Tag: historical

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Randall’s Ramblings, May 7, 2017

Randall Krzak

Brilliant sunshine bouncing off the one-foot waves this morning created a wall of intense light, making it difficult to see. When my eyes could refocus, not a cloud could be seen. A crisp morning with a slight breeze to be sure, but very welcome after several days with thick, heavy clouds and blustering winds.

And so begins another Sunday on the lake as the waves continue to smooth the sand, having removed the stones which infiltrated over the past couple of weeks. Now there is a smooth beach, untouched by humans, with a thin line of nature’s refuse along the shore. Easy to clean up and make the beach perfect!

My Work in Progress

In case you missed it, The Lakeshore Guardian, a monthly newspaper on the Thumb of Michigan provided a review of The Kurdish Connection. It’s now linked on my publisher’s website, Moonshine Cove Publishing, LLC (just click on their name to link to the article). They also added a worthy sentence: “Randall Krzak’s novel of the Kurd’s struggle against Turkey, THE KURDISH CONNECTION, is so relevant that it reads like today’s headline news.”

Despite a myriad of external tasks this week, I still managed to squeeze in more writing on Dangerous Alliance. The first draft of chapter eighteen is now complete and will be posted in the next couple of days so my reviewers can check it out.  All other works on other projects are on hold until I at least complete Dangerous Alliance‘s overall first draft.

Here’s another snippet for you:

Light filtered through narrow slats nailed across a window. Dust particles shimmered in the sun’s beams, creating a pattern in the air. A body slumped on the concrete floor stirred.

Ooh. Aah.

He pushed himself to a kneeling position. A whimper escaped from swollen lips. Eyes mere slits, black and blue streaks surrounded them. Dried blood crusted his upper lip. He collapsed again.

Soo struggled to his feet. He wrapped the blanket closer and glanced around the room. A closed gunmetal gray door was centered on the wall opposite the blocked window. Near the door, an armless chair, his clothes in a neat stack.

A door slammed. Footsteps. Voices, growing louder.

“What’s the meaning of this? Who are you? Why did you kidnap me?”

Four men, faces hidden behind latex party masks formed a semi-circle in front of him. One retrieved the chair, placing it under the light. “Sit.”

Perhaps more next week.

Books I’m Reading

I finished David L. Golemon’s The Mountain: An Event Group Thriller.  The tenth book in the series, for me this was one of his best. While very different from other books in the series, this one centered on a historical artifact, one of the first obtained by the Group. Set during the Civil War, President Lincoln sends a group of Yankees and Rebels on what might possibly be a total folly.

Experience the intense emotions of the Northerners and Southerners as they steam away from the fighting. Escaping from British and French warships, they eventually end up in the Black Sea. Their destination–Mount Ararat and the fabled Ark. A professor who has witnessed the Ark first hand is sent with the team (along with some foreign spies who infiltrated the professor’s team), which begins to experience untimely and inexplicable deaths, even before landing on the shores of Trabzon.

While a bit slow to start, the pace rapidly picks up and like David’s other books, I couldn’t put it down. This isn’t just a tale about Noah’s Ark but also about the beliefs and devastation the Civil War launched upon the country. A worthy read!

Blogs/Author Pages/Writing Sites I’d Like to Share

I’ve expanded this section from being only about blogs that I follow but also introduce you to some new authors and a few writing sites.

ReadersAbode – Don’t forget to check this site out. Created by a group of writers spread across several continents, there’s sure to be something of interest. Thus far, the site contains short stories and poems written by its members, several blog posts and interviews with established authors. Or check it out on Twitter: @readersabode. The next bi-weekly posting will be out sometime today.

Once again, we’ve reached the end of another ramble.  Hope you’ve found something of interest or at least useful for your own writing.  Until the next time, thank you for reading!

