Author: John W. Howell

I have been working in business for over forty years and now have the time to work in special areas of interest. My passion has always been to create compelling stories of fiction. I have authored six novels and am working on my Seventh. The first novel is still in manuscript form and being utilized as a door stop in the laundry room. The second is a contemporary fiction novel of 89,000 words and is complete and I am currently seeking a publisher. I also write poetry but have not had the guts to share any with anyone. The one time I read a piece to a person their only comment was, “it doesn’t rhyme.” I will continue to write and hopefully my blog, Fiction Favorites at www.johnwhowell.com will provide some entertainment and an interesting thought or two. I live in the Austin area with my wife Molly and an assortment of loving pets.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – mat/met/mitt/mot/mutt.”

March 11, 2023March 10, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 84 Comments

My cup runneth over mainly because an accidental hit of the brew button brought three instead of two 5 oz servings. Luckily the machine has a drain, or the tsunami of caffeine would be on the floor. So the absorbent mat that is in reserve will not be necessary. Sipping the life fluid reminds me of last week’s arrival of too many Warner Brothers look-alikes for comfort.

The grey rabbit said there was going to be a circus. An inquiry to the city assured me that no permit was necessary if it was held on my property, and no entrance fees were charged. We met in person so that the possibility of talking them into a restraining order could have happened. The mutt of a compliance officer refused to prevent what will no doubt become mayhem.

In deep thought, the thirty-story falling piano crash of the doorbell jerked me back to reality. It also set off a round of barking, cracking every mirror in the house. A toss of my old baseball mitt causes Lucy and Twiggy to think a sheep is loose in the place and brings the silence of chasing the lambs.

“Who is there,” is the inquiry through the Ring doorbell.”

“C’est Moi. Phiil Harris.”

“Baloo?”

“Bon mot. The very same.”

“What do you want?”

“Your friends Dan and Tom said you needed a ringmaster for the circus. Also, I have some mail for you.”

“Hold on.” The security shutdown procedure takes a few minutes, and the door is thrown open. Standing there is Phil Harris. “I thought you were dead.”

“This is fiction, right? Here take this and point me to my dressing room .”

Phil shoves an envelope into my hand and then pushes by me. I open the envelope, and it is a message from Linda Hill. It says, Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “mat/met/mitt/mot/mutt.” Choose one or use them all, any way you’d like, in your post. Have fun! Also, there is a note from Tom and Dan. Good luck is all it says.

To have fun, visit Linda’s blog and read how easy it is. Here is the link.

https://lindaghill.com/2023/03/10/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-11-2023/

“Not bad.”

“What?”

“You got all the words of the prompt in that intro.”

“Thanks.”

“One problem, though.”

“What’s that.”

“Your readers want a circus with all those characters. So you’re on the mat to deliver.”

“The objective will be met.”

“A fine mot ‘objective'”

“What are you, a linguist?”

“Mitt skämt.”

“Huh?”

“Swedish for ‘my joke.'”

“How about Swedish, for you are a mutt?”

“The same, ‘mutt.’ Du är en mutt.”

“Well, we’ve pretty much killed this one.”

“We all want a circus.”

“Fine. In the meantime, how about a pub visit.”

“Hello, Uber. Already place the order, and Helmut is on his way.”

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay Good News

March 10, 2023March 10, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 77 Comments

Today’s good news comes from the Good News Network. Here it is in its entirety.

80-Year-old Woman Celebrates Doing a 5K Every Day Since Pandemic–1,000 in a Row!

Andy Corbley Mar 8, 2023

Mae Dean Erb completes 1000th consecutive 5K (Credit: Cindy Impson)

A Cherokee woman determined not to let the pandemic get her down began running or walking a 5K every day for 100 days.

Through lockdowns, Alpha, Delta, Omicron, and beyond, Mae Dean Erb kept on running until she completed her 1,000th 5K last Friday, two months short of her 80th birthday.

