Blog - Page 2 of 30 - Gary David Gillen

Talisman by Stephen King

The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub

Introduction

The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub is a fantasy novel. Twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer has an important and dangerous mission. His mother is dying. The only way for him to save her is to find the mythical Talisman which is in a parallel world called the Territories. He must pass many challenges to obtain his goal. Will Jack find the Talisman in time to save his mother from death?

Summary

The story is told in the third person with Jack Sawyer as the focus character except for a series of interludes featuring the antagonist, Morgan Sloat. There are four parts to the novel reflecting Jack’s journey to enlightenment.

Part I: Jack Lights Out

Jack learns about his mother’s illness. Speedy Parker teaches him about the Territories and that the Talisman, which is located in the Territories, can cure her cancer. Everyone has a twinner in the Territories. Jack’s mother’s twinner is the Queen of the Territories. Speedy gives him an aid to cross over. Jack flips into the Territories.

Part II: The Road of Trials

Jack starts his journey in New Hampshire but must travel to California to find the Talisman. He stops in Oatley, New York. He finds work in the town at a bar and almost gets trapped there.

Part III: A Collision of Worlds

Jack is travelling again and runs into a werewolf creature named Wolf. They become friends and continue their journey. They flip to the real world, and they arrive in Indiana where they are arrested and sent to the Sunlight Home, a boy’s reform school. The school’s owner runs the place like a prison. Jack and Wolf are singled out as bad students.

Part IV: The Talisman

Jack escapes the school and finds Morgan Sloat’s son Richard in a boarding school in Illinois. They travel by train to California using the Territories. Jack finds the Talisman. He must win the Talisman and bring it to his mother to heal her.

Recommendation

The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub borders on the line between fantasy and science fiction. I feel like the authors don’t make all the points fit together. I like the character of Wolf, but I don’t understand how werewolves fit into this story. The novel feels like a portal fantasy, but I think werewolves belong in a different story than this one. Jack’s actions and thoughts seem older than a boy of twelve. The scenes in the boarding house with Richard felt like they were from another novel. The story does come to a satisfying conclusion though.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13444.The_Talisman

It by Stephen King has seven kids who face horror. As adults, they face It again. Will the Losers Club defeat the hidden evil in the Derry sewers, or will they perish?

It by Stephen King

Drawing of the Three by Stephen King, book #2 of The Dark Tower series, features Roland, Eddie Dean, and Odetta Holmes. Roland gets one step closer to reaching the Dark Tower.

Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

The Gunslinger by Stephen King, book #1 of The Dark Tower series, seemed to set up for a climax that never happened. What is there is a trippy and metaphysical non-ending.

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold

Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #10 of the Vorkosigan saga.

Introduction

Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold is the tenth novel of the Vorkosigan saga. Miles has a medical issue that occurred on his last adventure which jeopardizes his career as an Imp Sec operative. He has a medical event at the wrong time, and he must report to his boss, Simon Illyan. The problem is his boss suffers from an illness related to the computer implanted in his brain. The nature of Illyan’s memory glitches jeopardizes the Barrayaran Empire. Can Miles figure out what happened to Illyan and what he should do about it before it’s too late?

Summary

In Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles must reevaluate his life because of a medical condition that interferes with performing his job as the leader of the Denarii Mercenaries and as an operative of Imperial Security reporting to Simon Illyan. Miles gets the medical condition in his last adventure detailed in the novel Mirror Dance. In this novel, things go wrong on his next mission and Miles tries to cover it up, so he won’t face a medical discharge. They summon him to Barrayar to face his superior, the Imperial Security Chief, Simon Illyan.

Miles finds out Illyan has a medical emergency and that changes everything. They had installed a computer in Illyan’s brain many years ago. The computer has always failed in others, but Illyan has used it beyond its normal working life. His computer is glitching and he experiences memories as if they are happening now. The memories are cascading, and his life is in jeopardy. Miles must determine if the failures are natural or if someone caused them. The answers may prove catastrophic for the Empire but may show Miles a path to follow for the next phase of his life.

