Happy Labor Day to all my American and Canadian readers. Hope you have a good weekend!
We’re still dealing with temperatures just below record highs. While we did have a thunderstorm last night, there wasn’t any rain, just the thunder.
“Keep asking questions because people will always want to know the answer. Open with a question and don’t answer it until the end.” – Lee Child. Compliments of https://press.barnesandnoble.com/bnpress-blog/inspirational-quotes-writing/.
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on September 1st, the first Sunday of the month. (Compliments of https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/).
Simon Fokke, Dutch book illustrator, engraver and etcher; John Nieuwenhuijzen, Dutch theologist (co-founder Foundation ‘t Nut); an Bake, Dutch linguist, literature professor, teacher, and critic; Lydia Sigourney (née Huntley), American poet and writer (How to Be Happy; Letter of Life), known as “the Sweet Singer of Hartford”; James Gordon Bennett, American newspaper publisher (New York Herald) ; Jacobus Jan Cremer, Dutch author (Overbetuwsche Novellen); Innokenty Annensky, Russian poet, critic and interpreter; Roger David Casement, Irish diplomat, nationalist (Easter uprising 1916), and poet; Henri Bourassa, French Canadian politician and publisher who opposed conscription; Ismar Elbogen, German-American rabbi and scholar (Encyclopedia Judaica); Edgar Rice Burroughs, American author (Tarzan of the Apes, Mars Saga); Blaise Cendrars [Frederic Sauser-Hall], Swiss poet and writer; Eleanor Hibbert (née Burford), British author of historical fiction, romance, and crime novels; Hubert Lampo, Flemish writer and essayist (Coming of Joachim Stiller); Willem Frederik Hermans, Dutch writer (Mandarins on Sulfuric Acid; The Darkroom of Damocles); Theo Joekes, Dutch journalist, writer, and politician (VVD); Arn Shein, American sports writer (editor The Daily Item 1949-74); Annie Ernaux (née Duchesne), French writer (Les Années (The Years); Nobel Prize in Literature, 2022); C. J. Cherryh, American sci-fi author (“Downbelow Station” “Cyteen”); Mustafa Balel, Turkish writer; Phil McGraw, American psychologist, author and TV personality (Dr. Phil, The Oprah Winfrey Show); and Timothy Zahn, American Hugo Award-winning sci-fi and fantasy author (Thrawn; Cobra Strike).
Any names familiar to you? There were two for me this week: Edgar Rice Burroughs and Phil McGraw. 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
Frozen Conquest received the following five-star review from Readers’ Favorite:
Everything comes at a price. And whatever eighty-year-old Walter Brown, one of the world’s richest men and the CEO of Diablo Corporation, a privately owned company, was after had a high price. Brown anonymously gives an ultimatum to the G7 from a secure Diablo Corps location in Antarctica. They either bend to his demands or he will wreak havoc in financial markets, the banking industry, and public infrastructure in the leading economies. He even launches a few attacks to demonstrate his resources’ might and the seriousness of his demands. Bedlam, a Quick Reaction Force, is tasked with tracking the mastermind behind the threats and neutralizing them before it’s too late. Armed with subtle clues from double-dealing Diablo Corps insiders, and with the help of the Scandinavian Protection Agency, will Bedlam save the world from the looming disaster? Find out in Randall Krzak’s Frozen Conquest.
If you are looking for an espionage and military thriller, check out Randall Krzak’s Frozen Conquest. Krzak slowly unfolds the storyline, treating readers to suspense, action, thrills, plot twists, and so much more. The vivid depictions of the scenes made reading this book feel like watching a Hollywood military and espionage movie. I was hurled into a world of hackers, operatives, blackmail, money, power, greed, and cold-blood murder. Krzak aggressively brings out the cast’s emotions and complex traits, allowing me to connect with them. Brown is one of those characters who quickly wins a place in your heart as a worthy villain. Business savvy, ruthless, narcissistic, daringly diabolical, and with an arrogance only rivaled by his riches, or perhaps his uncanny ability to turn the noblest of courses into a self-serving campaign, Brown does not seem to care about who he hurts along his way to grabbing more power and wealth.
