As the
novel opens, Jasper enters the domain of the white circle, a guild of mages,
looking for a clue to the cure of the plague introduced in the first book of
the Cayn trilogy, Son of Cayn. Xandor and his crew follow the caravan that
holds the plague to the former human city of Cherigov, now held by orcs. Jasper
must find the cure and Xandor must defeat the orcs or the world faces devastation
by the wide release of the plague.
Summary
The first book of the trilogy set up this world and began the plague storyline. The main characters in this novel are Jasper the mage, Sehraine the elf magician, Xandor the ranger, Chert the dwarf priest, Yana the wind rider, Grendel the half-orc, and Sacha the conflicted princess. They head to Cherigov to discover the truth about the plague wars of around twenty years ago. Their opponents are Marko the knight-prince, Sacha’s brother, and the orc king. This novel moves quickly with a clear goal in sight. It is a fitting bridge novel by building up the story while setting up a rousing climax in the third volume of the trilogy.
Recommendation
I enjoyed this novel and am looking forward to reading the concluding volume of this trilogy, Blood of Cayn, due out soon.
I bought and used the editing program Pro Writing Aid to edit the novel. In August 2018 I edited and typed Assassin in New Marl City Chapters 30, 32, and 33. I started reviewing Chapters 34, 35, and 36 in September and plan to finish the review next.
The first draft of Assassin in New Marl City was complete at 99981 words in July of 2018. Decided to cut six chapters to use in book #2 and write two new chapters to end up with about 88000 words in book #1. I wrote the new Chapter 5 in September. New Chapter 10 to be written next.
I wrote the story, Caliburnus, for my writing class.
The stories 4 Humours, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Get to the Point, and LARP Film Noir have been submitted to magazines.
Statistics of magazine submissions for 2018 are; 0 different stories submitted a total of 0 times with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 0 rejections.
Events from October 2018
I missed the Indy Writer’s Conference in Parma, Ohio that was held on October 13, 2018, which is hosted by the Cuyahoga County Library.
Writing Goals for November 2018
I plan to write 4 blog posts for garydavidgillen.com.
Write the second of two new chapters for Assassin in New Marl City. It will be the new Chapter 10.
Type the edits for Assassin in New Marl City Chapters 34, 35, and 36 in November 2018.
Edit Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Advanced Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio.
Polish and submit the stories Sleeping Sickness, Space-Dog Confession, White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.
Submit 4 Humours, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, and LARP Film Noir 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.
Purchase e-book covers for Searcher of Riven and Ruins of Yarnud from Fiveer.
Purchase an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.
Planned Events for November 2018
I would like to attend the Book Baby Authors Con in Philadelphia, PA, on November 4, 2018.
I saw the play Hamilton at the State Theater in Cleveland, Ohio on August 25, 2018. In October, I read the biography of Hamilton by Ron Chernow that the play was based on. Both were excellent.
Writing Progress from September 2018
I wrote 3 blog posts for garydavidgillen.com.
I bought and used the editing program Pro Writing Aid to edit the novel. Edited and typed Assassin in New Marl City Chapters 30, 32, and 33 in August of 2018. Reviewed Chapters 34, 35, and 36 in September and plan to finish the review next.
The first draft of Assassin in New Marl City was complete at 99981 words in July of 2018. Decided to cut six chapters to use in book #2 and write two new chapters to end up with about 88000 words in book #1. I wrote the new Chapter 5 in September. New Chapter 10 to be written next.
Edited Chapter One of Assassin in New Marl City and submitted it to Pitch Wars on 08-28-18. Results announced on October 12th. I was not picked
Completed and submitted a Query letter and a synopsis to Pitch Wars on 08-28-18. I was not picked.
The stories 4 Humours, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Get to the Point, and LARP Film Noir have been submitted to magazines.
Statistics of magazine submissions for 2018 are; 0 different stories submitted a total of 0 times with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 0 rejections.
Events from September 2018
Not able to attend the Baltimore Book Festival in Baltimore, Maryland on September 28 through September 30, 2018.
ot able to attend the Capclave conference in Gaithersburg, Maryland on September 28 through September 30, 2018. I attended the conference in 2016 and would like to return next year.
Writing Goals for October 2018
Plan to write 4 blog posts for garydavidgillen.com.
