Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!
It’s been a cold and snowy week. We received about 7-8 inches of the white stuff, and it’s still covering the ground. We also saw our coldest day of the winter thus far, 19F (-7C). Hopefully, that’ll be the end of the worst weather, but only Mother Nature knows!
This week Sylvia and I received our first Covid-19 vaccinations. It was an easy and painless process, with plenty of helpful people ensuring everything went according to plan. From arriving at the vaccination center (a local church) to leaving was less than forty-five minutes, including the fifteen-minute wait after the jabs to make sure we were okay. Not sure when we’ll get the second dose, but letters are supposed to be sent to us.
“Thinking positive thoughts will always empower you. Do it enough & it will change your life.”(Compliments of http://www.wisdomquotesandstories.com/)
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on February 14th. (Compliments of http://www.onthisday.com/today/birthdays)
Christianus Adrichomius, Dutch Catholic priest & writer (Vita Jesu Christi); Hans Christoph Haiden, German composer, organist and poet; Sybilla Schwarz, German baroque poet; Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée, French writer (L’École des Mères); Christopher Latham Sholes, American newspaper man, politician and inventor of the typewriter; Edmond François Valentin About, French writer (Le Roi des montagnes); Francois Haverschmidt, Dutch writer (Snikken en grimlachjes); Frank Harris, Irish-American journalist and writer (My Life & Loves); Israel Zangwill, Jewish author (Children of The Ghetto); William John Gruffydd, Welsh poet & scholar; George Jean Nathan, American editor, author and critic (American Mercury); Kostas Varnalis, Greek poet; Nina Hamnett, Welsh artist & writer; John Herman Randall Jr., American philosopher (Western Man); A. Moses Klein, Canadian poet (Hath Not a Jew…); Edmund George Love, American historian & author (A Small Bequest); Ab [Albert] Visser, Dutch poet/writer (Man Without a Head); James Pike, American bishop (Beyond Anxiety); Juan Garcia Hortelano, Spanish author (Tormenta de verano); Alexander Kluge, German author and film director (Yesterday Girl); Israël “Ischa” Meijer, Dutch journalist, critic and author (Een Dik Uur Ischa, Boezemvriend); Carl Bernstein, American investigative reporter who covered Watergate for the Washington Post; and Phillip Hamilton, American author.
Anyone familiar to you? I spotted one: Carl Bernstein. 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
Two of my novels, The Kurdish Connection and Dangerous Alliance, are participating in a month-long Bookfunnel promotion called, Alpha Males (Human). Why not drop in and see if there’s anything that sparks your interest? All of the authors will be greatly appreciated!
My Work in Progress
I finally finished chapter twenty-two of Revenge, the sequel to Colombian 
Betrayal. Over the past week, there were another three new reviews, bringing the total number of chapter reviews to 346. Plenty of useful suggestions to improve my writing. I hope to get back to working on this novel this coming week.
Here’s this week’s snippet:
AJ weaved through heavy traffic on the Capital Beltway. She leaned on the horn and cursed slower motorists.
“Late again. Don’t they know the speed limit is fifty-five, not twenty-five?” She slammed a hand on the steering wheel of her gunmetal gray Honda Pilot.
After blowing her horn at a vehicle weaving in front of her, she spotted her exit and sped along the edge of the freeway and flew down the ramp. She raced through a red light and whipped her vehicle toward the security checkpoint at the CIA facility in Langley, skidding to a halt at the end of a line of cars waiting for access.
“C’mon, c’mon!” When her turn came, she flashed her badge at the sensor and shot past the barricade. Grabbing a pass from the console, she flung the placard on the dash, jumped out of her car, and raced inside.
Once through the turnstile, she rushed to the elevator, the heels of her black leather shoes clicking on the tiled floor. Two minutes later, AJ waltzed into her section at the community coffee pot for a black coffee.
“About time, boss lady.” MacKenzie Campbell twirled the ends of a blonde plait as she leaned against the door to AJ’s office. “I’m sure you said you would be coming in early—much earlier than this.”
“Yeah, well … things happen.” She smiled as she remembered the previous evening with Javier.
“Heello! Earth to AJ.” MacKenzie nudged AJ forward into the office and sat in front of the desk.
AJ sat behind the desk and sipped her coffee. She grimaced at the bitter taste. “Who made the coffee—it’s not too good.”
When MacKenzie laughed, it reached her blue eyes. “The new member of the team. I heard she’s a tea drinker, but wanted to help out.”
“Definitely needs some training.” AJ pushed the mug away. “So, anything new on the alert board for Latin America or projected to be heading our way? I have a meeting with the other heads of the counter-terrorism divisions and will provide them an update.”
“Since you dealt with the drug cartel, FARC, and Islamic State trifecta, things are still quiet in our area of responsibility. Even Mexico is bending to our request for more information, whereas before they were reluctant partners.”
AJ flicked her long, brown hair. “What’s Makayla up to?”
“We might be identical twins, but she works out in the gym more than I do.” MacKenzie laughed. “She’s probably teaching some rookie the latest Krav Maga moves she learned.”
“I pity the poor person. From time to time, I work out with Makayla, and it’s no picnic. She means business throughout every training session.”
“That’s why she’s one of our best, and why I don’t train with her. She always kicks my butt, and I’ve got the bruises to prove it. If only you’d allow us out into the field, we could show what we can do.”
AJ shook her head. “Ain’t gonna happen. I told both of you before your strength is in your search abilities. I don’t think you’re cut out for an overseas assignment—yet. Perhaps, one day.”
MacKenzie rolled her eyes but remained silent.
“When your sister decides to make an entrance, I need to speak with both of you. Something’s come up which might be of interest to you.” AJ glanced at the wall clock. “I better get ready for the meeting.”
MacKenzie stood. “Catch ya later, and I’ll bring my errant sister.”
More next time.
Books I’m Reading
Over the past couple of weeks I finished The Eye of Shiva (The Project Book 8) by Alex Lukerman. Although this was the first novel I’ve read in the series, it was easy to identity the main characters, Luke and Selena, which were well-crafted and identifiable. This is a fast read, combining plenty of action, intrigue, and some romance as they become embroiled in an international conspiracy, one with potential deadly consequences for hundreds of thousands of people.
If you enjoy interesting plots, and plenty of action with a few twists thrown in, you’ll find this an excellent page-turner. Although this can be read as a standalone without any negative impact, I’m definitely heading back to the first book in the series!
I also completed Unhinged: A Micro-Read by John Podlaski. What starts out as a simple job at a local drive-in movie facility for two teenagers will haunt them for the rest of their lives. I don’t like to do spoilers, and since this is a novella, it won’t take you long to become immersed in this riveting story.
John shows a brilliant writing style which will appeal to a wide range of tastes. Highly recommended and I look forward to reading more of John’s work!
Finally, I finished reading The Enigma Factor: A Techno Thriller (The Enigma Series Book 1) by Charles V Breakfield and Roxanne E. Burkey. This is a fantastic blend of
That’s all 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 and hope you drop in again.
© Copyright 2021 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved