I am so proud to be part of Sally Cronin’s Short Story post today. It is one of her many features, and I’m grateful she accepted mine to feature today. If you are one, who has not visited her blog you are missing a real treat. It is a place that deserves a daily visit. Thank you, Sally.
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.
Thursday – A little Personal – Book Signing
If you forgive me a moment I have a picture of my new baby arriving home. Here it is.
Since I’m doing a signing tonight, I needed to make sure I had some of these on hand to sign (makes sense right?)
The event is for the benefit of the library and will be held at 1700 State Hwy 361, Port Aransas, Texas. I will be sharing time between Sirena Outfitters, and Coastal Closet. Here is a copy of the flyer.
The Tower Center
FALL SHOPPING CRAWL
Thursday, OCTOBER 6
5pm to 8pm
Bourbon & Books
Featuring Local Author, JOHN W. HOWELL with his brand new novel “Our Justice”
John is also the author of “My GRL”and “His Revenge”
Bring a book to donate to the Port Aransas Public Library.
You will receive a shopping coupon for your donation!
Yes, there will be bourbon so if you are in the area come on by.
Thanks.
Wednesday Story Day – AKA – Hump Day
It is Wednesday Story Day again. Last week we left father Lightfoot facing a gun held by Mr. Worthe. Meanwhile Ben seems only concerned with the fact that he might not get the fifty thousand dollars. Alexis is still standing with a tray of ice tea. She implored her father to put the gun down. Trudy asked Alexis to leave the room. Whew! This story is becoming a real mess. We better get back and see if any of these fools will prevent the shooting of Father Lightfoot.
“Mr. Worthe. I am going to ask you one more time to put that gun down.”
“From where I’m standing Lightfoot you are not in a position to ask for anything.”
“As an agent of the FBI, I am demanding that you lay the gun on the floor. I can’t be responsible for your safety if you don’t follow my directions.”
“What a laugh Lightfoot. You gonna pray for the Lone Ranger or something?“
“Prayer is not needed Worthe. You need to give up.”
“Give up? Don’t make me laugh.”
“Daddy.”
“Alexis I thought your mother told you to go in the next room.”
“I did dear. Now go in the next room.”
“But daddy. There are a whole bunch of red dots on your back. There are a couple on mom too.”
“That’s right Worthe. There are six sharpshooters who have a bead on you and Trudy. Now put down that gun. Besides, it’s only a .22 caliber and could hardly hurt a fly.”
“How the hell do you know what this gun is?”
“Twenty years in the service. That’s how.”
“Okay, smart man. See if this feels like a .22.”
“Daddy you shot him.”
“Oh my God.”
Tuesday – Anything Possible – Walk in the Yard
Normally I would have a Kreative Kue prompt on this day but Keith Channing is off on holiday, so I’m on my own. I was in the yard on Sunday doing some shrub trimming and took a look around. The flowering plants have decided to give one last bloom. I thought you might enjoy checking them out.
This photo is of the Birds of Paradise. These are near the stairway in the front yard. This particular plant does not have a lot of blooms due to the lack of sunshine at times during the day. This year they have been quite active, though.
On the other side of the stair in the front is a Hummingbird bush. As the name implies, it is a place where the Hummingbirds like to visit. Since it is a fall bloomer, it is just in time for the Hummingbird migration which is taking place now.
The photo above is of the Jatropha. This plant has been with us for a few years and has remained the same size. It is quite susceptible to insect damage so must be cared for in the spring before blooms appear.
Here is the Laurel in bloom
My favorite is the Hibiscus. It blooms most of the year with beautiful flowers. Severe cold will stop it from blooming. How severe? Low forties.
Our Bougainvillea has been under attack this year. There is a little green worm that plays havoc with the leaves and blooms. I have been spraying, but the critter seems to enjoy the shower.
This last photo is of our giant Bird of Paradise. These blooms are white and located near the bottom of the stem.
Our Justice by John W. Howell @HowellWave #Thriller #POTLReads #RRBC
N. N. Light is featuring Our Justice today. If you haven’t visited this site, you should. There is a lot going on every day. Thank you Mrs. N for the feature.