© Copyright 2017 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Randall’s Ramblings, February 19, 2017

Randall Krzak

Yesterday we were greeted with brilliant sunshine and warm temperatures–59F/15C.  A year ago it was 28F/-2C.  Great weather for Michigan in February!  The forecasters are predicting about a week of nice weather, before colder temperatures and snow return. But then, it’s still winter!

Do you have someone in your life you were able to share the recent Valentine’s Day with? Hope so.  Do you know why it’s called Valentine’s Day? I didn’t until I checked it out. According to According to Historynet.com,  it’s actually St. Valentine’s Day, the feast day of two Christian martyrs named Valentine: one a priest and physician, the other the Bishop of Terni. Both are purported to have been beheaded on this day. The custom of sending handmade ‘valentines’ to one’s beloved became popular during the 17th century and was first commercialized in the United States in the 1840s.

If you had a birthday during the past week, you might have shared it with one of these writers: Kay Boyle, short story writer (“The White Horses of Vienna”); Carson McCullers, writer (The Heart is a Lonely Hunter); Amy Tan, novelist (The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife); Shalom Aleichem, Yiddish author; Wallace Stegner, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist (Angle of Repose); Helen Gurley Brown, editor of Cosmopolitan magazine; Len Deighton, English spy writer (The Ipcress File); Toni Morrison, Nobel laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winning author (The Bluest Eye, Beloved); Audre Lord, poet; Andrew Barton “Banjo” Paterson, Australian poet and journalist; Chaim Potok, novelist (The Chosen, The Promise); Van Wyck Brooks, biographer, critic and literary historian; Richard Ford, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist (The Sportswriter, Independence Day); Frederick Douglass, slave, and later, activist and author; Georges Simenon, novelist; and Harold “Hal” Moore Jr., US Army lieutenant general, author, his best-known book, co-authored with combat journalist Joe Galloway, is We Were Soldiers Once … And Young. A belated happy birthday and hope you enjoyed your special day.

Available Through Your Favorite Bookseller (or at least Amazon and Barnes&Noble!)
It’s been an exciting week since the launch of my debut novel, The Kurdish Connection. I can’t thank Gene and his staff at Moonshine Cove Publishing, LLC enough for this fantastic opportunity.  A dozen people requested signed copies so far–greatly feeling to sign them!  Three libraries in the local area (within a fifty-mile radius) are setting up book signing events for me. A non-profit monthly newspaper, available from over 325 locations is reviewing my novel and will publish a book review.
Social media contacts are growing as the word spreads. Many thanks to those retweeting or sharing my links. More work is still needed but the momentum is growing!
Just in case you haven’t heard about my novel, here’s a bit for you:
untitled

KURDISH SCAVENGERS UNCOVER A CACHE OF NERVE GAS IN IRAQ AND OFFER THEM TO KURDISH FIGHTERS IN TURKEY. THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS BEDLAM ALPHA TEAM MUST SECURE THE WEAPONS BEFORE THEY CAN BE USED.

“You must swear by Allah never to say a word of what I’m going to tell you. This is the most important secret. Ever!”

In their daily struggle for survival, Iraqi Kurdish scavengers uncover a cache of chemical weapons. They offer the weapons to Kurdish rebels in Turkey and Syria to assist in their quest to free an imprisoned leader and create a unified homeland. After receiving a tip from an unlikely source, the newly formed Special Operations Bedlam team is called to arms. Can the team recover the weapons before it’s too late?

My Work in Progress

Marketing/publicity hasn’t stopped me from moving forward with the sequel, Dangerous Alliance. Chapters seven and eight were recently posted on the two subscription writing sites I use. The next chapter, introducing a new character and scene, which will be important as the story unfolds, is currently underway.

All work on A Cartel’s Revenge and New World Revolution are on hold until the first draft of Dangerous Alliance is completed.  Beginning next week, I’ll resume posting glimpses into this story.