Recommendation

The events of Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold change the Vorkosigan saga from now on. Miles grew up and needed a change but change came to him unexpectedly and he had to prepare for the next phase of his life. He ends up well like he always does. I thought Memory came at the perfect time in the saga and set up Miles for the rest of his life.

Links

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

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61880.Memory

In Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold, Dr. Ethan Urquhart must discover what happened to unusable ovarian samples. Will Ethan go off the planet, risk being corrupted, and solve the mystery of the unusable samples, or will he doom Athos by doing nothing?

Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold

In Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold, they send Miles Vorkosigan and his cousin Ivan to Cetaganda on a diplomatic mission. Miles becomes involved in a complex mystery. Will Miles foil the plot to destroy Cetaganda and save his home planet of Barrayar?

Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold

In The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold, they accused Miles Vorkosigan of treason. Will Miles play The Vor Game well enough to escape the treason charges made against him and secure the assignment he desires?

Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold

In Warriors Apprentice (Book #2 of the Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles Vorkosigan gets involved in another planet’s war. Can he escape the mischief he started?

Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold

In Barrayar (Book#7 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Lady Cordelia Vorkosigan faces an assassination and the birth of her son. Will she survive the regency and give birth to her son?

Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold

In Shards of Honor (Book#1 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayaran Captain Aral Vorkosigan takes Betan Commander Cordelia Naismith as a prisoner. They take a hike in the jungle. What happens when they fall in love?

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

In Falling Free (Book #4 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, space engineer Leo Graf must decide between retiring or risking his life protecting his students. The novel is a fun, self-contained space opera romp.

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold

Writing Progress Report June 2024

This is my Writing Progress Report June 2024.

I attended the Marcon conference in Columbus, Ohio, from May 17, 2024, to May 19, 2024.

Writing Progress from May 2024.

I wrote one blog post for my website, garydavidgillen.com. The post was my writing progress report for May 2024, which is linked below.

Writing Progress Report May 2024

In May 2024, there was no submission to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call. We are taking a break until August 2024.

Writing Progress from May 2024 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in April 2024.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

The seven Flash Fiction Stories I submitted in 2020 and 2021 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023.

Events from May 2024.

I attended the Marcon conference in Columbus, Ohio, from May 17, 2024, to May 19, 2024. They held the conference at Crowne Plaza North Hotel in Worthington, Ohio. I attended six panels at the con.

This is a link to the Marcon website.

https://www.marcon.org/home

This is a link to the Marcon Conference Facebook account.

https://www.facebook.com/MARConOH

Writing Goals for June 2024.

In June 2024, I plan to write five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for June 2024.

I plan to work on a story for the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in August 2024.

Eventually, I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new chapter 1.

Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines.

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

In June 2024, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Planned Events for June 2024.

The next event I plan to attend is the Confluence Conference near Pittsburgh, PA, on July 26, 2024, to July 28, 2024. They will hold the conference at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel in Coraopolis, PA. I attended the Confluence in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023

The link to the Confluence website.

https://confluence-sff.org

Writing Progress Report May 2024

This is my Writing Progress Report May 2024.

I attended the Penguicon conference, from April 26, 2024, to April 28, 2024, in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Writing Progress from April 2024.

I wrote one blog post for my website, garydavidgillen.com. The post was my writing progress report for April 2024, which is linked below.

Writing Progress Report April 2024

In April 2024, I submitted Chemithurgy Chapter Four of Four (Section Two of Three) to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.

Writing Progress from April 2024 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in April 2024.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023.

Events from April 2024.

I attended the Penguicon conference, from April 26, 2024, to April 28, 2024. They held the conference at the Ypsilanti Marriot at Eagle Crest, 1275 South Huron Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan.

This is a link to the Peguicon website.

Home

Writing Goals for May 2024.

In May 2024, I plan to write five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for April 2024.

I plan to submit a story to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in May 2024.

In May 2024, I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new chapter 1.

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

In May 2024, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Planned Events for May 2024.

The next conference I plan to attend is the Marcon conference in Columbus, Ohio, from May 17, 2024, to May 19, 2024. They will hold the conference at Crowne Plaza North Hotel in Worthington, Ohio.

This is a link to the Marcon website.

https://www.marcon.org/home

This is a link to the Marcon Conference Facebook account.

https://www.facebook.com/MARConOH

Writing Progress Report April 2024

This is my Writing Progress Report April 2024.

I witnessed the total eclipse in the Cleveland Area on April 8, 2024 at 3:16 PM.

Writing Progress from March 2024.

I wrote two blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. One of the posts was my writing progress report for March 2024, which is linked below.

Writing Progress Report March 2024

In March 2024, I submitted Chemithurgy Chapter Four of Four (Section One of Three) to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.

Writing Progress from March 2024 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in March 2024.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023.

Events from March 2024.

I attended the Cleveland Concoction, from March 8, 2024, to March 10, 2024. They held the conference at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio.

I attended the opening ceremonies, three lectures, three panels, two author showcases, the guest of honor talk, and the closing ceremonies.

This is a link to the ConCoction website.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

Another event I attend was the Western Reserve Writers Conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Lyndhurst, Ohio on March 23, 2024.

This is a link to the Cuyahoga County Library website.

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org

Writing Goals for April 2024.

In April 2024, I plan to write five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for April 2024.

I plan to submit a story to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in April 2024.

In April 2024, I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new chapter 1.

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

In April 2024, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Planned Events for April 2024.

The next conference I plan to attend is the Penguicon conference, from April 26, 2024, to April 28, 2024. They will hold the conference at the Ypsilanti Marriot at Eagle Crest, 1275 South Huron Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan.

This is a link to the Peguicon website.

Home

ConFusion Detroit 2024 Conference Recap

Introduction

I attended the SF conference named ConFusion at 21111 Haggerty Road Novi, Michigan at the Sheraton Detroit Novi from January 19, 2024, to January 21, 2024. I also attended ConFusion Detroit in 2019, 2020, (2021 was canceled due to COVID-19), 2022, and 2023. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association Sponsored ConFusion Detroit 2024. I attended three panels, one author reading, and watched the movie Labyrinth. This year’s theme was Labyrinth of Confusion. Celebrating the 38-year anniversary of the release of the movie Labyrinth (1986).

This is a link to the ConFusion website.

http://confusionsf.org/

The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association sponsors Detroit ConFusion.

This is my badge for ConFusion Detroit 2024.

Summary

ConFusion Detroit 2024 Conference Recap

Friday, January 19th at 7 PM

Labyrinth of Confusion Opening Ceremonies with Mark Oshiro, BluRaven C. Houvener, Kurt Erichsen, and Steph Campbell:

[insert discussion here]

They held the opening ceremonies in Ballroom D.

Saturday, January 20th at 10 AM

Panel on How to Write a Good Conspiracy Novel with Kelley Skovron, Marie Vibbert, Catherine Stein, and Ken Schraeder:

[insert discussion here]

They held the panel in the Marquette room with 15 attendees.

Saturday, January 20th at 12 PM

Panel on Wish I Knew When I Started with Catherine Stein, Jim C. Hines, Jean Davis, and Ness Ricci-Thode:

[insert discussion here]

They held the panel in Ballroom B with 20 attendees.

Saturday, January 20th at 1 PM

Reading with Author John Scalzi:

[insert discussion here]

They held the reading in the Keweenow room with 40 attendees.

Saturday, January 20th at 5 PM

Movie: Labyrinth (1986)

[insert discussion here]

They showed the movie in the Boardroom film room with 10 attendees.

Saturday, January 20th at 8 PM

Panel on Has the Hype Over Artificial Intelligence (AI) Art and Writing Programs Peaked? With John Scalzi, Lynne Sergent, A. L. Deleon, and Jason Sanford:

[insert discussion here]

They held the panel at Ballroom B with 45 attendees.

