The weather continued to be cool but dry for the past week, giving me an opportunity to do some more weeding. I also managed to clean out some of the garage and haul some stuff to the local dump to dispose of. All being well, this coming week will warm up a bit as it'll be time to cut the grass again.
The price of gasoline (petrol) and diesel remained steady £1.47 and £1.55 respectively. However, the dollar continued to climb, making things more expensive. With the current exchange rate, an equivalent gallon of gasoline increased to $6.96, an increase of eight cents, while diesel rose to $7.33, a jump of seven cents.
I found out late Thursday evening, that the results of the 2023 Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBAs) for the Global Thrillers were announced. Needless to say, I'm thrilled to report that Ultimate Escalation was one of six novels names as 1st place, best in category.
Many congratulations to the other five winners, and especially to Ralph R. "Rick" Steinke, whose novel, Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy, was selected as the category grand prize winner.
I'd also like to offer commiserations to the finalists who didn't make it into this group. The competition was tough as it is every year, with sixteen novels named as finalists. I'd particularly like my colleague, Dave Wickenden, to try again, as his The Home Front, stopped its journey through the 2023 CIBAs as a finalist.
I've already submitted Frozen Conquest for the 2024 CIBAs and hope some of the other finalists will have novels ready to compete.
"The secret of it all is to write… without waiting for a fit time or place." – Walt Whitman. 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 April 28th, the fourth and final Sunday of the month. (Compliments of https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/).
Charles Cotton, English poet and writer; Ezra Abbot, American Bible scholar; Karl Kraus, Austrian satirical writer; [Hooper] Sidney Toler, American theater director, playwright, stage and screen actor (Madame X; Meeting at Midnight; Charlie Chan films, 1938-46); Franz Arnold, German writer; Bruno Apitz, German writer (Nackt unter Wölfen); Kenneth Horne, British writer and playwright (Fools Rush In; The Coming-Out Party); Johan Borgen, Norwegian author (Lillelord); Pierre Boileau, French novelist (Vertigo); Sam Merwin, Jr., American mystery fiction writer; Lee Falk, American comic strip writer (The Phantom); Joop Waasdorp, Dutch writer (Naked Life); Robert Anderson, American writer (Tea & Sympathy, I Never Sang for My Father); Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist (The Guns of Navarone); William Guarnere, American WWII veteran and author, portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers; Harper Lee, American author (To Kill a Mockingbird); Lois Duncan, American young adult novelist (I Know What You Did Last Summer); Iryna Zhylenko, Ukrainian poet (An Evening Party in an Old Winery); Terry Pratchett, English author of fantasy novels (Discworld); Roberto Bolaño, Chilean author and poet (2666); Nicky Gumbel, British author and priest (Alpha Course); Jeremy John Beadle, British critic, writer and broadcaster; and Ian Rankin, Scottish novelist (Inspector Rebus crime novels).
Any names familiar to you? There were five for me this week: Alistair MacLean, Harper Lee, Terry Pratchett, Jeremy John Beadle, and Ian Rankin. 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 started chapter thirty-one of Mission: Yemen, Xavier Sear Thriller Book 2. However, once again I'll need a few more days to complete the chapter and get it posted to the two online subscription writing sites I use. Too many non-writing things to contend with this week.
Reviewers provided another two critiques, bringing the total to 560. As always, they've provided plenty of recommendations for me to consider, and I'm always appreciative of the time and effort people put into reviewing my work.
Here's another snippet:
"Understood." Shatara studied the garment Uzza laid out on the bed. "What lovely clothes." She reached down and ran a hand over a multi-colored zina. "I love the red and yellow colors in the dress. I just wish there was a version with short sleeves."
Uzza giggled. "Would you dare to show your arms to someone not your husband?"
"Why not? In many parts of the world, women wear short-sleeved garments. In fact, they choose what they will wear." Shatara sighed. "At least the green baggy trousers go well with the red, white, and yellow of the zina."
"I choose the clothing myself." Uzza grinned. "Later, I will bring you other zinas and Sana'anis. The prince says you may have three of each."
I don't want to insult her, as she is trying to help me, but her choice of colors is horrible. "Thank you so much." Shatara pointed to the hijab. "Must I wear that?"
"Only if you are permitted to leave the building. I use one when I go outside, too."
Shatara pursed her lips and sighed. "Okay." She began to dress as her stomach rumbled. "I hope someone will bring food soon—I'm hungry."
"While you were cleansing yourself, I opened the door and picked up the second container I brought with me. We shall eat together." Uzza reached on the other side of the bed where she had hidden a wicker basket. "Look—I have a surprise for you. We shall dine on mutabaq, which are filled with scrambled eggs and cheese and some masoub. I made the bread myself and added bananas and honey as I made it."
Shatara's stomach rumbled again, this time louder. She laughed as she patted it. "My body is enjoying just hearing about the food."
"Cook also gave me one zalabia each. I love these pastries and eat them whenever possible because they give us energy."
Shatara smile. "There are also fattening. Did you bring anything to drink?"
"Yes, mango juice." She arranged the food on a small table at the foot of the bed. "Come, let us enjoy our first breakfast together."
As they ate their breakfast, Uzza reached into the basket and pulled out a small parcel wrapped in brown paper. "This is for you from the prince."
"What is it?" Shatara took the package.
Uzza smiled. "Open it and find out."
"Okay." Shatara wiped her hands on a piece of cloth Uzza handed her.
Uzza clapped her hands. "Hurry. I want to find out as no one told me what it was."
"Just a minute." Shatara untied the string holding the package together. Pulling back the now-loosened paper, she gasped. Inside, she found a book: The Poetry of Arab Women from the Pre-Islamic Age to Andalusia. "A book. I told al Mishara I loved to read."
"What's it about? Perhaps later, you will tell me what it says?" Uzza glanced downward. "I cannot read."
"It's a book of poetry by Arab women. I shall pick some and read them to you."
"Thank you. I will enjoy that. I shall return before Asr, as we will pray together."
"Where are you going?"
"The prince instructed me to seek him out after you were settled." Uzza blushed. "I am not sure what he wants except a report on how you are doing. He's very interested in you."
"Yes, I know. He wants me to marry him, but I want to wait until I'm older and choose my husband."
Uzza laughed. "What is wrong with being a wife to Prince al Mishari? I understand his family is rich, and he's kind to his wives." She stood and collected the dishes, putting them back in the basket. "I must go now." She headed toward the door.
"Wait."
Uzza turned. "Yes?"
"I just wanted to … say thank you. You have been very kind."
"You're welcome." Uzza left the room, locking the door behind her.
Shatara settled on the bed, opened the book, and began reading.
Before long, she placed the tome next to her pillow, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.
She felt someone climb onto the bed but couldn't see who it was because it was dark. Where is Uzza? She said she was returning before Asr prayers.
A man grunted before grabbing Shatara's zina and ripping it from her body.
She screamed as she struggled against her attacker.
"Hold still. This won't hurt a bit." He pushed a cloth over her face. "Take a deep breath."
Shatara continued to fight against the man's attempts to hold the cloth tighter. She inhaled and coughed.
Moments later, she lay quiet, unmoving.
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
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