Tag: fiction favorites

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 34 Comments

His Revenge

 

Another big week has gone. I  finished my run through of the editor’s work on Our Justice (The third book of the John J. Cannon Trilogy) and was pleased to get it back onto her desk for the last brush up. She did some great work, and I am very happy.

Also, I have the second book, His Revenge on special from now until Monday, June 13th. The sale is in the US and UK market. The price is a paltry 0.99 in dollars and pounds. The links:

US http://goo.gl/1NuXIK

UK http://goo.gl/GIsEnV

Today’s JohnKu talks about a sale. Hope you like it.

Sale by John W. Howell © 2016

Bargains are very fun,

We hunt quality for cheap. . .

At whose final cost.

Thursday – A Little Personal – His Revenge 0.99 Kindle Sale 6-9 to 6-13 #RRBC #ASMSG

~ John W. Howell ~ 20 Comments

His Revenge

In recognition of being chosen for the Book of the Month honor at Rave Reviews Book Club, I am running a sale in the US and the UK. June 9th (Thursday) through June 13 (Monday) His Revenge Kindle edition will be on sale for $0.99 in the US and £0.99 in the UK. Here are the short links should you want to grab a copy at this low price (1/2 the price of a bottle of Two Buck Chuck and ten times better for you)

US http://goo.gl/1NuXIK

UK http://goo.gl/GIsEnV

Blurb

America loves John Cannon, its newest hero, and the President wants to present him with the highest civilian medal for bravery for saving the Annapolis midshipman from a terrorist plot to destroy them. While in Washington for the award ceremony, John unwillingly becomes an accomplice in another plan by the same group to attack the credibility of the US President and the stability of the worldwide oil market. 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

~ John W. Howell ~ 33 Comments

College meme

Wednesday Story Day again. Last week we left Ben giving instructions to Alexis. He wanted her to tell Trudy Worthe that Ben intends to tell Father Lightfoot (Raymond) about the plan to blow up the Student Union and to have him call the police. He thinks this will be a way to flush out Mrs. Worthe’s plan. I know, I know he is trusting Alexis again. We have found this to be a precarious bit of behavior in the past. Well, let’s go and see if Ben has shot himself in the foot (metaphorically speaking since we know he has done it once.). I see Mrs. Worthe heading into Ben’s room.
“Ben, you little Benedict Arnold. What the hell you think you’ll get out of telling Lightfoot?”
“Oh, I think he’ll be interested enough to call the cops.”
“And you think I’ll just let you do that act of treason.”
“Treason? you now the government?“
“You know what I mean you little bastard. I guess you don’t value your digits. You do this, and I’ll come at your with two knives. I’ll bet you can’t keep all your parts covered.”
“Whew, you make me shiver with these threats.”
“I told you before what would happen if you said a word.”
“Oh, come on Trudy. I’m not going to tell anybody anything.”
“That’s not what Alexis says.”
“You believe her?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Yeah why wouldn’t you? You put her up to finding out my plan right?”
“Well, I—”
“I think you can drop the facade, Trudy. I know Alexis was sent to spy. She was quite surprised to hear you telling both of us that it was over between us.”
“You know I always thought you weren’t right for her.”
“The problem is she doesn’t agree, and now you lost your daughter’s trust. I sent that story to see if she would, in fact, tell you the phony plan. She did.”
“Doesn’t prove a thing. Alexis is a pathological liar.”
“It proves she is no longer loyal to you.”
“We’ll see you little dirtbag.”
“Another thing.”
“What?”
“Come at me with all the knives you want. I may not win, but before you have your way, you’ll be one hurting bitch. You can take that to the bank.”
“My Ben. When did you grow a pair.”
“Since I realize all you Worthes are stark raving nuts.”
“What a beautiful thing to say, Ben. Would you like some lunch now?”