Top Ten Things Not to Do at an Auto Show
The inspiration for this list came as I was walking around the Mustangfest on Saturday. I swear all of these are made up, and I did not use actual personal experiences to compile this list. Hope you enjoy.
Top Ten Things Not to Do at an Auto Show.
10 If you attend an auto show, do not touch the cars. If you do at best, you will be reminded not to do it. At worst, that tall guy with the polish cloth heading in your direction has orders to use his knuckles if necessary to keep people back from the cars. (Just your luck, his T-shirt has “Punch First, Ask Second,” silkscreened on the front)
9 If you attend an auto show, do not ask the owner how much was spent on the restoration. If you do, at best you’ll get a vague answer like “too much.” At worst, you will get an actual number that is said within earshot of the owner’s spouse followed by a round of bickering. (You can’t escape this one and find yourself on the receiving end of blows from both.)
8 If you attend an auto show, do not insist on a ride in one of the cars. If you do, at best the owner will try to ignore you. At worst, the owner will call security to have you escorted out. (Security just happens to be handled by the Oakland California chapter of the Hell Angles. Yes, Tiny is President and happy to help you out.)
7 if you attend an auto show, do not take pictures of cars and people without permission. If you do, at best you’ll be kindly asked to stop. At worst, you can reclaim your camera in stall one of the men’s room. (It is amazing how low the level of tolerance was when you snapped that flash into the face of the big guy asking you to stop.)
6 If you attend an auto show, do not set a beverage container on a car. If you do, at best you will be asked to leave. At worst, you will cause an apoplectic reaction from the owner that will require an EMS intervention. (I’ll bet you never saw that shade of red on a human face before did you? Oh, by the way, Tiny was asking around for you.)
5 If you attend an auto show, do not point out flaws in the car to the owner. If you do, at best the owner will walk away. At worst, you will have said enough to trigger the set point for past anger issues and the consequences will be noisy at best. (You never knew you could run that fast especially through crowds of people. How were you to know this was the owner’s fist day out of the institution.)
4 If you attend an auto show, do not open anything on the car that isn’t already open. If you do, at best you will be asked kindly to leave the vehicle alone. At worst, you will open the door, lid, or hatch to a potentially embarrassing situation. (How did you know seven days of laundry was in that trunk?)
3 If you attend an auto show, do not let the children run free. If you do, at best they will behave as you have taught them. At worst, that all day sucker that is missing will show up inside the award-winning convertible. (The sad part is your child cries out, “Hey that’s my sucker” as the man is trying to remove it from his white leather seat. The crowd now turns to you.)
2 If you attend an auto show, do not ask the car owner’s spouse about the family participation in the hobby. If you do, at best you will get a short reply that broadcasts resentment. At worst, you’ll get an invitation to have a drink that will turn into a four-hour complaint session resulting in a slurred outburst against the whole idea. (Another fine fix you are in hey, Bbunkie. You are lucky not to be named a co-respondent in the divorce.)
1 If you attend an auto show, do not attempt to impress the muscle car owner with the performance attributes of your Prius. If you do, at best the scoff with give you a hint to move on. At worst, the owner will call a few friends over so that there will be an audience to witness the put-down. (What ever made you think muscle car love had anything to do with fuel economy?)
Views of the Neighborhood
Yesterday was the annual Mustangfest here on Mustang Island. No, it was not about horses in the flesh but horses under the hood. Mustang aficionados came from Mustang Oklahoma through San Antonio and then to Mustang Island. The idea is for owners to get together for the weekend to talk about cars, have fun, and to pick up some awards. Mustang Island is the perfect destination for this group.
This photo will give you an idea of some of the more modern Mustangs and what these folks have for breakfast.
Here is another shot of the collection. You can see a few older Mustangs in the group.
There were several Mustangs that had been given some extra help in the engine compartment. Here is an example of an engine capable of developing over 500 horsepower. (Could probably fly)
This shot shows a Mustang model that Ford tried as more of a family car. It still had a five-liter engine but took on the lines of something you would take to the store.
Contrast the above with this bad thing.
I thought it would be fun to take a line shot of the backs of the cars. Maybe you’ll recognize one of your favorite models.
Here is a shot of a happy Mustang owner and the shirt of the event.
Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt – “Awkward”
It is Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again. This weeks’ prompt was introduced by Joey of Joyfully Stated who is doing a fill-in for Linda Hill. The prompt is “awkward,” and can be used any way we want. (I wonder if Linda knows the liberty being taken by Joey). If you would like to participate go to Linda’s blog and read all about it. Here is the link.
Awkward by John W. Howell © 2016
“Well, this is awkward.”
“What is awkward?”
“I am wondering what to write on a prompt and the word to write about is awkward.”
“So? Just write about one of your dates.”
“Huh. What do you mean?”
“Knowing you, I’m sure most of them had grand moments of awkwardness.”
“Now wait a minute. I’ll have you know I have had some very beautiful and fun dates.”
“Oh yeah? Like when?”
“Well take last Friday night for instance.”
“Okay. What went on?”
“I picked up my date at seven o’clock like I planned. We went to a movie like I planned. We grabbed a burger like I planned. I had her home at ten o’clock like I planned.”
“Ten o’clock. That sounds pretty early.”
“Well, that is the time her little brother had to be home.”
“Her little brother?”
“Yeah, she had to babysit her little brother.”
“You find that normal?”
“It was either that or skip the date.”
“You didn’t find the little brother to be in the way?”
“No. In fact, he filled us in on the movie.”
“The movie? What did you see?”
“Finding Dora. It was a sequel to Finding Nemo and the kid filled us in.”
“For heaven’s sake. This sounds like a disaster.”
“No, it was a very touching movie.”
“Awkward.”
Friday John Ku – AKA – TGIF – Need a Name for a Write-In for President
I Need to have a name of a write-in for President.
Well, as we all know another week is in the history books. This one was notable in that the first Presidential debate took place and I have decided to write in a WordPress blogger as my choice. I just don’t know who that should be. If you have any suggestions, I am open. It has to be someone who will love the job and be honest enough to serve. I can’t think of one politician who qualifies on both counts so why not a blogger?
Let me know in the comments section. Here is the JohnKu on the subject.
Write-in Candidate by John W. Howell © 2016
The two started out,
Talking heads, no real message. . .
Need an honest name.
Have a great weekend.
Thursday – A Little Personal – #RRBC Recruitment
As most of you know, I’m a member of Rave Reviews Book Club. Today is Recruitment Day, and the purpose of this post is to present some of the reasons you should join.
The theme of Recruitment Day is “MY RESPONSIBILITY AS A WRITER.” As I see it, my responsibility as a writer is to help as many of my fellow writers to be successful as possible. This is especially important in the Indie author environment. If we authors don’t help each other, there is no one who will volunteer to help. By help, I am referring to sharing information, supporting book launches, offering to read and critique new work, buying Indie author books, writing reviews, and just being there to provide support and advice. If this is my responsibility the question remains can I be effective if I am the only one with this sense of service? Well, the answer is no, but there is hope because I’m not alone. There are four hundred plus like-minded authors out there with the same goal of helping fellow artists. We believe that if we help others, we will get the help we need. I am talking about Rave Reviews Book Club.
Our goal is to Profile, Promote & Propel our members to unimaginable heights in everything we do, and we’re pretty sure we’re doing a really great job of that! How do we go about such hefty tasks? Well, let me name just a few of the awesome ways we lift and support our members:
3 Books of the Month (each month)
Monthly Book Discussions/Q&A Sessions
“SPOTLIGHT” Authors
#PUSHTUESDAY
Members of the Week
Have You Met…? series
RAVE WAVES BlogTalk Radio Shows (9 monthly)
VIP Members
Writing Contests / Photo Contests
Book Purchases/Reads/REVIEWS!!!
RAVE SOUP FOR THE WRITER’S SOUL Anthology (inclusion of members only)
Daily Tweet Support (which keeps your name and your book out on the World Wide Web)
Honors, Cash Awards and so much more!
You should do yourself a favor and sign up. Go HERE to do that. Also, who are the members? Here is the roster
You should want you as a member of RRBC
