Dan Antion

Coming Soon-ish – SoCS

Naughty Nurse Amber by City Steam Brewing, Hartford Connecticut
Chicken and veggies
Available Wednesday August 31, 2022

I am trying to step lightly on the keyboard this week, but I can’t pass up the chance for bonus points. Linda G Hill, the kind and generous host of Stream of Consciousness Saturday has given us the following prompt:

“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is starts with ‘u.’ Find a word that starts with the letter ‘u’ and use it however you’d like. Bonus points if it’s the first word in your post. Enjoy!”

If we were having a beer, we’d be cooler and relaxing after a tough week.

“Unless I’m mistaken, Cheryl, my young friend is late.”

“You keep saying I’m late, David. I am here, and it’s not yet three o’clock.”

“Yes, but I was early, and I wanted to start drinking. Cheryl, I have the tab today.”

“OK, David. Dan, are you having a Corona?”

“No, Cheryl. My friend, West Coast Dan said I should try something different. Is the City Steam, Naughty Nurse the IPA or the amber?”

“It’s the amber.”

“Sold!”

“David, sticking with John Howell’s Bourbon or did West Coast Dan call you, too.”

“I am drinking John Howell’s Bourbon.”

“Cool. I’ll get those.”

“Unless there are any other surprises. Dan?”

“Not really, David. It’s been too hot for surprises.”

“Are you still working on Book-two of your series? I mean, I thought you said all three books were written.”

“The other books are written, but what’s that saying, not ready for prime time?”

“As in prime TV viewing or Amazon Prime?”

“Here you go guys. One John Howell’s Special and one Naughty Nurse. I’m going to check the patio. I’ll be back to see if you want some food.”

“Have you decided on a cover for Book-two, Dan?”

“I have.”

“The Evil You Choose…dark and foreboding. Is that the message I’m supposed to get?”

“Yeah, you can go with that.”

“I see it’s set in Pittsburgh. I guess that’s a thing with you.”

“It is. All three books are set in Pittsburgh.”

“So, does Book-two pick up where Knuckleheads ends?”

“Yes and no.”

“Do you know how many times you give that annoying expression as an answer to a yes/no question?”

“Perhaps…”

“That can’t be a valid answer.”

“Unless it is.”

“OK, explain, please.”

“If you recall, Knuckleheads covers two time periods. The Evil You Choose begins, within a few days of Zach’s retirement party, but it’s not a continuation of the story he was telling Abbie. He and Billy are both retired, not recent high school graduates.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Why?”

“Well, I served in the Coast Guard, so I don’t want to hear about that. And I really don’t want to hear about Zach’s career as a technology consultant.”

“I didn’t think that would be a big selling point.”

“Seriously, Dan. You wrote fiction. Zach could have been a heart surgeon or an astronaut. You made him a consultant. You guys want anther round? Some food?”

“I was never planning to focus on his career, Cheryl. Besides, technology plays a role in this story.”

“I hope it’s a small role.”

“Message received, David. Cheryl, do you have any specials?”

“We have a chicken and rice dish. A stir…”

“Rice? You guys never have rice.”

“Unless it’s summer, Dan. A stir fry for the summer. Lots of veggies and rice.”

“I’ll have that.”

“I will, too, Cheryl. And bring us another round.”

“You got it.”

“As I recall, Dan, Book-two is/was really the first book you wrote, and it’s has a bit of a criminal conspiracy going on.”

“You’re correct, David. It’s a struggle between organized crime, a potentially corrupt politician, and a clearly corrupt FBI agent.”

“And Zach is caught in the middle?”

“Correct again.”

“What about Billy. You should know that I like Billy, Dan.”

“No spoilers today, David. Suffice it to say, if you like Billy, you will be pleased.”

“Any new characters?”

“I really have to be careful on this one, David. There are many new characters.”

“Any that I’ll like as much as Billy?”

“Perhaps Uncle Mike. He’s a likable sort.”

“Is that Zach’s older brother?”