Books I’m Reading

I just finished a beta read of the first in a three-book series by Preston Holtry, the author of the outstanding Morgan Westphal Mystery series. I won’t say any more about it right now, but once Preston gives me the green light, I’ll post my review. I will say it’s a keeper!

Blogs/Author Pages/Writing Sites I’d Like to Share

I’ve expanded this section from being only about blogs that I follow but also introduce you to some new authors and a few writing sites. I have one to share today:

Alice S. Hill – a write-a-holic from Zimbabwe. She’s the author of When The Tree is Dry. Check out her site!

Once again, we’ve reached the end of another ramble.  Hope you’ve found something of interest or at least useful for your own writing.  Until the next time, thank you for reading!

© Copyright 2017 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved.

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Randall’s Ramblings, January 1, 2017

Randall Krzak

Happy New Year! May you find health, happiness, and good fortune!

For those with a birthday to end 2016 or have one today, happy birthday to you!  Here are some people associated with the writing world who’ve had one, too: E.M. [Edward Morgan] Forster, English novelist (A Passage to India, A Room With a View); J.D. [Jerome David] Salinger, U.S. novelist (The Catcher in the Rye, Franny and Zooey); Rudyard Kipling, British author (The Jungle Book, Soldiers Three); Hinton Helper, southern abolitionist who wrote The Impending Crisis; Thomas Gray, English poet; Henry Miller, American writer.

My Work in Progress

During the past week, I concentrated on research and drafting the second chapter of New World Revolution. I completed the draft yesterday, so now the next few days will be spent doing some editing before I post the chapter to the two subscription writing sites I use. This will be the ultimate litmus test–have I written a chapter that will appeal to writers from various genres? Time will tell.

During the upcoming week, I also hope to complete the next chapter of Dangerous Alliance and A Cartel’s Revenge. Ambitious plans so will see how things go. Here’s a bit more from A Cartel’s Revenge:

The man glared at them for several moments before speaking. “I don’t understand why you think you can descend on my territory without my permission.” His gaze rested on Javier and switched to AJ. “Well?”

“Mr. Brown, as you’re aware, my boss—”

“Lady, I don’t care who your boss thinks he is but he has no authority over what happens in Panama. That’s my job.”

“I understand, sir, b-but—”

“Don’t stutter, get to the point. I won’t waste all day on some wild guesswork by desk jockeys.”

“Mr. Brown, what AJ tried to say is we understand—”

“Listen, Colonel. I don’t care who either of you are nor do I care about your mission.”

“Whether you agree or not, we’re here. Now, should we go outside, whip it out, and determine who can piss farthest? Win or lose, we’re staying.”

Perhaps more next time or something from New World Revolution.

Books I’m Reading

Over the past week, I finished Preston Holtry’s latest novel in his Morgan Westphal series, The Good Thief.  This is another spellbinding mystery by a master storyteller, and I hope it’s not the last!

Join Morgan as he investigates a murder on an Indian reservation, mixes business with pleasure when he joins his girlfriend on a trip to New York, almost getting killed several times before he solves the mystery. As with all of Preston’s novels, this one will keep you holding onto your seat as you try to identify the killer (or killers) before Morgan. Excellent work and needless to say, another five-star story!

Blogs/Author Pages/Writing Sites I’d Like to Share

I’ve expanded this section from being only about blogs that I follow but also introduce you to some new authors and a few writing sites. With the beginning of a new year, I’d also like to include some lighthearted sites I stumble across, whether comedic or with animals.

Flawless Animals – An interesting mix of pets (and a few humans, too).

Kevin Brown Poetry – more poetry from a Northern Irish poet.

Writing Resources

With plenty of events to take care of as 2016 came to a close, I found I didn’t have much time to spend searching for new writing resources.

Once again, we’ve reached the end of another ramble.  Hope you’ve found something of interest or at least useful for your own writing.  Until the next time, thank you for reading!

