Tag: thriller fiction

Thursday – A little Personal Request for Readers of the Sequel to My GRL

~ John W. Howell ~ 21 Comments

 

my-grl-front-cover with click

Not the real cover since there is no cover at this point.

 

As some of you know I have been busy writing full-time for the past three years. I have completed what I refer to as the John Cannon Trilogy. Right now, the only one that has been published is the first titled My GRL. The second His Revenge is with the publisher, and the third Our Justice is sitting on my computer waiting for the second to be published. The point of this explanation is I have no idea when my second book is on the schedule for release. I have continually queried the publisher and have received several dates all of which have effectively passed. My contractual arrangement has actually locked me into the three books so unless the publisher has no desire to publish the books I will have to wait. I have asked the question about desire but still have not received the answer. If I do get a response telling me the publisher is not interested I will probably self-publish.

What I would like to do while I’m waiting is have those who have an interest read the second book. I have to warn everyone the only edit done so far is mine.  You can believe I’m not the best editor on the block. I’m looking for those who would enjoy reading the book and to provide any suggestions regarding plot holes or other obvious problems. Also, any Beta reader type comments would be appreciated. I think the number that will be right is five. I will answer each e-mail and thank you in advance for your help. You need not have read the first to read this one.

Here is a blurb:

America loves John Cannon its newest hero, and the President wants to present him with a medal for heroism. Terrorist concerns take a back seat to the ceremony. While en route to Washington, it becomes clear John is going to be an unwilling accomplice in the achievement of a terrorist plan to destroy America’s economy.

If you have interest I would ask three things:

1 Send an email to johnhowell (dot) wave (at) gmail (dot) com

2 You will need to tell me the format you want. (mobi, pdf, word).

3 Once I receive the e-mail I will confirm and lay out a couple of questions that I would have for you to answer.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

 

Tuesday – Anything Possible

~ John W. Howell ~ 19 Comments

 

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As those of you who often visit know, I sometimes come across things on the beach that strike a prompt chord in my writing head. This yellow bottle was no exception. I have never seen any trash wash up on the beach with anything but English or Spanish labels and directions. When I came across this Asian labelled bottle, I had to come up with a story to explain how it got to Texas. So here goes.

“Yes, your appointment is confirmed for Friday.”

“Thank you. It’s important that I am not delayed. I have a critical engagement right after.”

“Yes, ma’am. We will see you at nine o-clock, and you will be ready to go by noon.”

“Oh, that’s great. One more thing. Can I bring my shampoo?”

“Well we have a number of brands and they are complementary.”

“This is a special shampoo I got while I was in Japan. They say it’s magic the way it works.”

“You can bring your own. You say you got it in Japan?”

“Yes and right after my appointment I am catching a flight back to Japan so I will take it with me as well.”

“Don’t you worry. We will take care of you.”

“Great. See you tomorrow.”

 

Top Ten Things Not to do if Your Inhibitions Have Been Set Free

~ John W. Howell ~ 38 Comments

The inspiration for this list is a lifetime of observation of the behavior of people who finally let down their defenses. The lowering of defenses may have been as a result of being over-served or just a decision of not wanting to hold back any longer.  Although becoming open and honest without pretense can be a right thing more often that not the consequences of id liberation make such a move the source of regret.  I hope you enjoy the list.

a uninhibited

Ten Things Not to Do if Your Inhibitions Have Been Set Free.

10 If you feel uninhibited, do not free your body from clothes to match your mind. If you do, at best you will be all alone in the woods. At worst, you will become aware of your condition as the mall cops wrestle you to the floor and try to hide your parts.

9 If you feel uninhibited, do not ignore the speed laws. If you do, at best you’ll get home in one piece. At worst, you will find it hard to explain to the justice system that you no longer think the laws of the land apply to you since you feel free. You will also risk having a mandatory psych evaluation before your trial.

8 If you feel inhibited do not walk out of a store with unpaid merchandise. If you do, at best you can explain you forgot to check out, and no harm done. At worst, you will be escorted to the rear of the store by a guy with SECURITY on his shirt past the fifth grade class of your kid’s school on their annual retail field trip.

7 If you feel uninhibited, do not overestimate the value of the truth. If you do, at best your truthful comments will be limited to the weather. At worst, your truth-telling on some subjects will lead you to being asked to leave the country for good by some somber looking people.

6 If you feel uninhibited, do not blow your horn to encourage the pack of Hells Angles to get out of your way. If you do at best, they might move over to let you pass. At worst, you will find yourself on the back of a Harley Softail hanging on to Moose for dear life with a next stop in Sturgis. Oh and your car is in several members saddlebags. They promise they will put it back together after the rally.

5 If you feel uninhibited, do not tell the checkout person about all the things you couldn’t find today. (Even if asked) If you do, at best you will realize no one cares about what you couldn’t find. At worst, the checkout person will call the manager with the words “whining customer on register four.” Those behind you will be calling for a horse and rope.

4 If you feel uninhibited, do not take the survey you are offered during your call to customer service of the electric company to report that your power has been off for four hours. If you do, at best you will not see your power for three days. At worst, your survey will be handed to the uncooperative employee and includes your home address, phone number and hours when your electricity usage is lowest. You will wonder what that black car is doing across the street every night. (Hint, leave town)

3 If you feel uninhibited do not answer the question “where would you like to go for dinner?” If you do, at best you will resent the fact you had to decide the rest of the night. At worst, you will go into a rant about why you always have to decide everything. You will ask “why just this once can’t you make a $#@*&% decision.” The result will be carry out and silence at dinner.

2 If you feel uninhibited and someone from management asks what you think should be done to improve the workplace, do not follow your instinct to tell everyone what you think. If you do, at best your coworkers will endeavor to move away from you. At worst, you will in the course of two minutes of meaningful suggestions render yourself a pariah and perfect candidate for that assignment in Iraq.

1 If you feel uninhibited, do not visit any store with merchandise priced any higher than a dollar. If you do, At best you will snap out of it in time. At worst, you will finally be stopped by the credit card security group who honestly believe your card has been stolen since you limit was reached in only two stops and one was a diamond store.

Sunday – Fifty-Two Views of the Gulf

~ John W. Howell ~ 28 Comments

Today’s view of the Gulf has a bit more optimism in it as opposed to previous photos. The sun is out, and a camper has spent the night without getting drenched.

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Compare to last week (below) the weather is fine indeed. Also, there is a couple of morning glories, who have decided to brave the sun and make an appearance.  The camper is not supposed to be there since the rules require them to be in an area that has portable toilets. I don’t want to tell anyone since I do not wish a portable toilet at the bottom of the dune walkover.

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Friday JohnKu – AKA TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 24 Comments

 

a friday 2

Always nice that Friday has made it. (or I should say we made it to Friday) Eight hours and the weekend will be upon us. Hope everyone had a good work week. Mine was very productive. I finished some painting (no not artwork) that was needed. Having a house by the Gulf is like being on a boat. There are always little repairs that need attention. I noticed this week the UPS guy was punching our door bell and nothing was happening. It is time for the semi-annual de crusting of the button and a touch up of the contact points. The nice part is I know what to do to make it right. The house is always in need of paint. As you can imagine the salt spray makes Sherwin Williams uncover the house. (Their slogan is Cover the Earth). This week’s JohnKu (A term coined by Words4jp) is all about having a little bitter with the sweet. Hope you like it.

Good Life by John W. Howell © 2015

All that is good now,

May require effort to keep. . .

Lunch cannot be free.

Thursday – A Little Personal

~ John W. Howell ~ 21 Comments

Last week Dan Antion on his blog No Facilities ran a lovely post where he pictured and described the Enfield Connecticut Town Hall. You can visit the post here.  I commented on how nice the town hall was and Dan asked to see a picture of the city hall here in Port Aransas Texas. I thought that was an excellent idea even though our city hall looks nothing like his. Still the idea is a good one and maybe could start a movement where we all post a picture of our town hall.

So Dan, here is our city hall. It does look like something you would see on an island.

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I decided while I was out in the sun (Man the sun felt good )taking pictures of the town hall I would go ahead and take one of the Civic Center. Notice that fish. It is a Tarpon, and the statue commemorates the Port Aransas Centennial in 1986.

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As long as I had a photo of the Civic Center I decided to let you see the police station and courthouse. The police station and courthouse are not places you want to visit. ( Let’s just say there is always plenty of parking around these two.)

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The Civic Center sign pretty much sums up what the people think about visitors, Welcome to Port Aransas

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#RRBC Playing it Forward with Author Susanne McKenna Link

~ John W. Howell ~ 15 Comments

As some of you may know Rave Reviews Book Club is a place where authors and readers commit to helping each other. The idea is to help spread the word about available books. One of our members, Bethany Turner, gave us the idea of paying it forward, and because of her thoughtful and giving nature, we’re naming this program after her. Every 4th week of each month is Bethany Turner “PAY IT FORWARD” Week at Rave Reviews Book Club! During this week, members agree to give up ALL self-promotion and promote on their blog and their social media forums an author member.

a susanne mckenna

It is my pleasure to Support Suzanne McKenna Link author of Saving Toby

a Saving Toby FINALebookweb150

Click to Visit Amazon

Loving someone through their hard fall from grace takes a lot of grit. In school, Toby Faye was a moody kid who sat in the back of the class and looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. Claudia might have forgotten him if it weren’t for the two fatal circumstances surrounding his family. In their small town, the Faye name was infamous.

Saving Toby, Suzanne McKenna Link’s debut novel, is the first book of a two-part story that follows the emotional and gritty tale of a young couple’s journey to find themselves and the love they never dreamed existed. The literary love story follows the moving journey of a damaged young man and his love for a girl who might just save him. An avid interest in psychology has Suzanne digging deep into the reasons for her characters’ behaviors. The native Long Islander is fascinated by the how and why of people’s actions. As a result, her characters come to life on the pages.