My Work In Progress
My work on Mission: Yemen, Xavier Sear Thriller Book 2 is currently underway again. this week, I posted
chapter thirty-one to the two online subscription writing sites I use. To date, the manuscript has received 497 chapter reviews. In the meantime, here’s another snippet:
Bashari strode to a nearby table and lifted a set of keys before turning to Sear. “Who will be driving?”
“I will. Any problems if I add another dent or two to the Noah?” He laughed.
Bashari smiled. “If it helps you recover my daughter, you may do what you like with the vehicle.”
“As soon as we collect our belongings from the hotel, we’ll change locations.” Sear pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. “Here’s my satellite phone number. I’ll be back in touch as soon as possible.”
Bashari took the paper. “May Allah, in his infinite wisdom, guide you along the correct path.”
Sear nodded as he turned and followed the servant from the room, Malik and Wasim bringing up the rear.
Back at the vehicles, Sear toss the keys to the Hilux to Malik and unlocked the Noah’s doors. “Meet you at the hotel.”
Wasim climbed in beside Wasim. “Do you think it’s safe to move into Bashari’s brother-in-law’s home?”
“Yeah.” Sear started the engine and engaged the clutch. With a lurch, the Noah edged forward behind the Hilux. “We don’t have a choice. While Dabir seems nice enough on the surface, I’m picking something up about him I don’t like.” Sear shook his head. “I might be wrong, but I always trust my gut feelings.”
The servant waved the vehicles into the street.
Sear traced their route back to the hotel, following Malik.
They parked behind the hotel and entered through a rear door.
Dabir stood in his customary position behind the check-in counter. “Good day, Sayyid. Did you meet with Sayyid Bashari?”
“Yeah.” Sear nodded. “He’s offered us a place to stay, so we’re going to move. I’ll be spending more time with Bashari so this’ll cut down travel time.”
“I … see.” Dabir frowned. “But the hotel isn’t far away, so why not remain here?”
“Doesn’t matter—this is my choice.” Sear’s voice hardened. “I always prefer remaining in more private surroundings. Even though there aren’t many occupants in the hotel at the moment, this could change.”
“Oh, okay.” Dabir replaced his frown with a smile. “Do you require any assistance in packing?”
Sear shook his head. “No, since I didn’t bring much with me. Keep my room for me in case I change my mind.”
“Yes, Sayyid.”
Sear, Malik, and Wasim headed up the stairs and collected their meager belongings. Before he left the room, Sear threaded his belt through the holster holding the SIG Sauer and pulled his shirttail over it. He shoved the two spare magazines into a back pocket. Picking up his bag, he headed back to reception.
Wasim and Malik hovered near the check-in desk, each holding a small duffle bag.
Sear nodded and continued toward the back door with the brothers following and Dabir traipsing along.
Sear, Wasim, and Malik climbed into the Noah, with Sear once again driving. They waved to Dabir as they departed.
A heavyset man dressed in a black thobe and wearing a white dishdasha on his head stepped out of the shadows. Wiping the perspiration from his head, he stopped by Dabir. “So, the infidel has departed. When will he return?”
Dabir turned to the man. “Salam alaikum, Badr. He is moving to a property controlled by Bashari but asked me to keep his room.”
Badr nodded. “Wa alaykum as-salam. Have you notified the others yet?”
“I shall do that now.” Dabir pulled out his cell phone and punched in a text. Infidel relocating. Will have someone keep an eye on him as he can’t get too close to the truth.
He showed the text to Badr before hitting send.
Badr grunted. “When we were with the infidel during the air attack, he never gave an indication he recognized any of us. Let us hope it remains that way.”
“Agreed.” Dabir grinned. “If he gets in the way, he will join his brethren.”
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 2024 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
As I mentioned last time, I penned chapters 22-30 of Mission: Yemen, Xavier Sear Thriller Book 2 during the Xmas market. This week, I typed up and posted chapter twenty-three to the two online subscription writing sites I use. I also did about half of chapter twenty-four.
forward with my next novel, Xavier Sear: Angola. This week, chapter fifteen posted to the two online subscription writing sites I use. Although only posted for a short time, Angola has now received 160 chapter reviews, an increase of seventeen in the past week. As always, plenty of good advice from my faithful reviewers to provide as good a story for you as possible.