with John W. Howell
I finally got my bearings on where the path used to be. The weather is lovely. In the mid 7o’s during the day and high 50’s at night. The walk over is behind me but creeping forward toward the water. I think by next week it will be making its way into the picture.
Last week’s photo
Saturday again and time for Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Today’s prompt is “an.” Linda Hill says we can use it any way we want and has offered a suggestion of starting words with “an” or making “an” the theme of the post. If you would like to know more about this go to Linda’s blog at http://lindaghill.com/2016/01/29/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-jan-3016/ You might mention to Linda that I didn’t find her suggestions helpful in inspiring me to write. Here is my endeavor. (also, look at the year at the end of the link. I knew something was up that’s one hundred years from now.)
The Great An by John W. Howell ©2016
“All hail the Great An.”
“Why thank you, thank you very much.”
“Tell us Great An what does the future hold?”
“If it is anything like last night’s poker game I would say a full house.”
“Seriously Great An it is another new year 3016, and your subjects are curious as to what they can expect from their supreme leader.”
“I would say the subjects can pretty much expect the same kind of leadership as last year. You know. Higher taxes, lower wages, more war, less clean water, not enough to eat. So what’s new?”
“But sire. You averted a full-scale uprising with promises of better conditions.”
“Was I drinking at the time?”
“Come to think of it sire, you were.”
“Well, there you are then. Can a man be held to his word when he’s in the bag?”
“I must warn you, sire the peasants are on the verge of revolting.”
“I can tell you, noble knight given their propensity to avoid bathing I would say they are already there.”
“I cannot be held responsible for what will happen if you don’t reform and improve the living conditions of your realm sire.”
“You have convinced me. Do you have a pen?”
“Yes, sire. Here.”
“Let’s see. Ah yes, a proclamation. Henceforth all citizens will live better or be put to death. There I signed it. Now take it to the printer guy and tell him to make copies to be distributed to every man, woman and child.”
“Yes, sire. You are going to go down in history as an extraordinary monarch.”
“You think so?”
“Yes, you will never be forgotten. Your name will be on everyone’s lips throughout eternity followed by a spit.”
“Followed by what?”
“A kiss sire. Followed by a kiss.”
This post is part of Just Jot it January. If you want to join in here is the link. Hurry the month is going fast. http://lindaghill.com/2015/12/31/just-jot-it-january-2016-rules/
It is Friday again and I think I am pretty glad to have some time over the weekend to do nothing. It seems this week has been a blur of putting together a number of guest posts and promotional pieces. I have also been putting the final touches on the final book in the John J. Cannon thriller. I thought I was set to mail to the gracious beta readers when I found some kind of version corruption. Nothing serious but enough to delay the mailing for a day or so. It is also very frustrating when you feel you have everything ship-shape and then some other problem comes in. This just speaks to the fact that we should always double and triple check the file to see if everything is good. I’m glad I did in this case. I could just imagine the reaction to what I would have sent if I hadn’t looked. The subject of today’s JohnKu is care. I hope you like it.
Hair Pull by John W. Howell © 2016
The I’s all have dots,
The T’s all have been crossed too. . .
Typos still survive.
UNCLE JOHN NEEDS YOU FOR A BETA READ
I am currently at a point with the third book in the John Cannon thriller trilogy where I would appreciate some input from beta readers. As you may know My GRL, His Revenge and now Our Justice will make up the complete story of John Cannon and his ongoing challenge with the billionaire Matt Jacobs.
Here is the blurb
Matt Jacobs is the money and power behind a splinter terrorist group out for justice to repay atrocities he believes committed by the West on his Palestine homeland and people. Matt despises John for continually thwarting his plans and would like nothing better than to kill him. He comes to realize it is better to use John to help carry out his vendetta. His latest scheme is to use John’s hero status as a conduit to eliminate the President of the United States. John is prepared to give his life to prevent this shocking event from happening.
I am at the point in Our Justice that before I go into professional edit where I need to know if the story holds up and the ending is pleasing to the reader. I would expect to get feedback within a six-week period or no later than March 30th. Here are the questions for which I’m seeking answers.