Recommendation – Conclusion

I felt the con went well and enjoyed my attendance. My star of the con was author John Scalzi. He read three short stories on his author reading and gave insightful comments on the AI panel. I’m looking forward to attending again in 2025.

Links

In January 2023, I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan. I still want to write a post about that.

I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 21 to 23, 2022. The theme was Rising ConFusion. My stars of the con were Guest of Honor author Jim C. Hines and Science Guest of Honor Dr. Jordan Steckloff.

ConFusion Detroit 2022 Conference Recap

I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 16 to 19, 2020. I attended four panels, two readings, and one interview. The theme of the con was How to Train Your ConFusion, based on the movie, How to Train Your Dragon. My star of the con was John Scalzi. He gave an excellent reading of Chapter Two of his upcoming book named The Last Emperox. My other highlights were Kameron Hurley’s interview and the lecture on Edible Insects and Human Evolution. I’ll be back next year.

Conference Recap ConFusion Detroit 2020

I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 18 to 20, 2019. The theme of the con was Storming the ConFusion, so they designated the areas with names related to the movie The Princess Bride. I had a great drive to Detroit just before the snowstorm came. My star of the con was John Scalzi. He gave an excellent reading and was engaging in the panel I attended. My other highlights were Ada Palmer’s interview and watching The Princess Bride at the con. I’ll be back next year.

Conference Recap ConFusion Detroit 2019

Writing Progress Report March 2024

This is my Writing Progress Report March 2024.

I was going through some old papers and found this gem from around 1983. I’m guessing that because Dee Snider is on the list. These are my lists but written with my high school girlfriend’s writing. (She wrote much more legibly than I ever did.)

Writing Progress from February 2024.

I wrote two blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. One of the posts was my writing progress report for February 2024, which is linked below.

Writing Progress Report February 2024

In February 2024, I submitted Chemithurgy Chapter Three of Four (Section Three of Three) to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.

Writing Progress from February 2024 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in February 2024.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023.

Events from February 2024.

I attended no events in February 2024.

Writing Goals for March 2024.

In March 2024, I plan to write five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for March 2024.

I plan to submit a story to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in March 2024.

I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. Then I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new Chapter 1.

Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film Noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines.

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

In March 2024, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Planned Events for March 2024.

The next conference I plan to attend is the Cleveland Concoction, from March 8, 2024, to March 10, 2024. They will hold the conference at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio.

This is a link to the ConCoction website.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

Another event I plan to attend is the Western Reserve Writers Conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Lyndhurst, Ohio on March 23, 2024.

This is a link to the Cuyahoga County Library website.

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/

New Spring by Robert Jordan

New Spring by Robert Jordan is a prequel to the Wheel of Time series.

Introduction

New Spring by Robert Jordan is the prequel to The Wheel of Time series. The novel shows the prophecy of the birth of the Dragon Reborn which drove Moiraine to seek the Dragon Reborn. It also shows how Moraine and Lan meet and join forces. And it sets up the events before the first book of the series, The Eye of the World. Will Moiraine find the Dragon Reborn before the Minions of the Dark One find him and will she save him to defeat the Dark One in the Final Battle?

Summary

Moiraine and Siuan witness the Aes Sedai Keeper foretell that the Dragon has been Reborn. Moiraine and Siuan are friends and young Aes Sedai Accepted. The Amyrlin Seat of that time sends them on a mission to find the Dragon Reborn. When Moiraine becomes a full Aes Sedai, she continues her search.

At the end of the Aiel War, Lan and his crew learn that some people want to restore the destroyed kingdom of Malkier. Lan would have been the last king of Malkier, but doesn’t want to follow that path. They head toward a city close to where Malkier was located.

Moiraine and Lan meet on the road, but are suspicious of each others motivations. They continue to the city together.

