Tag: thriller fiction

Friday JohnKu – AKA- TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 44 Comments

TGIF

Look at that. We only have the workday ahead, and then it is the weekend (woo woo). This has been a busy week and seemed to fly by quickly. I was very pleased to finally add some new words to my WIP. Between editing and trying to move additional books, it has been a challenge. I have also been doing some catch-up work around the house and think I’m pretty much on top of it. So I’m back to my 1000 words a day requirement, and it does feel good.

Today’s JohnKu talks about doing the things you must do and the things you like to do.

Tasks by John W. Howell © 2017

Some we like to do,

Others are like pulling teeth. . .

We need a balance.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Thursday – A Little Personal – Random Photos

~ John W. Howell ~ 53 Comments

I was going to post about the fact that I’m putting together a bundle for Kindle that is all three books of the John Cannon Trilogy. I decided that I should wait until it is actually for sale before I start making noise. In about a month I think the box set will be ready. I do have a cover though. Here it is.

John Cannon Boxset
John Cannon Boxset

In the meantime, there are a few photos that have been on my camera and the thought was to write a post around them by getting more. Unfortunately, they are pretty much stand alone pictures, so I hope you like them.

The first is a shrimp boat that is very close to shore. They don’t normally operate this close

Shrimp boat

The next is Lucy watching the waves for any signs of wildlife or a taco.

Lucy

This one is a shot of a neighboring subdivision. I don’t think they want you to go in there.

No trespassing

A picture of Peggy enjoying some time in the surf. She has her caddie with her.

Peggy the Blue Heron

Here is a flight of pelicans in the V formation

Pelicans

The next is a shot of the town alligator. He had just missed capturing a Coot. (no not me)

Alligator

Well, I’ve cleaned out the file of anything worth keeping. Thanks for viewing.

 

Wednesday Story Day – AKA – Hump Day

~ John W. Howell ~ 51 Comments

Hump Day

 

It is Wednesday Story Time again and last week we left Mrs. Murphy hearing an earful from the sheriff (Seth) about the fact that Lucas is a person of interest in the murder of his parents. The sheriff warned Mrs. Murphy to be careful even as Lucas was working outside on her house. Mrs. Murphy seemed to take the information in stride and promised the sheriff that she would be careful. We need to get back there as I see the sheriff is walking off the front porch of Mrs. Murphy’s house.
“Hey Lucas can I have a word with you?”
“Sure thing sheriff. I’ll be right down.”
“Yeah, thanks, Lucas.”
“Okay, Sheriff I’m here what do you want?”
“This is kind of awkward, Lucas but I heard from the police in Wisconsin have you pegged as a person of interest in your parents murder.”
“You did a little checking did you sheriff?”
“Well, that’s my job after all.”
“Yeah of course it is. So what did you find out?”
“Just that you are on their watch list.”
“I could have told you that, Seth. You could’ve just asked.”
“Um that is not according to procedure.”
“So procedure dictates that you sneak around behind someone’s back and get information on them?”
“Hold on son. No need to get ugly. What would I bother you if there is nothing to find out?”
“So what did you find out.”
“Well, there are some questions as to why you didn’t call 911 right away when you found your parents.”
“Not a big mystery. I already told the cops that I want to my room and fell asleep. I didn’t make it a habit to burst into my parents room to say I’m home.”
“So what woke you up and made you look for them?”
“Buffy.”
“Buffy?”
“Yeah, Buffy their dog. He came into my room and started licking my face.”
“Was that usual?”
“No. In fact, he was downright agitated. I woke up and he jumped down and ran down the hall.”
“Then what?”
“I laid back down and he came in again. I knew something was wrong when he did that so I got up and then found them. I used their phone to call 911.”
“You were described as being calm on the phone.”
“I was holding Buffy and needed to keep him calm. If I started yelling he would have jumped away. I didn’t want him to get upset any more than he was.”
“You told all this to the police.”
“Yes, I did. All the evidence backed me up. Little Buffy had some blood on his feet and it was on my bed and on me since he jumped all over.”
“Where is Buffy now?”
“He is best friends with the neighbor’s terrier and now lives with them. He was my parent’s dog and I know he missed them very much.”
“Geez, Lucas. Why do they have you as a person of interest?”
“Cause they have no one else.”
“And your sister. Where is she?”
“Good question. She has been gone for over a year.”
“She left before the murders.”
“Yes. About a month before.”
“She didn’t come back for the funeral?”
“No, she didn’t.”
“I’m sorry, Lucas. I suppose the police told you to stay in touch.”
“Yeah, I have to let them know where I am always.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Other than find the killers I don’t think so, Sheriff.”
“Thanks for the chat. I’ll be seeing you. Take care.”
“You too, Sheriff. You too.”

Tuesday – Anything Possible – Creative Due #120 by Keith Channing

~ John W. Howell ~ 22 Comments

Keith tells us what is going on. “On to this week’s challenge: 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 – pingbacks don’t often work.

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 #120

Up on the Roof by John W. Howell © 2017

“I think it would be nice if you stopped singing that song.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Does my singing bother you?”

“Let me put it this way. When one is stuck on a roof the last song one wants to hear is ‘Up on the Roof.”‘

“I guess that makes sense. How about a different song?”

“Like what?”

“The mate was a mighty sailing man,
The skipper brave and sure.
Five passengers set sail that day
For a three-hour tour, a three-hour tour.”

“You’re kidding right?”

“What’s wrong.”

“The theme from Gilligan’s Island?”

“Nice tune though.”

“We are on a roof for heaven knows how long and you think that song will cheer anyone up?”

“Well we have a lot of room at least.”

“And nothing more. I was lucky to save my purse.”

“Well we are all safe and that’s what counts.”

“Spoken by someone who never seems to want a bath.”

“Aw. Look on the bright side.”

“Okay. Tell me the bright side.”

“You wanted to redecorate the house anyway.”

“Not with ten feet of water.”

“Check the sunset. It’s beautiful.”

“I will admit it is beautiful. Ouch what was that?”

“What?”

“Something bit me.”

“A mosquito?”

“You better pray not.”

“There are some out now.”

“Did you bring any repellent?”

“No time.”

“Okay then. We need to start thinking of rescue.”

“I think we will have to be patient and wait.”

“Till all our blood is gone?”

“Till a boat comes for us.”

“When will that be?”

“Michael, row the boat ashore, hallelujah.”

“Thanks. I think.”

 

Top Ten Things Not to Expect on an Island

~ John W. Howell ~ 40 Comments

Top Ten Things Not to Do

 

The inspiration for this list came from listening to comments made by some of the over 100,000 visitors to our island over the weekend.  If you plan on visiting an island at least you have been warned.

10 On an island, do not expect the internet to work all day. If you do, at best you’ll miss some precious e-mails. At worst, that report that was due at the office on Friday at noon is still in your outbox Sunday night. (So much for telling the boss you were working from home hey, Homer?)

9 On an island, do not expect the ferry service to run on time. If you do, at best you will have an unplanned delay. At worst, you finally ran out of gas while sitting in the line and Tiny the WWF champ is behind the wheel of a bulldozer driving towards you. (Tiny has his orders to clear the line and no one told him how to do it. Don’t worry, Ferd, your car is now part of the reef infrastructure which is a good thing.)

8 On an island, do not expect continuous electrical service. If you do, at best you’ll miss your favorite TV show. At worst, that two days of fish you caught will give you a great surprise when you discover them at room temperature in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. (What do they say about guests and fish after three days, huh Putz?)

7 On an island, do not think you will find low-cost anything. If you do, at best you’ll have to get over sticker shock. At worst, you may run out of money early and have to cut your vacation short. (Too bad no one wants to buy or pawn that fishing equipment huh, Bunky?)

6 On an island, do not expect to be anonymous. If you do, at best you will be confused when storekeepers call you by name. At worst, that rude behavior you exhibited while checking into the hotel will follow you everywhere. (Now that you think about it Buford, that bowl of chili that accidentally landed in your lap might not have been so accidental. BTW have you ever heard of the coconut telegraph?)

5 On an island, do not expect peace and quiet during peak tourist days. If you do, at best you will tire of trying to tell everyone to be quiet. At worst, the last folks you told to be quiet were members of the  Outlaw chapter of the Hells Angles on their annual Raise Hell Tour.(No there is no one to rescue you Bunkie. You might as well go ahead and drink that half-gallon bong of beer and get it over quickly. Also, I wouldn’t try to convince those guys that you are allergic.)

4 On an island, do not expect to find your favorite brands at the grocery store. If you do, at best you’ll be disappointed. At worst, you’ll try to make do and realize that the items you picked bear no resemblance to what you expected. (You should have read the fine print on the contents of that creamed corn, Buster. If you had you would have spared yourself the apoplectic reaction and EMS trip)

3 On an island, do not expect cell service. If you do, at best you will be highly frustrated. At worst, all those calls you placed on the mainland and asked for a call back have all called back and now assume you don’t care since your phone went to voicemail immediately. ( Gee, Ralph. That agent was so hard to find and now believes you are an inconsiderate ass. I guess that contract won’t get signed after all.)

2 On an island, do not expect to make reservations at the best restaurants. If you do, at best you’ll spend a lot of time with no results. At worst, your refusal to stand in line with forty of your closest fellow tourists means fast food three nights in a row. (Who ever said this food was fast, huh Tex?)

1 On an island, do not expect that you are the only one who has thought of a visit. If you do, at best you will be shocked by the crowds. At worst, you will run into all the people you were trying to avoid by coming to the island in the first place. (The real downer was seeing your boss in a speedo huh, Leroy?)

Views of the Neighborhood

~ John W. Howell ~ 63 Comments

Last week I ran a preview to the Texas SandFest and promised more pictures this week. I have to provide a little disclaimer. Since my deadline for posting for Sunday is Saturday, I had to be satisfied with the sculptures state of readiness.  The artists have until Sunday noon to finish their work for judging. You will get an idea of the work even though they are unfinished at this time.

This first photo is of the sculpture honoring our military personnel.

Texas SandFest

Here is a closer look at the work.

The heart reads “Thank you Troops and Vets” with a subscript saying “military smiles.”

Here is a shot of the finished side honoring those who fell in the Texas Revolution

The fourth side of the honor piece is a tribute to the Alamo and the people who lost their lives.

There is also a huge sculpture recognizing the sponsors of SandFest

The next photo shows three of the Master exhibits under construction.

The next is an artist at work

Hard to miss the beginning of a hound dog. You can make out his face and crossed paws.

Pictured are three more under construction. It is interesting to see how the sculptures are built with the help of barrels.

takes a lot of water to keep the sand wet.

More construction

This photo shows how the artists work from middle to outside on bigger pieces.

The Story Reading Ape should like this one.

Here is a good example of building a sculpture on a wooden base.

Another using a barrel

Since last week I showed you the food trucks in a state of repose. I thought it would be fun to see one of them in their full costume.

The final shot gives you an idea of the number of vendors there are on site.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt “Spell”

~ John W. Howell ~ 36 Comments

SOCS

 

Come and sit for a spell. It is Steam of Consciousness Saturday time again and this week’s prompt is “Spell.” Linda Hill is allowing bonus points if the first sentence of the post has the word “spell” in it.(Nailed it) Otherwise, we can use the word any way we want. If you would like to join in here is the link to Linda’s post. You can read all about it there. https://lindaghill.com/2017/04/21/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-apr-2217/

Spell by John W. Howell © 2017

“How do you spell it again?”

“I-t.”

“Har de har har. You know when to be really annoying.”

“Come on lighten up. It was a joke.”

“I don’t think this is the time for joking. We have one opportunity to open this door, and if we blow it, all hell will break loose.”

“Okay. I’m sorry. It is spelled m-a-n-c-h-e-s—”

“Not so fast. I have m-a-n-c-h-e-s. Is that right?”

“Yes so far. The next letters are t-e-r.”

T-e-r. Got it. Oh, manchester.”

“Right. Now go ahead and hit “enter” and the door should open.”

“There it is opening.”

“Alright then now all we have to do is open the safe and help ourselves.”

“The safe?”

“Yeah, the safe. I have the combination. It is another city word.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

“Pittsburgh.”

“Huh? What about Pittsburgh?”

“That’s the code word.”

“Spell it for me and don’t do that i-t nonsense again.”

“P-i-t-t-s-b-u-r-g-h.”

“You sure there’s an h in Pittsburgh?”

“For heaven’s sake. Put it in.”

“Okay. Now what?”

“Hit “enter.”

“What’s that noise?”

“Sounds like an alarm to me.”

“Oh great. An alarm. Now what?”

“I would say this is the time we take off running.”

“Where did we go wrong?”

“I guess whoever put in the code did not know how to spell Pittsburgh.”

“Who gave you that code anyway?”

“Old man Briscoe.”

“The one who can’t see?”

“Or hear.”

“Can you spell jail?”

“J-a—”

“Shut up.”

 

Friday JohnKu – AKA -TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 44 Comments

TGIF

 

Friday is here and with it the promise of a couple of days of diversion from real life. This week has been one of catching up.  A number of things that have been in the category of “nice to have finished.” What I mean is they are the items that are not crucial to life but would be great if accomplished. For example including the new cover in the Twitter Gravatar. These are not Earth shattering items but do take time.

The first update on the Amazon Marketing Services is as follows.

After two weeks My GRL has received over 17,000 impressions and 14 clicks resulting in one sale. Not too impressive, so what I will be doing is tweaking some elements and see if I can raise the click rate. I’ll let you know how it comes out.

Today’s JohnKu talks about refining an approach that doesn’t work. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Flexibility by John W. Howell © 2017

You try one way first,

Doesn’t work. There’s two options. . .

Keep failing or change.

