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.

Wednesday Story Day – AKA Hump Day

October 7, 2015October 6, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 18 Comments

Wednesday again and time to continue the story. Last week we came to understand that Alexis parents are more concerned with Ben’s intentions than with his desire to blow up a building. We also saw the familiar “dad said it was okay ” way children try to get their way. I don’t know about you, but I find these parents to be a little weird. Let’s go back and join the group.

“Would you like more pizza Mrs. Worthe?”

“No thank you, Ben. My limit is one and I have finished my piece. You go ahead though it doesn’t appear as if you have any limits.”

“Mom you are starting the Victoria nasty again.”

“Alexis. How many times have I asked you not to use my name with strangers.”

“Ben is not a stranger mom.”

“Well, he is not part of the family so we must consider him covered by the stranger rule.”

“Mom let’s just drop it okay?”

“If you have no respect for my feelings okay drop it.”

“Ben and I want to go to the plant and pick up some C4. You think tomorrow is okay?”

“I still want to talk to your father. Blowing up buildings is dangerous, and I’m not sure you two have the skills to do it safely.”

“Mrs. Worthe I can assure you I know what I’m doing. Believe me I would not want to hurt a hair on Alexis’ head.”

“That is easy for you to say, Benjamin. A mother has to be sure.”

“Mom Ben has done some demolitions, and he is excellent.”

“Alexis please do me the courtesy of allowing a discussion with your father. So that I can sleep at night knowing you are safe. If I don’t have the discussion, you can just get your C4 someplace else.”

“You know there is no other place that is safe.”

“Yes I do Alexis. So humor me.”

“Yes, mother.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible Kreative Kue #45 by Keith Channing

October 6, 2015October 12, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 24 Comments

As you may know, I have become enamored by the talent of Keith Channing. He has a weekly prompt named Kreative Kue, which runs on Mondays. Here are the instructions from Keith for the prompt. “Using this photo as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; and either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithkreates@channing.fr before 6pm on Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated.”

His advice. “Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your blog or website, next Monday.” Here is the photo.

“Alright, I’m here now tell me what you did Ray.”

“Nothing. I just squeezed the trigger on this thing.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“Look at the street. There’s nobody around.”

“Whoa, you are right there’s no one here.”

“I just love it when you state the obvious.”

“So why did you call me?”

“To help me figure out how to get the people back.”

“What is that thing anyway?”

“I don’t know. I found it on the sidewalk over there.”

“Why did you pull the trigger?”

“I didn’t know it was a trigger. It looks more like a button to me. See?”

“Yeah, a red button. Don’t you know red buttons mean trouble.”

“Well, I do now for sure.”

“Any other dials or buttons on that thing?”

“Look there’s this green one.”

“There you go. The green one probably puts everything back. Go ahead push it.”

“Okay. I hope you’re right.”

“Man. Did you see that?”

“All the buildings are gone.”

“No kidding. I’m right here with you. Push the green again maybe it’s a cycle thing.”

“There.”

“Nice. The buildings are back.”

“I think I should push the red one again. It looks like red is for people and green for stuff. If I push the red again, I believe the people will come back.”

“Okay, but point that thing towards the buildings.”

“Here I go.”

“Nothing happened Ray. Where the hell are you? Oh, Ray if you can hear me don’t push the red again.”

Ten Things Not to do If You Don’t Normally Shop for Whatever You are Buying

October 5, 2015October 4, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 15 Comments

This list was inspired by having to fill in on a few occasions when it was necessary for me to venture into places where I’ve never been. These examples are not necessarily places where you’ve never been they are just the places where you are not normally found buying things.

Ten Things Not to do If You Don’t Normally Shop for Whatever You are Buying.

10 If you don’t normally buy birthday cakes, do not take it upon yourself to alter the instructions you have been given. If you do, at best those colors that looked so good in the store clash with the birthday party decorations. At worst, that nickname you think is so cute was not to be shared with anyone outside the house and now 25 of your child’s friends have a brand new torture vehicle. (Don’t worry the name will eventually die out in twenty of thirty years.)

9 If you don’t normally buy tires, do not listen to the guy wanting to sell four of the $300 super slick Michelin. If you do, at best, you will now have 60,000 miles of wear guarantee. At worst, your car has about 30,000 more miles in it before it dies. (The tires sure look good as the tow truck pulls it away.)

8 If you don’t normally buy power tools, do not pick up the first thing on sale. If you do, at best the tool might be on sale for a reason. At worst, the money you saved on the tool will be more than offset by the cost of the repair contractor. (You were sure the saw would work long enough to finish the project weren’t you.)

7 If you don’t normally buy toys for Christmas, do not buy anything, not on the list. If you do, At best you may set the record for the most gifts bought for any Christmas. At worst, your preschool kids might be too young for the mini drone and Xbox games they find under the tree. (At least they will have fun with the boxes.)

6 If you don’t normally buy the vacation airline tickets, do not think those add-ons are a bargain. If you do, at best you will find you did not need that extra pillow or rancid can of nuts. At worst, you may find you may have the distinction of paying the most to go the shortest distance.(You must wonder why the airline keeps sending you letters asking when you will book your next trip.)

5 If you don’t normally buy appliances, do not go alone to buy anything in the appliance category. If you do, at best you may have to pay a restocking fee for its return. At worst, you will have something in your house that no one will use. (And it is right in the hallway where you run into it every night.)

4 If you don’t normally buy automobiles alone, do not say yes to that yellow sports convertible. If you do, at best you will be broadcasting a midlife crisis. At worst, you may find it too cramped for comfortable sleeping quarters. (And now the yard starts to look good.)

3 If you don’t normally buy clothing alone, don’t grab that suit simply because you saw it in an ad. If you do, at best the tailor just might be able to adjust some of the youthful features. At worst, you will be obvious in your choice of clothes that will not be age appropriate. (To the delight of co-workers and passers-by.)

2 If you don’t normally buy wine, do not make a selection based on either high or low price. If you do, at best you will pay more for a good wine than necessary. At worst, your low-priced selection might be good for bumper rust removal but not drinking. (Lucky you grabbing a bottle on your way to the boss’s house.)

1 If you don’t normally buy snacks for the football game, do not buy what you think will be good for the people watching football. At best, you will have a lot of untouched snacks. At worst, you may end up watching the game by yourself and your pet rabbit. (Of course it is not logical but that’s football.)

Kindle Scout Tour with Stevie Turner #RRBC

October 4, 2015October 4, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 22 Comments

I NEED YOUR VOTE!!!

This third blog on Stevie’s Kindle Scout tour focuses on Chapter 2 of ‘The Donor’.

Previously a Kindle Scout campaign was only open to authors in the U.S. Now, however, it is open to writers internationally. Stevie Turner took advantage of this and submitted her 53,500-word manuscript ‘The Donor’, which was accepted into the programme. Her campaign runs until October 11th, 2015, so there is still a week left if you would like to cast your vote by clicking on the link below.

https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/39QH2DL8AQE7R

Also, Stevie is giving away a boatload of prizes to visitors on her tour. Here is the Rafflecopter link http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4af5be7f26/

For those unfamiliar with Kindle Scout, the rules are as follows:

Kindle Scout is reader-powered publishing for new, never-before-published books. It’s a place where readers help decide if a book gets published. Selected books will be published by Kindle Press and receive 5-year renewable terms, a $1,500 advance, 50% eBook royalty rate, easy rights reversions and featured Amazon marketing.

Every book has 30 days to earn your nomination. Authors are submitting new books all the time so check back often. When you discover a book that you think is great, nominate it and the book will be added to Your Nominations panel. Keep up to three books nominated at a time, and update your nominations whenever you want.

When a book’s 30-day campaign ends while in Your Nominations panel, your nomination is tallied and removed from your panel – freeing up that nomination for another book. You will receive an email to let you know whether your book has been selected for publication. As a thank you from us and the authors you support, you will receive an early, free copy of all the Kindle Scout books you nominated that are published. Continue to champion the books and authors you helped bring to life by leaving reviews and sharing with friends.

Following on from the previous blog, here is a short synopsis and Chapter 2 of ‘The Donor’, a Women’s Fiction novel.

SYNOPSIS

When you know you have met the love of your life, the last thing you expect is for your sister to lure him away. Clare Ronson is faced with this scenario when her sister Isabel marries singer and guitarist Ross Tyler. To compound Clare’s jealousy and bitterness, Ross hits the big time and becomes a wealthy tax exile, relocating to France with his family. Clare cannot bring herself to speak to Isabel or Ross for the next 30 years. However, when tragedy occurs in 2002 causing Ross to arrive back in England at Clare’s doorstep, Clare must try to put the past behind her for her sister’s sake.

CHAPTER 2

ROSS

As stoned as I am that day in the chaos of Desolation Hill I can see her standing out from the rest, with that ethereal, new-born fawn fragility that always seems to appeal to a man’s protective instinct. I watch her as wounded, she collapses to the ground, oblivious to her surroundings. I want to gather her up in my arms there and then and never let her go.

I have to make sure I’m not treading on anybody’s toes; you know what I mean, don’t you? Has another bloke already laid claim? I look about, but she seems to be on her own. I’m on my way back to Ryde; the festival hasn’t really lived up to my expectations, but when I find Clare I know the whole experience of living in shit for three days has been well worth it.

She isn’t used to weed, that’s obvious. She seems unsullied; shiny as a new pin. I wonder if she’s experienced in the ways of the world so to speak, but for now that will have to wait. I assume the latter, as she looks only about 18 or 19 and is still rather shy. I’ll have to tread carefully in that department; when I’d been that age I’d already put it about quite a bit, but I don’t think it’s the same for girls, although thankfully more of them are on the pill in these enlightened days.

I want to see her again. She sleeps most of the way to Ryde with her head on my shoulder. The driver is a fucking bore; all he talks about is top-dressing his fields with lime before the next wheat crops go in. I want him to shut up so that I can concentrate on holding Clare, but have to pretend to listen. I don’t really give a shit about soil testing, pH levels and screened lime, but I learn all about it anyway and hey, who knows, it might even come in handy one day.

She wakes up as we drive down Argyll Street. She seems a bit embarrassed to have been asleep so long, and sits up apologetically. I give her shoulder a quick squeeze before letting her go.

“We’re nearly at Ryde seafront.”

“Oh God; sorry to have conked out like that.”

She gives me a beautiful smile. Even the old farmer seems taken with her and keeps glancing her way when he really needs to be looking at the road. Me, I am gutted that our journey is coming to an end. I don’t mind if the farmer drives us around and around the Island ad infinitum until we disappear up the van’s exhaust pipe just for the continued chance of holding her close for another few hours.

There is already a huge crowd of festival-goers at the hovercraft terminal when we climb out of the van, so I know there’s going to be a long wait. Clare is yawning and dazed, and slumps down on a nearby seat. I take her ticket, go into the terminal, queue up and book our seats on the 20:45 hovercraft. I am conscious of the fact that the ride back to Southsea only takes 10 minutes, and I know that if I do not look sharp she will soon be slipping through my fingers.

Some bastard is chatting her up when I get back to the seat. I take both of her hands in mine, pull her up, and guide her over to the sea wall where we can sit in relative privacy.

“We’ve got about an hour to wait. I’d buy you a cup of tea, but I don’t have any money.” I laugh.

“That’s okay.” She looks around. “I’m going to find a phone box and make a reverse charge call; I’ll ask my mum to get Dad to pick me up at Southsea. He doesn’t know where I’ve been, but I’ll talk him round.”

“I’ll come with you; there’s toilets along there.” I point towards the other side of the terminal. “There might even be a drinking fountain inside as well.”

The phone box is up near St. Thomas’ Street. She disappears inside and speaks animatedly to person or persons unknown. I stand alone on the pavement suddenly jealous of the family who are waiting for her on the other side, eager to take her back to the fold and away from me. Presently she comes out grinning and is seemingly wide awake.

“Mum said my dad will set off for the Southsea terminal in about half an hour. Do you need to phone anyone?”

“Nah; I can walk home from there.” I shake my head. “I’m okay.”

“It’s no trouble; I’ll get Dad to give you a lift.”

***

I don’t fancy the idea of meeting her father and having him look down on me when he sees the state of the outside of our house. In my experience, Dads, on the whole, do not take kindly to their daughters running around with the likes of me. The long hair puts them off for a start, and when they find out that not only do I sing and play guitar in a rock band, but I also attend Art College, it seems to drive the wedge in a bit further. I suppose they are on the lookout for a future bank manager son-in-law for their little princesses; unfortunately there I come up a bit short. The idea of spending the rest of my days in some back office poring over dusty ledgers appalls me to the point where I know I’d rather be dead than have to live that way.

It will be easy to sidle out of the lift. However, the next item on my agenda might prove to be rather trickier. As we walk back towards the toilets on the seafront, I screw up my courage and take her hand.

“How do you feel about us meeting up again after tonight? We don’t live that far apart. I sing in a band; you could come and watch if you like. We’ve got a gig next Friday at the Wig and Pen.”

