After a week of continuous dreary skies, we finally have a bit of sunshine. Not sure how long it will last, as rain clouds are building up along the skyline. At least it was dry, and I was finally able to clean up the last of autumn’s fallen leaves.
Overall, the first three-day small business market of the year was a success. I sold fourteen novels, while seventeen of Sylvia’s laminated poetry sheets went home to happy customers, along with three of her poetry books. Our next event will be the first weekend in February.
Here’s this week’s quote (Compliments of http://www.wisdomquotesandstories.com/): “It’s OK to not have the answer yet. Continue your journey and trust the process.”
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on January 16th, the third Sunday of the new year. (Compliments of http://www.onthisday.com/today/birthdays):
Dorthe Engelbrechtsdatter, Norwegian poet; Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, French writer (Mémoires); Richard Savage, English poet and playwright; Vittorio Alfieri, Italian count, dramatist and poet (Maria Stuarda) who is considered the founder of Italian tragedy; Andre Michelin, French industrialist, tire manufacturer (Michelin) and publisher of the Michelin Guide; Frank Bacon, American playwright, actor and author (Lightnin’); Robert W. Service, English-Canadian poet (Cremation of Sam McGee); Robert Garbe, German poet (Gorniek); Zhou Zuoren, Chinese writer; Osip Brik, Russian writer; Nat Schachner, American author; Ruth Rose, American screenwriter; Carlos Pellicer, Mexican poet; Franz Tumler, Austrian author/novelist (Cloak, Aufruf); Stirling Silliphant, screenwriter; Nel Benschop, Dutch poet; Anthony Hecht, American poet; William Kennedy, American writer; Vladimír Škutina, Czechoslovakian writer and actor (Hvezda jede na jih); Susan Sontag, American author & film director (Benefactor, 1966 Pol Award); Magdalen Nabb, British author; Ruth Reichl, American magazine editor; Brian Castro, Australian author; and Garth Ennis, Irish comic book author.
Any names familiar to you? The only name I know is Andre Michilen. Whether you recognize anyone on the list or not, if today’s your special day I hope you have a great one!
My Published Work
All of my novels are participating in a Terrifying New Year promotion, running from now until the end of January. With 118 novels available, there’s bound to me something to catch your interest.
In addition, The Kurdish Connection, Colombian Betrayal, and Mission: Angola are participating in a first-in-series promotion for mysteries and thrillers. There are sixty-four novels in this one.
My Work in Progress
This week I posted chapter twenty-two to the two online subscription writing sites I use. Ultimate Escalation received another twenty-four chapter reviews, bringing the total to 492. Plenty of suggestions to enhance my writing.
Here’s another snippet:
KS-1 cut through the water at twelve knots just below the surface. Captain 3rd Rank Karol Pushkin, the former commander of a Russian hunter-killer submarine, kept his eye on the periscope’s eyepiece. Satisfied with the space between KS-1 and surface ships in the narrow Straits of Hormuz, he stepped toward his visitors.
“Comrade Colonel. Welcome to the KS-1. We refer to her as the Negodyay.”
“Spacibo, Captain. Please call me Vladimir. My military rank was long ago.” He shook hands with Pushkin. “I look forward to our journey on the Villain.”
“We shall cruise along the coast until we reach the Gulf of Oman before heading to deeper water.” Pushkin turned and shouted an order to a seaman with a dark complexion hunched over a scope.
“Still clear, Captain.”
“Very well. Continue as planned.” Pushkin glanced around the control room before turning back to Vladimir. “Ever been on a submarine before?”
“Nyet. How big is the crew?”
“The Lyre class submarines, which NATO called the Alfa class, was designed for operations with a crew as small as fourteen, plus a cook. When active, this was increased to thirty-one.” Pushkin smiled. “Today, we use the minimum crew size.”
Vladimir gestured toward the man still studying his scope. “What nationality is he? I don’t think he’s Russian.”
“You are correct. He’s Iranian, as is half my crew. They all trained on Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines Mother Russia built for the Islamic Republic of Iran, selling them for hundreds of millions of rubles.”
“How did they end up on the Negodyay?”
“They became disenchanted with their government.” Pushkin shrugged. “We offered them an opportunity, and they joined us.”
“Interesting. How—”
“Captain! An American cruiser is ahead of us.”
“Rig for ultra-quiet. Take us down.”
The submarine tilted, continuing downward until it hovered just about the sandy bottom. Quiet ensued as the crew, Vladimir, and Mishka kept their movements to a minimum.
Ping!
The sound all submariners dread echoed throughout the Negodyay.
Minutes passed, the only sound was the men snatching shallow breaths.
The sonar man waved an arm to attract Pushkin’s attention.
The captain approached and leaned toward the seaman. “What’s the status?” His voice was almost inaudible.
“The Americans—they are heading toward the Iranian shore. I picked up several noises from Iranian attack craft.”
Pushkin relaxed. “Keep an eye on them.” He shuffled to the helmsman’s position. “Ahead dead slow. Hug the bottom until we clear the area and resume our normal depth.”
“Yes, Comrade Captain.”
Clang!
More next time.
During slow periods while attending the Christmas market and last weekend’s market, I began working on Frozen Conquest. So far, I have two draft chapters, but they’re not quite ready to post on the two subscription writing sites. For those who might not be aware, here’s the initial synopsis:
An international criminal gang, known as Diablo Corps, plans a series of devastating attacks to take over the G7 countries unless their demands are met. Secure in their hidden headquarters in Antarctica, they possess the means to disrupt the leading world economies. The Diablos want what other power-hungry people want—more power.
Will the G7 bend to the will of these rogues or will evil triumph? Diablo Corps believes their previous infiltration of the international banking system and world stock exchanges will allow them to risk all on a single gamble.
The Scandinavian Protection Agency joins forces with Bedlam Delta to thwart the efforts of the group and restore faith Will Antarctica become a smoking ruin or will the world suffer an economic meltdown?
Books I’m Reading
I was going to post a review of The Lair of Anubis (The Project Book 20) by Alex Lukeman when I realized I had already posted one. For those who might not have seen it, here it is again:
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
Until the 15th of october, all of my novels are participating in a Kindle Unlimited spy thrillers 
The final edit of Revenge is almost complete. 
Although our son’s visit ended on Tuesday, writing and editing is still on the back burner. However, twelve chapter reviews came in for Ultimate Escalation, bringing the total to 286.