Blog - Page 16 of 30 - Gary David Gillen

Writing Progress Report November 2019

This is my Writing Progress Report November 2019.

I attended the Gotham Writers Conference in New York City, New York on October 25, 2019, sponsored by Gotham Writers Workshop.

Writing Progress from October 2019

I wrote three blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for October 2019 linked below.

Writing Progress Report for October 2019

I bought and used the editing program Pro Writing Aid to edit my novel, Assassin in New Marl City. I edited and typed Assassin Chapters 30, 32, and 33 in August 2018, reviewed Chapters 34, 35, and 36 in September 2018, and I completed the review in February 2019. Reduced total chapters to 30. Reviewed Chapters 1 to 20 using Pro Writing Aid and submitted it to my novel-writing class. I submitted Chapter 19 and 20 in October.

I completed the first draft of Assassin in New Marl City totaling 99,981 words in July 2018. Completed pre-draft two (30 chapters long) in December 2018 at 89,072 words. I completed draft two edits for Chapters 26 and 27 (in August), Chapters 28, 29, and 30 (in September), Chapters 19 and 20 (in October), and plan to review chapters 21 and 25 (in November). I will start the third draft edits after draft two is complete.

In October, I submitted the story “Runs with Scissors” to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in October.

In the past, I submitted the stories The Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Get to the Point, LARP Film noir, and Sleeping Sickness to magazines.

Statistics of magazine submissions for 2019 are; 1 different story submitted 1 time with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 1 rejection.

Events from October 2019

I attended the Indy Writer’s Conference in Parma, Ohio on October 12, 2019, sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Library.

Link to Cuyahoga County Library website

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/

I attended the Gotham Writers Conference in New York City, New York on October 25, 2019, sponsored by Gotham Writers Workshop.

https://www.writingclasses.com/

Writing Goals for November 2019

I plan to write five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for November 2019.

I plan to work on second draft edits for Chapters 21, 25, 28, 29, and 30 of Assassin in New Marl City using Pro Writing Aid.

After the second draft is complete, I plan to work on third draft edits for Chapters 1 to 18 of Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Advanced Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I started the third draft edit for Chapter One used at the first pages workshop at Confluence 2019 in July. I plan to complete third draft edits for chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4 in December.

Polish and submit the stories Caliburnus, Space-Dog Confession, White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Submit The Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness to other short fiction magazines.

Put the novel, Assassin in New Marl City, into the writing program, Scrivener.

Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Write a story for the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

Work on a story for the Wednesday Writing Workshop at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Library.

I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account; update the information on my Facebook and Twitter accounts and update all the pages of my website in November.

Planned Events for November 2019

The next conference I plan to attend is ConFusion in Novi, Michigan from January 16 to 19, 2020. ConFusion is sponsored by the Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association.

https://2020.confusionsf.org/

Blood of Cayn by Jason McDonald

Blood of Cayn by Jason McDonald, Alan Isom, and Stormy McDonald, Book #3 of the Cayn Trilogy

Introduction

Blood of Cayn by Jason McDonald, Alan Isom, and Stormy McDonald is the thrilling conclusion of the Cayn Trilogy. The plague has returned. It almost killed everyone in the known world thirty years ago and it is threatening to do it again. Xandor, a ranger for the Kral’s secret service, and his crew investigate the source of the plague. They search the orc city of Cherigov for the legendary Tear of Havel which is rumored to have the power to cure the plague. Will they find it before their loved ones die from the plague or will everyone die?

Summary

In the previous two novels, Xandor and his crew have tracked the source of the plague to shipments of soap going to the orc city of Cherigov. Windrider Yana surveys the orc fortifications at Cherigov with her glider. She reports her findings to Lord Commander Geoffrey Ferguson of the Iron Tower. Ferguson plans to attack the keep outside the city and send a rescue force to recover Sabe’s men who are looking for the Tear of Havel in Cherigov. Sehraine the elf is Yana’s friend and knows more about the plague than what she has told Xandor.

Xandor’s crew are in Cherigov looking for Sabe and the Tear of Havel. Xandor crew are Grendel, the half-orc, Chert, the dwarf healer, Sacha, the princess of the enemy country of the Kral, and Skyld, Sasha’s bodyguard. They are opposed by Bregu Kraagor, The Orc King of Cherigov. His helpers are Marko the prince, Sasha’s brother, Kourash, a dragon kin, and Gregori, a powerful mage.

Sacha’s plan is to have Grendel take the Rite of Passage, defeat King Kraagor in single combat and have Grendel take over as the Orc King to open the city to the allies. Sacha’s plans, Xandor’s plans, and Ferguson’s plans do not go as planned. There are many reversals of fortune in Cherigov. The key to stopping the plague is found at Sabe’s estate and at Sehraine’s elf village. It will take all our heroes might to defeat the power behind all the events that have happened so far. This is the conclusion of the Cayn trilogy.

Recommendation

The Cayn trilogy combined fantasy, mystery, and military action well. I liked all the heroes and despised the villains. The action never lets up. I understood who each of the characters was, though it would have helped to have a written cast of the many characters for the series since I did not read the novels back to back. My only issue was the ending. I feel like I missed something or the last mystery remaining will lead to a sequel. It didn’t feel complete to me.

Links

The Goodreads page for Blood of Cayn by Jason McDonald is through this link.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47145155-blood-of-cayn

My review of Son of Cayn Book #1 of the Cayn Trilogy. Xandor the ranger’s mission is to infiltrate a caravan that is smuggling soap. Soap? Yes, soap. Xandor’s crew must determine where and why the soap is being smuggled.

Son of Cayn by Jason McDonald, Alan Isom, and Stormy McDonald

My review of City of Cayn Book #2 of the Cayn Trilogy. It’s a suspenseful adventure. The plague story begun in the first book takes our heroes to Cherigov, a human city overrun by orcs. They must defeat the orc king, or the plague will devastate the land.

City of Cayn by Jason McDonald, Alan Isom, and Stormy McDonald

Indie Author Conference Parma 2019

Introduction

I attended the Indie Author Conference in Parma, Ohio on October 12, 2019, at the Parma-Snow branch of the Cuyahoga County Library at 2121 Snow Road Parma, Ohio 44134. The Cuyahoga County Library sponsored the conference for the fourth time. There were three presentations in the morning and a local author fair in the afternoon. The focus of the conference was for writers and authors to learn more about self-publishing. They featured thirty-one authors in the showcase. The listed authors all had at least one published book in either 2018 or 2019 for sale.

Link to Cuyahoga County Library website

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/

Summary

Saturday, October 12th at 10 AM

Understanding Amazon.com presentation with J. Thorn

The goal of his presentation was to show how to best sell a self-published book on Amazon. The slides to this presentation can be found at https://theauthorlife.com/iad2019/ J. Thorn also offers a free book on how to self-publish on his website https://theauthorlife.com/ The first important point to understand is that your cover must tell your genre. He became a bestseller when e-books just began in 2012 with his book, The Seventh Seal, which had 34 thousand downloads that year. After writing the book and looking at reviews, he realized that you need an editor to make your book the best you can make it.

Amazon is algorithmically driven. It isn’t like the library, Kobo, or Barnes & Noble. Amazon shows the potential buyer selections based on the algorithm. In the others, purchasers select the books to be displayed. The order of importance in selling a book is the cover, then title, then description. Know and target your ideal reader to cater to the algorithm. Amazon cares about the reader, not the author. Think like them to sell the most.

Using these methods, his book, Dawn, had one million page reads in 100 days. He thinks it is better to keep writing instead of chasing reviews since he gets one review per 1000 reads of his books. To help to find your ideal reader, he suggests the book by Chris Fox, Write to Market: Deliver a Book That Sells. Be a part of the community you want to serve. Engage your audience through social media or other means. Get to be a super fan of your genre to learn the conventions of the genre. Write what you read, don’t write the flavor of the month. Your readers will know if you understand them.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13511587-the-seventh-seal

They held the presentation in the Administration Building Auditorium with 32 attendees and the start increasing to 50 attendees at the end.

Saturday, October 12th at 11 AM

Protecting Your Work presentation with Willie and Rachel Scott

They Started TKI Publishing to help writers publish.

Willie and Rachel started TKI Publishing to help writers publish.

https://tkipublishing.com/

This talk was about protecting your work. The ISBN captures the information for your book. It is necessary to have an ISBN to sell your book online. Book barcodes are created from the ISBN which is needed for print books. You should own your own ISBN. ISBNs can be bought from Bowker at https://www.myidentifiers.com/

If you want to Copywrite your book, get a Library of Congress number at https://www.copyright.gov/ for $55.

They held the presentation in the Administration Building Auditorium with 50 attendees.

Saturday, October 12th at 12 PM

How My Self-Published Book Sold Over 100K Copies presentation with Dustin Brady

Dustin Brady Self-Published his children’s book, Trapped in a Video Game, in 2016. He had the idea to write the book that he would have liked as a ten-year-old boy. Watching the Nickelodeon Arcade inspired him to write his book with the protagonist playing inside a video game. The book has sold 250K copies to date. He said his secret was that he got lucky. His marketing strategy is to promise something that someone wants, then overdeliver on that promise.

The someone is your target audience which should be small and definable. He discovered his audience were the parents of small boys who hate reading. The promise starts with the cover. He learned that parents and teachers are the ones who buy his books, not the boys themselves. The cover should tell what the book is about and how it meets their needs. Over-deliver by putting in the work, it’s the only way to succeed. He found that the author’s guild helped him by giving lawyer advise about reviewing contracts. https://www.authorsguild.org/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30969081-trapped-in-a-video-game

They held the presentation in the Administration Building Auditorium with 50 attendees.

Saturday, October 12th from 1 PM to 4 PM

Showcase with 31 Authors.

The authors set their tables up to sell their books. Willie and Rachel Scott and Dustin Brady ha tables set up. The authors gave five-minute readings of their work.

They held the showcase in the Parma-Snow Auditorium.

Recommendation – Conclusion

The Indie Author Conference at the Parma-Snow library was interesting and well run. The presenters each gave a personal and relatable story with their lectures. They didn’t know what they didn’t know when they started but persisted with luck and perseverance. J. Thorn made navigating the Amazon.com jungle easier, the Scotts made protecting your information crystal clear, and Dustin Brady showed how he made his book series a success. You can find proof of the possibility of success at the independent author showcase. My Star of the Con was J. Thorn. His presentation was the most interesting. It was another excellent conference at the library, and I intend to return next year.

Links

I attended the Indie Author Conference and Showcase on November 12, 2016, at the Parma-Snow branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Parma, Ohio. This is the link to my recap.

Indie Author Conference and Showcase

I attended the Indie Author Day on October 14, 2017, at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in South Euclid, Ohio. This is the link to my recap.

Indie Author Day 2017

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #4 of the Vorkosigan series

Introduction

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold is book four of Vorkosigan series. They published the book fourth in the series but the events happen two hundred years before the earlier books, so it is possible to read this book first. GalacTech assigns Engineer Leo Graf to the Cay Habitat at the farthest edge of inhabited space. He came to the habitat to teach space workers but becomes involved in his students’ struggles with the company supervisors of GalacTech. Leo must decide between retiring or risking his life protecting his students.

Summary

In Falling Free, space engineer Leo Graf arrives at the Cay Habitat to teach his short course on advanced welding and non-destructive testing. His students are called quaddies. Quaddies are genetically engineered humans designed to work in free-fall. They were created by the recently deceased Chief of the Project, Dr. Cay. Leo meets his new boss, Bruce Van Atta, the current Chief of the Project and Leo’s former student. Leo’s best quaddies student is Tony. Tony has a quaddie girlfriend Claire and their infant son, Andy. After talking to GalacTech psychologist Dr. Sondra Yei and to Bruce, Leo realizes that GalacTech is using the quaddies as slaves in a high-tech disguise.

When Bruce changes assignments in the habitat which mains that Tony and Claire will be separated, Tony and Claire plan to escape the habitat. They get Silver, another quaddie, to help them stowaway on a shuttle to the surface. Bruce is preoccupied with the inspection tour of GalacTech Operations VP Apmad. Leo and Sondra find out Tony and Claire are missing and try to get to them before Bruce finds out. Bruce and Apmad consider terminating the Cay Habitat project, but Leo realizes that the solution is an engineering problem. He plans a daring escape for the quaddies and the experience changes him.

Recommendation

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold is a fun self-contained space opera romp. Leo Graff and his quaddie friends are easy to like and to root for. The science is believable, and it’s interesting that the solution was an engineering problem. The biggest issue in the story is the villains. Bruce and Dr. Curry are to one dimensional. Their focus is to defeat Leo and the quaddies at all costs, logic not applied. I will continue to read the Vorkosigan series. The first three books are about Miles Vorkosigan’s parents and the rest of the series is about him. They published this novel in Analog magazine in four parts; December 1987, mid-December 1987, January 1988, and February 1988. I kept the magazines for 31 years unread. I’m glad I read the story now but wish I had read it back then.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1234847.Falling_Free

A similar book in the space opera category is Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. This is the link to my review.

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

A similar book I have read in the Hard Science Fiction category is All Systems Red by Martha Wells. This is a link to my review.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Writing Progress Report for October 2019

This is my Writing Progress Report for October 2019.

Don’t mess with the snow leopard! I was at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo with the Saint Gobain Crystals Hiking Club on September 28, 2019.

Writing Progress from September 2019

I wrote four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for September 2019 linked below.

Writing Progress Report for September 2019

I bought and used the editing program Pro Writing Aid to edit my novel, Assassin in New Marl City. I edited and typed Assassin Chapters 30, 32, and 33 in August 2018, reviewed Chapters 34, 35, and 36 in September 2018, and I completed the review in February 2019. Reduced total chapters to 30. Reviewed Chapters 1 to 18 using Pro Writing Aid and submitted it to my novel-writing class. I submitted Chapter 18 in September.

I completed the first draft of Assassin in New Marl City totaling 99,981 words in July 2018. Completed pre-draft two (30 chapters long) in December 2018 at 89,072 words. I completed draft two edits for Chapters 26 and 27 in August; Chapters 28, 29, and 30 in September; and plan to review chapters 21 and 25 in October. I will start the third draft edits after draft two is complete.

In September, I did not submit a story to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

I made five posts on my Goodreads account; created a Gravatar for my website; and updated the books page and the home page of my website in September.

In the past, I submitted the stories The Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Get to the Point, LARP Film noir, and Sleeping Sickness to magazines.

Statistics of magazine submissions for 2019 are; 1 different story submitted 1 time with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 1 rejection.

Events from September 2019

The next conference I plan to attend is the Indy Writer’s Conference in Parma, Ohio on October 12, 2019, sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Library.

Link to Cuyahoga County Library website

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/

Writing Goals for October 2019

I plan to write five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for October 2019.

I plan to work on second draft edits for Chapters 21, 25, 28, 29, and 30 of Assassin in New Marl City using Pro Writing Aid.

Polish and submit the stories Caliburnus, Space-Dog Confession, White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Submit The Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness to other short fiction magazines.

Put the novel, Assassin in New Marl City, into the writing program, Scrivener.

Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Write a story for the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

Work on a story for the Wednesday Writing Workshop at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Library.

I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account; update the information on my Facebook and Twitter accounts, and update all the pages of my website in October.

Planned Events for October 2019

I plan to attend the Indy Writer’s Conference in Parma, Ohio on October 12, 2019, sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Library.

Link to Cuyahoga County Library website

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/

Black Book by James Patterson and David Ellis

Introduction

In the Black Book by James Patterson and David Ellis, Billy Harney has a problem. Someone shot him in the head and doesn’t remember what happened in the two weeks before the incident. He is a detective for the Chicago PD. His father, Daniel, is the chief of detectives and his sister, Patti, is also a detective for the Chicago PD. Billy doesn’t know who to trust. His detective partner is Katherine (Kate) Fenton. They are investigating a case involving a high dollar madam, her influential clients, and a missing black book. Billy gets romantically involved with his partner and the assistant state’s attorney, Amy Lentini, prosecuting the brothel case. Who’s telling the truth. Who has Billy back? He needs to know; He needs to remember, or he’s going down for murder. What will happen to Billy?

