James Osborne's Blog, page 3

ISIS – They’re at it again

With those lunatics ISIS on the move again, I’m reminded that my novel THE ULTIMATE THREAT may be of interest.

After THE ULTIMATE THREAT was published, one of the reviewers said the novel seemed so real it made a credible leap into the realm of the probable. And I was delighted when the novel made Amazon’s bestsellers lists twice, including once at #1 .

Here’s the pitch:

THE ULTIMATE THREAT tells it like it is … a chilling look at the senseless brutality of the religious extremist group ISIS … with a compassionate exposé of the horrendous suffering their savagery has inflicted upon millions of innocents. 

This is intended as a jarring wake-up call, stepping beyond fiction, and reaching firmly into the realm of the possible … even the probable … now that the American withdrawal from Afghanistan has created new openings and opportunities.

I spent three years researching the litany of ISIS atrocities and then I superimposed them upon American cities to showcase what ISIS intends to do in North America and elsewhere, unless they are stopped. 

If you’d like to have a peek, here’s the link:

AMAZON.COMThe Ultimate Threat: The Enemy Has Arrived …The Ultimate Threat: The Enemy Has Arrived …

Summer Solstice Promotion

It’s a great pleasure to let you know that my novel SECRET SHEPHERD is on a summer solstice promotion. The novel is a classic mystery/suspense story but one with heart … bringing hope and dignity to deserving people, despite life-threatening challenges.

Here’s a summary of the story:

Paul and Anne Winston are on a noble mission, but face deadly opposition from powerful people who live in fear of the wealthy young couple’s ultimate end game: helping people escape from crime.

After rescuing a gifted youth from an international drug cartel, Paul learns the gang has offered huge rewards for the murders of he and Anne and their two small children.

But that is only part of the couple’s troubles—Paul has discovered the drug boss is having an affair with Anne’s mother. That’s when things gets even worse… police forbid him from telling newly pregnant Anne about any of it, forcing Paul to break a solemn vow between them.

SECRET SHEPHERD is a mystery/suspense novel about bringing hope and dignity to deserving people while battling deadly opposition.

Hope this little blurb has enticed your interest and curiosity. If so, here’s a link to its listing on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Shepherd-James-Osborne-ebook/dp/B07VKBD2S8/ref=sr_1_22?dchild=1&keywords=Secret+Shepherd&qid=1624489109&s=books&sr=1-22#customerReviews

Finally, I’m a few days late in getting this out … my fault for missing the actual solstice date. Changed computers and lost the image they kindly put together. Sigh! Hope you had a great Summer Solstice, and that you have a terrific summer!

Solstice by Solstice

It’s a great pleasure to let you know that my publisher, Solstice Publishing Inc., has again included my novel SECRET SHEPHERD in its summer solstice promotion program. The novel is a classic mystery/suspense story but one with heart … bringing hope and dignity to deserving people, despite life-threatening challenges.

Here’s a summary of the story:

Paul and Anne Winston are on a noble mission, but face deadly opposition from powerful people who live in fear of the wealthy young couple’s ultimate end game: helping people escape from crime.

After rescuing a gifted youth from an international drug cartel, Paul learns the gang has offered huge rewards for the murders of he and Anne and their two small children.

But that is only part of the couple’s troubles—Paul has discovered the drug boss is having an affair with Anne’s mother. That’s when things gets even worse… police forbid him from telling newly pregnant Anne about any of it, forcing Paul to break a solemn vow between them.

SECRET SHEPHERD is a mystery/suspense novel about bringing hope and dignity to deserving people while battling deadly opposition.

Hope this little blurb has enticed your interest and curiosity. If so, here’s a link to its listing on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Shepherd-James-Osborne-ebook/dp/B07VKBD2S8/ref=sr_1_22?dchild=1&keywords=Secret+Shepherd&qid=1624489109&s=books&sr=1-22#customerReviews

Finally, I’m a few days late in getting this out … my fault for missing the actual solstice date. Changed computers and lost the image they kindly put together. Sigh! Hope you had a great Summer Solstice, and that you have a terrific summer!

Seventeen Years

— Author Unknown

Happy Easter

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

A Pleasant Surprise

It was a pleasant surprise to learn that I’ve been chosen by London, UK-based Writers and Readers Magazine as one of their featured contributors. The magazine enjoys an impressive international circulation. The current issue, released on Feb. 4, includes a story about my late wife Judi and I being caught by a fierce storm on a lake in BC a few years ago. Here’s a look at the cover:

The magazine is available at a variety of venues, including Amazon.com. Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VVLQ25T/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0…

Here are the first few paragraphs of that story:

A Close One

“Wow, that sure is a big one,” Judi said. Her eyes sparkled with surprise and admiration. 

 “Twenty-five-foot cruisers are like that,” I smiled back. 

We were taking delivery of the boat of our dreams. In the weeks ahead, Judi and I would enjoy numerous remarkable experiences, including one that almost cost us our lives.

We moored our 25-foot cruiser at a marina on picturesque Kootenay Lake, nestled between two mountain ranges in eastern British Columbia. Our initial focus was on learning to handle it … the first lesson crucial: how to manoeuvre the boat in and out of the tricky marina. 

  “You’ll need to be especially careful,” our instructor, Art, told us. The serious look on his face made clear the gravity of the instruction to come.

He explained the L-shaped marina entrance was deliberately narrow and made of massive boulders to protect it from violent storms. Precise navigation was required. Art warned us that fierce winds and enormous waves could spring up with little warning.

  After our basic training, we spent many weekends touring the sparkling blue waters of the hundred-kilometer-long lake, discovering a tantalizing choice of bays. Our favorite was a deep, narrow cove with a wide sandy beach protected on both sides by cliffs thirty feet high. We were confident the boat would be as secure in that bay as in our marina ten miles north on the other side of the lake. 

  One Saturday evening, a cloudless sky promised a carpet of stars. We’d just settled down at dusk to enjoy a romantic campfire on the sandy beach when a dark shape appeared at the head of the cove. A small boat, the motor almost idling, was headed straight for us. 

  A strange figure was perched at the back. As he came closer, Judi and I could make out an unruly black beard streaked with gray, announcing he was male. He wore a homemade top hat that failed to harness the long dark hair straggling from beneath. The hat resembled something Abraham Lincoln might have worn. Its wider brim resembled a witch’s hat giving him an even more sinister appearance. His jacket and pants appeared made from bearskin similar to those worn by legendary mountain men. 

  Judi grabbed my hand as the small aluminum boat came to a scraping stop on the sandy beach about ten yards from us. The stranger removed his hat, scratched a tangled mass of long dark hair and his beard, and then directed a silent nodding acknowledgement our way. A fishing rod poked up from one side of the seventeen-foot boat. The barrel of a rifle stuck up from the other. 

  The bizarre-looking man stepped nimbly over the side, displaying knee-high boots also made from animal hide. He pulled the boat up onto the beach and tied it to a stout tree. The stranger began walking toward our campfire, the fishing rod in one hand and the rifle in the other. 

From Our House to Yours

May the spirit of Christmas surround you and yours, and may 2021 usher in an era of hope, heart and health here and around the world

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That One Percent

All of us have the right to be heard. Whether we agree with them or not, these include anti-maskers and other conspiracy theorists. Prominent among their arguments is this: “What’s the big deal, after all only 1% of patients die from Covid?” 

A nurse that I know is among those front-line workers who are battling desperately day after exhausting day to save the lives of Covid-19 patients. She passed along the statistics below, based on that 1% mortality rate. They’re sobering. In this case the death rate is applied to Canada. For a US comparison, multiply the numbers by 8.75 (to ease the math use 10). Here goes:

Canada has a population of 37,742,154. If one percent of the population dies, that’s 377,422 people dead. Mercifully that’s not happened … yet. Three hundred and seventy-seven thousand people dead would bring excruciating grief to tens of thousands and throw a monkey wrench into the economy. 

What follows is equally sobering. For every person who has died of Covid so far:

19 more were hospitalized18 of those 19 have permanent heart damage for the rest of their lives10 have permanent lung damage3 will have strokes2 have neurological damage leaving them with chronic weakness and loss of coordination2 have neurological damage resulting in reduced cognitive function

So now that 1% becomes:

7,171,009 hospitalized377,422 dead6,793,588 people with permanent heart damage3,774,215 people with permanent lung damage1,132,265 people with strokes754,843 people with muscle weakness754,843 people with loss of cognitive function

So please, until the vaccine can improve things:

– wear your mask (OVER your nose and mouth please)

– wash/disinfect your hands regularly

– stay two meters (six feet) apart.

A Great Stocking Stuffer!

Here’s a terrific virtual stocking stuffer for those on your list who are staying home right now.

Here’s the link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/30YxPqS
A couple of clicks and your holiday shopping list just got much shorter!

Enjoy!