There is a few seconds of silence while she digests the information, and then I feel her squeeze my hand:

“If I wake up in time; I think I’m going to sleep for a week.”

Yes! She wants to see me again! I try not to show too much enthusiasm, but actually I am over the moon.

“Great; my older brother Darryl is the drummer; then there’s Chaz, the bassist, and Andy plays lead. I’ll get Darryl to drive his van over and pick you up a couple of hours before. I’ve got a biro in my rucksack; hang on.” I swing the rucksack around to the front and take out a pen. “Write your address on my arm.”

“It’s all hairy.” She giggles.

I turn my arm over and she begins to write on the white underside of my forearm. The gentle fluttering strokes of the pen feel somehow strangely erotic, and it’s all I can do to stop myself ravishing her there and then on the pavement.

“It’ll be a great evening.” Regardless of my hard-on I pull her to me when she has finished writing. “I’m glad I’ve met you.”

“Me too.” She smiles shyly at me.

I kiss her opposite the Tourist Information Centre, and then once again by the sea wall before I disappear into the toilets to relieve both my bladder and also by now my somewhat embarrassing erection.

***

We don’t speak much on the hovercraft. The overall atmosphere is subdued, with glassy-eyed revellers swiftly coming to the conclusion that the festival is over and that the real world will be beckoning them in a few hours’ time. Clare rests her head on my shoulder and holds my hand as we bounce over the waves, waving to her father as we exit the hovercraft a few minutes’ later, who is already waiting for her up on the road. Bastard. It’s time to make myself scarce.

—————————————————————————————–

Stevie lives in the East of England with her husband Sam, and previously worked as a medical secretary. She is now a full-time writer. She can be contacted on the following social media:

Twitter @StevieTurner6

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Stevie-Turner-432183066899400/timeline/

Website: http://www.stevie-turner-author.co.uk/

WordPress blog: https://steviet3.wordpress.com/

Thank you for supporting Stevie’s campaign. Just like the wheels on a car, 4WillsPublishing keeps you moving forward!

https://4willspublishing.wordpress.com/

Cover design by Y Correa at All Authors Graphic Design.

Sunday – Fifty-Two Views of the Gulf

October 4, 2015October 3, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 18 Comments

I managed to get the spot in spite of the low-riding sun. Today’s shot shows there is a little wind and the temperature was in the low 70’s due to a front moving in overnight. We are supposed to have two days where the daytime highs are no more than the low 80s. Then it’s back to the usual high 80’s. The morning glories are there but don’t show up well. Have a great week.

Last week’s photo

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “Expect/Unexpected”

October 3, 2015October 2, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 31 Comments

Stream of Consciousness Saturday again. This week’s prompt is “Expect/Unexpected.” Linda Hill lets us use the words any way we want. If you would like to learn more visit Linda’s site at http://lindaghill.com/2015/10/02/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-oct-315/ Here is my interpretation.

“Whaddayou expect? You scared me.”

“Your reaction was entirely unexpected.”

“Well, I would have expected you to be less of a fright.”

“I did not expect you to react that way.”

“My unexpected reaction was as a result of not expecting you to come out of nowhere.”

“I expected you would be frightened, but your response was unexpected.”

“Would you expect me not to defend myself?”

“No. I would expect you to defend yourself, but this red paint was unexpected.”

“I suspect I threw the first thing in my hand in reaction to your unexpected arrival.”

“I expect you to help me clean it off.”

“I didn’t expect you to jump me so you can clean it yourself.”

“Now that reaction is unexpected.”

“Wait. What are we talking about here? I expect you to apologise.”

“For what?”

“For making me waste a whole can of red paint. My arm hurts as well. I expect I’ve sprained something.”

Friday – JohnKu – AKA TGIF

October 2, 2015October 1, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 37 Comments

It is Friday again and I have to say I’m glad it is here. This week was a buster. I finally got the book ready for paperback publishing. This next week I hope to get the e-version ready. On top of that I need to line up some guest posts and will be sending out requests. The regulars know I sent out a call for volunteers yesterday for a blog tour to support what looks like a November 2 launch for His Revenge. Keeping fingers crossed everything works. There are so many things that need doing. I guess anything worth doing requires a lot of effort. Today’s JohnKu talks to this point.

Some work takes effort,

Other works appear easy. . .

Reward in effort.

