Snow flurries started at about 11:30am on Friday. They became heavier and started to cover the ground in sheltered areas. By 11:45, a local grocery store sent out a text saying they were closing at 12:00 because of the snow.
This was the first snow we’ve seen since moving to South Carolina last May. By 1:30 pm, the unprotected areas were turning white, with 1-3 inches of snow predicted by 11:pm. We ended up with about an inch, but later in the evening the snow turned to rain, covering everything with a coat of ice. Even though it was melting (at least in our area) by lunchtime on Saturday, many local churches either restricted services for today or cancelled them entirely. No more snow is forecast for the foreseeable future.
The Detroit Lions roared past the Minnesota Vikings 31-9 last Sunday, upping their record to a franchise best 15-2. They ended up top of the NFC North, grabbed the top seed for the NFC and gained a bye for next week when the playoffs begin with wild cards. They’ll also keep home field advantage. They’re still waiting to hear who their opponent will be on January 18th or 19th, depending upon the outcome of this weekend’s wildcard games.
Michigan State moved up two places in the men’s basketball Top Twenty-Five, and are now in 16th position. Meanwhile, Michigan moved back into the Top Twenty-Five and are currently number twenty-four. Both teams played games this week and won. Michigan State is now 13-2, while Michigan is 12-3. They both play again today.
“Write while the heat is in you. The writer who postpones the recording of his thoughts uses an iron which has cooled to burn a hole with. He cannot inflame the minds of his audience.” – David Thoreau. Compliments of https://www.aspiringwriteracademy.com/45-motivational-quotes-for-aspiring-writers
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on January 12th, the second Sunday of 2025. (Compliments of https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/).
Charles Perrault, French author and fairy tale writer (Tales of Mother Goose); Jacob Michael Reinhold Lenz, Baltic German poet and dramatist (The Soldiers); Erik Gustaf Geijer, Swedish historian and poet (Natthimmelen); Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician and Jewish writer; Louise Sophie Blussé, Dutch author; Jan Theodoor Beelen, Dutch-Belgian bible scholar; Francois Coppee, French poet; Marika Stiernstedt, Swedish author (Ulla Bella); Jack London, American writer and socialist (Call of the Wild); Ferenc Molnar, Hungarian American playwright (A Pal Utrai Fiuk) and novelist (The Paul Street Boys); Jakob Jud, Swiss linguist and etymologist; Alfred Rosenberg, German Nazi official who wrote Nazi idealogue “The Myth of the Twentieth Century”; Charles Moeller, Belgian theologist (Humanism et saintete); Martin Agronsky, American journalist (1952 Peabody, 1961 DuPont-Columbia); Paul Jarrico, American writer; Yao Wenyuan, Chinese literary critic and politician (member of the Gang of Four); Alain Teister, Dutch writer; Helmut Eisendle, Austrian writer; Jacques Hamelink, Dutch writer and poet (Cold Unrest); William Nicholson, English writer; Haruki Murakami, Japanese writer (Norwegian Wood); Charles Faulkner, American motivational speaker and author; Walter Mosley, American novelist; Rockne S. O’Bannon, American screenwriter; Lasana M. Sekou, Caribbean poet and author (The Salt Reaper); Joe Quesada, American comic book writer; François Girard, French Canadian film director and screenwriter; Heather Mills, English model, activist and writer (Out on a Limb); David Mitchell, English novelist (Cloud Atlas; and Issa Rae, American actress, writer and producer (Insecure).
Any names familiar to you? There was one for me this week: Heather Mills. 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
I found out this week that Frozen Conquest has moved from the 2024 Chanticleer International Book Awards from the long list for global thrillers and is now on the short list. There’s plenty of competition as all members of the short list slug it out to make it onto the semifinalist list. Afterward, the competition will heat up as the finals, first in category winners, and category grand prize winners are still to come. Fingers cross that Frozen Conquest continues to move forward in the competition!
My Work In Progress
Editing of Mission: Yemen, Xavier Sear Thriller Book 2 continues at a good pace. As always, I’ve been working hard going through the 648 reviews, and have finished picking out what I think will improve the story from all of them.
Here’s the final snippet:
Yusuf dragged Uzza through the corridor, up the steps, and along another hallway to Prince Hussein’s office. He knocked on the door.
“Enter.”
Upon hearing Prince Hussein’s command, he shoved Uzza against the door and opened it.
She fell into the room.
Yusuf grabbed her arm and dragged her to a chair in front of Prince Hussein’s desk.
Prince Sami stood behind his brother. He bent over and whispered in Hussein’s ear.
Hussein nodded as he crossed his arms. “I gave you as a gift to my brother, who wants to make you his first wife. As is normal in our customs, I shall provide a to you on Sami’s behalf. You shall receive one thousand gold coins and ten acres of our family’s land in Saudi Arabia. In addition, Sami will arrange for a new house to be built where you both shall live. You will also receive several heirlooms from the al Mishari family—these will be decided later. ” Hussein pursed his lips. “Of course, if we knew your family of origin, you might have received more. However, since you are from the streets, that is all I am prepared to offer. Do you accept?”
“B-But, Prince Hussein, he raped me!”
Hussein turned to his brother. “Is what she said true?”
“I guess.” Sami shrugged. “But she was a temptress and deserved to be punished.”
“Not by you, as she is in my household.” Hussein glowered at his brother. “You are not to touch her again in any manner until the katb al-kitab. During your ceremony, as the acting sheikh of the al Mishari family, I will lay out the terms of the marriage, and you both shall sign the contract.”
Sami opened his mouth to speak.
“Do not say a word. This is my decision, and you will abide by it. Do you understand?”
“Yes, brother. I shall do as you say.”
Hussein turned to Uzza. “You will remain with Shatara for the time being and continue to look after her. Do not attempt to escape, or you will be punished.”
Uzza wiped tears from her eyes. “Yes, Prince Hussein.”
He turned to Yusuf. “Take her back to Shatara.”
“Yes, my prince.”
Hussein waved a hand in dismissal. After Yusuf and Uzza departed, Hussein gestured to a chain in front of his desk. “Sit.”
Sami frowned as he sat. Rubbing his shoulder, he grimaced. “I hit her, but it was a reflex reaction after she dug her fingers into my wound. It started bleeding again, and I had to put a new bandage on it. She also kicked me in the groin and I almost vomited.”
“I understand the reflex action, but why did you rape her? We found you plenty of willing partners.”
Sami shrugged. “Yes, you did find others, but none appealed to me as much as Uzza.”
“Be as it may, keep your mind on business, not pleasure. I need you to oversee something for me.”
“What is it?”
Hussein pulled a letter from a desk drawer and slid it across to Sami. “I received this warning this morning:”
My dear Prince Hussein,
Beware. I understand the National Security Bureau is getting closer to you. In addition, there is another element involved—searching for two children of Abdullah Bashari. If you know anything about the children, I recommend you distance yourself.
Remember, my friends and I shall do our best to forestall efforts by the NSB and this other group, but you must work quicker to advance Saudi interests. Otherwise, we might not be able to continue our support.
A friend.
No more information will be posted about Mission: Yemen until it heads out to beta readers, most likely in March.
While going through the reviews of Mission: Yemen, I’m also working on Vendetta, the sixth story in my Bedlam series. The first eight chapters are now finished and posted to the two subscription writing sites I use. There were another twenty-two reviews this week, bringing the total to 120.
As previously mentioned the cover is a filler, as the final cover won’t be done until the entire first draft is completed. I’ll post another snippet of this story next time.
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 2025 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
story in my Bedlam series. The first seven chapters are now finished and posted to the two subscription writing sites I use. There were another thirteen reviews this week, bringing the total to ninety-eight.
eight more more reviews have trickled in as most of my faithful readers have already provided their input, so the total is now 640. I’ve been working hard going through the reviews, and have picked out what I think will improve the story from 274 of them, leaving 366 more to check over.
As previously mentioned, mynext novel will be Vendetta, the sixth story in my Bedlam series. The first three chapters are now finished and posted to the two subscription writing sites I use. There were another fifteen reviews this week, bringing the total to forty-three.