Dutch grand pensionary and poet (Houwelyck); Anne “Ninon” de l’Enclos, French patron of the arts, courtesan and writer; Oliver Goldsmith, Irish novelist and dramatist (She Stoops to Conquer); Frederich von Schiller, German poet and lyricist (Ode to Joy); Dobri Voynikov, Bulgarian teacher, playwright and journalist (The Phoney Civilization); Jose Hernandez, Argentine poet (MartinFierro); Winston Churchill, American author (Crisis, Crossing) (not to be confused with Sir Winston Churchill, a former British Prime Minister); Nicholas Vachel Lindsay, American poet (Gen William Booth enters Heaven); Patrick Pearse, Irish poet, nationalist and political activist; Max Mell, Austria artillery officer and literary (Donauweibchen); an van Nijlen, Flemish poet and author (Bird Phoenix); Arnold Zweig, German antifascist and author (Erziehung vor Verdun); John P. Marquand, American writer (The Late George Apley); John Moore, English author (Portrait of Elmbury, Brensham Village and The Blue Field); Alvaro Cunhal, Portuguese politician and writer; W. E. B. Griffin [William Edmund Butterworth], American best-selling author (Clandestine Operations, The Lieutenants); Russell Means, Native American activist, actor, writer, and musician; Jack Ketchum [Dallas William Mayr], American horror fiction author (Off Season, Red, The Woman); James Chapman, American novelist (Stet); Magnús Scheving, Icelandic athlete, writer and producer (LazyTown); and Sean Hughes, Irish stand-up comedian, writer and actor.

Were any names familiar to you? Two stood out for me: W.E.B. Griffin and Jack Ketchum. Whether you recognize anyone on the list or not, if today’s your special day I hope you have a great one and many more to follow!

My Work in Progress

With the change in the weather, I had more time to devote to writing. Over the past week, I completed the final five chapters of A Cartel’s Revenge and posted them to the two subscription writing sites I use.

The chapter review count continues to steadily climb, now standing at 522, an increase of twenty-eight in the past week. As always, plenty of good advice to help me improve my writing as I shift into my editing phase.

Here’s another snippet from A Cartel’s Revenge:

They touched down at Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport on time, accompanied by puffs of white smoke as the tires accelerated to match the speed of the huge aircraft.

Michael and Alberto cleared customs without any difficulty and shifted their carry-on luggage to an empty baggage cart. They stepped through the barricades to the interior of the terminal where Alberto spotted their contact—a short, thin man in Western clothing and a Detroit Tigers baseball cap.

He nodded as the men walked past. In the parking lot they slowed down, waiting for the man to catch up.

“Hola, que pasa, amigos?” Pepe waved them to a dark blue Toyota Land Cruiser parked at the curb.

“Hola. This is Michael.” After tossing their luggage in the back, the two men shook hands, then everyone climbed into the vehicle.

Pepe ground gears as he shifted, the SUV shuddering before the engine belched a plume of black smoke. He grinned at the others and punched the pedal to the floor, flinging Alberto and Michael back in their seats.

“Sorry. We’re running late.”

“I’d rather be late than end up in an accident.” Michael shook his head. “Give us a little warning next time, okay?”

***

Alberto and Michael grabbed their packs from the rear of the vehicle and headed toward the bar’s entrance. A warped wooden door, once painted red, rested against a brick exterior, allowing patrons access.

Alberto slipped his hand into the space between the frame and the door and yanked. The door opened with a loud squeal as the rusted hinges gave way.

The men stepped inside and waited for their vision to adjust to the dark interior. A myriad of faded advertising posters adorned Nicotine-stained cinder block walls. A dozen rickety tables with mismatched chairs were strewn around the room.

A long bar, made from old planks laid across a wooden framework, ran the width of the cantina in the back of the single room. A large mirror covered in spider web cracks seemed appropriate for the once-proud watering hole.

At the bar they ordered beer. Without a word, the bartender grabbed two bottles of Cerveza Aguila from a cooler, popped the caps against the edge of the bar, and slid them across.

Michael glanced up and spotted two beady eyes staring back at him. A small rodent peered through a hole in a ceiling beam. “There’s a rat up there.” He pointed as the scavenger scooted away.

The bartender smiled. “Sí—that’s Miguel. He cleans up after messy customers.”

More next time.

This coming week I’ll also be participating in a roundtable discussion sponsored by the International Thriller Writers.  The topic: What are the advantages of the new media to bridge readers with authors? The link will go active tomorrow, November 11th, for this discussion, but you can catch earlier discussions at: http://www.thebigthrill.org/thriller-roundtable/

Books I’m Reading

I didn’t get a chance to complete any reviews this week, so I’ll have a couple next time.

This brings us to a close for another week. I hope you found something of interest or at least useful for your own writing. 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.