After an extensive period where I’ve haven’t posted, we’ve finally completed our exhaustive relocation from Scotland to South Carolina. It took several weeks for our belongings to make the trek via Scotland, Belgium, Germany, and London before arriving in Charleston. Once they cleared customs, a delivery date was set. While we’re still continuing to unpack, we’re well on the way to accomplishing this.
The three feline members of the family, Tommy, Alfie, and Hope, also made the journey. They flew from Edinburgh to London, before a final flight to Atlanta. Once we picked them up at the airport, they were taken to our new home.
Unlike in Scotland where the cats could roam, it’s more restrictive here. Since Tommy in particular likes to get outside, we got a quote for screening in the deck. We were shocked when we were told it would be almost $13K (just over £10K), as we expected it to be about half that amount. As a result, we decided I’d screen it in myself. Most of it was easy, but I had to build a “wall” at one end with an access door. It looks good if I do say so myself. THe cost of the necessary supplies and some tools was about $1.3K (just over £1K). Now Tommy, Alfie, and Hope have the freedom to enjoy the outdoors and are enjoying it.
“Writing is the painting of the voice.” – Voltaire. 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 July 28th, the fourth and final Sunday of the month. (Compliments of https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/).
Ibn al-‘Arabi, Muslim mystic and philosopher (The Meccan Revelations); Jacopo Sannazaro, Italian poet (Arcadia); Charles Lucas, British cellist composer, publisher, and educator (Principal of the Royal Academy of Music, 1859-66); Gerard Manley Hopkins, English poet (Windhover); Beatrix Potter, English children’s author and illustrator (The Tale of Peter Rabbit); Thomas P. Krag, Norwegian author and novelist (Jon Graeff, Ulf Ran); Ernst Cassirer, German philosopher and educator (Essay on Man); Karl Popper, Austrian-British philosopher (The Logic of Scientific Discovery; The Poverty of Historicism); Kenneth F. Fearing, American poet (Dead Reckoning); Malcolm Lowry, English novelist (Under the Volcano); John Ashbery, American poet (Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror); Remco Campert, Dutch writer and poet (son of Jan Campert); Natalie Babbitt, American children’s writer (Tuck Everlasting); Francis Veber, French film director and screenwriter; Arsen Dedić, Croatian singer-songwriter and poet; Robert Hughes, Australian art critic and writer (Barcelona); Jim Davis, American cartoonist and creator of the comic strips “Garfield” and “U.S. Acres”; Fahmida Riaz, Pakistani writer and feminist; Randall Wallace, American screenwriter and film producer (Braveheart); Shahyar Ghanbari, Iranian poet and singer-songwriter; and Carol Higgins Clark, American suspense novelist (Regan Reilly series).
Any names familiar to you? There were three for me this week: Beatrix Potter, Jim Davis, and Carol Higgins Clark. 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
My work on Mission: Yemen, Xavier Sear Thriller Book 2 is currently on hold due to the myriad non-writing things occupying my time with our move. I’ll be resuming work on chapter thirty-one this week. In the meantime, here’s anothert snippet:
The man gestured them forward along a marbled-floor corridor. He rushed ahead of them, leading Sear, Malik, and Wasim through an arch and into a living area.
A man who Sear recognized from the photos had Vincent provided stood and stepped forward. He was dressed in a long-sleeved brown shirt and a futa, the skirt in a subdued green, while a white turban adorned his head.
Abdullah Bashari stretched out his hand. “Welcome to my humble home, Sayyid Sear. It is an honor and privilege for you to be here.”
“Shukran, Sayyid Bashari. Please call me Sear, as that’s what my friends call me.” Sear shook hands.
“Thank you, Sear. Let me introduce you to my wife, Yasmin Rashid. You might find us a rather confusing couple, as we picked up numerous Western customs while living in Europe.”
A diminutive woman dressed in a yellow zina and Western jeans stood and bowed. “Welcome. I shall leave you now to your discussion.” She adjusted her orange headscarf and left the room.
Bashari gestured to the matching brown sofas. “Please have a seat.” He picked up an envelope from a hand-carved rectangular table and offered it to Sear. “These are photos of my missing daughter, Shatara.” He sat, wiping a tear away as he seemed to struggle to remain composed. “We don’t know where she is. Yasmin was with her when two men broke into the house and took her.”
Sear opened the envelope and studied the photos. “She’s a lovely young woman. Has there been any ransom demands?”
“No.” Bashari shook his head. “It’s been almost a month since they took her. There’s been no contact except one day a courier brought an envelope. It contained a photo of Shatara holding a copy of Al-Jumhuryah with a current date.”