Summary

The novel starts with Patti coming to a call where Billy, Amy, and Kate are found shot and presumed dead. Billy was shot in the head, has surgery, and goes into rehab. When he gets out he doesn’t remember the two weeks before the shooting. He talks to police department psychologist, Dr. Jill Jagoda, to access his memories. The plot goes back and forth between the present and the past as Billy remembers. The POV’s bounce between Patti, Billy, and Kate. In the past, Billy investigates a suspected murderer who frequents a brothel. When Billy and Kate bust the brothel it causes many complications that lead to Billy getting shot in the head. There are many suspects in this novel, but Billy must figure out who pulled the trigger. Read the novel to find out.

Recommendation

The Black Book by James Patterson and David Ellis is a great novel with a mix of mystery, thriller, and police procedural. I was worried that the amnesia plotline would go a predictable way, but I was pleased with its handling and conclusion. Billy is not a likable character, but he has enough redeeming qualities to make him a great conflicted protagonist. He’s a jokester, he loves his sister, and has a rewarding relationship with a cancer patient. There were many twists in this tale. The final twist hit perfectly. If you were expecting a happy ending, you weren’t paying attention. David Ellis is a Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court. He brings a knowledge of the setting to this novel. This is his fifth collaboration with James Patterson, I plan to read more of their novels. I highly recommend this novel.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Black Book by James Patterson and David Ellis

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34220449-the-black-book

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Invisible by James Patterson and David Ellis

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34231676-invisible

This is the link to my review of The Black Echo by Michael Connelly, a similar book; combining mystery, thriller, and police procedure.

The Black Echo by Michael Connelly

Unclaimed Victim by D.M. Pulley

Unclaimed Victim by DM Pulley

Introduction

Unclaimed Victim by DM Pulley is a story about two women, separated by time, but connected by the Torso Killer of Cleveland, Ohio. In April 1999, the police call Kris Wiley back to her hometown to identify the butchered remains of her father, Alfred. The clues she finds at her father’s house leads her back to Cleveland following the legacy of the Torso Killer. In March 1938, Ethel Harding finds herself in the middle of the Torso Killer’s rampage against the destitute brought down by the depression. She is a prostitute who loses her home and is desperate to find shelter. Kris and Ethel must solve the mystery of the Torso Killer or face their deaths.

Summary

In March 1938, Ethel Harding, a prostitute, finds herself homeless. It scares her. The Torso Killer has been killing destitute people from the hobo village at Kingsbury Run in Cleveland since 1935. Some victims are people she knows; Edward Andrassy, Flo Polillo, and Rose Wallace. Ethel is worried that she could be the killer’s next target. She finds sanctuary with the Harmony Mission. They run the Harmony Mission Press, a printing press that makes Bibles, but they are not what they seem. The Tremont Place Lofts inspired the Harmony Mission Press Building on West 7^th Street. Sister Mary Alice Eberly and a mysterious girl help Ethel. Ethel suspects Brother Milton. She also becomes the target of the Silver Shirt Legion, a Nazi-sympathizing group organized to overthrow the government. Ethel pretends to be someone else to uncover the truth.

In April 1999, Kris Wiley goes to the Auglaize County Sherriff’s Office in Wapakoneta, Ohio to identify the remains of her father. They found a headless body along the river with her father’s identification. She doesn’t want to believe the body is her father’s. Her father was a medically discharged police officer. Ben was his partner with the police and best friend. Ben tries to console Kris and takes her to her hometown of Cridersville. Kris searches the house and finds her father had information about the Torso Killer and had been in contact with someone in Cleveland. She lives in Cleveland and goes back to investigate what her father knew. The clues lead to the abandoned Harmony Mission taken over by the homeless. Jimmy, who is living at the mission, helps Kris. As they get closer to the truth, their lives get in more danger.

Recommendation

Unclaimed Victim by Pulley connects two stories in this historical mystery. Ethel and Kris overcome their fears and face human demons. There are many theories about the identity of the Torso Killer and the author presents an interesting one here. I liked the author’s use of real newspaper articles from the 1930s to show the feelings of the people of that time. Of the six books referenced in the Author Notes, I have copies of three. I plan to find copies of the other three books.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Unclaimed Victim by DM Pulley

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35169492-the-unclaimed-victim

This is the link to my review of The Dead Key by DM Pulley.

The Dead Key by D. M. Pulley

Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham

Introduction

Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham is the first book in the Long Price Quartet. Saraykehy is the capital of the cities of Khaiem. The cities were part of a great Empire possessing great magic. Their Empire and their magic have receded, so the Empire of Galt plots to overthrow them. The cotton trade is their greatest asset. Their hopes rely on the poet (their name for magician) Heshai maintaining control of a magical creature called an andat and nicknamed Seedless. Liat and Itani are important in helping Heshai succeed. If Heshai’s magic fails, then the Empire of Galt will destroy all the cities of Khaiem.

Summary

In the Prolog, Otah is an apprentice called a black robe, at the teaching compound of the monks at the stone towers of Machi. The monks search for poets who are rare. They also keep the knowledge of the people. Otah is conflicted with the brutal conditions at the monastery and makes a decision for his future. Chapter One starts in the city of Saraykeht. Amat Kyaanis is the senior overseer of the Galtic House Wilson. She is a native of Saraykeht but works for the foreign house. House Wilson is involved with the cotton trade. Her superior is Marchat Wilson. He tells her about a pregnant woman from the islands who is arriving soon. He calls why they brought her to their house, the sad trade. Maati is assigned by the monks of Machi to become the apprentice of Heshai. Heshai is the last remaining poet of Khaiem. Heshai controls Seedless who helps them with the cotton trade. If Hashai does not control Seedless, then inexperienced Maati would get the duty of trying to control Seedless. Amat Kyaan teaches Liat Chokavi the duties of an overseer. She is young, and she is in love with the lower class laborer, Itani Noyga. Amat wants Itani to be Marchat’s bodyguard for an important meeting. This meeting sets the plot into motion. Marchat wants his house to succeed, Seedless wants to be free, Liat wants to do a good job, and Itani wants to stay anonymous. None of them gets exactly what they want.

Recommendation

Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham is a great first book in a series of a different kind of fantasy. The plot is slow, there’s not much action, and characters maneuver through political and business maneuvering. There is an Asian/formal feel through the characters use of poses and their choice of honorifics. There were many characters, and it took time for the reader to distinguish them apart. Paying close attention to reading the book was rewarding to the reader. The secrets revealed at the end make the second book intriguing. I got this book through the Tor eBook of the month club on July 14, 2018. Tor.com releases a free book to club members almost every month at this website.

https://ebookclub.tor.com/

Each month’s book is only available for that month to the members through an e-mail. I enjoyed The Expanse series and wanted to see what Daniel Abraham would do with a fantasy novel and I was not disappointed. I plan to read the other three books of the series within the next year and then read his The Dagger and the Coin series.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6586403-a-shadow-in-summer

This is the link to my review of Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey. (Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck write together as James S. A. Corey in this Science Fiction series called The Expanse.)

Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey

Writing Progress Report for September 2019

This is my Writing Progress Report for September 2019.

I attended the Ohio State football game on 08-31-19 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The final score was Ohio State 45 and Florida Atlantic 21.

Writing Progress from August 2019

I wrote five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for August 2019 linked below.

Writing Progress Report for August 2019

I bought and used the editing program Pro Writing Aid to edit the novel, Assassin in New Marl City. I edited and typed Assassin Chapters 30, 32, and 33 in August 2018, reviewed Chapters 34, 35, and 36 on September 2018, and I completed the review in February 2019. Reduced total chapters to 30. Reviewed Chapters 1 to 17 using Pro Writing Aid and submitted to my novel-writing class.