Wednesday Story Day – AKA – Hump Day

~ John W. Howell ~ 28 Comments

Hump Day

 

It is Wednesday Storytime again, and last week we left Mrs. Murphy and the Sheriff (Seth) talking about Lucas’ dead parents. It seems the sheriff did a background check on Lucas and there was no record. The sheriff did find out Lucas’ parents were killed. I think we need to go back and finish up the conversation.
“Killed in their sleep?”
“Well, maybe they weren’t asleep exactly. They were found in their bed.”
“Dear me. Do they know what happened?”
“Not much. It appears that they were both shot at short-range.”
“Shot? How horrible. Was Lucas there?”
“No, he was out of the house at the time. He was on a date or something, and when he came home, he found them.”
“Oh, the poor dear. He must have been devastated.”
“Not according to the investigating officer. He calmly called 911 and reported that his parents had been shot.”
“How calmly?”
“The tape recording of the call supposedly showed him to be very calm. Also, there was some delay from the time the shots were heard until he called.”
“What do you mean?”
“A neighbor called 911 with a report of shots fired but could not give the police an idea of where the sound came from. The cops searched the neighborhood and found nothing.”
“Is that possible?”
“Well, yes. If you can’t pinpoint the sound, you can’t very well go knocking on every door in town. Besides, sometimes people imagine hearing things. Anyway, the call came in at about eleven o’clock. Lucas did not call 911 until after two am.”
“Maybe he just got home?”
“He said he got there about midnight.”
“What do you think?”
“Hard to say. maybe he was so shocked he didn’t know what to do.”
“But you said he was calm.”
“Or maybe he had to straighten things up a bit.”
“Are you saying he might have killed his parents?”
“Not only me. The local police thought so too.”
“Good gracious. Why didn’t they arrest him?”
“Lack of evidence. You know it’s not against the law to delay a 911 call.”
“Sounds fishy.”
“The locals still have Lucas listed as a person of interest. You know I would be careful if I were you.”
“I feel so sorry for him. He seems a little lost.”
“More like deranged if you ask me. Well, I gotta be going. Lock your door, Mrs. Murphy.”
“I’ll be fine sheriff. Have a wonderful day.”

Top Ten Things Not to Do In Front of Your Boss

~ John W. Howell ~ 50 Comments

Ten things not to do

 

The inspiration for this list came in a discussion with Teagan Geneviene on the ridiculousness of some policies that have been created by bosses. It came to me then to develop a list of things not to let a boss see you do since it could result in a new policy.

Top Ten Things Not to Do in Front of Your Boss.

10 If your boss is looking, do not laugh. If you do, at best you will raise a question as to why you are not serious about work. At worse, you boss will assume you’ve gotten away with something and will try desperately to find out what it is. (Cozy with your boss camped out in your cube huh, Ferd?)

9 If your boss is looking, do not frown. If you do, at best your boss with think you are unhappy. At worse, you boss with think you have a problem and offer to help you solve it.(” I’m your boss, and I’m here to help you,” are the most feared words right, Buster?)

8 If your boss is looking, do not chat on the phone. If you do, at best your boss will time the call. At worst, it will be assumed you cannot prioritize your work. (How are you enjoying those after work classes on work priorities, Pud?)

7 If your boss is looking, do not leave for lunch. If you do, at best, you boss will feel abandoned. At worse, you boss will question your dedication to the job at hand. (Yeah I know it was just a half hour but will that be of comfort at the unemployment office, Putz?)

6 If your boss is looking, do not allow anyone to visit your cube. If you do, at best it will be assumed you use the office as a social venue. At worst, you’ll be required to fill out a form for every minute of the work day. (Now, did that conversation take two minutes exactly, Bunky?)

5 If your boss is looking, do not yell at a fellow worker no matter how annoying. If you do, at best your boss will put you on the disruptive watch list. At worst, your after hour weekday will be taken up by classes on sensitivity and the rights of others. (Lucky you the other classmate is Tiny the WWF champ who keeps growling at you when the instructor turns away. Don’t worry Buster Tiny hates everyone. Nothing personal)

4 If your boss is looking, do not throw away anything. If you do, at best there will be an after-hours look into your wastebasket. At worst, your boss will report you to the recycle and security departments for a full investigation as to compliance.(What this strip search has to do with recycling is anybody’s guess huh Buford?)

3 If your boss is looking, to not leave your cube without locking your computer. If you do, at best the demerit will put you one over the line. At worst, security will be called to remove your computer for a full disc scan to determine if it has been compromised. (Those online searches for golf clubs look a little embarrassing now don’t they Tex?)

2 If your boss is looking, do not shut your computer down a minute early. If you do, at best you boss will come in and ask a question that will require an embarrassing restart. At worst, you will have an additional set of classes to attend dealing with office hour policy. These classes meet on Saturday, Pard.)

1 If your boss is looking, do not, I repeat, do not, sneak a chew of that gum. If you do, at best you’ll be reminded about the policy about eating at your desk. At worst, the environmental department will be called to set rodent traps, and pest spray your area. (Your request for a gas mask and allergy shots has been denied, Herm.)