Write the second of two new chapters for Assassin in New Marl City. It will be the new Chapter 10.
Type the edits for Assassin in New Marl City Chapters 34, 35, and 36 in October 2018.
Edit Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Advanced Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio.
Polish and submit the stories Sleeping Sickness, Space-Dog Confession, White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.
I submitted Grognard to my writing group. I will take the feedback gained and revise the story so it can be submitted to magazines again.
Submit 4 Humours, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, and LARP Film Noir 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.
Purchase e-book covers for Searcher of Riven and Ruins of Yarnud from Fiveer.
Purchase an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.
Planned Events for October 2018
My next scheduled event is the Indy Writer’s Conference in Parma, Ohio on October 13, 2018, which is held by the Cuyahoga County Library.
Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card, Tales of Alvin Maker Book #2
Introduction
Alvin Miller is the seventh son of a seventh son which gives him special powers in this alternate history tale of America set in 1811 during the time around the historical battle of Tippecanoe. In this series, each of the important characters of European ancestry possesses a folklore talent called a knack. The Indians in the series have a connection to the land which helps them survive and prosper. The Indian way is threatened by the arrival of the settlers. Alvin is a bridge between Americans and the Indians. He must heal the land and broker a compromise, or the Americans and Indians will perish in a destructive war.
Summary
Historical figures are transformed into characters who may or may not resemble their real selves. The American characters keep their historical names like William Henry Harrison, Mike Fink, Andrew Jackson, and Napoleon Bonaparte. The Indian characters have transformed names like Ta-Kumsaw (Tecumseh) and his brother Lolla-Wossiky (Tensquatawa) aka the prophet. Locations also have transformed names like the Hio territory (Ohio), the Wobbish territory (Indiana), and Carthage City (Harrison’s fort at the crossing of Ohio and the Greater Miami rivers).
The main plot involves three characters. Harrison wants to take over the Indian territory of Wobbish and open it to settlers. Ta-Kumsaw wants to fight the Americans and wipe them out to send them back to Europe. Lolla-Wossiky prefers a path of non-violent resistance and builds an Indian town called Prophetstown. The three clash and young Alvin, through his Indian-like talent powered by the strength of the land, try to solve the problem. Through his efforts, Alvin earned the name Alvin Maker.
Recommendation
I wanted to read this novel because I recently read an excerpt novella named Carthage City published in the September 1987 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. I wrote a post on purchasing the missing 60 issues I didn’t have from Spring 1977 to March 2014 in this post titled Asimov Collection. The novella covered the story about the character named Hooch Palmer. It was the only section of the novel that did not involve Alvin.
I was interested in the background information and the magical system, so I bought a copy of the novel. I liked the novel. The only aspect of the novel I didn’t like was the narrative of bad American who is not of the land versus the noble savage Indians who are of the land. I took it as satire, over-exaggeration to prove a point about not thinking through actions. With that perspective, I would like to read the other five novels in the series.
Links
Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card.
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Red Prophet
by Orson Scott Card.
A book that shares some similarities to Red Prophet is Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin. Red Prophet is an alternate history where nature magic exists in America. Fevre Dream is a historical fantasy set in the past in America where vampire/werewolves come to America from Europe. The link to Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin is linked below.
I attended the Cleveland Writing Workshop on July 14, 2018, at the Holiday Inn 6001 Rockside Road Independence, Ohio 44131. The Cleveland Writing Workshop was a one-day event conducted by Writing Day Workshops who present workshops across the county throughout the year.
Summary Beginning
The day began in the large meeting room which had space for over 100 attendees. The presenter was Brian A. Klems who gave four talks during the day. He was the senior online editor for WritersDigest.com. He wrote the parenting guide for fathers called Oh Boy, You’re Having a Girl which is linked below.
There was also a writer’s got talent panel. There were three other opportunities available for writers for an added fee. The extras were a query letter critique, a critique of the first ten pages of an author’s novel, and opportunities to pitch a novel to up to seven different agents. Before the workshop, I sent off my query letter, the first ten pages of my novel, and signed up for two pitches. I will write about my experiences at the workshop.
Summary Session One
The first session by Brian A. Klems was titled A Bird’s Eye View: Publishing and Books in the Year 2018. He discussed the three ways for an author to get published. They are traditionally by using an agent, by a university press not using an agent, and by self-publishing. In traditional publishing, the author gets an advance, but the marketing is mostly done by the author. In self-publishing, the author controls everything, but it’s difficult to get your books into bookstores.