I completed the first draft of Assassin in New Marl City totaling 99,981 words in July 2018. Completed pre-draft two (30 chapters long) in December 2018 at 89,072 words. I completed draft two edits for Chapters 26 and 27 in August and plan to review chapters 21, 25, 28, 29, and 30 in September. I will start the third draft edits after draft two is complete.

In August, I submitted a story named Wormhole Generator to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

The stories: I submitted The Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Get to the Point, LARP Film noir, and Sleeping Sickness to magazines.

Statistics of magazine submissions for 2019 are; 1 different story submitted 1 time with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 1 rejection.

Events from August 2019

The next conference I plan to attend is the Indy Writer’s Conference in Parma, Ohio on October 12, 2019, sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Library.

Link to Cuyahoga County Library website

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/

Writing Goals for September 2019

I plan to write five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for September 2019.

I plan to work on second draft edits for Chapters 21, 25, 28, 29, and 30 of Assassin in New Marl City using Pro Writing Aid.

After the second draft is complete, I plan to work on third draft edits for Chapters 1 to 17 of Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Advanced Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I started the third draft edit for Chapter One used at the first pages workshop at Confluence 2019 in July.

Polish and submit the stories Caliburnus, Space-Dog Confession, White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Submit The Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness to other short fiction magazines.

Edit Searcher of Riven.

Hire an editor for Searcher of Riven from Fiveer.

Edit Ruins of Yarnud.

Hire an editor for Ruins of Yarnud from Fiveer.

Put the novel, Assassin in New Marl City, into the writing program, Scrivener.

Buy e-book covers for Searcher of Riven and Ruins of Yarnud from Fiveer.

Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Planned Events for September 2019

The next conference I plan to attend is the Indy Writer’s Conference in Parma, Ohio on October 12, 2019, sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Library.

Link to Cuyahoga County Library website

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/

Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey

Introduction

Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey is the seventh book of The Expanse series. This novel happens 30 years after the events described in Babylon’s Ashes, the sixth book in the series. Winston Duarte and his band of former members of the MRCN are back from Laconia after thirty years of studying the protomolecule. They have the advantage of the Earth-Mars Coalition, take Medina Station. They plan to take over the solar system creating an Empire with Duarte as the leader. Can James Holden and his crew from the Rocinante defeat the Empire threatening to take over the 1300 worlds of man?

Summary

Transport Union President Camina Drummer heads the group that supplies all the 1300 worlds. She is usually at Medina Station, but she is near Earth at the transfer L-5 station to dedicate the station’s completion. The Rocinante heads to Medina Station after completing a mission for the Transport Union. The Rocinante crew are James, Naomi, Alex, Amos, Bobby, and Clarisa. They have been together for thirty years on the aging gunship. Holden and Naomi are ready to retire and make Bobbie the captain. After Winston Duarte’s forces capture Medina Station, they appoint Captain Santiago Jilie Singh governor of Medina station. The Rocinante is stranded on Medina Station. Duarte’s forces plan to take over the solar system. The Rocinante’s crew plan to escape Medina Station with the help of former OPA fighters. They want to free as many friendly forces they can.

Recommendation

Persepolis Rising reboots The Expanse by bringing back the Laconians. It appears to be the first book in a trilogy featuring the Laconians as the antagonists. It is a great novel. I liked the transition of the Rocinante’s crew, the conflicted anti-hero Santiago, and the horror of what Duarte is trying to do to himself. The only misstep is in aging the crew thirty years. It didn’t feel right that they hadn’t changed and stayed together all that time. A few jokes about aging didn’t solve that problem. I’m ready to read Tiamat’s Wrath (Book #8). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28335698-tiamat-s-wrath

Book #9 remains untitled with an unspecified release date, but I believe that date is in 2020.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33357930-persepolis-rising

This is the link to my review of Nemesis Games by James S.A. Corey.

Nemesis Games by James S. A. Corey

This is the link to my review of Babylon’s Ashes by James S.A. Corey.

Babylon’s Ashes by James S. A. Corey