It’s been a busy week as our son is still here (until Tuesday). Plenty to catch up on! Overall, the weather has cooperated, making it easier to get out and do a few things. Yesterday, we did another one-day artisan event, selling six copies of my novels and nine sheets of poetry. It started out slow because it looked like the heavens would dump on us, but when the sun poked its way through, the street filled with pedestrians!
Here’s this week’s quote (Compliments of http://www.wisdomquotesandstories.com/): “All of old. Nothing else ever. Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” ~ Samuel Beckett
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on September 26th, the fourth and last Sunday of the month. (Compliments of http://www.onthisday.com/today/birthdays):
William Hobson, first Governor of New Zealand and co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi; Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, father of Bengali prose (Exile of Sita); Petko Todorov, Bulgarian writer (Fairy, Samodiva Fee); Edwin Keppel Bennett, English writer (Built in Jerusalem’s Wall: A Book in praise of Jerusalem); T. S. Eliot, American poet (The Waste Land), dramatist and critic (Nobel Prize 1948); J. Frank Dobie, American folklorist and newspaper columnist; Martin Heidegger, German philosopher (Being & Time); Victor Otto Stomps, German writer and publisher; Gerhard Nebel, German writer; Ernst Schnabel, German writer and pioneer of the radio documentary; Matilde Camus, Spanish poet and researcher; Buland al-Haidary, Iraqi poet (Passages to Exile); Vladimir Voinovich, Russian writer and dissident (Moscow 2042); Judith Appelbaum, American magazine & newspaper editor and educator; Jane Smiley, American novelist (Pulitzer 1991-A Thousand Acres); Minette Walters, English novelist (The Ice House); Will Self, English author; Jill Soloway, American writer and director (Afternoon Delight); and Anthony Shadid, New York Times foreign correspondent and two time Pulitzer winner.
Any names familiar to you? T.S. Eliot is the only one I know. 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 Published Work
Until the 15th of october, all of my novels are participating in a Kindle Unlimited spy thrillers promotion. There are forty-five novels available through this promotion, so you’re bound to find something of interest. If you’re not a member of Kindle Unlimited, what better time to join?
This week I received notification about a five-star editorial review for The Kurdish Connection from Chanticleer Book Reviews. Needless to say, I’m thriller. Click on the title to check it out!
Coming Soon!
This week I uploaded Revenge to my Kindle, and completed the first check on what readers will see–going word-by-word, checking for anything that might need a tweak or correction.
Three members of my Advanced Reader Team provided feedback, and everything’s coming together. I’ll be sending the final pieces my cover design needs this week for the paperback cover. All being well, Revenge will be released by mid-October.
In case you missed the synopsis, here it is:
Relegated to a desk job at the Pentagon despite his last field mission being a success, Colonel Javier Smith submits his retirement papers. He moves forward with his plans to create a security and investigative agency called the Brusch Agency. The focus will be aiding international clientele.
AJ Bruce, who co-led the mission with Smith, finds herself rooted at CIA Headquarters. Although now in charge of the division responsible for tracking terrorist groups in Latin America, she misses the action from being in the field.
Meanwhile, Alberto Cabrera was one of four terrorists who survived Bruce and Smith’s mission. Also known as Abdul Rahman, he enlists the assistance of the others who escaped and vows to track down those who killed his friends and comrades.
As Javier and AJ grow closer together, will the future hold wedding bells or funerals? Hang onto your hats as the story unfolds.
My Work in Progress
With our son’s visit, writing and editing is still on the back burner. However, seventeen chapter reviews came in for Ultimate Escalation, bringing the total to 274.
Here’s another snippet:
The Emirates flight touched down in Dubai with screeching tires and taxied to an open gate. As soon as the purser opened the door, Vladimir and Vasily hurried up the ramp, each carrying a single piece of luggage. They paused at customs, showing their passports to a somber agent.
A tall, muscular man with short gray hair waited for them on the other side of the barrier, holding a white sign with NV in red block letters. He smiled when he spotted his friends. “Welcome to Dubai! Everything’s ready.”
Vladimir shook the proffered hand. “How long’s it been, Grigori? Seems a lifetime ago when we fought together in Chechnya.”
Grigori laughed as he took their bags. “Not so long ago, Colonel.” He gestured toward the exit. “I parked as close as possible and managed to get a bay within walking distance for men as fit as you.”
Vladimir rolled his eyes. “You’d be as fit as us if you tried.”
“Da. But relaxing between contracts is more fun.”
They stepped into the brilliant sunshine and sweltering midday heat and approached a gleaming black Mercedes. After placing their luggage in the trunk, Grigori donned a chauffeur’s cap and opened the back door. “Shall we go? It’s only a four-minute drive.”
Vasily wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and turned to Vladimir. “I thought it was warm in Peshawar, but this is worse.”
“Agreed. Almost like a banya.”
True to his promise, Grigori pulled into the palm-tree-lined grounds of the five-start Le Méridien Dubai Hotel. He halted in a reserved parking spot near the entrance and jumped out, once again opening the rear door for his friends. His voice seemed to resonate from his shoes. “Welcome to Le Méridien. Your suite is booked and paid for. I’ll take you there later. Right now, we’ll go through the lobby and out the pool door.”
“Where are you taking us?” Vasily glanced around the impressive marble-floored lobby, packed with tourists.
“We’re going to a secluded bar to meet with the others.” Grigori pointed to the yellow cobblestones. “We’ll follow this path.”
More next time.
That 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 2021 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
There were another six new chapter reviews, bringing the total number to 757. As always, plenty of useful suggestions as always to improve my writing and very timely with editing well underway.