Tuesday – Anything possible – His Revenge $0.99 Sale June 9th through June 13th #RRBC

~ John W. Howell ~ 40 Comments

His Revenge

In honor of being chosen for the Book of the Month honor at Rave Reviews Book Club, I am running a sale in the US and the UK. June 9th (Thursday) through June 13 (Monday) His Revenge Kindle edition will be on sale for $0.99 in the US and £0.99 in the UK. Here are the short links should you want to grab a copy at this low price (1/3 the price of a Starbucks Latte) Don’t rush since I will run this announcement again on Thursday when the price is in effect.

US http://goo.gl/1NuXIK

UK http://goo.gl/GIsEnV

Blurb

America loves John Cannon, its newest hero, and the President wants to present him with the highest civilian medal for bravery for saving the Annapolis midshipman from a terrorist plot to destroy them. While in Washington for the award ceremony, John unwillingly becomes an accomplice in another plan by the same group to attack the credibility of the US President and the stability of the worldwide oil market. 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.

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Creative Kue #80 by Keith Channing

~ John W. Howell ~ 32 Comments

In Keith’s words here’s what is going on. “Using this photo (Below) 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 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 – for reasons I have yet to fathom, pingbacks don’t seem to be working.

Go on. You know you want to. Let your creativity and imagination soar. I shall display the entries, with links to your own blog or web site, next Monday.

Kreative Kue #80

Green by John W. Howell © 2016

“Hey, old timer. You okay?”

“What Sonny? What chew say?”

“I asked if you were okay.”

“All depends.”

“Depends on what?”

“What you mean by ‘okay.”‘

“Have you been hurt you old codger?”

“No, I haven’t been bitten by a badger. They are more afraid of us than we are of them.”

“OMG. Let me come closer so you can hear me.”

“I don’t hear so good.’

“No kidding. I asked if you were hurt.”

“This was a present from my daughter.”

“What was?”

“You asked about my shirt. My goodness, you youngins sure have attention problems. Must be all that texting. It was a birthday present.”

“How old?”

“It’s brand new you dolt. She bought it new. She would never give me a used shirt.”

“Okay, Pops. I can see you don’t need help.”

“Who says?”

“Well, it looks like you are doing alright. You’re feisty enough.”

” Albright’s? I thought they were out of business. I don’t know where she got the shirt. I like the color. It looks like these fields don’t you think?”

“Yes, the green is very nice.”

“What green?”

“Your shirt it’s green.”

“Ha. I knew it. You have some kind of brain to the eye problem. It is yellow. Any fool can see that’s the color.”

“Why are you behind that fence?”

“Naw, I don’t take offense. I figure you have enough problems. After all one man’s yellow is another’s green. Am I right?”

“I think I will leave now. Nice talking to you.”

“Could you do me one favor before you go?”

“What would you like?”

“Can you tell me where we are?”

 

 

Top Ten Things Not to Do on a Men’s Weekend Trip.

~ John W. Howell ~ 43 Comments

 

Ski FallThe inspiration for this list is some men only ski trips I have taken to Lake Tahoe. Some of the items in this list are as a result of observation. There is at least one in which I participated. I’ll let you decide which one it is. I also wanted to do this list while the memory of snow is a good one.

Ten Things Not to Do on a Men’s Weekend Trip.

10 If you are on a men’s trip, do not volunteer to cook anything. If you do, at best you will be relieved after the first meal. At worst, the group will love what you do, and you’ll spend the rest of the trip chained to the six burner stove. (You always wanted someone to praise your food but not this much huh chump?)

9 If you are on a men’s trip, do not take your time to enter the house when you get there. If you do, at best you’ll have the last pick of sleeping accommodations. At worst, the last pick will be the swing on the three season porch and the three seasons have passed. (Yes, that is snow on your shoulder this morning.)

8 If you are on a men’s trip, do not wear your at home sleeping attire. If you do, at best that hole filled T-shirt will be the talk of the group long after the trip is over. At worst, pictures will be taken and go viral. (Pretty hard to explain no bottoms isn’t it?)

7  If you are on a men’s trip, do not slip and fall headfirst into the hot tub while holding onto a pastrami sandwich. If you do, at best you’ll be able to get rid of the sandwich before it hits the filter. At worst, the damage deposit will be entirely consumed replacing the filter. (Guess who’s going to pay the whole thing?)

6 If you are on a men’s trip, do not decide to gamble unless you know what you are doing. If you do, at best you will lose early and quit. At worst, you will win early and then continue until you are cleaned out. (Sure, the casino accepts American Express)

5 If you are on a men’s trip, do not try to convert anyone to your vegan principles. If you do, at best everyone will think you are joking. At worst, your fellow travelers will keep their distance hoping they don’t catch whatever you have. (The explanation of the virtues of the vegan lifestyle might be better if your audience is sober)

4 If you are on a men’s trip, do not forget the effects of high altitude on liquor consumption. If you do, at best you might just pass out. At worst, you will spend the night using the ceramic microphone to call trains to places like Pittsburgh. (Amazing how long the process of detox takes, huh Bunky?)

3 If you are on a man’s trip, do not think the whole group wants to go with you to visit the place you were married. If you do, at best you’ll go alone. At worst, those that do go with you will end up thinking they have wasted their time and demand you pay for drinks. (Okay, I confess. This one is mine. My wife and I married at Lake Tahoe, and I did convince some to visit the spot with me. Yes, I bought the drinks after.)

2 If you go on a man’s trip, do not think you have to use all the drink coupons on the journey to the destination. If you do, at best you will still be flying when you land. At worst, you’ll have to face the trip home without any fortification and in the center row between two members of the University wrestling team. (Maybe a little more air would help, but you can’t raise your arms trapped by the incredible hulks on each side.)

1 If you go on a man’s trip, do not forget a souvenir for the folks back home. If you do forget, at best you have just had your last men’s trip. At worst, the memory token will be chosen for you and will cost a little more than what you would have spent. (No, two tickets stubs from a casino show will not do.)

Sunday – Views of the Neighborhood

~ John W. Howell ~ 36 Comments

I had planned to run some more photos of the Marine Science Center to continue where I left off before. The problem was the rain. When I had the time to take the photos it was raining, and when it wasn’t raining I had no time.

Today’s post is about the rain. This photo is before on of the frog strangler downpours that we have had for most of the week.

 

You can see the dark clouds over the water. There were several lightning strikes on the water and unfortunately I couldn’t capture one. I was always looking away or some other dumb thing and missed them.

Like the sign given to Noah after the flood, there is the promise that the rain will end.

 

You can see the partial rainbow, and also the rain hitting the water on the left.

Maybe next week I can get another set of photos of the Marine Science Center. Here was the only one I managed to get before a downpour. It is the entrance to the wetlands educational center. (I know yawn right? Well, we will see.)

 

 

 

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “Book”

~ John W. Howell ~ 29 Comments

Stream Of Consciousness Saturday

 

It is time for Stream of Consciousness Saturday again. This week’s prompt is “book.” Linda Hill advises to use any meaning of the word as your theme or simply use the work in the post. If you would like to join in go to Linda’s link and check it out. Here is the link.

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS June 4/16

Book by John W. Howell © 2016.

I have to return to the instructions for a moment. Linda says, “use any meaning of the word as a theme.” I had to think hard about the meaning of the word “book.” So here goes nothing. (Which may be a self-fulfilling prophesy)

“Hey man, whatsup?”

“Nuthin much how about you?”

“Yeah, lookin’ forward to vacation.”

“Where you goin’?”

“Gotta book a flight to LA.”

“Cool. What’s in LA.”

“Movie pitch for my book.”

“Aw man. How cool.”

“Yeah, I’m excited to book it out there.”

“When you leavin’?”

“Soon’s I get clear of the panhandle charge.”

“That cop book you for panhandling?”