Summary Session Two
The second session was also given by Brian A. Klems about 15 Tips on How to Write Like the Pros. There was a handout on the topic. Advice highlights were to avoid prologues, avoid information dumps and edit ruthlessly (kill your darlings).
Break
We had an hour-long break for lunch. I reviewed the information I had for the three meetings I had in the afternoon. Ten minutes before the meetings I left the main hall and waited at the queue for the meetings held in the meeting room. There were eight tables for the seven agents and an editor in the meeting room. The meetings were all ten minutes long and when they were completed; I returned to the main hall to attend the session in progress.
Summary Session Three
After the lunch break, they presented a panel on Writer’s Got Talent–A Chapter One Critique Fest. Five of the seven agents that took pitches were on the panel. At check-in at the beginning of the workshop, authors submitted the first page of their novel if they wanted. I did not. I had taken part in a similar panel at a different conference. The author’s names were not on the page, only the genre identification. Brian A. Klems read the submissions. During the reading, the agents raised their hand when they knew the writing did not work for them. When three agents passed, Brian stopped reading. At the end of the reading, the agents stated why they passed or why they liked the submission. I heard 14 submissions (But not all of them. I had a meeting during the session). Brian read only a few all the way to the end.
Summary Session Four
The next session was by Brian A. Klems about 25 Questions You Need Answered BEFORE You Seek an Agent or Self-Publish Your Book. There was a handout about the questions. Highlights were if you want to get published traditionally then you need an agent, you get an agent by submitting queries and a synopsis to them, and building a platform is becoming necessary for successful authors.
Summary Session Five
The next session was by Brian A. Klems about 25 Questions You Need Answered AFTER You Seek an Agent or Self-Publish Your Book. There was a handout about the questions. Highlights were Amazon reviews are extremely important, build a platform, and stick to it.
Activities
There were four activities I did at the workshop.
I sent a copy of my example query letter to Brian A. Klems before the conference. He e-mailed a detailed critique of the query letter to me. The insights he gave were excellent. I have improved my query letter based on his comments.
I sent the first ten pages of my novel, Assassin in New Marl City to editor Ricki Schultz before the conference. We had a ten-minute meeting where she gave me a written critique of the pages and we discussed the pages. Her comments helped me clarify what I was trying to do with those first pages and setting up my story. Her critique was helpful and the changes I made to the chapter made it better.
During the Workshop, I had a meeting with agent Cyle Young. We talked about what he was looking for in clients and about my novel. He suggested that I update my picture on Facebook/Twitter (I did), use SEO for my blog (I haven’t done it, but I should), and to send him a proposal (I did). I went to his website, wrote a proposal from his specifications, and submitted my proposal after the conference. It was not a fit for him, but I learned valuable lessons about writing and submitting a query. I also learned the importance of developing a platform from him.
During the Workshop, I had a meeting with agent Gabrielle Piraino. It was not a fit. I learned that sometimes an agent and a writer do not mesh and that’s okay. It’s about finding the right match and that is why it will take many queries to find the right one for me.
Conclusion
The Cleveland Writing Workshop 2018 was interesting and useful. I am glad I took the time and the effort to take part in the added activities offered. When the workshop returns next year, I will consider attending again. I will be a better writer then and will be readier to understand what it will take to be successful.
Links
Cleveland
Writing Workshop 2018
I also attended the Marcon Conference from May 11 to May 13, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio. It is an SF conference, while Inkubator is a literary conference. My review of Marcon is linked below.
Black Echo by Michael
Connelly, Harry Bosch Book #1
Introduction
LAPD Hollywood Homicide detective Harry Bosch takes a case that appears to be a junkie overdose, but he soon finds out the case has links to his past. Bank robbers, street hustlers, and FBI agents complicate his case. He must follow the evidence to discover the reasons behind the murder and unmask the plot that traces back to the Vietnam War or face death from the perpetrators.
Summary
Bosch knows the murder victim, Billy Meadows. He was a fellow Vietnam War veteran that fell on hard times. Meadows and Bosch were tunnel rats in the war, who went into tunnels to find the enemy. Tunnel rats call the feeling they get when they were lost in the dark underground, the black echo. The job breaks many and the successful still suffer. The witness to the crime goes by the tagger’s name of Sharkey. He is a street hustler that Bosch searches for and finds. Bosch is contacted by the FBI because Meadows was suspected of being part of a bank-robbing gang that uses the underground LA storm sewers for their crimes. Bosch is partnered with FBI agent Eleanor Wish, with whom he starts a relationship. The various elements come together, and Bosch is tested both mentally and physically to solve the case.
Recommendation
I read this novel after I watched season three of Bosch on Amazon video. Season three was based on the novels The Black Echo, and A Darkness More Than Night. The season was released in 2017 and the novel was published in 2002. Because of the gap in time, certain things had to be changed on the show. Changes in technology were updated and the Vietnam War was changed to the Afghanistan war. The bank-robbing plot was changed to a stealing money plot. The biggest change was how Eleanor Wish was portrayed.
This is the first Bosch novel and FBI agent Wish is first introduced to Bosch in this novel. In the show, Wish and Bosch are divorced, have a high school-age daughter, and Wish lives in Vegas and is a card shark, no longer an FBI agent. The change with Wish was the thing that surprised me the most when I read the novel after seeing the TV show. I did not expect what happened in the plot and I like that. One thing that stayed the same was the character named Sharkey. What he did and where he ended up were the same on the TV and a novel. It was the perfect choice. I like this novel. I plan to read Angels Flight next because it inspired season four of Bosch (released in 2018), which I have also seen.
Links
Black Echo by Michael Connelly
This is the link to the
Goodreads page of The Black Echo by Michael Connelly
A book that shares some similarities to the Dead Key by DM Pulley. They are both mysteries where the key to solving the case is found in the past. The protagonist in the Black Echo is LAPD Hollywood Homicide detective Harry Bosch. The protagonist in the Dead Key is forensic engineer Iris Latch. The link to the Dead Key by DM Pulley is linked below.
The Cleveland Inkubator was held on August 4, 2018, at the Louis Stokes Wing of the Cleveland Public Library, 525 Superior Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44115.
The event was sponsored by Literary Cleveland. Literary Cleveland’s mission is to create and nurture a vibrant literary arts community in North East Ohio. The group sponsors writing workshops, author interviews, and a monthly group meeting mixer.
Registration was on the second floor of the Louis Stokes Wing. Events were held on the second floor in four rooms and in the first-floor auditorium.
There were fifteen talks divided into three sessions with three workshops and two craft talks per session. A poetry reading was held during lunch at the Eastman Reading Garden. The day ended with a keynote reading and an interview with Benjamin Percy.
First Session
In the first session, I attended D. M. Pulley’s workshop on What happens after the end? Reworking and revising your first draft. She is a mystery writer who writes mysteries involving two protagonists in two storylines separated by decades but connected by the mystery. DM Pulley has published three novels The Dead Key, The Buried Book, and The Unclaimed Victim. She is working on her fourth novel now. She handed out a PowerPoint presentation on her topic. DM Pulley went over her experiences in creating the first draft of her first novel, The Dead Key.
This is the link to the Goodreads page of the Dead Key by DM Pulley.
DM Pulley cut over 80,000 words from the first draft of the novel including the beginning chapters where her main character Iris’s workplace was detailed. She suggests writing the first draft for you to discover what you want to write about and then write the second draft for your audience. DM Pulley has an eight-step process to create that second draft.
Step one: celebrate. Completing the first draft of a novel is an accomplishment.
Step two: wait at least two weeks or better yet a month before you start the rewrites because you need distance from your work.
Step three: Identify your audience. She paused for us to do a five-minute exercise to describe your ideal reader.
Step four: Identify the kind of story you are trying to tell. A five-minute exercise followed to describe your story in one sentence, a. k. a. the pitch.
Step five: Review of story structure including the three-act structure, outlining your first draft, tracking plot holes, using storyboards, and doing a plot check.
Step six: Character development including the hero’s journey. A five-minute exercise followed by describing the protagonist’s character arc including the beginning, obstacles, and how the protagonist is different at the ending of the story.
Step seven: Choose a rewrite strategy. You can self-edit and use beta readers and/or writing groups and/or hired editors.
Step eight: Rewrite. Each session at the conference was one and a half hours and she ran out of time here. There were 12 more slides to the presentation, so I think this PowerPoint presentation was designed to be presented in two hours.
This was a good presentation and topical for me since I recently finished the first draft of my first novel. It was useful for me to do the exercises to help me do my rewrite.
Second Session
In the second session, I attended Crafting a Killer Plot: what makes your mystery or novel a bestseller, presented by Amanda Flower.
She is a mystery writer who specializes in Amish cozy mysteries. She thinks that the elements of the plot that are necessary are; start with a bang in your first words and first page, make the reader care for your characters, raise the stakes, put in all the fields, make room for magic by looking for the surprise, create a false high, and then have a dark moment, before the climax and the resolution.
Rewrite and repeat. Her first draft is 40,000 words where she puts down the basic plot. In the second draft, she adds subplots and red herrings to build the novel to a total of 80,000 words. She suggests authors should write every day, and she is motivated by deadlines.
I thought her writing process was interesting.
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower.
In the third session, I attended Kevin Keating’s workshop on Chapter One:how to hook readers, agents, and editors. He presented a slide presentation that illustrated his points through still photos from movies that applied to the theme of the topic for each slide. He says that agents and editors have an eight-line rule. If they don’t read a unique voice that commands their attention in the first eight lines then they will move on to the next manuscript because they always have a pile of them to go through. So it is imperative to make sure the first page is excellent.
The presenter stated that there are three important aspects to writing, setting, character, and plot.
First, establish the setting. Don’t be vague, be precise and declare your time and location. The setting is interrelated with plot and character and is just as essential.
Characters must have a goal. The protagonist must be active and not passive. They must overcome obstacles. The obstacles can be external, internal, or psychological.
Many plots follow the hero’s journey which is the path of home, voyage, and return. The protagonist begins in their home, travels to another world, discovers the nature of that other world, and is transformed by their experiences in that other world. The protagonist is scarred in some way and returns to relay their new knowledge to the people of home.
I liked that he referenced movie tie-ins to illustrate his points on writing.
This is a link to the Goodreads page for the Natural Order of Things by Kevin Keating.
The keynote reading was given by Benjamin Percy in the downstairs auditorium. It was the last activity of the conference. He read from his most recent novel, The Dark Net. He read the prologue about Hannah. She has retinitis pigmentosa and receives a science fictional augmented treatment for the disease. The rest of the novel involves the darknet, cyber-crime, and demons. He is an engaging reader who has a deep voice and his reading was dramatic and interesting.
The next part of the presentation was an interview conducted by Brad Ricca. He asked the author about his experiences in college as a literary fiction major, writing comic books, and his process for writing novels. The last part of the presentation was a Q and A with the audience. The keynote reading and an interview was a fitting end for this conference about the writing process.
This is a link to the Goodreads page for The Dark Net by Benjamin Percy.
I enjoyed the programs that I attended at the Cleveland Inkubator Writer’s Conference 2018 and plan to attend next year. My highlights were D. M. Pulley’s eight steps for writing a second draft, Amanda Flower’s short first draft to get the plot down, Kevin Keating’s point about how critical the first eight lines are in selling a novel to agents and editors, and Benjamin Percy’s dramatic reading of the prologue to the novel named The Dark Net.
Links
Cleveland Inkubator Writer’s Conference 2018
I also attended the Marcon Conference from May 11 to May 13, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio. It is an SF conference, while Inkubator is a literary conference. My review of Marcon is linked below.
It was raining at halftime at Ohio Stadium on 09-01-18. I didn’t get wet because I sat in B deck.
The final score was Ohio State 77 and Oregon State 31.
Writing Progress from August 2018
I bought and used the editing program Pro Writing Aid to edit the novel. I edited and typed Assassin in New Marl City Chapters 30, 32, and 33 in August of 2018.
The first draft of Assassin in New Marl City was complete at 99981 words in July of 2018. Decided to cut six chapters to use in book #2 and write two new chapters in September to end up with about 88000 words in book #1.
Completed and sent a query for submission to Agent Cyle Young in August. He was not interested.
Edited Chapter One of Assassin in New Marl City and submitted it to Pitch Wars on 08-28-18. Results on October 12th.
Completed and submitted a Query letter and a synopsis to Pitch Wars on 08-28-18.