“I don’t know how she managed to do a 5K walk or run every single day for the last 1,000 days, but she did,” Erb’s daughter, Julie Erb-Alvarez, told GNN. “Her milestone was celebrated by a gathering of friends and family – even some virtually. She is our hero.”

A member of the Cherokee Nation, Erb lives with her husband of 56 years, Jim Erb, in a rural town called Blackgum, near her hometown of Vain, Oklahoma.

She has by no means stopped doing these continuous 5Ks, and in fact, at the time of publishing, she would be on her 1,006th, noting that good habits are as hard to break as bad habits.

“I don’t hurt anywhere. I have knee issues every once in a while, with, I guess, age, but it’s a really wonderful thing (walk/run) to do,” she told the Cherokee Phoenix.

“It’s just something you should do for yourself and your family, and when you have a 4-year-old grandson, you want to stay young enough to pick him up and run with him and catch him if he’s going in the wrong direction.”

She often runs and walks with her friends, who note that going out for a walk doesn’t even feel like a walk anymore unless it’s 5K.

Julie notes that Mae has become an inspiration to the whole community, not least to herself, who wants to be just like her mom when she reaches her golden years.

The good news here is it is never too late to pursue a dream or self-improvement. Today’s JohnKu talks about achieving goals. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Your life is for you,

To live it as you see fit . . .

Nothing should stop you.

Also, I’m at Story Empire today talking about the Day of Awesomeness. Come on over. Here’s the link.

Thursday – A Little Personal – Twiggy and Lucy Observe Tree Trimming

March 9, 2023March 8, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 124 Comments

“What do you suppose is going on over there?”

“Sounds like a ruckus, Little One. I’ll go look.”

“What is it, Lucy?”

“Hey, this is a limb that fell. Twiggy, come see.”

“It’s a limb, for sure. Do you think we have beavers around here?”

“Beavers? You have to be kidding me. I don’t think so.”

“What else could take a limb off a tree?”

“I’m not sure how it got here, but I’m sure it’s not beavers. If I were to guess, I’d say dad is trimming the hedge.”

“Oh, come on. My beaver story is much better than that.”

“Well, I think your story is not based on facts.”

“Sounds a lot like fiction to me. Anyway, a lone branch in the yard is a mystery.”

“I will admit it doesn’t seem to be logical just laying there.”

“We need to get to the bottom of this.”

“I don’t know. I’m putting my money on dad the cutter.”

“Gives me an idea. Maybe this is good to chew.”

“It certainly is not for chewing. Ech, stop that.”

“I don’t think it tastes so bad. It’s not a bacon-flavored Benebone, but it’s okay. You should try it.”

“Not on your life. Those sticks taste terrible. Especially if they are green.”

“A couple more chews, and I’ll be ready for another branch.”

“Ew. I think I’m going to leave you to it then.”

“Find dad. See if he’s going to cut more.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Kreative Kue # 396 by Keith Channing

March 7, 2023March 6, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 72 Comments

In Keith’s words.

“Using this photo as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put your offering (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before Sunday evening UK time. If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here. Thank you for taking part.”

Link to Keith’s post

https://keithchanning.wordpress.com/2023/03/06/kreative-kue-396/

The photo

“Good morning. My name is Phonics Philla. Who am I talking to?”

“Uh, my name is John.”

“How may I help you, John?”

“I uh received a package that was damaged.”

“I most certainly can help you with that, John. Do you have an order number?”

“I do. It’s 6747726432963528597312H.”

“Could you repeat that, John? My computer is loading a little slowly today.”

“Ready?”

“Yes, I’m ready.”

“674.”

“Uh-huh. You can give me the rest.”

“7-7-264-329-635-285-973-12H”

“Ah, yes. I see you ordered a greenhouse. You say it was damaged?”

“Yes, the guy just shoved it off the back of the truck.”

“Can you describe the damage?”

“Broken frame and glass.”

“What frame and glass?”

“As far as I can tell, all of them.”

“Hmm. According to the record, you signed for the delivery.”