Sear nodded. “Proof of life. When did you receive this?”
“About two weeks ago. I’ll give it to you later.”
“Can you think of anyone who has a grudge against you?” Sear rubbed his stubble. “It’s possible someone will try to use Shatara as a bargaining chip.”
“I—” Bashari stopped as the servant entered, pushing a trolley containing a tea service, a pot of coffee, a plate of dates, and several dishes holding various Yemeni delicacies.
“Shukran, Qadir. Please serve our guests.”
The old man nodded as he offered tea, coffee, fruit, and pastries to Sear, Wasim, and Malik.
The three men accepted the offerings.
Sear sipped on his strong coffee. “Excellent.” He set the cup and saucer on a table Qadir had moved forward. “You were going to say something?”
Bashari nodded. “Yes, I can’t think of anyone who would be holding something against me. However, I am outspoken about what the Houthis are doing to my country.” He snapped his fingers. “Could this be what it’s about?”
“It’s possible, but until someone contacts you with their demands, it’s difficult to know for sure.” He turned to Malik. “Do you think your friend, Tarik, might be able to help?”
Malik nodded. “If anyone can find out anything for us, it’ll be Tarik.” He stood, pulled his phone from a pocket, and went to the other end of the room.
“I’ve kept information about Shatara’s kidnapping from everyone I know.” Bashari glanced at the floor. “Do you think it’s time to spread the word?”
Sear nodded. “Yes. It’s been a long time since I served in Yemen, but I’ll see if anyone remembers me.” He turned to Wasim. “Can you do the same?”
“Of course. There might be a few people who remember when I was an investigator and be willing to help.”
“Where are you staying?” Bashari glanced at Sear.
“We’re at the Al Bilad Hotel, but I want to move elsewhere. I have a strange feeling about the clerk—almost as if he knows something but is keeping quiet.” Vincent warned me about Dabir—better to trust my instincts.
Bashari nodded. “Before my brother-in-law, Borak Rashid was killed, we had planned to suggest you stay in the Rashid ancestral home. You may still use it if you like—it’d be a way to honor his passing. It’s not far from here.”
“Yes, that’d be a great idea. Do you know where we can get another vehicle? We’re using a Toyota Hilux we borrowed from the clerk, but I’d rather use something not associated with the hotel.”
A smile spread across Bashari’s face for the first time since they arrived. “There are more Hiluxes in Yemen than any other vehicle. How about my Toyota Noah? You might have spotted it outside when you arrived.”
“Yes, that would work. Shukran. Bashari, when we drove here from the hotel, we noticed recent damage. Was it caused by last night’s aircraft attack?”
Bashari nodded. “Yes. It’s rare for the Haddah district to be attacked, but I heard several people were injured—four of them were children. Also, a number of buildings were damaged, including the Norwegian Refugee Council guesthouse.” He sighed. “Yemen used to be a quiet place to live—at least until the Houthi uprising.”
“How did it start?” Sear drained the last of his coffee and poured another cup.
“It began in 2004 and was a military rebellion, pitting Zaida Shia Houthis against the Yemeni army. As time passed, it spread throughout the country.”
Malik resumed his seat. “Tarik will do what he can to assist us. However, he’s not hopeful.” He glanced at Bashari. “Many people have disappeared since the uprising. Some have been sold into slavery.”
Bashari sucked in his breath.
Sear shook his head. “Let’s not panic at this stage. It could still be a simple kidnapping for ransom.” He turned to Bashari. “We will do our best to help you get your daughter back.”
A glimmer of a smile creased Bashari’s face. “Shukran, Sayyid—Sear. Jasmin and I would be in your debt forever if you could manage this. I shall inform the caretaker at the Rashid residence of your arrival.”
Sear finished his coffee and stood. “We’ll check out of the hotel now and go there.” Don’t know if we’ll find Shatara, but I’ll give it my best shot. Hope she hasn’t fallen afoul of human traffickers.
More 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 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.
All of my novels are participating in a gripping reads promotion, covering action & adventure, mystery& suspense, and sci-fi & fantasy/horror. There are a total of seventy-nine novels available between now and the 15th. Why not check these out–never know when you’ll come across your next favorite author.
Over the past week, there were another six new chapter reviews, bringing the total number to 711. As always, plenty of useful suggestions as always to improve my writing and very timely with editing on the horizon.
In 2019-2020, I posted the first seven chapters of Ultimate Escalation on the two subscription writing sites I use, receiving 101 chapter reviews.