The middle of the past week brought excellent weather to our area, especially for this time of year. On Wednesday, the temperature topped out at 85F/29C, followed by 82F/28C. I thought we were on to a good thing.
The warm weather brought around the first hummingbird of the season. It couldn’t find its normal feeder, which was still in the garage, so I quickly cleaned the container and placed it in the tree. We also had a visit from our first Baltimore oriole–its special swing (where we can place orange slices) is ready to go.
Of course we saw all of our regulars who braved the cold Michigan winter, but the best surprise came on Thursday, with our first sighting since moving here four years ago.
Our first red-headed woodpecker! What a beauty. We’ve had downy, hairy, and red-bellied woodpeckers and an occasional northern flicker, but this one is definitely a keeper!
Then Friday arrived with our old friend, Mother Nature saying hello with a quick reminder of who is in charge. The temperature made it all the way to 48F/9C–brrr! To compensate, it was sunny and a bit warmer yesterday and during the early morning hours we had a spectacular thunder and lightening show!
My Work in Progress
With such great weather for at least a couple of days, writing stopped as I concentrated on outside activities, such as cutting the grass, getting rid of some dead wood, washing the siding, and preparing the deck for its semi-annual staining. I put some old fence posts and warped boards out at the roadside, and within an hour someone stopped by to see if they could have them. Needless to say, my answer was yes. It’s always better to recycle.
Even with my writing time seriously diminished, I still managed to finish the first draft of Dangerous Alliance, chapter nineteen. Since it’s a rainy day here, I hope to finish and get it posted to the two subscription writing sites I used. There are several reviewers patiently waiting for the next installment.
Someone also sent me a suggestion for a new book. I’ve already come up with a synopsis and tentative title. I shared this with the person providing the suggestion and they like it. Another person suggested I bring a couple of characters from The Kurdish Connection into the story, which seems like a good idea. I won’t share the synopsis just yet, but my tentative title is Forgotten Daughters. Watch this space for more details.
Books I’m Reading
As I promised last week, I finished reading Jack Du Brul’s Deep Fire Rising (Philip Mercer Book 6). I always look forward to reading Jack’s novels, and this one was no exception. Through his main character, Philip Mercer, who insists he be called Mercer (and there’s a story about his reasoning behind this) we’re off on another adventure. His initial summons by the government to check out the collapse of a ‘special’ mine in Nevada leads Mercer on a deadly chase to save millions of lives.
Enter a secret society called the Order, which is reeling from a schism, and Mercer’s life is once again on the line. Only this time, he has the help of a beautiful woman named Tisha. While the premise is a bit far-fetched, I still found Mercer’s actions well-suited for the task at hand. Can the Order really predict natural disasters and will Mercer be able to prevent one before a volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami wipes out low-lying coastal areas, including the eastern coast of the U.S.? Hold onto your hats and climb on board for another action-packed thriller.
I also finished reading Brad Carl’s Grey Areas – The Saga. This is the first work by Brad that I’ve read and I’ll be back for more. We meet a drifter named Henry who lands in a small town and manages to find work in a local store. He tries to keep to himself but before long he saves the life of an accident victim and is embroiled in a deadly drug plot.
As if he doesn’t have enough problems, his real name is released through a television program, which also stated he was on the run after murdering his boss. If Henry didn’t kill him, who did? Brad’s created an excellent story, full of twists, turns, believable characters, and his story is hard to put down. I don’t want to be a spoiler, but f you enjoy drama and thrills, grab Brad’s saga and you’ll be glad you did.
Blogs/Author Pages/Writing Sites I’d Like to Share
I’ve expanded this section from being only about blogs that I follow but also introduce you to some new authors and a few writing sites. I shared these sites last time, but thought they’re worthy of another mention.
ReadersAbode – Created by a group of writers spread across several continents, there’s sure to be something of interest. Thus far, the site contains short stories and poems written by its members, several blog posts and interviews with established authors. Or check it out on Twitter: @readersabode.
Art Galore – A virtual world of art and books! Whether you’re into art of into finding a new book to read, check out this site.
Lenka’s List – Home of creative people. An excellent website for authors and bloggers to showcase their work.
I’m afraid that’s all the time I have this overcast and rainy Sunday. Hope you’ve found something of interest or at least useful for your own writing. Until the next time, thank you for reading!
© Copyright 2017 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved.