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.
I thought we would cruise around and check the deer. We have our faithful bus companion, and it is loaded with brunch and bubbly.Photo by unsplash
Hop aboard, and let’s see what we can find.
Our first sighting is of a mama deer all by herself. I hope everything is okay in the deer household.
Here are a couple of this year’s fawns. Their camouflage spots are beginning to fade.
A young buck wondering what this yellow thing is doing here.
A middle-aged buck having a stroll.
Then there is grandpa. I wonder if we could get him to turn and show us his rack. “Hey, Grandpa.”
Wow. All the previous photos were taken by The Producer. She actually called to the buck, and he stopped and turned. I guess he couldn’t resist a pretty woman.
A whole family taking advantage of the rain refreshed grass. This is the only picture I took on this trip.
This is an Axis deer who escaped from an exotic ranch nearby. Originally from southern India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, the axis deer was introduced to Molokai, Hawaii in the 1860s, Maui years after that, and Texas in 1932, intended as a game animal. Some escaped the ranches like this one. There are over 6000 roaming free in Texas. Photo by the Producer.
I hope you enjoyed our little safari. Feel free to refill those containers with bubbly but remember no drinking and driving. Have a safe and healthy week.
Concentration is needed when it is Stream of Consciousness Saturday. You will see what I mean when Linda Hill explains this week’s prompt. Here is Linda now.
“Thanks, John. Okay, you get the bonus points.Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “-tion.” Find a word that ends with “tion.” Bonus points if you start your post with it. Have fun!”
Goodbye, Linda, and thanks for the prompt. Well, now, you can see why I started the post with the word “concentration.” Let’s hear it for the one step closer to the Bentley convertible. I can almost see it.
“What? I’m just asking if Lucy wants to play.” “It just looked like you were going to pounce on her.” “Who me? Pounce on this water buffalo? Not a chance.”
I am over at Story Empire today. I’m talking about a review link to your book on Amazon. Here is the link. (speaking of links)
Friday is here, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out a good reason to be overjoyed at the prospect. For those working, of course, it is a good thing to take a couple of days off. So I guess I’ll celebrate for you. 🎶 toot 🎶 (love that party horn.)
Not much going on around here. Yes, I’m still touring and am grateful for all the support. The last stop will be on the 30th, so there is a little way to go. A quick reminder that the price of Eternal Road will go up mid-October. It will go from 99¢ to $2.99. As I have said before, the price will never go below 99¢.
We have to keep Hurricane Sally victims in mind today. There is no such thing as an inconsequential Hurricane. Think of the last time you dropped some water on the floor. A Hurricane drops so much more water that usually everything on the main floor of homes is destroyed. Also, without power and A/C, the mold starts to grow immediately. These folks have a tough road ahead.
Today’s JohnKu talks about facing tough times. I hope you all have a beautiful weekend.
I’m with Jill Weatherholt at her lovely blog. I really like her description of her mission. “Writing Stories of Love, Faith, and Happy Endings While Enjoying the Journey.” I am there with another excerpt from Eternal Road- The Final Stop. Come on over. Here is the link
By day, Jill Weatherholt works for the City of Charlotte. At night, and on the weekend, she writes contemporary stories about love, faith, and forgiveness for Harlequin Love Inspired.
Raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., she now resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, but her heart belongs to Virginia.
She holds a degree in Psychology from George Mason University and Paralegal Studies Certification from Duke University.
She shares her life with her real-life hero and number one supporter. Their relationship grew on the golf course, and now they have one in their backyard.
Jill believes in enjoying every moment of this journey because God has everything under control.
Joan Hall likes to create character-driven fiction with strong, determined female leads and enigmatic male characters. She has always enjoyed reading a good mystery or suspense story, so it’s only natural that’s her favorite writing genre. She’s also a romantic at heart. When she’s not writing, Joan likes to take nature walks, observe the night skies, explore old cemeteries, and visit America’s National Parks and historical sites. She also likes ghost walks and learning about local folklore. She and her husband live in Texas.
Here are the covers from her Driscoll Lake series.
Her Legends of Madeira Series Book One, Cold Dark Night, will be available in 2020
I’m with Jan Sikes at her blog, Writing, and Music. Jan is hosting me with another excerpt from Eternal Road – The final stop. Come on over. I think there was a problem with the other link so here is a new one. Thanks for your patience.
Jan Sikes openly admits that she never set out in life to be an author. But she had a story to tell. Not just any story, but a true story that rivals any fiction creation. You simply can’t make this stuff up. It all happened. She chose to tell the story through fictitious characters, and they bring the intricately woven tale to life in an entertaining way.
She released a series of music CDs to accompany the four biographical fiction books and then published a book of poetry and art to bring the story full circle.
And now that the story is told, this author can’t find a way to put down the pen. She continues to write fiction and has published nine short stories with a series of paranormal romance novels waiting in the wings. She is a member of Authors Marketing Guild, The Writer’s League of Texas, the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB (RRBC), the RAVE WRITER’S INT’L SOCIETY OF AUTHOR (RWISA), sits on the RWISA Executive Council, and hosts a monthly RAVE WAVES blog talk radio show, ASPIRE TO INSPIRE.
“What’s up Twiggy?” “Checking the day.” “It’s Wednesday. How can you check the day by looking out the rear door?” “On Friday the hummingbirds are drinking more. Wednesday not so much.” “Oh.”
It is Wednesday Story Day again, and last week we found out Lazar has a daughter named Carolyn who will be in jeopardy if ADA Thomas can’t figure out an iron-clad protection program for her and Lazar. It looks like Thomas has been thinking while we were away. Let’s get back and see what she has planned.
“Mr. Popović, I’ve been thinking.”
“Yes?”
“If your story is true and you have those phone conversations, are you willing to testify as to the veracity of the evidence.”
“Excuse me, but I’m not sure what you are asking.”
“Let me interpret.”
“Sure, Mr. Stennis. Go ahead.”
“Lazar, what the ADA is asking is are you willing to get up on the witness stand and swear to the activity in the phone conversations?”
“Can’t someone just play the conversations?”
“There is a problem with that. To be admitted into evidence, they have to be recorded with the knowledge of the other person.”
“Oh. So they are worthless.”
“No. They do form the basis for getting warrants and such under probable cause statutes.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“You don’t have to worry about it. The point is are you willing to recount the events and conversations as an eye witness.”
“What about protection.”
“Let me handle this, Mr. Stennis.”
“Be my guest, Ms. Thomas.”
“I’m prepared to do whatever is possible to protect your daughter and you. If you testify.”
“Is there a way to get that in writing?”
“Of course. I’ll give Mr. Stennis here an agreement for you to review. In the meantime, I think we had better make some provision for your daughter immediately. You are quite safe here, but I would feel better if she were in protective custody.”
“Sounds like jail time to me.”
“No, not at all. We will get her to a safe house and keep her under protection until the trial is over, and you both have new identities.”
“I don’t think she is going to go for it. She has her friends and school.”
“Her life may depend on it.”
“Or I could just keep my mouth shut.”
“I think it is a little late for that. Cortez’s people know you have been taken. It is only a matter of time till they come after Carolyn if nothing more than for insurance.”
“I guess you are right. When can you get her?”
“I need to place a call. We can have British agents take her to a safe place. Our agents will get there within twelve hours to bring her back.”
“Won’t she be frightened?’
“You will need to talk to her and explain the situation.”
“She has no idea I’m involved in criminal activity.”
“I’m sorry to say, Lazar. That needs to change for her safety. She needs to follow our directions to the letter.”
“When should I call?”
“I need to make a few calls. I’ll come back when it’s time. Give me her address and cell phone number. I will need to give it to the authorities. Where is she?”
“She’s in Oxfordshire.”
“She goes to Oxford?”
“Yes.”
“That location is going to make it a little harder. I’ll have to check and see if there is a landing field that can accommodate one of our jets. If not, then we have to go by car from a bigger city.”
“I’ve flown into Oxford airport in Kidlington. It has a huge runway. They train pilots there.”
“I have it on Google. You are right it has a 5,092-foot runway. That plenty for a G5. Good news. Okay, let me go make a couple of calls. Sit tight, and I’ll be right back.”
“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.”
I am with Gwen Plano today talking about Eternal Road – The final stop. Please come and visit and read the new excerpt that is there. Here is the link to Gwen’s place.
“I am a retired educator. I taught and served as an administrator in colleges in Japan, New York, Connecticut, and California. My academic background is a bit unusual, but it has served me well. I graduated with honors in nutrition from San Diego State University. I was awarded a master’s degree in theology from the University of the State of New York’s Maryknoll Seminary and then received a master’s in counseling from Iona College. Finally, I earned a doctorate in higher education from Columbia University.
Between travels with my husband and visits with family and friends, I now write. My first book, LETTING GO INTO PERFECT LOVE, Discovering the Extraordinary After Abuse, was published in June 2014 by She Writes Press. My second book, THE CONTRACT between heaven and earth, is co-authored by John W. Howell and was published on June 1, 2018, by Keewaydin Lane Books. My third book, THE CHOICE the unexpected heroes, was published on June 4, 2019, by Fresh Ink Group.
Though writing is an accomplishment of no small measure for me, my greatest treasure and most profound source of joy has been and is my four adult children. It is they who have guided me through life’s mysteries.”
Photo by unsplash