“Yes, that was before I opened the box.”

“Can you send me a photo of the damage?”

“Can’t you just send me a new one?”

“We have to be sure of the damage, sir.”

“You can’t take my word?”

“Oh, that’s rich, sir. I take your word and send you a new one and then let’s say the old one is still good. So now you have two greenhouses.”

“What on earth would I do with two greenhouses?”

“That’s not for me to say, sir. Can you send a photo?”

“How do you want it?”

“Attach it to an email. Once I get it, I can process your replacement. Oh, wait. That item is out of stock.”

“When will it be back in stock?”

“Hmm. Looks like a twelve-week lead time.”

“I won’t need it in twelve weeks. It will be summer by then. Can I get a refund?”

“I’m sorry, but you bought that item on a close-out special. Unfortunately, there are no refunds.”

“No one told me there were no refunds.”

“You signed the order.”

“I don’t see where it said ‘no refunds.'”

“It’s right on the back. I think you failed to read the terms and conditions.”

“So what can we do?”

“I think you’ll have to wait until the item comes in stock.”

“Do you have a supervisor?”

“I do. Would you like to speak to her?”

“Yes, I would.”

“Please wait while I transfer your call. I’m going to place you on a brief hold.”

“Hello?”

“Yes, hello. Is this the supervisor?”

“No, this is a customer. I want to report a greenhouse damaged in shipment.”

“Wait a minute. I’m on hold with the same problem.”

“Can you issue me a refund?”

“I said I have the same problem.”

“Let me speak to your supervisor.”

Top Ten Things Not to Leave in Your Car

March 6, 2023March 5, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 72 Comments

This post originally ran on February 22, 2016. I think the advice remains the same today. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

The inspiration for this list came on a trip to Austin, Texas two weeks ago. Of course, I didn’t do any of these things, but they came to me while unloading the car. Also, I didn’t try to include kids and pets since there is nothing funny about a possible tragedy. I hope you enjoy it.

Top Ten Things Not to Leave in Your Car

10 Do not leave a leftover Big Mac in your car. If you do, at best, you will need to ride with the windows down for a week. At worst, you will have to call Terminix to get rid of your new insect passengers. (Bad deal since it was only there for a week, after all)

9 Do not leave your phone in your car. If you do, at best, the sun will give you a new look to your case. At worst, you will wish you had bought the insurance when you get your blob’s replacement price. (No one told you those things were so delicate, did they?)

8 Do not leave your laundry in your car. If you do, at best, those wrinkles will be permanent. At worst, those plastic bags will become part of your fabric. (You got a lot of compliments on the new look, right?)

7 Do not leave your loaded gun in your car. (Texas, after all) If you do, at best, the temperature will remain below the flash point. At worst, your gun will go off and put a hole in the side of your car and the three others parked in a line parallel to yours. (It was only going to be a quick run into the store, right? That SWAT team looks pretty serious.)

6 Do not leave the twelve red roses in your car. If you do, at best, the recipient will not notice a slight wilt. At worst, you will present someone with twelve stems and try to explain how $70.00 worth of blooms are on the floor of your car. ( Man, the sun gets hot, doesn’t it?)

5 Do not leave the first-grade birthday cupcakes in your car. If you do, at best, you can tell the kids they are still warm from the oven. At worst, you will be trying to sell a new treat called cupcake crumble to gullible youth. (I’ll bet they don’t believe you. What do you think?)

4 Do not leave your keys in your car. If you do, at best, the keyman will only charge $75.00 to open the door. At worst, the local car thieves will be able to open your door for free, but you will never see the car again. (Sure, it was inadvertent but still.)

3 Do not leave your suitcase in the car where it can be seen. If you do, at best, no one will notice it on the backseat. At worst, whoever took out your back window figured you had thirty pounds of gold bars in that case. (Go figure. The window will only be $400.00)

2 Do not leave your half-full coffee cup in the holder. If you do, at best, when you return, the coffee will be stale. At worst, you will take a sip, and your lip will immediately blister from the 180-degree heat. (The melted handle should have been your clue.)

1 Do not leave your valuable vintage CD collection in your car. If you do, at best, they may sound a little warped when you play them next. At worst, you will be the proud owner of the largest stack of fused CDs (You can spend months trying to pry them apart or just call it an avant guarde sculpture.)

Views of the Neighborhood – Women in Art

March 5, 2023March 4, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 103 Comments

The Lakeway Arts District presents “Women in Art” a very special art exhibition celebrating Women’s History Month from March 1-31st at the Lake Travis Community Library. We are going to attend the artist’s reception. We are catered by Birdies of Austin. Our entertainment is Eric Clapton.

Menu March 5

Snacks

Marinated Castelvetrano olives – Roasted sweet potatoes with black garlic aioli and almonds – Deviled eggs with Calabrian chili and bottarga – Gorgonzola Dolce or Morbier with baguette

Small plates

A simple green salad with citrus, fennel, and a champagne vinaigrette – Butternut squash soup with brown butter and pumpkin seeds – Beef tartare with pecans, sonora, rosemary, and carta di musical – Linguine with crème fraîche, arugula, and lemon

Larger plates

Snapper with lemon potatoes and caper butter sauce – Chicken cacciatore with mushrooms, guanciale, and polenta

Dessert

Heilala vanilla soft serve with blood orange Agrumato – A warm Sicilian-inspired chocolate chip cookie

Picture of an old time school bus

Let’s get on the bus and go.

There’s the library.

The signpost is up ahead for the exhibit.

Cards for the Lakewat Arts District. Please take one.

Any artist’s reception has to have wine and munchies.

Two works by Artist Sara Schumacher.

Sara Schumacher, on the left, discusses her other works with an admirer.

Art lovers discussing their passion.

Examples of the art pieces.

An Asian flavor.

More examples.

The cards we saw on the way in have been creatively displayed by a young artist at leisure.

That is our tour, so now relax and enjoy the food and music.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – Wild Animal

March 4, 2023March 3, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 57 Comments

The coffee is delivered hot and quick, which is a complete surprise on this sunny Saturday. The first sip usually acts as a mind-awaken potion and serves to remind me of whatever horror is left over from last week. Remembering a visit from Bugs Bunny cannot be classed as something of concern, so the coffee comes with a feeling of peace and contentment.

The tone on my phone alerts me of a visitor at the front door. (What’s with the rhyming? If this weren’t a stream-of-consciousness thing, that sentence would qualify for a rewrite.) No matter. A quick look at the phone confirms Bugs Bunny is on the front porch. My skeptical body almost refuses to go through the process of turning off the security system, but curiosity gets the better of me.

With the shutdown procedure complete, I throw open the front door. Bugs has a big smile on his face, and a large tour bus is sitting in the driveway. “What’s up, Bugs?”

“Good one, Doc. I brought some friends to meet you.” With that, Bugs gives a wave to the bus, and out of the front door pours every kind of cartoon animal known to Warner Brothers aficionados. Some animals look like Tweety Bird, Pepe Le Peu, Speedy Gonzales, Cecil Turtle, Porky, and Petunia Pig, Daffy Duck, Tasmanian Devil, Beaky Buzzard, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester, Henery Hawk, Claude Cat, Arnold the Pit Bull, Hector the Bulldog, Baba Looey, Charles the Dog, Lola Bunny, Toro the Bull and of course, The Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote.

Bugs hands me a card which is an invitation to a circus performance that the characters tend to put on. The concerning part is they intend to use my backyard. Bugs also hands me a letter from Linda Hill. It says, Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “wild animal.” Choose a wild animal (or many wild animals) and use it any way you’d like in your post. Enjoy!

If you want to join in, visit Linda’s blog and learn how easy it is. Here’s the link.

https://lindaghill.com/2023/03/03/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-4-2023/

“Now You’ve done it.”

“What?”

“Opened a can of worms.”

“What do you mean?”

“How are you going to put on a circus?

“I have a week to figure that out. I didn’t know Bugs was going to show up with all those animals.”

“That’s another thing. The prompt is for ‘wild animal.’ Not animal characters.”

“Tomato, tomahto. These are animals, and they can be wild.”

“I think the judges are going to call that one.”

“Well, we’ll have to wait and see.”

“Speaking of wild things, I see you have a new shipment of VooDoo Ranger Imperial.”

“How do you know that?”

“Easy. I watched you unload your car.”

“I didn’t see you.”

“I know. I was behind the tree.”

“Stalking me?”

“More rhyming, I see.”

“Let’s get a brew and stop this madness.”

“Right behind you.”

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – FRI-Yay ?Good News

March 3, 2023March 2, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 56 Comments

Today’s good news story comes from the Good News Network. Here it is in its entirety.

A Marathon was Blocking the Delivery Route for Organ Donation, So a Surgeon Ran Through the Race to Get it.

Andy Corbley Mar 1, 2023

In a story that only those who live in the colonial cities of America’s east will understand, a surgeon ran about a mile to and from a hospital to pick up a liver for his patient after a courier’s route was blocked not only by Philadelphia’s strange grid system but thousands of marathon runners.

66-year-old Charles Rowe was waiting on an operating table with his surgeon Adam Bodzin. He was slated for a liver transplant that day to save his life from complications due to hepatitis C.

Time ticked by until Rowe was surprised to hear that Bodzin was going out the door to get the liver himself.

Meanwhile, an out-of-town van driver for Philly-based Gift of Life Donor Program was having trouble negotiating the one-way streets, half-blocks, and diagonals of Philadelphia’s city center, when it became clear that his route to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital would be blocked by the Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon at two separate points.

Event organizers and police have access points for emergencies going towards the hospital, but the courier couldn’t find them even after consulting police.

Clad in sneakers and teal scrubs, Bodzin weaved his way at a full run from the hospital entrance near 11th and Chestnut Streets, through the stream of runners on Lombard Street, then another block to South Street.

Reaching the driver and taking the sealed container with the liver on ice, he zigzagged back the same way, earning what must have been more than a few curious stares, before hitching a ride with the police back to the hospital on the other side of the marathon route.

Thanks to Bodzin’s quick thinking, they managed to transplant the liver successfully, an hour after the time when a liver begins to deteriorate. Rowe made a full recovery and left the hospital 6 days later.

Rowe called Bodzin a “hero,” Tom Avril reported for the Philadelphia Inquirer, though Bodzin chose to describe himself as “more of a biker.”

The good news here is a person took matters into his own hands to prevent a disaster. Today’s JohnKu talks about quick action. I hope you have a super weekend.

Action without thought,

Marks the trait of that someone. . .

We call a hero.

Thursday – A Little Personal – Lucy is Concerned About Twiggy’s Teeth Cleaning

March 2, 2023March 1, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 109 Comments

“So, how did the procedure go, Little One?”

“I’m never speaking to mom again.”

“Oh, come on. It wasn’t that bad.”

“How do you know? You weren’t there.”

“I’ve had my teeth cleaned many times, so I do know.”

“Yeah, but my procedure was the worst.”

“Open your mouth and let me see.”

“There is no way I’m letting you look in my mouth.”

“Okay then, if you won’t let me look, let’s play tag. You’re it.”

“Why am I always it. You should be it sometime.”

“Well, catch me and I will be it.”

“No fair. Your legs are longer. You can move faster.”

“You don’t see me moving at all right now.”

“That could be true, but I think I hear some kibble falling into a bowl.”

“You can forget kibble for a while. You get soft food so you won’t hurt your teeth.”

“Soft food? What kind of soft food?”

“Well, mom takes your kibble and then soaks it in water.”

“Now that sounds horrific.”

“It’s not so bad, and it will feel good on your teeth.”

“I think a nice thick steak would feel better.”

