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.
In Keith’s words. “Using this photo (below) as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). 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.
Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries next Monday.”
This week marks the 93rd anniversary of the beginning of the construction of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota. We should go there to mark this historic occasion. We do need to take our list of the things we should avoid doing so that we will not inadvertently put a tear in the time continuum. Let’s all get on board and get ready for an exciting trip.
Top Ten Things Not to Do at the Start of Construction of Mount Rushmore in 1927 by John W. Howell
10 If you go, do not stand under the ‘falling rocks’ sign. If you do, at best, the dynamite process has not started yet. At worst, you will need to get a very hard hat. (Just like a tourist, Marton. You see a sign that says not to do something, and you do it. Hope that boulder heading your way is a close miss and not a direct hit.
9 If you go, do not accompany Tiny, the WWF champ, as he climbs to the top of the Black Hills. If you do, at best, you both will make it safely. At worst, Tiny, who has a severe case of agoraphobia, might panic at any moment. (The sad thing is, Marylu when Tiny panics, he tends to throw things off of high places. Now that I mentioned that, it looks like he has changed and is now prepared to throw people off high places. Hope the landing is gentle.
8 If you go, do not tell Sculptor Gutzon Borglum that you think the figures on the mountain should be Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. If you do, at best, he won’t hear you. At worst, he will offer you a ride in a handbasket to the top. (You see, Massimo, Borglum wanted to have Lewis and Clark, Sacagawea, Oglala Lakota chief Red Cloud, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Oglala Lakota chief Crazy Horse. He was overruled by South Dakota historian Doane Robinson who thought up the idea.)
7 If you go, do not ask Gutzon when he thinks the project will be finished. If you do, At best, he’ll walk away. At worst, he will sit you down and describe in detail what needs to be done. (The project started in 1927, Mateus and was halted in October 1941 after funds ran out. Gutzon Borglum died of an embolism in March 1941. His son, Lincoln Borglum, continued the project until it was halted.)
6 If you go, do not mention to Gutzon that only the heads of the figures would be depicted on the mountain. If you do, at best, Gutzon will think you are joking. At worst, you will get into an argument with Gutzon. (The original plan called for the Presidents to be finished to the waist, Matias. When fining ran out, the work stopped. I see Gutzon is talking to some pretty big looking workers and pointing this way. You might want to get off the mountain under your own power.)
5 If you go, do not ask how much all this is going to cost. If you do, at best, no one will hear you. At worst, you will be overheard by Doane Robinson, the originator of the idea. (The matter of funding was turned over to a Congressional delegation and Calvin Coolidge. It was finally funded in 1925. Just for the record, Mats the whole thing cost $$989,992.32, which would be over $14 Million today)
4 If you go, do not only compliment Gutzon Borglum for the work going on. If you do, At best, none of the 400 workers will hear you. At worst. you will be overheard by Luigi del Bianco, the head carver. (Luigi did a lot of the work, Mattius. He Used dynamite and then a process called ‘honeycombing.’ This involved drilling holes spaced a short distance apart and then chipping the rock away. Luigi wants you to hold his pneumatic hammer for a minute. I wouldn’t if I were you.)
3 If you go, do not make bets about the amount of rock removed from the mountain. If you do, at best, no one will be interested. At worst, you have some takers. (Now the problem is how do you either collect winnings or pay losings, Maur. When the final tally is in, you may or may not be able to come back. I think the best thing s for you to stay until it is finished. I see a lot of the workers agree with me. By the way, the correct guess is 410,000 tons.)
2 If you go, do not try to measure the lights of the Presidents. If you do, at best you won’t find a way to do it. At worst, someone will give you a rope. (I thing dangling on the end of a rope with a tape measure is a little risky, Mauro. Maybe you should just get back to the top and forget it. The answer is sixty feet. There satisfied?)
1 If you go, do not ask Gutzon Borglum why the mountain is not named Borglum instead of Rushmore. If you do, at best, Gutzon will be busty planting dynamite. At worst, he’ll want you to light the fuse. (Mount Rushmore was named after wealthy investor Charles E. Rushmore who visited the area repeatedly in 1885, Maverick. It was made official in 1930 by The United States Board of Geographic Names. Goes to show not what you know but who. Of course, the name was originally Six Grandfathers given by the Lakota Sioux)
Since we are getting close to Halloween I thought it would be a good idea to check around the neighborhood to see if folks are getting into the spirit. Come on along. Today we are serving hard cider and donuts. We also have Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band playing on the bus.
So jump on board and we’ll be offLooks like everyone is asleep. We’ll have to come back to see them when they are awake.Looks like Mickey and Minnie Dracula are ready.Love the spider web. Those witch’s hats a very colorfulA black cat and pumpkin headed skeleton are enough keep me off the lawnAnother spider web and a skull in the flower bed.Another sleeping monster. Yes we will come back before HalloweenA cute topper for the mailbox
I hope you enjoyed the tour today. You can stay around and have more cider and listen to the music. Here is a Night Moves video
New day means it is Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again and here is Linda Hill with this week’s prompt. “Hi, John. I see you got a haircut. looks good. Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “new/old.” Use either or both of the words “new and old” any way you’d like. Bonus points for starting and ending with either one. Have fun!”
🎶 “New is another word for not having to worry about this old thing breaking down.”🎶
“What are you singing?
“A song I made up. I’m finally getting rid of this old lawnmower, and I’m just singing a farewell to it.”
“How long have you. put up with that old thing?”
“Let’s see. I got out of school in 2001. Got a job, and bought the mower.”
“You are kidding? That was 20 years ago.”
“I bought the best they had.”
“Did this old thing give you any trouble in all those years?”
“Nope. Had to sharpen the blade each year is all.”
“Why the song then. Sounds like its been an excellent mower.”
“Yeah but I have been worrying about it breaking down for years.”
“Goes to show the stuff we worry about seldom happens.”
“I suppose that’s true. Here let me start it one more time for old times sake. Hmmm. Usually one pull does it. Ugh. Looks like it’s not going to start.”
“Out with the old and in with the new.”
“I think I should have been a little more respectful.”
Each year in October, Teri Polen hosts her Bad Moon Rising feature. This is an excellent opportunity to meet authors and books designed to excite your literary senses. Teri posts an original author each day so check back often. Thank you, Teri, for featuring me today.
You may have seen today’s author cruising around the blogosphere lately promoting his new book that’s featured here today, Eternal Road: The Final Stop. Read on to learn why this author thinks a ghost would have him exorcised from the house instead of the other way around. Welcome John W. Howell!
Would you rather sleep in a coffin for one night or spend the night in a haunted house?
I think I would rather spend the night in a haunted house. There are two reasons for this choice. The first is I have always been interested in the paranormal and would welcome the possibility of having a ghost interact with me. I would pump them for information on eternal life and other dimensions. It would probably end that the spirit would try to find an exorcist to get rid of me. The second reason is I have this creepy…
“Dad. Lucy won’t ruckus with me.” “I’m sure that’s not true, Twiggy.” “Believe her, Boss.”
Well, it’s Friday at last. I hope you are glad the day is here. I know Twiggy seems to think it is pretty special. I’m still trying to figure that out. Her treats don’t change and there is nothing special about her menu that would warrant a celebration. Maybe she senses a finish to the week that Friday represents. That is a good feeling.
Since it has been relatively quiet the last two days you can assume the tour for Eternal Road is over. I certainly want to thank all the bloggers who were kind enough to invite me to their blog. The scope of the tour was quite impressive. We traveled to eight countries, and the message was delivered to over 100,000 followers of the blogs. Yes, there were some duplicates but the figure still blows me away.
In addition, I used universal links on this intro, which meant I could track the clicks on those links. Again, there is an unknown amount of duplicates but during the period of the tour, over 3200 clicks were reported from nine countries.
So when I’m asked how the tour went, I respond with high praise.
To those who visited all these posts, I am also very grateful that you did and hope you found some interesting folks to follow.
So that’s a wrap. I’m going back to work on the next one. (yeah, I took a half a day off) Thanks everyone. Today’s JohnKu talks about support. Have a great weekend.
“Okay Ladies. I understand your request but I don’t have the power to turn Wednesday into Friday.” “I told you, Twiggy.” “I still don’t believe it.”
It is Wednesday Story Day again and last week we were there when Lazar made contact with his daughter, Carolyn. He is talking to her by phone and meanwhile the British Mi5 agents are about an hour away from her dorm. Carolyn has an idea that her dad may be in a lot of trouble. Let’s get back to her and Lazar as they continue their phone conversation.
“I don’t have much time, sweetheart. There are two men coming from London. They work for the government and will be taking you to a safe place.”
“What do you mean a safe place?”
“We need to make sure you are safe from anyone who wants to hurt you.”
“You mean like Cortez?”
“Well. Yes.”
“Daddy. I think you ought to think about what you are doing. I don’t want to leave the university and certainly don’t want to go into hiding because of what you have done.”
“I’m sorry, darling, but we have no choice now.”
“Okay, explain that statement.”
“The fact I am in custody places you. At risk.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Cortez knows I’ve been arrested. He will want to make sure I don’t say anything. He can’t get to me as long as I’m being held, so naturally, he will want to get to you to make sure I don’t talk.”
“Talk about what?”
“Sweetheart, please believe me when I say I know everything about Cortez’s business. I know enough to put him away for years.”
“That means you have been working with him?”
“Yes, Carolyn, I have.”
“I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Hold on, Carolyn. We need to give you instructions.”
“You don’t need to give me anything. Cortez traffics in drug and human slavery. You know that, I suppose.”
“Just the drugs, Carolyn. I swear.”
“Just the drugs, Daddy? Do you know how many young people have died as a result of Cortez’s drug business? When Jerry overdosed. Oh, wait. You remember Jerry, don’t you, dad? He was the one you thought wasn’t good enough for me. Well, he shoved a needle in his arm and never woke up. I suppose you were right. I didn’t expect him to do that and I was very hurt and disappointed in him. So I guess he wasn’t good enough for me. After he killed himself, I decided I would study the whole underworld of the drug trade. I ran across Cortez many times since his name kept rising from the filth. While studying this monster, it became clear to me that he was the scum of the Earth. And now, I find my own father was one of his associates. Well, dad, you can do your thing, but I need to do mine. This call is over. I really hope you are successful getting him behind bars, and maybe you two will be cell mates. I’m sorry to say this to you, father, but as of this minute, I’m an orphan. Good bye. I will always love you, but I hate what you’ve done.”
“Wait, Carolyn, don’t hang up. Carolyn?”
“I think she hung up.”
“What the hell do we do now?”
“We have no choice but to take her by force if she refuses to go with the agents on her own. I can’t have this operation jeopardized by your daughter being unreasonable.”
“I think you know if you are not successful in saving Carolyn. You can kiss the testimony goodbye.”
“Yeah, and we will also let this criminal continue to exist. Your daughter is not safe, no matter what you do. If we can’t get her, you both are at risk. Let me get to work on changing the scope of the mission. We will try to take your daughter, but no there are no guarantees.”
“I understand, Ms. Thomas. I pray you are successful.”
Today I’m with Miriam Hurdle at her blog The Showers of Blessings. We have a new, and I might add the last excerpt from Eternal Road – The last stop. Come on over. Miriam also has some food and drinks so there’s no reason not to go. Here is the link.
“Hi, I’m Miriam Hurdle. I grew up in Hong Kong, where I finished college and worked for several years before coming to the United States. While in Hong Kong, I taught Chinese as a Second Language in the Hong Kong Baptist University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. I was also the Director of Children’s Department for Asian Outreach, where I published four Children’s books.
In 1977, I came to the United States for my graduate studies and received three master’s degrees in Education, Counseling, and School Administration, as well as earned a Doctor of Education from La Verne University in California. I worked two years as a rehabilitation counselor, then went into education. After teaching in California public school for fifteen years, I was promoted to a school district administrative position, which kept me busy for ten years before retirement. The retirement made life easier since I survived a stage IV melanoma cancer.
In my retired life, I enjoy volunteer counseling, reading, writing, blogging, singing, drawing, watercolor painting, gardening, photographing, and traveling. I’m married to Lynton Hurdle, have one married daughter, one two and a half years old granddaughter, and the second granddaughter is on her way.
I love writing poetry. Some of my poems have appeared in four anthologies: Letter to Gaia, Whispers & Echoes Issue 2, Whispers & Echoes Issue 3, and Outcast & More Words.
I created my blog in 2011 but only wrote twelve posts from 2011 to 2014. My blogging didn’t take off until July 2016. At that time, I was to write about my cancer and recovery experiences. It has become further and wider than expected. I have been writing short memoir, poetry, short stories, flash fiction, family stories, travel journey, and post photography.
When I gained energy during the recuperation, I joined several writing and publishing groups. The Publishing group has retired professionals help each other to publish. Being around the writers and helpers was an encouragement for me to publish the first Book, Songs of Heartstrings–Poems of Gratitude and Beatitude, published in October 2018. The poems reflect different stages in my life, and it is storytelling in poetry form. I used my photography and watercolor paintings to illustrate the poems. The following watercolor paintings are two of several paintings included in the book.
I took part in an Anthology publication. My article about the cancer was included in the UNDERSTANDING: An Anthology of True and Significant Life Events, compiled by Stevie Turner, which was published in early April 2019.
As most of you know, Sally Cronin supports Indie authors like no one else on the planet. Today she has published a wonderful review of Eternal Road. Sally’s blog is always worth a visit and today is very special to me. Thank you, Sally, for the review, and thank you for letting me know you enjoy my stories.