© Copyright 2017 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Randall’s Ramblings, November 27, 2016

Randall Krzak

I hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving this on Thursday had an enjoyable time with friends and family. Even if this wasn’t one of your holidays, I hope every reader is having a great weekend. Our son, who lives in Washington, D.C., couldn’t make it for Thanksgiving, but we did have a whirlwind visit from him last weekend. His next visit–Christmas.

Birthdays come and go and it’s always nice to find out who shares your birthday. One of my favorite authors, Brad Thor, shares the same day with me, although I’m a bit older.

Here are some noteworthy birthdays during the past week: Charles M. Shultz, American cartoonist who created “Peanuts” starring Charlie Brown; Charles A. Beard, American historian (History of the United States); James Agee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author (A Death in the Family); Virgil Thompson, American composer (Four Saints in Three Acts, The Mother of Us All); Shelagh Delaney, playwright (A Taste of Honey); Gail Collins, journalist; first woman to serve as editorial page editor of The New York Times; Carlo Collodi, the creator of Pinocchio; Margaret Anderson, editor, founder of The Little Review; Dale Carnegie, author (How to Win Friends and Influence People); Garson Kanin, writer and director (Born Yesterday); William F. Buckley, Jr., journalist, founder of National Review; and, Spider Robinson, Hugo and Nebula award-winning science fiction author (Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon; Melancholy Elephants).

Happy birthday to all and may you have many more.

Why I want to Write–What’s Led Me to This Stage in My Life

As I continue to work on my regular writing projects, concentrating on my novels, I decided to branch out. Although I’m writing modern-day action thrillers, I’ve taken a step back in time. My newest project, tentatively called New World Revolution, will be a historical thriller, following the lives of an English family uprooted from their tenant farm due to massive crop failures. Where do they end up? America, just in time for the Boston Tea Party. 

This story will require extensive research. Not just for an accurate setting, but even the everyday words used at the time. I’ve already written a draft first chapter and fans of historical fiction have pointed out things that I’ve taken for granted. The first, the word okay, was introduced into writing until the 1830s, several decades after my story. The second was my reference to spitting image, which apparently originates from the 19th century.  This will be an interesting story to put together and I look forward to the challenge.

My Work in Progress

Of course, I can’t let my progress on my other novels diminish. Chapter six of Dangerous Alliance is nearing completion, as if chapter eight of A Cartel’s Revenge. Both should be posted this week to the two subscription writing sites I use.

In the short time the first chapter of New World Revolution has been posted (posted on Thursday), it’s received twelve reviews. Almost everyone seemed to think it has great potential, which is encouraging.  More to follow on this as my research continues.

Books I’m Reading

I recently read Twice Dead by Michael Kent. Part of the Lieutenant Beaudry series, it’s another great story, full of action, with a fast pace.  We find Lt. Robert Beaudry embroiled in a mix of murder, narcotics, and even on a hit list. Someone is killing gays in Montreal and Robert’s boss gives him the task to find the killer.

Once again Michael works his magic and Robert works with a narcotics detective named Nico to sort out the pieces to this puzzle. Every time you think you’ve uncovered the identity of the killer, a twist will reveal new information pointing elsewhere. An excellent read!

Blogs/Author Pages/Writing Sites I’d Like to Share

I’ve expanded this section from being only about blogs that I follow but also introduce you to some new authors and a few writing sites. Today, though, I have links to two sites about pets. The photographs are fantastic and I thought worthy of sharing.

Flawless Animals – a great compilation of animals doing their thing.

The Cute Pet – more outstanding photos of pets.

Writing Resources

Time didn’t provide an opportunity to delve into more writing resources. However, someone recently suggested a book I’d like to share with you:

Getting The Words Right: 39 Ways to Improve Your Writing by Theodore A Reed Cheney.

Once again, we’ve reached the end of another ramble.  Hope you’ve found something of interest or at least useful for your own writing.  Until the next time, thank you for reading!

© Copyright 2016 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved.