Lock In by John Scalzi, Book #1 of the Lock In Series
Introduction
Twenty-five years after a global pandemic virus, Chris Shane’s second day on the job as an FBI agent includes a complicated murder as the first order of business. The thing is, Chris cannot physically examine the murder scene. Chris has Haden’s Syndrome. It is a disease that has a slim chance that the person affected cannot physically move their body anymore and become what is known as locked in. The person affected can, however, have their brain fitted with a neural net that lets them either manipulate a specially attuned person called an Integrator or an automaton called a threep. Chris uses a threep and the murder appears to be Haden related. Chris must discover the perpetrator or everyone that has Haden’s Syndrome will be in jeopardy.
Summary
The novel is an interesting mix of a sci-fi thriller and a police procedural. The best part is the world-building on the effect that Haden’s Syndrome could have on society. It felt like it could have been a multi-episode arc of NCIS. If that is the story that you like to read, then this novel hits that spot.
Recommendation
I think that Scalzi was trying to play with two things with this novel; developing the ramifications of Haden’s Syndrome and to play around with writing gender and race. The world-building worked for me. It is never specified whether Chris is a male or a female. I have my opinion, but nothing written has changed that opinion. Chris’s race is not specified until later in the novel, so thinking about that revelation is thought-provoking.
Chris’s FBI partner Leslie Vann appears to think like a man, but I took it as a woman surrounded by males in law enforcement and taking their phrases as her own. I appreciated that Scalzi chose to explore these subjects, even though it might not have been totally successful because at times the writing felt forced. I am glad that the novel promotes discussion about gender and race. That does mean something. I would recommend this book if only for that.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Lock In by John Scalzi.
The Kinshield Legacy by KC May, Book #1 of The Kinshield Saga
Introduction
The Kinshield Legacy by KC May begins the story of Gavin Kinshield. The fantasy kingdom of Thendylath has been without a king for many years. The previous king has decreed that whoever solves the runes of the five magical gemstones on a tablet in a cave will become the next rightful king. Kinshield is a descendant of the previous king’s second in command, who may or may not have caused the previous king’s downfall.
Kinshield has had visions of solving the runes and has obtained two of the five gems. He does this anonymously so that no one knows he is the riddle solver. The solver of the last rune will become king. The sorcerer Brodas Ravenkind wants to find out who has been solving the runes and wants to take over the kingdom. Only one man will become king. Kinshield does not want the responsibility and Ravenkind will do anything to become the next king including murder.
Summary
Gavin Kinshield is a warrant knight. Warrant knights are part sheriffs and part bounty hunters. He goes around the kingdom dispensing justice. Without a king, the petty lords need warrant knights to keep the peace. The blacksmith Risen Stronghammer is beholden to Kinshield because he had heroically saved his wife from drowning in the river. The Stonghammer’s are from a small of stature race from Farthan. Risen fashions a magical sword for Kinshield using the gems Kinshield had obtained and some magic from a Farthan enchantress. Kinshield encounters Daia Saberheart of the Viragon Sisterhood. The Sisterhood is a warrior and monk mercenary company. Kinshield charms her with his selfless personality despite his uncouth manners. Kinshield enlists her aid in his mission to find a man worthy to be king. Risen and Daia helps Gavin in his efforts to defeat Ravenkind and find a king for the kingdom.
Recommendation
Gavin Kinshield is a likable character. Maybe he is too much the charming rogue with the bulging biceps. The kingdom is a somewhat generic medieval fantasy world with a sort of dwarves in the Farthans. Risen is a fun character in short bursts. Daia and the Sisterhood were good for the story. I wanted Gavin and Daia to become more romantically involved, maybe in the sequel. Ravenkind should have been more than the mustache-twirling villain. Despite my reservations, I enjoyed this novel very much and would like to continue to read the rest of the saga.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Kinshield Legacy by KC May.
My review of Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook. It is a novel like The Kinshield Legacy. The Black Company is a medieval fantasy mercenary group and Croaker tells their tales.
I completed 9 of the 21 exercises from Sarah Domet’s book called 90 Days to Your Novel.
Submitted the story 4 Humours to a short fiction magazine.
The stories 4 Humours and Space Station Sunyata are still in review at other magazines.
The story Grognard was not accepted.
Events from February 2017
I attended the Winter Fiction Fest on February 18th that was held at Loganberry Books at 13015 Larchmere Blvd. Shaker Heights, Ohio 44120 and was sponsored by Literary Cleveland. There were four panels presented which featured Mary Doria Russell, Casey Daniels and Shelly Costa, DM Pulley, Geoffrey Landis, and Mary Turzillo.
Attended the volunteer meeting for Concoction on February 21, 2017, at Critical Hit Games 13433 Cedar Road Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118. Learned about the convention and signed up to help.
Writing Goals for March 2017
A Gathering in New Marl (New name is An Assassin in New Marl City) is a 55000-word short novel I wrote many years ago. I want to expand the novel from 20 chapters to 36 chapters (100000 words total). I intend to follow the method described in Sarah Domet’s book called 90 Days to Your Novel.
The book starts with 21 exercises that I plan to complete. After that I will write the 16 new chapters of the novel in an additional 20 weeks. My March plan is to finish the exercises and write three of the additional 16 chapters.
Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, Time Traveller One, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.
Submit Grognard to another short fiction magazine.
Planned Events for March 2017
Planning on purchasing a map and an e-book cover for An Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.
Download the trial of the writing program Scrivener and use it on my novel to see if I like it.
Work on completing a Query letter to use to find an agent for An Assassin in New Marl.
Attend ConCoction from March 10 to March 12, 2017, at the Sheraton Cleveland Airport 5300 Riverside Drive, Cleveland, OH 44135. I will volunteer for 12 hours at the event. Role unknown at this time.
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.
The events started with an interview. Susan Petrone interviewed the author, Mary Doria Russell.
Next, three different workshops were offered. Conference participants picked one workshop to attend. After the first workshop was completed, the Conference participants chose one of the other two workshops to attend.
The three workshops were as follows:
A: Beyond Motive, Means and Opportunity: How to Plot Your Mystery with Casey Daniels and Shelly Costa.
B: Turning History into Fiction with DM Pulley
C: Science Fiction: Not just for kids anymore! With Geoffrey Landis and Mary Turzillo
Everyone attended the interview first. There was about 30 people at the conference.
Summary – Interview
Mary Doria Russell has published six novels. The first two were science fiction and the other four were historical fiction. Her latest novel is called Epitaph. It details the events at the O. K. Corral.
She gets her ideas from reading biography books. She then researches her subject and looks for the moment that works as a novel. When she hears the voices, then she begins to write. Sometimes the research works like saving Italian Jews in World War II (A Thread of Grace), the 1921 Cairo Peace Conference (Dreamers of the Day), the early life of Doc Holliday (Doc), and the events at the O. K. Corral (Epitaph). Sometimes it doesn’t work like when she researched the relationship between Edgar Allen Poe and Sarah Elmira Royster. Another that didn’t work was Abe Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln.
She is currently researching a novel about the 1913 Copper Country strike in Michigan that will be called Unremembered Lives. Questions went to the audience at that point. Someone asked about agents. She has used the same agency for all her work, but she has had a dozen editors for her six novels. The novels were all published by Random House, but since she takes years to research and write each book, she has never had an editor start and finish any of her books. She doesn’t believe in outlines.
Summary – Science Fiction
I went to the C Workshop first. Nine people attended this session.
Mary had the flu so she skyped into the conference. First was a review of the subgenres of Science Fiction and Fantasy. What makes it SF or F is a speculative element. Talked about the markets and the tradition that SF and F writers start in the short fiction magazine route. Two websites that help in finding markets are ralan.com and duotrope.com. Stories have five elements including people, prose, plot, particulars, and prose.
A characterization handout was given, which encourages the writer to ask questions about the main protagonist. Another handout on character traits found at http://www.fiction-writers-mentor.com/list-of-character-traits/ Plot makes the character interact with the world. The inciting event shatters the main character’s place in the world. The plot is about the main character’s failures in trying to solve problems.
Three possible premises are What If, If Only, and If This Goes On. The last part of the workshop was a brainstorming session about the premise. We went with If This Goes On. It started with global warming and ended with The Waterlords of Cleveland. I should have taken a picture of the brainstorming whiteboard.
Summary – Mystery
I finished the Conference at the A Workshop. About 20 people at this session.
They presented a slideshow presentation and took turns explaining each slide. Most mysteries follow the conventions in one of these subgenres; cozy, police procedural, medical/legal thriller, suspense, romantic suspense, thriller, historical mystery, PI, Noir, Forensic, or YA. Setting is where the mystery starts. Your sleuth may be a member of law enforcement, have ties to law enforcement, or is an amateur. Make it matter, raise the stakes. The victim has secrets. There is an apparent reason and a real reason for the murder. The killer must be a worthy opponent of the sleuth. Everyone in the story must be s suspect. The plot is the search for the truth. In most stories, but not all, the reader discovers the clues as the sleuth discovers the clues. The solution of the crime must be surprising, plausible, and satisfying. The last twenty pages must have a resolution.
Conclusion
In review, I felt that all the authors presented their subjects with expertise, knowledge, and humor. I am glad that I attended the conference. I wish that I had been able to observe the workshop I missed. But the two workshops I attended were excellent. I am sure that it was just as informative as the others. I am looking forward to attending other events that are sponsored by Literary Cleveland in the future.
Links
A similar Conference to the Winter Fiction Fest 2017 was the Western Reserve Writers Conference 2016. Winter Fiction Fest is sponsored by Literary Cleveland while the Cuyahoga County Public Library sponsors a similar event called the Western Reserve Writers Conference 2016.
This is my recap for the Western Reserve Writers Conference 2016 on September 24, 2016. It was located at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library at the new William N. Skirball writer’s center which is located at the branch. It was a one-day event with an introduction, a keynote speaker, three breakout sessions, and one Q & A panel.
The reason that I check out daily break every day is that it is a place where I can get what’s happening currently in a fun fashion. A half dozen or so posts are created every day. The posts can be a quiz on weekly events, matching puzzles, interesting pictures, or lists about some topics. You can earn points by reading a whole post, you can earn points by spinning for points up to five times a day, and you can also earn points by completing breaker badges.
The points are used in sweepstakes for prizes or for items in the daily break store. I have used points on sweepstakes but have not won any. I have also received an Amazon gift card. The breaker badge that I have not received, but really want is the 15000 points for the grand slam, which is earned by coming back to the site for 365 straight days. I have missed only a few days since the site went to this format a year and a half ago. I’m at 97 days right now and 41417 total points earned.
I subscribe to The Plain Dealer and read the paper daily online. It is the only paper for Cleveland, Ohio and covers the sports teams in town. I get my Cavs, Indians, and Browns news from the paper. My favorite column is written by Terry Pluto in the Sunday Paper called Terry’s Talking… He goes over the latest news of the sports teams in his column.
Eleven Warriors covers all sports at the Ohio State University. I especially like their coverage of the football team. They write about recruiting (the daily Hurry Up feature is impressive), game day features, and commentary about the team.
The Wertzone is the blog of Adam Whitehead. He covers Science Fiction and Fantasy in Print and on Screen. Adam posts on current SF and F news as it happens. He comments on upcoming SF and F books, movies, and TV shows. There is also a large backlist of his reviews available on the site. I respect his opinions and have picked books and shows based on his recommendations.
This is a link to my review of The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which is a fun quickly-paced science fiction/fantasy adventure story. It has the lost world theme and an interesting method of alternative evolution included in this world. It is just the perfect story for that pre-teen boy to read.
Polished and submitted the stories 4 Humours and Space Station Sunyata to two different short fiction magazines. Grognard is still in review at another magazine.
Worked on polishing and readying the stories Time Traveller One and Prisoner of Tarnal for submission to short fiction magazines. Not ready yet.
I had also planned on polishing and readying the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines, but did not do so.
I wrote a scene from my proposed Torso novel as a proof of concept. Interesting but way down on my list of projects.
Changed my wordpress theme to Twenty Sixteen. It’s better than Twenty Fifteen, but I need to find something better.
Started a Fiveer account. Looking for a map and an e-book cover for A Gathering in New Marl. I’m thinking of re-titling the novel because I know what a gathering means in the context of the novel, but a potential reader would not know what it means. An Assassin in New Marl would fit the plot of the novel better.
The story Grognard is still in review at another magazine.
Writing Goals for February 2017
A Gathering in New Marl (An Assassin in New Marl) is a 55000 word short novel I wrote many years ago. I want to expand the novel from 20 chapters to 36 chapters (100000 words total). I intend to follow the method described in Sarah Domet’s book called 90 Days to Your Novel.
The book starts with 21 exercises that I plan to complete in the month of February. After that I will write the 16 new chapters of the novel in an additional 20 weeks.
Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, Time Traveller One, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.
Submit 4 Humours to another short fiction magazine.
Planned Events for February 2017
Order a map from Fiveer.
Work on completing a Query letter to use to find an agent for An Assassin in New Marl.
I will attend the Winter Fiction Fest on February 18th that is being held at Loganberry Books at 13015 Larchmere Blvd. Shaker Heights, Ohio 44120 and is sponsored by Literary Cleveland. There will be four panels presented which will feature Mary Doria Russell, Casey Daniels and Shelly Costa, DM Pulley, Geoffrey Landis and Mary Turzillo.
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, Book #1 of The Mars Trilogy
Introduction
Red Mars begins as the story of the first hundred people who make a permanent home on Mars. Among the first hundred is the first man who had set foot on Mars on an earlier mission, John Boone, the leader of the American group, Frank Chalmers, the leader of the Russian group, Maya Toitavna, the leading engineer Nadia Chernyshevski, the leader of the outpost made on the moon of Phobos, Arkady Bogdanov, a physicist and a proponent of immediately terraforming Mars, Sax Russell, a geologist and a proponent of leaving Mars in its original state, Ann Clayborne, and the leader of the farm team, Ai Hiroko. They face the challenges and dangers of Mars and of themselves to begin to transform the face of Mars so it can be inhabited for generations to come.
Summary
The first hundred come to Mars on the spaceship Ares after a long journey. They settle in a group of bunkers which they called Underhill. The beginning of the novel focuses on a love triangle between Maya, John, and Frank. Ann’s position is referred to as the Red position and Sax’s position is referred to as the Green position. The United Nations Organization Mars Authority (UNOMA) holds the final decision and favors exploiting the raw materials found on Mars to the benefit of the people of Earth.
Many outposts are built with the direction of Nadia and a mass emigration is enacted. A space elevator is constructed, the water at the north pole is mined, an ice meteorite is broken up in the Martian atmosphere, and large holes called moholes are drilled into the surface of Mars. Not everyone is happy with the current conditions and this leads to revolution.
Recommendation
The world-building in this trilogy is impressive. It details a rational and likely method for the terraforming of Mars. The author writes a wonderful description and creates interesting characters. The only problem that I have with the novel is that the author relies heavily on the narrative summary. While the technique of narrative summary can help tell a story that takes place over many years, it limits the connection the reader feels with the characters. The story continues in Green Mars and concludes in Blue Mars. Another book of short fiction contained within the Trilogy’s timeframe was also released and called The Martians.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson.
Hope and Red by Jon Skovron, Book #1 of the Empire of Storms
Introduction
Hope begins the novel as the lone survivor of her village. The village was exterminated by the order of biomancers. Biomancers serve the emperor and can manipulate any living thing. Their power is a mix of science and magic. She is taken in by the Vinchen warriors, who practice a variation of kung-fu training and philosophy. She vows vengeance on the biomancers. Red begins the novel as a young boy, is taken in by Sadie the Goat, and they become notorious pirates. After some adventures, he takes to the streets of New Laven and learns the trade of a thief.
Summary
Hope learns the ways of the Vinchen warriors as the only female ever so trained. She must leave the island of the Vinchen warriors and sets to sail with Captain Carmichael on the trading ship Lady’s Gambit as a fighter. Red is helped in his thieving exploits by his friends Filler and Nettles in the New Laven slum of Paradise Circle. New Laven is the largest and most populated island of the Empire of Storms.
The Empire is ruled by the emperor from the island of Stonepeak. Red’s crew become embroiled in the plans of the gangster overlord Deadface Drem. Deadface Drem has made a sinister pact with the biomancers, which has threatened all of people of Paradise Circle. The third viewpoint character in the novel is the biomancer, Brigga Lin. Brigga Lin is searching for the long guarded secrets of biomancers. Those secrets have a big payoff at the end of the novel.
Hope heads to New Laven after witnessing other atrocities committed by the biomancers. When Hope and Red meet halfway through the novel, the novel takes off showing their vengeance on the biomancers, the gangsters, and the empire.
Recommendation
The author describes this novel as a kung-fu, pirate, and gangster adventure. I heartily agree. This is a fun and fast-paced novel, which includes many twists and turns. The twists at the end set up the next volume called Bane and Shadow, which is due to be released on February 28, 2017. I have preordered it and look forward to reading it then.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Hope and Red by Jon Skovron.
This is the link to my review of Black Prism by Brent Weeks. The Black Prism is book one of the Lightbringer series. The Lightbringer series is like the Empire of Storms series because they are series with both fantasy and magic.
I had read great reviews of this novel in the past and finally read it last year. The praise is well-founded. The framing story is about an innkeeper called Kote. He reveals himself to be the legendary wizard Kvothe and then details his life of adventure and magic to the Chronicler who transcribes the tales. How much of his tales is the truth or an elaboration has yet to be determined?
Sequels do not always match the wonder of the first novel, but this one does. It works as an extension of the first novel. It’s been a long wait for the third novel, The Doors of Stone, but I see why it must be this way. It must be very difficult to maintain the quality of the narrative considering that all the threads must be completed to have a finished series. The three parts should read like one long novel. It is the story of Kvothe from apprentice to master.
This is the second book in the Stormlight Archive. While the first book is mainly focused on Kaladin’s story, this novel expands on Shallan’s story. Many events occur by the end of this long novel and set up the third book, called Oathbringer due to be released in 2017, which features the story of Dalinar.
The magic system in this fantasy, called chromaturgy, involves the magician turning various colors of light into a substance called luxin. The luxin can be manipulated into items depending upon which color of light is used. This novel focuses on the struggles of Gavin Guile as he tries to preserve the balance of light in chromaturgy and tries to rule the peoples of the Seven Satrapies as the Prism. Gavin may be the ruler, but he has many problems that plague him, including interacting with Kip, Dazen, Karris, Corvan, Liv, and the mysterious Lord Omnichrome.
This book was adapted for television by the SyFy Channel as the first season of The Expanse. That is why I initially chose to read this novel. I enjoy examining the comparisons from book to screen. Some examples are The Man in the High Castle, Games of Thrones, and the Harry Potter series. The Expanse is set in the future in the solar system, where the Terrans, the Martians, and the Belters (people who live beyond Mars) all vie for materials and power. The main characters are captain Holden and Detective Miller. They must unravel who has released an alien virus called the protomolecule and why it was released.
Novels Six to Ten of the Novels That I Read in 2016
The author describes this novel as a mix of kung-fu, pirate, and gangster adventure. I heartily agree. This is a fun and fast-paced novel, which includes many twists and turns. Hope begins the novel as the lone survivor of her village. The village was exterminated by the order of biomancers. Biomancers serve the emperor and can manipulate any living thing. Their power is a mix of science and magic. She is taken in by the Vinchen warriors, who practice a variation of kung-fu training and philosophy. She vows vengeance on the biomancers.
Red begins the novel as a young boy, who falls into becoming a pirate. After some adventures, he takes to the streets of New Laven and learns the trade of a thief. When Hope and Red meet halfway through the novel, the novel takes off showing their vengeance on the biomancers and the empire. The twists at the end set up the next volume called Bane and Shadow, which is due to be released on February 28, 2017. I have preordered it and look forward to reading it then.
This series mixes muskets and magic. The magic system uses gunpowder as its base. The protagonists can use gunpowder to enhance their stamina, accuracy in shooting, and self-healing ability. The exploits of Field Marshall Tamas, his son Taniel, and Inspector Adamat can be followed in the trilogy. A second trilogy starts when Sins of Empire is due to be released on March 7, 2017.
The sequel to Leviathan Wakes expands the conflict in the Expanse series. Captain Holden of the ship called Rocinante is back. The crew chooses to help Prax, whose daughter has been kidnapped from the moon of Ganymede. Ganymede has been attacked by enemies unknown as witnessed by Martian Marine Bobbie Draper. United Nations Under-Secretary Avasarala also becomes involved in the plot as the four characters unravel what has transpired between Earth, Mars, the Belt, and the kidnappers. Most of these events will be covered in the second season of the SyFy Channel program called The Expanse. The first episode is scheduled to air on February 1, 2017.
I have always enjoyed the author’s science fiction and the Song of Ice and Fire series. This novel was written in between the two. I had steered away from it because it included vampires because it felt like there was no place interesting to go with that trope. I decided to try it anyway and was pleasantly surprised. The novel is set in the 1850s on the Mississippi River. The story is about riverboat captain Abner Marsh and his mysterious benefactor, Joshua York. They build a big and fast boat and sail down the Mississippi toward New Orleans. York’s past catches up to him and secrets are revealed. These vampires have a well thought out history and biology. It is a science fiction type retelling of the vampire and werewolf superstitions.
This novel is the third book featuring the characters of Wax and Wayne. The Mistborn trilogy featured a different cast of characters and was set in a semi medieval world. There are three magic systems that exist in all of the books; allomancy, feruchemy, and hemalurgy. The technology level of the Wax and Wayne series is roughly Western with guns and trains mixing with the magic systems. In this novel, Wax searches for the legendary bands of mourning and tries to discover the intentions of a secretive group called The Set. The stage is set for a climactic final novel featuring these characters. The seventh Mistborn novel is called The Lost Metal and will be released in 2018.
The Other Ten Novels I Read in 2016
The other novels I read last year were The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K. Dick (This was a reread prepping me for the first season of the Amazon Instant Video series), Tuf Voyaging by George R. R. Martin (This was a reread so I could follow the you tube video series by Preston Jacobs on the Thousand World Stories by Martin), The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss, The Atlantis Gene (The Origin Mystery #1) by A. G. Riddle, Murder at the Kinnen Hotel by Brian McClellan (background short story in the Powder Mage series labeled #0.3).
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King, A Fire Upon the Deep (Zones of Thought #1) by Vernor Vinge, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Harry Potter #8) by J. K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers, and Song of the Sea Spirit (The Mindstream Chronicles #1) by K. C. May.
Upcoming Books I Want to Read
Books that I’m looking forward to reading this year that are scheduled to be released this year: -Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson on November 22, 2016 -Oathbringer (Stormlight #3) by Brandon Sanderson sometime in 2017 -The Heart of What was Lost (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn #4) by Tad Williams on January 3, 2017 -Bane and Shadow (Empire of Storms #2) by Jon Skovron on February 28, 2017 -New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson on March 14, 2017
Series that I want to continue reading: -Powder Mage Series by Brian McClellan -Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks -The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey -Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson
Books I will wait for as long as it takes: -The Winds of Winter (Song of Ice and Fire #6) by George R. R. Martin -Doors of Stone (The Kingkiller Chronicle #3) by Patrick Rothfuss
This is a link to my review of The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which is a fun quickly-paced science fiction/fantasy adventure story. It has the lost world theme and an interesting method of alternative evolution included in this world. It is just the perfect story for that pre-teen boy to read.
Polished and submitted the stories 4 Humours and Grognard to two different short fiction magazines.
Polished and readied the stories Space Station Sunyata, White Bracer, and Mage Squad for submission to short fiction magazines.
I planned on polishing and readying the stories Time Traveller One, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines, but did not do so.
Events from December 2016
I chose and uploaded a single photo to use for my website, goodreads page, and meet-up profile. I will also use this photo for future Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Postponed setting up Facebook and Twitter accounts until January 2017, due to completing other tasks.
The story 4 Humours was not accepted.
Writing Goals for January 2017
Polish and submit the stories Space Station Sunyata, White Bracer, Mage Squad to three different short fiction magazines.
Polish and ready the stories Time Traveller One, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.
Submit 4 Humours to another short fiction magazine.
Planned Events for January 2017
Create Facebook and Twitter pages.
Update Website to the Himmelan WordPress Theme.
Research professional photographers to take an author’s photograph for all of my social media accounts.
I will attend the Winter Fiction Fest on February 18, 2017. They are holding the conference at Loganberry Books at 13015 Larchmere Blvd in Shaker Heights, Ohio 44120 The conference is sponsored by Literary Cleveland. They will present four panels that feature Mary Doria Russell, Casey Daniels and Shelly Costa, DM Pulley, Geoffrey Landis, and Mary Turzillo.