Susanne McKinna

Suzanne McKenna Link works for a family of newspapers that cover events in and around the South Shore of Long Island, New York. She lives in the town of Sayville with her husband and two children.

For more information visit her website at http://suzannemckennalink.blogspot.com Twitter: @SuzMcKLink Facebook:http://facebook.com/SuzanneMckennaLink

 

Wednesday Story Day – AKA Hump Day

~ John W. Howell ~ 26 Comments

 

 

A big building

 

Wednesday Story Day is here again. Last week we left Charlotte having as she has for some time a moment of concern about what Bob has written. She reads his first chapter that is “He stepped off the ledge and could see the end was near.” We can rejoin the two and see what happens next.

“Why do you say ‘Oh my gosh.’ Is it that good?”

“Well Bob; let me put it this way. Your first chapter pretty much tells the reader that the character described is going to die.”

“Yes that’s correct. He was on top of a building and he decided to end it all.”

“So we need to move to the second chapter to see what happens.”

“Yes. This is what I call a hook.”

“I can understand that Bob but a hook needs to be a little more than an ending of life. There has to be a little more about the character so the reader will care about moving to chapter two.”

“Well the rest of the book is a flashback and the story comes out there.”

“That can be effective. It does smack of a screenplay though.”

“You think so. I hope to sell this to a producer.”

“Well, maybe you could put a little more in the first chapter.”

“Like what?”

“Well, how does the character feel? Did he arrive by car? Does he live in the building? You know some points of interest.”

“I see what you’re saying. So I should put in something to build up to the jump?”

“I think so.”

“How about this? With shaking hands he cupped the lighter against the wind and took a long pull at the cigarette. Filling his lungs with smoke his head got a click lighter than where the three drinks he gulped down before leaving his apartment left him. On unsteady legs he ambled toward the edge of the roof. Looking out over the city his eyes overflowed at the thought of never seeing this view again. Blinking to clear his vision he stepped over the low protection and stood near the edge of the roof shaking with fear. Another deep drag of the cigarette provided reason to double think his decision to jump. Of course, it was too late to go back, and he is to honor the commitment . Today it is necessary to be the last day of his life, and there was no turning back.”

“Oh, my gosh. Now you are talking.”

“I have more.”

“Let’s see it.”

“It’s still in my head.”

“Of course it is.”

Top Ten Things Not to do While Visiting a Bar

~ John W. Howell ~ 36 Comments

 

This list was inspired by listening to stories related by our house guests who had made the bar scene during the Memorial Day Weekend. All of these are hearsay and not a matter of personal experiences. I hope you enjoy.

 

Ten Things Not to do While Visiting a Bar

10 If you are visiting a bar, do not stand too close to someone expecting them to talk to you. If you do, at best they will move away. At worst, you might be surprised to find yourself an unwilling volunteer for a jujitsu demonstration with you as the victim.

9 If you are visiting a bar, do not order a flaming drink for any reason. If you do, at best you will confirm your narcissistic tendencies. At worst your concoction will catch the back bar on fire, and the four-alarm fire department cost will put your credit card into default.

8 If you are visiting a bar, do not join others in doing shots. If you do at best, you will fall unconscious. At worst, you will be on your feet but engaged in behavior that your will not recall at your trial.

7 If you are visiting a bar, do not get up on the karaoke stage for any reason. If you do, At best you will be coerced into singing a song that you have never heard of before. At worst, you will be idiot enough to tackle Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody and to attempt to sing all the parts.

6 if you are visiting a bar, do not join a discussion about sports if you don’t know anything about sports. If you do, at best your companions will have proof that you are an idiot. At worst, Beefcake Muldoon the guy who’s facts you were challenging will finally have had enough and provide you with your solo flying lesson. (That landing will be pretty rough)

5 If you are visiting a bar, do not insist that the band play your song. If you do, at best the band will ignore you totally. At worst, the huge guy with the word SECURITY on his back will be helping you to the exit to the amusement of the patrons and joy of the band.

4 If you are visiting a bar, do not take drinks and not offer to buy a round. If you do, at best you will soon be drinking alone. At worst, your companions will shame you into buying a drink and suddenly being surprised that the round includes a drink for everyone in the bar as arranged by your former friends.

3 If you are visiting a bar, do not challenge the house champion to a game to impress others. If you do, at best you will be beaten so badly that all those who you wanted to impress think you are an idiot. At worst, you will get into several double or nothing bets that will end up with you no longer having a car.

2 If you are visiting a bar, do not send back a plate of food o matter how bad. If you do, at best those who you are with will wonder why you had the poor judgement to order food in a bar in the first place. At worst, you plate will return from the kitchen with some additional ingredients courtesy of the night cook and his dog.

1 If you are visiting a bar, do not accept the pickled egg eating challenge. If you do, at best you will be finished for the night. At worst, you will be feeling the physical effects of too many pickled eggs for the next week including sleeping alone in the yard.