Friday John Ku – AKA – TGIF

November 3, 2017November 2, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 56 Comments

Friday is here and it sure feels good. I’m sure we all could use a little break from the work week. Of course, for those of you who tend to write on the weekends there isn’t a break in work but hopefully a break in routine.

I tend to keep going on the weekends as if there is no day off. I do manage to take a few liberties like a nice IPA on Saturday and some cooking time which I love. For the most part, though, I stick to my 1000 words a day writing schedule.

I still like to see Friday arrive. It has a psychological benefit that may mean reaching the finish line for the week. This week’s John Ku explores this concept a little further. I hope you all have a super weekend.

The beginning step,

Has importance at the front. . .

The finish is sweet.

Friday – JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

October 20, 2017October 19, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 34 Comments

Sorry about the early publish yesterday. Here is the real thing.

It is Friday again, and we can see the gateway to the weekend from here. This has been a busy week spent in meetings with contractors. The home repair situation is going to take a long time. We have adopted what we call the New Normal. It is the belief that all will get done but will take a long time to do it. We just heard the flooring people are so far behind that it might take six months to have the floors replaced. So, the New Normal is not to care if the floors ever get replaced. Then when they do it will be a bonus. The New Normal also dictates that those without a roof should be fixed first then replace ours. Today’s JohnKu talks about the New Normal reality.

I need it fixed now,

Was the old expectation. . .

Now, whenever works.

Have a great weekend.

Friday John Ku – AKA – TGIF

October 13, 2017October 12, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 38 Comments

Friday the 13th

Hard to believe it is Friday once again. (The Thirteenth at that ) This has been one of those weeks that fly for me. I tried to take stock of where I spent my time this week. What did not come up was any time spent on my WIP. Most of my WIP time was spent working on projects around the house. The biggest of these was installing eleven outside lanterns. The hurricane took all our lighting fixtures to the next county. The job entailed removing the old hardware and lamp anchoring bracket, (The thing that you attach the lamp to on the side of the house) installing a new anchoring bracket, and then the lamps. I was very fortunate that I had a voltage detector since I tested each wire before beginning the installation. Only once was the wire active, but had I touched it to metal there would have been a sinus-clearing surprise.

I managed to install all of them without getting electrocuted. Here is a before and after of just one of the lamps. By the way, the before shows you that the outside lamp is gone, but you can also see the damage to the paint, door frame, and siding.

New lamp

The new lamp sits on a newly painted and repaired wall. As you can see, the damage from the hurricane is no longer visible since it has been painted away. No one could stand in this spot by the lamp and imagine that once, not too long ago, there was a storm here. In essence, the physical damage no longer exists.

Today’s John Ku talks about how we can be affected by events.

When we are wounded,

There remain some reminders. . .

There’s some we can see.

Friday John Ku – AKA – TGIF

October 6, 2017October 5, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 47 Comments

TGIF

It is Friday again and we are about eight hours until Saturday Eve. It has been a busy week for me. Launched Circumstances of Childhood on Sunday and have been thanking all the wonderful folks who have been posting the news. I have received four five-star reviews so far and I have to say my nerves have calmed a bit. As I stated in the introductory material , this book was a result of letting go and writing a story that I wanted to tell. So far so good. I’m in the Family Life genre and did not expect to reach the top 100. I have not been disappointed in that arena. I don’t know why I keep placing my books in the busy genres. I guess a top 100 rating would give me a heart attack.

I hope you week went well and wish you a wonderful weekend. Today’s John Ku talks about expectation. I hope you like it.

Expectation by John W. Howell © 2107

A foundation built,

To evaluate progress. . .

Keep the scale in check.

Friday John Ku – AKA – TGIF

September 29, 2017September 28, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 45 Comments

Funny Friday

Friday is here again, and I am pleased to say we finally have internet. This now means I can no longer write off typos as something associated with Hurricane Harvey. This is sad because of all the things Harvey messed up, the only positive thing to come out was a way to effectively blame something else for typos. I guess I’ll have to go back to owning the mistakes. This is the weekend of the launch of Circumstances of Childhood. I think everything is ready. Today’s John Ku talks about how quiet it is before a major event. I hope you all have a great weekend. (I’ll be watching cat videos on YouTube.)

Ever notice just before,

A major event kicks off . . .

There’s a kind of hush.

Friday John Ku – AKA – TGIF

September 15, 2017September 14, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 37 Comments

TGIF

Another Friday has rolled around. I hope you are ready for the weekend. Maybe I should say I hope the weekend is coming at a good time.

I have been waiting for my proof of Circumstances of Childhood that shipped on September 4th. I found out UPS is having service issues and sent it back to Amazon. It will be reshipped to arrive by the 18th. Once I the proof is in my hand it takes me several hours to review The setup. If there are any changes, then Amazon takes 24 hours to check to make sure the book is printable. The second proof takes five days to reach me.

So, now I have to do the math to see if I can make an October 1 launch for the print version. I can certainly do Kindle. Let’s see. The proof reaches me on the 18th. I submit changes on the 18th. Amazon takes until the 19th to verify the changes can work. I order the second proof which arrives on the 25th. Assuming no changes, I can hit publish and make it. YAY. I cannot have any further delays though. Today’s John Ku talks about best-laid plans.

Best Laid Plans By John W. Howell

The well thought out plans,

Always finish perfectly. . .

Unless they go wrong.

Friday John Ku – AKA – TGIF

September 8, 2017September 6, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 47 Comments

TGIF

Another Friday here in Austin Texas. We are still waiting for word on the return to Port Aransas. We can’t go back until the electricity is turned on and it is still off. There was some word that it would be back on by tomorrow but we have heard that word before. All we can do is sit and wait.

We are getting no call backs from suppliers. They are swamped.

We are very concerned for the folks in Florida and today’s JohnKu goes out to them.

When the time comes due,

Get out of the way of storms . . .

To stay is not brave.

Friday John Ku – AKA – TGIF

September 1, 2017August 31, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 76 Comments

TGIF

It is Friday again and time to look forward to the weekend. It is also time to say thank you for all the warm wishes my family and I have received as a result of hurricane Harvey making a mess out of our island. Thank you all.

I am happy to report that the damage is all repairable although it looks like the roof and floors will need to be replaced. There still is no electricity but that will improve. Once the electricity is on we will be able to go back. None of the repairs needed make the house uninhabitable so we are very fortunate. Others are not as fortunate. Todays John Ku talks about the importance of good wishes.

When the times are tough,

A kind word or wish expressed . . .

Makes the difference.

***

Thank you all.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

August 25, 2017August 24, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 81 Comments

TGIF

Well, It is Friday. I have left my home as ordered by the Port Aransas Police. Yes, we have had a compulsory evacuation due to the severity of Hurricane Harvey. The storm is expected to hit Port Aransas at 1:00 am Saturday morning. The winds are expected to sustain at 110 miles per hour. So we followed orders and joined the thousands who crowded the highway. We are now in Austin with our youngest and will ride out the storm here.

I have to apologize to all of you since I have unable to get on-line prior to leaving Port Aransas. The drive to Austin took an extra two hours due to traffic. (Some guy in a truck took down a major utility pole.) I’m not sure how attentive I will be, but will give it my best shot. Today’s JohnKu talks about what is important in these kinds of situations.

When life is upset,

We all need to think about. . .

What is important.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF & Cover Reveal

August 18, 2017August 17, 2017 ~ John W. Howell ~ 64 Comments

I have to believe Friday is one of the best days of the week. I think Saturday is tops but still, the feeling that there may be two days of relaxation ahead is hard to beat. Today I would like to introduce you to the cover of my next book. I expect the launch before October 1st but wanted you to see the finished cover. Without further ado.

Here is a bit about the story.

When a former NFL star and broadcaster, now a Wall Street maven is accused of insider trading, will he be able to prove his innocence and expose those who are guilty?

Greg and his boyhood pal dreamed of big success in the NFL and then later in business. Greg was the only one to live the dream. Now the founder of an investment fund Greg is faced with a routine audit finding by the SEC. The audit points to irregularities and all the tracks lead to Greg. The justice department hits him with an indictment of 23 counts of fraud, money laundering, and insider trading. His firm goes bust, and Greg is on his own.

His best friend knows he is innocent but has been ordered under penalty of eternal damnation not to help.

If you enjoy stories of riches to rags, redemption, brotherly love, and a little of the paranormal, Circumstance of Childhood will keep you riveted.

Today’s JohnKu talks about things that excite. I hope you have a great weekend.

When we think of life,

Excitement is highly prized. . .

A new book does it.