Orthodox Easter Day, which is calculated using the phases of the moon and the equinox, is a sacred season and the most significant celebration of the Eastern Christian churches or orthodox churches — and is celebrated today. Orthodox Easter Day is an annual holiday commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is also known and celebrated as Greek Easter. (compliments of https://nationaltoday.com/orthodox-easter-day/)
Weather-wise, it’s been another mixed week, with some rain on most days. We were still able to get some work done in the back flower beds. We also managed to get the grass cut for the first time this season. Still plenty more to do before thing are ready.
“Anyone and everyone taking a writing class knows that the secret of good writing is to cut it back, pare it down, winnow, chop, hack, prune, and trim, remove every superfluous word, compress, compress, compress…” – Nick Hornby (Compliments of https://getfreewrite.com/blogs/writing-success/55-motivational-writing-quotes.)
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on 16 April, the third Sunday of the month. (Compliments of https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/):
John Luyken, Dutch poet and etcher (Duytse Lyre); Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, English poet and statesman; William Chambers, Scottish author and publisher (Basis of Communication & Coding); Caleb Blood Smith, American journalist and politician; Octave Crémazie, French Canadian poet; Anatole France [Jacques Anatole Thibault], French writer (Thaïs, Wickerwork Woman, Nobel 1921); Herbert Baxter Adams, American historian (American Historical Association); John Millington Synge, Irish dramatist and poet (Riders to the Sea); Robert Dean Frisbie, American writer of travel literature (Life on Puka Puka); John Bagot Glubb, British commandant and writer (A soldier with the Arabs); Polly Adler, Russian bordello proprieter and author (House is not a Home); Herman Uyttersprot, Flemish literature historian; Gerard McLarnon, British-Irish actor and writer (The Wrestler’s Honeymoon); Peter Ustinov, British actor, author, journalist, comedian and broadcaster (Death on Nile, Logan’s Run, Billy Budd); Christopher Samuel Youd, British sci-fi author (Tripods Trilogy); Kingsley Amis, English novelist (Lucky Jim, James Bond Dossier); Barbara Tizard, British educator and author; Geoffrey Owen, British editor (Financial Times); Sarah Kirsch, German poet; Ewald Vanvugt, Dutch author (Kiss of Delight, Seed of Love); Margot Adler, American journalist; Ioan Mihai Cochinescu, Romanian writer and photographer; J. Neil Schulman, American writer (Alongside Night); and Mark Baker, Welsh author and historian.
Any names familiar to you? There was one for me: Peter Ustinov. Whether you recognize anyone on the list or not, if today’s your special day I hope you have a great one!
My Work in Progress
I recently completed chapters twenty-nine and thirty of Frozen Conquest and posted them to the two online subscription writing sites I use.
In the past week, twenty-four reviews have been added, bringing the total to 552. As always, there are plenty of good suggestions to improve my story and I’m greatly appreciative of the support.
Here’s another snippet:
Liam knocked on the door and slid his key into the lock.
“Just a minute.” Winston inched the door open. “Where have you been? You left an hour ago.”
“On the deck where the scientists stay. One of them said there were still plenty of empty rooms, and he took me to one. It’s much bigger than ours down here.”
“Figures. We’re on the deck for the crew. What do we have to do to move?”
Liam grinned as he fished a key from his pocket. “Not a thing—we’re all set.”
“Fantastic. Let’s move our stuff.”
Liam’s grin grew wider. “There’s more news. The SPA team is moving onto the same deck.”
“Excellent.”
“Only thing is, the word’s out about the attack on the SPA woman. Rooms are being rearranged so there are men in cabins on either side of the women to provide some protection.”
“Hmm.” Winston pursed his lips. “We’ll need to identify each of the SPA’s rooms and try to plant some more bugs. Otherwise, we won’t obtain the info Sawyer wants.”
Liam tossed his bag on a bed and began packing. “I’ll be ready in five minutes.”
“Take your time. You know I’ll be ready as soon as I can. I don’t just grab stuff from a drawer and cram it into my case.”
Twenty minutes later, Liam led Winston into their new cabin. He swept his arms through the air to encompass the area. “Ta-da! See, I told you it’s bigger.”
Winston nodded. “Yeah, it’ll do. Let’s unpack and go introduce ourselves to our new neighbors.”
After settling in, Liam left the cabin, followed by Winston. He stopped at the first door and knocked.
No answer.
Liam knocked a second time with the same result. He pulled his lock picks from a pocket and knelt by the door. As he attempted to force the lock, he turned at the sound of footsteps.
“Hey! What are you doing at my door?” A short, squat man with the bulging arms of a body build approached them.
“Oh, sorry. We just moved from the deck below, and I thought this was our cabin.”
The man shook his head. “Nope—It’s mine. Say, aren’t you in the room next door?”
Liam looked around. “Oops. Wrong cabin, We’re next to you.”
The man stared at them as if trying to memorize their facial features.
“Hey, man.” Winston puffed out his chest. “Why not take pictures?”
“Do yourself a favor and check the cabin layout map at the end of the corridor. If I find you trying to enter my cabin or anyone else’s, there’ll be hell to pay.”
“Whatever.” Winston walked away.
“Liam followed but not before turning back to the man. He the yanked a folding knife from his front pocket and clicked it open. “If there’s any hell to pay—you’ll be the one doing it.”
More next time.
Promotions
The Kurdish Connection, Dangerous Alliance, Colombian Betrayal, and Revenge are participating in Revenge promotion, running until the end of May for Action & Adventure, Romance, and Sci-Fi & Fantasy / Urban Fantasy. There are currently sixty-six novels participating. Why not check it out? You might find your next new author.
https://books.bookfunnel.com/revengetales/idh13vx4rm
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 2023 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
In case you missed it, I can now reveal the cover of Ultimate Escalation, which will be released by Solstice Publishing. We’re closing in on the publication date. I’m currently going through the PDF file the editor-in-chief sent me for the third, and hopefully, the final time.
subscription writing sites I use. There were another fifteen reviews this week, bringing the total to 317. As always, plenty of good suggestions to improve my story and I’m greatly appreciative of the support.