At the city Moiraine searches for a potential Dragon Reborn while Lan tries to defuse the attempt to make him the King of Malkier. Their goals intersect in complicated ways and they help each other out. The novel concludes with them coming to a new understanding.

Recommendation

New Spring by Robert Jordan started as a 140-page novella (short novel) in the anthology named Legends, edited by Robert Silverberg. The novel expands on the story, but I feel that the ending was still rushed. The best thing about the novel is getting viewpoints from Moiraine and especially Lan. The novella did not have chapters while the novel had 26 chapters and an epilogue. I thought that was an improvement. My highlights of the novel are the foretelling of the Dragon Reborn, the first meeting of Moiraine and Lan, and when Morraine bonds Lan as her Warder. It was worth learning more about the events leading to the first novel of the Wheel of Time series.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of New Spring by Robert Jordan.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/187065.New_Spring

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Legends, edited by Robert Silverberg where the first shorter version of New Spring by Robert Jordan was published.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202449.Legends_3

Review of Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan. When Rand fights the Seanchan, will they defeat him, or will he win across the Path of Daggers?

Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan

This is the link to my review of Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan. When Rand forces the hand of one of the Forsaken, will the Forsaken defeat him or will he earn a Crown of Swords?

Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan

This is the link to my review of Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan, Book Six of the Wheel of Time. Chaos reigns in the Westlands. They push Rand to the edge of insanity. Will he survive the box?

Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan

This is the link to my review of Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan, Book Five of the Wheel of Time.

Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan

This is the link to my review of Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan, Book Four of the Wheel of Time.

Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan

This is the link to my review of Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan, Book three of the Wheel of Time.

Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan

This is the link to my review of Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, Book two of the Wheel of Time.

Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

This is the link to my review of Eye of the World by Robert Jordan, Book one of the Wheel of Time.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Writing Progress Report February 2024

This is my Writing Progress Report February 2024.

Watched the play Mrs. Doubtfire on January 12, 2024, at the Connor Palace Theater in Cleveland, Ohio to celebrate my sister-in-law’s birthday.

Writing Progress from January 2024.

I wrote one blog post for my website, garydavidgillen.com. The post was my writing progress report for January 2024, which is linked below.

Writing Progress Report January 2024

In January 2024, I submitted Chemithurgy Chapter Three (Section Two) to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.

Writing Progress from January 2024 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in January 2024.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023.

Events from January 2024.

I attended ConFusion in Novi, Michigan, from January 19, 2024, to January 21, 2024. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association Sponsors ConFusion.

Welcome to Labyrinth of Confusion!

The con theme this year is Labyrinth of Confusion.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ConFusionSF/

I attended 3 panels, an author reading, and watched the movie Labyrinth in the Boardroom.

Writing Goals for February 2024.

In February 2024, I plan to write five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for February 2024.

In February 2024, plan to submit a story to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.

I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new Chapter 1.

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

In February 2024, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Planned Events for February 2024.

This is a link to the ConCoction website.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

Another event I plan to attend is the Western Reserve Writers Conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Lyndhurst, Ohio on March 23, 2024.

This is a link to the Cuyahoga County Library website.

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/

Writing Progress Report January 2024

This is my Writing Progress Report January 2024.

Double Chocolate Chewies, is one of my favorite cookies.

Writing Progress from December 2023.

I wrote one blog post for my website, garydavidgillen.com. The post was my writing progress report for December 2023, which is linked below.

Writing Progress Report December 2023

In December 2023, the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call took the month off.

Writing Progress from December 2023 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in December 2023.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023.

Events from December 2023.

I attended no events in December 2023.

Writing Goals for January 2024.

I plan to write five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for January 2024.

In January 2024, I plan to submit a story to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.

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

In January 2024, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Planned Events for January 2024.

The next conference I plan to attend is ConFusion in Novi, Michigan, from January 19, 2024, to January 21, 2024. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association Sponsors ConFusion.

Welcome to Labyrinth of Confusion!

The con theme this year is Labyrinth of Confusion.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ConFusionSF/