The stories 4 Humours, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Get to the Point, and LARP Film Noir have been submitted to magazines.
Statistics of magazine submissions for 2018 are; 0 different stories submitted a total of 0 times with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 0 rejections.
Events from August 2018
I attended the Cleveland Inkubator at the Cleveland Public Library on August 4, 2018. It was sponsored by Literary Cleveland. It was a one-day writing conference.
Pitch Wars is a mentoring program contest where contestants submit a finished but unpublished novel to mentors. Each mentor picks one contestant to mentor for the program length. The submission was online on August 28, 2018. I submitted a query letter, a synopsis, a 35-word pitch, and the first chapter of my novel to the contest.
Writing Goals for September 2018
Write two new chapters for Assassin in New Marl City. They will be Chapters 5 and 10.
Type the edits for Assassin in New Marl City Chapters 34, 35, and 36 in September 2018.
Edit Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Advanced Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio.
Polish and submit the stories Sleeping Sickness, Space-Dog Confession, White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.
I submitted Grognard to my writing group. I will take the feedback gained and revise the story so it can be submitted to magazines again.
Submit 4 Humours, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, and LARP Film Noir 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.
Purchase e-book covers for Searcher of Riven and Ruins of Yarnud from Fiveer.
Purchase an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.
Planned Events for September 2018
None for September
My next scheduled event is the Indy Writer’s Conference in Parma, Ohio on October 13, 2018, which is held by the Cuyahoga County Library.
On August 26, 2016, I created my website at garydavidgillen.com. Making a website was part of my plan to become a social media experienced writer. I had written a novel and a few short stories over the years, but I had stopped writing in 2012. In December of 2015, I decided to start writing again. I finished the story I was writing in 2012 (called Dystopia then, now called Kay-Eye.) in that month and created a plan for 2016.
My 2016 plan called for writing four short stories, begin attending conventions, creating Facebook and Twitter accounts, and starting a website. I wanted to become a better writer and then expand the short novel that I had written in 1995 (it was called A Gathering in New Marl in 1995 and I have renamed it Assassin in New Marl City). I joined a writer’s workshop group at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Public Library and two at the Parma-Snow Library. It has been a busy two years and I expect a busier year in 2019.
Writing Progress from August 2016 to August 2018
Worked on Assassin in New Marl City. I wanted to expand the novel from 20 chapters to 36 chapters (100000 words total). I wrote six chapters from January 2017 to August 2017. Wrote the other ten chapters from August 2017 to July 2018. Cut six chapters of the ten and plan to use them in the sequel novel. Editing the novel now and it is planned to total 88000 words.
Bought a Map for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer in April 2017.
I bought a banner from Fiveer for my website, Facebook, and Twitter accounts in April 2017. (It is the banner at the beginning of this report.)
Writing Progress from August 2016 to August 2018
January 2016 to August 2016 I wrote Four Humors and Space Station Sunyata.
August 2016 to October 2016 I wrote White Bracer and Mage Squad.
January 2017 to August 2017 I wrote the flash fiction short stories LARP Film Noir, Hybrid-Dog Confession, and Get to the Point.
September 2017 to August 2018 I wrote the flash fiction short stories Torso Secret History, Sleeping Sickness, Memorial Board, A Yacht at Midnight (a scene from Cuba Liberto), and Tales of the Sacred Band (prequel story from the Gairn series).
The stories Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Get to the Point, and LARP Film Noir has been submitted to magazines.
Statistics of magazine submissions from December 2016 to August 2018 are; 5 different stories (Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Get to the Point, and LARP Film Noir) submitted a total of 15 times with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 15 rejections.
This post is my 94th post in this last year for the website including 50 Book Reviews, 24 Writing Progress Reports, 11 Conference Recaps, and 9 Random Posts.
Events from September 2017 to August 2018
September 23, 2017, Western Reserve Writers Conference in South Euclid, Ohio
November 14, 2017, Indy Writer’s Conference in Parma, Ohio
March 9 to March 11, 2018 Concoction in Cleveland, Ohio
May 12, 2018, Marcon in Columbus, Ohio
June 9, 2018, Mystery Writers Getaway in South Euclid, Ohio
July 14, 2018, Cleveland Writing Workshop in Independence, Ohio
July 28, 2018 Confluence in Pittsburgh, PA
August 4, 2018, Cleveland Inkubator in Cleveland, Ohio
Writing Goals for August 2018 to August 2019
Edit Assassin in New Marl City (about 88000 words) and try to get an agent to sell it to a traditional publisher or prepare to self-publish it.