“Of course, I have to wonder, when was the last time you had a steak?”

“Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.”

Guest Post – Gwen Plano – #newbook – Redemption – A Father’s Fatal Decision

March 1, 2023February 10, 2023 ~ John W. Howell ~ 80 Comments

Today I am happy to host Gwen Plano, who has a new release to discuss. The post is all yours, Gwen.

Thank you, John, for inviting me to your site today. It would be fun to hop on the Lakeway bus and get a tour of your beautiful area. Maybe someday! Though not as exciting as a Texas whirl around your community, I’ll share a bit about my new release.

Redemption, A Father’s Fatal Decision takes place in the Southeast corner of New York state, in the towns of New Rochelle and Cortlandt. The characters journey to Old Lyme, Connecticut, on occasion, but for the most part, the drama is in New York. Having spent about twenty years in and around that area, it was exciting to visit as a writer.

The book tackles themes of forgiveness, redemption, and absolution through a psychological thriller. We accompany the son and daughter of the deceased as they try to uncover the reason for their father’s murder. What they discover prompts them to ask if they even knew their father.

Sometimes complicated situations help us see our own challenges in a different light. That is my hope for this book. Most of us won’t experience threats like those of my characters, but pain is pain, just as joy is joy. One may be more obvious than the other—but not less impactful.

In the excerpt below, the protagonists, Lisa and Trace Holmes, discover that their father had another life. Accompanied by their friend, Ryan, they stumble upon a war room.

BLURB

Family secrets can be deadly. When Lisa Holmes visits her parents one fateful Saturday morning, she hugs her father and walks to her childhood bedroom. The doorbell rings. Her father opens the door, and one minute later, he lies dead on the floor—three bullets to the chest.

The Holmes family lives on a quiet street, but no one really knows Eric Holmes. He travels for business and comes home a few days each month. Unbeknown to all, Eric has multiple lives.

In this fast-paced psychological thriller, Lisa and her brother, Trace, embark on a quest to solve the mystery involving the murder of their father. The journey takes them into a secret world where nothing is as it seems. As the puzzle pieces begin to coalesce, they discover the meaning of Redemption.

EXCERPT:

Lisa shouts from the back seat, “I see it. There, on the left side. The log cabin.”

Hardly detectable from the road, the lone hovel has knee-high weeds and untrimmed bushes. Barbed-wire fencing stretches around the property, and tree limbs hang at the entrance threateningly.

“I’ll pull in. Eh, on second thought, I’ll back up close to the shack in case we need to race out of here. This looks a little too much like a late-night thriller.”

Trace exits the jeep first and says to Lisa, “Over there on the right, is that the rock you saw?”

“I doubt it. I remember it being big.”

“Yeah, and you were a tiny kid. It won’t hurt to check it out. Come over and help me.” Trace pushes the rock upward while Lisa searches underneath.

“I see a little metal pillbox. That must be it.” She nabs it just before Trace lets the rock fall.

“I can’t get the lid off.”

Trace takes the box from her and jerks the lid open. Inside lies a strip of numbers. “This must be the combination number for a safe. Why else would he hide it?” He puts the paper strip into his pocket.

Ryan swats a mosquito on his arm and shoos a couple of annoying flies. “We’re definitely in the woods.”

Lisa approaches the front door and struggles to open the lock. “This can’t be the key.”

“Let me try.” Trace takes the key, forces it in, and applies pressure to get the lock to turn. With multiple shoves, the door swings open.

A musty, unused-for-a-long-time stench hits them. Lisa stands at the doorway, taking it all in and trying to order her memories. Impatient, Trace and Ryan rush past her.

Lisa mutters, “What the heck, guys?”

“No time for daydreaming, Lisa,” Trace snaps.

Reclaimed wood paneling stretches throughout the cabin. Maps of Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the United States cover most of the paneling. In the center of the room, looking at the maps and the boxes on the floor, Trace says, “This is a war room. Dad must have plotted his trips here.”