“Sure did and all I was doin’ was asking folks for money.”

“Don’t that beat all. Now they got your name in the book.”

“Time I spent at the precinct I should have been hitting the books.”

“Whadda you mean?”

“Study. You know I’m trying to get an MFA degree.”

“Well. I heard, but how about that movie deal?”

“Not a done deal. The producer has book problems.”

“Book problems? What’s that mean?”

“He doesn’t know how he’s goin’ to handle the script in some of the action scenes.”

“They can be worked out right?”

“Maybe with a book of matches.”

“Oh, oh. That bad?”

“Let’s talk  later. Wanna grab dinner?”

“Ah. I’m booked up tonight. How bout tomorrow.”

 

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 44 Comments

 

TGIFFriday is here again.Woo Woo. This week saw the arrival of two things. 1. My manuscript for the final book in the John J. Cannon Trilogy

1. My manuscript for the final book in the John J. Cannon Trilogy Our Justice came back from the editor. The final edit is now in process and once I’m finished it will go back for one more  review and then off to formatting. I say that like I have a department that does the formatting work. No, I have learned to do it myself. So after the final review, I will be sweating over a hot keyboard doing the print and e-book versions.

2. My cover for Our Justice is also finished. I got the final version from the talented graphic designer and I am very pleased. The cover shows John Cannon as I have always pictured him. I will be having a cover reveal when I get a little closer to the date of publication. I am shooting for July so it is not too far away.

Today’s JohnKu talks about seeing your hard work finally coming to a conclusion . I hope you like it.

Result by John W. Howell © 2106

The effort was hard,

The results took longer. . .

Glorious final.

Thursday – A Little Personal #RRBC Books of the Month

~ John W. Howell ~ 25 Comments

Rave Reviews Book Club selects three books each month as the club’s Book of the Month.

This month the club has selected.

Rave soup for the soul.

“RAVE SOUP FOR THE WRITER’S SOUL” by Various RRBC Authors, including me. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GF3I5XY.  (Non-fiction)

The 2nd Edition of RAVE SOUP FOR THE WRITER’S SOUL Anthology is a compilation of motivational, inspirational and humorous stories from some of the most talented writers of the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB. These stories and poems are meant to inspire you and lift you up at the exact moment you need it. If you thought the writing was good in our 1st edition, then you will be blown away this go round, as well! We all know how soup warms our bodies, and there are so many different brands on the market to choose from, but for a writer, only RAVE SOUP FOR THE WRITER’S SOUL will do! So pick up your literary spoon and ENJOY!

His Revenge front final

“HIS REVENGE” by John W. Howell (@HowellWave), http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016P42OH6. (Mystery, Thriller & Suspense)

America loves John Cannon, its newest hero, and the President wants to present him with the highest civilian medal for bravery for saving the Annapolis midshipman from a terrorist plot to destroy them. While in Washington for the award ceremony, John unwillingly becomes an accomplice in another plan by the same group to attack the credibility of the US President and the stability of the worldwide oil market. 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.

 

over my dead body

“OVER MY DEAD BODY” by Bruce A. Borders (@BruceABorders), http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J5U2UL8. (Novels).

How far will a man go to protect his family?

When the director of Child Protective Services uses his position to exact a personal vendetta in removing three-year-old Ashley from the Blake’s home, Jeff Blake, a financial advisor, responds to the threats in the only way he feels he can – violently. By the end of the short encounter, three people are dead and Ashley, the daughter, is still taken and placed in temporary foster care, so the tragic fiasco gained Jeff nothing. Or, so it seems.

Matters are further complicated when Amy, the wife, and mother, winds up for a brief stay in a mental ward due to the trauma she witnessed in her home. It seems as though everything is against the Blakes. Understandably, the police, as well as the Courts, are not too concerned with the needs of the family. Complete with many twists of fate, the story looks at the common problems of a typical family caught between love and the law.

I think you might enjoy them all.