Get a cover for Assassin in New Marl City.
Self-publish Searcher of Riven (about 11000 words) and Ruins of Yarnud (about 24000 words) by August 2019.
Have a screenplay called Cuba Liberto (about 24000 words). I want to turn it into a novel and expand it to about 72000 words. Plan to complete a draft of this novel by August 2019.
Complete the novelette called Chemthurgy (I expanded it to 5500 words in February 2018. The finished story will be about 11000 words)
Continue to submit Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, and Get to the Point to other short fiction magazines.
Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, Time Traveler One, Prisoner of Tarnal, Kay-Eye, LARP Film Noir, Void-Dog Confession, and Sleeping Sickness for submission to short fiction magazines.
Planned Events for August 2018 to August 2019
October 13, 2018, Indy Writer’s Conference in Parma, Ohio
November 2 to November 4, 2018, Book Baby Writer’s Conference in Philadelphia, PA
January 17 to January 20, 2019 Confusion in Detroit, MI
February 14 to February 17, 2019, Capricon in Chicago, IL
February 2019 Winter Fiction Fest in Cleveland, Ohio
March 1 to March 3, 2019 Concoction in Cleveland, Ohio
April 19 to April 21, 2019 Conglomeration at Louisville, KY
April 2019 Western Reserve Writers Conference in South Euclid, Ohio
May 10 to 12, 2018 Marcon in Columbus, Ohio
July 26 to July 28, 2019 Confluence in Pittsburgh, PA
August 2019 Cleveland Inkubator in Cleveland, Ohio
Links
Website Anniversary Report August 26, 2018
I wrote a first-anniversary post on garydavidgillen.com in August of 2017 linked below.
Son of Cayn by Jason McDonald. The Cayn Trilogy Book #1
Introduction
Xandor the ranger has a mission from Marcus, the leader of the Kral’s Secret Service. Xandor must infiltrate a caravan headed out of the city of Pazard’zhik with his crew including Chert, Jasper, and Grendel. The caravan is smuggling soap. Soap? Yes, soap. Xandor’s crew must determine where and why the soap is being smuggled. The answer to those questions will task his courage and determination.
Summary
Jasper is hired as the caravan’s cook by the caravan leader, Dragahn. Dragahn drives the Chuckwagon and Jasper rides with him. The second wagon is driven by Sachin, the financier of the caravan who has just hired Grendel, a half-orc, as his bodyguard. The third wagon is driven by Pyotr, the horse doctor, with the cook’s helper Lucky sitting by his side. Xandor is a Ranger and Chert is a dwarven cleric. They try to discover the secret of the soap but are unsuccessful before the caravan leaves the city. They follow the caravan trying to complete their mission. The caravan goes through the Plague Lands, into the haunted forest, and approaches its destination.
Xandor and Chert fight deadly foes along the way. The people of the caravan must also contend with Marco the Knight, Kourash who is a beast, and the unnamed villain leader. Secrets are revealed, enemies are uncloaked, and the next book of the series is set up.
Recommendation
Son of Cayn is a brisk and well-drawn adventure quest. The novel was influenced by Dungeons & Dragons. There is a human Ranger, a dwarven cleric, a human mage, a half-orc, trolls, orcs, elves, and other fantastic beasts. The novel reminded me of the first law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie because both series are about a group on a quest and the setting is dark. I like the smuggling soap plotline. It was very inventive. There were a few things that could have been better. It took too long to establish that Marcus sent this crew to investigate the smuggling operation of the caravan. That should’ve been clearer earlier. There were one too many battles with Xander and Chert defeating a fantastic beast. They both almost get killed again and again and Chert heals them back to full health. Xandor’s powers, like the cat thing, appear unestablished.
My main issue was the villain wasn’t revealed until over halfway through the novel. Early viewpoints from the villain would have increased the tension. I like the Russian names and background including the references to the Christian church. The orcs and other beings are referred to as Sons of Cayn which is an interesting background element. I like Xander’s crew and plan to follow them on their next adventure in book 2 of the trilogy.