Other factors
If you are interested please send me an e-mail at johnhowell (dot) wave (at) gmail.com
Wednesday Story day again. Last week we witnessed Ben shooting himself and the rest of the group trying to figure out what to do with him. Meanwhile poor Ben is still bleeding, and Mrs. Worthe has come up with a plan to drop Ben at the hospital with a wild story about being jumped by a gang. Alexis and her father responded when Mrs. Worthe wanted confirmation they understood what to do. Mrs. Worth asked Ben if he knew the plan and last week he didn’t answer. We should go back and see what has happened to Ben.
“Ben do you understand the plan. Ben open your eyes and look at me.”
“You still here Mrs. Worthe?”
“Of course, I’m here.”
“That means I’ve gone to hell.”
“Shut up Ben. You’ve gone nowhere. You have a little gunshot wound is all. Quit being so dramatic.”
“Dramatic? Hand me that gun and I’ll give you a shot in the foot, and you can see what dramatic looks like.”
“Now Ben Mommy is just trying to help.”
“I feel her warmth, Alexis. I suppose we ought to get moving.”
“Good boy Ben. Now you are thinking with something other than your low self-esteem.”
“You going to the hospital with me Mrs. Worthe?”
“You bet. I don’t trust you will tell the story right. I’ve decided to go in with you and tell the story. All you have to do is moan and groan and hopefully make the hospital staff want to get yo out as soon as possible.”
“What is the story again. I was in shock when you told it before.”
“Damn Ben. You are the slowest you know that?”
“You want me to tell a different story then?”
“Just tell him, Mommy.”
“Okay, Ben. You were jumped by a gang, and then you passed out, and when you woke up, you had this wound.”
“Passed out. Why would I pass out?’
“You were hit on the head I suppose.”
“Wouldn’t I have a bump or something?”
“Bump where?”
“Well, on the head. If I passed out wouldn’t there be a sign I was hit?”
“Good point Ben. Alexis hand me that fireplace poker.”
This post is part of Just Jot it January. If you want to join in here is the link. Hurry the month is going fast. http://lindaghill.com/2015/12/31/just-jot-it-january-2016-rules/
I guess by now you all know I love writing prompts, and Keith Channing posts a photo once a week on Mondays. You can go here and see the post http://channing.info/wp/2016/01/25/kreative-kue-61/
Here is the photo
Wheels by John W. Howell © 2016
“Hey look at that guy.”
“Which guy Mandy.”
“That guy on my left over there.”
“The guy on the skateboard with that freebee t-shirt?”
“Naw. Not that guy.”
“I still don’t see who you are pointing at.”
“The guy with the white shirt talking on the phone.”
“Oh, that guy. Yes, I see him. What’s the problem?”
“You don’t notice something odd about him?”
“Maybe I’m still looking at the wrong guy. You mean the guy with the backpack, in the white shirt, talking on the phone, walking towards us.”
“Bingo. You and I are talking about the same guy.”
“So why the interest?”
“You said it.”
“Said what?”
“You said the guy walking toward us.”
“Yeah, so?”
“Don’t you get it?”
“Get what?”
“He’s walking.”
“OMG. I didn’t notice.”
“He is the only guy I have seen in months who has no wheels. He’s walking.”
“I need to take a picture of this. Can you imagine going around like that? The people back home won’t believe it.”
The inspiration for this list was this season’s playoffs in the NFL. There were enough punches thrown during the various games and enough trash talk to fill a stadium. Although I was not a party to any of the conversations my imagination went to the point of asking the question,”What could one player say to another that would warrant an attempted punch to the nose. (I say attempted since most players are guarded by a facemask and it would be tough to make a fist to nose contact.) Also, I know none of us play football but what if we did? I hope you enjoy since we are now in the last moments of this season.
The Top Ten Things Not to Say to an Opponent on the Football Field
10 If you are on the football field, do not tell another player that you heard they were losing the Nike endorsement. If you do, at best the player will think you are joking. At worst, the player will assume you have the endorsement and will try the fist to nose maneuver. (You know those endorsements don’t come easy.)
9 If you are on the football field, do not ask another player about last night. If you do, at best you’ll get a stare. At worst the player will assume you know something and will court a penalty to take you out. (Last night is something players never mention. Right?)
8 If you are on the football field, do not tell a player he looks cute on the jumbotron. If you do, at best the player will avoid you the rest of the game. At worst, the player will finally get that you wanted to tempt him to look continually at the jumbotron, and will take you out with a chop block. (It was a good try and pretty funny when he went downfield for a pass and couldn’t take his eyes off himself.)
7 If you are on the football field, do not make fun of another player’s Ferrari color. If you do, at best he will tease you about not having one. At worst, the player will start to become self-conscious about his choice of purple and take it out on you. (The dealer did call it Red Cassis though)
6 If you are on the football field, do not mention the nasty tweet that the player made which required a huge apology. If you do, at best the player will give you a knuckle sandwich warning. At worst, just when you thought you were going to catch that game winning touchdown, you wake up in the hospital instead. (Never saw it coming did ya bunkie. Oh and, by the way, your team lost.)
5 If you are on the football field, do not ask a player it that is his mother in the stands. If you do, at best he won’t have time to think about it and just smile. At worst, he will realize you are talking about his latest date and will make a tackle that you’ll remember well into the next season. (You should always be respectful. Right?)
4 If you are on the football field, do not tackle a player and then say, “That was easy.” If you do, at best the player will throw you off. At worst, you and the player will look like children on the playground punching each other on the ground in front of thirty million viewers. (Why won’t the press leave this one alone you wonder?)
3 If you are on the football field, do not put your face mask into another players face mask and tell him he’s ugly. If you do, at best you know a fist to nose attempt is on its way. At worst, you will wonder what happened right after your helmet went airborne and the lights went out. (No way to talk to a 350-pound tackle)
2 If you are on the football field, do not tell another player that you heard his Super Bowl ring is in a pawn shop. If you do, at best you will be on the ground on the next play. At worst, you will be the center of attention on a time out and cart ride back to the locker room. (Learned a lesson about finance didn’t you)
1 If you are on the football field, do not tell another player that your agent is the same as his. If you do, at best the game will be a series of who can outdo who. At worst, since you both behaved so poorly, your agent has now cut you both loose. (A bit of discretion could have avoided all this angst.)
A gorgeous day. The overnight temperatures are in the forties and daytime in the fifties. There will be a warming trend during the week so we should see the seventies on Monday. This shot was taken a little closer to the dune than normal. I simply lost my reference since last week.
I have to feel for all our friends in the East. The snowstorm has undoubtedly caused some hardships, and hopefully, everyone stayed safe and importantly warm over the weekend.
Last Week’s photo
Stream of Consciousness Saturday time again. This week’s prompt is “Odd/Even.” Linda Hill says we can use them any way we want. This concession is good since if we had to use them together, it might be a problem. If you would like to participate in the madness here is the link http://lindaghill.com/2016/01/22/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-jan-2316/ Here’s mine.
Odd/Even by John W. Howell © 2016
“Did you hear that?”
“I think so. It sounded odd didn’t it?”
“Odd? It sounded like a gunshot. That’s what it sounded like.”
“Oh, I don’t think so.”
“I’m telling you it was a gunshot. Any fool can recognize a shot when it goes off.”
“Well I’m not a fool, and I don’t think it was a gunshot.”
“For heaven’s sake. Let’s just drop it then.”
“Why drop it? You called me a fool.”
“I said any fool could tell it’s a gunshot. You couldn’t tell, so you’re no fool.”
“Hmm. I’m thinking you’re pulling a fast one here.”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“Any fool can see you are twisting things.”
“So now you are calling me a fool. I don’t see how I’m twisting things.”
“No. I just said any fool could see you are twisting things. If you don’t see it, then you’re not a fool.”
“I would say now we are even.”
“Both fools you mean?”
“Exactly.”
It is my honor to interview Author Jennie Sherwin today at 11:00 CST on my Spotlight Honors broadcast
Jennie Sherwin has a personal interest MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity) which we will be discussing along with her novel “Intentional Healing: One Woman’s Journey to Higher Consciousness and Freedom from Environmental and Other Chronic Illnesses.“ Join us as we explore this novel and become better acquainted with the author. Here is the link to today’s broadcast and it you can’t make it the same link will work for the archive. tobtr.com/8211223
You can also visit Jennie at her website. http://jsherwinblog.wordpress.com/