“It is.”

“OK, I guess I’ll wait for the book to be released. The end of this month? Right?”

“There abouts. I’m still new to this whole publishing thing, so I haven’t specified a release date.”

“Actually, you’re an ex-IT guy, so you don’t like deadlines.”

“That too.”

Lapping up the sun
“Do you need help editing this book?”
Groceries and a show. Store is getting a new roof
Quick snap, not very good picture, but this is the tobacco we grow in Connecticut. That will become the outer wrapped of some fine cigars.
There’s a lot of moisture in the air, but we did not get any rain
Hi bunny. It’s OK, I’ll stay inside. You can eat.
Mourning dove
8-12-2022 full moon
The older Rose of Sharon is a deeper red
Good to see gas prices under $4 a gallon
New bunny
Quiet start to a hot day

If you like speculative fiction with a bit of family sarcasm, you will enjoy these books:

Knuckleheads

The Evil You Choose

83 comments

  1. “Un-stinking believable!” My one-liner starting with a ‘U’ — in reference to the documents retrieved from Mar-a-Lago, and the fact that Trump released the receipt with the full names of the FBI agents listed therein. Nothing like putting targets on the backs of people who were only doing their job.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Suzette. I’m glad to hear that yo like the cover. I didn’t share much information prior to the release of the first book. This time, I wanted to get out ahead of the release. It is a conversation I have with my friends, so it was easy to adapt to my SoCS posts. I hope you have a great weekend.

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  5. Sounds good, Dan. My husband is a Senior Network Engineer and I used to do the marketing for an IT company. I often here the phrase: “how long is a piece of string?” I’m not sure about deadlines being flexible but budgets seem to be. You managed to lure me into this challenge with a piece inspired by my husband’s job, although he doesn’t work at Parliament House. Here’s the link: https://beyondtheflow.wordpress.com/2022/08/13/the-network-guy-stream-of-consciousness-saturday/
    Best wishes,
    Rowena

    Liked by 1 person

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  7. The photo of the full moon is beautiful! A new bunny…no surprise there! lol!

    MuMu would likely be a good editor for your book. After all, she’s been right there as every word was typed.

    I love the Mourning Dove. We have several here this year.

    In this part of NY we just hit the $4.00 mark on gas. Woohoo!

    Old Glory looks no worse for the wear even after the oppressive heat wave!

    Enjoy the rest of this beautiful weather weekend Dan.
    Ginger

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Ginger. I wish the book was as easy to produce as the bunnies seem to be ;-)

      MuMu looks down and then gives me that, “Are you sure you know what you’re doing” look. I think she would make a good editor, but my books would be a lot shorter. There is a cat in the second book. Don’t tell MuMu, but he has a minor role.

      We used to have a lot of mourning doves, then we didn’t for a couple years. Now they seem to be back. I love seeing them.

      It was good to see us fall below $4 a gallon. It’s still higher than I like, but at least we’re moving in the right direction.

      Enjoy the cool(er) weather this weekend.

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  9. Don’t tell MuMu this either, but I think the photo of the gas prices is the best one. I got a good chuckle, however, at your comment that if she were your editor the book would be a lot shorter! It is exciting that you are moving close to publishing the second book, and I think I detect just a suggestion of encouragement, maybe even approval, in MuMu’s kibbitzing.

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  10. Nice to have a quiet moment down the pub with you guys. Wishing you all the best with book two Dan 💜💜
    Your always welcome to pop in for a new book , interview there at my place if you’d like a promo 💜

    Liked by 1 person

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  11. Ultimately, you managed to avoid answering most of David’s questions. 😆 I love the tobacco photo! I don’t recall you ever showing photos of it being trucked anywhere before. That photo is pretty cool.
    Here in Florida, our lowest gas price is around $3.6/gal, but we play the numbers game. As we drive through town, I see what the lowest price is that we have to offer, then we drive to Alabama and most every single time, their gas is $.25/gal cheaper. It’s cheaper to drive into AL to fill up. Happy weekend, Dan!

    Liked by 1 person

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  14. Dan, the stir fry looks so yummy! I have shrimp in the freezer, so that might be a weekday meal. As for the gas prices, we’re at $3.45. I hope it keeps going downward and under $3.00 again, but that’s up to the people and gas corporations that put a price on fuel.

    Don’t hit me through your computer screen, but I have yet to finish Knuckleheads. I suppose I can justify it with the busy summer I’ve had, but today I realized I miss both reading and blogging. I have hopes that autumn will allow me to settle into both.

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • The stir fry was very good, Mary. I wish they would make that dish more often.

      Don’t worry about not having finished Knuckleheads. I know you’ve had a busy summer, and I’m happy for you.

      Liked by 1 person

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  15. Great visit at the bar, Dan. Although this morning, I’ll stick with my coffee. :)
    Kudos on this cover reveal. I actually like that the protagonist has an “ordinary” everyday job. I’m a little tired of books where the main character either has or has just left a glamorous job. That makes it a little difficult for me to relate to them. Wishing you continued success. Have a great time this weekend. Hugs on the wing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks for that comment, Teagan. That’s precisely why I went with the ordinary. There are a few elements of “industry specific knowledge” that work their way into the book, but not many. The way things affect an ordinary guy is an important aspect.

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  18. Ummm Dan, did you look at the picture of the older rose of Sharon? I think it might need a jockstrap. So sorry I can’t stop laughing!!! I’m looking forward to book 2 but I’m gonna wait until book 3 and read all of them together. I do love to binge.

    Liked by 1 person

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  19. Dan, great book cover, and clever bar talk about the second book in the series. Just waiting for it to be published so I can read it. Loved book one! And the characters all grown up and retired will be very interesting. 📚🎶 Christine

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Christine. I was worried that people might expect more of the same story, but that story ran its course in the first book. There are a lot more characters in the second book, but I think it’s pretty easy to follow.

      Liked by 1 person

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      • Good thinking. A second book in a series is somewhat like a sequel to a book one. I’m finding that it needs to be different but similar, and do not pick up the story where the first book ended. So, it’s a challenge, but I’ve got the sequel structured to include significant 1960s happenings from good to bad—Woodstock to the Vietnam War. And the characters are older, problems and incidents have a higher stake. Look forward to your book 2. 📚🎶 Christine

        Liked by 1 person

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  20. I love the new cover! I thought of you today: I was watching an Instant Home Makeover show, and they put a building in the back yard by getting a giant crane and hoisting the outbuilding OVER THE HOUSE.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Wow! Some guys have all the fun. People on the street behind us had a big tree taken down, in a few small bites. The rigged the big sections to a crane, cut them loose and lifted them over the house. I’m glad you like the cover.

      Liked by 1 person

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  22. I do like Billy and wouldn’t mind reading some about his Coast Guard career. Zach having a seemingly mundane career is okay, since he often has an interesting night life. It’s okay not to have a specific release date, yet. Trust the Timing.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks JoAnna. I wrote a post (I checked, you read it, so no link here) called Ocean Station Delta about my (real) friend at the bar who served on the Coast Guard weather ships in the 60s and 70s. He was the inspiration for Billy’s career choice. I’d love to tell his story, but I don’t know it will enough at this time (and it would be a lot of research). I keep telling him his life story should be written. The fiction of Zach’s struggle against the FBI and others was fun for me.

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    • You made me laugh, Shelley. A review at any point would be welcome and helpful, so don’t rush. I don’t want to be the cause of overwhelmment (I know, not a word). As for keeping up with this, I enjoy writing, so it’s a pastime for me.

      Liked by 1 person

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      • Yay for laughter, it’s great medicine! I will get to a review, I have the book sitting close by in my office to remind me I still need to do so.
        I like that word – I can relate ;-).
        I’m sure I speak for your followers, we are happy you keep writing and sharing thoughts with us here and now in books we can treasure for years to come.

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