Thursday – A Little Personal – A Call for Volunteers for Launch Tour.

October 1, 2015September 28, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 49 Comments

CALLING FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR THE LAUNCH OF HIS REVENGE

It is almost time for the launch of the sequel to My GRL titled His Revenge. It looks like the first week in November will be the launch of the book. It will be available in paper and Kindle from Amazon. After a few weeks, it will be available in the rest of the e-book universe. This date will need to be flexible since artwork and the books need to come together, and something might slip.

The launch will be a simple affair. If you agree to post sometime in November (it won’t matter when) I will send an HTML file that all you have to do is copy and paste and it will be ready to go.

If you are interested please send an e-mail to me at johnhowell(dot)wave(at)Gmail(dot)com (excuse the address but I want the robots to have some trouble sending spam. You humans know how to convert. Right?). Once received I will acknowledge your message and then you can look for the material as soon as I have all the link information and can verify the book is, in fact, ready and available.

Thank you so much for helping. I will be posting this message again, so if you forget, I will remind you.

Here is the blurb:

America loves John Cannon, its newest hero, and the President wants to present him with the highest civilian medal for bravery. While in Washington for the award ceremony, John unwillingly becomes an accomplice in a terrorist plan to disrupt US influence on world opinion. There is no way out as John either becomes a traitor to America or causes thousands of innocent people to die if he refuses.

The second John J Cannon Thriller moves from a barrier Island off the coast of Texas to Washington DC, then to Northern California, and finally to Ecuador. John is on the receiving end of an offer he cannot, refuse. His avowed enemy Matt Jacobs now wants John to help him shake the reputation of the US in the world political arena. If John refuses, Matt plans to murder innocent Americans including John’s latest relationship. John’s only way out is to pretend to go along with the plan and hope for a miracle.

Wednesday Story Day – AKA Hump Day

September 30, 2015September 28, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 22 Comments

Wednesday Story Day time again. We left Ben and Alexis in the presence of Alexis’ mother, Mrs. Worthe. It is obvious Mrs. Worthe wants to be in control. The fact she came unannounced we know she doesn’t give a rip about conventional manners. The pizza is there and now it’s time to hustle over and see what’s going on.

“Here’s your pizza mom.”

“Thank you, darling. May I have a fork? That is if you have a clean one.”

“Sure mom. Here is a knife as well. Be careful and don’t cut your throat with it.”

“Cute Alexis. Now tell me, kids, what’s new here at Camp Fornication.”

“Mom. That’s enough. There is no reason to be rude.”

“Well excuse me but you know your father, and I do not think shacking up is the right thing to do.”

“We are not shacking up. Ben has his place. He just comes to study, and since we are friends, he is welcome here anytime.”

“Oh, I’ll bet he is.”

“Mom.”

“Okay, I’ll ask about something else then.”

“That would be nice.”

“Your father tells me, Ben, here has been taking some of the plastic explosives from the plant.”

“Yes, Mrs. Worthe. That’s right.”

“Would you mind telling me why?”

“Well, I’m building a bomb.”

“A bomb? Whatever for?”

“Alexis and I want to take out the Student Union.”

“Well now. Blowing up the Student Union sounds like a real mature project. Mind telling me why?”

“For all the usual reasons. You know, nasty kids, backstabbing friends and the fact that we are in a position to do it.”

“Your father knows about this Alexis?”

“Yes. He said it was okay with him.”

“Wait until I talk to him. This situation is outrageous. You know one of you could get hurt. He said he was okay with blowing up the Student Union?”

“Well not exactly. He said it was okay for us to blow something up. I can’t recall if we mentioned the Student Union or not.”

“Was your father reading the Wall Street Journal at the time?”

“Now that you mention it he was.”

“That man cannot walk and chew gum at the same time. If he was reading the paper he had no idea what you were talking about.”

“No, he knew about blowing up something. He even told us a story of how he blew up a factory once. I guess he had been fired─”

“Enough. You are not to blow up anything until I have had a chance to talk to your father. Understood?”

“Yes, Mom.”

Yes, Mrs. Worthe.”

“Now let’s forget this unpleasantness. This pizza is excellent where does it come from?”

“The Student Union delivers.”

“Another reason to go slowly here.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible Kreative Kue #44 by Keith Channing

September 29, 2015October 5, 2015 ~ John W. Howell ~ 21 Comments

His advice. “Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your blog or website, next Monday.” Here is the photo.